November 23rd, 2021

Three important announcements have been made recently that have a direct impact on students and families at the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB):

Vaccine Approval for Children Aged 5-11

On November 19, Health Canada approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged 5-11. Parents and caregivers who wish to register their children to be vaccinated can register to receive their vaccine from Region of Waterloo Public Health, or book through the Ontario COVID-19 Vaccination Portal, participating pharmacies or their primary care provider if applicable.

Return to Normal Semester Model for Secondary Schools in Semester 2

On November 18, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education made a joint announcement in which they stated secondary schools may return to a normal semester model with four courses per day for the next semester, or earlier if authorized by local Public Health.

We will be working closely with local public health and our administrators to implement this for the second semester in a manner that supports the well-being of all students and staff.

Rapid Antigen Testing for Students Over the Winter Break

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education also announced that all public school students across Ontario will receive five rapid antigen tests, to be used over the winter holidays and following the return to in-person learning in January. Students will not be required to complete these tests to return to school facilities in January.

Keeping you informed

We will be providing further information on each of these announcements as more details are available.

Find out what we know as soon as we know it: