Near North District School Board

Positive momentum continues, as shown in annual report

By

Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021

Positive momentum continues, as shown in annual report

In a year in which people continued to struggle through the second year of a global pandemic, Near North District School Board (NNDSB) staff shone. Director of Education Craig Myles proudly presented the 2020-2021 Director’s Annual Report to trustees at Tuesday night’s Board meeting.

Woven through the report were references to the board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) and its four pillars: Excellence in Teaching and Learning; Excellence in Innovation; Excellence in Relationships; and Excellence in Communications. Although the MYSP wasn’t official until the June 2021 Board meeting, all stakeholders were kept apprised of the progress and the work taking place during the plan’s development. With input from a variety of sources, NNDSB’s MYSP prepares every stakeholder group to focus on the goal of student achievement and well-being.

The Director’s Annual Report also shared highlights of the Board, such as the creation of a new governance manual, a finance manual and streamlined budget reporting process.

“I am happy, and proud,” said Myles during his presentation to the Board on Tuesday. He said the annual report is “one of accomplishment and success of staff and students…in the face of (COVID-19) pandemic.”

Myles said credit for the work must be given the “strong team” that comprise the board. “Without these groups, this report would not be possible,” he said.

Board Chair Jay Aspin complimented Myles, noting that the document was “a top-notch report” in a difficult year. “We continue to strongly support our Director’s efforts to reform and rejuvenate this board and the results are apparent.”

The Director’s Annual Report can be found here.

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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

Board approves audited 2020-2021 financial statements

By

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021

Board approves audited 2020-2021 financial statements

As recommended by the Audit Committee, Near North District School Board last night approved the draft audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended Aug. 31, 2021. The audit was conducted by KPMG and resulted in a clean audit opinion. No significant control deficiencies were noted, indicating that the finance department continued to work effectively during the disruptions presented by the pandemic.

Highlights of this year’s statements include an increase to operating accumulated surplus of $3.1 million, and additions to capital assets of $8.9 million.

Chair of the Audit Committee, John Cochrane said, “Once again, thanks to a totally impressive team effort led by our Superintendent of Business Seija Van Haesendonck, and Manager of Finance Wende Proulx, our audited financial statements are a shining example of the way your Board wisely spends our taxpayer funds. Congratulations to all involved!”

The Audit Committee also presented a year-end report, which Trustees approved, and will forward to the Ministry of Education for the year ended Aug. 31, 2021.

The statements may be found in the agenda package from last night’s meeting.

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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

Chair, Vice-Chair acclaimed at organizational meeting

By

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021

Chair, Vice-Chair acclaimed at organizational meeting

Chair Jay Aspin and Vice-Chair John Cochrane were acclaimed at tonight’s organizational meeting of Near North District School Board (NNDSB), signalling trustees’ continued support of Board leadership.

Director of Education Craig Myles, as secretary of the Board, presided over tonight’s meeting until the Chair was elected.

The two have held these positions with this Board since it was elected in the fall of 2018, through elections and acclamations.

Much has been accomplished under the leadership of Chair Aspin and Vice-Chair Cochrane. Among the highlights are the appointment of a new Director of Education,  consistent efforts to improve transparency and processes, the creation and implementation of a governance manual and the development of a Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) that sets the course for the board through 2026.

After his acclamation, Chair Aspin addressed the Board, thanking trustees for their continued confidence.

Chair Aspin is entering his 21st year as a school board trustee, and has held elected public office for 43 years, including six terms as a North Bay councillor and a Member of the 41st Canadian Parliament.

“It is both an honour and a privilege to continue to serve as your Chair. I look forward to continuing to work with Board members, Director Myles and his senior leadership team to support the achievement and well-being of our students and staff,” said Chair Aspin.

After his acclamation, Vice-Chair Cochrane said, “I would like to thank my fellow board members for their on-going support of my work as Vice-Chair, and Chair of the Audit and Finance Committees,”. “My thoughts are focused, of course, on completing our much-needed school in Parry Sound. Our Board remains intent on pupil and staff safety throughout this coming year.”

Director Myles is grateful that Chair Aspin and Vice-Chair Cochrane were willing to let their names stand for another term. “This board has made remarkable progress in so many areas under the leadership of Chair Aspin and Vice-Chair Cochrane. NNDSB is fortunate to have a stellar group of trustees who are passionate about the work they do on behalf of students. I believe that more good things are to come with them guiding the Board for another year.”

This will be the final year of this Board’s mandate; the next municipal election will be held Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.

Chair Aspin said, “As this is our last year of this term as the Board of Trustees, let’s continue to reform and rejuvenate the board with the good work we have achieved together since 2018.”

The Chair said the key challenges the Board will focus on this year include providing quality education while keeping staff and students safe and healthy in the face of COVID-19, full implementation of the MYSP, completion of new school builds at Fricker and the Parry Sound JK-12 build, support improvements in human resource allocation, effective continued expansion of community partnerships and communications and to advance the North Bay facilities study.

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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

December Letter to Families

By

Friday, Dec. 3, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This monthly Letter to Families is intended to keep you apprised of news that affects all students and families of Near North District School Board (NNDSB). The Letter to Families is distributed on the first Friday of the month.

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Child vaccine clinics: The North Bay Parry Sound Health Unit is hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinics for 5- to 11-year-old children in the coming weeks. You can find out more information about clinic dates and times here.

Some of these clinics are being held at area schools. The school clinics are not during school hours and the expectation is that children will attend with an adult who will consent on their behalf. According to our local health unit, there is no age of consent for vaccinations, but nurses determine if a child can make that decision and understand the consequences prior to vaccination. For more information about Child Vaccination Clinics please call the health unit at 1-844-478-1400.

Travel at December Break: With the holiday season approaching, it is anticipated that many staff, students and families will choose to make travel plans for the December break. Ahead of the break, we would like to share some information about directives related to international travel and quarantine requirements.

Individuals must follow federal testing and quarantine requirements upon return from any international travel. This includes not attending school or childcare for the 14 days following a return from international travel for individuals advised to quarantine or not attend school/childcare upon their return.

While unvaccinated children under the age of 12 who travelled internationally with a fully vaccinated companion are exempt from federal quarantine, they are not permitted to attend school or childcare for 14 days following their return. Generally, individuals who are fully vaccinated are exempt from federal quarantine and may continue to attend school or childcare. Individuals with all other federal quarantine exemptions (e.g., travelling for cross-border custody arrangements; travelling for medical treatment) may also continue to attend school or childcare. For more detailed information, please contact our local health unit.

Rapid Antigen Testing during December Break: On Nov. 18, 2021, the Minister of Education announced a program for rapid antigen testing for all Ontario students during the December break. Before the break, every student in Ontario will be sent home with a rapid antigen screening kit that contains five tests. These kits will support all students to complete voluntary screening at home prior to their return to the classroom in January.

If a student tests positive using the rapid antigen screening, they must follow local health unit guidance which includes isolating and getting a confirmatory test at a local testing site. More information about this program will be shared once it is received from the Ministry of Education.

Winter Timetabling for Secondary Schools: For the winter semester starting in February 2022, the Ministry of Education has announced that all secondary schools may resume a regular timetabling model of four courses per day, unless not supported by the local Medical Officer of Health.

We are currently working with our local health unit to finalize how timetabling will look in our NNDSB secondary schools and will share further information once it is available to us.

Time-limited Health and Safety Measures in Schools: To mitigate risks associated with the colder weather and gatherings/travel over the winter holidays and to limit the number of contacts for unvaccinated populations especially in elementary schools, the Ministry of Education is implementing enhanced health and safety measures for schools. These measures will remain in place until the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health recommends they be lifted, and include:

  • virtual-only parent teacher conferences/interviews in elementary and secondary schools;
  • starting in January, virtual-only assemblies in elementary schools.
  • restricting lunches/breaks to classroom cohort when indoors, where distancing between cohorts cannot be maintained in elementary schools.

In addition, all elementary and secondary schools will be required to implement daily onsite confirmation of screening prior to/upon arrival at school for at least two weeks following winter break. Please ensure your child completes their COVID-19 school screening before attending school each day. Starting on Jan. 5, teachers will confirm completion of this screening each morning during daily attendance. The screening tool can be found here.

More COVID-19 information may be found in this memo from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

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Thank you to all parents, guardians, community members, staff and students who took the time between Nov. 15 – Dec. 3, 2021 to complete the School Climate Survey. This survey is important because a safe, inclusive, and accepting school environment is essential for student success and well-being.

The data collected from the School Climate Survey is used to inform the development of Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plans and to build strategies into School Improvement Plans to improve school climate. We appreciate your participation!

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The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) provided an informative parent session on Nov. 17, 2021, that was well attended by parents/guardians from throughout our district. Feedback from the session was very positive; parents/guardians were highly encouraged by the number of resources C3P provided. One area of focus was how to have positive conversations with kids so that they feel supported and safe while online. More information can be found on a variety of C3P’s platforms, including:

Protectchildren.ca – the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s main website with resources for families to help keep kids safe;

Protectkidsonline.ca – a one-stop shop for all things about internet safety;

DontGetSextorted.ca – a website with information about sextortion – including a video, lesson plan, tips to stay safe, and information about reporting;

NeedNelpNow.ca – a website designed to help teens stop the spread of sexual pictures or videos and provides support such as information about how to involve a safe adult, helping a friend, and the laws in Canada/how to report;

Cybertip.ca – Canada’s tip line to report the online sexual exploitation of children;

Cybertip.ca Alerts – notifications sent out to inform the public of concerning technology trends and new resources designed to increase children’s personal safety.

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MLI HOMESTAY, one of NNDSB’s partners, is seeking families to host international students coming to North Bay in late January 2022.

Students are coming for long- and short-term studies. They will live as a member of the family, and compensation is provided to assist with expenses.

To learn more, contact Andrea Corbeil at acorbeil@mlihomestay.com , call 705-845-1988 or visit www.mlihomestay.ca.

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Director of Education Craig Myles sends his best wishes to all students, staff and families for a most joyous holiday break.

COVID-19 has affected all over us over the past two years and as immunization has reduced the morbidity of the virus, we are seeing the return of some pre-pandemic activities at schools and in the community.

The Director is grateful for the board’s COVID-19 team for its leadership, and all staff and families for their diligence in adhering to the COVID-19 protocols that have kept NNDSB schools free from outbreak. We must balance the importance of friends and family, with awareness of the risks of gathering over the holidays.

Season’s greetings to all NNDSB staff and families.

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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

 

West Ferris Secondary School students spread kindness to others

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Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021

A small gesture can make all the difference in someone’s day. Recently, students at West Ferris Secondary School created inspirational bookmarks to be placed in books at the North Bay Public Library, all in an effort to spread kindness.

“We didn’t choose to do this for the recognition; we did this because we wanted to spread kindness. We wanted to bring a little happiness to others,” said a collective student group.

In all, 150 bookmarks written in both English and French were created by students as part of World Kindness Day, which was on Nov. 13. The bookmarks will be hidden in books at the public library to be a warm and pleasant surprise for those who open them.

“We’re thankful to the public library for working with us to get the bookmarks out to the public, and hope that the bookmarks brighten someone’s day,” noted Jessica Feick of WFSS’ Library Services department.

Safe Cycling program rolling with funding partnership

By

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021

Safe Cycling program rolling with funding partnership

A class set of bicycles has been purchased for Near North District School Board (NNDSB) students in Grades 7 and 8 to learn more about walking and wheeling to school. The Safe Cycling with NNDSB project is a partnership between the board, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, Ride Smart and Ontario Provincial Police. It was funded through a grant from Ontario Active School Travel, a program of Green Communities Canada (GCC), a non-profit organization that promotes active school travel, and the Government of Ontario.

The $30,000 grant enabled the purchase of a fleet of bicycles, safety equipment, a portable trailer to store the bikes, and CanBike Level 4 accreditation for all teachers participating in the program.

The program uses the Ride Smart Cycle Education program to prepare students for safe use of bicycles, including which type of bike is safe for a variety of roadways, emergency braking, hand signals and shoulder checks. In addition to learning how to cycle safely, “students learn how active transportation can reduce their carbon footprint”, says Emily Samuel, principal of safe schools for NNDSB.

Safe Cycling with NNDSB was recently launched at the Humphrey Community Centre, where students displayed their cycling knowledge and skills, and where community partners were acknowledged.

In his opening remarks, NNDSB Chair Jay Aspin noted that supporting students to become confident and capable cyclists was an excellent application of experiential learning that supported the board’s commitment to Excellence in Teaching and Learning, one of the pillars of the board’s multi-year strategic plan.

Superintendent Gay Smylie added that, “Walking and wheeling to school supports healthy brain development, which can lead to improved learning and academic outcomes. Research proves that kids who move more aren’t just healthier, they also tend to do better academically, behave better in class and miss fewer days of school.”

The Government of Ontario is providing $1.5 million through March 2022 to GCC to support new active school travel initiatives across the province that will help prepare students for learning and improve safety in school zones. This follows a previous investment of $3.5 million toward 28 active school travel projects benefiting 52 communities across Ontario between 2017-2020.

“In recent decades we have seen a significant decline in rates of walking to school and a marked increase in traffic volumes in school zones,” said Kate Berry, Ontario

Active School Travel program director with GCG. “This initiative is a great opportunity to reverse these trends by expanding on the previous work in the Near North region to rebuild a culture of active school travel. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with and support our local partners to implement this exciting initiative.”

Walking and cycling to school (while maintaining social distancing) are considered safe and healthy activities by public health authorities. Safe Cycling with NNDSB, GCC and its many partners are working to make active transportation the “new normal.” Benefits to active school travel include improved physical and mental health and well-being, increased cognitive function and social development that improves academic performance, safer school zones through traffic calming and reduced congestion, and improved air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

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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

Mining workshops set students up for future success

By

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021

Several Near North District School Board (NNDSB) Grade 3-5 elementary school classes are digging into a learning opportunity that teaches them about the rocks and minerals beyond the Earth’s surface.

The Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) Northern Gateway Branch, in partnership with the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) and Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) programming, is offering students a unique virtual-synchronized learning opportunity

“This is the second year that NNDSB has partnered with the Mining Matters team to provide this engaging learning opportunity,” said Roy Desjardins, NNDSB’s OYAP Coordinator. “Currently, there are 15 NNDSB elementary schools, with a total of more than 450 students, participating in a Deeper and Deeper: Discovering Rocks and Minerals workshop. The level of support and enthusiasm held by our educators, coupled with the excitement demonstrated by our young learners, showcases how synchronous experiential learning can be brought into the classroom via a virtual platform.”

There are four workshop options for teachers to select from – minerals, rocks, mining, and what on Earth is in your stuff? No matter what workshop is selected, students receive a workshop kit to assist their hands-on learning.

Taking a look at the rocks workshop, students explore the rock cycle, gain an understanding of how each of the three rock groups are formed through a series of demonstrations, discover some of the clues to look for to help determine which of the rock group a rock is from and then use those clues to identify a mystery rock.

Going deep underground to the mining workshop is where we find students exploring the mining cycle, comparing surface and underground mines, discussing the costs and benefits of mining and learning about responsibilities to the environment and communities.

What on Earth is in your stuff is the next workshop stop. Students use maps to examine and locate where rocks, minerals, and metals are found in Canada. Additionally, they learn about everything in our world that isn’t grown or made by using non-renewable resources extracted from the Earth.

In the minerals workshop, students learn the difference between rocks and minerals, conduct tests geologists use to examine the physical characteristics of minerals, use their observations to identify mystery minerals and gain an understanding of how minerals are used in daily life.

Recently, this workshop was presented to a Grade 4-5 class at E.T Carmichael Public School in North Bay.

“It was very fun and we got to explore rocks and minerals,” said Kyler Sargeant. “We also got a book on mining that was fun to learn about. It made a difference in my day, to meet interesting people doing interesting work.”

An excited Nevaeh Einarson said she had fun with the learning and shared some of the things she learned.

“I learned a lot about rocks and minerals. What they are, what they do, how they smell, are they magnetic, and how they feel,” she said.

“It was fun because I was able to do hands-on learning. We got to do tests on the rocks and we learned about rocks and minerals. It was fun to ask questions and we learned that rocks could carry electricity and have magnetic fields,” said classmate Jake Charbonneau.

Teacher Mike Landoni noted the students really enjoyed the experiential learning opportunity.

“The most interesting thing for me was the opportunity to provide students with these individualized kits where they get to do hands-on learning and create some of their own personal connections based on that experience,” he said. “I have a Grade 4-5 split class, so for Grade 4, we’re looking directly at the curriculum in science, developing an understanding of rocks and minerals, and how rocks are formed in various rock types. This Mining Matters workshop played really well into the learning that we did leading up to the workshop. Following this workshop, we’ve generated a nice amount of momentum for that type of learning.”

Landoni added, “Students had some prior knowledge and some experience playing with rocks, for example, just being outdoors in the environment around our neighbourhoods and communities. But for others, I could tell this was the first time they’ve actually thought about that scientific approach. Being able to do it with a hands-on primary experience is a good way for students to have an introduction to or a little taste of this world and maybe that’s something that they would seek out in their own learning journey later on this year or later on in their life.”

Classmate Charlie Hicks enjoyed the workshop. “The exercise was fun because we all had different results based on the mineral examples we were given to investigate,” he said.

Principal of E.T. Carmichael, Jamey Byers, touted the opportunities that students are receiving to expand their knowledge and provide hands-on learning. “Our students are fortunate to have the Mining Matters synchronous experiential learning opportunity delivered right to their classroom. We have a lot of mining industry-related learning opportunities as our students enter their secondary school years, with programs such as SHSM and OYAP. Having our elementary students engage and be aware of the mining industry and the underlying science can bring added awareness and spark their interests in the field.”

 

More NNDSB schools and classes will be participating in these workshops until the end of December. Watch for more photos on NNDSB’s social media accounts.

Convenor grateful for colleagues’ support of OFSAA event

By

Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021

Convenor grateful for colleagues’ support of OFSAA event

Many hands make light work, and Craig Nodwell is grateful for all the hands that have helped him put together this year’s Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) Boys’ AA volleyball championship.

Nodwell is a teacher-coach at Chippewa Secondary School and the convenor of the championship, being held tomorrow through Saturday in North Bay. COVID-19 caused the cancellation of last year’s championship (which was scheduled for North Bay) and the virus continues to affect day-to-day operations. Near North District School Board (NNDSB) and OFSAA have protocols that must be followed that caused modifications to typical OFSAA championships.

Nodwell says area secondary schools – even those located outside of North Bay – are making some sort of contribution to the championship. The tournament’s home team is Chippewa, but the principal of West Ferris Secondary School offered gyms for games to be held, the principal of F.J. McElligott Secondary School in Mattawa provided two staff members to act as convenors to run two of the gyms, staff at Northern Secondary School in Sturgeon Falls convened the Nipissing District Athletics (NDA) league this year, which provided a direct route to hosting OFSAA and a staff member at Laurentian Learning Centre was released to help with photography and media projects for the championships.

The executive team at NNDSB has been supportive of Nodwell’s efforts, the COVID-19 management team has guided him in the processes to safely run the tournament and some students are getting optional certifications towards their Specialist High Skills Majors.

“There are so many cool, collaborative projects at Near North,” says Nodwell.

Students have missed out on organized sports for almost two years. Nodwell says there are five students on Chippewa’s team who returned for a fifth year at secondary school just to play volleyball and “it meant a lot to finish their athletic careers on the right note (by participating in a provincial tournament).” Despite the challenges caused by COVID-19, as a convenor and coach, Nodwell wants to put on “the best championship we can…I want it to be a show for these student athletes.”

NNDSB’s Director of Education, Craig Myles, says “As a life-long athlete, coach and teacher, I am so encouraged to see the return of sporting competitions. OFSAA is the pinnacle of sports in Ontario secondary schools. My hope is that these opportunities for students will continue to resurface as we navigate through the changing COVID-19 environment.”

The COVID-19 protocols caused the cancellation of the usual banquet, but the committee has created a red-carpet registration night featuring semi-formal attire, swag bags and team photos. Student volunteers are helping out to welcome teams to the city and the school.

The championship will feature team and player introductions, and there will be signage around the facilities to acknowledge the achievement of the visiting teams.

Fans will be absent from the championship because of the protocols of both NNDSB and OFSAA, but games will be streamed. YourTV will broadcast the quarter-final and semi-final games from Chippewa, and Sunday’s championship final at 1 p.m.

Nodwell notes that the stringent protocols are in place to keep everyone safe and following them means that student athletes are able to play and compete.

“The health and safety of our staff and students is paramount,” says Myles, “so I would like to recognize everyone who is going above and beyond to organize these events for students amidst the health and safety considerations, with a special thanks to Craig Nodwell. Best of luck to the athletes!”

Visit OFSAA’s page for more information about the championship, including the schedule.

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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

Biindigen

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)

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Near North District School Board
963 Airport Road, P.O. Box 3110, North Bay, ON P1B 8H1
[P] 705-472-8170   [TF] 1-800-278-4922   [F] 705-472-9927