March 13th, 2020

Dear Families of Jean Steckle Public School,

Thank you to our families for adjusting to the new school expectations regarding the parking lot. I have received positive feedback from students and their families regarding the changes. If you have concerns, please contact me as I will be sharing them with our school council in April. I am very proud of our community for working together during this period of change.

I would like to wish all of our students and their families a safe and restful March Break. 

Andrea Michelutti, Principal

WRDSB schools closed March 14 through April 5

Based on advice from Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and the experts at the COVID-19 Command Table, the Minister of Education has issued a Ministerial Order to close all publicly funded schools in Ontario for two weeks following March break, in response to the emergence in Ontario of COVID-19. This order was approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

This means that Ontario’s publicly funded schools have been ordered to remain closed from March 14 through to April 5, 2020.

At this time, we can confirm the following:

  • This closure includes Board Operated Extended Day Programs in our schools operating during March Break 
    • Families registered in WRDSB operated programs will not be charged fees during this time period
  • All secondary Co-Op placements are postponed during this time

We are working to confirm the status of our child care centres during the closure period.

We are asking students to take their personal belongings from their lockers and desks home with them before March Break.

We know our students, families and staff will have many questions and we are working with our education and health partners to better understand the impact of this decision. We will update you as we learn more.

We continue to be reassured by Region of Waterloo Public Health that the risk to residents of Waterloo Region remains low.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available. For information and updates, please refer to these resources:

Instructions for Accessing Ontario’s Support for Parents 

The Ontario Ministry of Education is providing financial support to parents to assist with costs they may have incurred on account of labour disruption.

Financial support will be provided by the Ministry of Education for each day of school missed due to labour disruption.

This program is not administered by the Waterloo District Region School Board (WRDSB) and we ask that for more information parents and caregivers please visit Ontario.ca/SupportForParents.

Parents/guardians must submit one application per child. Only one parent may apply for each child.

For assistance or questions regarding this submission, please contact the Support for Parents Helpline at 888-444-3770.

The helpline is open Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST), excluding holidays.  TTY (for the hearing impaired): 1-800-268-7095. 

Upcoming events

April 10 to April 13 – Easter Break

April 22 – Lights out, earth wear attire or used clothing day

May 15 – Sports Jersey day

May 18 – Victoria Day

May 29 – PD day

June 25 – Canada Day (Jean Steckle spirit wear)

June 26 – PD Day