Woodland Public School is celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day with two educational and interactive events on June 11 and June 15, 2018.
On Monday, June 11th, Woodland Public School hosted its second annual Woodland Teaching and Learning Powwow under the 
guidance of Aanmitaagzi, a company based in Nipissing First Nation, led by Sid Bobb and Penny Couchie and local artists, dancers, drummers, and singers. Through this event students and others in attendance learned all about powwow and the different dances.
The primary classes enjoyed the powwow from 9:00-10:00 AM, while junior students participated from 11:10 AM – 12:10 PM. Students and parents were encouraged to bring their dance regalia on this day.
On Friday, June 15th, junior students will be partaking in Woodland’s first National Indigenous Peoples Day run by Miss Allaire and grade 5 and 6 students registered in Native as a Second Language (Ojibwe). Classes will move from centre to centre learning about all our Indigenous Peoples of Canada and participating in a wide range of activities. We are excited for all the new understanding and awareness this day will bring to our students and staff!
Northern Secondary School’s Brent Couchie went the distance, winning the 2018 OFSAA Midget Boys Javelin title on June 8, 2018 at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University. With a field of over 20 athletes from across the province the 15-year-old from Nipissing First Nation threw his personal best of the year with an impressive 44.94-meter throw.
With strength and finesse from an athletic and artistic background, Couchie picked up the art of Javelin throwing naturally. He spends his winters on the ice playing defense in hockey and is a head grass dancer who travels to pow-wows across the country. He began his throwing career this year and has added almost 10 meters to his throw since the NDA finals in May.
Northern Secondary School is not new to developing high level javelin throwers. Last year, Timothy Hatton won the OFSAA Senior Boys Javelin Throw with a mark of 56.56 meters. Hatton’s mother Catherine is currently the head coach of the track and field team and is a teacher at Northern.
Fore more information please contact:
May 23, 2018 – The Near North District School Board is pleased to announce that Widdifield Secondary School Visual Arts Teacher Samara Paleczny has been accepted into the Art21 Educators Program.
Art21 is a PBS series featuring contemporary artists which provides successful applicants with a year-long professional learning opportunity resulting in six graduate credits from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The program is open to teachers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and involves a lengthy application progress. Samara Paleczny is one of only two Canadians accepted in the program for 2018-2019.
The Art21 Educators Summer Institute will take place from July 6–11, 2018 at the New York Public Library and will focus on the educator as researcher. Teachers will be provided with the opportunity to challenge themselves, take productive risks, and engage with Art21 artists to learn more about utilizing contemporary art to teach about big ideas and the important questions facing us today. Teachers in attendance—both the new cohort and program alumni—will be able to utilize both the librarians’ knowledge and the library’s vast collection to explore critical research questions that will impact their classroom teaching during the 2018–2019 school year.
In order to qualify for the program Samara Paleczny was required to submit unit plans, lesson plans, a video application, and examples of how the Art:21 Program is referenced in her classroom.
“The Near North District School Board is extremely proud of Samara Paleczny and this significant achievement. This achievement showcases the superior quality of our teachers and their continuing dedication to ensuring that our students are provided with the highest quality of education.”
Jackie Young, Director of Education, Near North District School Board.
May 7, 2018 – On Monday, April 30th, grade 10 Chippewa Secondary career studies students participated in a day-long workshop that focused on the global competencies of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship (ICE).
The ICE challenge is a concept that was originally generated in the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program, but Ontario's Ministry of Education is working with teachers across the province to modernize the curriculum. ICE is a component that has been proposed as part of a new curricular push towards integrating 21st century global competencies into career studies.
Throughout the day, students had an opportunity to develop application prototypes, hear a keynote presentation from local entrepreneurs and participate in a Shark Tank type panel that served to provide feedback for student-generated prototypes.
The efforts from the students who participated will be documented and shared with Ministry staffers to help guide the design of new curriculum. Near North was one of the only boards participating in the pilot project that tested the new curriculum using an ICE Challenge outside of school.
Students, teachers and entrepreneurs contributed to the overall success of the event assisted by the North Bay Chamber of Commerce for finding local entrepreneurs to inspire students.
For more information, please contact:
Greg Deschamps, Program Coordinator E. Greg.Deschamps@nearnorthschools.ca P. (705) 472-7015, extension 5039
The Near North District School Board is proud to announce via Media Release that West Ferris Intermediate and Secondary School student, Madison Mattias, has been selected to serve as a member of the Ontario Minister of Education’s 2018-2019 Student Advisory Council.
The Near North District School Board is proud to announce that Almaguin Highlands Secondary School, has been awarded a grant of $10,000.00 from MusiCounts. The grant will be used to purchase new instruments.
Mii gwi Anishinabek wewena nkenmaaminak dependajig maa kiing.
"We acknowledge in a good way, the original people of the land here"
We value the cultures, histories and relationships with the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (North America)