Almaguin Highlands students use their construction skills to build community partnerships

Construction students at Almaguin Highlands Secondary School (AHSS) in South River honed their skills and gave back to their community while building a pair of gate booths for the Dunchurch Agricultural Society (DAS).

The booths, which will be installed at the entrance of the Dunchurch fairgrounds, are being constructed through a collaboration between the school and the Parry Sound Home Depot.

Almaguin manufacturing technology teacher Darran Andersen, who is also director of the DAS, saw the need for the gate booths and thought it would be a good learning opportunity for his students. His proposal of the project to his fellow agricultural society members was met with unanimous approval. Andersen next turned to community partners Home Depot for support.

Shendah Davy, specialty department supervisor at the Home Depot Parry Sound location says when Andersen contacted her about support for the project, she knew it would be a good fit for the Home Depot Canada’s associate-led volunteer force, Team Depot.

Material costs were donated by the Community Investment team at the Home Depot Canada and expertise was shared by Home Depot Canada team.

“It’s a core value of the Home Depot Canada to give back to the communities we live and work in,” Davy said.  “It was great to work with the four dedicated students from Almaguin and watch them develop their construction skills. Who knows, they might be Home Depot associates one day!”

Andersen and Almaguin construction teacher Carter Schaffner hand-picked the group of students to participate in the project which took place over one full day of building followed by class time for two weeks.

The AHSS students used the skills they had learned in Andersen and Schaffner’s classes to build a wood framed structure, and with the help of the Home Depot Canada volunteers, acquired new knowledge of pitch and slopes of roofing and trusses.

Andersen said students saw first-hand the benefits of programs such as Team Depot and gained newfound appreciation for the importance of local volunteers and local organizations such as the DAS and what it brings to small communities.

“Students were impressed by their accomplishment for one day. The project took shape very quickly and the students felt they contributed in a very positive manner to support local organizations and businesses,” Andersen said. “They identified the importance of working together to complete the work in such little time. They were very proud to demonstrate the skills they had already learned to the volunteers from the Home Depot Canada.”

Davy says the Home Depot Canada tries to engage with these sorts of community activities regularly.

“We have numerous requests that come through and each one is individually assessed for how it ties into the goals of the Home Depot Canada community investment program,” Davy said.

“This was the first project we’ve done since COVID, so we were rather excited to get back out there in the community again,” Davy said.

The completed gate booths are scheduled to be installed at the Dunchurch fairground entrance in the coming weeks.

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For more information, please contact:

Brett Hanson

Communications Coordinator

Near North District School Board

1. (705) 472-8170, extension 5083
2. Brett.Hanson@nearnorthschools.ca

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Students, community partner laud board’s PSW program

The first class of personal support worker (PSW) students is about halfway through Near North District School Board’s (NNDSB) unique program, which re-engages learners while assisting to close the gap in employment needs in the healthcare sector. The program sees students learn in living classrooms – they learn theory and often within hours are on the floor putting into practice what they’ve just learned.

The program is running in Parry Sound and North Bay, with community partners Belvedere House and Cassellholme, which are providing the classroom space and mentorship of the PSW students.

The in-class sessions will wrap up June 30, then students will have to fulfil placement hours in both long-term care and community care settings.

In North Bay, instructor Nancy Corbett is no stranger to Cassellholme. She’s been a registered practical nurse (RPN) there for 25 years and has worked as a preceptor for practical nursing students.

She loves teaching in the living classroom, where students start to learn slowly with portering and feeding residents before they learn about hygiene and other aspects of care. Corbett says when students get to shadow PSWs, they learn by seeing others do the work, then get to try it themselves. She says living classrooms “are the way to teach. It’s the way to go,” because of the shortened timeframe between learning and doing.

The hands-on learning is what appealed to Arianna Poullas. The North Bay resident studied for a year at college but didn’t enjoy learning in a classroom from a textbook. The PSW program appealed to her because after theoretical learning, there is application of the knowledge.

“I like being able to do things with my hands,” says Poullas. “It makes things make sense to me.”

She says the small class size helps the group all feel like family, and says it’s been like that since the first day. The students are supportive of each other, and Poullas says this is the best program she’s ever been involved in. She says learning by reading “just doesn’t stick in my head”; she likes being out on the floor and is happy to not be learning solely by books.

