The Region of Waterloo is hosting school vaccine clinics between December 2 – 23, 2021 across Waterloo Region to make it easier for 5-11 year olds to get vaccinated.

This message contains information on the following:

• School Vaccine Clinics: Dates, Times & Locations
• How to book an appointment?
• Who can get the vaccine now?
• What vaccine will be given?

Please see directly below for information about a special online parent information session being held on Thursday, December 2, 2021:

When: Thursday, December 2, 2021 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Zoom Meeting Link

• Webinar ID: 925 5066 5739

• Passcode: 136870

School Vaccine Clinics: Dates, Times & Locations

Children aged 5-11 and their family members who still need a first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can book appointments at these school clinics. A parent/guardian must attend the clinic with their child. Evening and weekend appointments are available. Free parking is available on-site at all the clinics.

St. Peter Catholic Elementary School

92 Avenue Road, Cambridge

Thursday, December 2, 2021 — 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Queensmount Public School

21 Westmount Road, Kitchener

Saturday, December 4, 2021 — 9:15 am – 3:15 pm

Wilson Avenue Public School

221 Wilson Avenue, Kitchener

Thursday, December 9, 2021 — 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Tuesday, December 14, 2021 — 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Sunnyside Public School

1042 Weber Street East, Kitchener

Wednesday, December 15, 2021 — 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Thursday, December 16, 2021 — 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School

245 Lorne Avenue, Kitchener

Sunday, December 19, 2021 — 9:15 am – 3:15 pm

Monday, December 20, 2021 — 9:15 am – 3:15 pm

St. Anne Catholic Elementary School

250 East Avenue, Kitchener

Tuesday, December 21, 2021 — 9:15 am – 3:15 pm

Wednesday, December 22, 2021 — 9:15 am – 3:15 pm

Linwood Public School

50 Pine Street, Linwood

Thursday, December 23, 2021 — 9:15 am – 3:15 pm

How to book an appointment?

To book an appointment for your child and any family members who still need a first or second dose of the vaccine, please visit the Region of Waterloo website: regionofwaterloo/GetaVaccine

These clinics do not take walk-ins, an appointment is needed.

Who can get the vaccine now?

Children between the ages of 5-11 are now eligible to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Anyone born in 2016 or earlier is eligible.

What vaccine will be given?

Health Canada has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11 years old. See the resources below for more information.

• COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
• COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Youth

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our community safe.

Vaccine Information Session for Parents/Guardians of Children (5-11)

Presenter: Dr. Kelly Grindrod, Associate Professor from the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy

Date: December 2, 2021

Time: 7- 8:30 p.m.

Zoom Meeting Link

There will be an opportunity to ask questions following the presentation.

Vaccines are an important tool to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and allow families to safely resume normal activities.

Although children and youth are less likely to get very sick from COVID-19 they can still:

• Get sick from COVID-19
• Be infected and not have any symptoms
• Spread COVID-19 to others
• Experience longer-term effects if they do get infected

COVID-19 vaccines authorized by Health Canada are safe, reliable, and can help protect you, your family, and our community from COVID-19. Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines.

This webpage will be updated when additional information about COVID-19 vaccines for children becomes available.

Dear WCDSB Community,

We hope that you continue to be well and that you have had a healthy and enjoyable fall season.  We are pleased that, for the most part, our schools continue to be safe and healthy places for learning to prosper.  We have not been without our challenges this fall, but with a few exceptions, our COVID-19 case counts have remained quite low and we are so grateful to both our staff and our families for working hard to follow all the necessary guidelines and precautions.

This letter once again brings a few very important updates of which we would like you to be aware as they are important to your understanding as to how things are unfolding and precautions we wish to continue to enforce, so that we may continue on a safe, healthy and positive path as a community.

Vaccination

As you have no doubt heard in the media, vaccination for children ages 5-11 is now ready to be rolled out in the province and within Waterloo Region.  The Chief Medical Officer of Health for the Province and local Public Health offer us the guidance, as the experts, that this is our best defense against COVID-19.  It will assist in keeping our children healthy, as well as all those with whom they have contact.  Vaccinations will be available at Public Health vaccination sites, community hubs, local pharmacies and at a few school pop-up sites (of which you will be informed when they are occurring).  A parent’s approval will be required for any child 5-11 to be vaccinated and any school-based sites will happen after hours.  Parents can begin making appointments as of today.

