Inclusive Education Month

Winnipeg School Division brings education to all students through safe, inclusive, and caring environments.

February 2022 is Inclusive Education Month, and we recognize everyone who impacts students' lives in WSD.

WSD is committed to ensuring all students have equal access to education, providing strength-based practices to learning, professional development for all school staff and engaging parents, partners, and communities about inclusiveness through education.

Our societies are diverse, and the schools in WSD reflect that diversity. Together we interact and engage with different groups across schools in WSD.

Jón Olafson, Service Director for Inclusion Support Services, said the WSD’s focus on Inclusive Education is providing an appropriate education for all students. “We ensure diverse needs are being met through equity and inclusive lenses. Students and families come to the table doing the best they can."

"This month provides a spotlight on the excellent work in schools and the importance of safe and inclusive schools."

Inclusive Education in WSD has several aspects and educators who contribute to inclusive environments for all students. The approach to teaching is multidisciplinary, focusing on individual and school-based inclusive education.

Low Enrollment Classrooms at Churchill High School

Collège Churchill High School is one of 38 schools in Winnipeg School Division focussing on inclusion support through low enrollment classrooms.

School Principal, Ryan Hughes, said a variety of programs are implemented to support the education needs of all students. "We are focused on meeting student needs in the least restrictive environment. A segregated setting isn't as realistic compared to an integrative setting where students interact with peers and the school's everyday life."

At Collège Churchill High School, there is a Grade 7 to 9 learning centre for students with behaviour support requirements, an Autism program, two community programs focusing on skills for independent living, and two centres for students of a specific cognitive level in a segregated setting.

"The everyday workings of our school for our students for all aspects of educational programming are in the hallways, working together, viewed as important aspects and learning in our community," continued Hughes.

Hughes said the schools’ educators and staff at are committed to inclusion for all students. "We are committed to ensuring we are doing the best we can for all of our students so they have the best educational experience that we can provide for them."

Early Inclusion Support Team  

The Early Inclusion Support Team (EIST) is operates within Inclusion Support Services, intending to have students participate in their community school classroom.

Students focus on communication, sensory processing, regulation and social skills with their classmates and teachers.

EIST supports 24 classrooms from four different schools; the EIST teams have a support teacher, occupational therapist, educational assistant and either a psychologist or speech-language therapist.

"The goal of EIST is to build the capacity of staff by increasing their knowledge, understanding, and skills when working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other neurodiverse needs," said Suzanne Loreth, Support Teacher for EIST.

"We are providing evidence-supported practices by having different professional lenses in the classroom we support."   

The techniques and strategies in the classroom vary based on the teacher's goals.

"Teachers implement strategies in their classroom. We help prep materials, co-teach, model, follow-up activities, and look at potential barriers adapted for the specific class. Students are more involved in their classroom; it's more accessible for them," said Loreth.

Teachers use visuals to support learning, such as posters to breakdown tasks, regulation strategies for breathing and movement techniques. Using prompting questions to allow students to reflect on what method worked best for them gives teachers a toolbox of strategies to help support students.   

The Bridges Program  

Students’ needs go far beyond the classroom; educators throughout inclusion support services help support learning in and outside of the school.

The Bridges program is for students in WSD who’ve been referred by their community school and have a FASD diagnosis. They may require extra support academically, behaviourally and socially.

Erin Adams is a primary teacher of a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Classroom out of the Bridges Program. 

"At the beginning, our job is to get to know each student, to see what program and educational tools work best for them."

Each FASD classroom has a teacher and Education Assistant; additional supports they can receive are a speech and language pathologist, Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist.

"Typically, students with FASD are hands-on visual learners. We use hands-on experience to teach them by slowing things down, correcting, and modeling behaviour for them," Adams continued. "Much of our social learning takes place as a group having snack and lunch. We model what a conversation looks like, help students with language, take turns talking and looking at someone when they are talking."

"We celebrate growth no matter where it is. We want our students to feel confident and be confident learners. If they can see their growth, then they're motivated."