The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. — Monday, September 26, 2022, at the Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre.
General Information About WCDSB Board Meetings
Information About the Board of Trustees
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The students, staff and Trustees of Waterloo Region’s Catholic schools sincerely congratulate Superintendent John Klein, who was announced today as the new Director of Education of the Halton Catholic District School Board.
John has been a respected teacher, Administrator and Superintendent in Waterloo Region’s Catholic Schools since 1990.
His current portfolio includes Religion & Family Life, FSL & ESL, Healthy Active Living, Arts and Extended Day Programs. He also has an extensive background in special education.
He is currently past president of the Ontario Catholic School Supervisory Officers Association, Chair of the Ontario Institute for Educational Leadership, and is a board member of the Catholic Community Foundation of Waterloo Region.
“John’s versatility, innate curiosity, compassion and faith, make him ideally suited to an educational leadership role,” said WCDSB Director of Education, Tyrone Dowling. “He has touched thousands of lives in his 30-plus years with the board, and he will certainly be missed. We wish him nothing but great success at Halton Catholic.”
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In the days since the death of Queen Elizabeth, there has been much discussion around the world (including here in Ontario) regarding fitting gestures in communities and schools, to mark the passing of a Sovereign who has served the Commonwealth, and as Canada’s head of state, for seven decades.
Each time the Queen appointed a new Canadian governor general — including Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Mary Simon, our first Indigenous governor general — we were reminded of Canada’s unique relationship to the Commonwealth countries around the world, and the United Kingdom.
Accordingly, at the direction of the Ontario government, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board will honour Queen Elizabeth on Monday September 19th at 1:00 pm with a moment of silence in our board offices and throughout our schools.
As always, teachers will need to use their professional judgement to consider the complicated and complex relationship that has existed between the Crown and Indigenous and racialized Canadians, which may impact students in our schools.
In every setting, it will be important to strike an appropriate balance between an observance of respect, and a recognition of how certain rituals of remembrance may impact individuals and communities whose lived experience is not one of support for the British Monarchy.
In a faith-based educational setting such as ours — in which our schools stand as “heart of the community”, and promoting “success for each” and creating “a place for all” is a hallmark of all we believe and do — we hold space for both our continued action on Truth and Reconciliation, equity and inclusion, and a dignified recognition of the woman who so selflessly gave to our nation; our Queen.
Dear Parents and Families,
We want to share an important update about school buses. Due to the ongoing bus driver shortage, some routes will need to be temporarily cancelled.
Most bus routes are operating normally. However, some routes are experiencing more frequent and prolonged delays (30 minutes or greater).
This temporary measure will be effective Monday, September 19, 2022 and will continue until Christmas, at which time our need for cancellations will be reviewed.
We understand the significant impact this decision will have on our students and their families and caregivers. Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) does this only as a last resort. We hope that this proactive message will allow families and caregivers to better prepare for and react to the cancellation of bus routes.
Please note that delays have not been caused by our current bus drivers. When they are late, it is because they are trying to support students on bus routes that have no driver, with the best of intentions. They do not have to do this. They are trying to help. Please be kind to them!
What Happens If A School Bus Route is Cancelled?
Effective September 19, 2022
A school bus route will be cancelled when the driver shortage causes a route to be late by more than 30 minutes consistently. Affected students and families will be informed immediately of the cancellation period. Cancellations are done on a week to week basis.
Supporting Student Learning
If a school bus route is cancelled, families are responsible for transporting their children to and from school each day.
Where this is not possible, students should access asynchronous learning materials posted by their classroom teacher on their Learning Management System (LMS), either D2L or Google Classroom. Additional activities can be found here: https://bit.ly/WCDSBIW.
Families should contact their school to let them know if they are unable to get to school. The school can also help families to sign out a Chromebook if necessary.
Stay Informed
Families will be informed the day prior to any cancellation. Cancellations will be posted on the STSWR website with an expected return date.
The Bus Delays page will be updated with cancellation information each afternoon by 4:30 PM.
Questions?
Please contact Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR).
Make sure your school support designation is “English Separate” (Catholic). It’s a powerful message in support of Waterloo Region’s Catholic schools & Catholic education.
