Website News Archives - Page 16 of 45 - Waterloo Catholic District School Board

Online Pre-registration for Kindergarten is Open: It’s Time to Sign Up for School!!

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.

Children born in 2018 are eligible for Year 1 Kindergarten (JK).
Children born in 2017 are eligible for Year 2 Kindergarten (SK).

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, for individual registration dates and times.

QUICKFacts

~~ 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.

January 13th, 2022|

Third Dose Opportunities for Education and Child Care Staff

The Ontario Ministry of Education today announced plans to provide greater access for education and child care staff to receive third doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and to promote continued vaccination for all eligible students.

Third booster doses provide an increased level of protection for people against severe outcomes.

Please see the strategy below for some highlights and important information.

Please see the strategy below for some highlights and important information. More region specific information will be forthcoming shortly as well.

Details on how to access a third dose are as follows:

Accelerated Access for Education and Child Care Staff

Starting January 7^th, the provincial mass vaccination clinic, at the International Centre located at 6900 Airport Road in Mississauga, will support accelerated access for education and child care staff. Education staff eligible to book vaccination appointments include the following school board staff or student transportation partners. Examples include: educators, custodial staff, administrative staff, and school bus drivers.

The vaccination clinic is open seven days a week from 10a.m. to 8p.m. with specific appointments being made available for education staff from 4:30p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Education staff are invited to schedule their appointment through the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line number at 1-833-943-3900.

Staff may be asked identifying questions, such as the school or child care centre in which they work, and/or their school board. General inquiries can also be answered at the same number or by visiting How to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for more information.

More region-specific information will be forthcoming shortly as well.

To book your vaccine:

Call the provincial call centre at 1-833-943-3900. Staff may be asked identifying questions, such as the school or child care centre in which they work, and/or their school board.
Print and bring this message (from your WCDSB Outlook account) and proof of employment, such as a pay stub or ID badge, to the appointment as you may be asked to present this.

Public Health Unit (PHU) Led Vaccinations for Education and Child Care Staff

Additionally, Ontario is working with all public health units (PHUs) to plan and provide access to third doses for education and child care staff. Local PHUs will provide further information on how vaccines can be accessed in their communities.

We will have more information about dedicated sites and preferred locations for our WCDSB staff shortly.

Visit How to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for more information on other ways to access a COVID-19 vaccine.

How to Book Earlier Appointments

If staff have already booked an appointment for a later date, they are encouraged to frequently check the provincial booking system for earlier appointments that become available.

Vaccine Disclosure Policy – Third Booster Doses

School boards will be expected to report aggregated and depersonalized statistical information regarding third booster dose coverage for individuals covered by the vaccine disclosure policy. At this time, booster dose information will be collected for informational purposes only, as the definition of “fully vaccinated” has not been expanded to include third booster doses.

January 6th, 2022|

Upcoming Meeting of the Board of Trustees

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees (Committee of the Whole) is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. — Monday, January 10, 2021. The meeting will be streamed live due to current pandemic restrictions on public gatherings.

Agenda:

Committee of the Whole

VIDEO LINK:

https://youtu.be/kO0M1P18C2Q

Other Information:

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…”.)

January 6th, 2022|

Emergency Child Care for Staff Working in Schools

During the school closure, the WCDSB staff working in schools to support the ongoing learning of students with high needs – and who have school age children of their own – may be eligible for Emergency Child Care for school age children.

Below is the link to more information and the application.

Board staff who may be eligible should apply as soon as possible, as there are limited spaces available that will fill up quickly.

Region of Waterloo Emergency Child Care

January 6th, 2022|

Ontario Government Announces Switch to Remote Learning

Earlier today — responding to recent trends that show an alarming increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations — the Ontario government announced that, starting January 5, 2022, students will switch from in-person learning to remote learning.

Ontario News Release

The switch to remote learning will be in place until at least January 17, 2022.

