UPDATE: Important Notice for Elementary Students & Families

Potential job action by elementary teachers province-wide The purpose of this letter is to update Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) families on the status of labour negotiations with elementary teachers. At the provincial/central bargaining table, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) filed for conciliation and made the request for a No-Board Report. On April 24, […]

Important Notice for Elementary Students & Families

Potential job action by Waterloo Region District School Board Secondary teachers. You may have heard about the possibility of labour disruption at the Waterloo District School Board (WRDSB). We would like to assure you that this is currently an issue affecting secondary schools, not elementary schools. The collective agreements for all unionized school board employees […]

Register Now for the PIC Family Event!

Registration is now open for the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) Family Event ‘Building Skills to Navigate the School Years’, April 18, 2015, Bluevale Collegiate Institute. This FREE event is open to parents, guardians and the community. Keynote speaker, Lesley Andrews, will share with us her inspiring story of ‘overcoming the odds’ to follow her passion […]

New Pilot Funding Initiative for Schools

The Waterloo Region District school board has partnered with My Class Needs, a not-for-profit foundation associated with Curriculum Services Canada, to offer a unique opportunity to support classroom teachers in securing additional resources to support student learning, well-being and achievement. The program provides grants for materials/services up to a maximum of $750 per class. To qualify, […]

Why were our schools closed Friday?

The WRDSB has put in place a frigid temperature threshold in our severe weather procedure primarily for three reasons related to the safety of our students:

1. According to Environment Canada, at -35C exposed skin can freeze within 10 minutes. Environment Canada indicates that in temperatures between -28 to -39 there is a high risk of exposed skin freezing (frostnip or frostbite). This temperature is very unusual for our region and some students may not have the appropriate clothing to protect themselves.

2. Most students will take longer than 10 minutes to walk to school and the bused students may wait for an extended period of time should any bus be delayed.

3. We are unable to guarantee crossing guard service to our students as individual crossing guards have a right to maintain their safety given that they are exposed for extended periods of time in frigid temperatures.

The Education Centre remains open and is fully operational.

Read more about Why were our schools closed Friday? »

When do Schools Close Due to Weather?

Our procedure for severe weather  provides guidelines and expectations for school closings due to severe weather, and how this information is communicated to our families.

Severe weather refers to conditions such as ice, fog, rain, sleet, snow, wind and/or frigid temperatures and wind chills. We consider a frigid temperature to be -35C with wind chill, or colder.

The general manager of Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) will monitor weather and temperatures in the region beginning at 5:30am, using Environment Canada’s wind chill index. If the temperature is forecasted to reach or exceed -35C with wind chill at 7:00am, buses will not operate and schools will be closed. The education centre will be open to those employees who can safely arrive to work.

How do we communicate cancellations or closures?

Decisions relating to cancellations and closures are made by 6:00am. Any cancellations and closures will be posted on our website and school websites. Information will also be available on our twitter account (@wrdsb). We encourage you to monitor our website and listen to local media for up-to-date cancellation and closures.

Parents have the option of keeping their children at home when concerned about weather conditions.

Read more about When do Schools Close Due to Weather? »

2014 Director’s Annual Report

The 2014 Director’s Annual Report is now available! Each year, the Director is required to submit a report to the Ministry of Education, highlighting the achievements of the past year. Our Annual Report gives the local community a snap shot at what students and staff have achieved. Awards, good news stories and  achievements in learning […]

School Council

Our next School Council meeting is on Wednesday May 13th, at 6:30 p.m.

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