Public Information Session – Pope Francis CES Boundary Review

The following is an update on the recent YCDSB Board of Trustees decision for the Pope Francis Boundary Review, and to provide families with information regarding next steps for registering students for the 2022/23 school year.

At the Regular Board Meeting of February 22, 2022 Trustees approved the following motions:

THAT OPTION 5 be approved as follows:

Pope Francis to include Area A, Area B and Area C (Option 1 Alignment)

St. Stephen to include Area A-1 and Area D AND (Option 1 Alignment)

Implementation of an Enrolment Cap at Pope Francis to reduce future enrolment, as detailed below:

1. 1. 1. 1. Effective immediately, Pope Francis will not accept any new registrations in SK-Grade 8.
         2. Any new students (SK-8) wishing to enroll from the Pope Francis attendance area will be redirected to St. Stephen, with transportation provided.
            1. Students who attended Pope Francis for the 2020/21 school year, from within the current attendance area, and who are currently enrolled in online learning at a YCDSB designated ‘hub’ school, will be eligible to transfer back to Pope Francis for the 2022/23 school year.
         3. Effective for the 2022/23 school year, new registrations (JK) at Pope Francis will be limited to 90 Junior Kindergarten students each year.
         4. For the 2022/23 school year, a cutoff date of March 11, 2022 is established for all JK registrations to be submitted.  With confirmation to families by mid-April. For future school years, the cutoff date shall be March 1.
         5. Acceptances will be determined with the following priority and in the following order:
            1. Incoming JK students with existing siblings in the school from:
               1. Area A; then
               2. Area B; then
               3. Area C
            2. Incoming JK students without existing siblings in the school from:
               1. Area A; then
               2. Area B; then
               3. Area C
         6. All JK registrations will be sorted as per the groupings in item 5 above and admitted by priority, (i.e. JK registration from Area A, who have siblings in the school, would be considered first).  If there are more registrations than available places, acceptance will be determined by lottery in order of priority as outlined in #5.
         7. When the total number of JK acceptances reaches 90, all remaining JK students will be redirected to St. Stephen CES with transportation.

THAT staff continue to lobby the Ministry of Education for a port-a-pak or a brick and mortar addition to the school; and 

THAT staff report back to the Board of Trustees on an annual basis.

A link to the final staff report can be found here starting on page 27.

NEXT STEPS:

• • • • Families who wish to register their children for Junior Kindergarten for 2022/23 may continue to do so up to March 11, 2022. A cut-off date of March 11, 2022 has been established for all JK registrations to be submitted. 
      • Registrations received up to March 11 will be sorted and organized per #5 above.
      • A lottery will be held on April 4 to determine the 90 JK students who will be accepted at Pope Francis for the 2022/2023 school year and to establish a waiting list – using the order of priority outlined in #5 above.
        • Please review the lottery process for JK registrations in the attached document:  Lottery Process
      • Families will be notified by mid-April of acceptance into Pope Francis OR they will be provided with a waitlist number.
      • Students that have not been selected through the lottery process will be accepted at St. Stephen CES (with transportation provided). St. Stephen is located at 451 Napa Valley Avenue.
      • Any new students (SK-8) wishing to enroll from the Pope Francis attendance area will be redirected to St. Stephen CES, with transportation provided.

 For specific questions regarding the lottery, please contact the school for information. 

View Pope Francis Boundary Review Letter