October 6th, 2024

Dear families and guardians,

I hope you had a fantastic weekend! We are celebrating the fact that both, our Terry Fox fundraiser and our Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Fundraiser were incredibly successful! While I do not have the exact numbers, as donations were still trickling in, I do know that we raised well above $5500 for the Terry Fox Foundation and I believe we raised just around $3000 worth of books for our school through the Indigo Fundraiser. Thank you so much for your commitment to our school and community!

If you traditionally celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you a beautiful Thanksgiving. If you do not celebrate it, I hope you are still able to enjoy the extended time with your family.

Sincerely,

Ms. Carolina Miranda

Isley Landscaping Paving the path by Heise Park on October 10 and 11: 

We are excited to share that the path from Bismark Dr that leads into our school will be paved this week – so you may see some construction on site on both days. The landscapers will ensure the path is safe from access while they are paving it and they will ensure to work around our nutrition breaks.

Friday, October 11, 2024, is a professional development (PD) day for elementary and secondary school staff:

Students will not attend school, in person or virtually. All board-operated Extended Day and Youth Development programs will be closed. PD days are held throughout the school year to provide learning opportunities for school-based staff. This professional learning focuses on providing educators and staff with the knowledge and skills needed to support and enhance student achievement and well-being. Read more about what staff will be learning: Professional Development for School Staff

Results of the 2023-24 EQAO Assessments

Each year students in Grades 3, 6, 9 and 10 complete provincial assessments. This is one of the many ways we measure students’ learning progress. The 2023-24 assessment results for the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) have recently been released by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). You can see the results for Blair Rd PS by clicking here – make sure to scroll down the page and choose either Grade 3 or Grade 6 results.

School Results for the Safe, Caring and Inclusive School (SCIS) Survey

All school boards in Ontario are required to seek feedback from students using school climate surveys. The Education Act states these should occur at least once every two years. The WRDSB uses the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) as our Safe Caring and Inclusive School (SCIS) survey. The MDI is a voluntary, self-reporting questionnaire. It asks children in Grade 4 through 12 about their thoughts, feelings and experiences in school and in the community. Our school results for 2018 and 2022 are now available on our school website. Please refer to the Quick Links section in the footer section of each school website. Only aggregate data is published in order to protect the confidentiality and privacy of students. Board-wide results are available on the WRDSB website.

Fall Food Drive (from last week…)

We’re excited to announce that Blair Road will be hosting a FOOD DRIVE from September 30th to October 7th! All donations will support the Cambridge Food Bank, helping community members in need. Suggested items include:

  • Non-perishable canned goods (fruits, vegetables, and meats)
  • Pasta and pasta sauce
  • Peanut butter
  • Cereal
  • Lunch items for children
  • Cooking oil
  • Soup
  • Pantry items

Your contributions can make a real difference in our community. Let’s come together to support those in need! Thank you for your generosity!

Community Flyers

The WRDSB offers community organizations and not-for-profits the opportunity to share information on their programs and services with our schools on our Community E-Flyers website. Each week we will share the most recent flyers shared with the Board in this newsletter in hopes that you share this information with your community if you deem it appropriate.

Dates happening this week *NEW* :

  • World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2024

  • Islamic Heritage Day, October 10, 2024

  • International Day of the Girl, October 11, 2024

  • National Coming Out Day, October 11, 2024

  • Yom Kippur, October 11-12

  • Thanksgiving, October 14, 2024