Friday, Jan. 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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A new year – a new look! NNDSB is excited to be launching a new homepage on the website, as well as some updated landing pages. It is the start of a process that will see streamlined content and easier navigation throughout the site.
Links will remain functional but the layout and buttons are updated. Please share this with students, who may be surprised by a new look when they login to their student accounts.
The updated website will launch on Wednesday, Jan. 10. There is also an online form for users to send feedback regarding the site. Users can submit feedback here.
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This fall, the Ministry of Education introduced a series of three modules per grade to support the existing mental health literacy expectations within the Grades 7 and 8 health and physical education curriculum. This series of three, 40-minute modules per grade will be delivered by educators to support mental health. The modules are not new learning – they offer ways to enhance the delivery of the existing curriculum and focus on mental health literacy.
This learning will help equip students with inclusive, culturally responsive, evidence-informed knowledge, skills and strategies to support their mental health and well-being. They align with and support the work we do in NNDSB to support student mental health.
The modules were informed by extensive consultation with parents/caregivers, students, cultural and community organizations.
There are important reasons to bring these modules into the classroom:
- students want to learn more about mental health at school;
- this learning helps students develop skills that support positive mental health;
- mental health learning supports learning in all other areas;
- this learning can encourage conversations and help students in need reach support;
- as caring adults in the lives of young people, we want students to be well!
Here is a link to an introductory video that provides more information.
As always, students will be made aware that there are many adults at school they can talk to, should they have additional questions about the learning, and opportunities for follow up support and will be provided. If you have questions about these modules or mental health supports, please reach out to your school principal or the mental health lead, Lana St-Louis lana.stlouis@nearnorthschools.ca or 705-472-7015 ext. 4524.
You are an important part of supporting your child’s learning about mental health and well-being.
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The next meeting of the Board will be held Tuesday, Jan. 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
