The Near North District School Board is seeking your assistance to help us better understand child care program needs  for school aged children.   Whether your child already has a placement, is on the waitlist, or does not require child care, we want to hear from you!

Please take a few minutes  to complete our short survey to help us determine child care program feasibility and types of programs  and services required in our schools.

The survey will remain open until May 31, 2019.

Follow the link below to participate.

Child Care Needs Survey 2019-2020

Focus on Governance: 

Trustee Quarterly Check In: 

The Ontario Public School Board Association (OPSBA) held their annual Public Education Symposium (PES) in January.  This meeting was an important kick off for many of our newest trustees and offered a chance to jump in and take full advantage of the opportunity for deep learning and important networking across the province.

Over the past three months the Board of Trustees have taken part in a number of workshops and public meetings carefully designed to quickly, efficiently and with great attention to detail and topic bring them to a place of strong comprehension of the work of the Near North District School Board.  They include; an overview of transportation, the work of Human Resources and labour relations, the school board’s capital plan with a focus on both the Parry Sound build, the Fricker build and the 3:2 North Bay consolidation, the senior staffing funding envelope, agenda items, meeting management, board logistics and protocols, an overview of the budget process, understanding SHSM (Specialist High School Majors) courses in Near North, and the Equity and Inclusion Strategy offered at tonight’s meeting.  As well the board kicked off their coming together with a visit from lawyer Sheila McKinnon to review roles, responsibilities and best practices.

The Board of Trustees also addressed the Fricker build and where the Grade 8 students should attend next year.  It was decided that Widdifield would remain the recipients of this group of students.  The Fricker build is continuing along it projected path with an approved space template.

Efficiencies Realized

A hearty congratulations to our Plant department, custodians and staff for realizing a significant and substantial benchmark!

The 2019 Sustainable Schools report uses energy data and building information for Ontario’s 4,968 schools and education centers as publicly reported by the 72 schools boards.  The energy savings potential is determined for each building the difference between its actual and target energy use, and the energy efficiency of the school board. School boards across the province are ranked.  Our ranking for 2017 was 19 and this year we’ve achieved the ranking of 11 out of 72 schools!  I couldn’t be more proud and thankful for these efforts.  Details about this important work can be found in the public board package.

Parry Sound Dinner Extravaganza!

 Congratulations are in order to Mr. Cousins and the students of the Specialist High Skills Major course.  The 5^th Annual Local Hospitality and Tourism Appreciation Dinner was held March 19^th.  Students amazed members of the hospitality industry, who enjoyed an evening of networking and a delicious meal.

OFSSA Leadership in Sport Award

 We couldn’t be prouder of our own Bob Boal from Chippewa Intermediate and Secondary School who, on March 19, at the opening ceremonies for the 2019 OFSAA Curling Championships, received the highly distinguished honour of being recognized with an OFSSA Leadership in Sport Award.  The award is presented annually at each OFSAA Championship to a teacher/coach who has made a significant contribution to Leadership in Educational Athletics programs.  From all of us in Near North DSB – Congratulations Bob on this most deserving award.

Minister of Education Announcements

As our public knows there have been many recent announcements made by the Minister of Education.  We will continue to work alongside our Board of Trustees to ensure they are knowledgeable of all of the announcements and what they may mean for the Near North District School Board through their implementation.

In addition, we are aware that the recent announcements may prompt some political action by our students.   The official Near North District School Board’s position with this and any other potential walk-out is that we support our students’ democratic right to express themselves in a safe and respectful manner.  With respect to any walk-out, our focus is ensuring that any students who chose to participate can do so in a safe manner with minimal disruption to those who do not wish to participate.

School administrators and staff have been provided with guidelines and best practices for such situations and are committed to ensuring student safety.

Jackie Young

Director of Education

More information about our Kindergarten program can be found here:
https://www.nearnorthschools.ca/schools/kindergarten/

Welcome to Kindergarten Dates for 2019

Please click on the link below for a list of the Welcome to Kindergarten Dates and Times throughout the district:

Welcome to Kindergarten 2019 Dates

The NNDSB Parent Involvement Committee hosted a workshop featuring internationally renowned speaker and advocate for public education, Annie Kidder on March 4, 2019.  The event was unique in that in addition to being able to attend in person at three locations throughout the region, participants were able to log on from anywhere with internet access.  Half of all participants attended through the online forum.

