Grand Erie Set to Welcome Students Back on September 4

Grand Erie District School Board’s elementary and secondary schools re-open on Tuesday, September 4 with staff ready to welcome new and returning students as well as their families for the 2018-19 school year.

“Lots of work goes on behind the scenes during the summer months as staff prepare our schools and our classrooms for the new year,” said Brenda Blancher, Director of Education. “With that work now complete, we’re excited for the start of the new school year. This fall, we enter the third year of our Multi-Year Plan – Success for Every Student. Thanks to the efforts of staff across the Board, we’ve made significant progress on behalf of students through this plan and I look forward to seeing this great work continue this year.”

Back to School – Important Information to Know:

• It’s not too late to register for school. Grand Erie’s registration process can be found here. Registration dates for secondary schools vary. Find the school-specific dates and times on the events calendar.
• Each Grand Erie school website contains key information related to that school, including bell times and contact information. To locate a school’s website, visit the Find a School tab on Grand Erie’s homepage.
• Parents or students looking for transportation information, such as bus routes, pick-up locations and schedule times, can find the details here. Contact information for Sharp Bus Lines, which offers transportation services for Six Nations students, is also provided here.
• For parents or students shopping for school supplies, it’s advisable to wait until the first week of classes as individual teachers will be able to recommend grade and school-specific supplies based on lesson plans and planned activities for 2018-19.

Grand Erie District School Board represents more than 25,000 students in 58 elementary and 14 secondary schools within the City of Brantford and the counties of Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk. With a dedicated staff of more than 2,500, Grand Erie is committed to its goal of Success for Every Student.

Grand Opening of the Snoezelen Room

Elgin Avenue Public School welcomed staff, students and community to the Grand Opening of the Snoezelen Room on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

On hand for this special occasion was Chair of the Board Carol Ann Sloat, Trustee Rita Collver and Superintendent Liana Thompson as well as several members of the community that contributed to the fundraising, and Elgin staff members.

Allie Richardson (teacher of students with autism), Lori Minarik (EA working with students with autism) and Samantha Nicholson (Principal) worked together for over three and a half years to fundraise for this $30,000 project. The Elgin community, parents, local charities and the Grand Erie District School Board all came together to make this project a huge success.

A Snoezelen Room is a multi-sensory environment that provides a controlled, safe, relaxing space for individuals with a variety of sensory needs. The room is set up to give individuals a positive space where they can meet their specific needs in a calming atmosphere. This atmosphere helps in reducing fear, anxieties, repetitive behaviour, self-abusive behaviour and aggressive behaviour so that students are better able to learn. Students at Elgin in both self-contained classes and in the regular classes will be able to access the room to help meet their sensory needs.

According to Seth, a student who accesses the room daily, “It is the best room ever!!!”