A Look Back at Our @WCDSBNewswire Halloween

Meetings

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, October 16, 2017 — Agenda

Public Board Meeting

Monday, October 30, 2017 — Agenda

Highlights

WCDSB Annual Priorities for 2017-18

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) endeavours to be faithful to the articulated priorities of the Ontario Government’s “Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario”, as well to our Catholic Graduate Expectations and the principles of our Catholic Social Teachings.

At the commencement of the 2017-18 school year, there was a concerted effort to share with Administrators those strategic priorities and actions that were seen to be critical in this school year, as we strive to meet our articulated goals over the lifespan of the current MYSP.

On October 30, 2017 Director of Education Loretta Notten presented the annual priorities for the 2017-18 school year. The full report is available on pages 28-31 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package To view the full MYSP, please visit: MYSP

Renewed Math Strategy

In 2016-17, a number of WCDSB schools received either “Intensive Support” within the WCDSB Renewed Math Strategy (RMS), or “Increased Support” within the WCDSB Renewed Math Strategy (RMS). Schools that received “Intensive Support” showed impressive achievement growth of between 11% and 34%. Schools that received “Increased Support” also 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 RMS.

To review the full October 16, 2017 RMS report, please see pages 5-10 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package

Japan Exchange Experience

In 2015, the Ministry of Education released Ontario’s Strategy for K-12 International Education. This strategy echoes the WCDSB vision of 21st century learning and its four dimensions of internationalizing our schools. Based on our vision and commitment to globalizing our students’ experiences, the Research & Development Office (RDO) has development partnerships around the world, including Yamate School in Yokohama, Japan. This year, 80 Yamate students and four chaperones visited the WCDSB and stayed with local host families — and between July 21 and August 5, the WCDSB sent 36 students and five chaperones to Japan for a reciprocal two-week cultural immersion and homestay program. For a full report on the homestay programs, please see pages 11-12 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package

Mental Health & Wellness Plan Update

Every year the WCDSB submits a plan informed by our Board and provincial mental health scans, with consideration of patterns and trends that impact WCDSB students.  In June, 2017, the WCDSB’s Mental Health and Wellness Plan was sent to the Ministry of Education. The plan includes the following identified priority goals:

1. To strengthen system-wide commitment to WCDSB’s vision for mental health and wellness through initiatives which engage students, parents and staff in working towards mentally healthy school communities;
2. To develop and promote a resiliency, strength-based approach with all students and staff;
3. To build staff capacity by increasing mental health and wellness awareness through the implementation of a three-year Mental Health and Wellness Strategy;
4. To develop prevention programming, review the suicide protocol, and enhance the postvention plan for WCDSB in collaboration with our community partners; and,
5. To expand and strengthen our partnerships internally and with the community, creating a coordinated and integrated pathway of care.

To view the complete update, please visit pages 20-23 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package

Information Technology Services Summer Updates

Each year, the WCDSB’s Information Technology Services (ITS) Department engages in an extensive and far-reaching program of upgrades and maintenance to the board’s IT infrastructure. The upgrade / maintenance program is carried out by three distinct groups of staff:

• Classroom Support Team
• Data, Systems and Information Support Team
• Administrative Support Team

Among the most visible accomplishments of this summer’s work was a major re-design of the WCDSB’s public website (see photo) and individual school websites, to make them easier to navigate and more responsive to the information needs of visitors. For the full IT report, please see pages 13-42 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package

French Immersion Review Interim Update

French Immersion is an inclusive, opt-in program that was first offered in the 2015-16 school year at St. Anne CES in Kitchener and Sir Edgar Bauer CES in Waterloo. In 2016-17, the program expanded to Cambridge and opened at Our Lady of Fatima CES. The board offers a 50% program in which 150 minutes of instruction are offered in French, and 150 minutes in English. As with all our second language programs, French Immersion is designed for students whose first language is not French. The entry point for French Immersion is Grade 1. It is currently open to all residents of Waterloo Region at the three satellite sites. In our third year of the program, we are servicing 216 students. Given the growth of the program, a two-pronged committee has been formed to review the French Immersion program:

An FSL Program Review Committee will consult with stakeholders, examine assessment data, and determine pedagogical recommendations for the FI Program. An Accommodation Review Committee will determine what physical space accommodations the FI Program will require at current sites as the program expands into Grades 4-6. A consultation process will begin during the 2017-18 school year and regular updates will be provided. The Terms of Reference for the review are provided on pages 20-23 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package For additional information about the WCDSB French Immersion program, please visit: French Immersion

