JK-12 Program department develops several methods of learning math

December 10, 2021 By Deb

JK-12 Program department develops several methods of learning math

Near North District School Board’s (NNDSB) K-12 program team has been busy brainstorming, developing, and implementing new and engaging ways for students to learn math from JK-12. The team is also working towards de-streaming the Grade 9 math curriculum.

“Math should not be seen as an abstract subject that doesn’t have any daily use,” says Math Facilitator Melissa Peddie. “Once you start seeing mathematics as a way we can interpret the world around us, you realize that it is absolutely everywhere. It’s an ultimate goal of educators to help students mathematize their environment so that they can use those math skills to move them forward in every aspect of their life.”

There are two board-based math facilitators, and nine school-based math facilitators within the board’s target schools, all of whom work alongside Peddie to support the implementation of the provincial math strategy.

What does a math facilitator do?

“My title is JK to 12 math facilitator. I work with teachers in a classroom-embedded, co-planning, co-teaching professional learning model,” says Peddie. “I support principals as they’re making school improvement plans particularly as they relate to mathematics. I am also responsible for providing central professional development to teachers across the board.”

Chris Walkling is a regional K-12 Student Achievement and Well-Being Principal who works alongside the various teams.

“Working as a student achievement and well-being principal, Laurie Forth, Steve Krause and I work as a team in a JK-12 capacity,” he explains. “With our focus on mathematics, we work closely with Melissa and Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Melanie Gray, in schools as well as at the system-level to support the implementation of curriculum and ultimately, to improve outcomes for students. Our team designs and implements professional learning that enables staff to respond to evolving student needs. “

While mathematics stays the same, the ways students learn and remain engaged, along with how educators teach the material, continues to develop.

“I also am designing and developing different resources to support the work that we’re doing for student success. There’s a lot of collaboration, bringing in teachers with different perspectives to develop math assessment and teaching resources. We’ve had a major focus on developing number sense and supporting teacher understanding of what that means,” notes Peddie. “I’ve developed resources for the Classroom Support Centre to be signed out by educators, to support student learning and provide background information for teachers to develop their own understanding around number sense development.”

The Classroom Support Centre is a specialized NNDSB department that provides services and catalogued resources for educators to support their instructional practices. These include learning resources and kits for students to use in the classroom, educator resources, access to virtual resources such as videos and support with producing materials for classroom use.

Peddie adds that teachers have really embraced the evolution of learning, which includes their own learning.

“In talking with teachers, a lot have said they’ve had some great learning for themselves, to support them in being prepared to meet a variety of learners’ needs in their classrooms. Reflecting on the last couple of years, taking this understanding of what really good pedagogy looks like in math, and then considering the shift to online learning due to COVID-19 protocols, we’ve worked to bring a focus on the important pieces of this good pedagogy that we can still hold on to and leverage with these new constraints,” she says.

The math curriculum has really evolved over the last five years.

“One of the big changes would be teachers understanding how children learn math, and we’ve done a lot of work with learning trajectories. If you could think about a series of skills mapped out over time as being “stepping stones”, generally speaking, there’s an order to how children develop those skills and they get increasingly complex,” explains Walkling. “I think using learning trajectories and developing staff understanding of how those skills build over time, staff have become much more intentional. So, they can name with precision, where students are on that path, and meet them where they are at and support developmentally appropriate next steps, incremental nudges or steps towards success.”

There’s a strong consensus on how mathematics has evolved over a short period of time.

Mathematics hasn’t changed, but how it’s taught has adapted into a more compressive approach, thanks to research and a better understanding of how students learn.

“If you had just said five years, I would have definitely talked about a huge shift in learning for educators in terms of understanding how students develop number sense in particular, and how number sense impacts other areas of learning,” notes Peddie. “It’s the foundation that connects almost every area of mathematics. Once we have a handle on how students develop number sense right from Kindergarten all the way through into secondary school, then we become better math educators.”

One of the crucial changes is de-streaming the Grade 9 math curriculum. Streamed math refers to when students enter Grade 9, they are channelled through either the applied stream or an academic stream that sets them on the path for post-secondary studies. The streamed model has proven to not be as effective as once thought, thus the shift towards de-streaming all secondary school subjects.