School administrators will reach out to students with Special Education needs who cannot be accommodated through remote learning. These students will be invited to return to in-person learning starting Monday, January 10, in order to allow time for transportation services to be arranged.

WCDSB staff, in consultation with Region of Waterloo Public Health, have been actively preparing for this possibility since before the Christmas Break, and we do anticipate a smooth transition.

While this news is tremendously disappointing, having successfully made the transition from in-person learning to virtual learning earlier in the pandemic, we are confident that our students will be in a position to successfully continue their education journeys as we begin the second half of this most challenging school year.

This remains a developing situation, and your school will be in contact with you to provide information on next steps, just as quickly as it becomes available.

January 3rd, 2022|

Message from Minister of Education & Chief Medical Officer

We know how critical in-person learning is to the mental health, well-being, and academic success of Ontario students. As we meet the challenge presented by the Omicron variant, we are building upon Ontario’s cautious and leading plan to protect in-person learning.

Ontario students and children have benefitted from continuous efforts to keep schools and child care settings safer, including high quality masks, enhanced cleaning, and improvements in air ventilation in every school – with more than 70,000 HEPA filter units and other ventilation devices deployed. In December, Ontario sent a total of 11 million rapid antigen tests home with students to help protect against the spread of COVID-19 and to support the safe return to in-person learning following the winter break.

We are taking nothing for granted. Health and safety in our schools and child care settings remains a top priority and we continue to monitor to ensure that every precaution is taken to protect children, students, and staff and to support continued safe in-person learning.

The Children’s Health Coalition – representing Ontario’s children’s hospitals, mental health agencies and rehabilitation centres – has emphasized that in-person education is critical to the mental health, development and well-being of children and youth. Ontario students in publicly funded schools will return to in-person learning on January 5, 2022 for school boards previously scheduled to return January 3 to prepare for the public health measures announced on Dec. 30, 2021.

In response to the highly-transmissible Omicron variant, Ontario is putting in place additional health and safety measures to create more layers of protection to keep schools as safe as possible for in-person learning, which is critical to the positive mental health and academic success of students.

These include:

Updating the COVID-19 school and child care screener ahead of the return to school on January 5 and asking students, parents and staff for rigorous screening and monitoring of symptoms.
Providing non-fit-tested N95 masks for staff in schools and licensed child care settings as an optional alternative to medical/surgical masks, and additional supply of high-quality three-ply cloth masks that are strongly encouraged and free for students and children in January.
Deploying an additional 3,000 standalone HEPA filter units to school boards, building on the existing 70,000 HEPA filter units and ventilation devices already in schools.
Continuing PCR testing eligibility for symptomatic elementary and secondary students, education staff and participating private and First Nation operated schools who have received a PCR self-collection kit through their school.

Starting in January, temporarily permitting only low-contact indoor sports and safe extra-curricular activities.

Updating COVID-19 reporting requirements for school boards and child care in January.
Supporting the projected hiring of over 2,000 staff, funded by a $304 million allocation for second semester that includes additional teachers, custodians, and mental health workers.

Furthermore, to maintain operational safety given anticipated higher rates of absenteeism, school boards are directed to exhaust all efforts to fill staff vacancies, including through substitute and retired teachers, before shifting to online learning.

Ontario’s schools are also benefitting from high rates of vaccination. We thank students, parents, and staff for helping to keep our schools and child care settings safe by getting vaccinated. With 400 school-focused clinics underway, Ontario has one of the highest rates of vaccination in Canada. More than 85.9% per cent of youth aged 12 to 17 have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 82.2% per cent have received a second dose and 43.1% percent of Ontario children between ages 5 and 11 have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

We encourage everyone who is eligible for a vaccination or booster to get vaccinated to further protect students as they return to school. It is natural to have questions about the vaccine. Parents or guardians with concerns can reach out to the SickKids COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service at www.sickkids.ca/vaccineconsult, or 1-888-304-6558 to book a consultation. The consultation service is available in multiple languages, using over-the-phone language interpretation. Parents and caregivers can also contact the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943- 3900 to receive more information from a health specialist.

