Waterloo Region District School Board
51 Ardelt Avenue N2C 2R5 Kitchener, ON, Canada

We extend support to our transgender students, staff and community and remember those lost to transphobic violence and discrimination on Transgender Day of Remembrance. We work hard to be active allies, offer support and ensure our schools are safe spaces to learn and work. If our students feel they need support, please reach out to a trusted staff member or adult.

Did you hear? We have a new approach to severe weather days. If buses are cancelled due to weather, the day will be designated a Weather Impacted Distance Learning Day. All WRDSB schools will be closed and students will learn asynchronously from home. Full details are on our website.

[SURVEY REMINDER] During a school year like no other, we want to check-in with our students, staff and families. We want to connect with you to help us better understand how you and your child feel about your learning experience and if the supports we have in place are meeting your needs. Your responses will help us determine how to improve the ways we provide support and develop our plans for the rest of the school year. Surveys close Friday, November 20, 2020.

As we move through this unprecedented school year, we want to check-in with our students, staff and families. We want to connect with you to help us better understand how you and your child feel about your learning experience and if the supports we have in place are meeting your needs. Your responses will help us determine how to improve the ways we provide support and develop our plans for the rest of the school year. Family and student surveys close November 20. Please note: Facebook comments will not be included in the survey data.

Tomorrow (Thursday, October 29): WRDSB high school students in COHORT A will begin their in-person learning at their school, while COHORT B will engage in online learning. Our students in both cohorts will go back to their Period 1 class.

Monday is a PD Day for WRDSB elementary and secondary schools, which means no school for ALL students! Yes, this means both in-person and virtual students will have Monday off. All board operated Extended Day and Youth Development programs are closed. Here is how our staff will spend their day.

REMINDER: Commencement registration is open for our Class of 2020 high school graduates. The deadline to register for your virtual Commencement ceremony and purchase a graduation package, if you would like one, is Thursday, October 29 at 4pm. Please share.

Happy Diwali to all our students, staff and families who are celebrating the Festival of Lights. We know this year may look and feel a little different, but we hope the glow of the holiday illuminates the year ahead! Wishing you joy and prosperity.

At our Board meeting on Monday night, Student Trustees Tristan John-Jandles and Rowan McDonald unveiled their introduction video. What are Student Trustees? Who do they represent? Why do they sit at the Board table? Take a look and find out. Our 2020-21 Student Trustees: www.wrdsb.ca/trustees/student-trustees/

We have an update for all our high school students and their families who start or continue our Secondary Distance Learning Program on Monday (November 16). In this update, we share details of what the first week will look like for our SDLP students.

It is the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week. We believe that every student has the right to feel safe at school and be treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to providing a safe, caring and inclusive learning environment for all students. This week is a time for all of us to reinforce clear and positive messages that bullying is not acceptable in our schools and communities. Everyone has a responsibility to stop bullying behavi...our, and we encourage parents and guardians to get involved with bullying prevention. We have included 10 great resources for our families.

Located at the Blair Outdoor Education Centre, the Indigenous Food Garden, which is typically used for land-based Indigenous education field-trips, has shifted to food production. Members of the White Owl Native Ancestry Association, who have partnered with us to maintain the garden and educate our students, are using the food and hard-to-find items, like those grown in the medicine garden, to support the Indigenous community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we near the end of October, many of our families start thinking about Halloween festivities and celebrations. We want to highlight important considerations and Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services recommendations as our schools, students and families plan activities within classrooms, schools and the community.

As our high school students and staff near the finish line for quadmester 1, we have released important information about secondary exams, report cards, final evaluations, and more. Here is what our students can expect the coming days will look like.

Today is Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day! We want to give send a BIG thank you to all our DECEs for the work they do to support our littlest learners, especially during COVID-19, where caring and nurturing are even more important. We are very lucky to have such dedicated staff.... : https://twitter.com/missroltsclass

Tomorrow (Thursday, October 22): WRDSB high school students in COHORT B will be back to in-person learning at their school, while COHORT A will participate in their course online. Our students in both cohorts will continue their Period 2 learning.

Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services is offering drive-thru immunization clinics for WRDSB students eligible to receive their school program vaccinations. This includes 2019-20 students who missed follow up vaccines AND those eligible in 2020-21 to start their immunization series. Parents/students will be contacted directly to book these appointments between October and December. Please do not call the Public Health office to book your appointment.

This week, we celebrate Local Government Week. Our trustees play a vital role in providing our community with a voice to improve our schools, advocate for quality education, set board policy and oversee the budget. We want to take a moment to thank our WRDSB trustees for all they do!

Here is a Happy Monday story to start off your week. In the early days of COVID-19, Dina Rehanek, who works in our Health and Safety Department, and her family launched the #FeedTheNeed campaign in support of the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. Just recently, as the need continues, they provided another 1,728 meals!... One volunteer shares, anything you can do to help makes a difference. It’s a hard time for everybody, so just be mindful and be kind to everyone.

REMINDER: Today at 4pm is the deadline for secondary families to fill out our online form to request a mode of learning change (in-person to distance learning, or vice versa).

An important reminder to families of elementary students that possible changes to your child’s class may take place shortly. If your child is impacted by these changes, you will hear directly from your child’s school with specific information.