Near North District School Board

Director’s message to staff regarding tragic discovery at former Kamloops residential school

By

May 31, 2021

I write this message with deepest respect and profound sadness. The discovery this week of the remains of 215 children at Kamloops Indian Residential School is a glaring reminder that we have a great deal of work to do to educate our society on the tragic wrongs we have committed and continue to commit towards the people whose land we occupy. Any act of reconciliation seems insignificant when faced with such tragedies. Let us consider our own acts of reconciliation as a move toward a more positive and inclusive future for all.

Let us also be diligent in the care of our students and each other and remember that there are supports available through our mental wellness teams. Reach out to your immediate supervisor should you or your students require support.

Please find below a media release which will be sent today to inform the public of the NNDSB decision to lower all flags to half-mast for 215 hours from May 31 to June 8.

The Near North District School Board community is saddened by the news of the discovery of the remains of 215 children on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.

Our thoughts are with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, the surrounding First Nations of this area, and all Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island.

This disturbing discovery reinforces our commitment to make reconciliation a priority in our school board. We commit to transform our education system to decolonize our practices and our minds and to honour Indigenous histories, cultures and perspectives today and every day.

All Near North District School Board buildings will lower their flags for 215 hours to honour the 215 lives lost in remembrance of all Indigenous children who never made it home and in acknowledgement of residential school survivors and their families. Flags will fly at half-mast from May 31 to June 8.

Sincerely,
Craig Myles
Director of Education

Letter to Families: Youth COVID-19 vaccine information

By

Friday, May 28, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit released information today regarding the safety and eligibility of COVID-19 vaccines for youth.

Health Canada has authorized the use of Pfizer-BioNTech has been authorized for use by youth 12 and older, and Ontario youths aged 12-17 are now eligible to register for vaccination.

Below are links and a brief description of the communication from the health unit.

Email to Parents – COVID-19 vaccine clinics for youth

Youth messaging – COVID-19 vaccine clinics for youth

Child and Youth COVID-19 fact sheet

Child and Youth COVID-19 poster

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

Letter to Families: September 2021 decision

By

Friday, May 28, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

In-Person Learning or Technology-Enabled Remote Learning:

an important choice for NNDSB families for the 2021-2022 school year

Near North District School Board (NNDSB) will be excited to welcome students and staff back to school in September 2021. The following information is important for families to review as you make the important decision about the mode of learning for your child(ren) for September.

This decision is for the entire year.

NNDSB believes in-person learning best supports most students, however, we recognize that given unique circumstances, some families may want their child to learn remotely. In line with guidance from the Ministry of Education, NNDSB is offering a technology-enabled remote learning option in September.

Please review the information below to make an informed decision.

IN-PERSON LEARNING

Below are details of in-person learning which is subject to change based on the advice and direction of the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit and/or the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Teachers in both streams will continue to be expected to maintain a virtual learning environment in order to support a transition to remote learning should the need arise or where individual students are required to isolate for a limited time.

Elementary in-person learning

In-person learning for students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 will be modeled on current practice.

  • Students will continue to be cohorted by class and staff will rotate from class to class as the schedule demands.
  • There will be a continued focus on reducing the number of educator contacts who are delivering instruction to each homeroom/cohort.

Secondary in-person learning

In-person learning will begin with the current safety measures in place. As we move through the school year, we hope to be able to incrementally resume more regular activities and operations.

  • We plan to organize our secondary schools into octomesters for at least the first semester.

If you are choosing this option for your child(ren), you are not required to do anything. It will be assumed that you are choosing in-person learning.

TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED REMOTE LEARNING (TERL)

NNDSB will offer technology-enabled remote learning for students who wish to learn virtually. With more students returning to in-person classes, our ability to offer a similar breadth of programs as was offered during the 2020-2021 school year will be limited. Students will be registered with the remote learning school for the entire school year and will not be attached to their current home school.

The remote school may be attended synchronously (in real-time, interactive with teacher and class) or asynchronously (with daily check-in but work done independently) but no paper packages will be made available.

