Huron Brigadoon Boundary Review

(St. Josephine Bakhita CES)

The Board of Trustees approved the following motions on June 14, 2021. Please see Notice of Decision Letter summarizing the decision. In October 2021, an Updated Communication Letter was sent to all affected families to advise that the opening of the new Huron Brigadoon CES would be delayed to September 2023.

  1. 2021-93- It was moved by Trustee Price and seconded by Trustee Gravelle:

That the boundaries of Blessed Sacrament, John Sweeney, Our Lady of Grace, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and the new Huron Brigadoon Catholic Elementary Schools (CES) be modified in accordance with Option 1, effective September 2022 or at such time that the new school opens. . — Carried by consensus

  1. 2021-94- It was moved by Trustee Conway and seconded by Trustee Weiler:

That grade 7 students enrolled at Blessed Sacrament, John Sweeney, Our Lady of Grace, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha in the 2021/2022 school year, or the school year prior to the new Huron Brigadoon CES opening, be grandparented to finish grade 8 at their current school. . — Carried by consensus

  1. 2021-95- It was moved by Trustee Price and seconded by Trustee Conway:

That grade 7 students grandparented at their current school be provided with transportation, if they qualify in accordance with board procedure APO012 – Transportation. . — Carried by consensus

  1. 2021-96- It was moved by Trustee Gravelle and seconded by Trustee Weiler:

That French Immersion be offered at the new Huron Brigadoon CES upon its opening in September 2022, or at such time that the new school opens, starting with grade 1 and growing a grade per year. . — Carried by consensus

  1. 2021-97- It was moved by Trustee Gravelle and seconded by Trustee Price:

That French Immersion be offered at the new Huron-Brigadoon CES starting with one Grade 1 class per year (20 students), and that staff review the opportunity to expand access to French Immersion at such time as a boundary review is initiated to support the opening of a new school in South West Kitchener or if there are significant differences in enrolment trends projected by the New Huron-Brigadoon CES Boundary Review. . — Carried by consensus

  1. 2021-98- It was moved by Trustee Conway and seconded by Trustee Weiler:

That students enrolled at Blessed Sacrament, John Sweeney, Our Lady of Grace, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha in the 2021/2022 school year, or the school year prior to the new Huron Brigadoon CES opening, who were directed to attend the new Huron Brigadoon CES as a result of the Huron Brigadoon Boundary Review, be considered for grandparenting at such time as future boundary reviews are conducted in South West Kitchener. . — Carried by consensus

  1. 2021-99 It was moved by Trustee price and seconded by Trustee Schmalz:

That a transition Planning Committee which is to include parents from the affected schools be formed to support all students who will be moving to the new Huron Brigadoon CES as a result of the Huron Brigadoon Boundary review. — Carried by consensus

Schools Involved

Blessed Sacrament, John Sweeney, Our Lady of Grace, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

Purpose

The purpose of this boundary review is to establish a boundary for the new Huron Brigadoon Catholic Elementary School, which is anticipated to open September 2022.

Initial Staff Report

Below is the Initial Staff Report that was presented to the Board of Trustees on January 25, 2021, with the recommendation to initiate a boundary review.

The Board of Trustees approved the initiation of the Boundary Review on January 25, 2021 but also requested that Staff provide various timeline scenarios for consideration. Below is the Timeline Scenarios Report that was presented to the Board of Trustees on February 8, 2021; the Board of Trustees selected the timeline described in Appendix C.

If you wish to receive email updates throughout the review, please subscribe at the top of this page.

Written comments may be submitted by email or dropped off at your school.

Email: HuronBrigadoon@wcdsb.ca

Those submitting written public comments are required to provide their name and WCDSB school community affiliation to assist the Boundary Review Committee’s work and staff’s recommendations to the Board of Trustees. Personal information is collected further to the Education Act, s.171(1)7 and is collected for the purposes of creating a public record per Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) s.14(1)(c). Written comments submitted throughout the process will be posted on this website, including sender’s name, and may become part of the public record. Comments that contain obscene, threatening, harassing, libelous, discriminatory, or inflammatory comments, contrary to APS017 – Responsible Use of Information Technology and Electronic Data may be redacted from the record. Data, reports, submissions, parent/ratepayer comments received during the review process are subject to MFIPPA.

Why are you doing this review now?
The primary purpose of this boundary review is to establish a boundary for the new Huron Brigadoon CES in advance of its opening (anticipated September 2022). A decision in June 2021 will allow: a full year for transition planning; a year notice for affected families that are required to move schools; and, set boundaries for kindergarten registration and French Immersion applications in January/February 2021.

Will current students be grandparented?
Grandparenting provisions have not yet been discussed and will be determined through the boundary review process.

Can families request to stay at their current school instead of moving to a different school?
When a decision to move an area to a different school occurs, students are expected to transfer to that school, subject to any grandparenting provisions that may be determined through this boundary review.