As a parent you may have questions about the vaccine for children 5-11 year old’s.  Our local Public Health Unit is sponsoring a virtual parent information session, via Zoom, on Thursday Dec 2^nd, from 7 – 8:30 p.m.  The presentation, along with a question-and-answer session, will be given by Dr. Kelly Grind rod, Ontario College of Pharmacists Professor in Pharmacy Innovation and Associate Professor, University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy.  We would encourage any parent who still has questions about the vaccine to attend this session.

Rapid Antigen Testing for Students over Christmas Break

On November 18^th, the provincial government announced that over the Christmas Break rapid antigen screen kits will be provided to any and all students who wish to take home 5 tests to be administered every few days between Dec 23^rd and Jan 4^th, so that we are better assured a safe and healthy return to school in January 2022, and a safer, healthier coming together with Friends and Family over the Christmas Season.

Sports / Athletics

As reported in previous letters, we have been pleased to see the return of athletics and sport to our schools and for inter-scholastic play to have returned for those age 12 and older.  The criteria to play is full vaccination and/or proof of a negative test.  This strategy is being used in a very targeted way for students who are not able to use our other usual strategies to ensure their safety – that is – they are unable to ensure masking and social distancing.  This strategy has now been endorsed by the province and will now continue for the foreseeable future for us at WCDSB.  We are extremely pleased by this decision.

Additional Health and Safety Measures

Also part of the November 19^th announcement was the direction that all Parent-Teacher interviews should take place virtually (or by phone).  Similarly, schools are asked to ensure that assemblies occur virtually to ensure cohorts are not blending and social distancing is maintained.

Secondary Delivery Model

The province has opened the door to the second half of the year being delivered through a proper serestered model – which is 4 periods or 4 75-minute classes in a day.  This decision will have to be supported by Public Health based on cases and other relevant data.  At the current time we are hopeful that we will be in a position to return to a serestered/4 period day in February.

Potential Travel

A reminder that students under 12, travelling with vaccinated parents do not have to quarantine per se, but they are not allowed to return to school until 14 days from return have passed.  This guidance is found on our webpage.  This is federal policy we are sharing.

https://wcdsb.ca/covid-19-student-screening-and-testing/

Screening

As we have shared before, please know that one of the most important things you do each and every day is to complete the screening tool before you as a staff member or student (or parent of a student) arrive at school.  Any individual who fails the screener or who is symptomatic in any way should not be reporting to school.  That is part of our collective responsibility to one another.

https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/

Please review our full Operational Guidelines to ensure you understand how we are continuing to ensure a safe and happy school experience for all.

We continue to be exceptionally grateful for your support and partnership as we navigate this unique year.

Sincerely,

Loretta Notten

Director of Education

Meetings

Committee Of the Whole Board Meeting

Monday, November 8, 2021 – Meeting Agenda Package

Public Board Meeting

Monday, November 22, 2021 — Meeting Agenda Package

Highlights

Pastoral Plan Update

Catholic schools exist to support the evangelizing mission of the Church. Catholic parents send their children to Catholic schools with certain expectations. The overriding expectation is that their child will experience education permeated with religious values, religious instruction and be invited to participate in the sacramental life of the church. They also expect that Catholic values will be held, modeled, expressed, and taught within the Catholic educational community. Our three-year pastoral plan supports and animates the faith life of students and staff in the WCDSB.

Additionally, our Multi-Year Strategic Plan indicates that nurturing our Catholic community will be a priority area with opportunities to bear witness to our faith through joyful discipleship and our relationships with and in Christ as an essential strategic direction. To this end, we endeavor to provide opportunities to live out and inform our faith through implementation of our Pastoral Plan, which is informed by the Ontario Bishops’ pastoral letter, Renewing the Promise.

During our 2019 Spiritual Development Day, we celebrated and reflected upon our Year 1 theme, “Called to Belong”. While we continued to be unable to gather for larger events last year due to public health protocols, we used a video launch in early October to transition from Called to Belong to “Gathered to Become”, Year 2 of our Pastoral Plan. Having been gathered, blessed, and fed in the first two years of our three-year Pastoral Plan, the focus of year three is to intentionally look outward, under the theme “Sent to Build”.  Our keynote speaker was Fr. James Martin, S.J., who joined us live from New York, and spoke to us about the importance of reaching out to the people on the margins, about the need for compassion and sensitivity and invited us to reflect on how we are living out our vocation in the model of Christ.

The report beginning on page 11 via this link — Meeting Agenda Package – provides a detailed overview of the many events planned for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year.

School Resource Officer (SRO) Program Update

In January of 2021, the Waterloo Catholic District school board contracted Turner Consulting Group to review the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program after the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) halted the program in the region due to expressed community concerns. The WCDSB committed to undertaking a review of the SRO program to determine its efficacy in our secondary schools in relation to its stated goals.

The report surfaced some perceptions and lived realities of the students, staff, and broader stakeholders from WCDSB that did not fully align with the stated goals of the program. From this report there appears to be a strong indication that both the school board and WRPS must take the time to revisit the goals of the SRO program and ensure full alignment to both the goals and the strategic approach that will best support those goals.

On November 22, 2021, the Board of Trustees received an interim staff report on the status of actions taken to date. Next steps in the process include:

• WCDSB is in the process of developing structures to track suspension and Violent Threat Risk Assessment data as it relates to racialized students.
• The Waterloo Regional Police Service has committed to having all 14 Community Engagement and Wellbeing Branch officers trained in the Violent Threat Risk Assessment program by spring 2022.
• Meetings with the Waterloo Regional Police Service will continue over the next 8 weeks (about 2 months) as we solidify our program and delivery support model. The student census data set will be used to determine any required focus for action at a board and program design level.
• Senior team members as well as our Chief Social Worker, Mental Health Lead, and school social workers will be attaining a formal certification on Combating Anti-Black Racism through York University. WRPS Officers will also be invited to participate in this certification.
• Administrators will be introduced to the “Check Your Bias” checklist which will challenge all to consider how they are working through progressive discipline issues.

The report is available beginning on page 68 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Special Education Update

Last year, Student Services focused on supporting Special Education and classroom teachers in the virtual world and supporting schools through new protocols due to pandemic restrictions. The Special Education Liaisons created numerous resources which included educator tip sheets, Virtual Universal Supports, COVID-19 related IEP expectations, Jump Math, Empower, and Lexia for home learning.

The Special Education Return to Learn Website has been accessed more than 5,000 times by staff and more than 200 Learn@Home Kits to support alternative programming were provided.  Additional supports include a Google Classroom for alternative programming and numerous opportunities for virtual professional development for staff.

On November 22, 2021, the Board of Trustees received a detailed report focused on the far-reaching work of the following key staff teams:

• Certified Behaviour Analysts (BCBAs)
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Facilitators
• Communicative Disorders Assistants (CDA)
• Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP)
• Psychoeducational Consultants
• Vision Services Team
• Special Education Teachers
• Special Education Liaisons
• Educational Assistants
• Assistive Technology Resource Teacher

Guided by the WCDSB’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan, the specific goals of these teams are:

1. Provide Equitable Access to Learning Opportunities
2. Improve Secondary Literacy Achievement
3. Improve Numeracy Achievement

The report is available beginning on page 56 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Mental Health Update

The WCDSB’s 2021-22 Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan is in alignment with key elements of School Mental Health Ontario’s Action Plan during the COVID 19 Recovery Phase as follows:

1) Amplify and promote the protective influence of schools.

2) Identify and address emerging and escalating student mental health problems.

3) Mobilize focused support for those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

4) Build and sustain strong safety nets.

5) Provide hopeful and aligned communication.

This work supports the overall goals of the WCDSB’s 2019-21 Well-Being Strategy:

1) Students and staff feel a sense of belonging and inclusion in their learning community.

2) Students have equitable access to learning opportunities.

3) Building a culture of well-being that supports the success for all in the WCDSB community.

