A highlight of every year in the WCDSB is the release of the Director’s Annual Report. Ever school board in the province is required to produce such a report and ours is always a comprehensive and wide-ranging look back the previous year’s many accomplishments. More than perhaps anything else we produce it provides a multi-faceted illustration of what we mean when say our schools are “Heart of the Community”.

The report is available online at https://annual.wcdsb.ca

Waterloo Region, ON – The Board of Trustees of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board has re-elected Cambridge / North Dumfries Trustee Bill Conway as Chair of the Board, and Waterloo / Woolwich / Wellesley Trustee Melanie Van Alphen as Vice-Chair of the Board. The meeting was held Monday, December 2, 2019 at the Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre.

The Board of Trustees is comprised of the following representatives:

Bill Conway (Cambridge / North Dumfries) – Chair

Manuel da Silva (Cambridge / North Dumfries)

Kevin Dupuis (Kitchener / Wilmot)

Jeanne Gravelle (Waterloo / Wellesley / Woolwich)

Wendy Price (Cambridge / North Dumfries)

Greg Reitzel (Kitchener / Wilmot)

Brian Schmalz (Kitchener / Wilmot)

Melanie Van Alphen (Waterloo / Wellesley / Woolwich) – Vice-Chair

Tracey Weiler (Kitchener / Wilmot)

Meghan Cymbron and Rori Schaefer are the Student Trustees.

Detailed information about the Board of Trustees – including contact information, board agendas and minutes and board policies is available by clicking —–> HERE … Then click the “Our Governance” link.

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board, representing more than 96,000 Catholic school supporters, operates 49 schools and five adult education facilities serving more than 40,000 elementary, secondary and continuing education students in Waterloo Region – continuing a 183-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

Meetings

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, November 18, 2019 – Meeting Agenda Package

Public Board Meeting

Monday, November 25, 2019 — Meeting Agenda Package

Highlights

Pastoral Plan Update

On February 11, 2019, at St. Anthony Daniel Parish, we launched Called to Belong, year one of our new three-year Pastoral Plan. The celebration featured students, parents, clergy and staff from across our system. The celebration highlighted images of Belonging from all our school communities, along with insights into how “All are One in Christ Jesus” can be lived out in our homes, schools and parishes. A Called to Belong video was shared system wide and used to animate discussions about our Pastoral Year.

Highlights of Called to Belong activities include the following:

• Pastoral Plan banners placed in the entranceways of all WCDSB schools
• Called to Belong mosaic artefacts designed by schools to represent the membership of each person in their school communities
• Each school assigned a “prayer buddy” school to strengthen the bonds of community
• Three “Theology on Tap” events at the Edelweiss Tavern to explore and celebrate the theme of Called to Belong
• Overnight Staff Retreat at Mount Mary facilitated by Fr. Joseph de Viveiros entitled, “Praying with the Eucharist to help Deepen our Sense of Belonging”
• Safe Spaces Retreats for students who identify as LGBTQ
• Virtual Tour of Christ the King Cathedral that was featured in The Catholic Register and during Catholic Education Week by Bishop Crosby
• Mount Mary Retreats for Grade 8 students have incorporated the theme of “Belonging”
• Family of School Pastoral Team workshop/meetings to support the ongoing work of animating our pastoral year led by the Religion and Family Life Consultant

On December 6, 2019 we will celebrate Spiritual Development Day, again in a Family of Schools model, with Eucharist and activities that highlight the warm spirit of hospitality and welcome that characterizes the WCDSB community. Then, following the Advent season, we will launch Year 2 of our Pastoral Plan: Gathered to Become.

The full report is available on pages 12-15 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Teacher Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP)

The Teacher Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP) is an annual project-based professional learning opportunity for experienced classroom teachers. Through the TLLP, the Ministry of Education has, for the past decade, supported hundreds of teacher-led projects across the province. WCDSB has benefitted greatly from these grants, with truly innovative work resulting, so it was with regret that we learned there is not support provincially for any projects for the current year.

The program funds proposals from classroom teachers who seek a peer leadership role in curriculum, instructional practice or supporting other teachers. The goal of the program is to provide an opportunity for teachers to engage in advanced professional learning and to share their learning with others.

Goals of the program are to:

• create and support opportunities for teacher professional learning.
• foster teacher leadership.
• facilitate the sharing of exemplary practice with others for the broader benefit of Ontario’s students.

On November 18, 2019 Board staff provided the Board of Trustees with an overview of the 2018-19 projects. The report is available on pages 8-11 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

English as a Second Language Update

Since its inception, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board has celebrated the contributions of its English Language Learners (ELLs) and worked to meet their needs in a variety of settings. English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers continue to work in all our schools to support staff, students, and families in developing language skills necessary for success in a changing society.

English Literacy Development (ELD) programs are for students whose first language is other than English or is a variety of English significantly different from that used for instruction in Ontario schools. Students in these programs are most often from countries in which their access to education has been limited, and they have had limited opportunities to develop language and literacy skills in any language.

English as a Second Language (ESL) programs are for students whose first language is other than English or is a variety of English significantly different from that used for instruction in Ontario schools. Students in these programs have had educational opportunities to develop age-appropriate first-language literacy skills.

There are more than 600 elementary students in the WCDSB who are in their first two years in Canada and more than 1,000 students in their first four years in Canada.

The full update is available on pages 43-46 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Autism Support Plan Update

Within the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, there are many support services available for students with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Collaboratively, the classroom teacher works alongside the Special Education teacher to develop and provide appropriate programming for students diagnosed with ASD. Other school level support staff involved may include an Educational Assistant and/or Child and Youth Care Worker. Additional supports are also available for students who:

• are arriving from another school or school board.
• are transitioning from a preschool setting.
• are newly diagnosed.
• have updated assessment results that call for a review of strategies.
• require Individual Education Plan (IEP) revisions.
• require the development of an IEP (e.g., students who may be experiencing challenges with transitions).

In October 2019, all Special Education teachers, Principals and classroom teachers were presented information on the topic of Universal Supports for Executive Functioning. Classroom teachers were provided with practical tools to guide them in determining and developing universal supports to promote student achievement and well-being. WCDSB has obtained a supplementary grant to support students with ASD. The Board has hired an additional Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) to develop and implement lunch-time social skills development programs in all five secondary schools (St. David, Resurrection, Monsignor Doyle, St. Mary’s, and St. Benedict). The programs will begin in January 2020.

The full report is available on pages 47-50 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Board Chair’s Update

Each month, Board Chair Bill Conway reports on the activities of the Board of Trustees. The report for September 2019 is available on page 59 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Student Trustees Report

Student Trustees Meghan Cymbron and Rori Schaefer presented their monthly report on activities in WCDSB’s secondary schools. The report is available on pages 56-58 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Upcoming Board Meetings

Inaugural Board Meeting

Monday, December 2, 2019

Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre

Regular Public Board Meeting

Monday, December 9, 2019

Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board, representing more than 96,000 Catholic school supporters, operates 49 schools and four adult education facilities, serving more than 40,000 elementary, secondary and continuing education students in Waterloo Region – continuing a 183-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

St. John CES is WCDSB’s fastest growing elementary school. It is one of the largest schools and has one of the smallest sites, at 2.9 acres. The school has a capacity of 502 pupil places and enrolment is currently at 641 students. Enrolment is projected to continue increasing and may reach 886 students by 2024.

A request for capital funding to support enrolment growth at this school has been submitted to the Ministry of Education, but as there is no guarantee our request will be approved and because enrolment continues to grow, planning for September 2020 and beyond is required.

As a result, on October 28, 2019 the Board of Trustees initiated a boundary review involving Holy Rosary CES, Our Lady of Lourdes CES, St. John CES, and St. Nicholas CES, with the purpose of reducing enrolment pressure at St. John.

The preferred option (shown below) focuses on balancing enrolment between all four schools. Specifically, it proposes to:

• Move sub-areas D and G (110 students) from St. John to Holy Rosary;
• Move sub-areas E and B (61 students) from St. John to Our Lady of Lourdes; and,
• Move sub-areas X and Y (140 students) from Our Lady of Lourdes to St. Nicholas.

It is anticipated that the review will be completed no later than April 27, 2020.

For more information, please click here: St. John CES Boundary Review

Email: StJohnReview@wcdsb.ca

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