Friday, April 5, 2024
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The monthly Letter to Families, distributed on the first Friday of the month, is intended to keep you apprised of news that affects all students and families of Near North District School Board (NNDSB).
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Families have one more opportunity to register for a free live webinar to learn about Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) and primary and junior assessments of reading, writing and mathematics.
Participants will learn about the purpose of the assessments, and EQAO staff will explain the format, highlight resources and answer questions. The session is approximately 45 minutes, followed by a live Q and A session.
The third of three webinars will be held Wednesday, April 10 at 6 p.m. Register here.
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NNDSB’s skilled trade bursary program provides a $1,000 bursary to students who wish to pursue a post-secondary skilled trades pathway.
This bursary is open to candidates enrolled at an NNDSB secondary school, who are currently in Grades 11 or 12.
Click here for more information, selection criteria and to apply. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 3, 2024.
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On Thursday, April 25 the NNDSB math achievement action team will be hosting a virtual family math night. The first session is for students in JK to Grade 3 and will take place from 6 to 6:30 p.m. The second session is for students in Grades 4 to 6 and will run from 6:30 to 7 p.m. At these sessions, caregivers and their children will take part in games and activities that will support math learning at home in a fun and engaging way.
Please register using this link.
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The Ministry of Education has launched the parent’s guide to Ontario’s education system. This resource provides information that allows parents and families to have a stronger role and to actively participate in their children’s education.
The guide covers a number of subjects such as knowing how their child is doing in school, learning about suspension and expulsion processes, attending a school council meeting or parent involvement committee meeting, and knowing about specialized supports to help all children succeed.
The full guide can be found here.
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The annual Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP-PAJO) information night is planned for Thursday, April 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the West Ferris Arena. (42 Gertrude St. E., North Bay)
Guests will include employment service providers, colleges, community employers and OYAP-PAJO youth mentors. This year, representatives from several local unions have been invited to speak about the role they play in supporting the apprenticeship pathway and encouraging young people to explore the skilled trades as valuable and rewarding career opportunities.
Admission to this event is free, and anyone interested in OYAP is invited to attend.
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Lived Experience and Recovery Network (LERN) is offering a youth peer support training program for youth ages 12-24 that reside in the districts of Nipissing or Muskoka-Parry Sound.
Sessions for youth aged 12-18 take place May 25 and 26. Sessions for youth aged 18-24 take place June 8 and 9. Youth aged 18 can choose which cohort they want to be in. It is mandatory to attend all sessions.
For more details and a link to apply, visit LERN.
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A reminder that the PA day that had been scheduled for April 26 has been moved to Monday, April 8 due to the solar eclipse.
Here is a link to the NNDSB staff learning that will be taking place during Monday’s PA Day.
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Do you have a student ready to start intermediate or secondary school in North Bay? West Ferris Secondary School (WFSS) and Chippewa Secondary School (CSS) are both holding information nights on Thursday, April 11 from to 6 to 7:30 p.m.
WFSS’s session is for anyone zoned for West Ferris and interested in getting more information about Grades 7 and 8 at WFSS.
The session will start at 6 p.m. in the auditorium with brief presentation followed by small group tours of the school. This is not a drop-in format, but if you can’t make it for 6 p.m., then come when you can. They will be closing up shop at 7:30 p.m.
The session at CSS is for anyone zoned for Chippewa and interested in getting more information about Grades 7 and 8 at Chippewa.
The evening will start at 6 p.m. with a tour of the various curriculum spaces in the school so you can see and meet some of our staff. There will then be a brief information session in the auditorium at 7 p.m. and the evening concludes at 7:30 p.m.
If you are zoned for a different NNDSB school, then you should attend that school’s information session, as neither WFSS nor CSS are accepting out of zone students.
If you are from outside of the NNDSB you are encouraged to attend this Grade 6 information night as well. You can also connect with the school for information about how to register and become a student at our school or to book a tour and info session.
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The next meeting of the Board will be Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and you are welcome to attend in person or join via Zoom. Here is the link to the meeting. The Meeting ID is 899 1167 8742; the Passcode is 859936 and the number for Dial in is 1-855-703-8985.
If attending in person, please confirm attendance by contacting Maureen Egan at 705-472-8170 ext. 5028 or maureen.egan@nearnorthschools.ca.
Information about the Board, committees and their meetings can be found here.
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In addition to staying informed via the board’s website, families can find NNDSB on Facebook and Instagram.
Sincerely,
Near North District School Board
