March 24, 2020

Dear Parents / Caregivers –

Since last we reached out to you, the global situation in relation to COVID-19 has continued to worsen and here at home we have seen unprecedented actions taken by our federal and provincial governments.  As you know, schools are now closed and it would appear that this will stretch beyond the Easter weekend, although exactly when we might return to face to face learning is not yet clear.  These decisions are being informed by a concern for preserving the health and safety of all, and in this regard we know that each of us shares this common goal.  Nonetheless, the news that students will be home indefinitely may be disconcerting to you and your child.

We want to assure you that at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, we will be working to the best of our ability and in collaboration with the province, to ensure that your child is connected to learning opportunities.  We will use the initial two weeks for the board to support our teachers in establishing at least an initial contact with all of their students through the most appropriate means possible, including mail, phone, email or other channel.  We will try to use this time to establish what is needed to support teacher-led learning and to aid you as families, to the best of our abilities under the circumstances.

We also want to acknowledge that this could be a time of great uncertainty and anxiety for our students.  We would encourage you to visit our board website where a number of resources can be found that may be helpful to you or your child, as you navigate this time.  We are also truly blessed to have our faith and prayer to aid us at this time.  Our God walks with us always and the Holy Father reminds us that prayer is a sign that we are not alone.

While we are in the process of “gearing up”, we would remind parents that WCDSB has launched #STEAMDays, a fun and interactive way to be connected to activities that have a daily focus on science, technology, engineering, the arts or mathematics.  Further, the Ministry of Education has launched the website Learn at Home and you are encouraged to visit that site for learning activities.

Finally – we encourage you to closely follow any and all directives from our governments and Region of Waterloo Public Health.  As a global community – we have never been more connected by an event or issue and now is the time to do everything we can to ensure we can soon return to life as we knew it not so long ago.  We wish your family good health.  Remain confident that we are here to support you, as we walk as a hope-filled community of faith toward the season of Easter and the re-birth it brings.

Sincerely,

Loretta Notten                                                              Bill Conway

Director of Education                                                  Chair of the Board

March 13, 2020

As a result of the Government of Ontario’s order for all publicly funded schools in Ontario to remain closed from March 14, 2020 to April 5, 2020 (https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/03/title.html), the Waterloo Catholic District School Board is taking the following actions to further assist in limiting the spread of COVID-19:

• Effective March 14, 2020 to April 5, 2020 all WCDSB schools (including all St. Louis Adult Education campuses) are closed.
• Effective March 16 all Extended Day programs are cancelled. Families registered in WCDSB operated programs will not be charged fees during this time period.
• Effective March 14, 2020 to April 5, 2020 all Community Use of Schools permits are cancelled.
• WCDSB Co-op placements, Dual Credit and SWAC programs are cancelled.
• The March 23, 2020 public meeting of the Board of Trustees is cancelled. Any delegations pertaining to the St. John CES Boundary Review will be received as planned on Monday, April 6 at the regularly-scheduled Board Meeting, and again at a Special Public Board Meeting on Monday, April 20, 2020.
• The March 26, 2020 Blessing & Dedication ceremony for the newly-renovated Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre is postponed to a later date to be determined.

The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is always our top priority, and we will continue working with local Public Health staff to ensure our schools remain clean, safe and welcoming in anticipation of the resumption of school in April. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant regarding hand hygiene and cough / sneeze etiquette and to follow all Public Health guidance and directives.

We ask all WCDSB stakeholders to continue monitoring our special COVID-19 web page for up-to-date information (https://www.wcdsb.ca/covid-19-coronavirus-updates/)  — and our prayers continue for all those around the world who have been or will be affected by COVID-19.

On Thursday, March 12, 2020, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) and the Government of Ontario reached a tentative collective agreement. As a result, OECTA has suspended all strike activity pending ratification of the agreement.

OECTA members across the province will participate in ratification votes on Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

• OECTA Statement
• Government Statement
• OCSTA Statement

Waterloo Region, ON – On October 30, 2019 a WCDSB staff report recommending a school boundary review involving St. John CES, Holy Rosary CES, Our Lady of Lourdes CES and St. Nicholas CES – with the purpose of reducing enrolment pressure at St. John – was approved by the Board of Trustees.

The Boundary Review Process is designed to ensure that the public has opportunity to comment on the proposed boundary solution, the impact on affected students has been considered, and that decisions are based on an efficient and equitable use of system resources.

The Boundary Review Committee’s final report will be presented to the Board of Trustees on Monday, March 23, 2020. Stakeholders will have opportunities to present their views to the Board at that meeting and at a subsequent meeting on Monday, April 6, 2020.

A final decision will be made on Monday, April 27, 2020. Information about the review is available online at: www.wcdsb.ca/about-us/accommodations/st-johns-boundary-review/

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

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For more information, please contact:

John Shewchuk – Chief Managing Officer

(519) 578-3660 | john.shewchuk@wcdsb.ca

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees (Committee of the Whole) is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. — Monday, March 9, 2020 — at the Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre.

Meeting 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 184-year tradition of quality, inclusive, faith-based education. Follow us on Twitter: @WCDSBNewswire – #WCDSBAwesome.

Welcome

The purpose of this brief budget survey is to gain feedback from stakeholders with respect to Board priorities. While we cannot accommodate all requests, we do want to know what is important to stakeholders which will help guide our decisions.

Understanding that the Board priorities are intended to support Graduation rates, Well-Being and Faith Formation – please click the link below to identify what you feel is the MOST important area for investment within the budget in order to achieve our priorities.

https://my.thoughtexchange.com/#920759223

Understanding that the Board priorities are intended to support Graduation rates, Well-Being and Faith Formation – please click the link below to identify where you think the Board could obtain savings or efficiencies?

https://my.thoughtexchange.com/#371519687

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced that all of its members will be engaging in a one-day strike on Thursday, March 5, 2020. This decision affects all Catholic district school boards in Ontario.

As a result of this strike, all Waterloo Catholic District School Board elementary and secondary schools will be closed on March 5.

In addition to the closure of all WCDSB elementary and secondary schools on March 5, please note the following:

Some programs offered at the WCDSB’s St. Louis Adult Learning & Continuing Education Centres will be cancelled on March 5 —  they are:

• Hairstyling will be closed
• Culinary Arts will be closed
• Secondary School Credit Day School will be closed
• Correspondence services will be closed
• Guidance services will be closed.

All other St. Louis Adult Learning & Continuing Education Centres programs will be running as per their normal schedules.

All WCDSB extended day programs will be open for the day as usual (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) for students currently registered in the program.

Community use of schools activities will continue as scheduled.

OECTA’s previously announced job actions will remain in effect before and after March 5.

As before, we remain hopeful the two sides will return to the bargaining table quickly and will come to a fair and respectful agreement that serves the best interests of our students.