WCDSB Board Meeting Bulletin – September, 2017
Meetings
Committee of the Whole Board Meeting
Monday, September 11, 2017 — Agenda
Public Board Meeting
Monday, September 25, 2017 — Agenda
Highlights
New Chair & Vice Chair of the Board
On September 11, 2017 the Board of Trustees accepted with regret the resignation as Board Chair of Trustee Joyce Anderson. Trustee Anderson stated: “It is with regret that I am submitting my resignation as Chair of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board effective September 11th, 2017. Health issues prevent me from fulfilling the demanding obligations of the position. Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Chair these past months. It is a joy and an honour to work with such a dedicated team”. Trustee Anderson will continue to serve the WCDSB as a Trustee, representing Kitchener / Wilmot. Current Vice Chair Wendy Price assumed the position of Interim Chair and was formally elected Chair of the Board at the September 25 Board Meeting. Trustee Bill Conway was elected Vice-Chair.
WCDSB Above Ontario EQAO Averages in all Grades in Math
- The Grade 9 WCDSB to Ontario comparison shows WCDSB’s Applied Level Mathematics students above the province by +11% (at 55%) — while the board’s Academic Level Mathematics students match the provincial average of 83%. The board’s Applied Level Mathematics score represents at +6% increase over last year.
- The Grade 3 WCDSB to Ontario comparison shows WCDSB above the province by +5% in math (at 67%), by +2% in reading (at 76%) and +2% in writing (at 75%).
- The Grade 6 WCDSB to Ontario comparison shows WCDSB math +2% above the provincial average (at 52%), writing +1% above the province (at 80%) and reading at 81% — level with the province.
- Schools that received “Intensive Support” within the WCDSB Renewed Math Strategy (RMS), showed impressive achievement growth of between 11% and 34%.
- Schools that received “Increased Support” within the WCDSB Renewed Math Strategy (RMS), showed impressive achievement growth of between 4% and 24%. Four of the WCDSB’s five secondary schools improved their applied math scores. All four of these schools received increased support through the WCDSB Renewed Math Strategy (RMS).
For the full EQAO report, please see pages 58-64 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package
WCDSB Enrolment Continues to Increase
In keeping with the WCDSB Multi-Year Strategic Plan and Budget Setting Process, it is essential to monitor actual student enrolment in relation to planning and budget setting projection numbers, in order to ensure proper stewardship of resources and appropriate levels of employee hiring. The most recent enrolment report was presented at the September 25th Board Meeting. Statistics of note include:
- The change over the projected enrolment number used for budget purposes in June, 2017 is +329 elementary school students.
- The change in enrolment from September, 2016 to September, 2017 is +573 elementary school students.
- Key Statistics for 2017-2018:
- 90.4% of Primary Classes, excluding Kindergarten, are at 20 students or under.
- Average class size for Junior/Intermediate is 24.61.
- There are no Grade 3/4 split classes over 23 students.
- Average class size for all Kindergarten classes is 23.9.
Indigenous Education: Territorial Acknowledgement
In the tri-city area of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and the Waterloo Region District School Board work together with one Waterloo Region Aboriginal Academic Advisory Council (WRAAAC). It is comprised of local First Nations, Métis and Inuit representatives and staff persons from both school districts. Meetings are held monthly to collaborate, vet ideas, share data, resources and to specifically support First Nations, Métis and Inuit students and their families, and more generally, to support and promote Indigenous Education initiatives. In the context of the Calls to Action that emerged from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015), there has been a desire and commitment for ongoing healing and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous or settler Canadians. One practice that has emerged during governmental and educational gatherings is a territorial acknowledgement of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit people who were the original residents of the land. To that end, the Board of Trustees has voted to adopt the following territorial acknowledgment crafted and approved by the Waterloo Region Aboriginal Academic Advisory Council:
I (we) would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather today is the land traditionally used by the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe and Neutral People. I (we) also acknowledge the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge, laws and philosophies of the Indigenous People with whom we share this land today.
Construction Update
During the 2016/2017 school year, several construction projects were carried out at schools across the Region, with the majority of the work being completed during the months of July and August. These projects were associated with building renewal, school priorities, and capital projects funded by the Ministry of Education. Construction continues on two new elementary schools (St. Brigid CES and St. Vincent de Paul CES), both of which are still scheduled to be completed on time. Using the Multi-Year Capital Renewal Plan as a basis, planning of projects to be carried out during the 2017-2018 school year is already underway. In addition to a number of important renewal projects, Facilities staff will begin planning for two more elementary schools with an estimated opening of September 2019 (Breslau and Huron Brigadoon).
