Near North District School Board

Chippewa Receives $28,000 in Funding from CWB Welding Foundation

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May 22, 2018 – The Near North District School Board is pleased to announce that after a lengthy application process, Chippewa Intermediate and Secondary School has been selected by the CWB Welding Foundation as the recipient of the Secondary School Equipment and Project Support program.

The CWB Secondary School Equipment and Project Support program is dedicated to the development of Canadian secondary school welding programs. Through this program, Chippewa received $28 000 in funding to refurbish and upgrade the school’s welding facilities.

For more information regarding the CWB Foundation, please visit their website: www.cwbweldingfoundation.org/.

To celebrate and express appreciation to CWB Welding Foundation for this significant contribution, Chippewa Intermediate and Secondary School will be hosting a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Friday, May 25th, 2018, at 10:30am. This event will also officially launch Chippewa’s welding program.

There will be equipment demonstrations, light refreshments, and a CWB Welding Foundation representative will be available to answer any questions.  Those interested in attending are asked to contact Chippewa, at (705) 475-2341.

For more information, please contact:

Mairghread Knought
Information/Communication Officer
Near North District School Board
(705) 472-8170, extension 5010
Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca

NSS Student Wins Javelin Title at OFSAA

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Northern Secondary School’s Brent Couchie went the distance, winning the 2018 OFSAA Midget Boys Javelin title on June 8, 2018 at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University. With a field of over 20 athletes from across the province the 15-year-old from Nipissing First Nation threw his personal best of the year with an impressive 44.94-meter throw.

With strength and finesse from an athletic and artistic background, Couchie picked up the art of Javelin throwing naturally. He spends his winters on the ice playing defense in hockey and is a head grass dancer who travels to pow-wows across the country. He began his throwing career this year and has added almost 10 meters to his throw since the NDA finals in May.

Northern Secondary School is not new to developing high level javelin throwers. Last year, Timothy Hatton won the OFSAA Senior Boys Javelin Throw with a mark of 56.56 meters. Hatton’s mother Catherine is currently the head coach of the track and field team and is a teacher at Northern.

Fore more information please contact:

Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick, B.Sc., OCT, NCCP
Occasional Teacher, P/J/I/S
Trojans Coach
Kaitlyn.Fitzpatrick@Nearnorthschools.ca

Widdifield Arts Teacher Accepted into Art21 Education Program

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May 23, 2018 – The Near North District School Board is pleased to announce that Widdifield Secondary School Visual Arts Teacher Samara Paleczny has been accepted into the Art21 Educators Program.

Art21 is a PBS series featuring contemporary artists which provides successful applicants with a year-long professional learning opportunity resulting in six graduate credits from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The program is open to teachers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and involves a lengthy application progress. Samara Paleczny is one of only two Canadians accepted in the program for 2018-2019.

The Art21 Educators Summer Institute will take place from July 6–11, 2018 at the New York Public Library and will focus on the educator as researcher. Teachers will be provided with the opportunity to challenge themselves, take productive risks, and engage with Art21 artists to learn more about utilizing contemporary art to teach about big ideas and the important questions facing us today. Teachers in attendance—both the new cohort and program alumni—will be able to utilize both the librarians’ knowledge and the library’s vast collection to explore critical research questions that will impact their classroom teaching during the 2018–2019 school year.

In order to qualify for the program Samara Paleczny was required to submit unit plans, lesson plans, a video application, and examples of how the Art:21 Program is referenced in her classroom.

“The Near North District School Board is extremely proud of Samara Paleczny and this significant achievement. This achievement showcases the superior quality of our teachers and their continuing dedication to ensuring that our students are provided with the highest quality of education.”
Jackie Young, Director of Education, Near North District School Board.

For more information, please contact:
Mairghread Knought
Information/Communication Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca

NNDSB Education Day Forum for Provincial Election Candidates

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May 16, 2018 – The Near North District School Board will be hosting an all candidates forum with a focus on educational matters in recognition of Education Day.  The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association has declared May 23, 2018 as Education Day, in recognition of the important role educational matters will play in the upcoming Provincial Election.

The Near North District School Board Education Day Forum is scheduled for Thursday, May 24, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at West Ferris Secondary School.

Student, parents, educators and all members of the community are encouraged to attend.  The Education Day Forum is a great opportunity to learn where our local candidates stand on educational issues.   The future growth of the province depends on the continued provision of high quality publicly-funded education.

Education Day Forum Agenda

Education Day Forum 2018 Rules of Procedure

Education Day Forum Questions for Candidates

For more information, please contact:

Mairghread Knought
Information/Communication Officer
Near North District School Board
(705) 472-8170, extension 5010
Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca

Parent Involvement Committee Partners with Georgian Bay Biosphere

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Students looking at organic plant materialMay 14, 2018 – During the 2017-2018 school year the NNDSB Parent Involvement Committee partnered with the Georgian Bay Biosphere to offer 6 free events for families across the school board. The events were designed to increase parent engagement in learning, while providing participants with an opportunity to develop an increasing awareness of the importance of habitat and the environment.

Under the title of “Growing with the Biosphere”, sessions were held in which students and parents were able to learn more about Monarch Butterflies and Mason Bees. Families were provided with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with respect to seed starting and veggie gardening.

The final event was held at Humphrey Public School on May 10th, 2018 where a group of elementary students and their families had the unique experience of building homes for Mason Bees. The event also involved the creation of seed starting pods to grow the important plants for our pollinators.

These homes and seeds will be placed in the Humphrey Public School community as a part of their new Outdoor Learning Space.

For more information, please contact:

Mairghread Knought
Information/Communication Officer Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Mairghread.Knought@nearnorthschools.ca

Chippewa Band Performs at Atlantic Music Fest

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May 14, 2018 - The Chippewa Intermediate Secondary School Band recently traveled to perform at the Atlantic Music Festival in London, Ontario, hosted by Western University.  Band members participated in instrument-specific workshops taught by renowned musicians, had the opportunity to perform, and received a silver star rating.

In addition, the band was able to experience a live jazz performance at Humber College. The show was put on by the College’s band, “The Yellowjacket Project”, which consisted of recent Chippewa graduate, John Kervin, on the piano and band leader Shirantha Beddage, a talented professor at Humber and a Chippewa Alumnist (1997).

Chippewa’s Junior and Senior bands have had a successful year, in which they competed in multiple events such as the Northern Ontario Music festival. Highlights of the years’ achievements include:

  • Obtaining a spot to perform at Music Fest Canada, which Chippewa has been invited to for over 20 years.
  • Receipt of a Gold Rating for both bands at the local Kiwanis Music Festival.
  • The Senior group scored the highest ranking in the Secondary Band category.

The Junior and Senior Band, consisting of over 60 students, will conclude this fantastic year with their Spring Concert on Wednesday, May 30th at 7 pm in the Chippewa Theatre.

For more information, please contact:
Marla Sunstrum, Chippewa Secondary School Music Department
Phone: 705-475-2341 ext. 8532, Email: marla.sunstrum@nearnorthschools.ca

E.W. Norman Exceeds Jump Rope for Heart Goal

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May 14, 2018 - A big congratulations to the students of E. W. Norman Public School who raised over $3000 in pledges for their annual Jump Rope for Heart event.  Students and Teachers  had identified an initial fundraising goal of $600, which they substantially exceed through hard work and the support of our community!

The Jump Rope for Heart Event occurred Friday, May 11, 2018 with all funds going to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

For more information, please contact:

Jodie Nychuk, Principal
E. W. Norman Public School
Phone: 705-472-5534 Ext. 8009
E-Mail: Jodie.Nychuk@nearnorthschools.ca

Chippewa Students Get Innovative

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students working hard on posters and presenting their workMay 7, 2018 – On Monday, April 30th, grade 10 Chippewa Secondary career studies students participated in a day-long workshop that focused on the global competencies of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship (ICE).

The ICE challenge is a concept that was originally generated in the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program, but Ontario's Ministry of Education is working with teachers across the province to modernize the curriculum. ICE is a component that has been proposed as part of a new curricular push towards integrating 21st century global competencies into career studies.

Throughout the day, students had an opportunity to develop application prototypes, hear a keynote presentation from local entrepreneurs and participate in a Shark Tank type panel that served to provide feedback for student-generated prototypes.

The efforts from the students who participated will be documented and shared with Ministry staffers to help guide the design of new curriculum. Near North was one of the only boards participating in the pilot project that tested the new curriculum using an ICE Challenge outside of school.

Students, teachers and entrepreneurs contributed to the overall success of the event assisted by the North Bay Chamber of Commerce for finding local entrepreneurs to inspire students.

For more information, please contact:

Greg Deschamps, Program Coordinator E. Greg.Deschamps@nearnorthschools.ca P. (705) 472-7015, extension 5039

students working hard on posters and presenting their work

 

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