An elementary school in Kitchener is getting a major makeover. But, in order to make that happen, St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School will need to close its doors. The Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) made the announcement on Thursday. They said the building, which opened in 1953, no longer meets their needs and the Ministry of Education has already approved the funding for its replacement. “The new school will provide modern, welcoming learning spaces that support the long-term needs of students, staff and the broader St. Bernadette community,” the WCDSB wrote on their website. The new building will also be located at 245 Lorne Avenue. St. Bernadette’s was originally designed to accommodate 291 students, but there are currently 455. “We have eight portables on site,” explained Lema Salaymeh, the senior manager of communications for the WCDSB. The new building, she said, will have room for 657 students. “When you have eight portables, there’s not a lot of play space. So, getting a new school and a big chunk of our lawn back will be really exciting for the students.” The Waterloo Catholic District School Board said they hope St. Bernadette’s can reopen by September 2028. During the rebuild, students will attend classes at the St. Louis Adult Education Centre at 154 Gatewood Drive. The school board said the site will be repurposed to accommodate the young students, noting it operated as St. Francis Catholic Elementary School until 2003. “It felt like a natural choice,” Salaymeh said. “We would just have to make some updates to it over the summer and move some things over, then have students start their year.” The school weighed several factors before deciding on St. Louis. “Every other school of ours in the area is also over capacity, so there wasn’t even an opportunity to move students to a neighbouring school,” said Salaymeh. “To accommodate students that are moving, any student within the boundary of the school will be eligible for a school bus.” Classes will continue at the St. Louis Adult Education Centre until summer 2027. The school board said those students will then move to a new location. “We’re exploring where to relocate those programs,” said Salaymeh. “We’ll be releasing more information as the year goes on.” More details on the changes can be found the Waterloo Catholic District School Board’s website. With reporting from Colton Wiens
