With Winter Weather Looming, Grand Erie Reminding Families of Inclement-Weather Plans

MONDAY, NOV. 27, 2023

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s temperatures dip below freezing this week, Grand Erie District School Board is reminding families of its operational plans for dealing with hazardous winter weather.

"The decision to cancel transportation is not taken lightly, and the safety of our students is always the top priority,” said JoAnna Roberto, Director of Education. "With winter right around the corner, we want to be clear with families about how decisions are made and where they can find up-to-date information when they need it."

What you need to know:

• The decision to cancel school or student transportation services for the day is made by 6:30 a.m.
• There are two cancellation options: closure of all Grand Erie schools or closure by zone. If the cancellation is for a specific zone, the notifications will identify which zone(s).
• If there is a cancellation, it will be posted on the board’s website, and X (Twitter) account (@GEDSB). Grand Erie will also share the information with local media.
• Student Transportation Services Brant Haldimand Norfolk will also communicate closures on its X (Twitter) account (@STSBHN) and share information via its phone line (519-751-7532). 

Student Transportation Services Brant Haldimand Norfolk (STSBHN) provides transportation services for Grand Erie students as well as those from the local Catholic and French Catholic boards. During the winter months, STSBHN gathers information on road and weather conditions from various sources, including City and County road crews as well as weather specialists. These road and weather conditions are then discussed with the Superintendents of Business Services and Directors of Education at each of the three school boards prior to reaching a decision.

Grand Erie’s Inclement Weather Procedure also allows for the option to cancel transportation services when there is extreme cold weather. In this case, student transportation services would be cancelled; however, all Grand Erie schools would remain open to students and staff. Extreme cold weather is defined as -30 degrees Celsius (without wind-chill) at 5 a.m. or a high risk of frostbite (10 minutes or less) as of 5:45 a.m. 

For transportation purposes, Grand Erie is organized into four zones:

• Norfolk County (Zone 1)
• Haldimand County (Zone 2)
• Brant County (Zone 3)
• City of Brantford (Zone 4)

Grand Erie students from Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation are included in Zone 2. Information is being sent home through students to all families identifying which zone they are in.

During days when wintry weather necessitates closures, students will be provided with asynchronous learning opportunities, posted by their classroom teachers and accessed via Brightspace. Work completed during these days would serve as a review and not be evaluated.

Healthy Bites Success for Graham Bell-Victoria Students

Graham Bell-Victoria School has been presented with a GOLD award of recognition and achievement in the Healthy Bites Program. The staff and students have worked hard and enjoyed the “fruits” of their labour as they have now been recognized with GOLD!

Throughout the year, Sonia Martin, school health nurse with the Brant County Health Unit, has lead our staff and students in a variety of healthy eating awareness activities. These included a Mystery Fruit and Vegetable contest, a trivia question in the monthly newsletter, and healthy fruit and vegetable snacks every Friday. These tasty treats, prepared by the grade 4-5 class were a big hit and helped us learn about the benefits of eating healthy.

Next year the program will be expanded to Healthy Steps and Healthy Bites, a program in which we will learn about and practice healthy eating and healthy activity. Congratulations, Graham Bell!

Voluntary Aboriginal Self-Identification

The Grand Erie District School Board recognizes the importance of school success for Aboriginal students. Our dedicated staff members are committed to improving services and programs for Aboriginal students attending school in the Board.

With a goal to improve the school experience for all Aboriginal students, the Board encourages the development of strong partnerships with Aboriginal families, communities and organizations, both on and off the reserve.

Through the Voluntary Aboriginal Self-Identification process, Aboriginal parents and students will have access to additional support services, including educational, social, and emotional supports that focus and foster Aboriginal identity, culture and values.

There are three categories of Voluntary Aboriginal Self-Identification – First Nation, Métis, or Inuit.

Your child may bring a GEDSB Voluntary Aboriginal Self-Identification form home or if not, you can contact your child’s school to receive a form. You can also, visit the Aboriginal Education section under the Program tab at www.granderie.ca for more information and a copy of the Voluntary Self-Identification form.