Many people assume they are registered Catholic school supporters when, in fact, they are not.
Only Roman Catholic school supporters may vote for Catholic School Trustees.
You don’t have to have children in school to direct your school support to Catholic education. In Waterloo Region there are more people who DO NOT have children in school than DO have children in school. Your support is vital to the continuation of our Catholic education system. It is an investment in our future — and all Catholic ratepayers are partners with Catholic educators in this investment.
Even if you have been a Catholic school supporter in the past, the designation DOES NOT follow you when you relocate. You are automatically designated a public school board supporter.
Every time you move, it is essential that you re-declare yourself as a Catholic school supporter.
If you are NOT registered as a Catholic school supporter — but want to designate your support to Catholic Education — you need to fill out the Application for Direction of School Support.
When a Roman Catholic and a Non-Catholic are jointly responsible for the payment of property taxes — either directly through ownership or indirectly through the payment of rent — a Catholic School Support Lease is required. This is simply a technical tool designed to give the Roman Catholic the sole right to determine the school support of her or his residence.
Please visit this website for the forms and more information:
https://www.wcdsb.ca/our-schools/register-for-school/support-catholic-education/
If you have any questions, please contact the Waterloo Catholic District School Board at 519-578-3660 Ext. 2355.
The next meeting of the Board of Trustees (Committee of the Whole Board) is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. — Monday, September 12, 2022, at the Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre.
General Information About WCDSB Board Meetings
Information About the Board of Trustees
(Agenda files can be large. If you are experiencing issues downloading a file, right click on the link and choose “Save Target As…”.)
We are excited to be welcoming you and your family back for the start of the 2022-23 school year. We offer a special welcome to all families joining us for the first time this year. We hope that all of you had a great summer and are looking forward to the new opportunities this year will bring.
If you need information about registering for school, please CLICK HERE .
We look forward to joining with you this year in the name of Catholic education to support the academic success and faith formation of all of our students. We are thankful for the opportunity to work together with you to provide the very best educational opportunity possible for your child and family.
I am writing to you today to provide important information to assist with your planning as we approach our first day of school next Tuesday, September 6, 2022.
On August 5, the Ministry of Education released the Health and Safety protocols for the start of the school year. Most protocols and guidelines remain unchanged to those that were in place at the end of June. We continue to work with our local public health officials to ensure we are aligned with the most up-to-date guidance and hope to minimize any potential disruptions to learning throughout this school year.
The following is a summary of what you can expect in September:
Ventilation – Over the past several years, significant upgrades have been made in school ventilation systems to support a healthy learning environment. Our custodial and maintenance staff have been working throughout the summer to ensure our schools are safe, clean and that the ventilation systems have been inspected and properly maintained to welcome staff and students back. UV or combination UV/HEPA filtration units will continue to be present in all classrooms and learning spaces throughout this school year.
Daily Screening – Staff and students are asked to continue to screen each morning before school using the COVID-19 school screening (ontario.ca) resource, and stay home when feeling unwell or exhibiting symptoms. We ask that screening become part of your personal daily routines. The daily screening requirements and related guidance may change throughout the year and notification of any changes will be communicated to our community.
Masking – Continuing with the protocols in place in June – and based on the advice of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health – masks will remain optional for students, staff and visitors in schools, and on student transportation. We continue to support a mask-friendly environment in our schools and workplaces and recognize there are times when staff or students may need to wear masks in alignment with provincial or federal guidance or may choose to wear masks if there is a high incidence of illness in our community. Masks will continue to be available upon request to staff and students in the 2022-23 school year.
Rapid Antigen Tests – Rapid Antigen Test kits will continue to be available to staff and students in schools as needed.
For more information about school start-up routines, please watch for updates from your school this week.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Catholic Education. We look forward with anticipation to the new opportunities this year will bring.
I wish you all the best as we begin this school year in the coming week.
Sincerely,
Tyrone Dowling
Director of Education
It’s time to sign up for the 2022-23 school year – and registering to attend one of Waterloo Region’s 43 Catholic elementary schools has never been easier.
Parents can access the Online Pre-Registration form by clicking on the Register for School link on the WCDSB Homepage and then choosing Kindergarten Registration.
To finalize your child’s registration, please contact your local Catholic school directly.
~~ When registering your child to attend a Catholic elementary school you must be prepared to provide proof of the child’s date of birth and either the child’s Catholic baptismal certificate or the Catholic baptismal certificate of at least one parent or guardian.
~~ If you are non-Catholic (including a non-Catholic newcomer to Canada), but wish to explore a Catholic education for your child(ren), please review the WCDSB Admissions to Catholic Elementary Schools policy. Our secondary schools are open to students of all faiths.
~~ A complete list of WCDSB schools that will offer the Extended Day Program in 2021-22 will be web-posted before the end of this current (2020-21) school year. Please call your school directly for information about the Extended Day Program. A complete list of WCDSB schools currently providing the program is available via this link: Extended Day Program.
~~ For information about French Immersion programs in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, please click here: French Immersion Registration Information.
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board, representing more than 96,000 Catholic school supporters, operates 48 schools and five 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.
This is an important update regarding the start-up of transportation services this September.
Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) plans and contracts for transportation for WCDSB students who qualify for these services. The software used by STSWR to support their activities is hosted on servers managed by the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB). WRDSB was recently the victim of a cyber attack which caused disruption to their information systems including STSWR’s software.
As a result of the disruption, route planning for schools in the Region was delayed.
With thanks to the staff at STSWR, the following services will be provided:
All full-size yellow school buses and taxis will run as expected.
All small yellow school buses and adapted vans will begin service on September 12, 2022.
For clarity, this includes the following routes:
Any student/family who changed their address in June, July, or August will have their transportation services begin on September 19, 2022.
Families can visit the STSWR website beginning on Monday, August 29, 2022 to find their students’ transportation route information.
Please contact Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) at 519-744-7575 with any questions about this information.
Have a good rest of summer!
CUPE LOCAL 2512
Lunch Hour Supervisor(s) – Level 1
Specifics on location/schedule identified below
Job Posting #C-2022-36
Seniority is not a determining factor
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board with a total student population of 23,000, provides services to students in 50 schools (Kindergarten to Grade 12) across the Waterloo Region.
The Board conducts intentional recruitment and selection as it seeks to achieve a state of greater equity for employees and students and to diversify its workforce.
All qualified applicants are welcome and encouraged to apply and applicants may choose to indicate if they are from a group who has experienced racial or social discrimination. Self-identification data will be used as a consideration in this posting. Aggregate data will be stored anonymously to support improvements to the Board’s hiring processes.
General Description of Duties:
Minimum Requirements:
Desirable Assets:
Salary Range: $22.20 – $23.46 per hour, Level 1 (Compensation Grid effective September 1, 2021)
Hours of Work: 1 hour per day between 11:00am to 1:30pm (Monday to Friday)
Effective Date: Approximately September 6, 2022
Weeks/Year: Approx. 41 weeks/year (September – June)
Location(s):
Current openings as of June 24, 2022
Supply List: Schools also recruit for Lunch Hour Supervisor supply list. If you are interested, See the Application Process below.
Application Process:
Applicants interested in the current openings, or the supply list are invited to submit a resume and covering letter directly to the attention of the Principal at the school of your interest. For a list of all Waterloo Catholic DSB Schools please follow the link below: Our Catholic Schools – WCDSB
In your resume and covering letter, please identify your qualifications and abilities, such as relevant experience to perform the duties of this job and include any relevant diplomas/certificates.
Incomplete applications may not be considered.
Applications will be accepted until 4:00 pm on August 24, 2022.
Only those candidates selected for an interview will be notified.
To request this file in large print, please email aoda@wcdsb.ca. If you require a disability related accommodation to participate the recruitment process, please contact us at (519) 578-3677, extension 2368 to discuss your needs under the Human Rights Code. Responses to inquiries will be provided within 72 hours.
At WCDSB, we are committed to respecting your privacy, and will take appropriate measures to protect any personal information you may share with us through the job application process. All personal information is collected under the authority of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and will be used to determine qualifications for employment. For more information about the Board’s Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer at 519-578-3660 Ext. 2381.
The successful candidate will be required to produce a satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Criminal Background Check. For further information refer to policy APS 038 on the website of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.
