Monthly Archives: March 2020

Dear Holy Spirit Families,

Just a quick note to say we are thinking of you and your families during this difficult time. We hope that you are all well and safe.

A special thank-you to those who are working in essential services right now as you are keeping our community going. We will continue to pray for all of you.

Moving forward please know that your child’s teacher will be reaching out to touch base with you shortly.

As directed by the Ministry and the Board we are providing you with a few resources you may find helpful at this point. Please understand that you are not expected to engage in all of the activities provided but rather to use the resources as you see fit for your family and their needs.

WCDSB STEAM Days + Learn At Home

Wash surfaces, your hands, cover when you sneeze or cough and practice social distancing.

As well, please check your emails, Google Classroom or D2L sites, as all teachers will be reaching out to you in the next couple of days.

We are hoping that you are all safe and well, take care of yourselves, and please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can help with.

May God bless you and your family, keep you safe and healthy.

P. Mendonca and D. Mastroianni

Please click on the link below for an update from our Director of Education and Chair of the Board.

Letter to Parents School Closure COVID 19 Mar23 20

Please click on the link below to access a letter to parents from the Minister of Education.

Minister Letter to Parents – EN – March 22 2020

Hello Holy Spirit!

We hope everyone has been staying safe and healthy over the past week. Please see below for some helpful resources.

The Ministry of Education has launched a portal with learning activities – “Learn-At-Home”. Please click on the link below to access the resources.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/learn-at-home

and

WCDSB is launching #STEAMDays – a fun and interactive way to keep the learning happening at home as we work our way through the unprecedented COVID-19 shutdown.

Please view the VIDEO to learn more.

In times like these, it is vital for one and all to come together – and #STEAMDays will provide a convenient platform for parents and educators alike to share ideas, resources and fun ways to keep the learning process going.

As ideas are shared, we will gather some of them and post via our website: www.wcdsb.ca/STEAMDays

Please visit on social media via:

Twitter: @WCDSBNewswire #STEAMDays

Facebook: @wcdsb #STEAMDays

Instagram: @waterloocdsb #STEAMDays

Nutrition for Learning is still operating and they are at various locations handing out packages of snacks for those in need. If you or someone you know can use some extra help during this difficult time please see the schedule below for more information.

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 well being 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.

Information on the Novel Coronavirus

Dear Parents and Guardians, March 9, 2020

We are writing to provide you with some information about the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19. The situation around COVID-19 can change quickly. Region of Waterloo Public Health & Emergency Services (Public Health) continues to work closely with health system partners (hospitals, paramedics, and health care providers) and the provincial and federal governments to ensure a coordinated response. To date, there has been one laboratory confirmed case in Waterloo region related to travel from Italy. The risk of getting COVID-19 in Waterloo region remains low.

With the start of March Break just days away, we wanted to provide you with some information should you have travel plans involving any of the impacted areas. Prior to travelling and upon your return, we advise you to consult the Government of Canada website for travel advice and advisories related to COVID-19.

Travel to areas of the world with COVID-19 cases: Upon returned from one of the areas with COVID-19 cases, all travellers are advised to:

 Monitor their health for flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, and difficulty breathing) for 14 days after returning

 If flu-like symptoms develop, contact Public Health immediately.

*You do not need to contact Public Health if you are well*

Travel to Hubei Province, in China, or Iran If you or your family have returned from Hubei province in China or Iran in the last 14 days:

 Stay at home and avoid close contact with others, including those in your home, for 14 days after leaving the impacted area AND

 Contact Public Health for further instructions and important information

 If you develop flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, and difficulty breathing), contact Public Health immediately.

Preventing the Spread of Respiratory Viruses During respiratory season, everyday actions can help prevent the spread of germs and viruses like colds, the flu and COVID-19:

 Wash your hands often with warm water and soap or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

 Avoid contact with people who are sick.

 Stay home when you are sick.

 Sneeze and cough into your sleeve

 Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services continues to carefully monitor the COVID-19 situation and is committed to share the most recent information available. Parents and students are encouraged to follow trusted sources online including Public Health and the Ministry of Health webpages.

If you have questions or concerns about COVID-19, please call Public Health at 519-5754400.

