Friday, Dec. 10, 2021

Board Highlights for December meeting

The following are the highlights of the Near North District School Board (NNDSB) meeting of Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021.

Chair, Vice-Chair acclaimed at organizational meeting

At the annual organizational meeting of NNDSB, Trustees Jay Aspin and John Cochrane were acclaimed as the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board.

The pair has been at the helm of this Board since its inaugural meeting in 2018, and their experience has helped the board navigate some difficult terrain. With their leadership, the Board has appointed Craig Myles as Director of Education in 2020, guided the Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) process and helped improve transparency through governance and reporting processes.

This is the final year of this Board’s mandate; the municipal election will be held Oct. 24, 2022.

Director recognizes staff

As part of his update to the Board, Myles acknowledged staff for the contribution to NNDSB in seeking excellence in innovation in the areas of student programming and leadership.

Under the leadership of Officer of Corporate Affairs Liana Blaskievich and Acting Principal of Student Success and Specialized Programs Lucio Pavone, the team of Sarah Spence, Alysha Young, Lisa Spencer, Stacie Burnie, Josh Casey, Roy Desjardins and Deb Bartlett have been instrumental in bringing the Personal Support Worker (PSW) program together. It is the intention of NNDSB to train PSWs in living classrooms in Parry Sound, Sturgeon Falls, North Bay and Mattawa.

Chippewa Secondary School teacher Greg Richardson has been chosen as the recipient of the 2021 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ (OFSAA) Leadership Award. He was acknowledged during the OFSAA AA Boys’ Volleyball tournament for his achievements over a 27-year-career.

Director presents annual report

Myles presented the Director’s Annual Report at the Board meeting, highlighting the work done by staff and the Board.

Myles said he was “happy and proud” to release the report, in which was woven references to the board’s MYSP and its four pillars: Excellence in Teaching and Learning; Excellence in Innovation; Excellence in Relationships; and Excellence in Communications.

The report also highlighted the governance improvements made by the Board, including the new governance manual, a new finance manual and the streamlined budget reporting process.

Board Chair Jay Aspin complimented Myles, noting that the document was “a top-notch report” in a difficult year.

The Director’s Annual Report can be found here.

Online meetings reduce Trustee expenditures

Trustee expenditures for the year ending Aug. 31, 2021 were shared in the agenda package.

Because COVID-19 measures caused the cancellation of in-person meetings, travel-related expenses reduced trustees’ annual expenditures. The total for the Board (including honoraria, benefits, professional development, auto reimbursement, cell phone, office and professional fees) was $84,956.41.

Chair Aspin noted that “as a group, we have really saved a lot of money.” He said pre-COVID the total was usually $120,000 or $125,000, referring to the savings as “a silver lining” of the pandemic.

Trustee Louise Sargent added that online meetings also meant that trustees “didn’t have to pick and choose” and had more opportunities to attend more professional development and learning sessions.

Chair outlines six key Board priorities

In his address to the Board, Chair Aspin outlined six challenges for the Board to tackle in this last year of its mandate.

Calling them “broad brush priorities,” Chair Aspin said providing quality education and keeping staff and students safe and healthy in the face of COVID-19 was a focus, as are overseeing the implementation of the MYSP, completing new school builds in North Bay (Fricker) and Parry Sound (JK-12), supporting improvement in human resource allocation, continued expansion of community partnerships and communications and to advance the North Bay facilities study.

Board approves draft audited statements

Trustees approved the draft audited consolidated statements for the year ending Aug. 31, 2021.

Vice-Chair Cochrane, who chairs the audit committee, said the committee had “a nice, clean report” from auditors KPMG and praised the work of Superintendent of Business Seija Van Haesendonck and Manager of Finance Wende Proulx.

Student Trustee reports on school activities

Student Trustee Cecilia Darling’s report covered work taking place through the Ontario Student Trustee Association (OSTA), as well as activities in local schools.

Of note in her report, OSTA’s Environmental Sustainability Working group is working towards developing an environmental sustainability handbook to act as a guide for students and schools across the province. The guide will outline how communities can work towards developing more environmental consciousness. She added that NNDSB’s Senate team is looking at environmental sustainability to ensuring recycling is done safely and efficiently.

Student Trustee Darling noted two NNDSB schools participated in Ontario Federation of Secondary Athletics Association (OFSAA) championships, including Chippewa’s Boys AA Volleyball team (which hosted and won the championship) and Almaguin Highlands’ Girls A Basketball team attended OFSAA in Smithville.

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Note: the full agenda package is posted on the website prior to meetings, and official minutes are posted after they are approved at the next board meeting.

For more information, please contact:

Deb Bartlett (she/her)
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170 ext. 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca

Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021

Positive momentum continues, as shown in annual report

In a year in which people continued to struggle through the second year of a global pandemic, Near North District School Board (NNDSB) staff shone. Director of Education Craig Myles proudly presented the 2020-2021 Director’s Annual Report to trustees at Tuesday night’s Board meeting.

Woven through the report were references to the board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) and its four pillars: Excellence in Teaching and Learning; Excellence in Innovation; Excellence in Relationships; and Excellence in Communications. Although the MYSP wasn’t official until the June 2021 Board meeting, all stakeholders were kept apprised of the progress and the work taking place during the plan’s development. With input from a variety of sources, NNDSB’s MYSP prepares every stakeholder group to focus on the goal of student achievement and well-being.

The Director’s Annual Report also shared highlights of the Board, such as the creation of a new governance manual, a finance manual and streamlined budget reporting process.

“I am happy, and proud,” said Myles during his presentation to the Board on Tuesday. He said the annual report is “one of accomplishment and success of staff and students…in the face of (COVID-19) pandemic.”

Myles said credit for the work must be given the “strong team” that comprise the board. “Without these groups, this report would not be possible,” he said.

Board Chair Jay Aspin complimented Myles, noting that the document was “a top-notch report” in a difficult year. “We continue to strongly support our Director’s efforts to reform and rejuvenate this board and the results are apparent.”

The Director’s Annual Report can be found here.

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For more information, please contact:

Deb Bartlett
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021

Board approves audited 2020-2021 financial statements

As recommended by the Audit Committee, Near North District School Board last night approved the draft audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended Aug. 31, 2021. The audit was conducted by KPMG and resulted in a clean audit opinion. No significant control deficiencies were noted, indicating that the finance department continued to work effectively during the disruptions presented by the pandemic.

Highlights of this year’s statements include an increase to operating accumulated surplus of $3.1 million, and additions to capital assets of $8.9 million.

Chair of the Audit Committee, John Cochrane said, “Once again, thanks to a totally impressive team effort led by our Superintendent of Business Seija Van Haesendonck, and Manager of Finance Wende Proulx, our audited financial statements are a shining example of the way your Board wisely spends our taxpayer funds. Congratulations to all involved!”

The Audit Committee also presented a year-end report, which Trustees approved, and will forward to the Ministry of Education for the year ended Aug. 31, 2021.

The statements may be found in the agenda package from last night’s meeting.

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For more information, please contact:

Deb Bartlett
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021

Chair, Vice-Chair acclaimed at organizational meeting

Chair Jay Aspin and Vice-Chair John Cochrane were acclaimed at tonight’s organizational meeting of Near North District School Board (NNDSB), signalling trustees’ continued support of Board leadership.

Director of Education Craig Myles, as secretary of the Board, presided over tonight’s meeting until the Chair was elected.

The two have held these positions with this Board since it was elected in the fall of 2018, through elections and acclamations.

Much has been accomplished under the leadership of Chair Aspin and Vice-Chair Cochrane. Among the highlights are the appointment of a new Director of Education,  consistent efforts to improve transparency and processes, the creation and implementation of a governance manual and the development of a Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) that sets the course for the board through 2026.

After his acclamation, Chair Aspin addressed the Board, thanking trustees for their continued confidence.

Chair Aspin is entering his 21^st year as a school board trustee, and has held elected public office for 43 years, including six terms as a North Bay councillor and a Member of the 41^st Canadian Parliament.

