Dear Parents and Guardians,

We would like to invite you to participate in a Parent and Guardian School Climate Survey available online between April 29 and May 17, 2024.  The purpose of this anonymous survey is to find information related to your participation and experiences at your child’s school. We know that a safe, inclusive, and accepting school environment is essential for student success and well-being.

The information gathered from student, parent/guardian and staff School Climate Surveys will be used at the school and district level to set goals and measure progress towards creating accepting, safe, and inclusive learning environments. We value your input and parent /guardian voice. Please be assured that your answers are confidential.

If you have children attending more than one Near North school, you are welcome to complete the survey for each school. If you are unable to complete this survey online and would like a paper copy to complete, please contact your child’s school and we would be happy to provide you with a paper copy. All paper copies also need to be completed and returned to the school by May 17, 2024, so that the data can be inputted.

The Parent and Guardian School Climate Survey can be accessed from the Near North District School Board’s website https://www.nearnorthschools.ca/ or by using the QR code below.

Thank you so much for taking the time to complete this important survey.

Sincerely,

Gay Smylie

Superintendent of Education

Near North District School Board

Friday, April 5, 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The monthly Letter to Families, distributed on the first Friday of the month, is intended to keep you apprised of news that affects all students and families of Near North District School Board (NNDSB).

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Families have one more opportunity to register for a free live webinar to learn about Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) and primary and junior assessments of reading, writing and mathematics.

Participants will learn about the purpose of the assessments, and EQAO staff will explain the format, highlight resources and answer questions. The session is approximately 45 minutes, followed by a live Q and A session.

The third of three webinars will be held Wednesday, April 10 at 6 p.m. Register here.

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NNDSB’s skilled trade bursary program provides a $1,000 bursary to students who wish to pursue a post-secondary skilled trades pathway.

This bursary is open to candidates enrolled at an NNDSB secondary school, who are currently in Grades 11 or 12.

Click here for more information, selection criteria and to apply. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 3, 2024.

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On Thursday, April 25 the NNDSB math achievement action team will be hosting a virtual family math night. The first session is for students in JK to Grade 3 and will take place from 6 to 6:30 p.m. The second session is for students in Grades 4 to 6 and will run from 6:30 to 7 p.m. At these sessions, caregivers and their children will take part in games and activities that will support math learning at home in a fun and engaging way.

Please register using this link.

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The Ministry of Education has launched the parent’s guide to Ontario’s education system. This resource provides information that allows parents and families to have a stronger role and to actively participate in their children’s education.

The guide covers a number of subjects such as knowing how their child is doing in school, learning about suspension and expulsion processes, attending a school council meeting or parent involvement committee meeting, and knowing about specialized supports to help all children succeed.

The full guide can be found here.

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The annual Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP-PAJO) information night is planned for Thursday, April 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the West Ferris Arena. (42 Gertrude St. E., North Bay)

Guests will include employment service providers, colleges, community employers and OYAP-PAJO youth mentors. This year, representatives from several local unions have been invited to speak about the role they play in supporting the apprenticeship pathway and encouraging young people to explore the skilled trades as valuable and rewarding career opportunities.

Admission to this event is free, and anyone interested in OYAP is invited to attend.

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Lived Experience and Recovery Network (LERN) is offering a youth peer support training program for youth ages 12-24 that reside in the districts of Nipissing or Muskoka-Parry Sound.

Sessions for youth aged 12-18 take place May 25 and 26. Sessions for youth aged 18-24 take place June 8 and 9. Youth aged 18 can choose which cohort they want to be in. It is mandatory to attend all sessions.

For more details and a link to apply, visit LERN.

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A reminder that the PA day that had been scheduled for April 26 has been moved to Monday, April 8 due to the solar eclipse.

Here is a link to the NNDSB staff learning that will be taking place during Monday’s PA Day.

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Do you have a student ready to start intermediate or secondary school in North Bay? West Ferris Secondary School (WFSS) and Chippewa Secondary School (CSS) are both holding information nights on Thursday, April 11 from to 6 to 7:30 p.m.

