Severe Weather
On days of severe weather we have special provisions to account for children’s safety and comfort. We call these “Blue Days”. Our school uses the Weather Network as the source for our cold weather information. Direct observation is the source for rainy day decisions. When winter temperatures of –20°C and below (including wind chill) are recorded at the school, or it is raining heavily, it is declared a “Blue Day”. Children enter the school and go to their classrooms at regular supervision times (8:30 AM and 12:40 PM). Teachers greet children in classrooms at this time.
Weather and Breaks
If weather conditions improve throughout the day, we revert to our regular routines. Parents can help by ensuring your children do not arrive at school before the 15-minute supervision times and are dressed appropriately for the weather.
Blue Days
Our local weather can prove to be challenging at times, especially for planned school activities. Student safety is always our top priority and we are committed to working with parents to create safe conditions for our students during cold weather. With this in mind we ask that parents review our outside activities guidelines for cold weather:
Outdoor Breaks at School
We recognize the value of outdoor breaks such as recess and lunch during the school day, however, when the weather is cold, outdoor breaks may not be a viable option.
When temperatures reach -20 Celsius or colder including the wind-chill factor, it is recommended that students be kept inside for recess or lunch breaks. The -20 Celsius guideline is comparable to other school jurisdictions in Alberta and across Canada.
Note | this temperature is provided as a guideline and may be adjusted for the school/activity
Before School
Please watch for our Blue Day signs on outside door handles. During this time – students are able to come directly into the building and go to their designated supervision areas to wait for the school day to start.
Recess Breaks
We check the weather regularly throughout the day to monitor for outside play during our cold spells. When (as above) the temperature with wind chill is too severe for students we remain inside the building and provide activities in a variety of ways to meet student needs. There are some days where we adjust and will take shorter breaks outdoors to provide movement breaks for students as needed. Calgary weather can be very unpredictable, please always send your child to school with the weather appropriate clothing. Also, check out our website for further weather updates from the weather network for our Haysboro School Day forecast.
