Long Term Accommodation Plan 2016-2021

The Niagara Catholic Long Term Accommodation Plan provides the Niagara Catholic District School Board with a direction in relation to the utilization of schools, aligned with the Mission, Vision and Values of the Board. The direction with respect to Board school facilities recognizes that our Catholic schools are an integral part of vibrant and healthy communities. The Niagara Catholic District School Board is committed to ensuring that students are educated in the highest quality schools maximizing the use of Board facilities through pupil enrolment and the engagement of community partners.

The plan provides transparent information to Board staff, municipalities, the public and potential partners. Changing demographics, enrolment and program offerings such as Specialist High Skills Major Programs and French Immersion can challenge the ability of a school board to effectively manage resources impacting the need for school facilities. Based on the enrolment information provided, the Niagara Catholic Long Term Accommodation Plan outlines potential short, medium and long term strategies to address accommodation issues and should be regularly reviewed and revised. Such strategies include Pupil Accommodation Reviews, Attendance Area Reviews, applications to the Ministry of Education for capital construction, pursuing partnerships, potential relocations and introduction of French Immersion programming. Capital considerations, such as the condition of the facility under review, will need to be factored in to the decision making process.

The Niagara Catholic District School Board Long-Term Accommodation Plan is available here.

Pupil Accommodation Review

Pupil Accommodation Review

A Pupil Accommodation Review is a process, as defined in the Pupil Accommodation Review Policy 701.2, undertaken by the school board to determine the future of a school or group of schools.

The Ministry of Education released Revised Pupil Accommodation Review Guidelines (PARG 2018) on April 27, 2018, to assist school boards with making more efficient use of school space while continuing to ensure that communities have the opportunity to provide meaningful input. Once the Guidelines are complete Niagara Catholic will update its current Pupil Accommodation Review Policy 701.2.

The Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline serves as a province-wide minimum standard that school boards must use to develop their own policies for pupil accommodation reviews. School boards are expected to amend their existing pupil accommodation review and facility partnerships policies to reflect the changes incorporated into the Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline as well as the Community Planning and Partnerships Guideline.

A moratorium originally issued on June 28, 2017 by the Ministry of Education on school consolidations was extended in June 2018 and is still in effect.

Click the links below to access the Ministry:

The Niagara Catholic District School Board Long Term Accommodation Plan 2016-2021 recommends Pupil Accommodation Reviews for the following areas:

Monsignor Clancy, St. Charles (2016-2017)
Mary, St. Andrew, St. Augustine (2017-2018)
Denis Morris, Holy Cross, Saint Francis (2018-2020)
Nicholas, St. Christopher, St. Theresa (2018-2020)
Patrick, St. Gabriel Lalemant, St. Mary (2020-2021)

Attendance Area Reviews

Attendance Area Reviews

The Board established Attendance Areas for each of its schools within its jurisdiction to ensure that facilities are used effectively and that Catholic programs and services are provided to students. The Board acknowledges that there may be changes to School Attendance Areas, from time to time, in order to accommodate the changing demographics of the Region. Changes to School Attendance Areas will follow a public consultation process and follow the Board’s Attendance Area Review Policy 301.3.

The Niagara Catholic District School Board Long Term Accommodation Plan 2016-2021 recommends Attendance Area Reviews for the following areas:

Father Hennepin, Loretto Catholic, Our Lady of Mount Carmel (2016-2017)
Vincent de Paul, Cardinal Newman (2018-2019)
Assumption, Canadian Martyrs, St. James, St. Denis, St. Michael (2020-2021)

Additional Attendance Area Reviews approved by the Board of Trustees:

French Immersion Program

French Immersion Program

One of the recommendations that came from the consultation process for Vision 2020, the Board’s Multi-year Strategic Plan, was for the Board to implement French Immersion. The Program will be fully implemented, ELKP to Grade 8, in designated elementary sites by September 2020. The program will then impact the secondary schools between 2021-2025.

The program began operating in September 2013 at five Niagara Catholic elementary schools:

ELKP and Grade 1 at five (5) sites located at St. Mark Catholic Elementary School, Beamsville, for the Blessed Trinity Family of schools;
Notre Dame Catholic Elementary School, Niagara Falls, for the Saint Paul Family of Schools;
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Elementary School, Niagara Falls for the Saint Michael Family of Schools;
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School, St. Catharines for the Saint Francis, Denis Morris and Holy Cross Family of Schools;
Holy Name, Welland for the Notre Dame College Family of Schools.

The French Immersion Program impacts the use of school facilities and was considered in the development of the Long Term Accommodation Plan. As the program matures, consideration must be given to the ability of the existing sites to absorb the additional enrollment and the need to potentially move to new locations.

The Niagara Catholic District School Board Long Term Accommodation Plan 2016-2021 recommends that the French Immersion program for the following school communities:

St. John and St. Mark (2016-2017)
Alexander Kuska and Holy Name (2018-2019)
Notre Dame and Our Lady of Mount Carmel (2016-2017)
Our Lady of Fatima and Assumption (2018-2019)

It is recommended that Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School, St. Catharines, be considered to be a single-track French Immersion site beginning in 2018-2019.

Partnerships

Partnerships

In keeping with its Mission, Vision and Values, Niagara Catholic District School Board is committed to working with community partners who support Catholic education to make the best use of its facilities. The Niagara Catholic District School Board recognizes its responsibility to provide, operate and maintain school facilities as effectively and efficiently as possible, while providing the best education of students, as well as recognizing the value of Catholic schools in fostering a spirit of cooperation between the home, the school and the church. Offering space in schools to partners can also strengthen the role of schools in communities, provide a place for programs and facilitate the coordination of, and improve access to, services for students and the wider community.

Partnerships are governed by the Niagara Catholic Community Planning and Partnerships Administrative Operational Procedures 800.6

The Board will be pursuing partnerships in an effort to make effective use of underutilized space.

Individuals or groups interested in leasing school space are asked to fill in our Expression of Interest Form and contact the Board’s Community Outreach Coordinator at 905-735-0240 Ext. 277.

Capital Construction

Capital Construction

The Niagara Catholic District School Board Long Term Accommodation Plan 2016-2021 recommends that the following schools be considered for applications for capital construction.

Grimsby/Lincoln Elementary School (2018-2020)
South Niagara Falls Elementary School (2018-2020)
Blessed Trinity (2018-2020)

St Elizabeth Catholic Elementary School Consultation