Where should I register my child for kindergarten?
As no decisions have been made on changes to school boundaries, please register your child at your current/home school. Should school boundaries change after you register your child, you will be notified of the change and any necessary information for your new school will be provided.

Have any boundary change decisions already been made?
No. The Board of Trustees will decide on any changes to school boundaries on June 14, 2021.

When are we moving?
As noted above, no decisions have been made by the Board of Trustees.  Staff will be recommending implementation to occur when the new Huron Brigadoon Catholic Elementary School (CES) opens, which is anticipated to be September 2022.

What is the rationale for not allowing school staff and their immediate family members to be on the Boundary Review Committee (BRC)?
Board staff and their immediate family may have competing interests in their roles as parents and employees of the Board, whether real or perceived. To keep the process as transparent as possible, the preference is to have a boundary review committee member wear only one “hat”.

Are the three options in the Initial Staff Report the only options that are being considered?
Other options may be considered by the BRC if there is supporting rationale.

How can I provide feedback?
There will be two public meetings: March 24, 2021 and April 14, 2021. Parents, guardians, and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide feedback on options and implementation recommendations through a survey tool. Written comments can also be sent to HuronBrigadoon@wcdsb.ca. All written comments will be shared with the Boundary Review Committee and the Board of Trustees prior to a decision.

Once a recommendation is provided to the Board of Trustees, there will be two opportunities for parents and stakeholders to register as a delegation to address the Board directly with their comments, prior to a decision.

All opinions are welcome and we encourage parents and stakeholders to THINK before sending their comments (this is what we teach our students).
Is it True?
Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
Is it Necessary?
Is it Kind?

How are enrolment projections created?
There are four elements to enrolment projections: existing enrolment, housing development, retention rates (the number of students in Grade X that enter Grade X+1 the following year), and birth data (used to predict the number of students entering into JK for years later).

In addition, the Board’s enrolment projections are informed by municipal planning processes (e.g., Official Plans, Environmental Assessments, Secondary Plans, draft plans of subdivision, etc.), internal enrolment analyses, experiences of other school boards, and regional population forecasts.

Meeting Information

Public Consultation Sessions

Parents, guardians and the general public are invited to all public consultation sessions. Format is still to be determined but notices will be sent out prior to the meetings.

Those submitting written public comments are required to provide their name and WCDSB school community affiliation to assist the Boundary Review Committee’s work and staff’s recommendations to the Board of Trustees. Personal information is collected further to the Education Act, s.171(1)7 and is collected for the purposes of creating a public record per Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) s.14(1)(c). Written comments submitted throughout the process will be posted on this website, including sender’s name, and may become part of the public record. Comments that contain obscene, threatening, harassing, libelous, discriminatory, or inflammatory comments, contrary to APS017 – Responsible Use of Information Technology and Electronic Data may be redacted from the record. Data, reports, submissions, parent/ratepayer comments received during the review process are subject to MFIPPA.

  • Time: 6:00 PM -8:00 PM
  • Live Teams Meeting – brief PowerPoint Presentation at 6pm, followed by Questions and Answers period.
  • Please share your thoughts with us through this ThoughtExchange – we want to hear from you before we select a preferred option.

Materials:

  • Start Time: 6:00 PM
  • Live Teams Meeting – brief PowerPoint Presentation at 6pm, followed by Questions and Answers period.
  • Purpose: To present the preferred option (Option 1) and implementation recommendations, prior to finalizing the recommendations to the Board of Trustees.

Please share your thoughts with us through this ThoughtExchange (which will close April 14th at noon). We want to hear from you before we finalize the recommendations to the Board of Trustees.

Materials:

Boundary Review Committee Meetings

The following meetings are working sessions of the Boundary Review Committee (BRC). These meetings are open to the public. Parents and community members will not be allowed to actively participate in these meetings but are invited to listen and observe. Participants will require access to the internet, a reliable device, and the ability to use a web browser.

  • Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  • The meeting can be viewed live on YouTube during the duration of the meeting.

Materials:

Board Meetings

All Board Meetings are open to the public.

  • Time: 6:00 PM
  • Purpose: Staff to present recommendations to the Board of Trustees and opportunity for delegations.

Final Staff Report – Huron Brigadoon Boundary Review

  • Time: 6:00 PM
  • Purpose: Staff to address questions of clarification for the Board of Trustees and opportunity for delegations.

Huron Brigadoon Boundary Review – Clarification Report

  • Time: 6:00 PM
  • Purpose: Board of Trustees to make a decision. No delegations.

Huron Brigadoon Boundary Review – Final Decision Report

Delegations wishing to address a committee or the Board are required to e-mail Alice.Figueiredo@wcdsb.ca by the Wednesday prior to the meeting. Each delegation will be allowed ten minutes. For further information, please see the Protocol for Delegations.

Individuals wishing to appear as delegates at the May 10, 2021 and May 31, 2021 meetings of the Board of Trustees will be provided with the opportunity to present through electronic means.  Participants will require access to the internet, a reliable device, and the ability to use a web browser.  Technical support will be provided in advance of the board meeting if required.