Monday, Sept. 27, 2021

To our Families and Community Partners,

It has been six years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission completed its work of giving voice to the Indigenous Peoples who have been affected by Indian Residential Schools. It took the Commission seven years to travel across the country and hear from 6,500 witnesses. Their testimony became one of six reports released by Truth and Reconciliation Commission that highlight the suffering of Indigenous Peoples at the hands of their oppressors.

The Commission, led by the Honourable Murray Sinclair, put the genocide that was perpetrated against Indigenous Peoples in Canada in the spotlight. The findings and resulting exhibit were a catalyst for change. The commission also released 94 Calls to Action that act as way finders; concrete steps to move forward in acknowledging the truth of Canada’s history with Indigenous Peoples and beginning the very difficult and uncomfortable work of reconciliation.

The Calls to Action list 94 changes that need to be made to dismantle the systemic racism that continues to affect Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Near North District School Board (NNDSB) recognizes it has a role to play in truth and reconciliation. It is imperative that the board climbs the mountain as requested by the Commission.

The path to truth and reconciliation will be slow and painful, but the steps must be taken.

The Board of Trustees has proactively acknowledged this, and endeavours to be part of the change. In addition to opening meetings with a land acknowledgement, Board meetings now open with a prayer from an Elder. The Indigenous Trustee, elected by members of the First Nations to represent them on the Board, is actively consulted and her input valued in decision-making on issues that affect Indigenous students.

The board is fortunate to have guidance from Indigenous Education Lead Tracy Hendrick, whose work involves not only supporting Indigenous students and their families, but also helping all NNDSB staff and educators understand how colonization continues to affect members of Indigenous communities, and to guide staff in developing their understanding of Indigenous worldviews to best support all students. NNDSB is thankful for the learning provided by teachers of Indigenous ways and Anishinaabemowin (language), FNMI grad coaches who provide support in the choice of pathways for students and Indigenous Child Development Counsellors concerned with student well-being. We recognize this is just the beginning of the climb.

As an institution, NNDSB is taking steps in response to the Calls to Action, including:

• working to eliminate educational gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children (have staff positions to support Indigenous families in education)
• an Indigenous Trustee position elected by members of the area First Nations to sit on the NNDSB Board of Trustees
• offering Indigenous language classes to all interested students at 12 schools
• providing resources and building capacity to support all staff and students in understanding Indigenous history, culture, perspectives, and ways of knowing
• encouraging and supporting non-Indigenous staff who want to take a First Nation, Metis and Inuit Additional Qualification course
• partnering with Anishinabek Education System (AES) to place two full-time cultural advisors/knowledge keepers in schools on a regular basis
• successful AES pilot project applicant to be one of five boards in the province to provide cultural competency training to administrators

From the Truth and Reconciliation Commission grew Orange Shirt Day. Phyllis Webstad told the Commission of having her new orange shirt taken from her as a six-year-old child on the first day of residential school. Held on Sept. 30, Orange Shirt Day provides an opportunity for discussion about residential schools and lets survivors and their families know they still matter.

The federal government has legislated Sept. 30, 2021 as the first National Truth and Reconciliation Day. NNDSB wants the day to be acknowledged in a way that is most appropriate and meaningful to members of the eight First Nations that are NNDSB community partners, and other Indigenous Peoples in our schools. Schools have been given the flexibility to provide community-relevant programming.

The legacy of residential schools weighs heavy in the hearts of survivors and their families, who have been subjected to 200 years of colonization and systemic discrimination. NNDSB will continue to climb the mountain and strive to do better.

Jay Aspin                                                                   Craig Myles

Chair of the Board                                                   Director of Education

Friday, Sept. 24, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This weekly Letter to Families is intended to help you learn how Near North District School Board (NNDSB) will support you in the return to school.

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The Government of Canada has legislated Sept. 30, 2021 as the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, and deemed it a federal statutory holiday. Not all provinces have followed the federal government’s lead, so it is not a statutory holiday across the country.

Federally-regulated institutions (banks, post offices, federal government departments, etc.) will observe the statutory holiday. In Ontario, it is not a statutory holiday, so school will be open that day.

At NNDSB, schools will be marking the day in their own way. Families who are interested in how the first Truth and Reconciliation Day will be acknowledged at their child’s school should contact the principal.

Anyone interested in learning more about Truth and Reconciliation and/or Indigenous education at NNDSB can visit this page.

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Over several months last spring, the communications team recruited students to participate in Student Voice. This new page on NNDSB’s website is the spot for all students to share their ideas, thoughts, and work.

The communications team is still looking for reps at some schools and is always eager to share student work. Anyone wanting to participate as either a Student Voice rep for your school or a contributor) is asked to email student.voice@nearnorthschools.ca.

