Count Us In! Grand Erie’s First Student Census Takes Place March 18-29

The goal of Grand Erie District School Board’s Multi-Year Plan is Success for Every Student. In order to achieve this, the Board must understand the needs of its students and their families.

To assist Grand Erie in learning about and understanding these needs, all students in Grades 4-12 will take part in Count Us In!, the Board’s first-ever student census, from March 18-29.

This initiative is being led by Grand Erie’s Safe and Inclusive Schools Team and has the support of the Board of Trustees, Senior Management and a host of community groups and organizations. It is also part of a larger initiative by the Ministry of Education and Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan.

“The census findings will help us better understand all of our student populations and school communities,” said Wayne Baker, Superintendent of Education, responsible for the Safe and Inclusive Schools portfolio. “It will also help us identify and eliminate barriers for students.”

The student census will be completed in class and feature questions that ask students about themselves and their experiences, both inside and outside of school. It is confidential and voluntary. All responses will be stored in a secure, confidential database that will only be accessed by authorized research staff. Individual student questionnaires will not be analyzed.

“We believe it’s extremely important for our student census to reflect all of the voices we have within our schools,” said Baker. “We’re encouraging all students to take part. The more responses we receive, the more reliable the data is and the more effective we can be in supporting all students moving forward.”

Grand Erie approved its Multi-Year Plan in 2016. At the centre of this plan is the goal of Success for Every Student. Included within the plan are six success indicators: Achievement, Community, Environment, Equity, Technology and Well-Being.

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.

Blood, Sweat & Cheers!

Port Dover Health & Fitness Centre & Port Dover Chiropractic Centre hosted the third annual community fundraiser "Blood Sweat & Cheers Port Dover" on Saturday, June 17, 2017! This 5 km obstacle fun run resulted in all proceeds donated to Lakewood Elementary and St. Cecilia's for outdoor recreational equipment and refurbishments to the Todd Eaton Memorial track. Lakewood Elementary School staff, parents and students are truly grateful for this support. Thank YOU!

Running Club - Wednesdays 3:15 to 4:15pm

Our focus will be track training for sprints and long distance.

Students should have proper footwear - running shoes not board shoes. A light jacket or sweater is often needed and track pants, capris or soccer style shorts.

The Running Club maintains a supportive, non-competitive atmosphere which allows all levels of runners to develop their running.

Watch the newsletter for information and updates.