PSW student Jillian Hewitt is also a part-time employee and single mom who enjoys the flexibility of the program.

She enjoys observing and learning from the PSWs, as she finds every person does things a little differently. Watching the others lets her find the best way for her to do the job.

Hewitt says the program is well-organized and the way it’s been taught has made the content “easy to absorb.” She feels supported by Corbett, her peers and staff at Cassellholme, and is confident in the skills she will have when she graduates after her placement hours.

Poullas loves working with Cassellholme’s residents and is hoping for a job in long-term care. She’s already been hired in the home’s Helping Hands program; Cassellholme Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jamie Lowery says it’s like a pre-PSW job position in which staff assist the PSWs.

Poullas is one of seven of the PSW students who have been hired as Helping Hands at Cassellholme. Lowery says the work that was done in vetting candidates has created a class of students who have “an inherent desire to be a PSW.” He says staff is “blown away” by the quality of students and of the course being taught.

NNDSB’s intake process is credited with successful inaugural classes.

Lisa Spencer, who facilitates specialist high skills majors and experiential learning for NNDSB says, “Our intake process consisted of an initial literacy assessment and interview where our team had the opportunity to meet and support each student individually. As a continuing education program, not all our students came to us with their high school diploma so really understanding the pathway for our students helped us to support the initiation process. We can see that our intake process is supportive, and we are very proud of all our students. They can earn their high school diploma while participating in a state of the art post-secondary program.”

Corbett says the interview process gleaned candidates who were best suited to the work of a PSW and who displayed the commitment needed to complete the course. Lowery says he was impressed with NNDSB and its flexibility in designing the program. Teaching learners to deal with difficult people is a skill that the PSW students can use in many aspects of life, not just at work.

He adds that for some, working as a PSW may be only the first step in a healthcare career. Cassellholme has a training budget for its staff which can help people meet their career goals.

There are plans to run the PSW program in September in West Nipissing and Mattawa, too. People interested in taking the PSW course can visit this page for more information. It contains links to an information session, information about the literacy assessment, and a fillable form to register interest in the program. Spaces are limited so potential students are urged to register as soon as possible.

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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, May 24, 2022

Evergreen Heights kindergarten students plant trees

Kindergarten students at Evergreen Heights Education Centre in Emsdale got the chance to get their hands dirty and learn a little about trees, gardening and caring for the environment by planting a pair of apple trees in the schoolyard.

One Norland apple tree and one Haralred apple tree were awarded to the class as prizes for their winning entry in a Near North District School Board (NNDSB) Earth Day contest. The contest invited students across the board to share their ‘green moves’ in support of environmental stewardship, waste and carbon management and development of school spaces.

“As a board we strive to ensure that all students have the opportunity to participate in learning about the world around them,” Secondary Program Coordinator Lisa Spencer said. “This year, our teachers across the board and kindergarten to Grade 12 planned amazing activities with their students to showcase how students can ‘invest in the planet’. The Environment Committee formalized the opportunity for sharing these activities through the apple tree contest. We invited teachers and classes to share back what they had done to invest in their planet with the offer that we would purchase, provide and plant two apple trees in the yard of the selected school.”

For Earth Day, Skye Goulbourne’s kindergarten class learned about using both sides of their paper, turning off the water when they brush their teeth and turned off their classroom lights to conserve energy while they spent the Earth Day afternoon outside. The students even created a craft using recycled materials.

“Earlier in the year, we had a family donate some empty DVD cases and asked if we had the use for them,” Goulbourne said. “We gratefully accepted them because we are all about turning trash into treasures in kindergarten. For the Earth Day contest we decided to use them to make handprint Earth Day decorations. They put little dots of blue paint with their fingers on the cases to make an Earth and wrote Happy Earth Day on them.”

When tree planting day arrived, the class took turns helping to plant the trees by scooping soil onto the tree roots after Goulbourne and staff had dug the holes. Their involvement in an activity which can benefit the whole school is something that is very important to the youngest students at Evergreen Heights.

“There are limitations through the school that keep the littlest learners from participating in some of the activities that older students get to do. So, it instills a sense of community that these littlest learners did something that everyone at the school can enjoy,” Goulbourne said.

“As they go through their time at the school and we get to do things with the apples that come from the trees I think there will be a real sense of pride in the students from knowing that they did that,” Goulbourne said. “They will be an integral part of caring for these trees for the rest of the school year and our year one students will continue to care for the trees next fall and hopefully get to collect some apples too,” she added.

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For more information, please contact:

Brett Hanson

Communications Coordinator

Near North District School Board

P: (705) 472-8170, extension 5083

E: Brett.Hanson@nearnorthschools.ca

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Summer school theme: celebrate, experience, plan

The theme of this year’s summer school program at Near North District School Board (NNDSB) is Celebrate prior learning, Experience new learning and Plan Forward for future learning.

NNDSB is offering Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) camp for the first time ever this year. The camp will run in the mornings at West Ferris Secondary School for students in Grades 7-10. Camp will run from 9 a.m. to noon July 4-22, and students will get hands-on experience with STEM education while learning foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Students will interact with drones, coding, robotics with an appearance from First Team1305 and more. Principal recommendation is required to participate.

West Ferris Secondary School is also the site of Summer of the Arts, a Grade 9 and 10 integrated arts (ALC10/20) and Grade 11 and 12 exploring and creating in the arts (AEA30/40) courses being offered. Students can build on their artistic talents while earning a secondary school credit. These courses run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from July 4-29.

E-learning courses are being offered for all students. Courses include French Immersion civics and careers, science, English, math, history, cooperative education, physics, geography and more.  The Grade 8 reach ahead credit is also being offered, providing students who will be entering Grade 9 in September the opportunity to earn a credit over the summer.

The board is also continuing its partnership with the Canadian Ecology Centre, with a number of courses being offered at the Mattawa-area facility.

The deadline for registration through guidance counsellors at secondary is Friday, June 24. Learn more and see summer school options in this flyer.

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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

Thursday, May 19, 2022

NNDSB staff get Caverhill Road Race running again

Near North District School Board (NNDSB) staff put in hundreds of volunteer hours to ensure that the Caverhill Road Race took place after a two-year hiatus caused by COVID-19 and its resulting restrictions.

The race, initially known as the Nobel Road Race, has been an annual spring staple in the community. This year, organizers Brigid Wright (principal of Nobel Public School) and Dawn Buckland (principal of Parry Sound High School) organized the May 7 event on short notice.

Buckland says, “In times of extreme staff shortage, it was amazing to see countless NNDSB staff and student volunteers work tirelessly to get the event up and running.” In addition to attending planning meetings, there were volunteers on race day all along the route.

The organizing team knows how important extra-curricular activities are to students and staff and are excited to begin the transition back to participation in such events.

The Caverhill Road Race is a single event organized and run by NNDSB staff, and features student-only categories. This year there were categories for Grade 3 and 4 girls, Grade 3 and 4 boys, Grade 5 and 6 girls, Grade 5 and 6 boys, Grade 7 and 8 girls and Grade 7 and 8 boys. The route is approximately three kilometres, finishing at Nobel Public School.

Among the race volunteers were Parry Sound High School students whose efforts on race day exemplify the character traits encouraged at NNDSB; the board supports students in being strong role models for their younger peers.

NNDSB is proud of its staff who are willing to go the extra mile and create memorable experiences and opportunities for 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

Friday, May 13, 2022

Board Highlights of May meeting

The following are the highlights of the Near North District School Board (NNDSB) meeting of Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

In-person graduation ceremonies return

For the first time in two years, in-person graduation ceremonies are taking place at NNDSB schools.

Secondary school graduations are planned at each of the six secondary schools, and the Laurentian Learning Centre. Ceremonies are taking place between June 27 and 29.

Board Chair Jay Aspin, in speaking about graduation, called them “a special time for trustees. It’s kind of like watching your garden grow.”

Outdoor education and PD opportunities

Director of Education Craig Myles’ monthly update included a rundown of professional development for staff in outdoor education.

The board’s early childhood educators and kindergarten teachers were invited to express interest in the Forest Practitioner course being offered by the Child and Nature Alliance in Canada. The course involves four days of in-person learning at the Canadian Ecology Centre in Mattawa, and 11 months of independent online study. The course is being offered in May and June.

