Parents/Guardians, community members, students and staff,

St. Joseph Catholic School is committed to providing updates to our community with regards to the "deep retrofit" of our school. As outlined in letters home to parents, the older two-storey  addition will be demolished and new learning spaces will be created with some existing portions of the school remaining (eg newer classrooms, gymnasium).

These renovations will allow us to continue to provide excellence in Catholic education with an updated school environment for our students, staff and community. In addition,  when re-opened, St. Joseph Catholic School will be home to an Early Years Centre and Child Care facility to better serve the Belleville community.

Where will students be during the renovation?

During this renovation, students will be temporarily re-located to the former Sir Winston Churchill Public School at 301 MacDonald Avenue. This school was deemed surplus and closed by the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board in June 2014.

In efforts to achieve a robust, barrier-free learning environment, ALCDSB has engaged with third party experts in preparation to welcome the St. Joseph Catholic School community in September 2019.

This includes air quality assessment, instillation of safe schools resources and updates to the current physical facility.

A transition working group has been established to address all operational considerations, including transportation.

Design of the School

The deep retrofit is being designed by architect teams that were involved in ALCDSB's most recent new school build, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Kingston. Ideas and concepts from this school will be incorporated into the new learning environment at St. Joseph Catholic School, which will allow for student-centered learning in a robust learning environment.

Check out St. Francis of Assis Catholic School in Kingston:  St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School Video

When will students be going back to St. Joseph Catholic School site?

The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board and design teams are currently working towards students and staff returning to the St. Joseph Catholic School site for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.

Community Meetings

A number of community meetings have already taken place to hear considerations and input from parents/guardians, community members, students and staff. These meetings have been facilitated with the Architectural Design Team have provided participants with the opportunity to engage in important conversations and review design concepts.

These community meetings and updates will continue in 2019 in efforts to keep our community updated and involved in this process.

For more information/questions

For more information or if you have any additional questions, please contact Jacqueline Gauthier, Principal of St. Joseph Catholic School.