Outdoor and Environmental Education Mission Statement:

We envision a world in which people feel connected to the earth, share a responsibility to understand and value the environment, and are empowered to protect the systems that support life.

Outdoor and Environmental Education Objectives:

 

1) Deliver high quality programs and services for students, teachers and the greater community of the Waterloo Region District School Board

  • Offer training, resources and other services to educators in support of environmental education
  • Provide support and resources for schools developing and sustaining schoolyard naturalization
  • Develop innovative ways of delivering services and programs

 

2) Use the natural environment as a context to support the Ontario curriculum

  • Promote the use of environmental themes within classroom units
  • Encourage teachers to conduct lessons using schoolyard naturalization areas and local natural sites 

 

3) Promote knowledge, skills and attitudes which foster an environmentally responsible citizenry

  • Develop attitudes founded on respect for life, which contribute to positive environmental decisions and actions.
  • Develop knowledge of natural history, ecology and our place in nature
  • Help students recognize the impact of human actions on the environment
  • Encourage students to think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
  • Use teaching strategies which address a range of learning styles
  • Encourage students to form and express opinions on environmental issues
  • Provide opportunities for students to develop knowledge and skills to engage in outdoor recreational activities
  • Model environmentally responsible actions

 

4) Foster cooperative partnerships with others in the community who support our vision

  • Cultivate partnerships leading to long term stability, security and innovation
  • Respond to environmental issues in the community

 

“The Waterloo Region District School Board recognizes, current educational thought emphasizes the importance of outdoor education as a holistic method of education used to enrich the school curriculum through effective utilization of the natural environment.”

—WRDSB Policy 6004
OUTDOOR EDUCATION/ OFF CAMPUS EDUCATION

“It is the policy of the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) to promote the development of environmentally sound values by modeling appropriate practice, by supporting environmentally sound activities and by supporting a comprehensive environmental education program.”

—WRDSB Policy 2000
ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES