Friday, May 6, 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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Across Ontario, boards and schools celebrate Education Week the first week of May. NNDSB is proud of the work done by staff in all areas who work towards the goal of student achievement and well-being.

Board Chair Jay Aspin, in sharing his appreciation for the work of staff in education, calls education a “community endeavour” and says it’s vital to reflect on the work that has been done over the past few years and the obstacles that were overcome.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, he commends staff for their display of dedication, patience, resilience, cooperation and collaboration, and remind them that they are not taking the journey alone.

Everyone working in NNDSB is working towards the multi-year strategic plan’s four pillars of excellence in teaching and learning, excellence in innovation, excellence in relationships and excellence in communication.

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 On Monday, May 2, the board’s Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) hosted a presentation with Dr. Peg Dawson on executive functioning skills and how they may be used to strengthen children to their full potential

A PDF of Dr. Dawson’s presentation and the hour-long webinar may be found here.

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Twenty-two NNDSB schools have been participating in The Forest of Reading, Canada’s largest recreational reading program.

Participating NNDSB schools offer this reading program to encourage a love of reading for all students.  The Forest helps celebrate Canadian books, publishers, authors and illustrators. More than 270,000 readers participate annually from their school and/or public library.

The Forest of Reading Award Programs are where children and young adults pick the winner! Readers choose a program that they would like to be a part of, usually based on their age or grade, and simply begin reading. They can read all 10 of the titles, or pick and choose to read only the ones they are interested in. Participants are encouraged to read at least five of the 10 titles to be eligible to vote in April.

This program aims to encourage a genuine and life-long love of reading among readers of all ages. NNDSB students have been participating in virtual Author visits and may have opportunities to be involved in virtual celebrations in the coming weeks once the winning authors are announced.

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NNDSB’s information technology (IT) team is sharing guidance from the Ministry of Education to help families avoid phishing and smishing scams.

The information may be found here and includes activities for children, to help them become aware of the dangers of cyber criminals.

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NNDSB students are eligible to enter the Ontario Public School Board’s (OPSBA) I ❤️ Public Education video contest.

OPSBA is asking that short clips (three to five seconds) be submitted that show people holding a small sign with the phrase or image I ❤️ Public Education. Participants can write this in their first language, or any language typically spoken at home.

Submissions will be used to create a two- to three-minute video showing the full range of diversity of ages, faces, voices and places that make up provincial public schools and their love of learning and the shared values of public education.

Contest winners will be selected from student submissions. The contest is open to any student from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Ontario, so long as they are enrolled in a school that is part of a public district school board or school authority that is a member of the OPSBA.

All students who submit a clip will be automatically entered into a prize draw for one of five $50 Indigo e-gift cards.

The deadline for this contest is May 31, 2022, at 5 p.m.

The final video will be posted on OPSBA’s social media channels by mid-June.

Recording and Uploading Instructions:

The video can be recorded wherever you would like using a smartphone or any video device in standard video formats (.mp4, .avi, .mov, .m4v). You are encouraged to film at school, or any other location that is special to you and/or emblematic of your local community.

All video files must be submitted through OPSBA’s contest Dropbox portal. Students must also submit their name, school, and school board with their video clips. The video clip’s file name must include this information in order for OPSBA to be able to contact the winners. (i.e., John Doe_SmithPS_NNDSB)

Additional contest details can be found on the OPSBA website.

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The Ministry of Education has provided NNDSB with funding to provide $1,000 bursaries to 15 Grade 11 or 12 students who are pursuing post-secondary education in the skilled trades.

Application details are still being finalized; families can watch for details on the board’s social media accounts, or students may visit their school’s student success office for more information.

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In addition to staying informed via the board’s website, families can find NNDSB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

 

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Registration for Near North District School Board’s (NNDSB) virtual school registration closes on Sunday, April 17, 2022. If you plan to register your child(ren) for NNDSB’s virtual elementary or virtual secondary school for the 2022-2023 school year, please click the link below to access to the registration letter and information.

https://www.nearnorthschools.ca/blog/letter-to-families-virtual-school-registration/32783/

If you have any questions, please contact virtualschool@nearnorthschools.ca.

Thank you,

NNDSB virtual school team

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we approach this coming Easter weekend, then the final few months of the school year, Near North District School Board (NNSDB) wants to remind families of the COVID-19 practices that help us maintain safe learning environments for students and staff.

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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.

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Masks will no longer be required for students, staff, visitors and spectators in schools, school board offices and on student transportation. Eye protection for staff will also no longer be required. Some students and staff may choose to continue wearing masks and eye protection.

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Cohorting and distancing are no longer required in schools. Assigned seats and cohorting will no longer be required in student transportation.

Elementary students can play and learn together across cohorts, classes and grades, indoors and outdoors, and during lunch and recess. Shared spaces such as libraries, tech labs, theatres and music rooms can be fully utilized without distancing.

Limitations on in-person gatherings and assemblies are also removed.

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NNDSB continues to use rapid antigen tests (RATs) to support symptomatic testing only for staff and students. Schools are expected to continue distributing RATs to staff and students who return from an unplanned absence.

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Many workplaces are short-staffed due to the transmissibility of new variants of COVID-19, and the requirements around self-isolating. NNDSB has been experiencing staff shortages, too.

If schools are not able to safely operate with the number of available staff, NNDSB will close schools. The announcement may be made the night before, the morning of the closure, or possibly even during the day in certain circumstances.

If a school is closed, it will be communicated to affected families by the school through SchoolMessenger. Information may also be shared on the affected school’s social media accounts.

While schools may be closed, learning will continue online when possible. Teachers will reach out to families about remote learning opportunities in the event of a school closure.

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Nipissing Parry Sound Student Transportation Services (NPSSTS), the consortium that provides busing services to the four co-terminus school boards, is also experiencing increasing levels of driver shortages due to COVID-19. NPSSTS has provided this communiqué to families to outline steps being taken and how families might be impacted.

Because of a shortage of spare drivers many routes are being doubled, resulting in delays, Sometimes, the driver shortage forces route cancellations. These are posted on NPSSTS’s delays and cancellations page of their website.

Though no longer mandated, NPSSTS encourages everyone to wear a well-fitting mask when riding on a school bus.

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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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We thank our school communities for their cooperation as we work hard to ensure our schools stay safe and open for learning. NNDSB will continue to update families in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

Monday, April 11, 2022

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The safety and well-being of our students and staff is of paramount importance to Near North District School Board (NNDSB). The board’s safe schools and program team works diligently to ensure that everyone who comes to school may learn and work in a safe environment.

A community organization has announced the potential implementation of a safe injection site in the vicinity of Chippewa Secondary School. This issue is likely to draw much media attention and scrutiny in the community.

Supervisory Officer Gay Smylie, whose portfolio includes safe schools, assures NNDSB families that the safe schools team will continue to monitor the situation. Although the board has no control over an outside organization’s use of their property, NNDSB can work to ensure that people in our buildings remain as safe as possible.

Thank you,

Near North District School Board

Friday, April 1, 2022

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The Ministry of Education has provided funding for virtual learning to be in place for the 2022-2023 school year. There is no information about virtual education moving forward beyond next school year. With all of this in mind, we are registering students for Near North District School Board’s (NNDSB) Virtual School for online learning for the 2022-2023 school year.

NNDSB believes in-person learning best supports most students; however, we recognize that given unique circumstances, some families may want their child to learn remotely. In line with guidance from the Ministry of Education, NNDSB is offering a virtual learning option in September 2022.

We have created an online registration form to register your child(ren) for the upcoming school year. This learning placement will be for the entire school year. The registration link is located at the bottom of this communication.

Below are the requirements for the Virtual School program based on the Ministry of Education guidelines.

Division	Grade level of students	Daily minimum synchronous learning time requirement (Can be broken into blocks of time as required)
Elementary	Kindergarten	180 minutes
Elementary	Grades 1 to 3	225 minutes
Elementary	Grades 4 to 8	225 minutes
Secondary	Grades 9 to 12	The higher of 60 minutes for each 75-minute class period or 225 minutes per day for a full course schedule

Virtual Learning – Asynchronous vs. Synchronous

NNDSB will offer virtual learning for both elementary and secondary students who wish to learn online. Most students have returned to in-person classes so our ability to offer a wide range of virtual learning programs during the 2022-2023 school year will be limited.

Virtual learning programs may be attended synchronously (in real-time, interactive with teacher and class) or asynchronously (with daily submission of work and check-ins but work done independently) but no paper packages will be made available. For most students, synchronous learning is the best way to support a positive learning environment. It is much more difficult to gain the full depth and breadth of experiences using the asynchronous learning method as there are limited interactions between peers and educators.

• Where there is no internet or technology at home, internet access (where available) and technology may be requested by families.

Virtual Learning: Elementary (VLE)

NNDSB will offer English language virtual learning for elementary students (Kindergarten to Grade 8) for the 2022-2023 school year. NNDSB cannot offer French Immersion, Extended French or any specialized programming virtually, due to limited numbers of students accessing those programs and the limited availability of qualified teachers.

• Families wanting French Immersion or Extended French should select in-person learning.
• Like this year, virtual learning will most likely include multi-grade combined classes.
• Students enrolled in VLE will be registered with NNDSB’s VLE school
  and not attached to their current home school.

Virtual Learning: Secondary (VLS)

NNDSB will offer virtual learning for secondary school students (Grades 9-12) for the 2022-2023 school year. The VLS will offer a limited selection of courses in each grade level in many program pathways. Secondary students have already completed course selections for next year and for students and families opting to attend VLS, every effort will be made to offer courses that students require for their chosen pathway to graduation.

• It is highly likely that all secondary students that are in virtual learning will have to take some e-learning courses, as there will be a limited selection of programming offered by NNDSB.
• System and school-specialized programs will only be available through in-person learning.
• The VLS will follow the same calendar and daily schedule as in-person programming.

Special Education Classes and IEPs (Individual Education Plans)

Our experience over the past two years has shown that in-person learning is the best format to support students with special education needs, particularly those students registered in a Special Education class through the identification, placement and review process. For this reason, in the 2022-2023 school year, Special Education classes will remain in-person only.

Other students with special education needs will continue to be supported with the necessary accommodations, modifications or alternative programs provided in their individual education plan (IEP), whether their choice is for in-person or virtual learning.

Registration for NNDSB’s Virtual School for 2022-2023 school year

If you would like to register your child(ren) please complete this registration form for each student who you are registering in virtual learning for the 2022-2023 school year.

Parents and guardians are asked to complete the form by Sunday, April 17th, 2022.

https://forms.office.com/r/iZLnES4WKG.

If you have questions, please reach out to the Virtual School secretary at virtualschool@nearnorthschools.ca.

We look forward to welcoming your children back to our safe, caring, and inclusive online classrooms in September 2022.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board