Feature Stories
Grand Erie District School Board takes pride in showcasing the many different events, programs, and newsworthy initiatives taking place within our school communities and our Board office. Feature stories are composed and produced within the Communications Department. Content for Schools in the News features are produced by individual schools to shine the spotlight on the stories, accomplishments, and initiatives that make each unique.
2020-21 Feature Stories
Dear Grand Erie Families,
As another week of remote learning comes to an end, I wanted to reach out and extend my sincere thanks to you, our students and our staff for your extraordinary efforts during this challenging time.
The Ministry of Education has confirmed that Grand Erie elementary and secondary students will continue with remote learning until at least February 10.
Grand Erie District School Board is pleased to share that Help Desk staff support is now available to all Grand Erie parents and guardians as an additional resource to support their technology-related needs, and the Grand Erie Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
With approximately 17 per cent of Grand Erie’s more than 26,000 students opting for online learning this fall, the Board is creating a centralized Virtual Academy to serve the unique needs of students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 with online learning.
Grand Erie elementary and secondary students will continue with remote learning. The announcement was made via a statement by Minister of Education Stephen Lecce late this afternoon. No date was provided by the government as to when in-class instruction would resume for Grand Erie students.
Grand Erie District School Board is pleased to announce the appointment of April Smith to the role of Superintendent of Education, effective February 1.
Grand Erie District School Board is ready to welcome a new class of young learners this fall, with online registration now open. Parents of children who will be four years old by the end of 2021 will need to take note of deadlines and required information to ensure a seamless start to their child’s schooling in September.
Elementary students in Southern Ontario will continue with remote learning for another two weeks. The announcement was made this afternoon by Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Medical Officer of Health, as part of ongoing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions by the province.
Due to the province-wide shutdown, all Grand Erie students will move to teacher-led remote learning beginning Monday, January 4.
While it’s a back-to-school like no other, Grand Erie District School Board’s focus this fall remains a safe and successful return for students – whether that’s in-person or online. Grand Erie elementary and secondary students will return to the classroom gradually, with a staggered entry beginning tomorrow.
Grand Erie District School Board is pleased to announce it has reached a tentative local agreement with all three of its Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) bargaining units.
Today, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced province-wide lockdown restrictions beginning December 26. These restrictions will impact Grand Erie students, staff and families following the holiday break, which ends January 3.
Student Transportation Services Brant Haldimand Norfolk (STSBHN) has made strides in reducing the impact of bus driver shortages affecting routes throughout the City of Brantford and counties of Brant and Haldimand, however, STSBHN is still working to ensure all routes are removed from rotating cancellations.
As we wind down 2020 and reflect on the year, we have many accomplishments to be proud of in these challenging times. Here’s a look at one such accomplishment, authored by Grand Erie’s Mental Health and Well-Bring team.
Holiday traditions often make us feel joy and comfort. Due to the pandemic, this holiday may feel different. This will require us to think of alternative and creative ways to connect with family and friends.
Christina Speers, Trustee for Brant County and Norfolk County (Wards 3 & 7) has tendered her resignation, effective immediately. The Grand Erie District School Board acknowledges her resignation without hesitation. Ms. Speers’s resignation follows her Facebook post on Wednesday (September 30) minimizing the significance of Orange Shirt Day.
Grand Erie is sharing some important information for our families who intend on switching to a different learning model. This is the final opportunity for families to make a switch between learning models for their child.
For several years, school boards across the province have grappled with bus driver shortages. Student Transportation Services Brant Haldimand Norfolk (STSBHN) has been fortunate enough to avoid these impacts – until now.
Students in Naudia Draus’ Special Education classroom are part of a longstanding tradition of giving back during the holiday season. Each year, the Tollgate Technological Skills Centre class brainstorms ways they can have a positive impact on the world around them.
January is Kindergarten registration month, and Grand Erie District School Board is preparing to welcome a new class of young learners, with information ready for parents to assist them during the online registration process.