The full report – with school-by-school details — is available on pages 49-57 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package
Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (BIPSA)
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board’s Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (BIPSA) sets specific operational direction to ensure that the key components outlined in the WCDSB’s Multi Year Strategic Plan as well as other relevant initiatives and priorities are addressed. Updated annually and responsive to shifting contexts and needs throughout the year, the BIPSA reflects our system’s continued commitment to improved student achievement and wellbeing. It assures that the board’s mission, “As disciples of Christ, we educate and nurture hope in all learners to realize their full potential to transform God’s world”, is embedded in all we do. It is rooted in the evangelical vision of Catholic education which is beautifully defined in our Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations.
The Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement provides the framework for each school’s School Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (SIPSA). The SIPSA allows for a more nuanced and focused plan that meets the specific needs of our unique and diverse school communities, each of which has its own metrics and targets that are monitored throughout the year and revised annually.
For a detailed overview of the 2017-18 BIPSA, please see pages 8-28 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package
Grade 4 Religion Digital Resource
Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ is a Religious Education program sponsored by the Catholic Bishops of Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories and developed in collaboration with Catholic educators from across Canada. The program is based on the Catholic Elementary Curriculum Policy Document for Religious Education, Grades 1-8, which has been approved by the aforementioned Catholic Bishops and Regional Assemblies of Bishops. It reflects the content of faith expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and follows the rationale and methodology of the General Directory for Catechesis. As reported this past Spring, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board is moving to a digital resource beginning with the Grade 4 program. This digital resource provides more resources for classroom teachers in the delivery of the religious education curriculum. Additionally, there are portals available for families and for parishes to support the catechesis taking place in the school. The digital resource is a tool to help strengthen school, home and parish relationships, as well as to provide support for collaboration with regards to sacramental preparation.
Director’s Immersive Professional Learning Program in Kenya
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board – like many other Catholic school districts – has a long tradition of offering international mission trips to high school students. The purpose of these trips is to give students an opportunity to live out their faith convictions in a cultural and socio-economic context different than the one to which most of them were born. International excursions help develop global competencies. More importantly, the work for justice and peace that is a moral imperative flowing from the gospel of Jesus Christ is at the heart of the service learning experience.
This past summer, Director of Education Loretta Notten was invited to participate in the first ever Director’s Immersive Professional Learning Program in Kenya. It was an exciting opportunity to travel with small group of educational leaders from across North America to witness the “WE Villages” phenomena and to learn first-hand about the impact of the 5 pillars model which informs the WE approach (WE is the new name for the organization previously known as Free the Children). Predicated on the foundational principle that education changes lives, the WE Village model looks at the interconnection between education, water, health, food and opportunity. This model is also predicated on the notion that WE does not ever presume to dictate what any one country, community or people might need, but has been developed in consultation and conversation. Over the course of eight intensely programmed days, the participants were allowed to experience interaction with the people of Kenya and witness each of the 5 pillars in action.
On October 4, 2017 at 6:00 p.m., Director Notten will host an evening for any and all interested members of the Waterloo Catholic community who might like to hear and learn more about the experience. The evening will be complemented by entertainment by the Kenyan Boys’ Choir. The event will be hosted at St. Mary’s High School. Please RSVP attendance to barb.pilsner@wcdsb.ca. Following that evening will be an invitation for staff to consider our next steps and assess interest in pursuing a more fulsome association with WE’s global community.
Student Trustees Report
The Board was very pleased to welcome new Student Trustees Kate Jamieson and Meghan Nemeth. They presented their first report at the September 25th Board Meeting. The report is available on pages 70-71 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package
Committee of the Whole Board Meeting
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Public Board Meeting
Monday, October 30, 2017
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board, representing more than 96,000 Catholic school supporters, operates 52 schools and four adult education facilities serving more than 40,000 elementary, secondary and continuing education students in Waterloo Region – continuing a 181-year tradition of quality, inclusive, faith-based education. Follow us on Twitter: @WCDSBNewswire – #WCDSBAwesome.
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For more information, please contact:
John Shewchuk – Chief Managing Officer | (519) 578-3660 | john.shewchuk@wcdsb.ca