By working together, we can help Ontario students achieve a successful continuation of in-person learning this winter.

Please take a moment to review a few key important reminders or visit Ontario’s website to learn more about COVID-19.

Sincerely,

Dr, Kieran Moore

Chief Medical Officer of Health

Stephen Lecce

Minister of Education

December 31st, 2021|

Important Back-to-School Update from the Director of Education

Dear Waterloo Catholic Community –

I hope that you have enjoyed a pleasant, restful and healthy Christmas season with your family. While generally a time of celebration and joy, it has been a time of concern for many due to the increase in COVID-19 cases that we have been witness to in our communities and reported in the media.

The omicron variant has become the dominant strain of COVID with unprecedented speed and we have seen case counts grow at an exponential rate – faster than any wave before. The good news is that both globally and here in Ontario, the greater majority of all cases are relatively mild and the percentage that lead to serious illness seem to be very few.

With that said – the need for caution is very real, given the sheer volume of cases. Our care and concern for our vulnerable population and our health care workers who have done so much to serve our communities must remain one of our highest priorities. As a result, the Provincial Government, through the Chief Medical Officer of Health, has updated a number of points of guidance and procedure.

This letter provides very important updates about the return to school this new year.

Return to School:

The return to in-person learning for all students will be delayed to Wednesday January 5, 2022. (This includes St Isidore and St Louis). Students should continue to use the Rapid Antigen Tests you received before the break, and any positive result should be considered a final result, confirming a COVID infection.

Please see the note below regarding timing of the last two tests. No staff or student should attend work or school after a positive result. Instructions on their use were provided by your local school before the break, along with instruction videos in multiple languages.

Testing:

In Ontario, PCR tests will no longer be available to staff and students or the general public, so screening for symptoms and treating any symptom as confirmation of omicron is the recommendation. The ministry hopes to provide more rapid tests for staff and students in the weeks to come.

With the start of school moved to January 5^th we would ask that you use the last 2 tests on January 3^rd and the morning of January 5^th.

This will ensure the best chance of a safe return for all. Please make a best effort to honour this request.

Screening:

It is more important than ever before, that anyone feeling ill should not attend school. All children, students, staff, and visitors must be screened for symptoms of illness every day before attending school or childcare. Any student or staff member with any symptom should not report to school.

To help meet this requirement, you may use the provincial screening tool found here: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/.

Confirmation of self-screening will still be a requirement when we return to school and we will continue to reinforce masking and hand hygiene, as well as cohorting and physical distancing with students and our staff.

Case and Contact Management:

Public Health will no longer support case and contact management for schools. Therefore – if you or your child believe that you are dealing with a case of COVID, (because you have one or more symptoms) it is up to you to ensure household contacts remain isolated and to ensure you remain isolated until the positive case is both symptom free for 24 hours and it has been 5 days since symptom onset for vaccinated individuals (2 vaccines) and 10 days since symptom onset for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals.

Household contacts should also isolate for the duration of the isolation of the positive case. We hope to receive further guidance from Public Health and will share it as it becomes available.

Learning Continuity:

We know that many of the doctors and experts believe that the best place for a student is in school, and we know that our students and staff have been very pleased to return to in person learning this school year. We do agree that for most students it is where they learn best.

We will not be entertaining new requests to switch to St Isidore at this time, as this would necessitate a full re-organization of the school system.

We will be reviewing learning continuity options in the days to come and when students are absent they can check on their class Google or D2L site for their learning. We will offer more updates in the days to come.

Masks:

Students will be provided with expanded access to free high quality three-ply cloth masks. We encourage our students to use these masks and to wash them on a regular basis. The use of these specific masks is not mandatory but encouraged as they may be more effective than some of the current one- and two-ply cloth masks being used. In addition, the Ministry will also provide education staff with the option to use either the current medical grade masks or a non-fit-tested N95 mask.

Socializing:

The holidays are typically characterized as a time to gather. There are only a few days left but please consider if all public health guidelines are being observed and ensure you do not gather if you are not well. Our children will rely on us to guide them and to make strong, responsible decisions on their behalf.

Vaccination:

Vaccination for children ages 5 – 11 is currently underway. Booster shots for anyone over 18 years of age have been possible since Monday, December 20^th. Vaccination remains the best defence against COVID-19, as endorsed by experts at the Ontario Science Table, the Chief Medical Officer of Health and our own Region of Waterloo Public Health.

The omicron variant is highly transmissible, and consideration of vaccination for yourself and your child is very important in stopping the disease’s spread and also in ensuring that if COVID is acquired, that symptoms remain mild and manageable. Stopping the spread is important so that everyone can spend more time in school and so the most vulnerable amongst us are not negatively impacted.

Extra-Curriculars:

With the updated guidance from the government, there will be a pause to high contact sports such as basketball and wrestling, as well as to multi-cohort choirs and wind instrument ensembles. We will be reviewing our Operational Guidelines to ensure they are consistent with all updated guidance from the province and encourage you to review it here next week: Operational Guidelines

We know that it may be challenging to be navigating these times. We understand that many of you will be concerned and will only want the best for yourself and your children. We encourage you to follow the guidelines as outlined to the best of your ability and to trust that our schools still remain largely safe.

I have been doing a fair bit of reading over the break and many experts have reflected that it is sometimes darkest before the dawn. Let us continue to be people of hope that brighter days will lie ahead, and perhaps in the not-too-distant future, the days will be significantly brighter.

Let’s us hold to the promise of the nativity and the message of love, hope and joy that it offers.

Sincerely,

Loretta Notten

Director of Education

December 31st, 2021|

Important Update From Region of Waterloo Public Health: Student & Staff COVID-19 Case & Contact Management

Dear Parents / Guardians and School Staff:

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise and Omicron spreads rapidly because of high transmissibility, Public Health Units (PHUs) are shifting focus from case management and contact tracing to vaccination. Case and contact management across the province will be shifting from an individual case and contact management to limiting spread in highest risk settings and protecting the vulnerable. Case management will be completed in accordance with the Ministry of Health Omicron Surge guidance.

Public Health Management of Cases and Contacts

Cases will receive notification via text or call

All cases will be provided with details on isolation, testing, and asked to inform their household and other close contacts.

Schools and providers will work with Public Health to identify and provide information to close contacts.

Public Health will notify high-risk contacts related to exposures within high-priority settings such as school and childcare centres.

All high-risk contacts within schools, childcare centres, camps, post-secondary dormitories or other high priority settings must isolate 10 days from the last exposure to the case regardless if they are fully vaccinated or previous cases. High-risk contacts must be tested immediately and after day 7 from the last exposure.

Instructions for Household Members of a High-Risk Contact:

Household members who are fully vaccinated or are a previously cleared positive case in the last 90 days do not need to self-isolate, but should continue to follow public health measures (i.e. masking, physical distancing, handwashing, etc.).
Household members who are not fully vaccinated or are not a previously cleared positive case in the last 90 days, should stay home except for essential reasons (i.e. work, school/child care, essential groceries/pharmacy and medical appointments) while the high-risk contact is self-isolating. Household members who cannot isolate away from a high-risk contact (e.g., a young child) must isolate and follow the same isolation requirements as the high-risk contact.

Public health measures, such as appropriate masking, distancing, and optimizing ventilation, reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is still strongly recommended to reduce the risk of severe infection from any COVID-19 variant.

Please refer to the Region of Waterloo Public Health Return to School page for the latest information: https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/health-and-wellness/return-to-school.aspx

Additional COVID-19 resources can be found on Region of Waterloo Public Health’s COVID-19 webpage at http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/COVID19. See the links below for specific resources:

For further information, please call Region of Waterloo Public Health.