The start of school is always a good time to review road safety, and this year, motorists and pedestrians out and about in Haldimand, Norfolk, and Brant will notice a new feature meant to make the trip to and from school even safer for students.
Today, the Brant County Health Unit declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Cobblestone Elementary School in Paris.
The cancellation of the Caledonia Fall Fair, and its High School Challenge for Grade 12 students in particular, left a void. But it gave Viktorija Todorovic, a Grade 12 student at Dunnville Secondary School, a great idea.
Mohawk College, Grand Erie District School Board and Nerva Energy to install innovative Active Air Purification Technology, including hands-on learning.
Pauline Johnson Collegiate and Vocational School’s SOAR program is celebrating the recent accomplishment of one of its students: Grade 12 student Carter Roung is the recipient of an NCAA golf scholarship.
There may not be the usual school-wide activities to mark Orange Shirt Day (September 30) this year, but Grand Erie District School Board is finding new ways to mark the day, which recognizes the trauma caused by Canada’s residential school system and its lasting intergenerational legacy.
Grand Erie District School Board is pleased to announce it has reached a tentative local agreement with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Teachers’ Bargaining Unit.
For the fourth year in a row, Trustee Greg Anderson has been selected as Board Chair of the Grand Erie District School Board. Anderson was chosen by his peers at the Board’s Nomination Meeting on Monday night.
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.
It was born out of the woodshop of the Construction Engineering Technology class at Dunnville Secondary School, and now the ‘Water Wheel,’ a large, moving sculpture that celebrates our connections to local waterways, has been installed at the school where it will continue to tell its story.
Grand Erie District School Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Waldschmidt as Trustee, representing Brant County and Norfolk County (Wards 3 and 7).
Grand Erie’s secondary schools are ready to welcome future Grade 9 students! Information sessions will be held virtually this year, and secondary school staff are eager to ensure students and parents are supported throughout this transition process.
In the event of a school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Grand Erie is asking families whose children are currently attending school in person to assess their preparedness to learn from home.
The next and final opportunity for parents/guardians and students to make a change to their current mode of learning amid the pandemic will be February 2021, a decision made to best support the continuity of learning for students and staff.
Grand Erie District School Board is pleased to announce that it has reached a tentative local agreement with its Designated Early Childhood Educators’ (DECE) bargaining unit represented by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO).
The COVID-19 pandemic has made this a school year unlike any other, and now new guidelines around culminating assessments will make exam season look different as well, with Grand Erie working to ensure common and equitable grading practices in tune with the times.
Today (October 2) is National Custodian Day, a day in which we recognize and show appreciation to our custodians, head custodians, caretakers and casual cleaners who work tirelessly each day to ensure our schools and administration buildings are clean and healthy places to learn and work.
Grand Erie District School Board is now accepting applications to fill a vacant Trustee position representing Brant County and Norfolk County (Wards 3 and 7). The appointment will last for the remainder of the current electoral term (November 2022).
St. George-German Public School is on its way to being recognized as a Microsoft Showcase School as it got the good news recently of acceptance into the Incubator Path program, the only school in Canada to receive this global distinction.
Brantford Collegiate Institute and Vocational School students Nerij Singh Sharia and Gurnoor Kaur Minhas co-wrote The Bird’s Fight, a tale of teamwork between a bird and a dog who together overcome food scarcity in the village where they live. The authors spent hours working and reworking the storyline in English and Punjabi. Now the book has been printed, with help from Grand Erie Learning Alternatives (GELA) through which the language credit course is hosted.
Grand Erie District School Board and the City of Brantford are welcoming an announcement made yesterday by Will Bouma, MPP for Brant-Brantford, that will see the Government of Ontario invest $16.2 million towards the construction of a new elementary school in the fast-growing area of Shellard Lane in southwest Brantford.
Grand Erie District School Board is biding a fond farewell to Linda De Vos, Superintendent of Education, as she winds down a career in education spanning 35 years.