Annie Kidder worked with participants to explore how to build quality learning environments with schools that support strong relationships both inside the school and within the community.  Ms. Kidder emphasized the importance of building respectful relationships between parents and teachers based on the understanding of roles, realities and individual circumstances.

Participants were provided the opportunity for candid and open dialogue with Ms. Kidder to address current concerns both on an individual and systemic level.

“The Board of Trustees are very thankful to the members of our Parent Involvement Committee for organizing this wonderful opportunity.  The Parent Involvement Committee was instrumental is identifying how this presentation would be useful for our parents.  It reinforces the value and caliber of the parents we have within our system and what can be accomplished through working together in a collaborative fashion.” 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

The 32nd Annual Evening of Applause recognizes the globally celebrated Day of Anti-Racial Discrimination, and features nominated and deserving students from Kindergarten to post- secondary from all four school boards and educational institutions across Nipissing District.  This year’s celebration will take place on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at Ecole Secondaire Catholique Algonquin.

The Near North District School Board is pleased to honour 4 nominated and deserving students.  Please click on the link beside each nominee to learn about the amazing contribution they have made to their school and community.  Congratulations to all our nominees!!

Emma Dupuis – Grade 10 @ F.J. McElligott Intermediate Secondary School
Learn more about Emma Dupuis

Olivia McVeety – Grade 4 @ M.T.Davidson Public School
Learn More about Olivia McVeety

Take Action Team – Grades 5-8 @ White Woods Public School
Learn more about the Take Action Team

William Saentaweesuk – Grade 2 @ Woodland Public School
Learn more about William Saentaweesuk

As we move forward with streamlining specific protocols I am pleased to let you know that our office almost unilaterally has heard great things from our media partners regarding our Communication Guideline.  There has been positive feedback from organizations expressing their understanding of our desire to stick to these protocols including the setting up of appointments through the Communications Officer and waiting to the very end of meetings for any comments they may wish to garner.  As well we have received an increase in the request for comments and information from the Media.  We have also been contacted by new media outlets, in particular French language based media outlets.  The central coordination of effort as outlined, has enabled us to provide prompt responses to information requests and there have been no complaints and/or concerns expressed by any media sources.

Overall this is a very good news story in our overall attempt to display openness and transparency in an organized and professional way.

Governance:

Chair Aspin was invited to attend the monthly principal meeting to introduce himself and to speak directly to our school leaders about the work and dedicated efforts of the newly formed board.  In his short time with this group he was able to convey the dedication and honest desire of the Board of trustees.  The focus of the newly formed ad hoc committees was relayed as well as the intent to take necessary time to review pertinent information but to continue to move forward and to take on challenging decisions and move forward.  These committees are: the Parry Sound Building Committee; The Culture Committee; the Multi Year Plan Committee; and the Governance Committee.  Much time was spent addressing the deep desire of the group to adhere to a strong governance model and to ensure oversight while remaining at arm’s length and at the policy level in their work.

Partnerships:

The Near North District School Board is recognized in all of the geographical areas we serve as a strong partner.  Much time and dedication throughout years of effort have afforded us strong partnerships with many organizations.  Some of these are business oriented and extremely formal.  Others are less structured but remain focused on deep collaboration and a strong sense of unity to enhance the organizations involved and ultimately our students.  I am quite sure you will be overwhelmed by the number of partnerships included in the following pages.  It goes without saying that any partnership is relationship driven and I am humbled to be able to share these with you.  Our teachers, coordinators, and senior team staff continue to put much time into honouring and building upon these relationships, and continue to find ways to move our organization forward to address efficiencies, propose stronger opportunities for students via coordinated services, and include incredibly, rich and divergent experiences for our learners while maintaining and growing our sense of community throughout our region.

Jackie Young
Director of Education

The NNDSB Parent Involvement Committee will be hosting a free workshop for parents entitled Creating Quality Education Learning Environments on Monday March 4, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The workshop will be led by Annie Kidder who is a highly influential figure in Ontario and Canada as the Executive Director of People for Education.  Ms. Kidder became involved in public education in Ontario in the late 1990’s and since then has become an expert on education policy and funding. She regularly provides advice to policy-makers and government, and her writing on education has been published in a range of media.

During this workshop, Annie will explore how we can build quality learning environments – schools that support strong relationships both inside the school and with the community, and that have a culture that encourages risk-taking, gives students a real voice and ensures that all students have opportunities to learn.

Participants can attend online or in person at the following locations:

 

• North Bay, NNDSB Board Office, Board Room
• Parry Sound, Parry Sound High School, Board Room
• SOUTH RIVER: Almaguin Highland Secondary School, Board Room;

To register online click here.

For more information, please contact:

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

This spring,  Near North District School Board (“NNDSB”) students are invited to participate as part of approximately 5 500 volunteer grade 12 French as a Second Language students enrolled in either Core French, Extended French, or French Immersion courses. FSL students throughout the province of Ontario will challenge the internationally-recognized language exam called the Diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF). This exam is being offered through the support of the DELF Centres in the province and is based on the CEFR proficiency levels.

The DELF exam is an assessment of proficiency from an external lens, outside the required component of the regular French as a Second Language program. Upon successful completion of the exam, students will receive a DELF certificate awarded by the French Ministry of National Education (France).The DELF examinations are an opportunity for high school students to demonstrate their French-language skills and to be rewarded for their hard work at school.  The DELF examinations are recognized around the world, and your child will receive a diploma valid for the rest of his or her life! Beyond just personal satisfaction, the DELF represents official proof of your child’s French-language skills in a way that Francophone universities, French grandes écoles, and future employers can appreciate.

The DELF exam is administered in two steps:

Step One:

According to the exam schedule, students within same DELF levels complete the oral comprehension, written comprehension, and written production components.  The Exam schedule for 2019 is:

May 6, 2019 from 12:00pm to 2:30pm (DELF level B2)
May 7, 2019 from 12:00pm to 1:45pm (DELF level B1)
May 8, 2019 from 12:00pm to 1:40pm (DELF level A2)
May 9, 2019 from 12:00pm to 1:20pm (DELF level A1)

Step Two:

Students individually complete oral production and interaction exams as scheduled (between May 6 and May 17). All participants will receive details, including the exact date, time and location of their oral exam, via the contact information provided on the online registration and consent form.

Please note that individual student results will not be reported back to the school. All information and materials collected will be kept confidential and stored at the Ontario DELF Centre in Sault Ste Marie. Successful students will receive a diploma which will include their results and level of proficiency.

All students in a grade 12 FSL course during the 2018-2019 school year are welcome to challenge the DELF.  To choose the appropriate exam level, students are encouraged to have a conversation with their FSL teacher.

Please discuss this opportunity with your child and if they wish to participate, please complete the online registration and consent form. If you require a paper copy, please contact your child’s French teacher. Registrations and payments are due no later than March 8, 2019. Confirmation of participation will be sent to you at the e-mail address you provide.

There will be a $50 (non-refundable) fee for participating students. Please make your payment via School Cash Online. If you require financial assistance or additional information, please see your classroom teacher.

For more information please see http://delf-dalf.ambafrance-ca.org.

Students who complete the Chippewa International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma will be provided the equivalent of one full year of university credits to Nipissing University as a result of a recent policy implementation.   Under the new rules, students who successfully complete the IB program with at least six subjects, including three at a higher level, with a score of at least 24/45, will be considered for admission, with eligibility to receive credits for all IB courses (both standard level (SL) and higher level (HL)) completed with a score of 5 or higher.

“This is another example of how our Near North District School Board establishes  and maintains programing partnerships within our community to benefit our students.  We are very proud of our long-standing relationship with Nipissing University and we look forward to future growth initiatives. The strength of this   program recognized at the post-secondary level speaks to the high quality of our program.  Chippewa IB scores are consistently above comparable program scores across the country.  This international program offers an extensive selection of courses which provides students with a great opportunity for post-secondary success.”   Jay Aspin, Chair

Chippewa’s IB program, accredited in 2015, is a magnet program of the Near North District School Board. The IB Diploma Program is internationally recognized as representing one of the highest standards in university preparatory education.

There are two upcoming information nights being held at Chippewa Secondary School for parents of students interested in exploring the IB program. The first, on February 6th at 6:30PM, is for the parents of students currently enrolled in the pre-IB program in grade ten. The second information night is for parents of prospective grade nine students on February 13th at 6:30PM.

For more information, please contact:

Mairghread Knought
Information and Communications Officer
P: (705) 472-8170 ext. 5010
Email: Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca