Southeast Galt Boundary Review

At the May 26, 2025 Board of Trustees meeting, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) approved Option 3 of the Southeast Galt Boundary Review (May 26, 2025 Board of Trustee Agenda). This decision follows extensive consultation and careful consideration of enrolment trends, school capacities, and community feedback.

What This Means:

Boundaries for Holy Spirit CES, St. Anne (C) CES, and St. Vincent de Paul CES will be adjusted September 2026.

A new boundary will be established for the new Southeast Galt Catholic elementary school, opening September 2026.

Out of Boundary caps will be implemented starting September 1, 2025, with exceptions for students already enrolled or pre-registered with out of boundary permissions prior to August 31, 2025.

Existing Out of Boundary students will be permitted to remain at their current schools, except those directed to attend the new Southeast Galt Catholic school.

Legacy exceptions will allow Grade 7 students in 2025–2026 to remain at their current school for Grade 8.

An Exceptional Circumstances Appeal process will be communicated in the Winter of 2026.

A Transition Planning Committee will be formed to support students and staff affected by the changes.

Approved Recommendations:

That the boundary of Holy Spirit Catholic Elementary School (CES), St. Anne (C) CES and St. Vincent de Paul CES be modified, and the boundary of the new Southeast Galt Catholic school be established in accordance with Option 3, effective September 1, 2026, or at such time as the new Southeast Galt Catholic school opens.
That effective September 1, 2025, Holy Spirit CES and St. Anne (C) CES become capped to new Out of Boundary students, and St. Vincent de Paul CES remain capped in accordance with APA003 – Admission of Out of Boundary Students. Students who have registered for the 2025/26 school year who have received Out of Boundary permission to attend a review area school prior to August 31, 2025, will be permitted to attend that school despite the September 1, 2025 cap.
That Out of Boundary students enrolled and attending Holy Spirit CES, St. Anne (C) CES and St. Vincent de Paul CES as of September 1, 2025, be allowed to remain in their current school until they graduate Grade 8, unless they are part of the new Southeast Galt Catholic school boundary.
That transportation will not be provided to said Out of Boundary students enrolled and attending Holy Spirit CES, St. Anne (C) CES and St. Vincent de Paul CES who are granted permission to remain in their current schools until they graduate Grade 8.
That all Grade 7 students enrolled and attending Holy Spirit CES, St. Anne (C) CES and St. Vincent de Paul CES in the 2025/2026 school year, or the school year prior to the new Southeast Galt Catholic School opening, be granted Legacy Exception permission to finish Grade 8 at their current school. And further, said Grade 7 students also be allowed to attend the new Southeast Galt Catholic school in 2026/2027 for Grade 8.
That all Grade 7 students enrolled and attending Holy Spirit CES, St. Anne (C) CES and St. Vincent de Paul CES in the 2025/2026 school year, or the school year prior to the new Southeast Galt Catholic School opening, who opt to remain at their current school in 2026/2027 in accordance with Recommendation 5, be provided with transportation, if they qualify in accordance with board procedure APO012 – Transportation.
That prior to the opening of the new Southeast Galt Catholic school, extraordinary Out of Boundary admissions to Holy Spirit CES, St. Anne (C) CES and St. Vincent de Paul CES be considered by a special senior management level committee. The decision of the special senior management level committee is final and non-appealable. The special senior management level committee will only consider appeals where the Administrator of the student’s current school and the Administrator of the student’s future school agree on the following:

a) A student’s mental, physical, or academic well-being would likely be compromised if they were moved.

b) Upon the professional consideration of school and board staff, there is a determination that a student’s unique personal and educational needs are better served at the current school.

c) There are unique health and safety considerations pertaining to the student, that are better served at the current school, and which are verified by school and board staff.

8. That a Transition Planning Committee be formed to support all students and staff who will be moving to the new Southeast Galt Catholic school as a result of the Southeast Galt Boundary Review.

Option 3 – Approved Boundaries

The Board of Trustees approved the initiation of the Southeast Galt Boundary Review on March 3, 2025. The purpose of the review is to establish an attendance boundary for the new Southeast Galt Catholic elementary school ahead of its opening in September 2026, and modify the boundaries of Holy Spirit Catholic Elementary School (CES), St. Anne (C) CES and St. Vincent de Paul CES. The new boundaries would come into effect in September 2026.

Final Boundary Review Report Available

The Final Boundary Review Report will be presented to the Committee of the Whole on May 12 for consideration and the Board of Trustees for a decision on May 26, 2025.

Staff are recommending Option 3, which reflects feedback from Catholic School Advisory Committee (CSAC) meetings, the open house discussions, and input received throughout the review.

In addition to establishing the boundary for the new Catholic school formed from Sub Areas D, K and L, Option 3 proposes:

Moving Sub Area X1 from St. Vincent de Paul to St. Anne (C).
Splitting Sub Area N between the new school (N1) and St. Anne (C) (N2).

This option is recommended because it:

Minimizes disruption for current students in Sub Area X2.
Reduces future crowding at the new school.
Balances enrolment at St. Anne (C) by including new residential areas.

Delegations wishing to appear at the May 12th meeting are required to e-mail Stephanie.Medeiros@wcdsb.ca by the Monday prior to the meeting. Each delegation will be allowed ten minutes. For further information, please see the Protocol for Delegations.

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Initial and Final Boundary Review Report and Options

Purpose

To establish an attendance boundary for the new Southeast Galt Catholic elementary school and modify the boundaries of Holy Spirit, St. Anne (C) and St. Vincent de Paul, before the new school opens in September 2026.

Schools Involved

Holy Spirit
St. Anne (C)
St. Vincent de Paul

Final Boundary Review Report

Final Boundary Review Report

Initial Boundary Review Report

The Initial Boundary Review Report was presented to the Board of Trustees on March 3, 2025, with the recommendation to initiate the boundary review.

Sub-Areas

To analyze boundary options and enrolment patterns, each existing review area elementary school has been divided into sub-areas.

Options in Initial Boundary Review Report

Walking Webs

Southeast Galt Boundary Review – Walking Web 1.6km

Contact Us

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:

Those submitting written public comments are required to provide their name and WCDSB school community affiliation to assist the Boundary Review Staff 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are you doing this boundary review?
The primary purpose of this boundary review is to establish a boundary for the new Southeast Galt Catholic Elementary School in advance of its opening (anticipated September 2026).

Will current students be provided with legacy exceptions?
Legacy exceptions 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 legacy exceptions that may be determined through this boundary review.

Where should I register my child for kindergarten in 2025/26?
As no decisions have been made on changes to school boundaries, please visit the board’s registration webpage for directions to register for school.

Visit: Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region for current school direction information.

Have any boundary change decisions already been made?
No. The Board of Trustees will consider boundary change recommendations on May 26, 2025.

When are students changing schools?
No decisions have been made by the Board of Trustees. Implementation will occur when the new Southeast Galt Catholic elementary school opens in September 2026.

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

How can I provide feedback?

Attend the public open house on April 9, 2025.
Provide feedback on options and implementation recommendations through the survey.
Provide comments via email to SoutheastGalt@wcdsb.ca. All written comments will be shared with the Staff Committee and the Board of Trustees prior to a decision.
Once a recommendation is provided to the Board of Trustees, there will be an opportunity 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 / guardians and other 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 four 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.

Public Engagement

Email

Comments may be submitted via email at SoutheastGalt@wcdsb.ca

Survey

Input can be provide via the online survey from March 5th until April 13th, 2025: Survey Link

NEW – Survey input extended to Sunday, April 13th at 11:45pm: New Option 3 Survey Link

Catholic School Advisory Committee (CSAC) Meetings

Planning Staff will present the Initial Boundary Review Report to CSAC for each school involved in the Southeast Galt Boundary Review.

St. Anne (C) CSAC – Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 6:00pm
St. Vincent de Paul CSAC – Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 6:00pm
Holy Spirit CSAC – Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 7:00pm

Public Open House

Parents, guardians and the general public are invited to the drop-in public open house between 4pm and 8pm on Wednesday, April 9th in the cafeteria at Monsignor Doyle CSS (185 Myers Road, Cambridge).

Open House Display Boards

Board Meetings

All Board Meetings are open to the public.

March 3, 2025 – Special Board of Trustees Meeting
May 12, 2025 – Committee of the Whole Meeting (delegation opportunity)
May 26, 2025 – Board of Trustees Meeting (no boundary review delegations)

For further information on regularly scheduled Board Meetings, please visit the Board Meeting Information, Agendas & Minutes webpage.

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

Collection of Personal Information

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.