The Immigration Partnership and partners are hosting the 2022 Waterloo Region Migration Film Festival (WRMigFest) from December 1^st to 18^th (International Migrants Day)! The goal of the Festival is to pave the way for greater discussion around migration and relocation, by creating safe spaces for respectful interaction and dialogues.

Everyone is invited to WRMigFest! Residents of Waterloo Region and beyond are invited to participate in the festival either in-person or virtually.  The Immigration Partnership and partners have curated a series of films to learn about and reflect on migration, a topic that continues to attract the attention of media, governments and communities around the world.

Meetings

Special Public Board Meeting

Monday, November 7, 2022 — Meeting Agenda Package

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, November 7, 2022 – Meeting Agenda Package

Inaugural Board Meeting

Monday, November 21, 2022 — Meeting Agenda Package

Regular Public Board Meeting

Monday, November 28, 2022 — Meeting Agenda Package

Highlights

East Kitchener 7-12 School Boundary Review Final Report

On April 25, 2022, the Board of Trustees initiated a boundary review involving Canadian Martyrs CES, Saint John Paul II CES, St. Anne (K) CES, St. Daniel CES, and St. Mary’s High School.

On October 17, 2022, the Board of Trustees received the East Kitchener 7-12 Boundary Review Final Staff Report and on October 25, 2022, staff provided a board report to address questions received during the previous Board of Trustees meeting.

On November 7, 2022, board staff presented a report addressing further questions received from the Board of Trustees during the October 25, 2022 meeting.

The report is available beginning on page 4 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

NOTE:  The motions from the November 7, 2022 Special Board Meeting approving the boundary changes are available beginning on page 9 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Community Planning & Partnerships (CPPG)

It is the role of management to determine which facilities are suitable for partnerships and which entities are suitable as partners. These decisions are made in a way that is well-informed, well-coordinated, transparent, and consistent with the goals and priorities of Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB)’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan, WCDSB’s Catholic values and social teachings, as well as student achievement, well-being, and safety.

APF012 identifies parameters for the determination of suitable space for partnerships together with criteria for the selection of partners. The Board’s 2022 Abridged Long Term Accommodation Plan identified enrolment and facility utilization information and strategic priorities.

Suitable space for sharing with a partner, is defined by APF012 as:

• 200 surplus pupil places, or a school utilization at or below 70% and this trend is expected to continue
• No accommodation review within the next 3 years
• Space not required for school resources or other board programming
• Size and configuration of the available space
• Ability to separate the partnership space from student areas
• Availability of separate exterior entrance
• Adequate parking for both the school and partner needs
• Site use restrictions
• Facility condition including the adequacy of utilities
• Municipal zoning bylaw restrictions
• Other criteria as appropriate

Proposed new schools, additions and significant renovations are identified in the Long Term Accommodation Plan. Ideally, the board would identify partnership opportunities one to three years in advance of any potential construction start date.

Possible future co-build opportunities may arise, as the board pursues capital priorities associated with new school construction in the following areas:

• Doon South Catholic Elementary School (Kitchener)
• West Rosenberg Catholic Elementary School (Kitchener)
• New North Cambridge Catholic Elementary School (Cambridge)

The report is available beginning on page 7 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Inaugural Board Meeting

The Inaugural Meeting of the newly elected Board of Trustees was held on Monday, November 21, 2022, at which following Trustees were sworn in:

• Wendy Ashby (Kitchener / Wilmot)
• Linda Cuff (Waterloo / Woolwich / Wellesley)
• Kathy Doherty-Masters (Kitchener/Wilmot
• Sally Fuentes (Waterloo / Woolwich / Wellesley)
• Renee Kraft (Kitchener / Wilmot)
• Tracey Weiler (Kitchener / Wilmot)

Due to a ballot error, all votes cast in the City of Cambridge on October 24 for WCDSB Trustee candidates were voided by the City Clerk, and a new election was ordered for November 25, 2022.

In the absence of the Cambridge / North Dumfries Trustees, Tracey Weiler was elected Acting Chair of the Board on an interim basis until Monday, December 12, 2022, at which time the successful candidates for the three Cambridge / North Dumfries seats will join the Board, and a Chair and Vice Chair elected for Year 1 of the 4-Year term of office of Trustees.

