News

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Grand Erie returning to the semester model

FRIDAY, DEC. 10, 2021

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eginning February 4, 2022, all Grand Erie secondary schools will be returning to the semester model from the current quadmester model.

What this will mean for high school students is a move to four classes a day from February to June, instead of the current two, 150-minute classes running through the quadmester.

The Ministry of Education recently gave school boards permission to make this move, pending consultation with local public health units. Grand Erie consulted with the Brant County Health Unit and the Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit and received the green light for this change. We believe this return to a more balanced semester model supports wellness and consolidation of learning for students and staff.

This represents a sequenced progression of change and improvement to learning environments over past months, from online only, to the quadmester model for in-person learning, and now an opportunity to move back to what educators and researchers believe is a better model, and what parents and students have been broadly asking for across the province.

The quadmester model was intended to be a short-term solution with a goal to limit contact between students. With low levels of COVID-19 cases at secondary schools and a high vaccination rate among secondary students, the transition back to a semester model marks the achievement of another milestone on the path to creating a more normal secondary experience for students. As we move into 2022, the board will be engaging secondary students to provide input on ways this transition could be made as positively as possible. We are consulting with our Student Trustees on the best process to receive this input.

While many students and families are eagerly anticipating this change back to the semester model, we know for others there is apprehension. Safety remains our top priority. We continue to work with our public health partners to ensure health and safety measures and school protocols are responsive to keep students and staff safe.

Thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding as we continue to navigate this global pandemic and support student engagement and learning.

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!!!”