Technology-enabled remote learning – elementary school (TERL-ES)

The TERL-ES will offer the full-day kindergarten program, the English program, Native Studies Language and Core French. NNDSB cannot guarantee French Immersion or Extended French programming for TERL-ES, pending registration numbers and given the limited availability of qualified teachers.

  • Families wanting French Immersion or Extended French should select in-person learning.
  • Like this year, TERL-ES will include multi-grade combined classes.
  • Students enrolled in the TERL-ES will be registered with the TERL school and not attached to their current home school.
  • Where Internet access is not possible, parents may request a technology-enabled asynchronous program that makes use of the Learning Management System and multi-media resources.

Technology-enabled remote learning – secondary school (TERL-SS)

The TERL-SS will offer a limited selection of courses in each grade level in all program pathways. Secondary students have already completed course selections for next year and for students and families opting to attend TERL-SS, every effort will be made to offer courses that students require for their chose pathways to graduation.

  • If students have selected courses not available at TERL-SS, they will have the option to select from a catalogue of e-learning courses.
  • System and school-specialized programs will only be available through in-person learning.
  • The TERL-SS will follow the same calendar and daily schedule as in-person programming.

Special Education, specialized program classes and IEPs

Our experience this year has shown that in-person learning is the best format to support students with special education needs, particularly those in congregated classes and alternative educations programs. For this reason, in the 2021-2022 school year, congregated classes and alternative education programs will return in-person.

Other students with special education needs will continue to be supported with the necessary accommodations, modifications or alternative programs provided in their Individual Education Plan (IEP), whether their choice is for in-person or TERL.

If you are choosing this option for your child(ren) you must complete a remote learning program request formfor each student who will be assigned to the remote learning school for the 2021-2022 school year. Parents and guardians are asked to complete the form by end of day Sunday, June 6, 2021. We require time to ensure our schools and programs are resourced and staffed appropriately.

If you have questions, please see the Looking Ahead to 2021-22 page on NNDSB’s website. It contains a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section; parents and guardians who have questions that are not answered here are encouraged to leave their question, which will be answered on the page (thus increasing the FAQs which are available to all).

Thank you for helping us to prepare. We’re ready to welcome your children back to our safe, caring and inclusive classrooms in September 2021.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

 

Board Highlights for May Meeting

By

May 21, 2021

Board Highlights for May Meeting

The following are the highlights of the Near North District School Board meeting of Tuesday, May 18, 2021.

North Bay secondary schools consolidation update

A report from Superintendent Gay Smylie provided Trustees with an update to the 3:2 consolidation of North Bay’s secondary schools. Many upgrades are set to begin this spring at both Chippewa and West Ferris Secondary Schools.

The Phase 2 budget was approved in October 2020, with the majority of investment to renovate the libraries and auditoriums. The spaces are required to be flexible and adaptable, as they are multi-purpose areas that are used for classes, presentations and productions. Multiple stakeholders were consulted to ensure the spaces were conducive to creativity and innovation for learners will maintaining flexibility.

Renovations to the auditorium at Chippewa will benefit performers and the audience. There will be a new curtain system and mechanical track installed, modernized lighting including a switch from incandescent towards LED, new seating including an area for wheelchair access.

There was also an investment in Phase 2 to support programming.

A classroom at West Ferris will be retrofitted to support experiential learning programs including hairstyling and esthetics. The Indigenous Hub at Chippewa is being updated to provide casual seating and small group meeting spaces and a kitchenette, and etched glazing will increase natural light while providing privacy for students.

The libraries at both secondary schools are being transformed into learning commons, with flexible seating to accommodate a variety of configurations and barrier-free shelving to increase accessibility. Glazing is used to create individual, small and large group seating options, and space is used innovatively with the creation of built-in banquette seating and an outdoor working/learning space. Electrical outlets have been placed throughout the learning commons to ensure all have access to a power source for electronic devices.

Conceptual designs can be viewed as part of the report in the agenda package.

