Near North District School Board

NNDSB statement on resumption of school sports

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Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021

NNDSB statement on resumption of school sports

Near North District School Board (NNDSB) recognizes that participation in sports is an important part of the school experience and encourages a sense of community, promotes physical health and overall well-being.

NNDSB is pleased to resume intramural and inter-school sports and clubs as outlined by the guidance from the Ministry of Education, COVID-19: Health, safety, and operational guidance for schools (2021-2022).

In addition, NNDSB schools will resume participation in OFSSA-organized championships and festivals this fall. We are in consultation with the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit and our co-terminus school boards to develop consistent health and safety protocols that are in alignment with Ministry of Education and public health guidance.

Please note practices and seasons may be off to a later start as boards confer and consult. NNDSB may cancel sports if so advised by public health. The pandemic is causing delays in decision-making that are frustrating to everyone. Because the safety and well-being of staff and students is an NNDSB priority, the timeframe of announcements reflects the careful consideration of our decisions. 

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Information about Near North District School Board:
Near North District School Board is an English-language public school board serving the North Bay – Parry Sound – Nipissing area. The Board consists of approximately 10,000 students in 27 elementary schools, seven secondary/senior schools and various alternative learning centres. For more information, please visit nearnorthschools.ca and follow Near North District School Board on social media.

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

Letter to families: Third of four weekly updates leading up to the start of a new school year

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Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This is the third of four weekly communications being issued Thursdays with information/updates before school starts.

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Near North District School Board (NNDSB) has released its back-to-school guidance document. This document is posted on the board’s website, as is an easy-to-use menu of answers to some of the more common questions and concerns of families.

Highlights of the guidance document contents include: self-screening requirement for every person who is entering a school (page 3); masking requirements and exemptions (page 3); news on field trips (page 10); vaccination requirement and clinics (page 11); changes that affect cooperative education, music, phys ed, EQAO and graduation requirements (pages 16-17), ventilation (page 19) and extra-curriculars and community use of schools (pages 19-20). There are also details about how COVID-19 will be managed in schools and case scenarios (pages 20-27).

The guidance document will be updated on an as-needed basis if the situation with COVID-19 cases in our area changes, and the board is directed to alter practice.

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NNDSB’s Early Years team is excited to continue moving forward in partnership with the Parry Sound DSSAB to bring three new after school programs to families at Sundridge Centennial Public School, Magnetawan Central Public School and Land of Lakes Public School in Burks Falls. Sundridge Centennial is slated to also include a before school program.

Parents in these areas are encouraged to register for these programs through the Parry Sound DSSAB. They need to have enough registrations for the programs to be viable. For years parents in this region have hoped that our schools would be able to host before and after childcare programs. We are so close to this becoming a reality.

To see a full listing of the Before and After School Programs as well as other Near North childcare options for children from 0-12 years of age, visit this page of our website.

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Schools will open Monday, Aug. 30 for elementary and secondary registrations. If required, call your school to schedule an appointment.

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The return to school follows a summer with many supports in place for NNDSB students and their families.

Five Summer Learning Programs took place virtually across the board, serving students in Grades K-9.

Because they proved so popular, mental health drop-in camps were extended until the end of August, Grade 12 physics summer school students enjoyed a trip to the Canadian Ecology Centre to see geological potholes. Students received their credits with the support of the summer school educator team.

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Early Literacy (reading) training for educators is taking place this week. The focus is on students in Grades K-6 and appropriate learning development. Educators are learning how to use measures identified in a new specialized reading assessment tool to help identify appropriate levels of intervention for students and monitor individual responses to it.

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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

 

Letter to families: Second of four weekly updates leading up to the start of a new school year

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Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This is the second of four weekly communications being issued Thursdays with information/updates before school starts.

The first day of school is Tuesday, Sept. 7. Some classes/programs may be working on an alternative schedule, in which case families will be notified. If there is no notice, all students will begin school on Sept. 7.

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On Tuesday, Aug. 17, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health announced that high-risk settings, including education, are required to have a COVID-19 vaccination policy for employees. The Ministry of Education intends to introduce a vaccination disclosure policy for all publicly funded school boards. All board staff will be required to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID, provide a medical reason for not being vaccinated, or participate in an education program approved by the Ministry of Education.

School board employees, student transportation drivers, visitors and other professions who are not immunized, including those with medical reasons, will be required to complete regular COVID-19 testing as directed in provincial guidance.

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The Government of Ontario is also working with public health units to run voluntary vaccination clinics in or near schools to make vaccination more convenient prior to the start of school for staff, students and their families. Students who will turn 12 before the end of 2021 are now eligible for vaccination.

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Nipissing-Parry Sound Student Transportation Services (NPSSTS) wants to share the following information with families of students who are eligible for transportation.

