Inclement Weather Plans for Grand Erie
in 2020-21
As the calendar turns to December and snow becomes part of the daily forecast, Grand Erie District School Board is reminding students, staff and families of how the Board deals with inclement weather.
“While we generally average only one or two snow days per year, we want our community to understand how we will operate when winter weather hits,” said JoAnna Roberto, Director of Education.
Grand Erie’s Inclement Weather Policy (FT7), found on the board’s website here, was updated in May 2019. The policy outlines the procedures for the cancellation of transportation services, which typically triggers school closures – either by zone or across the whole district.
“Our focus is always on the safety and well-being of students,” said Roberto. “The decision to cancel transportation is made when Student Transportation Services believes the forecasted road conditions will not allow for the safe delivery of services during the morning or afternoon commute when we have thousands of students on buses. Transportation is also cancelled when visibility is expected to be significantly impacted.”
Student Transportation Services Brant Haldimand Norfolk (STSBHN) provides transportation services for Grand Erie students as well as those from the local Catholic and French Catholic boards. During the winter months, STSBHN gathers information on road and weather conditions from various sources, including City and County road crews as well as weather specialists. These road and weather conditions are then discussed with the Superintendents of Business and Directors of Education at each of the three school boards.
When student transportation services are cancelled due to inclement weather, there are two options: closure of all Grand Erie schools or closure by zone. Grand Erie has four zones: Norfolk County (Zone 1), Haldimand County (Zone 2), Brant County (Zone 3) and City of Brantford (Zone 4). Grand Erie students from Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation are included in Zone 2.
When student transportation services are cancelled, Grand Erie schools are closed to all students and staff. This year, closures will also impact Grand Erie students in the Virtual Academy as teachers and other staff operating online classes do so from school buildings.
“Where possible, impacted students will be provided with asynchronous learning on inclement weather days to support the continuity of learning on Brightspace,” said Roberto. “These learning opportunities are optional and will provide families with learning when schools are closed.”
The decision to cancel student transportation services due to inclement weather is made by 6:30 a.m. If Grand Erie schools are closed, the decision will be posted on the board’s website (www.granderie.ca), Twitter account (@GEDSB) and shared with local media. No decision will be posted if schools are open. STSBHN will also communicate closures to riders, post on Twitter (@STSBHN) and share on their phone line (519-751-7532).
Grand Erie’s Inclement Weather Policy also allows for the option to cancel transportation services when there is extreme cold weather. In this case, student transportation services would be cancelled, however, all Grand Erie schools would remain open to students and staff.
Extreme cold weather negatively impacts the operation of buses. Extreme cold weather in Grand Erie’s Inclement Weather policy is defined as -30 degrees Celsius (without wind-chill) at 5 a.m. or a high risk of frostbite (10 minutes or less) as of 5:45 a.m.
Grand Erie District School Board represents nearly 18,000 students in 58 elementary schools and more than 7,300 students in 14 secondary schools within the city of Brantford and the counties of Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk as well as secondary students from Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
Healthy Bites Success for Graham Bell-Victoria Students
Graham Bell-Victoria School has been presented with a GOLD award of recognition and achievement in the Healthy Bites Program. The staff and students have worked hard and enjoyed the “fruits” of their labour as they have now been recognized with GOLD!
Throughout the year, Sonia Martin, school health nurse with the Brant County Health Unit, has lead our staff and students in a variety of healthy eating awareness activities. These included a Mystery Fruit and Vegetable contest, a trivia question in the monthly newsletter, and healthy fruit and vegetable snacks every Friday. These tasty treats, prepared by the grade 4-5 class were a big hit and helped us learn about the benefits of eating healthy.
Next year the program will be expanded to Healthy Steps and Healthy Bites, a program in which we will learn about and practice healthy eating and healthy activity. Congratulations, Graham Bell!
Voluntary Aboriginal Self-Identification
The Grand Erie District School Board recognizes the importance of school success for Aboriginal students. Our dedicated staff members are committed to improving services and programs for Aboriginal students attending school in the Board.
With a goal to improve the school experience for all Aboriginal students, the Board encourages the development of strong partnerships with Aboriginal families, communities and organizations, both on and off the reserve.
Through the Voluntary Aboriginal Self-Identification process, Aboriginal parents and students will have access to additional support services, including educational, social, and emotional supports that focus and foster Aboriginal identity, culture and values.
There are three categories of Voluntary Aboriginal Self-Identification – First Nation, Métis, or Inuit.
Your child may bring a GEDSB Voluntary Aboriginal Self-Identification form home or if not, you can contact your child’s school to receive a form. You can also, visit the Aboriginal Education section under the Program tab at www.granderie.ca for more information and a copy of the Voluntary Self-Identification form.