Sandra Quehl enjoyed a 30 plus year career in IT Leadership in K-12 school boards in Ontario.

Following a successful start to her career as a developer of HR / Payroll software with Molnar Software, Sandra’s first school board position was with the York Catholic DSB.

She finished her career at the Waterloo Catholic DSB, where she served as CIO for 25 years.

Upon retirement, Sandra worked for ECNO as the Director of Customer Solutions for a year, then was appointed Executive Director in September 2016, retiring from ECNO in September 2019.

Sandra passed away in August, 2022.

To many of the women leaders in K-12 IT in Ontario, Sandra was a mentor and role model. She lived a life and shared the virtues of equity, diversity and the role of women in leadership.

The ECNO Community named the award after Sandra to recognize outstanding female leadership in K-12 IT in Ontario.

This award is presented when appropriate, at the Annual ECNO Conference.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees (Committee of the Whole Board) is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. — Monday, February 6, 2023 at the Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre.

Meetings

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, January 9, 2023 – Meeting Agenda Package

Regular Public Board Meeting

Monday, January 30, 2022 — Meeting Agenda Package

Highlights

French as a Second Language (FSL) Update

English-language school boards in Ontario are required to provide students with a minimum of 600 hours of French instructional hours by the end of elementary school. In Secondary, one FSL credit (110 hours) is compulsory for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). A second FSL course can be counted towards the compulsory credits required for the OSSD.

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board currently offers three program options for French as a Second Language:

• Core French
• Advanced Placement French
• French Immersion

Below are some of the highlights and key accomplishments of the various FSL programs:

French Immersion

This Regional Program is currently offered at the following sites:

• St Peter (Grades 1-3) – Legacy exception students in Gr 4-8 go to OLOF
• St Luke (Grades 1-4) – Legacy exception students in Gr 5-8 go to SEB
• Holy Rosary (Grades 1-4) – Legacy exception students in Gr 5-8 go to SEB
• Our Lady of Fatima – OLOF — (Grades 1-7)
• St Anne K (Grades 1-8)
• Sir Edgar Bauer – SEB — (Grades 1-8)

Cultural Experiences

More than 1300 students participated in French cultural experiences such as the Au Canada Project, Adventures and Dancing with the Franco Super Stars, Mike Ford’s Troubadour performance, and Voyageur Games with Perspectives Education. This combination of virtual and in-person adventures were subsidized through the Federal Official Language’s in Education Program (OLEP) Agreement with the Province of Ontario.

Professional Development

• 79 FSL teachers participated in voluntary board-level Professional Development activities, almost all of which were after school or on weekends. Professional Development topics included how to make assessment and evaluation fair when assessing skills like speaking to interact, classroom management in itinerant situations, preparing for effective Parent-Teacher meetings, mentoring new FSL teachers and preparing for de-streaming in grade 9 classrooms.

• Twenty-one FSL teachers attended virtual conferences led by OMLTA, ACPI, and AIM on evenings and weekends.

• A team of FSL secondary teachers worked on a de-streaming Grade 9 Summer Project to support other FSL teachers.

• The WCDSB hosted a week-long DELF training for FSL teachers in Boards associated with the Ministry of Education’s West Regional Office.

The report is available beginning on page 10 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Healthy Active Living Report

The 2021-22 school year saw a return to more familiar routines in the Health & Physical Education world. Students were back inside the gymnasium, using equipment and further exploring physical activity patterns that were so desperately needed.

The focus of the 2021-22 year centred on the reestablishment of norms within the gymnasium that were rooted in self-regulation, cooperation, and collaboration. These ideas became a focus point within the following three priorities:

1. Mental Health & Well-Being
2. Resource Support
3. Outdoor Education

Mental Health & Well-Being

Collaboration with the Mental Health Lead at WCDSB increased during this past school year. The first project was the purchasing of bathroom wall frames for all our Secondary school bathrooms as well as our intermediate bathrooms in our elementary schools. The intention of these wall frames is to provide students with a visual reminder of important things connected to their mental health and well-being. During the year, a series of posters will be rotated through these frames rooted in cannabis and vaping education as well as spaces in which students
can reach out for help regarding their own mental health.

This year also saw the completion of the purchasing of resources used to support teachers with the addition of the Social-Emotional Learning Skills (SELs) in the Health & Physical Education curriculum. The Kindergarten program will be supported with the Lucy Tries Sport Series

Resource Support

The return to more traditional Physical Education classes in 2021-22 was welcomed by so many for so many reasons. This development provided a great opportunity for educators to use physical activity to re-establish norms for large and small group interactions within the gymnasium that would then transfer to our classrooms and school yards. In September of 2021, the Primary Planning Time team was provided with the opportunity to learn from our
Senior Manager of Equity, Lynn Garrioch on how cultural appropriation and micro aggressions need to be considered within the Arts and Health & Physical Education world.

Materials were also purchased to provide schools with a chance to engage students with an ExBeats Kit. What is ExBeats? Think DrumFIT… students will use drumsticks and yoga balls to elevate their heart rate in physical activity while integrating the music and dance curriculum. These materials were purchase in the Spring of 2022 and are now active in our system. This is another great way to provide physical activity
opportunities in non-traditional ways.

Finally, the 2nd annual School Step Challenge took place from February 9th to March 9th, 2022.

Outdoor Education

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board has enjoyed a positive and healthy relationship with Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) for many years. Our students attend outdoor education programming that aligns with our curriculum in a variety of different grades and GRCA is one of our most prized community partnerships.

As classes did not start going to Laurel Creek and Shade’s Mills for our Outdoor Education programming until January 2022, our contract was prorated with the GRCA. As such, there were funds available for use for additional outdoor purposes this past year. Ten of our educators chose to attend professional development opportunity on a Saturday in May with the Canadian Intramural and Recreation Association (CIRA), an additional four took an Additional Qualification (AQ) in Health & Physical Education and 18 teachers and administrators registered for an online professional development course titled “Green Exercise: The Gateway to Social Emotional Learning”.

Additionally, the Outdoor Education teachers in our Secondary system, recertified themselves with Wilderness First Aid Association (WFAA) so they can continue taking our students on excursions as part of our Outdoor Education program. This process is required to happen every three years. Fifteen teachers took part.

The report is available beginning on page 14 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Leadership Strategy Update

The Ontario Leadership Strategy was developed in 2008-2009 to foster leadership of the highest possible quality in schools and school boards. The WCDSB maintains that our goals mirror the goals of the OLS – that is, to:

• attract the right people to leadership roles;
• develop personal leadership resources in individuals and promote effective leadership practices to have the greatest possible impact on student achievement and well-being; and,
• develop leadership capacity and coherence in organizations to strengthen their ability to deliver on education priorities.

Although the Ministry funds have been discontinued, WCDSB has prioritized leadership development to ensure that we are supporting and developing aspiring leaders in our organization. The Board Leadership Development Strategy Goals for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board are the following:

Overall Goal

Develop leadership capacity to support the achievement of goals outlined in the Multi-Year Strategic Plan and the Board Improvement and Equity Plan (BIEP).

Goal One

Create and promote leadership opportunities that engage all school and system leaders in order to strengthen staff capacity for instructional and spiritual leadership, to enhance organizational effectiveness, and to support succession planning as defined by research, Strong Districts and their Leadership and the Catholic Leadership Framework.

Goal Two

School and system leaders in the WCDSB will develop the capacity to appropriately respond to the needs of learners by fostering a holistic view of student learning that encourages shepherd, servant and steward leadership.

Goal Three

Create and provide opportunities for enhancing leadership capacity for the entire system by engaging in active professional lifelong learning, equity training, faith formation, mentorship, and coaching.

In Fall 2022, senior staff and administrators participated in a 12-hour online workshop on Decoding Race. This workshop helps leaders create cultures of belonging to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion skills, knowledge, and capacities. The focus of this workshop is Whiteness, privilege, and positionality.

Senior leadership and school administrators will continue to build capacity by exploring inequitable situations through case studies and inquiry. As we begin to recognize inequities in our workplace and our schools, we will explore ways to minimize those inequities.

The report is available beginning on page 18 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Property and Major Capital Construction Update

Annually a report is provided to the Board of Trustees summarizing various property transactions that have occurred in the past year and that are anticipated to occur in the near future. The report also includes a summary of major construction projects, and is divided into the following categories:

• Property Disposition (Sale)
• Property Acquisition
• Major Construction Update

The former St. Boniface CES site in Maryhill was declared surplus to the needs of the Board in 2021. The property consists of a school building on 9.29 acres of land plus a 0.35 acre vacant residential lot. Both parcels will be sold through a competitive bidding process in 2023.

The Property Acquisition portion of the report provides details on the following projects:

• East Kitchener Grade 7 to 12 School
• Southeast Galt School Partnership (with City of Cambridge & WRDSB)
• Rosenburg (Southwest Kitchener)
• Rosenburg West (Southwest Kitchener)
• Doon South (Southwest Kitchener)
• Baden
• North Cambridge

The Major Construction Update portion of the report provides details on the 8-classroom & gym expansion at St. Agnes CES in Waterloo and construction of the new Huron Brigadoon elementary school in Southwest Kitchener.

The report is available beginning on page 29 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Early Literacy Strategy

In the spring of 2022, the Ministry of Education released: Effective Early Reading Instruction: A Guide for Teachers outlining updates to our Language Curriculum in the area of building
foundational early reading skills.

Our early literacy work aligns with evidence-based practices as outlined in this guide to support the development of early word foundational skills as one part of a literacy rich, culturally responsive, student-centered literacy program.

The report presented on January 30, 2023 provided a variety of details in the following key areas:

• System Professional Development
• School-based Professional Development
• Student Centred Instruction

The professional development was focused on:

• Cross-Curricular Connections and Integrated Learning
• Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
• Indigenous Education
• Social Emotional Learning

The report is available beginning on page 33 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Board Chair’s Update

Each month, the Chair of the Board reports on the activities of the Board of Trustees. Chair Tracey Weiler’s report for January 2023 is available on page 44 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Student Trustees Update

Student Trustees Chloe Armstrong and Anika Fejerpataky presented their monthly update – covering activities in WCDSB’s secondary schools. It is available beginning on page 41 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Upcoming Board Meetings

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, February 6, 2023

Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre

Regular Public Board Meeting

Monday, February 27, 2023

Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board, representing more than 96,000 Catholic school supporters, operates 48 schools and four adult education facilities, serving more than 40,000 elementary, secondary, and continuing education students in Waterloo Region – continuing a 186-year tradition of quality, inclusive, faith-based education. Follow us on Twitter: @WCDSBNewswire – #WCDSBAwesome.

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The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. — Monday, January 30, 2023 at the Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre.

Agenda:

Public Board Meeting

Other Information:

General Information About WCDSB Board Meetings

Information About the Board of Trustees

(Note: Agenda files can be large. If you are experiencing issues downloading a file, right click on the link and choose “Save Target As…”.)

It’s Time to Sign Up for School!!

The Education Act requires school boards to develop multi-year plans that are three years or more in scope.

The WCDSB’s 2022-2025 Multi-Year Strategic Plan is aimed at achieving the Ministry of Education’s goals of increased student achievement and well-being — and equity, inclusion and opportunity for all students – while simultaneously animating the vision of the board, upholding the principles of our Catholic Social Teachings and positioning all students to meet the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations.

The last WCDSB Multi-Year Strategic Plan reached its conclusion in 2022.

In the Spring of 2022, the WCDSB conducted a stakeholder survey to determine what should remain from the previous plan, and what should be the essential elements of the next MYSP.

There was broad consensus that the existing WCDSB Mission, Vision & Beliefs should remain unchanged.

There was also broad consensus that the following key areas of focus were essential to student success and wellbeing:

• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) for Students and Staff
• Well-Being for Students and Staff
• Learning Recovery / Achievement

A further key consideration was to ensure the new plan had clear and obvious links to other critical board plans, including;

• Pastoral Plan
• Board Improvement and Equity Plan (BIEP)
• School Improvement and Equity Plan (SIEP) – Available via Individual School Websites
• Mental Health & Well-Being Strategy

Finally, a foundational aspect of the plan is that each Strategic Direction will bring an intentional focus on three specific, yet inter-related audiences:

• Students
• Staff
• Parents / Families / Community

The three Strategic Directions are:

• Awaken to Belong
• Ignite to Believe
• Strengthen to Become

The actions articulated within each of these Strategic Directions will be monitored and evaluated on an annual basis using a variety of data sources and evidence-based indicators.

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board, representing more than 96,000 Catholic school supporters, operates 48 schools and four adult education facilities, serving more than 40,000 elementary, secondary, and continuing education students in Waterloo Region – continuing a 186-year tradition of quality, inclusive, faith-based education. Follow us on Twitter: @WCDSBNewswire – #WCDSBAwesome.

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Congratulations to Resurrection CSS student Caitlin Kraemer and former WCDSB student Ava Murphy for their success so far at the Women’s Under-18 World Hockey Championship in Sweden.

Caitlin leads Canada in scoring in the tournament with six goals and an assist in three games, following Canada’s 3-1 victory over the United States on January 11.

Ava (with a goal and assist) was the star of last year’s gold medal winning 3-2 victory over the United States.

We wish Caitlin, Ava and the entire National Team all the best as they head into the semi-finals on January 14.