Grand Erie Launches Mobile Parent App to Keep Families Informed

The Grand Erie District School Board is launching a new mobile app for parents and staff to serve as a hub of classroom and school-related information and updates for parents, all in one place.

The mobile parent app includes several features including up-to-date information about school news, event calendars, transportation schedules, delays and cancellations as well as access to school and Board social media channels. It also provides a way to make secure transactions through the School Cash Online feature, and links to the Parent Portal.

“The Grand Erie mobile parent app is a great way for families to stay connected with their child’s school and bundles together some of the most frequently requested information at their fingertips,” said Lisa Munro, Superintendent of Education responsible for Information Technology. With the app, parents have the option of which schools they wish to receive communication from by selecting one or more schools from the “Settings” icon.

“Ensuring timely news and announcements are delivered to parents and guardians efficiently is a priority in Grand Erie. Grand Erie’s Multi-Year Plan includes Technology and Community as key indicators, with a goal of providing secure and reliable learning environments and strengthen the connections between home and school to support family involvement in our schools and learning at home.” said JoAnna Roberto, Director of Education.

The app is free and available by searching Grand Erie or GEDSB in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

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!!!”