Virtual learning planning for 2021-2022

Superintendent Tim Graves’ report updated Trustees on the board’s plans for providing virtual learning to students in 2021-2022.

Boards across the province, including NNDSB, have been contemplating how they will offer remote learning in September. The two most common models – virtual school and hybrid – each have benefits and challenges.

The virtual school model operates as its own school, with staff and students reassigned from their home schools. In some boards, families were asked to choose their option early, so virtual schools could be staffed, but NNDSB hopes to avoid early decisions which must be made without a clear understanding of the most current requirements for in-school and virtual learning as laid out by the Provincial Government, Ministry of Education and local health authorities.

The majority of school boards using the virtual school model have restricted or eliminated options to change between virtual and in-class learning during the school year. This is because the changes require system reorganizations which disrupt classroom placements for students and cohort groupings for thousands of students in both in-school and remote learning. Continuity and familiarity are proven to reduce stress for staff and students.

In the hybrid model, virtual school and in-school are not separate programs. Teachers instruct students in their classrooms and provide synchronous (same time), asynchronous and/or paper packages for students at home. Hybrid classes offer the students at home a chance to engage with their instructors and classmates for virtual discussions and lectures, but they can also complete coursework online.

Boards that use the hybrid model don’t face the same staffing concerns, but there are pedagogical challenges for teachers, who must provide synchronous and asynchronous instruction to in-class and at-home learners.

Because of the above-mentioned challenges, NNDSB’s senior team has been collecting data for the past 18 months and had delayed making a final decision while waiting for further Ministry clarification on remote learning expectations. Earlier this month the Ministry announced funding opportunities to support virtual learning and asked that families wait to make their decision until June 1, 2021.

There were also additional safety requirements outlined for the return to school in-class, including cohort limitations and the restriction of the numbers of classes students can take at one time.

Staff continue to review funding details, safety strategies and the benefits and challenges of each option in order to identify the learning model that provides the greatest educational experience for students.

Families can expect communication that provides specific information about the 2021-2022 school year which will outline health and safety measures and protocols for in-school learning, a thoughtful and accessible approach to remote learning, and a straightforward process for registering students.

Budget procedures manual outlines process, timeline

In keeping with NNDSB’s commitment to governance and transparency, a budget manual has been created that outlines the structure of the budget process, clarifies roles in the process and provides deadlines for the process so that the finance team is able to present the budget to trustees on schedule. The documented process keeps current staff on track throughout the process and supports good succession planning when the board is transitioning senior staff.

The manual outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Superintendent of Business and Treasurer for coordinating the overall budget, superintendents for developing and coordinating budgets within their areas of responsibility, department managers for overseeing budget preparation for their departments, the finance committee for providing direction and priorities for the coming year and to review draft budgets and to the Board of Trustees who establish goals and objectives and approve the final budget.

Outlined in the document are timelines for announcements from the Ministry of Education, requirements for a balanced budget under the Education Act and the deadline for submitting a balanced budget to the Ministry.

Trustees updated on Parry Sound JK-12 build

Trustees were updated on plans that the new Parry Sound JK-12 school anticipated to open in September 2023. The update for the Board came via a report from the Parry Sound Build Committee, whose May meeting featured a presentation by +VG Architects (the Ventin Group).

The committee meeting was attended by +VG’s Paul Sapounzi and Ed Bourdeau, who shared a review of project developments, including a timeline and project stages. The first phase includes a partial demolition this summer, ensuring students have a functional school to attend in September 2021 while construction begins on the new building.

Plans include the demolition of the north side of the current building (library area), while maintaining the cafeteria and shop areas. The two-storey school will feature two wings forming an L-shape: a childcare/elementary wing and a secondary wing. Main elements will be located on the first floor (cafeteria, lobby, gym, administration offices). The second floor will be academic wings, with seven additional elementary classrooms and private study areas. The rear wing will house technology areas, and science and technology wings are being overlaid to make the best use of ventilation systems.

