LINC, ESL, Core Essentials and Childcare Centres are CANCELLED TODAY ONLY (Wednesday, Dec 4)

The following programs and childcare centres at St. Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education are CLOSED TODAY, Wednesday, December 4, 2019: 

• Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) at all St. Louis locations 
• English as a Second Language (ESL) at all St. Louis locations 
• Core Essentials in Kitchener and Cambridge 
• Spots for Tots Licensed childcare at St. Louis Kitchener Main campus 
• LINC childminding at St. Louis Kitchener Main and Highland Campus 

These classes will OPEN again on Thursday, December 5. 

ALL other programs will be running as usual. These include all St. Louis Secondary School Credit courses, International Language, Culinary, Hairstyling and Personal Support Worker programs.

OSSTF staff at St. Louis will not be at work on December 4, as they are on strike TODAY.  

Winter is here! Did you know you can start school in DECEMBER?

At St. Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education Centres, there are a number of programs that have staggered starts every two to four months.

• Secondary School Credit classes
• Culinary Arts Training
• Personal Support Worker Certificate Program

We also have continuous registration for online credit courses, academic upgrading or English language classes.

Start anytime!

Hairstyling and Barber Training

Tuesday, Nov 12 there is an intake and information session for the Hairstyling and Barber Training program that begins December 2nd.

See you TONIGHT at 6:00pm at St. Louis Kitchener Main Campus, 80 Young Street, Kitchener, ON

As a result of the agreement reached between the government of Ontario, the Trustees’ Associations and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), all Waterloo Catholic District School Board Schools including St. Louis will be OPEN on Monday, October 7, 2019 – and all programs and services will continue running on their regular schedules.

Important Message: Possible CUPE Strike and St. Louis

October 4, 2019

Dear St. Louis Students, Parents and Guardians and Community Partners

Wednesday morning, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board received notice that a full Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) strike may commence on Monday October 7^th, if an agreement is not reached this weekend.  If the strike proceeds, this will mean CUPE members will not report to work.  Our CUPE staff here at St. Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education Centres are incredible Administrative Assistants who support all programs in our Kitchener Main campus office, Secondary School Credit and Guidance offices, ESL/LINC sites, Core Essentials, Culinary Arts, Hairstyling & PSW programs and our various satellite campuses.  They do extraordinary work to support all students to be successful and the work of all our teachers, instructors and managers.

As a follow-up to the October 2^nd news of a possible CUPE strike, all Waterloo Catholic District School Board schools may be closed.  These schools mentioned would be all the Elementary & Secondary Schools in the Catholic Board and not the Public Board. St. Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education Centres are proud to be part of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. The exception to the WCDSB school closures is St. Louis Adult Learning and Continuing Education Centres.

All programs at all St. Louis locations will remain open in the event of a strike next week.

Classes will be running daytime, evening and Saturday as per our usual schedule, but it will not be ‘business as usual’.

At this time there will be no new student registrations for:

• Term 2 Secondary School Credit,
• Correspondence; and
• English Language classes (ESL and LINC programs)

Guests and partners will have their campus visits and services rescheduled until after labour disruptions are resolved.

St. Louis students who are also parents of children who attend our Catholic Elementary and Catholic Secondary Schools are advised to arrange alternate care for their children.

As labour negotiations continue, we ask everyone to please check the St. Louis website https://stlouis.wcdsb.ca over the weekend for updates. This will be your most important resource to get the most up to date information regarding St. Louis programming. Alternatively, you can visit StLouisALC on Facebook or follow @StLouisWCDSB on Twitter. For information regarding  possible school closures of Catholic Elementary & Catholic Secondary schools next week please refer to https://www.wcdsb.ca.

We are all hopeful for a satisfactory resolution to the negotiations in the days ahead.

Quick Facts:

• St. Louis supports approximately 3000 learners at one time (ages 6 months to over 70 years old) meeting the continuing education needs of over 12 000 students annually.
• St. Louis is funded by various ministries (the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services; the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, Canada; and the Ministry of Education)

In April 2018, Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) released a report capturing how we will address the shortage of Personal Support Workers in Waterloo Region and Wellington County.

The WWLHIN Report

The 2018 report states that “The WWLHIN is working hard to address the shortage for Waterloo Wellington. The obstacles surrounding the issue are complex and will take time to resolve, however, strategies are under development to rectify the issue for both the short and long term.” And St. Louis Personal Support Worker Program Manager, Tammy Cantin has heard first-hand from numerous care partners who have responded to this report with action. Some organizations have created incentive options for prospective PSW students and graduates, which could include the offer of subsidized training, cost of living, child care and partnering with PSW educational providers.

By partnering with St. Louis’ PSW program,  many long-term care and community care partnerships have emerged or been strengthened by our own school’s commitment to addressing the critical shortage of PSW’s in the Region and across the province. St. Louis is committed to training the best PSW’s possible, so that their training will take them to being sustainable members of the health care workforce.

St. Louis Certifying PSW’s

St. Louis breaks down the barriers to becoming a certified PSW by:

• Delivering Quality education and hands-on training – meeting standards by Ministry of Education, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
• Blending secondary school credit curriculum with PSW certification expectations and real work experience.
• Supporting job-readiness – intensive lab instruction and significant community and long-term care placements builds a more confident PSW and sustainable employee. Employers hire 98% of St. Louis PSW’s within the first month of course completion.
• Making the PSW program affordable – tuition is paid for by the Ministry of Education. Additional certificates, learning materials and uniform costs $1300 for the program.  Other costs include appropriate footwear and First Aid / CPR (required before beginning the program).  Community supports, financial assistance and child care services are available onsite at Kitchener Campus.
• St. Louis PSW Program is available in Kitchener and Cambridge, full-time, part-time, days and evenings with both September and February start dates. Visit webpage for details: PSW Certificate

Start this September!

All classes in Kitchener are FULL for September and we are accepting applicants for February, 2020.

Some space available at our Cambridge location in partnership with peopleCare, Hilltop Manor.

Cambridge PSW class – starts September 25

Part-time, Tues, Wed and Thurs, 8:30am-3:30pm

Last chance to register:

Monday, September 16

10:00am-12:00

150 Main Street, Cambridge

Region of Waterloo Building

Rm 172

(next to main reception area)

Are you over 18 and ready to go back to school?

If you are looking for:

• Credit courses to finish high school or get ready for college and university.
• Credit preparation.  Have you been out of school for a while?
• Skills training toward employment. Are you a better hands-on learner or ready for a career change?
• Classes to improve English for newcomers, refugees or citizens. For a better life in Canada, better English language skills are needed.
• Support for your children’s learning.

St. Louis has opportunities for you!

Registration begins Aug 27!

Visit our website https://stlouis@wcdsb.ca to find the program you are looking for.

Then come in to register at several locations through Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge