December 5, 2019 – Near North District School Board (NNDSB) Trustees were provided with an update on the North Secondary School 3:2 Consolidation at a Special Committee of the Whole Meeting on December 3, 2019.   Senior Administration and school staff continue to work on the implementation of the 3:2 school consolidation through the ongoing review of budgets and workplans.    

Trustees discussed options for programming at West Ferris Secondary School and Chippewa Secondary School for the 2020/2021 school year.  In addition to existing programs the NNDSB will be offering a new Near North Sports Program at West Ferris Secondary School.  Senior Administration confirmed their ongoing commitment to ensuring that all specialized programs are equitable and available to all students.   

“The Board of Trustees is committed to making decisions that are in the best interests of our students and communities.  While the decision to close a school is a difficult one, moving forward we will be able to continue providing quality programs and supports for our students.”  Jay Aspin, Chair 

For more information, please contact: 

Mairghread Knought 
Information/Communications Officer 
Near North District School Board 
Tel:  705-472-8170 ext. 5010 
Email: Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca 

December 4, 2019 – Last evening at the Annual Organizational Meeting of the Near North District School Board (NNDSB), Trustee Jay Aspin was re-elected as Chair and Trustee John Cochrane was acclaimed as Vice-Chair.   

 Chair Aspin expressed his gratitude to fellow Trustees for the significant  time and effort that has been spent working together over the past year to move forward a number of Board initiatives.   In addition to the decision to proceed with the closure of Widdifield, the Board of Trustees have begun moving forward with a new Multi-Year Plan, a review of the organizational structure, and recruitment of a new Director of Education. 

 Vice-Chair John Cochrane is confident in the commitment of his fellow Trustees and is hopeful  that the Board will be  successful in moving the Parry Sound project forward. 

 “We have turned the corner – We are entering our 2nd year of significant reformation towards regaining the public trust and reputation of the Near North District School Board.  While, there is a significant amount of work to be completed, this Board of Trustees have proven their ability to move forward and make informed decisions based on the best interests of our students and communities. ” Jay Aspin, Chair 

 For more information, please contact: 

Mairghread Knought 
Information/Communication Officer 
Near North District School Board 
(705) 472-8170, extension 5010
Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca

August 14, 2019 – The Near North District School Board has begun implementing the recommendations contained in the Ombudsman’s Final Report.  In addition to a number of recommendations for improved process and governance, the following recommendation was identified with respect to the Secondary School Consolidation:  

“The Near North District School Board should prepare a new final staff report that explains the additional information received in the summer of 2017 and that was discussed in private in September 2017. It should present the report to trustees as part of a public meeting, afford community members an opportunity to comment on it, and then take a new vote on the secondary school consolidation.” 

 The new final staff report and attached documentation will be presented to the Board of Trustees at a Special Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, August 19, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.  Following this meeting the report and attached documentation will be posted to the NNDSB website in order to provide the public with an opportunity to review and provide comments.  Any received comments will be compiled and presented to the Board of Trustees at the September 10, 2019 Committee of the Whole beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Parties who wish to speak to the secondary school consolidation will need to register with the Board Office by 12:00 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 2019. 

 The Board of Trustees will re-vote on the secondary school consolidation at the September 24, 2019 Regular Board Meeting beginning at 6:00 p.m. 

 For more information, please contact:  

Mairghread Knought  
Information/Communication Officer  
Near North District School Board  
(705) 472-8170, extension 5010 
 Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca  

 June 24, 2019 –  The Northern Secondary School  NNDSB ‘Logo’ committee is pleased to share the new school logo of “The Stars”.  “The Stars,” which appears in the middle of our logo represents the idea that we can all be stars, all be shining lights in the night, that we can reach for the stars to achieve our maximum potential. We are stars who will light the paths of others and fuel the imaginations of those who seek inspiration.

Both staff and students are extremely grateful to the members of the committee for their hard work and dedication to this project.   The process of choosing a new name and logo took place over two y

ears, with a consultation process that has included students, staff, and community and alumni partners.  Brandon Harvey, a graduating student, designed what we now call “The Stars” which consists of our school colours of red and silver and the spirit of our new name and school.

Stars are always a welcome sight in the sky, shining bright. That is how we all see our future here at Northern Secondary, bright, inspirational, and welcoming! It’s our time to shine, GO STARS!

For more information, please contact:

Laurent Paquette
Principal
Northern Secondary School
(705)-472-5322
Laurent.Paquette@nearnorthschools.ca

April 24, 2019 –   It was necessary for The Near North District School Board to provide notification of potential redundancies to our Teacher Union partners on April 15, 2019 in accordance with the terms, conditions and inherent timelines of our collective agreements and established communication protocols.     

In the absence of GSN (Grants for Student Needs) announcements, the accompanying technical paper, various memos that confirm funding for the upcoming 2019/2020 from the Ministry of Education and in order to meet collective agreement  timelines, this notice of redundancy was estimated based on planning assumptions and factual information and data on hand at time of declaration.  Given the early date of needing to provide notification, the Attrition Protection funding to be provided in the GSN by the Ministry of Education is to protect staff impacted by proposed changes to class sizes has not yet been factored into the estimated declaration of redundancy.    

It is anticipated that confirmation of funding for the 2019/2020 school year is to be released from the Ministry of Education, by the end of the month.  This funding information and documentation is central to the work of Senior Administration, when determining precise budget and staffing implications for the year ahead. Once this information is available, the required analysis will be completed.      

We are hopeful that once the Ministry of Education releases the information and documentation necessary for our next steps, these numbers of redundancy will be modified.       

The Board remains committed to high quality programming opportunities for the students of the Near North District School Board District.    

For more information, please contact:  

Mairghread Knought 
Information/Communications Officer 
Near North District School Board 
Tel:  705-472-8170 ext. 5010 
Email: Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca 

April 23, 2019 –  The Near North District School Board Inclusive Education Technology Systems Teachers will be presenting Tech Connect; An Evening of Learning for Parents, Supporting the Success of ALL Students.

Tech Connect will give parents the opportunity to learn about assistive educational technology available and supported in the Near North District School Board, including technology that can support their child’s success.  Parents of students with a learning disability may be particularly interested in the evening.

Sessions will be offered throughout the district on the following dates:

West Region

Tuesday April 30^th, 2019 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Parry Sound Public School, 21 Beatty Street, Parry Sound

East Region

Tuesday May 7^th, 2019,   5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Almaguin Highlands Secondary School. 21 Mountainview, South River

North Region

Tuesday May 14^th, 2019, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Widdifield Secondary School, 320 Ski Club Rd, North Bay

For more information, please contact:

Lisa Rogers
Inclusive Technology Teacher
Near North District School Board
Phone: 705-571-1610
Email: Lisa.Rogers@nearnorthschools.ca

 

At its January 22, 2019 Regular Board Meeting the Near North District School Board will consider a motion keeping Widdifield Secondary School and W. J. Fricker open for the 2019/2020 school year as well as transitioning the graduating Grade 8 students from W.J. Fricker to Widdifield Secondary School as in past years. This proposed motion was unanimously agreed to at the board’s Committee of the Whole meeting last night.

“The Board had a comprehensive discussion on the issue and were fully in agreement with the staff recommendation. It is in the best interest of our students to maintain quality programming in all schools while the Board awaits information from the Ministry and the Ombudsman’s report regarding the 3:2 consolidation. We were cognizant of the timelines for course selection and the need to have information communicated to students and parents in a timely manner.” Jay Aspin, Chair.

The temporary closure of W.J. Fricker to accommodate the construction of the new building will be delayed. Although the funding has been approved by the Ministry of Education, there are a number of procedural requirements relating to procurement’s and cost consultants that must be completed and approved by the Ministry before the project can proceed. Considering the current status of this project the initial time line is no longer attainable.

For more information, please contact:

Mairghread Knought
Information/Communication Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca

November 5, 2018 – Last evening at the Inaugural Meeting of the Near North District School Board (NNDSB), Trustee Jay Aspin was acclaimed as Chair and Trustee John Cochrane was elected as Vice-Chair.  Both Trustees bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their new roles.

Mr. Aspin served as a Trustee for the NNDSB on two separate occasions for seven terms and Councilor on North Bay City Council for eight terms. Recently he served as the federal Member of Parliament for Nipissing-Timiskaming region. His extensive experience has prompted leadership roles as the President of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM), President of the Northern Ontario School Trustees Association (NOSTA), Chair of the Near North District School Board and Chair of the Aerospace Caucus in the federal parliament of Canada.

Mr. Cochrane has volunteered in a variety of positions in the educational sector for many years. More recently, this summer marks the end of his twelve years as a governor on the Cambrian College Board of Governors, on which he fulfilled a variety of roles including governor, Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee and a term as Chair of the Board.

For more information, please contact:

Mairghread Knought
Information/Communication Officer
Near North District School Board
(705) 472-8170, extension 5010
Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca

The Parent Advisory Councils for the North Bay Secondary Schools, with the support of the Near North District School Board, have organized a School Board Trustee Candidate Meet and Greet. This event will occur on Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the West Ferris Secondary School Auditorium located at 60 Marshall Park Drive. The candidates will each have five minutes to address the audience as a whole to outline key issues and their reasons for running. Afterwards there will be an opportunity to speak with the candidates to ask questions of your own. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

For more information, please contact:

Mairghread Knought
Information/Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
Tel: 705-472-8170 ext. 5010
Email: Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca

The students in the Grade 11 University Physics Class at West Ferris Intermediate Secondary School in North Bay, Ontario will be launching a weather balloon into Earth’s Stratosphere with a payload of camera-toting mini computers and radio tracking equipment. The launch procedure is weather dependent, and so the exact launch date has not been confirmed. However, it is anticipated that the launch will take place between October 9th and October 31st from the football field at West Ferris Secondary School. Once the launch date is finalized information confirmed the exact launch date and time be issued 72 to 48 hours prior to the event.

The purpose of the mission is to observe and record the journey to near space using in-flight radio transmissions of GPS location, data, video, and images. The balloon is expected to explode at an altitude of just over 30km, at which point a parachute will deploy and the payload will descend back to Earth. The flight is expected to take a total of about 3 hours. Data from the flight will provide experimental results and serve as an anchor activity providing authentic context to course materials.

The students of the Grade 11 University Physics class will track the balloon’s flight path in chase cars, with reception assistance provided by the North Bay Amateur Radio Club. The goal is to retrieve the payload post-flight, along with its cache of data, video and images. This activity is called High Altitude Ballooning (HAB).

For more information, please contact:

Kelly Shulman (VE3KLX)
West Ferris Intermediate Secondary School

P. 705-475-2333
E. kelly.shulman@nearnorthschools.ca