After tensions rose between French immersion parents of Waterloo’s Holy Rosary Catholic Elementary School and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB), those concerns have now begun to ease as the board said students will no longer be moving schools next year.
WCDSB stated it would be looking to quell growth and infrastructure concerns at Holy Rosary by potentially moving its French Immersion program, along with those students, from the school to St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School instead.
The move prompted pushback from those impacted families, who said the board wasn’t clear with its communication and that the move would only tear students away from the relationships they’d already begun to build.
“After careful consideration of the extensive feedback we have received from our community, analysis of the initial survey results, and valuable input gathered at the open house, we have decided to pause the proposed relocation of the French Immersion program from Holy Rosary to St. Nicholas,” said Annalisa Varano, Director of Education with WCDSB, in a statement. “French Immersion will continue to be offered at Holy Rosary for September 2026.”
Following the statement sent to families by the school, parents are now beginning to voice their enthusiasm for the move, feeling encouraged by the impact that’s been made.
“It was unexpected, but it was what we were working towards,” said Lisa Russell, whose child is enrolled in the French Immersion program at Holy Rosary. “Ultimately, our community is thrilled with the direction that this took and that our voice did have an effect. It goes to show that when you come together and you’re passionate and you use your voice for the greater good, it can work.”
Russell stated that the messaging from the school board now opens the door for better, proper communications on its concerns, a move she said should have been taken from the beginning.
“This is the proper process that can move forward from here,” Russell stated. “This doesn’t exclude the involvement of French Immersion, but I think where we were demanding accountability and a data-backed decision and transparency, I’m hopeful that we’re gonna ultimately see that in this process moving forward.”
In the statement handed to parents by the school board, Varano was forthcoming regarding the challenges they noticed parents were enduring through as the decision was up in the air.
“I want to acknowledge that this has been a challenging process for everyone involved, especially for the families who have been navigating uncertainty about their children’s schools. I do apologize for the stress and anxiety this has caused,” she said.
While the move made tensions rise for parents and families that may have been impacted, Russell said it created a real bond within the community, working to have their voices heard throughout the entire process.
“If you believe in something and you don’t agree with a decision that’s being made, use your voice and advocate. They were very excited. The whole school, the whole community, is super excited that this allows for our community to stay together and not be severed. So everyone’s very excited.”
When it comes to the ongoing growth and infrastructure concerns that WCDSB has raised, it said it will still be looking for other alternatives to address those issues, leaning in the direction of adjusting its school boundaries.
“A staff report will be presented to Trustees in the coming months (date TBD), which will contain a recommendation that a boundary review process be approved,” Varano said in the statement. “The boundary review will include Holy Rosary and other nearby schools. The boundary review will consider all possible options and programs and will ensure that all community voices are heard.”
For Russell, she said that she understands further discussions on French Immersion may still be on the table in the future, but mentioned that she’s at least pleased that clearer, more open talks should be expected in the future.
“I do think the boundary review process will be taken from here. We have that in writing, and the measures that really should have been taken in the first place when they were looking at this overcapacity issue. I really think the relocation of the French Immersion Program was a band-aid solution.”
