Dear Waterloo Catholic Community –

As you know we have commenced our well-deserved April Break and we hope that for each of you, it is starting as well as it can under our current circumstances.  No doubt you are likely also aware, the Premier of the Province has indicated that the return to school after the April Break will be remote.

That is, on April 19^th both our elementary and our secondary students will begin their continued learning virtually.  The decision is being made out of an abundance of caution.  Experience has shown us that our schools are generally quite safe.  Our protocols have served us well and the cases of COVID are not starting, nor are they generally spreading, in our schools, but we are a reflection of the community.  We have also seen an increase in the variants, and they are proving more concerning.  Closing the schools to in person learning for the remainder of April will help us contain the cases that come into schools and ensure that when we return to our buildings, we are doing so in the safest manner possible.

We do not yet have a firm return date for in person learning but we know that we will pivot to virtual for a minimum of 2 weeks.  Once we have a firm return date for in person learning we will be in touch.

Just before we left for the break, out of an abundance of caution, we did make a “best efforts” attempt to send home Chromebooks with all those students for whom we had a prior request through our comprehensive survey.  If there are outstanding orders that were missed, they will be deployed upon our return on April 19^th.   Schools and Extended Day programs currently remain closed and unavailable to staff, students and parents.  All school staff and teachers are on a well-deserved break and will be available for questions and updates as of April 19^th, 2021.

The move to remote learning will be similar to January.  The school day will follow the bell times of your individual school and if not already received, you/your student will be given a clear indication of the daily schedule your child is to follow through your local school.  The first day back, April 19^th, will look a little different – we will treat it similar to a snow day where work will be posted to the class site.  Students will work independently.  This is to allow our staff to prepare their virtual lessons and we will start full synchronous days on Tuesday April 20^th.   This will apply to St Isidore as well.

Thank you for adhering to public health and safety measures that have ensured schools remain a safe place for our students and staff.  This will be more important than ever now – both for our schools and for our community at large.  During the April Break we must adhere to the guidance to limit our contacts and social gatherings.

Once again, we encourage you to visit Ontario.ca/covidresponse to learn what public health measures are in place in our community – but also please be aware that these could change depending on the most current public health advice. We also suggest checking out the WCDSB website https://www.wcdsb.ca/living-learning-looking-forward/ and Region of Waterloo Public Health website https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/health-and-wellness/2019-novel-coronavirus.aspx as they contain helpful resources and supports.  If you have any questions about what your particular school is doing, please let your school principal know upon their return on April 19^th, 2021.

I will also take this opportunity to once again point out that mental health resources are available to students and families through Kids Help Phone, which offers 24/7 counselling and referral services across the province. To use this free resource, children can call 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868.

Vaccination does continue to roll out and while we are in the darkest of days right now, there is reason to believe there is light at the end of this dark tunnel.  Let us continue to be an Easter people, anchored in faith.  Please reach out to us if you need help or guidance and remain confident that we are here to support you, as we walk together as a hope-filled community.  #InThisTogether  #WeGotThis

Sincerely,

Loretta Notten                                                                       

Director of Education 

The Ontario government has announced several opportunities to access COVID-19 testing for staff and students during the upcoming April Break.

Asymptomatic targeted testing expansion

The following options will be available to staff and students in the community.

In-Pharmacy Testing:

Existing Pharmacies

• For the week of April 12-18 only, pharmacies that currently offer asymptomatic testing for education staff, will now accept appointments from students.
• Children attending child care located within schools will also be eligible to access this testing. Please check with your local pharmacy on minimum testing age.
• While students/children can access testing in pharmacies for April 12-18 only, this testing will continue to be available for all staff.
• To book an appointment, visit the Covid-19 Testing Locations website, and select “pharmacy” as your location type, with the booking details requested.

New Pharmacies

• In addition to these pharmacies, Shoppers Drug Mart is also able to offer additional in-pharmacy Rapid Antigen Screening for students and staff beginning April 14, 2021
• Please see the accompanying list of participating stores
• To book an appointment, please contact the store directly.

Assessment Centres

• For the week of April 12-18, students and staff will also be able to access asymptomatic testing at local assessment centres.
• Children attending child care located within schools, and child care staff, will also be eligible to access this testing.
• This testing is only being offered to students, children and staff from April 12-18.
• To book an appointment, visit the Covid-19 Testing Locations website, and select “assessment centre” as your location type, with the booking details requested

Participating Shoppers Drug Mart Stores

Dear Waterloo Catholic Community –

I sincerely hope this email finds you well and having enjoyed a safe and hope-filled Easter weekend.  Today I am writing to you with some updates as we prepare for our much anticipated April Break.  It is absolutely essential that we follow the guidance of Public Health and the province in order to ensure a safe return to learning by all.

As you know the province is now in a province-wide shutdown.  For you and your family during the break, this mean only socializing within your own home, taking advantage of testing opportunities, screening everyday for symptoms and staying home if you or anyone in your family feels at all ill.  Please take this very seriously as part of our collective responsibility to each other.

As of the writing of this letter, we are expecting to be back to in person learning on April 19^th.  That said, we know the landscape continues to evolve so we will send students home with Chromebooks for those who require them.  Similarly, we encourage students to take home personal belongings so school cleaning can be facilitated.  We will certainly be in communication if anything changes about our status for return on April 19^th, 2021.

Yesterday we were able to communicate that a small portion of our staff, specifically our special education staff can begin vaccination.  This is a hopeful sign and it has energized us for the journey forward.   This is a critical time.  The end is in sight, but we must do our utmost to follow all guidance at this critical time so that we can have a safe, happy and healthy return to school for all.

Please reach out to us if you need help or guidance, and remain confident that we are here to support you, as we walk together as a hope-filled community.  #InThisTogether 

Sincerely,

Loretta Notten                                                                       

Director of Education 

April 7, 2021

For immediate release

Waterloo Region, ON — As the result of ongoing collaboration between Region of Waterloo Public Health, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, and the Waterloo Region District School Board, staff providing direct personal support to students with special education needs will now be eligible to receive their initial COVID-19 vaccination. The vaccination plan prioritizes vaccines for those at greatest risk of severe illness and those who care for them. Planning for how to prioritize this staff group has been ongoing.

These staff members play a critical role in our schools, supporting our students with the most complex needs to ensure they are able to participate as fully as possible in learning each and every day. Prioritizing their access to vaccination is an important step in helping to limit the spread of COVID-19, as these dedicated individuals work in close contact with highly vulnerable students, where physical distancing and mask wearing is not always possible, as well as providing personal care for prolonged periods of time.

‘We greatly appreciate the collaboration with Public Health in prioritizing the staff who work closely and provide care for our most vulnerable students, and we recognize the tremendous commitment of all of our staff to our students.’’ said John Bryant, Director of Education for the WRDSB.

“We are grateful for our partnership with Region of Waterloo Public Health to help us prioritize vaccination for our most vulnerable staff. We value the work and service of all our staff and this first step energizes us that things are moving in a hopeful direction.” added Loretta Notten, Director of Education for the WCDSB.

Eligible staff are being contacted directly with registration instructions. Ongoing conversations are taking place with Region of Waterloo Public Health to plan for the prioritization of vaccination for all educational staff as per the provincial framework.

# 30 #

Schools involved: Blessed Sacrament, John Sweeney, Our Lady of Grace, St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Virtual via Microsoft Teams Live

ThoughtExchange open now and closes April 14, 2021

Start Time: 6:00 p.m.

Brief Presentation at 6:00 p.m.
Questions & Answers period to follow

Purpose:

To present the preferred option (Option 1) and implementation recommendations, prior to finalizing the recommendations to the Board of Trustees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Information, including pre-recorded staff presentation, is available at:

https://www.wcdsb.ca/about-us/accommodations/huron-brigadoon-boundary-review/

Email: HuronBrigadoon@wcdsb.ca

Meetings

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, March 8, 2021 – Meeting Agenda Package

Public Board Meeting

Monday, March 22, 2021 — Meeting Agenda Package

Highlights

Adult Education Update

For many adult students, the ability to balance work, school and life responsibilities is often a driving force for the outcome of their academic success. Variability of work, increased need for digital resources, sporadic childcare, mental and physical well-being, and irregular access to community supports were intensified this past year and we are especially proud of everyone’s resiliency and success.

Despite the challenges of the past year, we forged ahead with many recommendations, adjusting our priorities along the way to achieve numerous successes across all programs.

The report presented to the Board of Trustees on March 8^th describes important milestones and successes in the following key areas:

• St. Francis (Kitchener) Campus Renovations Completed in December 2020
• Kitchener Main Campus Renovations Have Begun (Year 1 of 5)
• Revisioning ‘Technology in Classroom’ to Support Student Achievement
• Nurturing our Catholic Community
• Transition of Leadership
• Professional Development to Build Capacity
• Student Achievement and a 4-week Graduation
  • PSW
  • Hairstyling / Barber and Culinary
  • Credit Courses
  • Literacy and Numeracy (Gr. 7-10)
  • ESL & LINC
  • Core Essentials (LBS)

The report is available beginning on page 9 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Assessment & Evaluation Update

All assessment should lead to hope and an understanding that education is about learning. Educators design and implement rich learning tasks which respect the uniqueness and diversity of the individual learner. This leads to authentic assessment and evaluation as well as the use of accurate reporting strategies. Educators support students in meeting the learning expectations through a variety of assessment opportunities with the appropriate level of challenge, thereby helping students to demonstrate their level of achievement.

In March 2020, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, WCDSB responded by developing an initial Framework for Remote Educator-Led Learning to support educators through three distinct phases of the initial closure and online reopening. It outlined the key goals and priorities for each phase and included subject specific resources and supports as well as the key resource Recommended Online Assessment Tools FOR/AS Learning. This was a period of rapid change and response that pushed us to communicate clearly and create many new supports for educators as they shifted their assessment and evaluation focus to new ways of collecting evidence to support the triangulation of data.

The report presented to the Board of Trustees on March 8^th provides important information in the following key areas:

• Kindergarten Highlights Related to Assessment and Evaluation
• Literacy Highlights Related to Assessment and Evaluation
• Numeracy Highlights Related to Assessment and Evaluation
• Adapted Secondary and Fully Remote Including St. Isidore and Full System (Jan/Feb)
• Standardized Testing
• Leveraging Digital to Triangulate Data

Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting practices at the WCDSB continue to rest at the core of all we do to ensure student achievement and well-being. These practices call educators to continually seek ways to learn more about their students’ needs and respond creatively and effectively. This year has provided more than a few challenges and the WCDSB has responded with resources and professional development opportunities that reflect innovation and a consistent focus on our students.

The full report is available beginning on page 15 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Student Success Update

While the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced challenges to overall student success, achievement, and wellbeing, at Waterloo Catholic District School Board we have been able to adapt, pivot, and continue to move our student success and experiential learning initiatives forward despite the following challenges:

• Reduced overall coop placements due to pandemic protocols
• Implementation of new student information system (SIS) under complex circumstances that has temporarily reduced our ability to retrieve data, therefore inhibiting responsive, evidence-based decision making
• Temporary re-assignment of student success consultants due to teacher shortage
• Re-assignment of student success sections to support Community Active Living full day programing

Student success initiatives and programs in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board broaden and deepen students’ experiential learning opportunities as supported by the Ministry of Education. Some examples include:

• Specialist High Skills Major programs that bundle 8-10 courses allowing students to focus their learning on a specific economic sector while completing their high school diploma.
• A cooperative education program that combines classroom and workplace learning. Students can earn two co-op credits towards their compulsory diploma requirements, with no limit on earning optional co-op credits.
• Dual credit programs where students have more opportunities to earn credits that count towards both their high school diploma and a college diploma or apprenticeship certification.

On March 22, 2021, the Board of Trustees received a comprehensive report on the WCDSB’s Student Success Plan. Key sections of the report include:

• Transitions (Grade 8-9)
• Pathways
• Student Success Consultants Intermediate (SSCI)
• Experiential Learning
• Literacy & Numeracy
• Graduation Rates
• Re-engagement Strategy

The full report is available beginning on page 27 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Update on WCDSB COVID Education Delivery Plan

At the current time, the schools of Waterloo Catholic continue to learn in our new pandemic reality. Our staff, students and parents have been introduced to a new way of experiencing learning and their schools, be that in our in-person learning environment or in the virtual environment of St. Isidore. COVID-19 has changed the landscape of a traditional school experience and the staff of our board have planned, prepared, and have successfully implemented this new reality. As we come through these last months of winter and start the journey into spring, we are also looking to next year and what the school year will look like next year.

Those involved in in person learning returned to their schools on February 8, 2021. As reported in November through January, our numbers remain relatively stable, with approximately 3,890 students learning virtually at St. Isidore and 20,004 students learning face to face.

Thus, at this point, approximately 17% of our total student population has opted for the virtual learning environment. We have completed the online survey of our secondary parents in terms of their desire to switch modalities. 262 students wanted to move to virtual learning and 290 to in-person learning – so there was a net gain of 28 students to in-person learning. There were some adjustments that were needed in staffing at St. Isidore (which lost a few teaching positions), as well as in a few of our bricks and mortar schools, to ensure that class sizes remained safe and manageable. The final transition of the year took place on Monday, March 8th, 2021.

Targeted COVID-19 testing has also been initiated in the Region over the course of this month. There are three types of testing that have been part of the provincial protocol. This has included pop-up community sites for symptomatic individuals, which we are helping to publicize through school-based communication in the communities where the pop-up sites are located. As well – asymptomatic testing for staff is available at local pharmacies. Finally, each week 2-4 schools, representing approximately 5% of our schools (or 2% of our student population), have been identified for targeted asymptomatic testing. We are working in collaboration with Public Health and WRDSB.

We are also in the process of making a decision regarding whether we would offer a virtual school – St. Isidore – for our students next year.

We have initiated a two-stage survey process as we begin in earnest our planning for next year. During the week of March 15th-19th we asked families for an initial expression of interest for virtual learning for next year, and then we will give all families a chance to solidify their preference by June, when perhaps there will be more clarity as to how things are evolving regionally and provincially in terms of both COVID-19 numbers and vaccine roll-out.

We believe the best place for a child is in our bricks and mortar schools. We think this is best academically, but perhaps more importantly in terms of socialization and a young person’s social-emotional needs. We would hope that is the choice most parents make, but we also know that many parents may not be at that comfort level yet. We believe this is our best effort to be fair to parents who still don’t have the comfort to send children to in-person learning as we begin to enter a post-vaccine world – if not a post-pandemic world.

The full report is available beginning on page 39 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 Melanie Van Alphen’s report for March 2021 is available on page 45 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Student Trustees Update

Student Trustees Abby Barbosa and Kate Morrison presented their monthly update – covering activities in WCDSB’s secondary schools. It is available beginning on page 42 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Upcoming Board Meetings

Committee of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, April 19, 2021

Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre

Regular Public Board Meeting

Monday, April 26, 2021

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

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. — Monday, March 22, 2021. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting will be streamed live on Youtube:

Agenda

General Information About WCDSB Board Meetings

Information About the Board of Trustees

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

Dear Waterloo Catholic Community –

Today we sit on the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic and tomorrow will mark one year since we were told we were going to have an extended March Break, that ultimately became our first lockdown.  A great deal has happened since then and as a community it is my sincere hope that as you look back on this past year, there are some moments of hope and joy that you can identify.   There can be absolutely no denying that the year has brought hardship and challenges to virtually everyone, but they have not been felt equally.  Some of us will have suffered more than others, will have been impacted more than others, and some will have truly struggled to find the path forward.

My hope would be that as you reflect on this past year, you are able to pray an offering of gratitude for the family and friends who have helped you through and that your faith has been a constant source of consolation.  I have prayed in gratitude for our staff who have been a rock of resilience, continually rising to the challenge to meet and serve the needs of our community and our students.  I also pray in appreciation for the many parents and students who have journeyed with us and placed their faith in us, as we did our best to find the best path forward.

As mentioned – with today being the one-year anniversary of the official start of the pandemic, I choose to hope and pray that today marks an official start to some return to normalcy.  We know vaccine roll-out has begun and that by this coming fall things should look different – while perhaps not a full return to normal.  We know for schools that our year will likely begin somewhat similar to this year but as the potential for vaccines for children also rolls out, by mid-year we may be in a reality, in our schools, that is closer to what we remember.

In education our planning for the 2021-2022 school year is underway now.  We are working on staffing and budget and need to make decisions for next year at this time.

For this reason, next week – March 15^th through March 19^th – we will have a survey on our Board website for any parent/family that wishes to choose virtual learning again for next year.

That said – it will be a one-time choice.

That is, there will not be transition periods during the year.  A choice for virtual will be a choice for September through June.

Realizing that the landscape continues to change, we will confirm your choice with you in June (through one final survey open to all), but we will be seeking your interest now, so we can determine the demand for the virtual option.

If you register for St. Isidore, our virtual school, you will no longer be affiliated with your current home school, (for the 2021-2022 school year).  You will have the option to re-register for the following school year (2022-2023).

We know that some students have found virtual to be a good way to learn.  We do, in the main, feel that for a variety of reasons not only connected to academics, but to a young person’s social emotional well-being, that attending school in person is likely the preferred option for most students, when all things are equal.  Please give this decision careful consideration.  We will confirm with you again in June as mentioned, but we do need to know now if you believe this is an option you are seriously considering.

Once again, we encourage you to visit Ontario.ca/covidresponse to learn what public health measures are in place in our community – but also please be aware that these could change depending on the most current public health advice. We also suggest checking out the WCDSB website https://www.wcdsb.ca/living-learning-looking-forward/   and Region of Waterloo Public Health website https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/health-and-wellness/2019-novel-coronavirus.aspx as they contain helpful resources and supports.  If you have any questions about what your school is doing, please reach out to your local school principal.

I will continue to remind all community members that mental health resources are available to students and families through Kids Help Phone, which offers 24/7 counselling and referral services across the province. To use this free resource, children can call 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868.

If there are any further updates, we will certainly share them as soon as possible.  Please know that we continue to be in this together and day by day we will make it through.  It has been a year unlike any other, but I hope that for you, like me, faith has been a source of comfort and hope.  We are journeying now through Lent to the Easter Season.  How fortunate we are to know the hope, promise and new life that is awaiting us, and how that will be reflected in the spring months ahead.  Please reach out to us if you need help or guidance and remain confident that we are here to support you, as we walk together as a hope-filled community.  #InThisTogether 

Sincerely,

Loretta Notten — Director of Education

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. — Monday, March 8, 2021. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting will be streamed live on Youtube:

Agenda

General Information About WCDSB Board Meetings

Information About the Board of Trustees

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