Long-Term Accommodation Plan

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, and 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 into the decision-making process.

Niagara Catholic is currently in the process of updating the Long-Term Accommodation Plan, further information will follow.

The 2016-2021 Long-Term Accommodation Plan can be found 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 a Revised Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline (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.

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 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 resources:

A Pupil Accommodation Review for Monsignor Clancy Catholic Elementary School and St. Charles Catholic Elementary School was recommended by the Niagara Catholic District School Board Long Term Accommodation Plan 2016-2021.

Details of the Pupil Accommodation Review for Monsignor Clancy and St. Charles (2016-2017) is available here.

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.

Blessed Trinity Catholic Elementary and Secondary Family of Schools Ad Hoc Attendance Area Review Committee Meeting Schedule

October 4, 2023 – Letter to School Communities

October 31, 2023 – Newsletter

November 13, 2023 – Newsletter

November 15, 2023 – Public Meeting Survey – CLOSES AT 4 P.M. ON November 24, 2023

Interactive Map – Locate your School

November 21, 2023 – Newsletter

DATE	TIME	EVENT	LOCATION
October 25, 2023	5:00 p.m.	Committee Meeting Agenda / Minutes	Catholic Education Centre 427 Rice Road, Welland, Ontario Fr. Kenneth Burns csc Board Room
November 8, 2023	5:00 p.m.	Committee Meeting Agenda / Minutes	Catholic Education Centre 427 Rice Road, Welland, Ontario Fr. Kenneth Burns csc Board Room
November 15, 2023	7:00 p.m.	Public Meeting Agenda/ Minutes / Presentation / Public Meeting Poster	Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School 145 Livingston Avenue, Grimsby, Ontario
November 29, 2023	5:00 p.m.	Committee Meeting Agenda / Minutes	Catholic Education Centre 427 Rice Road, Welland, Ontario Fr. Kenneth Burns csc Board Room
December 13, 2023	7:00 p.m.	Public Meeting Recommended Options Agenda / Minutes / Presentation	Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School 145 Livingston Avenue, Grimsby, Ontario
December 13, 2023	Immediately following public meeting	Committee Meeting Agenda / Minutes	Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School 145 Livingston Avenue, Grimsby, Ontario
January 16, 2024	6:30 p.m.	Report to the Committee of the Whole Recommendation to be considered by the Committee of the Whole	Catholic Education Centre 427 Rice Road, Welland, Ontario Fr. Kenneth Burns csc Board Room
January 30, 2024	6:30 p.m.	Board Meeting	Catholic Education Centre 427 Rice Road, Welland, Ontario Fr. Kenneth Burns csc Board Room

French Immersion Program

French Immersion Program

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

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

Kindergarten at five 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 Families of Schools;
Alexander Kuska, 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 potential need to move to new locations.

As recommended by the Niagara Catholic District School Board Long Term Accommodation Plan 2016-2021, the following French Immersion program reviews were completed:

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 to 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. 121.

Capital Construction

Capital Construction

The Niagara Catholic District School Board Long Term Accommodation Plan 2016-2021 recommended 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