April 13th, 2017

2016-2017 Safe, Caring and Inclusive School Survey

Parent/Guardian Information Letter

The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is committed to providing safe, caring and inclusive places for everyone in order to help students learn and succeed. One way to find out how best to do this is to ask students (Grades 3-11), staff and parents/guardians how they feel about their school and their interactions with teachers and other students.

WRDSB conducts a Safe, Caring and Inclusive School Survey for students, staff and parents/guardians to complete during April and May each year. This year, the survey will be open from April 3 to May 12, 2017.  The survey, which has been conducted on-line for the past 4 years, includes questions about Teaching and Learning, Relationships, Safety, and School Environment.

The purpose of the Safe, Caring and Inclusive School Survey is to:

  • provide information to the Board about the experiences of our students, staff and families,
  • provide information to the Board to assist with decisions to expand programs and/or provide resources to help students from all cultures, faith groups and learning exceptionalities, and
  • ensure that the Board continues to support learning in safe, caring and inclusive environments.

The Student Survey:

The student survey is completed on-line, with teacher supervision, and takes about 30 minutes of class time.  The survey is anonymous.  This means that your child’s name will not be on the survey, and your child will not be identified in any way. There are no physical risks to completing the survey, and your child can choose whether or not he or she wants to complete the survey.  If a question bothers a student in any way, the student may skip the question or can stop answering the survey altogether.   All students will receive a handout that tells them how best to respond to bullying.  The handout will also have information about people in the community who can help if students are feeling bullied. The information that your child provides, will be combined with that of other students.

The Parent/Guardian Survey:

The parent/guardian survey is also completed online and should take no more than 30 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous and you may choose to skip any questions or stop answering the survey at any time. To access the parent/guardian survey please go to the following link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2017SCISParent_GuardianSurvey

 

The results from the student, staff and parent/guardian surveys will be used to produce reports for our schools that will help us plan and/or revise our Safe, Caring and Inclusive School initiatives. WRDSB may also share the anonymous data with research partners from Sir Wilfrid Laurier University who will collaborate with board staff for analysis of the data.  If you and/or your child choose not to participate, this will not affect his/her grades or other school outcomes in any way.

If you have any questions or concerns; would like to view the student survey; or do not wish your child to participate, please contact your school at 519 880-0300. 

Thank you for your continued interest in our schools and for helping us do our best to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment for everyone.

Peter Rubenschuh

Superintendent, Student Achievement & Well-being