Friday, April 1, 2022
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This monthly Letter to Families is intended to keep you apprised of news that affects all students and families of Near North District School Board (NNDSB). The Letter to Families is distributed on the first Friday of the month.
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The Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) has been operationalized for several months now, and the MYSP committee is seeking input from stakeholders to measure gains or gaps in achievement. The survey is looking for respondents’ opinions about NNDSB, and progress in the four MYSP priorities of excellence in communication, excellence in relationships, excellence in teaching and learning and excellence in innovation.
Stakeholders (staff, students, families, co-terminus partners and members of the community) can access the survey here until April 15.
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School Mental Health Ontario (SMO), a provincial implementation support team, is looking for applicants to ThriveSMH, a student group that helps develop and inform student mental health resources and programs. ThriveSMH supports the SMH-ON team, health professionals and community partners on projects that support student mental health.
They are seeking students in Grades 7-11 from publicly-funded schools across Ontario. Students with identities that have been historically disadvantaged, oppressed and marginalized are encouraged to apply.
The application is open until April 13, and two ThriveSMH student open houses have been organized for students and their families to learn more before applying. Students can click the links to register for one of two open house events scheduled for Tuesday, April 5 or Wednesday, April 6.
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Families are invited to a virtual meeting with MLI Homestay to learn more about what homestay is and how to get involved.
The group works with local and international partners to provide services to thousands of visitors to Canada every year. MLI brings international secondary students to local schools, including ones in NNDSB. The students are matched with host families, who provide support in a family environment to young people from around the world. There is compensation for participating in homestay.
An online session is being held Wednesday, April 20 at 8 p.m. Here is the link to register in advance for the session.
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The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) and School College Work Initiative (SCWI) team is proud to offer a new and exciting initiative called Build a Pizza Night to all secondary students and their families.
Build a Pizza Night is an engaging opportunity for students and their families to test their culinary talents while learning more about the pathways to the skilled trades. This will be a virtual experience guided by a red seal chef and hosted by OYAP and SCWI.
Each participating family will receive a pizza kit with the basic ingredients to create two pizzas and one dessert pizza. NNDSB has been granted a limited number of kits, so it is important for those interested parents to register for the event ASAP! To register for this amazing opportunity, simply visit the NNDSB Skills at Work page and head to the Build a Pizza Night activity page. The deadline for registration is April 13, 2022.
The pizza kits will be delivered to each participating secondary school one to two days prior to the event. Each kit will arrive in a single cooler bag and labelled with the names of the participating family (parent’s name and contact information, and student’s name).
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Registration is now open for families who are choosing attendance at the virtual school for the 2022-2023 school year. Families will have until April 17, 2022 to register.
A Letter to Families specifically about virtual school is being distributed later today.
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While masking for staff and students across the province is encouraged but no longer required, please remember that there are still situations where students are required to be masked while at school.
Students should remain masked for:
- 14 days upon arriving back in Canada after travelling;
- 10 days from initial exposure when they are a household member of a COVID-19 positive case/individual;
- 10 days after last exposure date when they have been identified as a close contact;
- 10 days total after symptom onset should they test positive for COVID-19;
- 48 hours after getting a COVID-19 vaccine or flu shot.
Masks continue to be available at all schools if students require one.
A reminder that students should continue to do the COVID-19 School and Childcare Screener each day before coming to school.
We thank our school communities for your cooperation as we work hard to ensure our schools stay safe and open for learning.
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In addition to staying informed via the board’s website, families can find NNDSB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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NNDSB follows the direction of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the public health unit when devising COVID-19 plans.
Thank you,
Near North District School Board