“Right now, we’re working with the de-streamed Grade 9 mathematics teachers to support them in navigating the de-streamed programming,” says Peddie. “We’re exploring student learning profiles, new math curriculum expectations, along with resources and pedagogies to support de-streamed math learning environments.”

Gray notes how the hard work that Peddie and the team have put into developing and re-defining the way math is administered has put NNDSB in an excellent position for learning.

“A lot of the work that Melissa, supported by Chris, had done over the years, really put us in a good place to move forward with being able to be creative. A specific example is Melissa worked with so many educators across our system to help them develop an understanding of a pedagogical move called Number Talks and I can’t tell you how many classes I was able to jump into, in terms of their online learning to see those educators doing a version of number talks.”

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is another important recent development to the math curriculum, but as Peddie states, NNDSB was already brainstorming these aspects, which includes maintaining positive motivation and perseverance, thinking creatively, and developing self-awareness skills.

“We were already having these conversations in terms of mathematics. We have a resource developed by Jane Rutledge and me called the First X Days of Mathematics and it’s for classrooms, primary all the way up to intermediate. It sets a foundation for developing positive mindsets about students seeing themselves as mathematicians,” exclaims Peddie. “In the classroom, students are engaged in interesting challenging mathematic tasks that allow them to think creatively reflecting on themselves as mathematicians, and really broadening that idea of what is it to be a mathematician, and we’re all mathematicians.”

Peddie notes helping students develop an understanding of perseverance in mathematics is a big part of social-emotional learning.

Building off social-emotional learning, there are numerous learning platforms that Peddie and the math team have implemented for students to build upon their math skills. One of the platforms is DreamBox Learning.

“DreamBox is specifically for Grades 1-3 students this year and it’s an online resource that’s adaptive to student needs,” says Peddie. “It differentiates what lessons and what games students play to build their math understanding based on individual student starting points. Through these tasks in DreamBox Learning, students engage in productive struggle.”

Once students work their way through the lessons, teachers are able to provide feedback for the learners. Though not new to NNDSB, DreamBox Learning has found its way to becoming a valuable resource for students.

“We ultimately determined that there was a significant value in placing that resource in the primary level, gamified learning beyond school, and a general level of engagement that was very well received and beneficial for students in primary,” notes Walkling. “When we think how that’s different than maybe some other tools that are out there is that the representations of math in DreamBox, are similar and consistent with the tools that kids use in the classroom. If you think about the “rekenrek” or about “number lines”, all of those representations are familiar to students and they’re also present in the game. So, there’s a nice relationship there. But beyond that, the program documents all of the interactions that students have in the online environment and maps those experiences to the Ontario curriculum, allowing staff to monitor and respond to evolving student needs.”

Rekenrek is a tool that translates to an arithmetic rack or calculating frame. The rekenrek is a unique tool that allows children to develop number sense at their own pace.

“This is a really exciting time for us as a school board. With a fresh take on a multi-year strategic plan, new board improvement plans, more cohesiveness across all our departments, we are going to be able to plan as specifically as possible and set those goals,” says Gray. “I love listening to Melissa and Chris talk about math. From the system level, I do believe that we are a strong team and we’re well-positioned with the aforementioned plans.”

The board receives funding from the Ministry of Education to purchase resources that align with the new math curricula, support professional learning opportunities for staff, and hire school and board-based math leads. All of these investments contribute to NNDSB’s efforts to improve student outcomes in mathematics and ensure their success after secondary school.

What are Peddie and Walkling’s favourite parts of the job?

“For me, being in the classrooms with teachers and students, co-teaching, co-planning, listening to student thinking, talking with teachers about what they’re noticing, collaborating at all those components,” says Peddie.

“I would say the moment that students have an ‘aha’, and all of a sudden it clicks! And in that same moment, the educators have the means to see the impact of their actions. To see that their efforts have improved outcomes or enabled understandings for students. These little ‘mastery moments’ allow staff to see that their actions have impact, and they’re making a difference for students,” says Walkling.

With the chances of probability and other math lessons, the learning opportunities and platforms are not a random addition for NNDSB.

“It’s not just happenstance, we spend a long time looking at the quality of the resource and how it connects to what we know already works, the pedagogy that’s in place or pedagogy we want to further develop and how does this resource support educators in making those connections,” says Peddie.

NNDSB’s Student Trustee position

July 2, 2021 By Josh

What is a Student Trustee and what do they do? A Student Trustee is a representative of the students in their board at the Board table. They express the opinions of the students and strive to make change using the student voice. There are four main responsibilities for Student Trustees: running Student Senate; attending Board meetings; and attending the Ontario Student Trustee Association’s (OSTA) conferences, plus being an active OSTA member.

At Near North District School Board (NNDSB), there is one Student Trustee and an Indigenous Student Trustee position representing all regions of the board. As a representative for student voice, Student Trustees can become members of the OSTA, enables students to provide input on Ontario youth needs to those who set up the education mandate.

Madelaine Hall-Paradis is NNDSB’s 2020-2021 Student Trustee.

“As a Student Trustee, you’re in a really neat position. You have the opportunity to bring student voice to the Board level. So, it’s really important to recognize the significance of this role, that you have a duty to the students who have elected you and entrusted you to voice their opinions and concerns,” Hall-Paradis said. “You have to do your due diligence to make sure their voice is heard. For me, that means I’m very reliant on my Student Senators to keep me in the loop on what’s happening in their schools. Having an open line of communication and keeping in touch with other members of Senate throughout the board is especially important.”

Any student entering Grades 11 or 12 who attends an NNDSB school full-time is eligible to apply and be appointed to the position of Student Trustee.

“To be eligible to run for the role of Student Trustee, you first have to be elected as a Student Senator for your school. So, this means you’ll have to submit a short application to your school’s administration followed by an interview. If you are one of the successful two Student Senators for your school, within the week, you will have the chance to apply for the role of Student Trustee. What that looks like is you can either submit a written speech or video to the current Student Trustee and administrative lead, detailing why you’re a good fit for this role, what skills you bring any past experience, anything that really contributes to making you a solid candidate,” Hall-Paradis shared.

The process to become a Student Trustee is completely different from the way traditional Trustees are voted in. Board trustees are voted in to represent taxpayers during municipal elections, whereas the Student Trustee is appointed annually to represent the school board’s student body. The job of the Student Trustee is to ensure that student voice is heard by the Board and beyond.

At the school level, Student Trustees work closely with Student Senate, which is a group of students made up of delegates from schools across the Student Trustee’s board. These groups are the first step in beginning student-led board-wide initiatives; meetings allow students to collaborate in pursuing change in their board.

At the Board level, the Student Trustee serves as the voice of the greater student population. By sharing ideas and participating in meaningful conversations at the Board table, Student Trustees advocate for the needs and wants of their constituents. Board meetings are also crucial opportunities for Student Trustees to bring ideas, questions, and initiatives to elected trustees and administration.

“Student Senate is the backbone to the role of Student Trustee,” Hall-Paradis said. “Without my senators, I would not be able to complete this role and give it the time and attention it deserves. Having a student or two elected from each secondary school ensures that student voice from all across the board is heard, not just from the area which the Student Trustee represents.”

Outside of school and Board, Student Trustees interact with each other through OSTA. This association is comprised of Student Trustees from all across Ontario who work together to amplify student voice and work with provincial partners such as the Ministry of Education.

Throughout the school year, OSTA holds several conferences: Fall General Meeting, Board Council Conference and Annual General Meeting. Student Trustees from both public and Catholic boards come together to learn about their roles and work to improve the educational experience of Ontario’s students.

It’s not uncommon for Student Trustees from other boards to bounce ideas off each other.

“I speak with my fellow Student Trustee from the District School Board Ontario North East. It’s very helpful because they have similar student numbers and recognize the unique challenges both rural and northern schools (or school boards) face,” Hall-Paradis said.

“Not only do we have to represent student voice, but we have to work really hard to keep students interested and involved given the vast geography of the region we represent, in comparison to that of an urban board. We’re constantly talking and going back and forth about ways we can find to keep students engaged, which has been especially important this year, given how much of the year has been online.”

Similar to trustees, Student Trustees also have the opportunity for professional development.