Survey shows NNDSB earning stakeholder trust

Data gathered in surveys taken after each of the six virtual Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) sessions indicated that NNDSB has begun to earn stakeholder trust, as respondents stated the board has come a long way in building trust and cautioned the board to maintain a focus on excellence in relationships.

The MYPS’s has four priority areas: Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Excellence in Communication, Excellence in Relationships and Excellence in Innovation. Excellence in Teaching and Learning was identified as the priority area that was most important to the greatest number of survey respondents. Excellence in Relationships was identified most often as the areas in which NNDSB needed improvement, and Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Excellence in Communication were tied for the areas in which most respondents thought NNDSB was performing best.

The MYSP draft is in its final stages and will be edited and revised before it is finalized for presentation to the Board of Trustees at the June 2021 meeting. The Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement and Well-Being is a living document that will be updated and modified to meet the needs of the entire NNDSB school community and Ministry-mandated expectations as they arise.

The information session presentation (and all other MYSP documentation) is available on the MYSP page.

Projects sought for Trustee Initiative Fund

Chair Aspin shared as part of his report that he would like staff to investigate potential projects for investment by the Trustee Initiative Fund. There is $35,000 left due to the cancellation of events due to COVID. Funds are to be used for events that unify students across the board. Expending this fund was recognized by the Finance Committee as well.

-30-

Note: the full agenda package is posted on the website prior to meetings, and official minutes are posted after they are approved at the next board meeting.

Information about Near North District School Board:

Near North District School Board is an English-language public school board serving the North Bay – Parry Sound – Nipissing area. The Board consists of approximately 10,000 students in 27 elementary schools, seven secondary/senior schools and various alternative learning centres. For more information, please visit nearnorthschools.ca and follow Near North District School Board on Social media.

For more information, please contact:
Deb Bartlett (she/her)
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170 ext. 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca

Letter to families: Ontario’s Premier announces schools to remain closed to in-person learning

By

May 20, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Premier Ford announced this afternoon schools will remain closed to in-person learning at this time. Students and families will continue learning the same way they have since the return from Spring Break.

Please continue to monitor NNDSB’s website for updates and follow our Facebook and Twitter accounts. We will continue to share accurate and timely information, Ministry correspondence, and resources with you as they become available. As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s school.

Additional resource material, including learning, mental health, and supports, can also be found on our website.

Stay well.

Sincerely,

Craig Myles

Director of Education

Trustees updated on Parry Sound JK-12 build

By

May 18, 2021

Trustees updated on Parry Sound JK-12 build

Near North District School Board (NNDSB) trustees were updated on plans that would anticipate the new Parry Sound JK-12 school opening in September 2023. The update for the Board came via a report from the Parry Sound Build Committee, whose May meeting featured a presentation by +VG Architects (the Ventin Group).

The committee meeting was attended by +VG’s Paul Sapounzi and Ed Bourdeau, who shared a review of project developments, including a timeline and project stages. The first phase includes a partial demolition this summer, ensuring students have a functional school to attend in September 2021 while construction begins on the new building.

Plans include the demolition of the north side of the current building (library area), while maintaining the cafeteria and shop areas. The two-storey school will feature two wings forming an L-shape: a childcare/elementary wing and a secondary wing. Main elements will be located on the first floor (cafeteria, lobby, gym, administration offices). The second floor will be academic wings, with seven additional elementary classrooms and private study areas. The rear wing will house technology areas, and science and technology wings are being overlaid to make the best use of ventilation systems.

The L-shape will allow construction around the existing building while placing the new build prominently on the site between the two main streets.

NNDSB Board Chair Jay Aspin said, “Our Board is very pleased to have received architectural plans from the Ventin Group for our Parry Sound K-12 school currently scheduled to open September 2023. Since elected, the construction of this school has been a top board priority and thus we are very gratified to keep our promise to the Parry Sound region.”

Bourdeau, +VG’s education specialist, told the committee the ideal time to tender is early January 2022, which requires that drawings should be submitted to the Ministry for approval in September 2021 in order to be approved and plans completed in December.