The 2021-22 Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan is focused on 3 key priorities:

Priority #1: Goal-directed planning at all levels of leadership to improve the organizational conditions that will support mentally healthy schools, through a comprehensive approach to wellbeing.

Priority #2: Capacity-building — Building a foundation that fosters inclusion and belonging for all students, educators feel equipped to promote mental health and well-being through evidence informed daily classroom practices and classroom conversations that strengthen relationships, enhance protective factors, and promote specific resilience skills.

Priority #3: All students and parents/caregivers have equitable access to relevant resources that support mental health and wellbeing and can identify and access pathways to Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports when mental health needs arise.

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

English as a Second Language (ESL) & English Literacy Development (ELD) Programs and Services Update

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

The report presented to the Board of Trustees on November 22, 2021 provided an overview of current data and trends regarding ESL/ELD programs and services.

Definitions:

English as a Second Language (ESL) programs are for students whose first language is other than English or is a variety of English significantly different from that used for instruction in Ontario schools.

English Literacy Development (ELD) programs are for students whose first language is other than English or is a variety of English significantly different from that used for instruction in Ontario schools.

ML/MLs — As the WCDSB moves toward more inclusive language, MLs or Multilingual Learners respects the linguistic backgrounds of our students without centering English as the only language in which one can learn.  It celebrates multilingualism as a gift and places an asset lens to which we view students who are adding English to their linguistic repertoires.

Current data indicate a steady increase in the number of students registering at the WCDSB (JK-Grade 12) from various countries all over the world. Many of them have English as an Additional Language Learning program needs, at the earliest steps to proficiency. Many students are arriving to us as Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) — requiring foundational literacy and language development and orientation to school life in Ontario.

Despite current travel/immigration challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Newcomer Reception Centre (NRC) has welcomed more than 130 students to the WCDSB (newcomers with varying statuses in Canada including refugee, permanent resident, and VISA) this school year (Aug-Nov 2 data).

Support for MLs is articulated in the WCDSB’s Board Improvement and Equity Plan for Student Achievement (BIEPSA) as educators are called upon to clearly know the needs of these students and respond to them in a collaborative and effective manner. The board’s response to identified and emerging needs is informed and supported by a wide and impressive range of team members (i.e. family members, cultural community leaders, translators, health practitioners, employers, faith community leaders, etc.,) who work in a dynamic and collaborative manner.

The report is available beginning on page 51 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Community Planning & Partnerships Guideline

The Community Planning and Partnerships Guideline (CPPG) (Ontario Ministry of Education, March 2015) requires that boards hold at least one meeting per year to discuss potential planning and partnership opportunities with the public and community organizations. The guideline focuses on opportunities to share facilities with community partners when:

• Building new schools
• Undertaking significant renovations
• Considering the use of unoccupied space in schools
• Considering properties associated with schools that may close
• Sites that may be considered for future disposition.

Further to the provincial guideline, APF012 Community Planning and Facility Partnerships provides a framework to work with community organizations to benefit the Board, students, and the community. The Board must hold at least one meeting per year to discuss potential partnership opportunities. The presentation of this report at a public board meeting fulfils all CPPG requirements.

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. In May 2021, capital priorities requests were filed with the Ministry of Education to fund the following building projects:

1. New Rosenberg CES (Kitchener)
2. St. Boniface CES addition (Breslau)
3. St. Gregory CES addition (Cambridge)
4. New St. Patrick CES (Kitchener)

The New Rosenberg CES has for many years been envisioned as a co-build with the City of Kitchener, as such no further partnership opportunities are contemplated.

St. Boniface CES opened in September 2021 with an on-site childcare and EarlyON centre. The addition would not facilitate additional opportunities.

The St. Gregory CES addition would not allow for co-building based on site size limitations.

The New St. Patrick CES capital priorities request was filed with a proposed childcare centre co-build, and no further partnership opportunities are feasible based on site size.

The report is available beginning on page 7 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 November 2021 is available on page 82 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 79 via this link: Meeting Agenda Package

Upcoming Board Meetings

Inaugural Meeting of the Board of Trustees

Monday, December 6, 2021

Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre

Regular Public Board Meeting

Monday, December 13, 2021

Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre

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