“I had the opportunity to partake in some human rights workshops that were hosted by Osgoode Hall Law, which is out of York University,” Hall-Paradis shared. “One of the sessions was focused on human rights in school in relation to education. Another session focused on minorities in school and how we can make sure that everyone has an equitable school experience. This last session was predominantly focused on Indigenous and people of colour and how we can make sure their experience in school is one of that is equitable and recognizing the extra hurdles they may face.”

Each month, the Student Trustee presents a report to the Board of Trustees at the regular meetings.

“Before a Board meeting, I will have a Student Senate meeting two or three weeks prior and during that meeting, I take notes of what’s happening and updates between the group, whether it be that we’re just wrapping up an initiative, or that a school has just finished wrapping up an initiative,” Hall-Paradis shared.

“Senators send me updates that they would like outlined and reported on at the Board meeting. Once I have information from all the schools and complete further research myself, I am able to put all these pieces together in the format of a report. Then read it through a few times, revise it and lots of times I’ll have a fellow senator read it through just to ensure that each school is equally represented, or if there’s something we didn’t touch on that should be,” she said.

While the Student Trustee is not a voting member, they are an important part to the Board meetings. At NNNDSB, Student Trustee’s serve a one-year term.

Indigenous language studies at NNDSB

June 4, 2021 By Josh

The following interviews were conducted and the feature was written in mid-May for publication in early June to acknowledge and celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, June 21. The discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia brings to the fore the importance of support for Indigenous students, and the study of Indigenous issues for all.

Indigenous education is an important part of student learning for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Learning about Indigenous history, culture, and worldview is the foundation of truth and reconciliation.

While Indigenous education has numerous learning aspects, this feature will focus on Near North District School Board (NNDSB)’s language studies programming. While the Ministry of Education calls this programming NSL, at NNDSB the preferred name is Anishinaabemowin or Nishnaabemwin.

NNDSB offers Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language) classes to students in 13 schools. With 10 language teachers and 365 students enrolled, students have the opportunity to learn Anishinaabemowin to develop a better understanding of Indigenous culture and benefit from cross-cultural education.

“Learning about Indigenous language and culture is very important for all students and staff,” said Tracy Hendrick, NNDSB’s Indigenous Education Lead. “Infusing Indigenous worldview in the classroom and curriculum, in a good way that appreciates the culture, not appropriates it, should be happening regularly and not just on special days of recognition.”

All students, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, can take Anishinaabemowin classes in lieu of French. Anishinaabemowin ensures Indigenous students can learn about and embrace their cultural ways, and sharing what they already know enhances their sense of identity and pride. Non-Indigenous students gain a better understanding of and appreciation for Indigenous culture and worldviews.

Anishinaabemowin classes often take the lead in helping all students and staff develop an awareness and appreciation of Indigenous cultures and languages. This can include organizing school powwows, school drum groups, and incorporating Ojibwe language throughout the school in several ways including word of the day and signage.

Wanda McQuabbie has been an Anishinaabemowin teacher at Britt Public School for almost 20 years.

“I’m fortunate to have my First Nations background that helps and supports our learners who are Indigenous and non-Indigenous,” explains McQuabbie. “At Britt, the learning has really flourished. Even though we’re a small school, our language is strong at the school and across the school. It’s really progressed over the years.”

Common Ojibwe words and phrases you may see or hear around the school or in a meeting are:

boozhoo – more formal hello
aaniin – more casual hello
kina weyaa – everyone
<name> ndizhnikaaz – my name is
<place> ndoonjibaa – I’m from
mno gizhep – good morning
mno giizhgat – it’s a nice day
mno bmaadziwin – a good life
biindigen – welcome
miigwech – thank you
baamaapii – until later (used when parting, similar to a good-bye)
ahow, nahow – ok (often used to acknowledge a thank you)
weweni – take care, be careful
binoojiinyag – children
Anishinaabe – Ojibwe/Pottawatomi person
Anishinaabeg or Anishinaabek – plural of Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe kwe – Anishinaabe woman
Anishinaabe kwewag or kwewak – plural Anishinaabe women
Anishinaabemowin or Nishnaabemwin- Ojibwe language

Depending on the individual or community, there may be spelling differences.