The Board approved a presentation to be made by Chair Aspin, Vice-Chair Cochrane and Director of Education Craig Myles to the Town of Parry Sound Council.

Construction is scheduled to begin in March of 2022, allowing a full 18 months to construct the building. It is anticipated that the move-in will occur over the summer of 2023 for a school opening in September 2023.

Board vice-chair John Cochrane, who is chair of the Parry Sound Build Committee, said, “The taxpayers, students and staff of the Parry Sound regional high school have waited far too long in an outmoded 72-year-old building. Our Board has been committed to rectify this situation. We thank our MPP Norm Miller and our local politicians for expediting our Board’s initiative.”

Sapounzi told the committee that in his experience, the projects that are taking a long time for ministry approval are the ones that come in above budget. He said that taking time to thoroughly prepare and meet all requirements will help expedite the process.

The school has been approved for six edu-pods (four for secondary and two for elementary). The pods are designed by +VG and are interlocking structures that maximize flexibility and reflect quality learning spaces. The cost is comparable to a pre-fab portable, but they can be built by local tradespeople.

Also at the May meeting, the committee approved Terms of Reference, and Board Vice-Chair John Cochrane will continue to chair the committee. Other members include Board Chair Jay Aspin (ex-officio), Trustee Nichole King, Trustee Rob Learn, Superintendent Gay Smylie and Capital Projects Manager Marianne Speirs.

Sub-committees have also been formed to support information-sharing and to keep the project moving in a timely manner.

-30-

Information about Near North District School Board:

Near North District School Board is an English-language public school board serving the North Bay – Parry Sound – Nipissing area. The Board consists of approximately 10,000 students in 27 elementary schools, seven secondary/senior schools and various alternative learning centres. For more information, please visit nearnorthschools.ca and follow Near North District School Board on social media.

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

Students and community relationships blossom in FJ greenhouse experience

By

May 18, 2021

Learning can take place in all sorts of different places – a greenhouse is one of them.

For seven years, the budding greenhouse at Mattawa’s F.J. McElligott Secondary School has provided students with various horticultural and life skills.

“I really liked working in F.J.’s Greenhouse because we were outside and got to do hands-on work. I learned about soil, plants and how much everyone loves the greenhouse. I would like to do it again next year,” said Nic Guenette, a Grade 10 student.

The 1,300 square foot greenhouse was donated to the school in 2014 by local resident Laura Ross. Ross, along with her family utilized the greenhouse for decades before looking to pass it on.

Each year, students from various classes participate in the planting of plugs and seeds, nearly 28,000 of which were planted by students this year. In addition to planting, students also participate in daily deadheading, watering, basket creation and general maintenance of the plants, which are sold. Students learn about how plants are nurtured for maximum growth, the importance of soil properties, proper watering schedules, the value of sunlight to growth and about the business aspects of owning a greenhouse.

Sales from the greenhouse go towards helping F.J. students pay for class trips, school events and sports. Proceeds also help with beautifying the front of the school, maintaining and updating the greenhouse, and an annual scholarship for F.J. Grade 12 grads: FJ’s Blooming Greenhouse Scholarship.

Over the years, there have been numerous classes participate in the planting and maintenance of the plants. Some of these include Essential Science, Special Education, Learning Strategies, and Green Industries.

This year, there was a new addition – a Retail and Marketing class – which has been working on a logo and poster design to support sales.

Due to COVID-19 protocols, changes had to be made. A customer limit, mandatory mask wearing for all volunteers, staff and customers, frequent hand sanitizing, creation of a one-way loop for customers to maintain social distancing and plexiglass at the cash register.

During the opening weekend, which began on May 7, sales blossomed with nearly half of product sold.

“It was great to be back in the greenhouse after missing a year due to COVID and we were overwhelmed with the support we received from our customers on our opening weekend,” said teacher Martha Goodfellow. “Our students worked hard to ensure that all of our seedlings were planted before Spring Break which meant planting on average 4,500 per day. This was an amazing feat for students that were completely new to the process, and I was very proud of them.”