Phone: 519-575-4400

TTY: 519-575-4608

December 19th, 2021|

Letter from Minister of Education & Chief Medical Officer of Health

LIVE LINKS:

Rapid Antigen Testing Video

At Home PCR Testing Video

Booking a COVID-19 Vaccination

December 17th, 2021|

Important Message from the Director of Education

Dear Waterloo Catholic Community –

As I write this letter we sit on the cusp of our Christmas break and perhaps more than ever, we can all appreciate the need for a pause. If I am to be honest, we are not heading into the break as optimistically as we were even just a week or two ago. The situation has changed fairly rapidly and so we have a few things of which to take note. I do want to acknowledge that it has been a remarkable fall and early winter, and it is indeed a true testament to everyone in the entire WCDSB community that we made it to Christmas with all our schools still open and truly thriving, despite the reality of the pandemic. Thank you to everyone in our WCDSB family for your ongoing efforts which have made the school re-opening process so successful, and for adhering to public health and safety measures that have ensured schools remain a safe place for our students and staff.

A few points of update:

Vaccination:

Vaccination for children ages 5 – 11 is currently underway. Booster shots for anyone over 18 years of age will be possible as of this Monday, December 20^th. Vaccination remains the best defence against COVID-19, as endorsed by experts at the Ontario Science table, the Chief Medical Officer of Health and our own Waterloo Region Public Health. The omicron variant is highly transmissible and so consideration for vaccination for yourself and your child is very important in stopping the disease spread. Stopping its spread is important so that everyone can spend more time in school and so the most vulnerable amongst us are not negatively impacted.

Socializing:

The holidays are typically characterized as a time to gather. Please consider if all public health guidelines are being observed and ensure you do not gather if you are not well. Our children will rely on us to guide them and to make strong responsible decisions on their behalf.

Rapid Antigen Test Kits:

All students have received 5 rapid antigen test screening kits. They are to be used in the 10 days proceeding the start of in person schooling. The earliest date one should be used is December 23^rd. Assuming the start of school remains January 3^rd, they should be used every other day starting on the 23^rd. Instructions have been provided by your local school, along with instruction videos in multiple languages.

Potential for School Closure:

At the current time we have no indication from the province or Waterloo Region Public Health that we will not be returning in January. Nonetheless we are sending children home with Chromebooks where needed, should anything change over the holidays. If the date for the re-opening of school changes to a date later than January 3^rd, we will notify you of the date you should start using the Rapid Antigen Tests. Otherwise please begin on December 23^rd, 2021.

Case and Contact Management:

When a student or staff member is a high-risk close contact of a positive case they must isolate. You will receive a letter and/or text message from Public Health with these details. It is important to note that at the current time if the positive case is the omicron variant, even if an individual is vaccinated, they have to quarantine. This is a change in practice, but it is in response to the highly transmissible nature of the variant.

Sports:

Waterloo Region Public Health has asked us to pause all athletics and extra-curriculars in our schools. We have had good success with our program and our health and safety support measures, however activity in the community – specifically a large hockey tournament has caused a sharp increase in our community. It is important to note that if you participate in a large community event, public health measures should still be observed and that when we let down our guard, that is when COVID can take hold and spread.

Screening

As a reminder, anyone feeling ill should not attend school. All children, students, staff, and visitors must be screened for symptoms of illness every day before attending school or childcare. To help meet this requirement, you may use the provincial screening tool found here: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/. Confirmation of Self-screening will still be a requirement when we return to school and we will continue to reinforce masking and hand hygiene, as well as cohorting and physical distancing with students and our staff.

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/

We sincerely thank you for journeying with us. May each of you and your families enjoy a beautiful Christmas Season. A simpler Christmas firmly focused on family certainly sounds like the ideal and perhaps it will be a simple reminder that the first Christmas was indeed a humble beginning that provided the greatest gift the world has ever known. Let us continue to be people of hope who celebrate the birth of a tiny babe who shared a powerful message of love and salvation.

Sincerely,

Loretta Notten

Director of Education

December 16th, 2021|