Downloadable versions of this letter are available in the following formats:
Dear Parent or Caregiver,
Your child’s class will be participating in Census at School, an international online project that teaches students about statistics and census taking.
The Census at School project began in the United Kingdom in 2000 and now includes Canada, Australia, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. The Canadian project is hosted by the Statistical Society of Canada.
Students answer interesting questions about themselves online, then learn to analyse the class results and compare them with Canadian and international results. They also learn about Canada’s national census and its crucial role in providing information for the planning of education, health, transportation and other essential services.
The online survey asks simple questions about the students’ lives and activities, such as their height, pets, breakfast foods and favourite subject at school. You can view the questions at www.censusatschool.ca under “Survey questions.”
Your child’s privacy will be protected: students’ responses are anonymous because no names, numbers or e-mail addresses are attached to them. You can find out more at www.censusatschool.ca under “Privacy”.
Census at School is a cross-curricular learning activity that applies to mathematics, social sciences and information technology. By taking part in this 15-minute online survey at school, your child will develop valuable skills and learn about census taking.
For further information about Census at School Canada, visit www.censusatschool.ca.
Yours sincerely,
(teacher’s name)
