Grand Erie Ready to Welcome Students Back on September 3

Back to school officially begins for all Grand Erie students on Tuesday, September 3, with staff ready to welcome new and returning students for the 2019-20 school year.

“We’re thrilled for the return of our students and their families to our school communities across Grand Erie,” said Brenda Blancher, Director of Education. “During the summer months, an enormous amount of work takes place to prepare our schools and support centers for the new year. Thanks to the efforts of many, we’re ready for Tuesday and can’t wait to kickoff 2019-20.”

Back to School – Important Information to Know:

• It’s not too late to register for school. Grand Erie’s registration process can be found here.
• Timetable pick-up for Secondary Students can be found here.
• Each Grand Erie school website contains key information related to that school, including bell times and contact information. To locate a school’s website, visit the Find a School tab on the board’s website.
• Parents or students looking for transportation information, such as bus routes, pick-up locations and schedule times, can find the details here. This page also contains contact information for Sharp Bus Lines, which offers transportation services for Grand Erie’s Indigenous students.
• For those shopping for school supplies, it’s advisable to wait until the first week of classes as individual schools and teachers will be able to recommend grade-specific supplies based on lesson plans and activities scheduled for the year.

Grand Erie District School Board represents more than 25,000 students in 58 elementary and 14 secondary schools within the City of Brantford and Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk counties. With a dedicated staff of more than 2,000, Grand Erie remains committed to its goal of Success for Every Student.

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!!!”