wcdsbadmin

Dear Parents and Families,

The end of the school year is typically filled with a mixture of excitement and sadness as we look forward to summer activities yet say good-bye to each other. Unfortunately, the current situation interrupted the process of transitioning from school to summer vacation. The opportunity to say farewell, best wishes, stay safe and see you in two months is important to have.

The Holy Family staff have come together to create a way to say goodbye to this school year and our students. We are host a HOLY FAMILY “DRIVE-BYE”.

On June 23 between 1:00pm and 2:30pm, Holy Family Staff are going to line Hunter St. and Grandview St. to wave good-bye and offer well wishes to students and families.

There are a few important safety measures and expectations that we need to share with you.

1. Holy Family has contacted local authorities and the by-law enforcement department to ask permission for and has been granted approval to host this event, as long as we comply with the rules listed below.
2. Police and other community agencies will be notified of our event to inform and respond to concerns that may come from the community on the day of the event.
3. The teachers and staff will be spaced at least 6 feet apart.

It is important that we all follow these public health guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all and that we are in compliance with the agreement we have with the township.

1. 1. Participants need to remain in their vehicle during the entire event.
   2. Participation is for vehicle drive-by only , no pedestrian walk-by
   3. No interacting or gathering outside of the vehicles.
   4. Do not pass items to teachers/staff
   5. Teachers/staff will not distribute items to occupants of vehicles
   6. Teachers/staff must always remain on the sidewalk
   7. Follow the rules of the road.
   8. Vehicles must continually move along the roadway – no stopping

To help limit road congestion and be respectful of our neighbours we have developed the following schedule.

• Families with last names from A-M can drive by between 1:00pm and 1:45pm
• Families with last names from M-Z can drive by between 1:45pm and 2:30pm

Feel free to decorate your cars and make this a celebration of getting through this unprecedented school year.

All of us are so excited to see the students and say goodbye in the only way we can this year.

See you on June 23^rd.

Staff of Holy Family

Dear Holy Family School Community,

Today the Ontario Provincial Government announced that all schools within the province will be closed until the end of June.

Please click the link below to read the official letter from the Minister of Education.

Letter to Parents May 19 Announcement FINAL EN FORMATTED – SIGNATURE

Please read/view the messages to the Waterloo Catholic District School Board community from the Director and Chair of the Board.

Letter to WCDSB School Closure COVID 19 May 12th 20

Director’s Video Message

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board and Holy Family Catholic School continue to welcome Kindergarten Registrations for the 2020-2021 school year.

Please click the link below to go to the WCDSB registration page

https://www.wcdsb.ca/our-schools/register-for-school/entering-kindergarten/

or
email the school’s Administrative Assistant at Rosemary.Maurer@wcdsb.ca

Good Evening,

Once again, I hope this message finds all of you in good health and positive spirits.  If you are like me, you have been following the news and reading the recent develops of lessening the economic and social restrictions.   These are hopefully positive indications that our sacrifices and actions have produce positive result of controlling the spread of covid-19.

The staff and I have weekly meetings to discuss and plan student instructional programming and participation. One of our main concerns with remote learning is the emotional and physical well-being of the students and the stressors learning at home may create. We have heard and observed that student engagement and thoroughness of completed work has tapered off for some students.   You maybe finding it more challenging to motivate your children. This is ok. It is to be expected.  This is a common experience of the typical school environment and understandably amplified while learning at home. Students continuing their learning is important and we take it seriously, however, we need to meet them where they are at.  Please do not take on added stress or conflict if your child is struggling with timelines, quantity or quality of work. Please work with you child’s teacher to problem solve solutions. There are several accommodations and strategies that can be implemented to help support your child and maintain a relaxed and pleasant home life.

As we begin to see more stores open and access to public spaces increase it is understandable to ask when, if and how will we return to school.  At this time, we have not been given any guidance on this question. We hope that the government and Ministry of Education will provide some details this coming week.

Access to the school continues to be limited to myself and the custodial staff. Once we have been given permission from the department of health and the school board, I will develop a process to allow parents to retrieve some of the essential student belongings that were left at school.

Lastly, I have created and shared my own Mr. Longo google classroom with the students. It is my way to keep the connection with the students and hopefully provide some motivation and lighthearted moments. Please check it out.

Be well,

Vic Longo – Principal

Greeting Holy Family School Community,

I hope that today’s warm and sunny weather provided a source of joy and relief from the challenges that we are facing.  Each year during the first week of May, school boards across Ontario celebrate the unique identity and legacy of Catholic education.  This years theme of “Igniting Hope”, is timely and fitting.  As we go through this difficult time we rely on our faith to believe and trust that better days will come.   The word HOPE is often used to convey compassion and well wishes for others, ourselves and the world.  Holy Family is a community of hope.  We demonstrate hope within and among us through our commitment to each other, unity and willingness to offer words and deeds of support to those in need or who are experiencing challenging times.  Holy Family is a community that is building a future full of hope.

Please click on the link to view Catholic Education Week resources on the Waterloo Catholic District School Board website.

Pray@home

Wishing all of you health and peace,

Vic Longo – Principal

Pray@home

Please see the Special Message from the Chair of the Board & Director of Education.

Please click the link below to read the official Provincial government’s news release regarding the extension of school closures.

Ontario School Closure extension

Dear Parents,

We are in week two of on-line learning, the feedback I am receiving during my conversations with parents and teaching staff is that things are going well.  I am very  proud of the Holy Family staff and impressed with how our students have embraced this new format of learning.  With that said, I am aware of the challenges that learning from home presents.   I have heard from all parents that they are concerned and committed to continuing the learning of their children.  We appreciate your partnership with us.

I would  like to provide some reassurance and comfort around the on-line learning.  First and foremost, the well being of family and home life is the priority.  All of us are experiencing that life changes quickly with daily news releases and government decisions.  It would not be unreasonable to anticipate that home life and children’s mood and motivation will fluctuate.  Routine and structure is important, but if you need to make changes to meet the needs of your children and home life then do so.  Taking a break for half a day or a day may be needed at some point.  Saying, ” we will put this aside for now and get back to it tomorrow” can be a good way to reduce a child’s stress or feeling of being overwhelmed.  Please share your concerns and questions with your teachers.  Due dates are important for scheduling and staying on top of learning, but need to be balance with the realities of home.  We are understanding.

Finally, I have had some questions about how this time of learning will impact student report cards and grades.  This time of students learning is important, but will not negatively impact any final assessment or grading.   The focus is to continue teacher instruction and student learning.  Teachers are providing feedback about what the student is doing well, areas for improvement and use student work to make instructional and programming decisions.  Teachers will heavily weight final assessments using their understanding of a student’s ability and achievement that was demonstrated before the March break.

Below is a link to the school board’s resource support parents with on-line learning.

https://wcdsblearnathome.wcdsb.ca/tips-for-parents/

Sincerely,

Vic Longo – Principal