Fellow teacher, Judy Dupuis expressed her gratitude for the community support that has been shown over the years and especially this year.

“We had a great opening to the greenhouse and the support of the community has been amazing. The customers have been so pleased with the ability to shop local and support the school at the same time.”

While supplies last, the greenhouse will be open until June 1, 2021. For days and hours of operation, head to Facebook and look for FJs-Blooming-Greenhouse.

Letter to families: Information regarding Ontario Government announcement

By

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Today the provincial government made two announcements that affect Near North District School Board (NNDSB) students and staff.

The government has extended the stay-at-home order, so remote learning will continue until at least June 2.

It was also announced that children between the ages of 12 and 17 will be eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine beginning May 31.

You will find more information on both announcements in this link to the Province of Ontario newsroom.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Near North District School Board

New communications team building confidence with initiatives

By

Laptop, notebook, phone, and penIf you’re reading this right now, you’re experiencing the work of Near North District School Board’s (NNDSB) communications team. The team disseminates information from the Board of Trustees and Director of Education Craig Myles to a wide number of stakeholders.

The two-person team is supervised by Liana Blaskievich, Officer Corporate Affairs and works closely with senior administrators to provide timely and accurate communications. The team is a new addition to NNDSB, working as part of the Director’s office, and was formed in response to an extensive consultation that showed a deficit in communications. The team’s goals are to share NNDSB news and decisions with a variety of stakeholder groups.

The team is comprised of Communications Officer Deb Bartlett and Communications Coordinator Josh Casey. Both graduated from journalism programs; Casey also has a post-grad certificate in public relations and corporate communications, and Bartlett has a marketing diploma and just completed a communications degree. Together, they execute the plan that supports the board and while increasing communication to, and engagement with stakeholder groups.

Communications is a catch-all phrase that encompasses a variety of skills and activities that involve building relationships inside and outside the organization. The team is responsible for messaging and promotion of the NNDSB brand internally (within the board) and externally (outside the board); to increase awareness about the board and its activities; and to foster improved media relations. These goals are achieved in a number of ways – providing concise dissemination of Ministry of Education information, emails to staff, media releases, fresh web content, letters to families and updates to trustees as provided by senior administrators, Board Highlights and regular posts on a number of social media channels. The team also consults with the senior administrative team on issues relating to brand and perception.

Casey started with NNDSB in September 2020. He is responsible for covering news at the school level, updating board news on the website and managing social media. Bartlett joined the board in January 2021 and is responsible for board-level initiatives, creating and implementing the communications plan. She is the Freedom of Information (FOI) and Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act lead and has just agreed to take the lead for records management in a consultative role to board departments.

The team has already launched several initiatives to increase awareness and other ideas to be implemented that align with the board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) which will come to the Board for approval in June and launch board-wide in September. Two of the four pillars of that plan – excellence in communications and excellence in relationships – are key focuses of the team. Its initiatives are strategically developed to fill communications gaps and when possible, are being measured to ensure they are meeting their objectives. Among the initiatives the team launched are increased frequency of media releases (media monitoring is taking place), enhanced social media activity (with tracking of analytics to measure engagement), this In the Works feature which highlights roles and positions in the board, and an initiative that will officially launch in September that amplifies the student voice in NNDSB communications.

Additionally, the Board Highlights document is shared with staff and stakeholders as well as media to share the news and decisions of the Board, and the Director’s monthly staff newsletter provides updates about Board and senior administrative decisions.

“Excellence in communications and excellence in relationships are key objectives for NNDSB. This means extensive work to repair and build long-standing partnerships and forge new relationships,” says Blaskievich.

“We strengthen our relationships by building trust in the organization. We do this by providing authentic, transparent, timely and accurate communications. We have come a long way in 2020-2021. This is the first time that NNDSB has benefited from a team of communicators that is focused upon sharing the best of NNDSB. I am proud of this team and how they have embraced NNDSB as their own, communicating to reveal our best work and highest intentions. We have more work to do, but I have the utmost faith in this team to make it happen,” she said.

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)

Connect With Us

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