Thank you,

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang
Acting Medical Officer of Health
Region of Waterloo Public Health & Emergency Services

Public Health – COVID-19_PARENT_LETTER_2020_03_06

Stations of the Cross will be held every Friday evening of Lent at 6:30 pm in the Church.  Please join us for this Lenten devotion

Weekly Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) is available:

• Tuesday, Thursday, Friday at 7:30 am
• Wednesday at 6:00 pm
• First Fridays of the month at 5pm
• Saturdays at 9am

First Reconciliation and Communion candidates – the preparation program will resume on the weekend of March 7 and 8, after any of the weekend Masses.

Parents in Touch Prayer Group of St. Ambrose Parish, invites you to join them on Tuesday mornings, at 10:00 am for the Rosary, and other prayers, at the side altar of Our Blessed Mother. Come pray for parents, children, family, friends, teachers and one another.

Children’s Liturgy at both 9:00 am  and  11:00 am Mass  At the beginning of Mass children will be invited to come forward to follow the leader downstairs to our Children’s Liturgy room. At the offertory, the children will return upstairs and sit as a group in the front pews for the remainder of Mass. (no registration required)

January 27, 2020

Dear school community members:

Re: Wuhan novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

As you will likely know, on January 25, 2020, Ontario identified its first presumptive confirmed case for the Wuhan novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Today, January 27, 2020, Ontario has confirmed that the wife of the first case has tested positive for the virus at Ontario’s public health laboratory.

The health and well-being of Ontarians, including and especially our students and school staff, is Ontario’s top priority. Students, parents and school communities should rest assured that the province is working together in close cooperation with its partners in both the education and health care sectors to ensure the continued safety and wellbeing of students and staff.

These presumptive confirmed cases were not unexpected and the health system’s response has ensured that the risk to the general public from these cases has been minimized. The first patient was promptly identified prior to transport to the local hospital, health care workers wore appropriate personal protective equipment, and the patient was immediately placed in isolation, where they have remained. The second case has been in self-isolation since arriving in Toronto. These presumptive positive cases do not change the overall risk to Ontario, which is still considered low.

While this issue continues to emerge, we anticipate in the coming weeks that there may be additional cases identified in Ontario, other parts of Canada, and other countries who have individuals with travel history to the impacted area or other significant epidemiological links.

Human coronaviruses are common throughout the world and include a range of illnesses from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). They can cause mild, moderate or severe respiratory illness in some people. Symptoms of the 2019-nCoV include fever, cough and difficulty breathing and studies are underway to try and understand this virus better. As of today, cases of this new disease have been identified in other areas of China, Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan and in the United States, among others. We continue to monitor this situation closely along with our local and federal public health colleagues.

The 2019-nCoV virus has been identified at the same time that influenza (also known as the flu) and many other respiratory viruses are circulating in Ontario, which is common at this time of the year. The precautions to protect yourself against common respiratory ailments can also be used to help protect against coronaviruses, including 2019-nCoV. Members of the public are advised to take the usual measures to reduce the risk of transmission of the flu and respiratory illness, which include: • get a yearly influenza vaccination, available from clinics and pharmacies (for flu only); • wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer; • cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze; • if you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your sleeve or arm; and • if you or your family members are ill, stay home.

Residents who return from recent international travel with history of travel to affected area and become ill with respiratory signs and symptoms such as cough and fever should report their travel history to any health professional, or emergency department staff, when they visit.

Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, recently expanded monitoring protocols by making this novel coronavirus reportable to public health by a health professional so that if potential cases are identified in your area, the relevant local public health unit can quickly and effectively take all necessary measures to investigate, complete lab tests, and do case and contact management to prevent and control further spread of the infection.. Information has also been provided to hospitals to increase their screening processes for individuals who present with signs and symptoms of this new virus and have travelled to Wuhan, China. This will help ensure cases are identified promptly and actions taken to prevent its spread.

More Information can be found on the following websites: Ontario Ministry of Health: www.ontario.ca/coronavirus
Find your Local Public Health Unit: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/common/system/services/phu/locations.aspx
Public Health Agency of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirusinfection.html
Government of Canada Travel Advice and Advisory: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories/pneumonia-china Sincerely,

Dr. David Williams Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health