Meetings

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, February 7, 2022 – Meeting Agenda Package

Public Board Meeting

Monday, February 28, 2022 — Meeting Agenda Package

Highlights

Staff Census — Comprehensive Report

In May and June 2021, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) administered its Workforce Census in response to the Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan (2017) and the Ontario Ministry of Education Policy/Program Memorandum 165, issued in February 2021.  Further, collecting this data is also a priority in the WCDSB’s 3-year pastoral plan.

The goal of this Workforce Census is to assess diversity at the Board, identify gaps in representation, and to develop strategies to ensure this Board is an equitable and healthy environment for all staff, regardless of one’s background or status. It is expected this data, and data we collect in the future, will help the Board develop programs, priorities, policies, and resources to create an even more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and supportive environment for our staff.

A preliminary report on the WCDSB Staff Census came to the Board of Trustees in December 2021.

The original Staff Census was created in 2019 and revised in 2021. The Student Census was created in 2021 and mirrored the Staff Census when appropriate (i.e., asked similar demographic information).

The Staff Census was administered in May and early June of 2021. Both the Staff Census and Student Census analyses and dissemination of the findings are continuing throughout this academic year and at a school level are expected to continue into the next academic school year.

Individual departments will meet to discuss how the results might guide their decision-making to dismantle barriers in the schools and in the workplace.

The comprehensive report (107 pages in total) presented to the Board of Trustees on February 28, 2022 contains a detailed analysis (i.e., race, ethnicity, gender at birth, gender identity, etc.) from the Staff Census, as well as concrete recommendations as to how WCDSB might continue to support a strategy which is supportive of an equitable, diverse and inclusive working and learning environment.

Please click the link to learn more about Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Waterloo Region’s Catholic schools.

The report is available beginning on page 30 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) Annual Report

A report on the activities of Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) is provided annually to Trustees. The report/presentation also serves as an opportunity for Trustees to ask the General Manager of STSWR about transportation programs and initiatives in the Region. The report was reviewed and approved by the Board of STSWR and the Consortium Management Committee of STSWR.

Several key highlights from the year include:

• Seatbelt pilot project with 7 large school buses fully equipped with seat belts.
• Review of the bus routing process to reduce the number of students needing to cross the road to board / exit.
• Rider cohort design allowed for a reduction in kilometers driven by 10%.
• 49 schools engaged in different levels of school travel planning.
• 39 schools participated in Winter Walk Day.

The report is available beginning on page 12 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Early Years Report

The report presented on February 7, 2022, provided information and updates with respect to the early years partnerships across Waterloo Region and the Kindergarten Program as partners work together to support the growth and development of students, with a focus on play-based learning, exploration and inquiry.

Key topics addressed in the report include:

• Launch of New Ontario Catholic Kindergarten Program
• Virtual Learning in Kindergarten
• Self-Regulation and Well-Being
• Developing Early Mathematics Skills
• Supporting the Transition Into Kindergarten

The report is available beginning on page 28 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Parent Engagement Update

Ontario’s parent engagement policy recognizes many different forms of parent engagement, and that each is an important contributor to student and school success. Within the policy, parent engagement includes:

• Providing a positive learning environment at home, actively working with children to support what they are learning in school, and making learning an important part of the day.
• Having productive conversations with teachers so that there is clear communication between the school and the home.
• Becoming involved in school activities and volunteering to help with school events, trips and other activities.
• Participating in School Councils at the school level and Parent Involvement Committees at the board level to provide perspective.

Our Parent Engagement initiatives have been furthered by several intentional changes which have included:

• Bimonthly “Coffee Chats” to increase awareness of the Catholic Parent Involvement Committee (CPIC) to explore opportunities to leverage PRO grant funds efficiently and obtain feedback on needs in the community for CPIC programming. The bi-weekly meetings foster relationships between CPIC members and CSAC councils while bridging concerns, and building collaboration amongst councils.
• Annual survey of CSAC chairs to better understand needs in each school community which assists in defining CPIC goals and relevant and timely parent engagement options.
• Active participation and voice in Ministry of Education meetings for CPIC Chairs.

The report – which details a number of special events / activities undertaken throughout the year — is available beginning on page 34 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

School Year Calendar

Ontario Regulation 304 provides that school boards are required to prepare, adopt, and submit to the Minister the school year calendar(s) to be followed by the schools in their jurisdiction for the subsequent school year. School Boards are required to identify a minimum of 194 school days between September 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, of which a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 7 days may be identified as PD days.

Three of these must be for Ministry priorities. The remaining school days shall be instructional days. Boards may designate up to ten instructional days as examination days. Each school year calendar must be accompanied by a general outline of the activities to be conducted on PA days. The minimum number of instructional days is 187.

The first day of the school year will be Tuesday, September 6, 2022. The last day of the school year will be June 29, 2023.

The last day of school in December will be December 23, 2022, and the first day of school in the new year is January 9, 2023.

Note: Christmas Break takes place between December 26, 2022, and January 6, 2023.

The report is available beginning on page 138 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Update on WCDSB Pandemic Management

The transition from January to February has been a relatively good one in relation to our ongoing management of COVID-19 and the pandemic.

As reviewed previously, our models of delivery, our processes, our health and safety protocols and essentially all aspects of our operations are informed by direction through the Chief Medical Officer of Health for the province, as well as the Medical Officer of Health for the Region of Waterloo.

To that end, over the course of the past month we have seen the Omicron Surge lessen considerably and as a result we are seeing the protocols and the stringency of response experience some relaxing as well. We continue to receive direction through the Ministry of Education, as well as our local Public Health department. We are continuing meetings with Region of Waterloo Public Health and the Waterloo Region District School Board to attain a measure of understanding and alignment regarding the most prudent courses of action. We have continued to make minor updates to our Operational Guidelines based on the most recent guidance we are receiving from both the Ministry and WR Public health.

The progress report presented on February 28, 2022, includes information regarding the following key issues:

• Return to (In Person) Learning
• Case and Contact Management
• Vaccination and Staff Testing
• Vaccination for Students Ages 5 – 11
• Booster Vaccinations for Students Ages 12 – 17
• Masking
• Daily Screening
• PCR & Rapid Antigen Tests
• Sports & Extracurriculars
• Ventilation

The report is available beginning on page 142 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Student Trustees Update

Student Trustees Sarah Simoes and Sarah Wilson presented their monthly update – covering activities in WCDSB’s secondary schools. It is available beginning on page 146 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 Jeanne Gravelle’s report for February 2022 is available on page 149 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Upcoming Board Meetings

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, March 7, 2022

Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre

Regular Public Board Meeting

Monday, March 28, 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.

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RESEARCHER INVITES PARENTS AND STUDENTS TO COMPLETE SURVEY ABOUT ONLINE LEARNING IN ONTARIO’S PUBLICLY FUNDED SCHOOLS

Dear parents, guardians, and caregivers,

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. The survey is one component of an evaluation to explore the current and future implications of online/virtual teaching and learning in the K-12 educational context in Ontario.

The Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) has commissioned this external evaluation and will support its implementation at arm’s length. In phase one of the project, we facilitated focus groups with parents who shared their experiences and insights. We used this invaluable information to design a survey that reflects respondents’ collective experiences especially in relation to learning and well-being.

Now, in phase two of the project, we are circulating the survey across Ontario and inviting you to share your lived experiences, perspectives and insights by participating in the online survey. Your responses to the survey as a parent/guardian/caregiver will help us gather further meaningful information about the implications of online/virtual teaching and learning. We are also inviting you to share the student version of the survey with your child/children in order to learn about what online/virtual learning has been like for students in Ontario.

The survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, depending on the length of your open-ended responses. The student survey takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete, depending on your child/children’s age/ages.

Please note that the deadline for completion of the surveys is March 1, 2022. Please also note the following:

• Participation is completely voluntary.
• You and your child/children may choose to end your participation at any time.
• You and your child/children may choose to skip ANY question that you prefer not to answer.
• One or more questions may trigger an emotional response or resurface a difficult experience. If you and your child/children require counselling or support, please connect with a medical professional.
• All of your responses will remain anonymous.
• Any identifying information will be removed from the completed surveys.
• The data will only be accessible to the research team.

To participate in the parent/guardian/caregiver survey, please click on the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FW66K2D  

If you agree to their participation and your child/children is/are in GRADES 5-8 , please click on the following link in order for your child/children to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FCSY97W

If you agree to their participation and your child/children is/are in GRADES 9-12 , please click on the following link in order for your child/children to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3LF29YS

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Lisa Bayrami (lead researcher) via email info@lisabayrami.com or phone (416) 722-9050.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering the invitation to participate.

Sincerely, Lisa Bayrami and the Research Team

Waterloo Region – Starting Friday, February 18, all youth 12-17 years of age who have already received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible for their third dose 168 days (about six months) after their second dose. This age group will now be able to benefit from the additional protection of a third dose as Ontario eases more restrictions.

Youth aged 12-17 years of age will be able to walk into any of the regional vaccination clinics for their third dose. Vaccines are also available at many pharmacies and some doctors’ offices for their patients.

“We are looking forward to administering third doses to 12-17 year olds to help protect them from COVID-19 and to keep them in school and doing the activities they enjoy,” said Vickie Murray, lead of the vaccine rollout in Waterloo Region.

“We have lots of capacity at our vaccination clinics to administer third doses to youth so they can more safely resume extracurricular activities and do more of the things they enjoy as restrictions ease.”

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