Friday, May 17, 2024
The following are the highlights of the Near North District School Board (NNDSB) meeting of Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
Ashley St. Pierre elected Chair of Board
Indigenous Trustee Ashley St. Pierre was elected as Chair of the Board of Trustees at last night’s meeting. The position was left vacant after the resignation of Erika Lougheed in April. St. Pierre, who was elected as the Vice-Chair in the fall, has been serving as the Interim Chair since the resignation.
Zone 4 Trustee Howard Wesley was elected as the new Vice-Chair.
Chair St. Pierre commented that the election to the Chair’s position was meaningful. She said she is among the first Anishinaabe-kweg (Anishinaabe women) elected as the Chair of a Board of Education in Ontario, and may well be the first Anishinaabe-kwe Chair in the public system in the province.
Later in the meeting, during the Chair’s remarks, Chair St. Pierre shared that the Anishinaabe phrase mino-bimaadiziwin means living in a good way. She said that she would like to see the Board moving forward in a good way, and building trust with each other.
Trustee Caren Gagne sworn in
One of the first items of business at Tuesday’s Board meeting was the swearing in of Zone 2 Trustee Caren Gagne.
Trustee Gagne, who was the runner-up in the 2022 election to Erika Lougheed, agreed to step in after Lougheed’s resignation.
Trustee Gagne has as long history of community service, and has previously served as an NNDSB trustee.
Literacy team acknowledged at Board meeting
Members of NNDSB’s literacy team were acknowledged at Tuesday’s meeting, in recognition of being a recipient of the Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Awards.
The awards celebrate exceptional dedication within school communities in supporting students with dyslexia. According to Dyslexia Canada’s website, the award recognizes the contributions of a variety of school staff who showcase, “remarkable commitment and innovation in ensuring equitable education for students with dyslexia.”
Among the initiatives of the literacy team to support their work is the creation and curation of an internal K-12 literacy site (which has been used by almost 600 different NNDSB educators), a literacy lending library to support educators, system professional development sessions, book clubs and engagement in literacy professional development to support work across the district.
Alicia Smith, executive director of Dyslexia Canada, attended the Board meeting to present the award in person. She also brought congratulatory letters from Dyslexia Canada and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC).
Smith said there were 120 nominations for the excellence awards, and only three were entire school boards. She said NNDSB’s nomination stood out because the literacy team was so proactive; they had started their work before the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read inquiry report was released.
Trustee Initiative Funds to be shared among schools
Trustees approved a motion that will see the Trustee Initiative Funds shared equally among all schools.
The motion was brought to committee of the whole by Trustee Howard Wesley. His motion acknowledged the staff crisis being experienced by staff, the extra work staff tackle and the fundraising that takes place to support school supplies, events and activities. The motion called for the allocation of the Trustee Initiative Fund equally among all schools to provide financial assistance as deemed appropriate by the principals.
Director welcomes incoming student trustees
In his report to the Board, Director of Education Craig Myles welcomed the incoming student trustees, who attended as observers. The incoming student trustee is Nanak Sidhu of Chippewa Secondary School, and the incoming Indigenous student trustee is Riley Trudeau of Northern Secondary School.
Myles shared recognition of school and student achievement with trustees. Chippewa Secondary School has been recognized as one of the top secondary schools in the province for Terry Fox fundraising. West Ferris student and multi-sport competitor Riley Bell has been named the recipient of the Special Olympics Award of Excellence for 2023. Chippewa will be hosting the AA OFSAA boys’ soccer championship June 6-8, with games being held at Nipissing University, the Omischl Sports Complex and Cundari Field.
In promoting excellence in teaching and learning, Myles pointed out the virtual family math night sessions held for primary and junior students and their families, as well as the award presented to the board’s literacy team. More about this award can be found in this media release.
NNDSB staff, working with colleagues at two other boards and the North Bay Society of Architects, supported by Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program engaged in a month of planning to offer the second annual climate change challenge. The goal was for students to create and construct a model of a shelter using only a few provided materials.
Work of NNDSB acknowledged at OPSBA
Trustee Bill Steer, who is the NNDSB delegate at the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA), presented a report to trustees.
Highlights include that the Board’s letter (discussed at April’s meeting) was in the OPSBA agenda package, and was highlighted within the correspondence section. The proposed Living Consciously course (also discussed at the April meeting) was presented, with a resolution that the items be referred to the Education Program Work Group for discussion.
Student Trustee Chen’s report to the Board
Student Trustee Dora Chen’s report highlighted the opportunities available to students to equip them with life skills and insights into future opportunities. At Almaguin Highlands Secondary School, life skills workshops were held where students visited four employers, providing graduating seniors with valuable insights. F.J. McElligott also held a career day with 12 presenters.
Many sports are in full play, with soccer, tennis, baseball and track underway. Badminton teams participated at the NDA championship, which was held at Chippewa and West Ferris Secondary Schools.
Several arts activities are underway, including band performances with the 22 Wing Band, and local representation at drama fest. Chippewa placed first with its performance of Complaints Department and Lemonade.
Student Senate welcomed its new Student Senators at the April meeting, and Student Trustee Chen was able to provide guidance to incoming members on their future roles. Student Trustee Chen also gave a presentation on the expectations of the student trustee.
Within the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association (OSTA), Student Trustee Chen participated and presented at the first ever virtual town hall meeting, with more than 40 student trustees from across Ontario. She presented on the mission statement and priorities of advocacy for Northern Ontario’s Student Trustees. She is excited to be attending the annual general meeting, which will conclude her work as a member of OSTA.
Indigenous Student Trustee Benson report to the Board
Indigenous Student Trustee Albany Benson’s report covered updates from the Indigenous Youth Circle. The primary focus at Parry Sound High School has been preparation for the community powwow in the summer. At West Ferris, an Instagram account has been created to post information about what is happening at the Indigenous Centre, and
students will be attending a staff meeting to talk about what it was like coming from their communities to WFSS. Students at Chippewa have drumming sessions for men and women, prepared a ceremony and acknowledgement of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), and are preparing for the Moose Hide campaign. Members of OKIMAKAN are working on a presentation that explains different dances to support students’ understanding. Northern has finished presentations to students in Grades 7 and 8, and are also organizing something to honour MMIWG. Almaguin continues to plan for the celebration of National Indigenous People’s Day at the school, MMIWG and the Moose Hide campaign. At F.J. McElligott, the student success hub has been creating an Indigenous banner and preparing for National Indigenous People’s Day with four sessions of Indigenous arts and sports.
IYC is holding its end-of-year retreat at Nipissing University, and the four-board powwow (taking place May 30) was discussed.
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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.
