Friday, Oct. 1, 2021
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The weekly Letter to Families was intended to help you learn how Near North District School Board (NNDSB) will support you in the return to school. We are hopeful that you and your child(ren) are settling into new routines. As a result, these letters will now be scheduled on a monthly, not weekly basis. The Letter to Families will be distributed on the first Friday of the month.
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The 2021-2022 school year is off to a great start at secondary schools with the kickoff of Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) programs.
This year, we add two additional programs: Mining at Northern Secondary and Hospitality and Tourism at West Ferris Secondary.
These two incredible programs join our 15 existing programs to support hands-on and experiential learning that relate to career pathways and sector-related experiences. Students enrolled in SHSM have the opportunity to participate in unique certifications as well as learning alongside NNDSB’s community partners.
There is a SHSM program to match any student pathway! Students interested in these programs can reach out to their school’s guidance departments for more information or, visit the SHSM page of the board’s website to learn more.
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We encourage families to take some time to become familiar with NNDSB’s virtual learning tools and resources to help prepare for any situation that results in your child(ren) being required to learn from home.
The Near North District School Board supports the use of virtual learning platforms that allow students to connect with learning resources in a secure environment. Three primary, board-supported platforms include Brightspace LMS, Edsby and Office 365.
Please familiarize yourself with these resources and tips to prepare for remote learning:
- students are encouraged to confirm they’re able to sign into their classroom virtual learning platform (LMS, Edsby, Office 365). If you encounter any issues logging in, please email passwordreset@nearnorthschools.ca or during regular school hours please call: (705) 472-5169 (North Bay), (705) 773-7975 (Parry Sound)
- use the following links for parent information regarding Brightspace LMS and Edsby. Contact your child’s teacher if you’re unable to login. Click here to reset your parent password
- the Learning at Home page hosts a variety of resources and helpful links to support at-home learning including access to various learning platforms as well as math and literacy resources
- Microsoft Teams is a board-supported communication tool used to connect synchronously using audio, video and chat. Use the following link to learn how to join a Teams meeting across various devices: Microsoft Teams for Students
- teachers will continue to integrate digital tools into classroom learning to ensure that students are prepared for a possible “pivot” to remote learning.
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NNDSB follows the direction of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the public health unit when devising COVID-19 plans.
Thank you,
Near North District School Board