The successful candidates for the three Cambridge / North Dumfries seats are:

• Marisa Phillips
• David Guerin
• Robert Sikora

The Inaugural Meeting agenda is available here: Meeting Agenda Package

Multilingual Language Learners

Since its founding, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board has celebrated the contributions of its Multilingual Language Learners (MLLs) and worked to meet their needs in a variety of settings. Teachers of MLLs continue to work in all our schools to support staff, students, and families develop language skills necessary for success in a changing society.

On Monday November 28, 2022 the Board of Trustees received a report providing current data and trends regarding English as a Second Language (ESL) and English Literacy Development (ELD) programs and services at the WCDSB.

Some of the key data includes:

• The Newcomer Reception Centre has welcomed a record number of students to the WCDSB this year – 294 (newcomers with varying statuses in Canada including refugee, permanent resident, and VISA).
• 45 Ukrainian newcomers have joined WCDSB’s schools since January 2022 (21 Ukrainian Newcomers January 2022 – June 2022 + 24 Ukrainian Newcomers from August 2022- November 16, 2022).
• There currently 26.5 FTE Teachers of MLLs (including the Newcomer Reception Centre Assessors).
• 42 out of 44 elementary schools have teachers of MLLs assigned to them.
• The NOW (Newcomer Orientation Week) Program for newcomer youth entering high school in Ontario for the first time ran at both Resurrection Catholic Secondary School and St. Mary’s High School in August 2022. NOW is offered by our partners in YMCA Immigrant Services, Settlement and Education Partnership Waterloo Region, in collaboration with the schools and WCDSB teaching staff.
• ESL Department Head positions were created at St. Mary’s H.S. and Resurrection CSS to support the growing needs of the programs at these schools.

The report is available beginning on page 53 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Special Education Update

Last year, WCDSB resumed implementation of several standardized assessments including: EQAO, CCAT and the CAT-4. This data has now been entered into our Encompass data management system to assist with student programming and planning. In analyzing this data, as well as completing a needs assessment, Student Services has determined the following key areas of focus going forward:

• Continued focus on decreasing the achievement gap between students on an IEP and students not on an IEP
• Ensuring all students have equitable access to learning opportunities
• Ensuring appropriate programming for students on an IEP with modifications as a last resort
• Early identification and support for students that have reading difficulties

As a result of the recommendations from the OHRC Right to Read Report, there will be a focus on early screening and intervention for struggling readers. Professional development will also focus on increasing staff knowledge and awareness of structured evidence-based reading programs.

In addition to ongoing Special Education Teacher professional development for our staff, another important new development since the last Special Education Update is Project SEARCH: a partnership formed with WCDSB, St. Mary’s General Hospital, and KWHabilitation.

Project SEARCH is a 10-month employment preparation program for students with primary diagnosis of an intellectual or developmental disability who are in their final year of secondary school. Students reach their employment goals through real-life work experience (3 internships immersed at St Mary’s General Hospital), combined with training in employability and life skills and employment planning and support. We currently have 6 students in this program, and they are in the process of completing their first internship. WCDSB is looking forward to growing the program and will begin the application process for next year’s program in the new year.

The report is available beginning on page 57 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

John Sweeney CES Report Recommendations Update

On April 4, 2022 a report was shared with the Board of Trustees — Response to Provincial Review of Incident at John Sweeney Catholic Elementary School — that outlined the recommendations provided to the WCDSB by an external reviewer, whose review had been ordered by the Minister of Education.

At that time the report outlined those recommendations, as well as provision of a summary of equity work that the WCDSB has been engaged in ahead of and during the 2021/22 school year. The report highlighted the need for a variety of approaches to serve our families.

We need to ensure that we have culturally responsive, early intervention supports and services. Supports and services need to be provided equitably with an anti-racism and anti-oppression lens.

The update provided to the Board of Trustees on November 28, 2022 gave an overview of progress made to date and plans moving forward regarding the 14 recommendations in the government report.

The report is available beginning on page 63 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 75 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Upcoming Board Meetings

Regular Public Board Meeting

Monday, December 12, 2022 — 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.

– 30 –

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. — Monday, November 28, 2022, at the Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre.

Location: 1st floor Board Room, Catholic Education Centre, 35 Weber Street, Kitchener

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

In Waterloo Region’s Catholic Schools nothing is more important than preparing our students for a successful future in their chosen life pathway.

One of the most notable things that sets our schools apart, is the foundational role played by the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations, as we work to provide a quality, inclusive, faith-based education for learners of all ages, from more than 100 different countries.