The Outdoor Ways of Learning and Sharing (OWLS) program is another of the ways in which outdoor learning takes place at NNDSB. Initially a pilot project in 2019, OWLS delivered interdisciplinary outdoor learning experiences to primary students. The program has expanded to provide these opportunities in all grades.

Director Myles also updated the Board on the status of the newly created outdoor classroom at Sundridge Centennial Public School and noted that NNDSB has been asked to give a presentation on the success of the board’s CAN Bike program at the Ontario Healthy School Conference later this month.

Updates on 3:2 consolidation work

In his update, Director Myles provided an update to trustees on the status of work in the 3:2 consolidation.

At Chippewa Secondary School, the auditorium interior and exteriors updates are almost 90 per cent complete and power to the new field scoreboard and maintenance building will begin this month. A weather-related event damaged the new learning commons space, and assessment and correction work are beginning.

At West Ferris Secondary School, the hospitality suite and cosmetology classroom are complete, and the learning commons has some adjustments to be made, but the book collection and technology has been reinstalled and space will be ready for use this month.

Student Trustees’ reports detail school activities

Student Trustee Cecilia Darling reported on a busy spring for students at all NNDSB secondary schools.

Spirit days included “anything but a backpack” day and student versus teacher sports games.

Darling also reported that information about Student Senate has been distributed to schools and elections for next year’s senators will be taking place soon.

Indigenous Student Trustee Allen Lewis Trodd’s report updated trustees on the work of the Indigenous Youth Circle and the meaningful ways NNDSB schools recognized May 5, the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People.

His report spoke to how he was personally impacted, and how important it is for others to see from an Indigenous point of view. Trodd also outlined his commitment to mentor the next Indigenous Student Trustee.

Infrastructure tenders awarded

Trustees moved to accept two recommendations to award tenders for work to be done at Argyle Public School ($526,562 plus HST) and Mapleridge Public School ($490,000 plus HST).

The work will see HVAC upgrades at Argyle Public School  and washroom and public announcement system upgrades at Mapleridge Public School.

These projects are part of more than $20 million in upgrades at NNDSB schools across the district. The work has been made possible in part by school condition improvement funding and by staff application for joint federal and provincial funding through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (CVRIS).

A media release issued May 12, 2022, outlined infrastructure investment in more detail.

Report shows board progressing towards goals

Trustees received a report that detailed survey results and progress that has been made towards achieving the goals outlined in the board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP).

Data collected from responses to an online survey shows the board is moving positively in the priority areas of Excellence in Innovation, Excellence in Communication, Excellence in Relationships and Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

Trustee Bill Steer, who chairs the MYSP Committee, says the committee will continue to identify data points and assess operations in order to evaluate progress. Among the next steps resulting from survey responses are improvements to web pages with literacy and numeracy content, increasing understanding of where information can be found, and increasing opportunities for stakeholders to be heard and increasing community involvement opportunities in schools.

This media release provides more details about the survey results and on-going assessment.

The full progress report can be found here.

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Note: the full agenda package is posted on the website prior to meetings, and official minutes are posted after they are approved at the next board meeting.

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

Thursday, May 12, 2022

Update on infrastructure investments throughout district

At its meeting Tuesday, May 10, 2022, Near North District School Board moved to accept two recommendations to award tenders for major upgrades at two schools. These are the latest investments in NNDSB buildings across the district.

The most recent awards are for $526,562 for an HVAC upgrade project at Argyle Public School in Port Loring and a $490,000 award to upgrade washrooms and PA systems at Mapleridge Public School in Powassan.

These tenders are the most recent of several investments in infrastructure in schools throughout NNDSB. This school year, with support from federal and provincial government funding, more than $20.5 million has been invested into several buildings across all areas of the board.

Board Chair Jay Aspin says, “Our board is grateful for the significant amount of federal and provincial government support to assist us in modernizing our facilities to keep our students and staff safe during these challenging times. Our firm commitment is to provide the best learning environment to promote student well-being and success in all regions of our board.”

Much of the infrastructure investment was for ventilation upgrades, and more than $6 million was provided to NNDSB following a rigid application process. NNDSB staff conducted thorough needs assessments then applied for funding to offset costs of upgrades to improve educational spaces throughout the board.

