West Coast Outdoors
Throughout the year, students have typically gone outside for most recesses and lunch breaks, even in light weather conditions. Beginning next week, we will formally move to a “West Coast Outdoor” approach.
This means that students will continue to go outside for recess and lunch in most weather conditions, including light to moderate rain. We will only keep students indoors during severe weather events such as extremely heavy rain, lightning, extreme wind, or other unsafe conditions. For the most part, this reflects our current practice; however, as a staff, we want to ensure families are fully aware of our expectations and can plan accordingly.
We have noticed that while most students have winter jackets, not all provide adequate protection from rain. You may wish to consider sending a waterproof rain jacket that can remain at school. Ensuring your child has appropriate clothing will help them stay warm, dry, and comfortable while playing outside.
Living on the West Coast, rainy days are a regular part of our climate. Outdoor play—even in drizzle—provides students with important movement breaks, fresh air, and opportunities to build resilience, independence, and social skills. We consistently see that students return to class more focused and ready to learn after time outdoors. Some of our students’ favorite rainy-day activities include imaginative play, running games, and exploring our outdoor spaces—especially the “river” that runs across our field, where students work together to build dams, create channels, and develop creative play and construction projects. We truly enjoy seeing our students engaged in this.
To help make this successful, we ask families to:
- Send students with appropriate rain gear (rain jacket, boots, extra socks if needed).
- Label all clothing clearly.
- Keep a complete change of clothes in your child’s backpack or an extra set at school so we don’t need to disturb you at work if your child gets wet.
- Provide an umbrella (optional).
- Have a conversation with your child about expectations for dressing appropriately and playing safely outdoors.
We will continue to supervise actively and ensure students are safe and supported. If weather conditions are unsafe, we will move to an indoor plan. We are also fortunate to have several covered outdoor areas that students may use if they would like a break from the rain.
Thank you for your continued support as we prioritize healthy, active, and engaging school days for our students. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