“I’m proud to be part of Near North and proud to say the language is strong here. I’m part of a great team that tries to fulfill that portion of that Native language program,” said McQuabbie. “At Britt, we have a drum, teepee put up – it’s visible in our school. We are sharing our knowledge with the other NSL teachers. We’ve come a long way as an NSL group.”

NSL was first introduced in Ontario’s education curriculum in 1987.

The first school within NNDSB to offer NSL was Britt Public School. Since then, several other schools began offering these classes and programming.

“When my students graduate, I give them an Eagle feather. And there are teachings that go along with that Eagle feather, which is a major accomplishment when they receive it – it’s a high honour. I tell my students what it represents and they carry that for life,” said McQuabbie.

When asked, McQuabbie says her favourite part of teaching students the language is having them learn and understand it.

“My favourite part of the job is hearing the kids speak the language and having them repeat it back to me as well as carry on a conversation. It’s a real joy for me.”

For McQuabbie, the first language she learned was Ojibwe and she learned English as a second language.

“If you have all the appropriate resources and tools in place, it makes it easier and fun for the kids to learn the language,” she stated. “I put pride in everything that I make for my kids. And for them to use it and utilize it and learn it and to have for them to use and speak the language. That’s the golden moment for me.”

New communications team building confidence with initiatives

May 10, 2021 By Josh

If you’re reading this right now, you’re experiencing the work of Near North District School Board’s (NNDSB) communications team. The team disseminates information from the Board of Trustees and Director of Education Craig Myles to a wide number of stakeholders.

The two-person team is supervised by Liana Blaskievich, Officer Corporate Affairs and works closely with senior administrators to provide timely and accurate communications. The team is a new addition to NNDSB, working as part of the Director’s office, and was formed in response to an extensive consultation that showed a deficit in communications. The team’s goals are to share NNDSB news and decisions with a variety of stakeholder groups.

The team is comprised of Communications Officer Deb Bartlett and Communications Coordinator Josh Casey. Both graduated from journalism programs; Casey also has a post-grad certificate in public relations and corporate communications, and Bartlett has a marketing diploma and just completed a communications degree. Together, they execute the plan that supports the board and while increasing communication to, and engagement with stakeholder groups.

Communications is a catch-all phrase that encompasses a variety of skills and activities that involve building relationships inside and outside the organization. The team is responsible for messaging and promotion of the NNDSB brand internally (within the board) and externally (outside the board); to increase awareness about the board and its activities; and to foster improved media relations. These goals are achieved in a number of ways – providing concise dissemination of Ministry of Education information, emails to staff, media releases, fresh web content, letters to families and updates to trustees as provided by senior administrators, Board Highlights and regular posts on a number of social media channels. The team also consults with the senior administrative team on issues relating to brand and perception.

Casey started with NNDSB in September 2020. He is responsible for covering news at the school level, updating board news on the website and managing social media. Bartlett joined the board in January 2021 and is responsible for board-level initiatives, creating and implementing the communications plan. She is the Freedom of Information (FOI) and Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act lead and has just agreed to take the lead for records management in a consultative role to board departments.

The team has already launched several initiatives to increase awareness and other ideas to be implemented that align with the board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) which will come to the Board for approval in June and launch board-wide in September. Two of the four pillars of that plan – excellence in communications and excellence in relationships – are key focuses of the team. Its initiatives are strategically developed to fill communications gaps and when possible, are being measured to ensure they are meeting their objectives. Among the initiatives the team launched are increased frequency of media releases (media monitoring is taking place), enhanced social media activity (with tracking of analytics to measure engagement), this In the Works feature which highlights roles and positions in the board, and an initiative that will officially launch in September that amplifies the student voice in NNDSB communications.

Additionally, the Board Highlights document is shared with staff and stakeholders as well as media to share the news and decisions of the Board, and the Director’s monthly staff newsletter provides updates about Board and senior administrative decisions.

“Excellence in communications and excellence in relationships are key objectives for NNDSB. This means extensive work to repair and build long-standing partnerships and forge new relationships,” says Blaskievich.

