August 20th, 2020

Hello from KCI!

As students and staff await opening day 2020, we know many of you have questions about what this coming school year will be like.  As you know, this school year will be different in many ways, but we want our students and families to know that Waterloo Region District School Board staff have been hard at work planning for the reopening of our schools and that every effort is being made to ensure that the safety and well-being of our students and staff remains our top priority.  

We understand that parents have specific questions about what the new school year will look like and how these changes will impact their families and decision making. We are working diligently behind the scenes to develop plans, identify answers to these important questions, and to communicate information to our KCI school community as soon as it becomes available.

The following information has been developed in order to support school reopening and will continue to evolve as we get closer to the start of the school year and are able to refine our plans.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE SURVEY

Parents have been asked to complete the Confirmation of Attendance Form for Students  which is available on the board’s website at wrdsb.ca. This form is mandatory and is required for each individual student. Supporting information, meant to assist parents in decision making, is available online which includes topics such as: Health and Safety Information, Elementary and Secondary Learning Models, Changing Your Learning Model, Flexibility in Learning Models, COVID-19 Monitoring, Transportation, Special Education Needs, Students with Health Conditions, and Guiding Principles.  Families have until Friday, August 21 at 4:00 pm to complete this form and provide their final decision.

WRDSB UPDATES and FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ feature has been added to the Waterloo Region District School Board website, which can be found on the Return to School homepage or via www.wrdsb.ca/returntoschool. These are some of the most common questions received by the WRDSB, which may offer answers or insights into some of your questions. This list will be growing and evolving as we identify new questions and learn more about the upcoming school year. If your question is not included in this list, please send it to info@wrdsb.ca.

SCHOOL SETUP & DAILY/COHORT SCHEDULE

KCI will look quite different than what you’ve been used to, but it’s all in the name of safety!  There will be clear policies in place for entering/exiting the school and movement around the building (one-way halls, staggered bell times, arrows/signage).  More details will be released closer to opening day.  Classes have been reorganized to follow cohort sizing, including removal of furniture (approx. 15 students per group). 

SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Please CLICK HERE to review the proposed WRDSB secondary schedule model.  We will share a more KCI specific timetable in the coming weeks.

TIMETABLES & STUDENT COHORTS

Student timetables are not yet complete and may need to be reworked in some cases due to the quadmester model and responses to the recent student attendance survey.  Unfortunately, this means student schedules will not be available until closer to opening day.  Some students may also receive incomplete timetables at that time due to conflicts and/or late cancelled courses.  Guidance staff will work as quickly as possible to resolve these issues.

Our intention is to communicate with families the student’s timetable and cohort so they are aware in order to prepare before the first day of school. We recognize and appreciate that students will need to know what cohort they are assigned to and their first quadmester classes before the first day of school (as only that cohort will attend).  Specific information about opening day and first week procedures will be coming in the coming weeks.

Please be aware that current information in MyWay may not be up-to-date and likely won’t reflect your actual schedule for September.  

LOCKERS

At this time, students will bring their backpacks to their assigned classroom.  Lockers will not be in use to begin the school year.

ONGOING UPDATES

Moving forward, we will be providing updates and visuals relating to school health and safety protocols, classroom set-up, and back to school logistics. Please stay tuned to our website for all the latest information.

As we navigate this challenging time together, we appreciate your patience, understanding, and participation throughout this process. We are all working toward ensuring that our students, staff and WRDSB families have a healthy and safe return to school and an excellent school year.