March 31, 2021
Dear Near North Parents and Guardians,
COVID-19 rapid antigen testing is now available at select Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaw Pharmacy locations for students, children and staff of the four school boards in the Nipissing and Parry Sound District.
COVID-19 testing is voluntary and will help to identify cases early, inform Public Health decisions, and manage outbreaks. Participants will need to be asymptomatic in order to be eligible to receive a COVID-19 rapid antigen test.
If you are interested in participating or are interested in having your child or dependent participate, please review the attached letter and provide your written consent to participate. For individuals under the age of 18 years old, signed consent by a parent or guardian will be required.
To book an appointment for a rapid antigen test, please call one of the locations from the participating list in the letter attached. Please remember to bring a printed copy of the Consent form included in this letter on the day of your test.
Please contact your child’s school if you require a hard copy of this letter.
Sincerely,
Near North District School Board
Students at North Bay’s Sunset Park Public School hosted special dignitaries for a lesson in social studies.
“It was really nice that Minister Lecce touched upon some things that we are going to learn about in the rest of our unit on Canada and the global community,” she said, Mme. Pearson added that having Minister Lecce ask the students thought-provoking questions will help students make a connection later on in the unit. “It will be really neat because I’ll be able to pull those into the lesson and say ‘Do you remember when Minister Lecce was talking about this? Well, we’re going to explore that in further detail now.’”
Congratulations to the four NNDSB students who were recognized yesterday as Students Who Make a Difference during the North Bay and District Multicultural Centre’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination event.
Culinary arts students at Parry Sound High School had some special guests join them recently. Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and Norm Miller, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka dropped in for a virtual lunch-hour tour on March 16 to explore the school’s renowned Specialized High Skills Major (SHSM) tourism and hospitality program and state-of-the-art industrial kitchen.
“It was a real pleasure to virtually tour Mr. Cousin’s Culinary Program at Parry Sound High School with the Minister Lecce and board members of Near North Public School Board,” said MPP Norm Miller. “The knowledge and skill the student’s displayed were truly impressive. When I was hiring in hospitality, I would have loved to have had access to young people with this training. These skills will serve them very well whatever path they choose to pursue.”
SHSM supports students in planning for a career in the skilled trades. The hospitality and tourism program allows students to build a foundation of sector-focused knowledge and skills before graduating and entering apprenticeship training, college, university, or an entry-level position in the workplace.