WFSS’s session is for anyone zoned for West Ferris and interested in getting more information about Grades 7 and 8 at WFSS.

The session will start at 6 p.m. in the auditorium with brief presentation followed by small group tours of the school. This is not a drop-in format, but if you can’t make it for 6 p.m., then come when you can. They will be closing up shop at 7:30 p.m.

The session at CSS is for anyone zoned for Chippewa and interested in getting more information about Grades 7 and 8 at Chippewa.

The evening will start at 6 p.m. with a tour of the various curriculum spaces in the school so you can see and meet some of our staff. There will then be a brief information session in the auditorium at 7 p.m. and the evening concludes at 7:30 p.m.

If you are zoned for a different NNDSB school, then you should attend that school’s information session, as neither WFSS nor CSS are accepting out of zone students.

If you are from outside of the NNDSB you are encouraged to attend this Grade 6 information night as well. You can also connect with the school for information about how to register and become a student at our school or to book a tour and info session.

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The next meeting of the Board will be Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and you are welcome to attend in person or join via Zoom. Here is the link to the meeting. The Meeting ID is 899 1167 8742; the Passcode is 859936 and the number for Dial in is 1-855-703-8985.

If attending in person, please confirm attendance by contacting Maureen Egan at 705-472-8170 ext. 5028 or maureen.egan@nearnorthschools.ca.

Information about the Board, committees and their meetings can be found here.

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In addition to staying informed via the board’s website, families can find NNDSB on Facebook and Instagram.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

Friday, March 1, 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The monthly Letter to Families, distributed on the first Friday of the month, is intended to keep you apprised of news that affects all students and families of Near North District School Board (NNDSB).

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Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is hosting a number of webinars for parents, guardians and caregivers of elementary school students in Ontario to learn more about EQAO’s primary and junior assessments of reading, writing and mathematics. These provincial assessments will be administered to all Grade 3 and 6 students this spring.

Participants will learn about the purpose of Ontario’s large-scale assessments. EQAO staff will explain the assessment format, highlight resources to support students, and answer questions from participants. Each session is approximately 45 minutes, followed by a live question and answer session with EQAO staff.

Sessions take place March 19 at 6 p.m., April 3 at noon and April 10 at 6 p.m. The date of choice will be selected during online registration.

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If your family has need for school-aged childcare, NNDSB asks that you take a few minutes to complete a survey to help better understand childcare program needs for school-aged children.

An online survey will be open from March 4-29, 2024.

More information can be found here.

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Just a reminder that March Break is around the corner!

The first day of the break is next Friday, March 8, and students and staff return to class on Monday, March 18. We wish everyone a safe and happy break!

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At its February meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the 2024-2025 school year calendar. It will be submitted to the Ministry of Education for approval.

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Did you know that NNDSB has a math achievement action plan?

You can learn more about the plan, NNDSB’s math highlights, curriculum links and digital tools to use at home via this page of our website.

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NNDSB is aware of fundraising calls taking place in the area in support of school lunches. While the organization is a registered charity and has confirmed a telephone campaign, we want residents to know that NNDSB has no relationship with the organization soliciting for donations. Neither the board nor NNDSB schools solicit for donations for school lunches.

As with any organization that does fundraising, the potential donors need to ensure that the call is legitimate. As a rule, ask organizations to send you some information if you wish to donate. Always conduct your own research prior to donating to any organization.

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The next meeting of the Board will be Tuesday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and you are welcome to attend in person or join via Zoom. Here is the link to the meeting. The Meeting ID is 899 1167 8742; the Passcode is 859936 and the number for Dial in is 1-855-703-8985.

If attending in person, please confirm attendance by contacting Maureen Egan at 705-472-8170 ext. 5028 or maureen.egan@nearnorthschools.ca.

Information about the Board, committees and their meetings can be found here.

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In addition to staying informed via the board’s website, families can find NNDSB on Facebook and Instagram.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

February 2024 Letter to Families

Friday, Feb. 2, 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The monthly Letter to Families, distributed on the first Friday of the month, is intended to keep you apprised of news that affects all students and families of Near North District School Board (NNDSB).

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Today is a PA Day. Here’s a link that outlines what school-based staff will be doing today.

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The Ministry of Education is shining a light on student mental health and has provided this information sheet supporting the new mental health modules being taught in Grades 7 and 8.

The resource is called Exploring Mental Health Together and outlines what students will be learning, signs of mental health problems, stigma related to mental health, how to manage stress, where to go for help and how to continue the conversation at home.

Although the resource is designed specifically to align with the Grade 7 and 8 health and physical education curriculum, the information may be of interest to all families.

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The Director’s Annual Report, which outlines highlights of the 2022-2023 school year, is now published on the NNDSB website.

The report outlines the progress made in meeting NNDSB’s multi-year strategic plan (MYSP) priorities of excellence in teaching and learning, excellence in communication, excellence and relationships and excellence in innovation.

Among the highlights are:

• the implementation of literacy and math diagnostics and literacy screeners to better understand student strengths and needs;
• the launch of tutoring supports to ensure success in literacy and math;
• the launch of the Hockey Skills Canada program in Parry Sound;
• the expansion of the personal support worker program to Mattawa;
• the launch of a custodial services worker program.

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Would you like to recognize an amazing teacher?

Sponsored by the Ontario Teacher Insurance Plan (OTIP) and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF), the OTIP Teaching Awards recognize teachers in three categories – elementary school teacher, secondary school teacher and beginning teacher in the first five years of teaching.

The awards recognize excellence of teachers in publicly funded education, and a teacher may be nominated by anyone – a colleague, student, families or the public.

The deadline for receipt of nomination is March 31, 2024. More information can be found at this link.

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There is a new Near North student well-being newsletter that will be created and published monthly.

Families can find the newsletter at this link as well as in the Edsby news feed.

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The next meeting of the Board will be Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and you are welcome to attend in person or join via Zoom. Here is the link to the meeting. The Meeting ID is 899 1167 8742; the Passcode is 859936 and the number for Dial in is 1-855-703-8985.

If attending in person, please confirm attendance by contacting Maureen Egan at 705-472-8170 ext. 5028 or maureen.egan@nearnorthschools.ca.

Information about the Board, committees and their meetings can be found here.

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In addition to staying informed via the board’s website, families can find NNDSB on Facebook and Instagram.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

Dear Parents and Guardians,

School Year Calendar Survey 2024-2025

consultation/survey message

Every year, the four local school boards collaborate to establish a school year calendar which aims to promote student learning, success and well-being, and to minimize the impact on the schedule of their families, staff and members of the school community, all while respecting Ministry of Education standards.

The school year calendar must consist of 194 compulsory teaching days, a maximum of seven (7) professional activity days (pedagogical days) and a maximum of ten (10) exam days for secondary schools.

Carefully selected to provide professional development opportunities which align with Ministry of Education priorities, the proposed 2024-2025 school year calendar includes seven (7) professional activity days.

The number of school days available between Sept. 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025 are limited, consequently we are not able to offer our school communities many options. We invite you to indicate your preferences in the School Year Calendar Survey between Jan. 19 and 26, 2024. The survey will open on Jan. 19 at 8 a.m. and close on Jan. 26 at 4 p.m.

Please note that a total of 10 secondary school exam days will be subsequently added to the calendar. Preferences and comments received will be taken into consideration in developing the final version.

Trustees from every school board will adopt the recommended 2024-2025 school year calendar prior to submitting it to the Ministry of Education for approval by March 1, 2024.

Thank you for your participation and collaboration. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Board Holiday

Please indicate your preference between the 2 options below:

Option 1:  Start of the school year on September 3, 2024, a board holiday on March 7, 2025, before the March Break and end of the school year on June 27, 2025.

Option 2: Start of the school year on September 3, 2024, and end of the school year on June 26, 2025, with a board holiday on June 27, 2025. 

Kindly indicate your preference using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/MV47b4uYXA or the QR Code below:

Friday, Dec. 15, 2023

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please find below a link to a holiday greeting video from Minister of Education Stephen Lecce.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1GnF_-j_qU

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board