Get outside! Moving and Playing: We believe children need daily, frequent opportunities to be outside and engage in unstructured play and movement. At Saint John XXIII, we have three recesses and will encourage students to be outside and come prepared for any weather.
Alberta Winters: Alberta Kids-Polar Bear Recess (Read Below)
Our EICS Division Administrative Procedure 134 provides guidelines for us at Saint John XXIII for responding to the winter months:
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Decisions regarding outdoor activities are to take into consideration inclement weather that may result from the following conditions or combination of conditions: Continuous rain; Extreme wind, and/or Extreme cold
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The suggested guideline is that students do not go outside if the temperature is - 25 C or colder. The suggested guideline above is at the discretion of school Administrators and staff as part of their consideration for determining whether recess will be inside or outside. Outside time is sometimes shortened or withheld to accommodate winter conditions
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Morning: Supervision begins at 8:30 am, please do not drop off students prior to 8:30 am.
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Recess is a very important time for students for play, social-emotional regulation, fresh air, and exercise. We will go out almost every recess; rain, snow or shine. Please ensure that your child comes prepared for the weather. Recesses will be indoors only during extreme weather conditions deemed unsafe to head out for even short spurts.
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In order to support the important balance of learning and play, we will have three responses to recess breaks to respond to Alberta weather:
1. Regular recess outside (temperature and conditions not an issue)
2. Inside Recess (Extreme cold and/or weather conditions that are deemed unsafe for full duration of outside playtime)
3. Polar Bear Recess: (Temperatures are lower and cold but still safe to head outdoors for short periods). Students must be dressed for weather conditions and during a Polar Bear recess, students will be given a choice to head outside for a short duration of supervised play or stay indoors for supervised play.
We know from research that outside play is so important for a child's mental, social, emotional, and physical well-being and we will do all we can to support daily outside play as much as possible.
