This week is Education Week in Ontario. Recognized during the first week of May each year, Education Week provides an opportunity to celebrate student achievement and teaching excellence in the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) and all school boards across the province.

The theme of Education Week 2023 is Education for a Brighter Future. Guided by our Strategic Plan and Board Improvement and Equity Plan, the WRDSB is actively working to ensure our schools support every student in achieving a brighter future. To do this, we are increasing our focus on mathematics and literacy while ensuring students feel heard, represented and engaged in their learning.

We are innovating across the WRDSB through initiatives such as the intermediate math intervention pilot program which we hope to expand, as well as implementing a multi-year reading strategy to ensure all students have foundational skills in math and literacy. These programs are attracting the attention of educators across the province.

To further support student success, we continue to implement a structured literacy approach to reading across the WRDSB. Structured literacy is an approach to instruction that integrates listening, speaking, reading and writing.

In addition, to help students pursue their chosen pathways in life we continue to enrich a variety of popular programs such as our Magnet programs, Specialized High Skills Majors programs, co-ops and apprenticeships.

A Thank You to our Education Workers

As we mark Education Week, we ask parents and caregivers to join us as we express gratitude to the WRDSB education workers who make a difference in your child’s education and life each day.

We also want to thank our families and our community for their support, trust and partnership. Every day you send your child to our schools, you are entrusting us with helping to build their future – not a trust we take lightly. It takes a community of people – educators, parents, caregivers, and community members – to help our students succeed.