“We strengthen our relationships by building trust in the organization. We do this by providing authentic, transparent, timely and accurate communications. We have come a long way in 2020-2021. This is the first time that NNDSB has benefited from a team of communicators that is focused upon sharing the best of NNDSB. I am proud of this team and how they have embraced NNDSB as their own, communicating to reveal our best work and highest intentions. We have more work to do, but I have the utmost faith in this team to make it happen,” she said.

Meet NNDSB’s mental health and well-being department

April 1, 2021 By Josh

Looking after one’s mental health and well-being goes hand-in-hand with learning. Located in all regions of the board, there are professional and dedicated staff available for students and staff alike.

Near North District School Board (NNDSB)’s mental health team is comprised of a mental health lead, social workers, child development counsellors or commonly known as youth counsellors, brief and attendance counsellors, Indigenous youth and family outreach workers, and mental health and addictions nurses.

All of these professionals interact with educators, students, parents/guardians and community partners to deliver mental health promotion, prevention, group services and brief intervention services within all regions of the board’s 34 schools. The team’s overarching goal is to create circles of care around students in support of their academic achievement and helping them reach their fullest potential.

Most, if not all departments and services offered in the education sector have, at one point or another during COVID-19, strategized and re-imagined how services and educational learning are administered. Mental health services are no different.

Sue Lessard, NNDSB’s mental health lead, outlines how their services have adapted and enhanced services for students.

“Our team is better connected. We can quickly consult with each other on a daily basis. Connecting with a student virtually not only saves time, but also offers faster and enhanced supports for that student,” says Lessard. Since it can be done remotely, many students seem to prefer this method. “Depending on the student, face-to-face can be awkward for them so some students really like online, on the phone or even texting,” she adds. Lessard notes it’s important to know what platforms students engage on to better support their individual needs to building that trust connection.

“The ability to connect with students virtually has helped and made our services more accessible,” says fellow social worker Steven Spack.

Lessard adds the team works closely with the student’s school to develop a circle of care plan to help support that student.

“When we develop a plan, it’s also thinking how can that teacher support the student in the class and discussing with the principal how the school culture can incorporate social and emotional learning to enhance that student’s experience,” says Lessard.

In addition to assisting students on a regular basis, the social workers also handle crisis situations where a student may be struggling and need additional supports and resources.

Part of their role as social workers is to work hand-in-hand with community partners, including if a student is being discharged from hospital.

“We connect with the social worker at the hospital as part of discharge planning and how we can support that student. If needed, we connect with that student as a follow-up,” says Spack.

Lessard says COVID-19 has reinforced the importance of mental health and highlighted the need for supports for everyone. “I am very proud of our social work team. They have responded to this crisis with energy, enthusiasm, and hard work” she says.

The mental health team has created campaigns and challenges to help students with their mind, body, and soul. One of the campaigns is called Thrive in a Hive. Lessard notes there will be new challenges coming, and asks people to watch for them on Instagram @NNDSBsupports.

As part of NNDSB’s mental health services team, Child Development Counsellors are located in the schools.

In elementary schools, Child Development Counsellors provide supports such as: social-emotional skill teaching in targeted evidence-based group programs that build skills in emotional regulation, anxiety reduction, coping, and stress management; mood management; problem-solving, and peer relationships. Student wellness is the focus of using strength-based approaches to build resiliency in all of our students.

In the intermediate and secondary schools, students can access walk-in counselling provided in all the high schools. These counselling services include a focus on teaching problem solving, stress, and mood management, developing a positive mindset and communication skills. The counsellors address a variety of concerns ranging from low mood, managing anxiety and stress, complying with parental and academic expectations, drug misuse and suicidal thoughts and urges to self-harm.

All NNDSB counsellors are trained in screening for suicide risk and are well versed in pathways to additional care when required.

Located at West Ferris Secondary School (WFSS), Sue Beaulieu is one of the many dedicated counsellors. She has been in her position at WFSS for seven years. “Here at West Ferris, I have a very supportive administration and I feel very lucky to have such a great staff to work with,” she says.

Developing and maintaining that trust with students is important for Beaulieu and that includes the location of her office.

“Having my office located in the guidance and attendance office opposed to closer to the administration is important in building that trust in a way to not confuse students and build that connection,” she says.

In addition to supports students, Beaulieu is also there for the staff.

