On October 23, 2017 – at schools and administrative sites across Waterloo Region – the staff and Trustees of Waterloo Region’s Catholic schools officially launched WCDSB’s year of “Faith in Action”.

This marked the beginning of the third and final year of the Board’s 2016-18 Pastoral Plan. In 2016, the focus in our schools was centred on what it means to be #PeopleOfLove. In 2017, the focus shifted to being #PeopleOfHope. In 2017-18 the focus has been on being #PeopleOfFaith.

Throughout the current school year, a special cross has been making a pilgrimage from school to school across Waterloo Region. The journey began at the Centre in the Square in Kitchener during special Eucharistic celebrations presided over by the Most Rev. Bishop Douglas Crosby and the Very Rev. Con O’Mahony. The first stop on the special journey was St. Brigid CES in Ayr. To date, the cross has visited 18 WCDSB schools, and their associated Parishes. The journey will continue in September, 2018 – concluding at the end of November, 2018, with the cross having visited each of WCDSB’s schools. The cross will spend this summer in the foyer of the Catholic Education Centre.

Coinciding with the pilgrimage of the cross, has been a special project in which one WCDSB school per week has been spotlighted on the Board’s website, demonstrating in their own unique ways how People of Love and People of Hope, working together in community, create Faith in Action. Schools will continue to be featured until the end of November, 2018.

The special videos created by each school have been featured in the “What’s new in our Catholic schools” section of the Board’s website homepage: www.wcdsb.ca

You can follow along by following the Board on Twitter at @WCDSBNewswire, and/or by signing up on our NewsWire instant news service. Look for the subscription box on the website homepage.

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YOU may have changed address in the last few years — but your Catholic school tax support probably didn’t follow you. That means, while you may think you are a registered Catholic school supporter, you may not be! So, it may be time to get “ticked”.

Here’s some important information about how you can help keep our schools #WCDSBAwesome:

During the week of May 7-9, 2018, a total of 19 WCDSB secondary school students competed at the Provincial Skills Ontario Competition at the Toronto Congress Center.

Skills Ontario is Canada’s largest skilled trades and technology competition. More than 20,000 spectators watched more than 2,000 of the brightest young people from across the province compete in one of 67 skills contests.

Two WCDSB students won medals in their competitions:

Samantha Parsons, Resurrection C.S.S. – GOLD Medalist – Job Interview

Andy Le, St. Benedict C.S.S. – SILVER Medalist – Hairstyling

Samantha would go on to represent Ontario from June 1 to 6, 2018 at the Skills Canada National Competition, in Edmonton (see further below).

Congratulations to all the WCDSB Skills Ontario competitors!

At the Skills Canada National Competition, secondary school and college students, as well as apprentices in skilled trades and technologies were tried, tested and judged, showcasing their talents in 44 contests across six industry sectors in front of crowds of thousands.

Samantha Parsons, a Grade 11 student from Resurrection Catholic Secondary School, competed in the Job Search category of the Employability sector. As part of the competition each student was interviewed based on a specific career, and completed job search challenges and activities over a two-day period.

“I entered the competition at the Regional level because I felt it would provide me with the opportunity to enhance my writing and interviewing skills. It was amazing to have the opportunity to represent the Waterloo Catholic District School Board as part of Team Ontario at the National level. The competition was an incredible experience that allowed me to improve my skills while meeting like-minded students from across the country.”

~~ Samantha Parsons

Rosemarie Brenner, Skills mentor and College Cooperative Education Program (CCEP) teacher from WCDSB, worked with Samantha, mentoring her for the competition as well as accompanying her to Edmonton.

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board is proud to support and participate in these important regional, provincial and national Skills Competitions, and wishes to thank and congratulate all the leads, chairs, judges, mentors, and teachers who supported our students along the way.

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 182-year tradition of quality, inclusive, faith-based education. Follow us on Twitter: @WCDSBNewswire – #WCDSBAwesome.

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For many years, the WCDSB’s St. Louis Adult Learning & Continuing Education Centre has leveraged the province’s Learning Opportunities Grant funding to help elementary and secondary school students deepen their learning via school-based Homework Clubs and the always-popular Saturday Skills Builder Program.

Below or some key statistics covering the September, 2017 to June, 2018 period:

1,030 students served

29,210 pupil hours for grade 7/8 Homework Clubs and Saturday Skills Builder

4,678 pupil hours for grade 9/10 Homework Clubs

33,888 pupil hours in total for September, 2017 to June, 2018

17 elementary schools ran Homework Clubs

4 secondary schools ran a combined total of 9 Homework Cubs

71 teachers were involved in the program

For more information about how St. Louis can help you, please visit https://stlouis.wcdsb.ca, call 519-741-1201, or email stlouis@wcdsb.ca.

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 182-year tradition of quality, inclusive, faith-based education. Follow us on Twitter: @WCDSBNewswire – #WCDSBAwesome.

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On May 30, 2018, Conestoga College hosted Jill of All Trades – a special event for female students, funded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry for Advanced Education and Skills Development. More than 300 students participated.

The day began with an address by Mandy Rennehan, owner of Freshco, recipient of the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur “Momentum” award.  She shared her own self-made pathway success story and voiced her strong support for Women in Skilled Trades initiatives. She also introduced a number of members of her team, two of whom are recent graduates of Conestoga’s WISK program.

Rosie Hessian, the Chair of Community Outreach, Pathways and Youth Engagement for Conestoga College, is responsible for the Jill of All Trades day. She works very hard with her team every year to make the annual event even more successful than the year before, by bringing in new mentors such as Brandi Ferenc, an HVAC Mechanic/Gas Fitter 1 with Johnson Controls. Brandi spoke to the students about her own experiences as a trades person, and her journey from a university degree desk job to being a Red Seal HVAC Mechanic.

Jill of All Trades allows students to select workshops that align with their interests and curiosities. Students choose from several workshops ranging from Automotive Service, Truck and Coach, Heavy Equipment, and Motorcycle Technician, to Masonry, Welding, Plumbing, Millwright, Electrician, Carpentry, and HVAC. Students use the tools of the trades, complete small projects and depart the day with the items they had constructed, new friendships made, and a better understanding of the skilled trades opportunities available to them.

St. David CSS student Melissa Valad said: “I liked HVAC the best. I liked the opportunity to find out and experience a bit of what I would do in the trade.”

Her St. David colleague, Ainslie Huiser, summed the day up best when she said: “It was an eye opening experience, because before this I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and now I know I want to do carpentry.”

Waterloo Region, ON – With the addition of five new sites, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board’s popular and successful “Extended Day” before-and-after-school program is now offered at 37 schools across Waterloo Region – another sign that more and more families across the Region are seeking a quality, inclusive faith-based education for their children.

QuickFacts

> Extended Day Programs enhance the impact of the Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program and are taught from a faith-based perspective. The programs are delivered by teams of Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECE) who are members of the College of Early Childhood Educators.

> The extended day teams are dedicated to providing faith based, quality educational programming. Having an educator from the core day provides a seamless day allowing for consistency and security for both parents and children. The extended day program offers parents a convenient school location, equity of access and a safe and healthy environment for young children.

> The Extended Day program is funded by parent fees and operates on a cost recovery basis only where there is sufficient demand to make the program viable.

Schools offering the before and after school extended day program:

• Blessed Sacrament – Kitchener
• Canadian Martyrs – Kitchener
• Holy Family – New Hamburg
• Holy Spirit – Cambridge
• Monsignor Haller – Kitchener
• Our Lady of Grace – Kitchener
• Our Lady of Fatima – Cambridge (new)
• Our Lady of Lourdes – Waterloo
• Saint John Paul II – Kitchener
• Sir Edgar Bauer – Waterloo
• St. Agnes – Waterloo
• St. Aloysius – Kitchener
• St. Anne – Cambridge
• St. Anne – Kitchener
• St. Augustine – Cambridge (new)
• St. Bernadette – Kitchener
• St. Boniface — Maryhill
• St. Brigid – Ayr
• St. Daniel – Kitchener
• St. Dominic Savio – Kitchener
• St. Elizabeth – Cambridge
• St. Gabriel – Cambridge
• St. John – Kitchener
• St. Joseph – Cambridge
• St. Kateri Tekakwitha – Kitchener (new)
• St. Mark – Kitchener
• St. Matthew – Waterloo
• St. Michael – Cambridge
• St. Nicholas – Waterloo
• St. Paul – Kitchener
• St. Peter – Cambridge (new)
• St. Teresa – Kitchener
• St. Teresa of Avila – Elmira
• St. Teresa of Calcutta – Cambridge
• St. Timothy – Kitchener
• St. Vincent de Paul – Cambridge (new)

Quotes

“We’re very proud of our extended day programs. When parents choose one they know their child will continue receiving the same quality, inclusive, faith-based education they receive during the regular school day. It’s just another example of the tremendous added value our Catholic schools bring to Waterloo Region and a great example of why Catholic education has always been and remains a jewel within our community.”

~~ Loretta Notten, Director of Education

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 182-year tradition of quality, inclusive, faith-based education. Follow us on Twitter: @WCDSBNewswire – #WCDSBAwesome.

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Waterloo Region, ON — In December 2015, the Board of Trustees of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board approved a new Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) for Waterloo Region’s Catholic Schools.

The Education Act requires school boards to develop multi-year plans that are three years or more in scope. The plans provide focus and direction to the board to achieve Ministry of Education goals and, equally as important, articulate the vision of the board. On June 18, 2018, Director of Education Loretta Notten presented a detailed “report card” on the accomplishments of the 2015 to 2018 MYSP, with a particular focus on the accomplishments of the past year, and outlined the next steps toward creating an updated three-year plan.

QUICKFacts

> The MYSP consists of three Strategic Priorities, nine Strategic Directions, and 32 Strategic Goals. The Strategic Priorities are:

• Nurturing Our Catholic Community
• Student Engagement, Innovation and Achievement, and
• Building Capacity to Lead, Learn and Live Authentically.

> The MYSP report card was informed by a 32-question stakeholder survey. The survey received 671 responses, and there was strong participation from all WCDSB stakeholder groups – providing highly valuable and reliable feedback.

> In addition, the survey also examined the board’s current Vision, Mission and Beliefs, as well as early priorities that have been identified by the senior team through the annual budget process. Stakeholders were asked about the relevance of each, as the board moves forward into its new plan. The survey results suggest strong endorsement for the current Vision (87% agree or strongly agree), Mission (89% agree or strongly agree) and our three Belief statements – all at approximately 87% agreement. Similarly – responses to the five areas identified in the budget process as priorities moving forward, were strongly positive (as indicated in the accompanying bar graphs).

> As the 2015-2018 MYSP reaches its conclusion, eight of nine Strategic Directions and 31 of 32 Strategic Goals are progressing at an optimal level, having been rated as “Green” or “Effectively Meeting Standard”. One of the nine Strategic Directions has some combination of “Green” / “Effectively Meeting Standard” and “Orange” / “Approaching Criteria” – with only one of 32 goals rated as “Orange”. None of the Strategic Goals were assessed as “Red” – “Not Meeting Criteria”.  Ratings were informed not only by stakeholder feedback, which was generally positive and reflected growth year-over-year, but also by staff-submitted reports based on completed actions and key performance indicators (KPIs).

> Areas which were particularly strong – operating at 90% or better — were tied most closely to the Strategic Priority of Nurturing Our Catholic Community.  Stakeholder experience of the board’s Pastoral Plan, the sense of inclusivity and welcome, and the strong work in the area of socio-emotional literacy programming have all contributed to this high rating.

> Notable year-over-year gains were reported in the board’s graduation rate, the board’s student retention rate from elementary to secondary school, improved staff use of the board’s data platform, enhancements to Learning Commons spaces and improved student and staff results in relation to the board’s Numeracy Action Plan.

> Key next steps include the development of a comprehensive Equity Action Plan and an updated Pastoral Plan, all intended to assist with the overall goal of continued gains in the board’s graduation rate.

Quotes

“We are extremely proud of the gains reflected in this Strategic Plan Report Card Update.  We have worked very hard to ensure we have solid metrics against which we are holding ourselves accountable.  We are noting that in virtually all cases, we are not only able to point to significant markers of success, but that our stakeholders are also able to affirm that they are observing the same level of success. We have remarkable staff and students at Waterloo Catholic, and it is on the strength of their good work that we can have such a positive report card to share”.

~~ Loretta Notten, Director of Education

Related Links

WCDSB Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP)

2015-2018 Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) Report Card

Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario

2018-19 WCDSB School Year Budget

Board Improvement Plan for Student Learning

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 182-year tradition of quality, inclusive, faith-based education. Follow us on Twitter: @WCDSBNewswire – #WCDSBAwesome.

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Sir Edgar Bauer and St. Nicholas
Boundary Adjustment Notice

*Please note that no existing students are affected.

 The change was made due to increasing enrolment pressures at Sir Edgar Bauer.

This boundary change was made in accordance with WCDSB procedure APF008: Pupil Accommodation Review Process which allows senior administration to change school boundaries where relatively few or no students are affected.

Appeals:

As per APF008, the public has the ability to appeal this decision to the Board of Trustees within 30 days.

• If you wish to appeal this decision please contact Alice Figueiredo at 519-578-3660 ext. 2239 or alice.figueiredo@wcdsb.ca.