After a Winnipeg winter, April feels like it was earned. After months of cold and grey, the snow retreats, the days stretch longer, and something shifts, especially for our children.
For families and schools across the St. James-Assiniboia School Division (SJASD), this is more than a break from the cold. It is an opportunity for our students to touch some grass, both literally and figuratively.
April 22 is Earth Day, a moment to reflect on our relationship with our world. This year, we want to use that occasion to celebrate what the outdoors does for our children every single day. The evidence is clear, and any parent or teacher who has watched a child return from a run around the schoolyard or a game of outdoor soccer in Phys Ed class already knows it intuitively: time outside matters.
Research consistently shows that outdoor activity, including unstructured play and structured sport, has profound benefits for children's mental and physical health. It reduces anxiety and stress, improves focus and attention, supports healthy development, and builds resilience. For students navigating the pressures of the school year, that midday recess or outdoor Phys Ed class is an integral part of learning.
In SJASD, we are proud of the ways our schools are embracing various forms of Outdoor Education and recreation. From classroom lessons taken into the fresh air, to Outdoor School at Brooklands, to supervised outdoor recess, land-based learning, and Sustainable Wilderness Education electives at Division high schools, we prioritize active time outdoors. These are not small things. They are investments that support learning throughout the school day. The arrival of spring means we can lean into this time with full force.
Autism Acceptance Month
April is also Autism Acceptance Month. The Board wants to take a moment to recognize the importance of inclusion across all of our outdoor spaces. For many students on the autism spectrum, outdoor environments can offer something that busy indoor spaces sometimes cannot: room to breathe, move, and engage on their own terms. Sensory-friendly outdoor spaces, inclusive playground designs, and the flexibility of the natural environment can be genuinely transformative for neurodivergent learners. Inclusion does not happen only in the classroom. It happens everywhere students are.
As the days grow warmer, we encourage every SJASD family to take that cue from nature. Go outside. Take a walk with your child after school. Explore a park, ride a bike, and kick a ball around. The best thing about the outdoors is that it belongs to everyone.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we wish all of our students, families, and staff a joyful and energizing spring.
Fiona Shiells
School Trustee – West Ward
For more information on Trustee Shiells, visit her bio.
