Welcome back Students and Parents!

Elementary School Nutrition Services is pleased to announce that we will administer your Lunch program for 2022/2023. Please be advised that parents must register their
students each year. If you were previously registered, you can use the same email address.

For orders starting October 4 please have your order placed by September 28th. Our on-line ordering system is user friendly and allows you to place and manage your
orders when it is convenient for you. Once you have placed your order, please make your payment on-line with credit card or debit as unpaid orders will remain inactive
and not be processed. If you have provided your email address when registering, you have agreed to receive reminder emails and communication from ESNS.

To Register log on to : https://blessed.esns.ca
1. Click on the tab REGISTER
2. Complete all the fields in the registration form
3. Click on Children to add your student information – select their classroom from the
dropdown menu – Add additional children if appropriate
4. Click on the tab ORDERS
5. Complete one order form for each child then proceed to payment
Full detailed instructions can also be found under the HELP Tab

IMPORTANT ORDER, PAYMENT AND CANCELLATION POLICIES
ORDERS
All orders must be placed 9 days in advance of delivery, as we must place our orders with our suppliers in this time frame. Emails will be sent to you to remind you when to order. Orders will only be processed if they are paid in full.
PAYMENTS
Please make your payment at the time of ordering.
CANCELLATIONS– email support@esns.ca
Orders must be cancelled online. If the order day is highlighted in Red, this order has already been placed and cannot be changed at this time. This lunch will be available for pick up at your child’s school at the nutrition break when food is being served. Our custom software does allow you to edit orders on your account that have not been placed with our suppliers.
SCHOOL CLOSURES
If the school board has closed the school due to weather conditions all orders will be cancelled, and a full refund will be posted to your account.
BUS CANCELLATIONS
If buses are cancelled due to weather, all orders will be sent to the school.

Helpful Information
Please ensure that you register your children in the correct classroom as this is where their lunches will be delivered. If your child is moved to a different room, please log in and edit your child’s information or contact us.
When you see the icon beside a product this means that there are options available for this product. When you select this product, your options will appear.
(Eg. Toppings on a pita, or dressing for a salad)
If you are not able to place your order on-line you may contact our office at 519-570-3767 and we will be pleased to help you or email support@esns.ca

Dear Parents and Families,

We want to share an important update about school buses. Due to the ongoing bus driver shortage and lingering impacts of the public board’s cyber attack on our shared bus planning software, some routes will need to be temporarily cancelled.

Most bus routes are operating normally. However, some routes are experiencing more frequent and prolonged delays (30 minutes or greater).

This temporary measure will be effective Monday, September 19, 2022 and will continue until Christmas, at which time our need for cancellations will be reviewed.

We understand the significant impact this decision will have on our students and their families and caregivers. Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) does this only as a last resort. We hope that this proactive message will allow families and caregivers to better prepare for and react to the cancellation of bus routes.

Please note that delays have not been caused by our current bus drivers.  When they are late, it is because they are trying to support students on bus routes that have no driver, with the best of intentions.  They do not have to do this.  They are trying to help.  Please be kind to them!

What Happens If A School Bus Route is Cancelled?

Effective September 19, 2022

A school bus route will be cancelled when the driver shortage causes a route to be late by more than 30 minutes consistently. Affected students and families will be informed immediately of the cancellation period.  Cancellations are done on a week to week basis.

Supporting Student Learning

If a school bus route is cancelled, families are responsible for transporting their children to and from school each day.

Where this is not possible, students should access asynchronous learning materials posted by their classroom teacher on their Learning Management System (LMS), either D2L or Google Classroom. Additional activities can be found here: .

Families should contact their school to let them know if they are unable to get to school.  The school can also help families to sign out a Chromebook if necessary.

Stay Informed

Families will be informed the day prior to any cancellation. Cancellations will be posted on the STSWR website with an expected return date.

• Register for notifications on the STSWR parent portal
• Check the Bus Delays page on the STSWR website

The Bus Delays page will be updated with cancellation information each afternoon by 4:30 PM.

Questions?

Please contact Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR).

Dear Families

Our annual Terry Fox School Run/Walk will take place on Thursday September 22, 2022.

Donations to the Terry Fox Foundation can be made directly to the foundation using this link: https://schools.terryfox.ca/BlessedSacramentCESKitchener

We have set a goal of $1000.  Thanking you in advance for your support.

North

SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER

Dear Families,

As mentioned in the hard copy that came home on Friday, please click on the above link to access our full September School Newsletter.

Thank you

North

Dear Families

Due to a software malfunction, STSWR and our bus operators will not be able to post late notices on websites for transportation routes that are not running on schedule.  Further, late notices cannot be sent to parents via e-mail or text message as normal.

 We apologize for this late notice and the issues it will create to your schedules.

Shesh Maharaj

Executive Superintendent of Corporate Services

Waterloo Catholic District School Board

35 Weber Street West

Kitchener, ON    N2G 4G2

Dear Families

We look forward to seeing all of our Bears on Tuesday morning.

Please find attached a link to the CoVid Protocols for this Fall released by the Provincial Government on Friday Afternoon: INFOSheet — COVID-19 Protocols — September 2022 <- please click on the link.

Below is a message from STSWR in regards to shortages of Bus Drivers and anticipated delays.  

Anticipated Transportation Service Delays

September 1st, 2022

Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) continues to navigate challenges related to a shortage of school bus drivers in some parts of Waterloo Region. This will have an impact on school bus operations in September.

Anticipated Transportation Service Delays

As a result, some schools will be impacted by bus delays. Waterloo bus operators and STSWR are working diligently to minimize the impact on students and families. Recruitment efforts by the bus operators are ongoing.

We appreciate your patience and understanding. We continue to work together with our Waterloo bus operators to serve our students.

Stay Informed

Parents and caregivers can sign up for delay and cancellation notifications through our Parent portal.

School Bus Driver Employment Opportunities

Are you a stay at home parent, retiree, or have a flexible home-based business? If you enjoy working with children, this could be the perfect, secure, part-time job for you!

Learn more about becoming a School Bus Driver on our School Bus Driver Employment Opportunities page.

Dear Waterloo Catholic Families,  

We are excited to be welcoming you and your family back for the start of the 2022-23 school year. We offer a special welcome to all families joining us for the first time this year. We hope that all of you had a great summer and are looking forward to the new opportunities this year will bring.

If you need information about registering for school, please CLICK HERE .

We look forward to joining with you this year in the name of Catholic education to support the academic success and faith formation of all of our students.  We are thankful for the opportunity to work together with you to provide the very best educational opportunity possible for your child and family.   

I am writing to you today to provide important information to assist with your planning as we approach our first day of school next Tuesday, September 6, 2022. 

COVID Health and Safety Protocols

On August 5, the Ministry of Education released the Health and Safety protocols for the start of the school year.  Most protocols and guidelines remain unchanged to those that were in place at the end of June. We continue to work with our local public health officials to ensure we are aligned with the most up-to-date guidance and hope to minimize any potential disruptions to learning throughout this school year.  

The following is a summary of what you can expect in September:  

Ventilation – Over the past several years, significant upgrades have been made in school ventilation systems to support a healthy learning environment.  Our custodial and maintenance staff have been working throughout the summer to ensure our schools are safe, clean and that the ventilation systems have been inspected and properly maintained to welcome staff and students back. UV or combination UV/HEPA filtration units will continue to be present in all classrooms and learning spaces throughout this school year. 

Daily Screening – Staff and students are asked to continue to screen each morning before school using the COVID-19 school screening (ontario.ca) resource, and stay home when feeling unwell or exhibiting symptoms.  We ask that screening become part of your personal daily routines.  The daily screening requirements and related guidance may change throughout the year and notification of any changes will be communicated to our community.    

Masking – Continuing with the protocols in place in June – and based on the advice of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health – masks will remain optional for students, staff and visitors in schools, and on student transportation.  We continue to support a mask-friendly environment in our schools and workplaces and recognize there are times when staff or students may need to wear masks in alignment with provincial or federal guidance or may choose to wear masks if there is a high incidence of illness in our community. Masks will continue to be available upon request to staff and students in the 2022-23 school year.  

Rapid Antigen Tests – Rapid Antigen Test kits will continue to be available to staff and students in schools as needed.     

For more information about school start-up routines, please watch for updates from your school this week.   

Thank you for your ongoing support of Catholic Education.  We look forward with anticipation to the new opportunities this year will bring.

I wish you all the best as we begin this school year in the coming week.

Sincerely,

Tyrone Dowling

Director of Education