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We would like to remind families that all students are required to complete their COVID-19 Self-Screening each day before they arrive at school. Teachers will confirm completion of the screening with all of their students, as required by our local health unit. The health unit has extended the daily confirmation by staff by two weeks.

The daily screening is an important way that we can minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission in our schools. The screening can be accessed using this link: COVID-19 School Screening Tool. Should you need a paper copy due to issues with internet access please contact your child’s school for assistance.

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NNDSB is excited to share that Parry Sound High School and Chippewa Secondary School will be raising tipis this month to provide safe, culturally appropriate, outdoor learning spaces for their students.

The extended tipi ‘shaptaun’ at PSHS is being raised by Johna Hupfield’s Grade 9-10 Indigenous language class with the support of Serpent River First Nation’s Sumac Creek Tipi Company. The tipi at Chippewa is being raised by Angela Evans’ Grade 10 Indigenous Studies class with the support of Nipissing First Nation knowledge keeper Perry McLeod-Shabogesic.

We look forward to learning about the tipi teachings, and to inviting more classes to enjoy these amazing spaces.

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As part of the board’s strategic commitment to excellence in communication, NNDSB has created a place on the website to begin collecting public feedback on Administrative Guidelines. New and revised guidelines will be posted for 30 days. Please refer to the website on a regular basis for the guidelines that are open for feedback.

Administrative Guidelines that are open to feedback can be found here.

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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

Friday, Sept. 17, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This weekly Letter to Families is intended to help you learn how Near North District School Board (NNDSB) will support you in the return to school.

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The first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation takes place on Sept. 30.  Orange Shirt Day has become more than a one-day event and many teachers have already started gathering resources to start the important work of truth and reconciliation that will continue throughout the school year.

In following through on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, students will be learning about Indigenous perspectives and stewardship of land, treaties, the Indian Act, residential schools and Canada’s current relationship with Indigenous Peoples. Teachers and students are supported in this work by the board’s Indigenous education lead, and many local Indigenous Elders and knowledge keepers.

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The mental health team has been busy connecting with students we served last year and over the summer to help students transition back to school and hopefully have a great start to the new year.

If you have any concerns about your child, please reach out to our social work team who will connect the student to supports and services. It is as simple as emailing socialwork@nearnorthschools.ca and we will contact you to set up services for your child, whose well-being is our number one concern. We are here to help.

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Secondary Tutoring Services are available for all students Grades 9-12 across the Near North System. The tutoring is offered virtually Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with four half-hour sessions each day. This is a one-to-one service that provides support in all program areas to support student achievement.

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Parents and guardians are advised that those who have submitted new or updated transportation forms to Nipissing Parry Sound Student Transportation Services (NPSSTS) will experience a two-day delay from the time that the change is confirmed on the NPSSTS website to when the operator can accommodate the change.

This means that parents will see the change has been processed, but that the change won’t take effect for another two days. This delay is due to the time required to provide the change information to the bus operator and for the driver to make changes to the required seating plan. NPSSTS thanks all our families in advance for their patience and understanding.

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Near North District School Board is pleased to share that all students in Grades 1-3 classrooms now have access to DreamBox Learning.

DreamBox is a digital math program that combines a fun and engaging math learning environment with curriculum focused outcomes. DreamBox lessons are interactive experiences that promote active learning and independent critical thinking and respond to each student’s strategies and decisions in the moment. Because DreamBox dynamically adapts lessons and learning paths based on the needs of each learner, students always have just the right level of support when and where they need it. Students are encouraged to continue their learning with this resource at home.  To access DBL at home, students simply need to login to Clever (using their NNDSB username and password).

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Students in classrooms across the NNDSB are learning about developing positive mindsets and social emotional learning (SEL) skills related to mathematics.

Collaborative problem-solving tasks using tangible math tools and discussions about the “Power of Yet” are being explored to support students in developing the skill of perseverance to solve challenging math questions. Additionally, students are building math process skills such as problem-solving, communication, reflecting and reasoning through open and differentiated relevant and engaging math tasks.

Creating positive mathematics learning environments and mindsets are critical foundations to successful experiences throughout the school year.

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At Near North District School Board, we value and embrace students and employees with diverse backgrounds, identities, and personal experiences.

“Our schools should be places where students not only learn about diversity but also experience it. Students should see themselves and their classmates reflected in their studies. Students and families should expect their interactions with their school community to leave them feeling accepted for who they are. All students should believe in their potential and know that they will be supported along the way from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and beyond, no matter what pathway they choose.” (Equity Action Plan 2017).

Culturally responsive teaching recognizes that all students learn differently and that these differences may be connected to background, language, family structure and social or cultural identity. The board has produced a yearly equity calendar for staff that highlights special awareness days for each month of the year. New books are added to NNDSB libraries that support diversity and inclusion so students will see themselves, their culture and identity reflected in their library books, to enhance learning about cultural heritage, gender identity, anti-racism, differing abilities and human rights.

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A school should be a place that promotes responsibility, respect, civility, and academic excellence in a safe learning and teaching environment. A positive school climate exists when all members of the school community feel safe, included, and accepted, and actively promote positive behaviours and interactions.

Both NNDSB’s Code of Conduct and individual schools’ Codes of Conduct reflect standards of behavior that promote a safe, inclusive environment and are applicable to all students, staff, parents, volunteers, and community groups. Each stakeholder has a specific role to play in creating welcoming, respectful environments.

Please take the time to read your school’s Code of Conduct and discuss it with your child. Ask them to consider how they might model responsibility, respect, civility and academic excellence within their school community.

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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

Friday, Sept. 10, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The four local school boards in our region, Near North District School Board, Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l’Ontario, Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board and Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord, recognize the importance of extracurricular activities in supporting students’ mental health, well-being and academic development. We are therefore pleased to inform you that a protocol has been jointly developed with the support of the North Bay-Parry Sound District Health Unit and will be posted on the school board’s website early next week.

This protocol will detail the guidelines and public health measures that must be followed for extra-curricular activities, including sports, performances and competitions. We also wish to announce that school team practices may begin next week. Principals will share more details in the coming days.

It is important to note that all decisions made by school boards, principals and local public health officials are based on the health and safety of students, staff, supervisors, and service providers. As such, any risks will be assessed on an on-going basis and any components of the protocol may be subject to change or activities may be postponed or cancelled depending on the local public health circumstances.

We sincerely thank our school communities for their patience and support as we safely resume extracurricular activities for students.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

Friday, Sept. 10, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The weekly Letters to Families that were issued prior to the start of school have been well-received, so Near North District School Board (NNDSB) is continuing to update families on a weekly basis, at least through September. We hope this helps students and families learn more about how we will support you in the return to school.

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The Launch Learning Tutoring program has been designed to support schools initiating small group tutoring activities that help students in Grades 1-10 return to classroom learning, with focused learning activities designed to develop social, literacy and/or numeracy skills.

Research shows that additional time and appropriate support can help students learn the skills they need to be successful. While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected students differently, there are key themes emerging which make up the foci of the Launch Learning Program, including:

• the re-engagement of students;
• the need to focus on student mental health and well-being; and
• supports for literacy and math learning.

The Launch Learning program is currently active at four NNDSB sites with tutoring activities occurring throughout the last week of August and during the month of September. Innovative tutoring programs will continue to be introduced at schools across NNDSB as we embrace learning recovery and renewal.

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Between Sept. 13 and 27, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit will be holding vaccination clinics at all NNDSB secondary schools for those students who choose to receive a vaccination. Individual schools will communicate specific dates for these clinics.

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Emergency Response Preparedness remains a priority for all NNDSB schools. Every school creates a fire safety plan annually, which is reviewed by the fire department within that school’s jurisdiction. Each year, schools participate in six planned fire drills (three in the autumn and three in the spring) along with two lockdown drills.

This ensures that all staff and every student know how to respond in a safe, orderly manner in the case of an emergency. Like last year, schools will practice these drills in a manner that ensures COVID-19 protocols, such as physical distancing and masking, are maintained in accordance with public health guidance.

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Several NNDSB schools are being used for advanced polling and on Sept. 20 as polling stations for the federal election. In its lease agreement with Elections Canada, NNDSB has followed all directions from both the public health unit and instructions for Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore.

Families can be assured that if their child’s school is being used, that the public will not be in proximity to staff or students, and that all COVID-19 protocols will be in place.

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Thank you to our students and families for taking the time each morning to complete their COVID-19 self-screening. This screening is an important tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our schools. Teachers will confirm with their students each day that this self-screening has been completed at home. The screening tool is available online here. A downloadable version is also available on the website for printing. If you require a paper copy of the screening tool, please reach out to your child’s school.

Our staff and students look forward to welcoming back sports and other extracurricular events this fall. We understand the importance of these activities for the mental and physical well-being of our students. We continue to work alongside our other local school boards and the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit to create a safe plan for inter-school activities. Many sports and activities will resume at our area schools in the coming weeks with protocols in place as outlined in our NNDSB Reopening Guidance for Schools Document.

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Many teachers are discussing land acknowledgements with their students, working towards developing more personal statements that reflect their understanding of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous

Peoples. Indigenous Education Lead Tracy Hendrick has created a Land Acknowledgement Guidebook to help support teachers taking on this important work.

NNDSB’s current land acknowledgement is “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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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