Leading Student Achievement: Networks for Learning (LSA)

Leading Student Achievement: Networks for Learning (LSA) is a highly successful collaboration of school principals, presently in its twelfth year. Currently, sixty districts participate in this project. The WCDSB has been an active partner since the beginning. In 2017-18, the project will continue to provide leadership and support by developing and sustaining learning networks of principals, teachers and system leaders within their districts, the province and internationally as they focus on some of the following initiatives:

• LSA Theory of Action
• Principal Learning Teams
• Professional Learning Communities
• Collaborative Inquiry Processes
• Leading Mathematics Success & the Renewed Mathematics Strategy
• Knowledge Building/Knowledge Forum
• Ontario Leadership Framework/School Effectiveness Framework

For a full report on LSA, please see pages 24-27 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package

Student Trustees Report

On October 30^th, Student Trustees Kate Jamieson and Meghan Nemeth presented their monthly report on activities in WCDSB’s secondary schools. Of particular note this month is the work being done by secondary school’s student leaders in establishing Elementary School Senates for each of the five families of schools. The report is available on pages 32-33 via the following link: Meeting Agenda Package

Upcoming Board Meetings

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, November 13, 2017

Public Board Meeting

Monday, November 27, 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

The Child Abuse Prevention Month campaign, which is marking its 25^th anniversary this year in Ontario, takes place annually during the month of October.

This year – on October 24, 2017 — communities, boards of education, and schools across Ontario will Dress Purple to collectively speak up and share the message that child abuse and neglect can be prevented and that help is available.

The tag line for Dress Purple Day is “It takes a village to keep kids safe.” The social media hashtag for Dress Purple Day is #IBREAKthesilence.

For more information – and a wide variety of resources about Dress Purple Day – please visit the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies.

October 5th, 2017,

Today we proudly celebrate World Teachers’ Day and we take time to recognize the tremendous contribution of teachers around the world, and in particular, we honour all those teachers who have made a difference for their students. We are blessed in Ontario – and in Waterloo Catholic in particular – to have high quality teachers who believe in the potential of each child.  Our school communities are ones where children thrive and as our mission indicates, where learning enables our students to leave ready to transform their world.  Our schools are second to none on the globe, in large part due to the remarkable dedication of our teachers.

Our teachers create learning environments that are rooted in the love of Christ and rich in belief regarding the potential of each child in their care.  Each day brings with it challenges that are unique and it calls upon teachers to be the very best that they can be in that moment.  We are grateful to our teachers for rising to that challenge on a daily basis and for hearing the call of their vocation as Catholic educators.   Waterloo Catholic teachers focus on more than the curriculum; they focus on the mind, body and spirit. Our teachers educate students to be formed in their faith and to become true citizens of the world.

Our teachers inspire our young people to a future of possibilities, and motivate them to become future leaders. Every day our teachers touch the lives of our young people in very special ways – working hard to ensure that our young people have the knowledge, skills and wisdom to become reflective, discerning and critical thinkers. For this we are most appreciative of the efforts that our teachers make in the lives of our young people.

Sadly, not all teachers around the world are respected as they are in Canada.  In many areas they work in unsafe conditions and without support and resources.  So on October 5^th, as World Teachers’ Day is celebrated, let us join with our global family and give thanks for our teachers, while reflecting upon those teachers who toil in this worthy vocation who may do so without the respect and/or the conditions which they and their students deserve.

Teachers help make Waterloo Catholic the Heart of the Community, A Place for All and represent Success for Each.  We join in acknowledging your many efforts and wish you only the very best in your continued ministry on this World Teachers’ Day.

Sincerely,

Wendy Price
Chair of the Board

Loretta Notten
Director of Education

Patrick Etmanski
President, OECTA Waterloo

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 25^th 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 25^th 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

Cambridge / North Dumfries Trustees fill key roles

Waterloo Region, ON – Trustees of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board have elected Cambridge / North Dumfries Trustees Wendy Price and Bill Conway as Chair and Vice Chair of the Board, respectively. Kitchener / Wilmot Trustee Joyce Anderson assumes the role of Past Chair. For more information about the Board of Trustees, please visit Board of Trustees.