Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021

Staff, partners discuss space at new Parry Sound school

At the most recent meeting of the build committee of the new Parry Sound JK-12 school, Near North District School Board (NNDSB) staff, trustees and representatives of three First Nations met with the managing partner, principal architect and a technologist of +VG Architects to discuss priorities for learning spaces for the new school.

The August meeting began with a welcome circle, in which partners were acknowledged and encouraged to bring forward ideas and questions.

Much of the discussion was around creating a space that would feel like a second home for the students, who will attend for up to 14 years.

Among the topics discussed were how Indigenous teachings would not take place solely in Indigenous language and studies classrooms, how land-based learning and play is important for all students, and that there needs to be easy access from outside to connect with students and educators in the building, so Elders will be able to park and easily access the classrooms.

There was also discussion about incorporating more language through signage, and meaningful symbols throughout the school.

Another consultation meeting is to be scheduled in October. In the meantime, committee members and partners are asked to share feedback with Trustee Nichole King by email.

The build committee is one of several committees working on the project. The new school, creating a 21^st century learning facility for Parry Sound and area, is scheduled to open September 2023. All information about the build can be found here on NNDSB’s website.

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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, Sept. 22, 2021

Ombudsman acknowledges positive changes made at NNDSB

Near North District School Board (NNDSB) is pleased to be acknowledged in the 2020-2021 Ontario Ombudsman’s Annual Report. The board was mentioned for the progress achieved regarding transparency and process in response to closing Widdifield Secondary School as well as 14 recommendations made to the board.

In the 2021 report, Ombudsman Paul Dubé commended the board for its commitment to “enhancing the transparency of its decision-making processes” and noted he was looking forward to receiving updates on the implementation of his recommendations. Following a thorough investigation, Dubé had identified the areas for improvement and gave 14 recommendations in the July 2019 report.

The 2020-2021 Ombudsman’s report details how NNDSB has implemented 12 of the 14 recommendations as of December 2020, including the adoption of a new governance manual that addressed not only the ombudsman’s recommendations, but those of a 2013 review, and by Ministry of Education advisors in 2020.

The two outstanding recommendations relate to updating NNDSB’s accommodation review policy and will be implemented once the Ministry of Education updates its Pupil Accommodations Review Guideline.

In addition to modifying its governance structure, NNDSB continues to proactively engage with the ombudsman’s office to ensure the momentum continues.

Director of Education Craig Myles continues to proactively engage with the Ombudsman’s Office on a semi-annual basis.

“NNDSB is proud of the positive transformative changes that have been made and will continue to move in the direction of transparent and open communication with all stakeholders. This commitment has been encapsulated as a key strategic pillar in the board’s 2021-2026 Multi-Year Strategic Plan” said Chair Aspin.

Following the ombudsman’s investigation, the Ministry of Education appointed two special advisors to review the board’s practices. NNDSB has continued to engage with the special advisors operationally following the completion of their report.

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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

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021

Caren Gagne appointed Trustee for Zone 2

Trustees of Near North District School Board (NNDSB) appointed Caren Lee Gagne of Rutherglen as the Trustee for Zone 2.

Ms. Gagne is no stranger to Zone 2 and many of its residents. She and her husband owned and operated the business called Gagne’s Home Hardware and Esso for 40 years and live in Zone 2. During that time, she was involved in several boards and committees, volunteering for betterment of the community.

Her experience and volunteerism include Contact North, Nipissing East Community Futures Development Corporation, Mattawa Hospital, the Toronto Art Board, hosting fundraising musical events, secretary-treasurer for her church, and treasurer of the Mattawa Museum.

“Our board chose the successful candidate from applications submitted as the result of the vacancy of former Trustee Harry Fry who moved from the region” said Board Chair Jay Aspin. “Our board is pleased to have chosen a candidate with such credentials and experience from that Zone as Caren Gagne.”

Now retired, Ms. Gagne says as a businesswoman, she realizes the importance of a quality education, and would like to be part of preparing students to tackle anything they want in the future.

Trustee-elect Gagne will be sworn in at the Board’s Oct. 12 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, Sept. 7, 2021

New childcare spaces coming to NNDSB schools

Near North District School Board (NNDSB), in partnership with the District of Parry Sound Social Services Administration Board (PSDSSAB), is thrilled to announce new childcare locations to families in the district.

Three schools will join numerous others in offering childcare programs: Sundridge Centennial Public School, Magnetawan Central Public School and Land of Lakes Public School.

In these programs, children experience a fun and safe place to build friendships, engage in a variety of activities, and partake in a program that places a specific focus on outdoor recreation. Each program is licensed for a minimum of 15 children between the ages of 3.8 and 12 years of age. All PSDSSAB educators are trained in first aid and CPR.

“Parents in this region of NNDSB will be extremely pleased that the PSDSSAB is offering after school programs at Land of Lakes, Magnetawan, and Sundridge Centennial (Sundridge is also offering a before school program),” said Gay Smylie, NNDSB Superintendent of Education. “For years parents in this region have hoped that we would be able to host before and after school programs. We are grateful to the PSDSSAB for working alongside our Early Years team to make this a reality for the families in this area.”

“We are pleased to announce the expansion of our school-age program this September, which will now provide more options in more schools for before and after school care for families with children from Kindergarten to age 12,” said Brenda Wiltshire, Manager of Directly Operated Child Care Programs at the PSDSSAB. “This expansion comes in response to the feedback received through the Child Care Needs Survey distributed earlier this year, which helped us better understand the need for childcare for school-age children throughout the district. We are grateful for the ongoing collaboration with the Near North District School Board, a partnership that has helped make these programs possible.”

School-age programs are operated by various childcare partners throughout the school district. Additional information and how to register can be found on NNDSB’s website.

These additional programs bring NNDSB’s total to 16 schools offering either before and/or after school childcare programs.

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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:

Josh Casey
Communications Coordinator
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5083
E. Josh.Casey@nearnorthschools.ca

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

July 30, 2021

North Bay students benefit from generosity of Rotary Club

Students at five Near North District School Board (NNDSB) schools are benefitting from the generosity of the Rotary Club of North Bay.

A donation of $1,800 enabled the purchase of food items that supports breakfast and nutrition programs, specifically for special education students. In five NNDSB schools, 60 students will be helped by the donation of non-perishable food items that will supplement the breakfast programs into the new school year.

“The Rotary Club of North Bay is pleased to provide support for the Special Education Breakfast/Nutritional Programs with the Near North District School Board here in North Bay,” said Don Coutts, a club member. “One of the Rotary Club’s initiatives is providing assistance/support in various ways, for example, assistive devices, iPads, physiotherapy, sensory aids, just to name a few to those children and youth with disabilities in North Bay and area.”

NNDSB offers robust breakfast and nutrition programs at its schools to enhance student learning as a nutritious breakfast and snacks are imperative to learning. These programs allow students to choose a variety of healthy foods each day while at school.

One of the schools that received a food donation from the Rotary Club of North Bay was Woodland Public School.

“On behalf of our Woodland Public School community, we express our sincere appreciation to the Rotary Club for the generous donation of food items. This year, our Woodland Public School family has felt especially connected to the work of our local Rotarians as they’ve shown particular care for our in-person learners with special needs, and beyond this, they’ve named a graduating student from our school as the Rotary Student Ambassador. Our students and families benefit from the focus the North Bay Rotary Club and its members place on supporting children and youth in overcoming adversity. We are so grateful for their kindness and generosity,” said Principal Amanda Meighan.

“We are very grateful for the extremely generous food donation from the Rotary Club of North Bay to NNDSB face-to-face special education classrooms. The non-perishable food items will help to support our students now and into the fall,” said Pippa Madigan, NNDSB’s Elementary Program Coordinator. “We truly appreciate the generosity of our local partners in ensuring that our students have access to healthy foods each day while they are learning at school.”

NNDSB expresses its gratitude to the Rotary Club of North Bay for its continued generosity to the board’s schools, students, and their families.

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For more information, please contact:
Deb Bartlett (she/her)
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Community is built when people invest their time in organizations, and in each other. Near North District School Board (NNDSB) supports the building of school communities by giving staff and students the opportunity to share talents while developing leadership skills.

At West Ferris Intermediate and Secondary School, several opportunities exist for participation in mentorship and leadership, some of them for credit.

Principal Andy Gagné says having students reach out to support other students

means an approach in a different and more comfortable way, that is often well received. An example of this is the iCoach program in which students in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) program work with and assist with technology in a class.

One of the many goals of the STEAM program is to help students master the 21^st century competencies that will help them to successfully navigate the job market of the future. STEAM students become resilient, self-sufficient learners that can quickly adapt to changing situations using the skills that they have learned in the program.

West Ferris is an Apple Distinguished School, recognized for being a centre of leadership and educational excellence. Apple supports the school’s vision as students’ creativity, collaboration and critical thinking are inspired with Mac products. It has helped STEAM students with their understanding and knowledge of technology and their understanding of collaboration and mentoring through such initiatives as iCoach.

Grade 11 STEAM student Kennedy Kerr was an iCoach for a Grade 10 academic English class. Though COVID altered the way she interacted with the class, she was easily able to help the teacher and students in a virtual mode.

In a video she created, Kennedy says, during the octomester as an iCoach, “I am not able to work with the students and the teacher one-on-one. My knowledge from the STEAM program has allowed me to adapt to this unexpected curve in my education with only a few challenges.” Kennedy was able to present work to students and the teacher with iMovies, trailers and Keynotes “in a way that can be shared and presented via online classroom meetings.”

The iCoach position provides unique leadership opportunities for the student, peer support for students in the class, and educational technology assistance to the staff.

Gagné says other mentorship positions occur in the school; within the four self-contained personal life management classrooms (one intermediate class, three secondary school classes). These are mentorship opportunities for which students can earn a credit.

As COVID created the need for cohorts, student leaders were only able to help in one class. Post-COVID, students will be able to support several classes.

At West Ferris, there are also non-credit programs that give students the opportunity to provide leadership, including in academics, physical education and sports, where secondary students mentor younger students.

These are some of the many ways NNDSB works to develop good citizenship in its students.

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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, July 23, 2021

Students from across Ontario join NNDSB in summer

For six weeks every summer, students from across Ontario come to the Canadian Ecology Centre in Mattawa and earn secondary school credits that are granted by the Near North District School Board (NNDSB). The partnership between the board and the Centre has been going for approximately 30 years and has seen thousands of students learn in the “School of Experiential Education” over the summer months. Students attend for a two-week session, earning a secondary school credit (in an in-residence setting) through experiential learning. Courses from Grade 9-12 in geography, science, biology, physics and kinesiology are offered each summer.

Laura Kielpinski is the Director of Operations and Education at the Centre. In a non-COVID year, the Centre would be running four high school courses concurrently, with 80-90 students attending for a two-week session. Because of COVID, the Centre is running at 50 per cent of capacity, and some of the courses are blended, with some online and some in-person.

Kielpinski says the summer credit courses connect outdoor learning to academics, enriching the learning experience for students, whose classroom is primarily the outdoors, located within Samuel d Champlain Provincial Park. For example, the Grade 11 biology students came to a cold-water stream and monitored how heart rates changed in cold water. Kielpinski says the Centre “inspires intrigue and inquiry in learning.”

The students live on-site, experiencing a camp-like environment with cabins, campfires and canoes. “Students live here, learn here, eat here, play here,” she says. The teachers that are hired for each two-week course are outstanding educators who can bring creativity to their students; they aren’t confined by buildings and time.

The Centre is usually full by the end of the calendar year for the next summer’s program, says Kielpinski. Some students come because they are “reach aheaders” – they want to get a credit under their belt early, enabling more flexibility for options the next school year. Others just learn better outdoors and away from books. Many students are surprised to learn there are no textbooks for courses at the Canadian Ecology Centre.

NNDSB’s secondary summer school principal Jamey Byers says, “We are grateful that we have such a long-standing relationship with the Canadian Ecology Centre; it benefits students in so many ways and is a great facility. The educators and staff there have passion for what they teach, and the students are the beneficiaries of that passion.”

The first week of the 2021 summer program saw two classes – Grade 9 geography and Grade 11 biology.

Maya Yemm and Taryn Wozney are Grade 9 students, attending the Centre for the first time. Maya attends Ashbury College in Ottawa, and Taryn is a student at West Ferris in North Bay.

Maya liked being outside in nature and found there was a lot of cooperation among students in the course, it was not independent study. She said that helped her understand her peers better. She also thought that seeing things – such as an aquifer – made the lessons more real.

Taryn liked that the course was hands-on, and not just delivered from textbooks. She would recommend the summer course for anyone who likes being outside, and not confined to a classroom. She took the summer course to give her more flexibility to take courses she was interested in when school resumes in September.

Students Sebastian Altamirano and Liam Ferrell are both heading to Grade 11 in September. They met this summer in the biology class at the Canadian Ecology Centre.

Sebastian says he has difficulty concentrating and going to school online “didn’t work. I was distracted.” This is his first year taking the summer course and he loves going to school in the outdoor setting, where the class moves around a lot. Although there was an adjustment period, he likes the fast pace of the day, and the learning.

This is Liam’s third summer at the Canadian Ecology Centre. He loves that his classes are enriched with nature, are creative and that his two weeks is a unique blend of school and camp.

Located several hours north of his London, ON home, Sebastian likes the environment that he has not seen before. The rocks and forests are different than what he’s used to, and he saw red squirrels and a black bear during his session at the Centre.

Liam likes taking his mandatory course in the summer which allows him to take the electives he wants at his secondary school in Milton.

Sebastian says the teachers at the Centre have helped him to learn about himself. Students complete journals in which they reflect on course material and their day and their experiences. He says he has learned much about himself and how he manages; his newfound self-awareness will serve him well as he can communicate to his teachers about how he learns best.

Liam says students will love coming to school at the Centre. He describes how lessons come to life when the learning takes place outdoors, and that the education is delivered in ways that can’t be in a typical classroom.

Students interested in pursuing summer credit courses should contact their secondary school guidance counsellors and or visit the Canadian Ecology Centre’s website for more details and upcoming courses.

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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