We expect a WCDSB graduate to be:

• A discerning believer formed in the Catholic Faith community who celebrates the signs and sacred mystery of God’s presence through word, sacrament, prayer, forgiveness, reflection and moral living.
• An effective communicator who speaks, writes and listens honestly and sensitively, responding critically in light of gospel values.
• A reflective, creative and holistic thinker who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.
• A self-directed, responsible, lifelong learner who develops and demonstrates their God-given potential.
• A collaborative contributor who finds meaning, dignity and vocation in work which respects the rights of all and contributes to the common good.
• A caring family member who attends to family, school, parish, and the wider community.
• A responsible citizen who gives witness to Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life.

While this is a noble and highly aspirational goal, we do understand that not everyone learns at the same pace, or in the same ways.

The path to graduation is a process – not a race.

So, our student-focused and often individualized programs and services provide a unique depth and breadth of opportunities to ensure all students can achieve the Graduate Expectations in ways that maximize their personal abilities and capitalize on their individual potential.

The success of this student-centred approach is clearly reflected in our graduation rates.

The Ministry of Education graduation rates often quoted in media focus solely on students who graduate within either four or five years of starting high school.

Unfortunately, this narrow metric does not take into account the success of those students who take more than five years to graduate.

Therefore, Ministry measurements do not accurately reflect the overall success of a school system such as WCDSB, which serves learners from JK to Adult Education.

In fact, students who take more than five years to graduate (obtaining the necessary credits to complete their OSSD via St. Louis) have consistently shown they are able to access post-secondary pathways that would have otherwise not been open to them.

Providing this enhanced opportunity to graduate has helped ensure our graduation rates are consistently higher than the provincial average.

This has always been a great source of pride for the WCDSB and stands as a positive affirmation of our belief in lifelong learning.

Ministry of Education graduation rates (as reflected above) include those students who begin Grade 9 in the WCDSB but may not necessarily graduate with our board (i.e., some students may leave WCDSB before graduation).

Such students are counted in WCDSB’s Ministry-reported totals as having failed to graduate — even if they did ultimately graduate from another school board.

On the flip side, the Ministry does count as a graduates the students who begin with the WCDSB, leave for a period of time, and then return.

The WCDSB’s internal graduation metrics include the students who leave and then return to us, but do not include those students who leave our system as we are not able to track their progress, nor influence it.

The Ministry of Education graduation rates represent lagging data with the most recent graduation rates being from June 2019 (e.g., 2012-2013 cohort).

When we consider only the students that begin with us in Grade 9 and graduate from WCDSB, our graduation rates increase by approximately 4 per cent.

There are two critical points to note here:

First, the data confirms we do exercise positive influence on the students who remain in our system as they move to graduation in four or five years.

Second, it is clear our students who are mobile — either in or out of our system – do require additional support to achieve graduation in four or five years.

A key factor behind the WCDSB’s graduation rate success, is the variety of “Pathways” programs available to our students.

These programs provide students with different learning styles and varied interests, as a supplement to traditional academic pursuits.

The STEAM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) are increasingly emphasized in our menu of learning options.

On March 28, 2022, the Board of Trustees received a comprehensive staff report detailing the work of WCDSB’s Student Success Consultants and the Board’s Student Reengagement Strategy activities, as well as an in depth look at the following programs:

• Specialist High Skills Major Program (SHSM)
• School College Work Initiative (SCWI) and Dual Credits
• Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)
• Co-operative Education
• Active Living and Community Living Co-operative Education

The report begins on page 19 via this link: https://www.wcdsb.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2022/03/2022-03-28_Board-of-Trustee-Agenda.pdf

Of particular note, one of the key contributing factors in overall student success over the last decade has been the Board’s Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program.

With 14 distinct programs, our SHSM “footprint” is consistently among the largest in Ontario.

There is quite literally something for everybody in Waterloo Region’s Catholic schools.

And, as we move forward into a post COVID-19 era, we look forward to continuing to provide the same Quality, Inclusive, Faith-based education the people of Waterloo Region deserve and have come to expect.

Registrations are always open and welcome. Please click here to register: https://www.wcdsb.ca/our-schools/register-for-school/

Earlier this evening, the Ontario government and education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees – Ontario – (CUPE) reached a tentative contract agreement.

As a result, all WCDSB sites and programs will be operating tomorrow on their regular schedules.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we worked through this time of uncertainty.