NNDSB’s Superintendent of Business Seija Van Haesendonck, says, “Through the support of the federal and provincial governments, the board has planned upgrades to ventilation systems at many schools across the region to provide enhanced air quality, in coordination with the HEPA filtration units purchased with federal and provincial funding. In addition to the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream – Education Related Projects (CVRIS-EDU) funding received as part of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, the Board has directed Ministry of Education School Condition Improvement and School Renewal allocations to ensure the upgrades are completed, and to support other projects within our schools such as washroom upgrades.”

James Coventry, NNDSB’s manager of facilities and operations, says the board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) and the board’s core purpose – student achievement and well-being – has been helpful in guiding processes and making decisions.

Many projects have focused on ventilation systems and helping to optimize air quality of schools and supporting healthy and safe learning environments for students and staff.

Other infrastructure projects will help NNDSB provide students with a 21^st century education by creating innovative learning spaces.

“NNDSB’s 2021-2026 MYSP outlines our key strategic priorities, one of which is Excellence in Innovation,” says Coventry. “Exciting upgrades in schools will allow our students to engage in future-oriented learning experiences that promote excellence in achievement and well-being. We are constructing learning commons and completing upgrades to libraries, classrooms (both indoors and outdoors), and technology shops,” he says.

“These projects will support our current programming as well as allow our students new opportunities,” adds Coventry.

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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, May 11, 2022

MYSP survey results show board progressing towards goals

Data from April’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) online survey has been compiled and shows Near North District School Board (NNDSB) is moving in a positive direction in the four priority areas: Excellence in Communication; Excellence in Relationships; Excellence in Teaching and Learning; and Excellence in Innovation.

Trustee Bill Steer, who chairs the MYSP Committee, presented a progress report to trustees at last night’s Board meeting. “The MYSP Committee and the Board will continue to identify additional numerical data points that will assess various aspects of our educational operations through the intent of the MYSP. The MYSP progress report is the next step in applying the plan,” he said.

The April survey gathered responses from staff, parents/guardians, students and community partners.

Baseline data was taken from internal sources and stakeholder interviews with Nanos Research, Ministry of Education special advisors and Ramsay Partners Inc. prior to development of the MYSP.

Respondents to the April survey overwhelmingly believed that the volume of communication from NNDSB had increased in the past two years, and almost 79 per cent of respondents were able to find all or most of the information they were looking for.

The majority of respondents (89 per cent) agree that NNDSB schools have innovative programs and 89 per cent agree that the board offers excellence in teaching and learning.

The survey responses also provided the board with some goals for improvement and next steps to continue building confidence with stakeholders. Among identified improvements are web pages for literacy and numeracy content, increasing understanding of where information may be found, investigating innovative options for students who live in areas of declining enrolment, and increasing opportunities for stakeholders to be heard and to increase community involvement in schools.

“The reliable saying ‘you can’t manage what you can’t measure’ holds true,” says Board Chair Jay Aspin. “Our MYSP Committee is developing both qualitative and quantitative measures to assist us with full measures to assess the progress of our recently created MYSP. Qualitative data has been developed from our pupils, employees, parents, partners and the public. Our board is very pleased with this data produced from this survey as it reflects the tremendous transition the board has undergone by establishing meaningful strategic goals then assessing delivery of these goals,” he says.

In addition to presenting the qualitative data from the survey, the MYSP progress report also shared quantitative information that outlines how NNDSB is working in all four priority areas to support the student, school, department and board improvement plans.

Accomplishments in the past year include improved and faster access to assistive technology for students, expanded course offering for all students through online learning, summer programs to help mitigate gaps due to COVID-19 disruptions, dedicated staff to support Indigenous education, optimized experiential learning opportunities and enhanced relationships with community partners via the equity advisory circle, as one example.

Director of Education Craig Myles said the MYSP survey gave stakeholders the opportunity to share feedback, while providing valuable information to NNDSB staff about progress and next steps.

“It’s vital that we keep lines of communication open with all stakeholder groups. The board needs to know how people feel about what we are doing,” says Myles. “The survey responses allowed us to assess how we are doing and provide direction to implement strategies focused on improvement.”

Here is the link to the full progress report with more details, data and accomplishments.

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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