Transportation changes must be received and recorded by the school before coming to the NPSSTS. Families can use the NPSSTS website at www.npssts.ca to verify busing information. If an eligible student does not require transportation this year, families are asked to email info@npssts.ca with details.

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A second version of the Ministry of Education’s guidance document was released on Friday, Aug. 13. The board’s senior and management teams are looking into how this school year will be impacted by the document’s contents. Staff continue to work with the local health unit to devise plans and practices that keep staff and students safe. As those plans are confirmed they will be shared via this weekly communication, the board’s website and on the board’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

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Near North District School follows the direction of the provincial government, Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the public health unit when devising its COVID-19 plans.

Thank you,

Near North District School Board

 

Letter to families – weekly updates ahead of new school year

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Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope that you are enjoying the summer and are looking forward to the return to school in just a few short weeks.

As mentioned in the Letter to Families dated August 4, Near North District School Board (NNDSB) is committed to providing NNDSB families with as much information as possible in advance of the return to class.

You can expect a weekly update every Thursday (Aug. 12, 19, 26 and Sept. 2) leading up to the first day of school on Tuesday, Sept. 7. In addition to the weekly update, stakeholders may receive additional information that is critical and/or time-sensitive.

The board’s senior and management teams are using the Ministry of Education’s guidance document referenced in last week’s letter, as well as the Ministry of Health document released yesterday that outlines how outbreaks are to be managed, to determine what changes need to be made and/or implemented to make the return to school as safe as possible for all.

NNDSB shares its news and information in several formats. There is a new icon on our home page called Updates. On this page you will find news and information, letters to families and any related government documents. Any COVID-related news and information can be found by clicking on the COVID-19 Alerts icon. This page carries information such as the COVID assessment tool, cases and outbreaks in NNDSB schools and information from the Ministry of Health and public health units.

All information is also shared on the board’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

As always, if you have questions and concerns, please direct them to your child’s principal.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

NNDSB says Thank you

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Child superhero collageNear North District School Board (NNDSB)’s multi-media Thank You presentation is now available!

In order to make this presentation as accessible as possible, we have made this a PDF with multi-media images and video incorporated. Please download the presentation and open it in Adobe Acrobat. For the embedded videos, please click on the play button and a yellow banner on the top will pop up saying “Multimedia and 3D content has been disabled. Enable this feature if you trust the document.” Select Options on the far right and click one of two options. Next, click the video and it will play.

 

 

Click the above image or here for the Thank You presentation.

 

 

Board provides mental health services this summer

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Friday, July 9, 2021

Board provides mental health services this summer

Near North District School Board (NNDSB) is pleased to offer mental health services throughout the summer.

The mental health team is providing on-going counselling to students and families who have already connected with the team and will be accepting new referrals throughout July and August.

Three youth drop-in wellness hubs are operating this summer for youth aged 10-18:

A virtual group for students aged 7 to 11 will be held that teaches strategies to cope with anxiety, anger and impulsivity. Sessions will be held July 13, 20 and 27 and August 3, 10 and 17 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., and students are expected to attend all sessions.

The team is also offering webinars for students and families beginning July 14, and virtual drop-in sessions for parents. A wellness camp is being planned in August, with times and locations to be determined.

Families are asked to register for all summer services at this link. To see what NNDSB’s mental health team does, visit this page of NNDSB’s website. Learn more about all summer supports and services 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

Communicating with friends during COVID-19

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By Reese Rowley

Communication has changed a lot since Covid. So, my friends and I have found ways to keep in touch. When the lock down began I found myself using Text and Facetime. As the lockdown extended, we started to communicate and hang out through various apps and gaming together. I learned how to use a PS4 and started playing Fortnight which was cool because my whole family got involved. Then, I started finding new ways to invite friends to other games like Among Us, and Roblox. We sometimes use other creative apps to make videos and chat like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Snapchat. It has been fun but nothing beats communicating in person. It will be good to be back to that someday soon.

How am I staying connected with my Family?

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By: Manoela Galhardo

I am staying connected because my family lives in Brazil, so it is difficult for us to visit or talk to them, both from a distance and having to pay for plane tickets every time we go to visit, especially with the COVID-19, that makes it all very dangerous.

So, to be able to communicate, we decided to talk to our relatives using WhatsApp, talking to friends on social networks like Instagram and visiting friends with all the precautions.

We hope that all this passes, so we can visit and communicate with everyone.

 

 

 

 

Biindigen

Mii gwi Anishinabek wewena nkenmaaminak dependajig maa kiing.
"We acknowledge in a good way, the original people of the land here"
We value the cultures, histories and relationships with the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (North America)

Connect With Us

Near North District School Board
963 Airport Road, P.O. Box 3110, North Bay, ON P1B 8H1
[P] 705-472-8170   [TF] 1-800-278-4922   [F] 705-472-9927