“Supporting staff is part of my role because if I can help a teacher with their own mental well-being (that) will benefit the students as well,” she says.

One of the favourite parts of Beaulieu’s job is being there for the students and helping them through their challenges.

“Having the student in my office and sharing personal information with me is an honour. The fact that they trust me to share their thoughts and feelings with and being that one person that they can trust,” she says.

When a student comes in for the first time and they seem apprehensive about talking, Beaulieu’s caring and compassionate skillset allows for that trust connection to be developed. Some of the students may only need to come in once or twice, but others make it a regular visit to share some things that they are having a difficult time with.

“We’re here to listen and being there for the student in that moment. Sometimes I don’t even try to sort through the problems until the second or third session because they just have so much to share.” Beaulieu says that as counsellors it’s not them who solve the problems, it’s the students. “A lot of the time I will have a student thank me for solving their problems and my response is always ‘I didn’t solve your problem, you did.’ I was just there to encourage, listen, and possibly provide more resources. It’s the individual who works through their challenges.”

Reflecting on previous interactions with students, Beaulieu says students have come back years later to say she literally saved their life.

“When they come back with the exact date and say ‘when I came in to see you, you saved my life.’ That makes me a bit emotional,” Beaulieu expressed. “Feeling like I’ve made that connection and had a positive impact on their life is an honour and privilege.”

To learn more about mental health services at NNDSB, visit the board website.

Enhanced cleaning protocols, increased infection prevention measures at NNDSB buildings

March 5, 2021 By Josh

Since the onset of COVID-19, cleaning measures have been strengthened at all Near North District School Board (NNDSB) buildings – measures that have kept COVID-19 numbers low in board schools.

Deb Lamb, an NNDSB facilities supervisor says custodians are frequently cleaning high-touch and high traffic areas in their buildings, in addition to increasing the concentration of cleaning disinfectant solution.

“We’ve really upped the disinfectant. We have peroxide disinfectant that we use on door handles, walls, push plates, push bars, light switches, desks, sinks, taps, toilets, stalls.”

Lamb added that custodians are actively cleaning commonly touched items and constantly monitoring the cleanliness of the building throughout the school day because preventative measures are key in keeping everyday viruses along with COVID-19 from spreading.

“Custodians are really the first line in keeping our children from being sick.”

Director of Education Craig Myles said, “Our custodians play a vital role in maintaining a safe environment for students, staff, and the community. Each day custodians come into work, ensuring that health and safety remain top of mind. Without their dedication, our facilities would not be in a condition to support a safe teaching and learning environment. Thank you for keeping our schools a safe place to learn.”

In comparison to other school boards and regions in Ontario, the number of COVID-19 positive cases in NNDSB schools has been very low. Jason Mirtl, NNDSB’s acting Manager of Plant and Facilities says this is in part to the outstanding job the custodians are doing each day.

“It really does speak volumes of the great work that our custodians are doing every day to meet enhanced sanitizing requirements for the safety of staff and students. The custodial staff have played a vital role in preventing further spread.”

As additional prevention measures, each NNDSB school has hand sanitizer located at every entrance and exit. When students enter the building in the morning and after recess, staff ensure students are wearing their masks and sanitizing their hands.

Upon entry to schools, students and staff are greeted by information posters and signage on safe practices to be followed to ensure the safety of all. Also, in the schools are appropriately placed directional arrows on the floor to ensure a safe and physically distanced traffic flow.

Though students and staff should not attend school when they are not feeling well, schools have an isolation area if people become unwell during the day. When that area has been occupied, it is immediately rendered unusable until a thorough cleaning has taken place, including the walls.

In the event of a positive COVID-19 case(s) associated with someone within the school community, additional custodians are brought to that school to help with a thorough sanitization of the building. The process includes washing down every chair and every desk in the affected room(s), all washrooms are washed from top to bottom and all touch points are sanitized – push bars, light switches, doorknobs, pencil sharpeners, doors, etc.

While the COVID-19 virus is new and easily transmitted, these enhanced cleaning measures have been implemented for years. Any time a school had an outbreak of pink eye or another communicable disease, an enhanced cleaning protocol was enacted by custodians.

“Our custodians really take health and safety seriously to provide a safe environment for students and staff,” said Lamb.

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