Minister of Education Launches Online Resources for Students During Closures

On March 20, 2020 the Minister of Education announced the launch of a new online portal that will provide resources for families so students can continue their education while schools are closed due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

The Minister of Education has advised that Learn at Home offers all students high-quality, made-in-Ontario math and literacy resources, created by Ontario-certified educators, in both English and French. Elementary resources are designed to help young students learn at home with interactive activities that encourage participation through entertaining and stimulating digital content. High school content was designed with a focus on STEM courses and ensure core competencies and skills are reinforced. The government is also providing access to course content for students who take the initiative to refresh and extend their learning. (Ministry of Education, March 20, 2020 https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/03/ontario-helping-students-learn-from-the-safety-of-their-own-home.html)

To obtain additional information including how to access these resources please visit:

Learn at Home (English) or

Apprendre à la maison (French).

Quick Facts

• For students who do not have access to a computer, work is underway, in conjunction with school boards, to provide the necessary technology to everyone who needs it.
• TVO Kids offers educational programming throughout the day for school-aged children. Check out their broadcast schedule below to know what is on and when.
• Bilingual materials on Learn at Home will continue to be added on a regular basis to provide new and compelling content throughout this period. Other learning programs, such as Ontario’s Virtual Learning Environment, are being further developed to provide enhanced learning options.
• Mathify provides real-time homework help led by OCT educators for students between grades 6-10, six days a week, including weekdays from 9AM ET – 9PM ET. The Government worked in concert with TVO to expand Mathify beyond the existing grades 7-10, to now include grade six.
• Eurêka! is another online learning support program that helps students in French language schools from grades 1 to 12 with their school work and their learning.
• EQAO assessments for the 2019-20 school year have been cancelled, including the Ontario Secondary School Literacy test. The literacy requirement for students graduating in the 2019-20 school year has also been waived.
• The Ministry of Education is working with TVO and TFO to roll-out robust education programming on their broadcast channels, with a phased-in approach commencing next week. This iterative process will ensure that Ontario students and families have additional mediums available for engaging with high-quality, made-in-Ontario education resources that support a continuity of learning for students.

Silver Birches Elementary School has recently received a $3000 grant from the Whole Kids Foundation through their “Garden Grant Program”.  The purpose of the grant is to create a fruit and vegetable garden at the school that will get kids involved and excited about growing and eating nutritious foods.  The school plans include a raised bed garden in the courtyard, a number of container gardens, a pollinator garden, and the planting of various fruit trees around the property.

The Learning Assistance Program (LAP) will take the lead on this garden project, and will work alongside students in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 to plant, tend, and harvest the gardens. The school looks forward to creating teams of young gardeners to do weekly work such as  maintaining raised vegetable garden beds and pollinator beds with flowers and herbs. Students will work cooperatively to rake leaves, pull weeds, and plant bulbs during the spring.  It hoped that  garden visits will become a regular part of the school day.  Staff envision a place where students can enjoy reading and snack time in the garden, have scavenger hunts, and learn about plant identification, pollinators and other important garden lessons.

For more information about the Whole Kids Foundation, please check out the following website:  www.wholekidsfoundation.org

The Ministry of Education has launched Ontario’s survey on bullying. The survey will be used to gather information from students, parents/guardians, and school staff so that we can better understand this complex issue and help find new ways to make schools safer and more inclusive.

 The survey can be accessed at https://www.ontario.ca/page/consultation-bullying-ontario-schools and will close by March 31, 2020. This survey is one of the five measures to prevent and combat bullying in Ontario schools announced by the Minister on November 27, 2019.

 The Ministry of Education is committed to ensuring online safety, consent and the privacy of students. Students under 16 years of age who wish to participate in the survey will be asked to seek permission from a parent or guardian. The survey is also open to parents/guardians and school staff because we know they are committed partners in education and may want to offer feedback.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to support their children in taking the survey. Participation in the survey provides an opportunity for parents/guardians and students to talk about bullying. To support this,  Information for Parents/Guardians about Ontario’s Survey on Bullying is available online.

The Near North District School Board is deeply committed to providing French as a Second Language (FSL) learning opportunities to students across all regions of our district.

This Winter, we invite parents and guardians of current and future elementary students to attend a French as a Second Language information session.

Sessions will be hosted in the following schools:

• Sunset Park Public School – February 26th @ 6:00 p.m.
• Parry Sound Public School – March 11th @ 6:00 p.m.
• Mattawa Public School –  CANCELLED due to COVID-19

Families in attendance will have opportunities to:

• Learn more about French as a Second Language Programming and Pathways;
• View a presentation about the French Immersion and Extended French programs – including a vignette of classroom experience (short video);
• Develop an awareness of the benefits of French as a Second Language learning;
• Visit an Early Learning Kindergarten classroom;
• Register for the program.

Families may complete the French Immersion program registration package during the information session.

We are looking forward to meeting you!

Kindergarten is an investment in our future. The Near North District School Board is pleased to offer a two year Kindergarten program.

Establishing a strong foundation in the early years will give Ontario’s four- and five-year-olds a stronger start with their learning. It will help improve their reading, writing and math skills, provide a smoother transition to Grade 1 and help increase their success in school and beyond.

We are very excited to welcome your child to our schools in September. Our team of educators provide an excellent kindergarten program that will motivate your child to be his or her best!

In the Spring, Near North families will receive an invitation for a “Welcome to Kindergarten” session where you and your child will participate in playful experiences together with educators and early learning community partners as you become familiar your school community and the Kindergarten Program. These hands-on experiences are supported with a package full of books, crayons, magnetic letters and numbers and other learning materials for you and your child to enjoy together beyond the orientation session.

In Near North District School Board’s Early Learning Kindergarten an average of 26 JK/SK students attend all day, everyday with one teacher. and one Early Childhood Educator (ECE).  Classrooms with under 16 children will only be staffed with one teacher.

AGE REQUIREMENT FOR SEPTEMBER 2020 REGISTRATION

Junior Kindergarten – children must be 4 years of age on or before December 31, 2020.
Senior Kindergarten – children must be 5 years of age on or before December 31, 2020.

REGISTRATION

A list of schools offering the English Kindergarten Program can be found by clicking here.  A list of schools offering the French Immersion Program can be found by clicking here.

Please visit our Registration page for more information.

I am pleased to share this update as part of our commitment to ongoing communication with stakeholders, including our parent community.

For those that were able to attend, we wish to once again thank you for taking the time to meet with the Joint School Council at their meeting recently held at West Ferris Secondary School. A reminder that the next Joint School Council meeting is scheduled at Chippewa Monday, March 2, 2020 at 6:30 pm (in the school library).  This meeting is open to all community members should you wish to attend.

The course selection process at each of the three high schools involved in the 3-2 Consolidation is almost completed.  In addition, school leaders have met with students at our intermediate feeder schools of Fricker, Phelps, and M.T. Davidson to ensure that they are aware of the educational opportunities available in our system. While the process began in early December and is almost complete, it is important to note that it is a fluid process that will continue until the beginning of the new school year in September 2020.

Further to the above programming progress, the NNDSB Board of Trustees have allocated funds to begin renovations to classrooms and facilities necessary to accommodate the programming and enrollment changes for September 2020.

Moving forward staff will be focusing on the following:

• Preparing transition activities for students as they move from their current schools into either Chippewa or West Ferris.
• Ensuring that students with special education needs remain a priority.
• Timetabling schools based on student course selection.
• Staffing based on student needs and school program selection.

The success of our students through the delivery of equitable and inclusive high-quality education remains a priority. The innovative programs being offered at Chippewa and West Ferris are a key component of this mandate and we welcome any questions or concerns that you may have in terms of meeting the needs of our students.   Please continue to contact your school with anything that may assist you as we work through this process.   It is imperative that this initiative maintains a student-based focus. Ongoing feedback and communication is a key component of this.

We will provide further information as we move through this transition period.  Thank you for your continued support.

Craig Myles
Director of Education