September Update for our Neighbours

Good Day from GNS,

The start of the new school year is fast approaching, with the first full day a week from today – Wednesday, September 4. We hope everyone has enjoyed a nice summer and that you were able to take some time to enjoy and recharge. As the faculty and staff ready themselves for next week, we wanted to provide our neighbours with the latest news from GNS and upcoming events and activities in and around Gonzales.

1. Traffic, Parking, Pick-Up and Drop-off (PUDO)

You will start to see things on and around the school getting increasingly busy, including the comings and goings from the Pemberton Woods Campus. We are pleased to let you know that we are implementing some important changes to school traffic. In an effort to keep everyone on the same page, this information was shared with our school families, faculty and staff as well.

a) NEW Changes at Pemberton Woods Campus to Morning School Bus Pick-up and Drop-Off (PUDO) and a few traffic safety reminders

In an effort to lighten traffic and move larger vehicles to collector roads, starting on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, we will move the morning school bus PUDO from Maddison Street to Richmond Avenue. This means all Junior School families who use the Beach Drive shuttle will now meet in the morning at the bus laybys on Richmond Avenue.

Also starting next week, the bus routes will be updated to prioritize the use of collector roads as much as possible:

 – Gordon Head and the SMUS Junior/Boarder buses will travel to GNS PW from McNeill as follows: turn left at Foul Bay, right on Gonzales, left on Richardson, right on Richmond to school bus drop-offs.

 – Leaving GNS Pemberton Woods from Richmond as follows: right on Quamichan, right on Cowichan, left on Richardson.

Bus Duty staff on Maddison Street will wear safety veststo enhance visibility, authority and safety during school traffic hours. 

Pylons will be installed in bus laybys on Maddison Street and Richmond Avenue to prevent unauthorized parking or waiting by cars, thereby improving traffic flow and safety.

We discourage parents from waiting in their cars to pick up their children after school in Resident Parking Only areas on Maddison Street. We consistently encourage the use of our designated parking lots instead.

Thank you for your support in ensuring these measures are followed – GNS and our neighbours appreciate it!

b) Parking, Pick-up and Drop-off (PUDO) Guidelines for Pemberton Woods Campus

• Please note the no parking or student drop-off/pick-up on Bank Street, the Bank Street round-about, or on Laurentian Place.
• Please respect “Residential Parking Only” signs and avoid designated bus zones.
• Please use the public parking on Richardson that is within walking distance to the school; refer to the Pemberton Woods Parking Map for details.
• Senior School families should use Richmond Avenue for drop-off and pick-up, while Middle School families should use Maddison Street.
• On Richmond Avenue, please do not linger or block other cars in; on Maddison Street, please use the drop-off lane efficiently and respect the STOP sign and the RIGHT TURN ONLY rule when exiting.
• Be considerate of our neighbours and other commuters by adhering to traffic laws and handling interactions maturely and with respect. 

SAFETY IS OUR PRIORITY

2. The second annual Gonzales Children’s Festival, complete with lantern making activities, will be held on Saturday, September 14 at Pemberton Park from 3 to 7 p.m. Following the success of last year’s event, the Gonzales Neighbourhood Association (GNA) invites you to do it all over again! Check the GNA website for more information.

3. The Canadian Universities Fair will be held on Monday, September 16. This is an evening event and GNS has extended an invitation for students from other schools to take part. The evening starts at 6:30 p.m. and will run for two hours. There will be traffic and people using the school parking lots. 

4. The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) Info Night will be held on Tuesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 26. This is an evening event and GNS has extended an invitation for students from other schools to take part. The evening starts at 6:30 p.m. and will run for two hours. There will be traffic and people using the school parking lots. 

5. Meet the Teacher Night will take place on September 25, 7 to 9 p.m. There will be traffic and people using the school parking lots. 

6. Our facility rentals to community organizations continues throughout the month of September with groups using the turf field and gymnasium primarily on Saturdays and Sundays, and Denford Hall on the occasional evening (including those confirmed right now and listed in this email).  

7. GNS is interested in developing a Speaker Series, creating opportunities to build connections, share knowledge and inspire life-long learning with neighbours and the broader community. We would love to hear what sort of topics would be of interest to you! Email neighbours@mygns.ca and let us know.8. Pemberton Woods Campus Renewal Update: Moving forward with the City of Victoria Process

The community’s active involvement in the Pemberton Woods Campus Renewal project over the past 14 months was amazing and the feedback received invaluable in shaping our plans. Ideas, comments and suggestions from the community have led to important changes such as maximizing setbacks and green buffers to improve experience for adjacent neighbours, situating noisier facilities – such as basketball courts and gymnasiums – in the campus centre, creating bike infrastructure to promote alternative modes of transportation and moving traffic away from the People Priority Greenway on Maddison Street and onto Richmond Avenue. GNS is proud to confirm that on August 1 we submitted a rezoning application that included the aforementioned elements and MANY more, reflecting our shared vision for an innovative and sustainable learning environment. In addition, revisions that took place since the CALUC include:

• Refinement to on site parking strategy to ensure Schedule C compliance (on site parking stall count increased to 181 stalls).
• Minor refinements to short and long term bike parking configurations and counts to suit program requirements.
• Clarification of private to public pedestrian circulation routes on site via the introduction of a fenced condition in specific locations.
• Introduction of a boulevard at the street edge of Maddison to improve the pedestrian experience at the public realm.

While the City of Victoria reviews our proposal, a process that may take up to two years, we remain committed to open communication and collaboration. We will provide quarterly updates on the project’s progress and continue to seek input through various channels.

We will also continue to work closely with the Gonzales Neighbourhood Association (GNA), the Fairfield Gonzales Community Association (FGCA), and the City of Victoria, to ensure ongoing community engagement. We are excited to be developing a speaker series that will delve into topics important to our community, such as sustainability, technology, local economy, arts, culture, wellness and more. We will share information about this series as it develops.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime with questions or feedback about the PW Campus Renewal, either by email at engage@pwrenewal.ca or by phone at 250-370-6831.

Or, if you have a question about anything in our Neighbour Update, please don’t hesitate to reach out by responding to this email.

Thank you in advance and we wish you all a fantastic September!

Kind regards, Shannon