STANDING TOGETHER AGAINST RELOCATION OF SECONDARY INTERNATIONAL AND INDIGENOUS PROGRAM, COMMONLY KNOWN AS POLISH, UKRAINIAN AND VIETNAMESE HIGH SCHOOL FROM JOHN CABOT CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL TO ST. JOSEPH'S SECONDARY SCHOOL

We, the concerned residents of Mississauga, Polish/Ukrainian community, parents of students that are already enrolled in Polish/Ukrainian International and  Indigenous Languages Secondary Program at John Cabot High School along with parents of Grade 8 students of Nicolaus Copernicus, School of the Polish Language (St. Pio Pietrelcina School), WE adamantly oppose the relocation of Secondary International and Indigenous Languages Polish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese Program from John Cabot Catholic Secondary School to St. Joseph's Secondary School.

It was to our great surprise that after 23 years of serving our community Secondary Language Program at John Cabot High School has come to an end. Sadly, that decision was made without parents, students or teacher's knowledge and was never publicly brought to light until few weeks ago when the registration for 2024/2025 school year has begun. At the same time, we were informed that registration is strongly encourage before June 21, 2024, as space is limited, and applications will be accepted on "first come first served" basis.

St. Joseph SS (proposed “new” school) has been assigned to unbelievable large amount of different language classes (twelve in total!) just to name few: Arabic, Cantonese, Croatian, Korean, Philipino/Tagalog, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese. Although it is a great school, we all find this extremely alarming that St. Joseph SS will be the ONLY school in Mississauga with International and Indigenous Languages Secondary Program, and when it comes to polish language the ONLY one in the entire Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board (Mississauga, Brampton, Bolton, Caledon, Orangeville). It is incredibly unfair to the students who wish to continue their education and will not have an equal access to do so. At this point, recent changes in education system are very questionable. Back in 2018 we were able to choose from eleven different locations (polish language along) for both elementary and High School across the Board. With the imposed new changes for example Ukrainian language can only be taught at St. Thomas Aquinas SS in Brampton (it’s almost 21 kilometers stretch between that school and John Cabot SS). And scary enough, some parents are still not aware of this change.

Relocation will have dramatic impact on both students and parents, and in some cases, it will make it impossible to join the classes and force some students to drop out. John Cabot SS has become a home to many Ukrainian kids, that escaped the war. They don't drive, they simply walk to school because they have no other choice. As a reminder, Saturday schools do NOT provide transportation for students. Distance and classes timing will have negative effect on those that have kids enrolled in different Saturday's programs and unfortunately this move could potentially hinder that growth and deprive our children of valuable learning opportunities.

Nonetheless, the trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has already taken a toll on the children's education. It is crucial that we provide them with stability and continuity during these challenging times, rather than subjecting them to further disruption. Our kids proudly participate in many weekend programs either at the St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church or St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church taking full advantage of walking distance from John Cabot SS.  This change will undoubtedly have a negative impact on our kid's language proficiency and overall educational experience.

It is unquestionable that as taxpayers we should be informed about any school changes, especially when it comes to school relocation.

As parents we should always be given a voice above all when we feel that quality and consistency of our kid's education is at stake.

And finally, as a Polish, and Ukrainian community we should feel encourage to celebrate and promote our heritage that is guaranteed by Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canadian Multiculturalism Act and not to fear that the access to International Language Program be limited in anyway.

We urge decision-makers to reconsider this proposed relocation. Secondary International and Indigenous Languages Polish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese Program must stay at Cabot Catholic Secondary School.  For many families it is not an option, it is the ONLY option. We must prioritize stability and quality education for our children and feel free to promote our culture and language.

Please sign this petition and have our voices heard.