“It is both an honour and a privilege to continue to serve as your Chair. I look forward to continuing to work with Board members, Director Myles and his senior leadership team to support the achievement and well-being of our students and staff,” said Chair Aspin.

After his acclamation, Vice-Chair Cochrane said, “I would like to thank my fellow board members for their on-going support of my work as Vice-Chair, and Chair of the Audit and Finance Committees,”. “My thoughts are focused, of course, on completing our much-needed school in Parry Sound. Our Board remains intent on pupil and staff safety throughout this coming year.”

Director Myles is grateful that Chair Aspin and Vice-Chair Cochrane were willing to let their names stand for another term. “This board has made remarkable progress in so many areas under the leadership of Chair Aspin and Vice-Chair Cochrane. NNDSB is fortunate to have a stellar group of trustees who are passionate about the work they do on behalf of students. I believe that more good things are to come with them guiding the Board for another year.”

This will be the final year of this Board’s mandate; the next municipal election will be held Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.

Chair Aspin said, “As this is our last year of this term as the Board of Trustees, let’s continue to reform and rejuvenate the board with the good work we have achieved together since 2018.”

The Chair said the key challenges the Board will focus on this year include providing quality education while keeping staff and students safe and healthy in the face of COVID-19, full implementation of the MYSP, completion of new school builds at Fricker and the Parry Sound JK-12 build, support improvements in human resource allocation, effective continued expansion of community partnerships and communications and to advance the North Bay facilities study.

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For more information, please contact:

Deb Bartlett
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021

Safe Cycling program rolling with funding partnership

A class set of bicycles has been purchased for Near North District School Board (NNDSB) students in Grades 7 and 8 to learn more about walking and wheeling to school. The Safe Cycling with NNDSB project is a partnership between the board, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, Ride Smart and Ontario Provincial Police. It was funded through a grant from Ontario Active School Travel, a program of Green Communities Canada (GCC), a non-profit organization that promotes active school travel, and the Government of Ontario.

The $30,000 grant enabled the purchase of a fleet of bicycles, safety equipment, a portable trailer to store the bikes, and CanBike Level 4 accreditation for all teachers participating in the program.

The program uses the Ride Smart Cycle Education program to prepare students for safe use of bicycles, including which type of bike is safe for a variety of roadways, emergency braking, hand signals and shoulder checks. In addition to learning how to cycle safely, “students learn how active transportation can reduce their carbon footprint”, says Emily Samuel, principal of safe schools for NNDSB.

Safe Cycling with NNDSB was recently launched at the Humphrey Community Centre, where students displayed their cycling knowledge and skills, and where community partners were acknowledged.

In his opening remarks, NNDSB Chair Jay Aspin noted that supporting students to become confident and capable cyclists was an excellent application of experiential learning that supported the board’s commitment to Excellence in Teaching and Learning, one of the pillars of the board’s multi-year strategic plan.

Superintendent Gay Smylie added that, “Walking and wheeling to school supports healthy brain development, which can lead to improved learning and academic outcomes. Research proves that kids who move more aren’t just healthier, they also tend to do better academically, behave better in class and miss fewer days of school.”

The Government of Ontario is providing $1.5 million through March 2022 to GCC to support new active school travel initiatives across the province that will help prepare students for learning and improve safety in school zones. This follows a previous investment of $3.5 million toward 28 active school travel projects benefiting 52 communities across Ontario between 2017-2020.

“In recent decades we have seen a significant decline in rates of walking to school and a marked increase in traffic volumes in school zones,” said Kate Berry, Ontario

Active School Travel program director with GCG. “This initiative is a great opportunity to reverse these trends by expanding on the previous work in the Near North region to rebuild a culture of active school travel. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with and support our local partners to implement this exciting initiative.”

Walking and cycling to school (while maintaining social distancing) are considered safe and healthy activities by public health authorities. Safe Cycling with NNDSB, GCC and its many partners are working to make active transportation the “new normal.” Benefits to active school travel include improved physical and mental health and well-being, increased cognitive function and social development that improves academic performance, safer school zones through traffic calming and reduced congestion, and improved air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

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For more information, please contact:

Deb Bartlett
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca