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October 5: World Teachers’ Day. �㽶ֱ�� would like to thank all of the educators across our system who go above and beyond to provide safe, welcoming and equitable spaces for learning for our students.

October 1, 2020

Near North District School Board (�㽶ֱ��) is proud to announce the upcoming introduction of The Skills Catalyst Project, an interactive, online learning platform for secondary students.�� The Skills Catalyst Project is funded by the Government of Ontario.�� The Government awarded �㽶ֱ�� a $96,220 grant to develop this platform in collaboration with community partners.�� The Skills Catalyst Project is the first of its kind in �㽶ֱ�� community.�� After completing a rigorous application process that began in January, �㽶ֱ�� is excited to reveal the platform and engage in the experiential aspects with students.

The Skills Catalyst Project��

September 21, 2020

At the Near North District School Board, we are committed to creating safe and positive spaces that respect and celebrate diversity for all our students.

The Near North District School Board conducted its first a Student Census survey “This is Me” in the 2018/2019 school year for all students kindergarten to grade 12. The survey was conducted during the month of May 2019. Parents/Guardians of students in kindergarten to grade 6 were asked to complete the survey on their child’s behalf. Students in grade 7-12 were asked to complete the survey online while at school.

This is us: 2018/2019 Census survey results

September 16, 2020

The Near North District School Board is committed to equity and inclusion and the
elimination of discrimination and racism in education.

We acknowledge that systemic racism, bias and discrimination exists in Ontario and is
experienced by students, families and staff in Black, Indigenous and racialized
communities. We are committed to working with our communities to listen for
understanding about their lived experiences and the harm caused by racism. We will
work hard to identify and eliminate barriers created by bias and systemic racism.

�㽶ֱ�� anti-racism statement

Dear Near North District School Board Family,

We look forward to welcoming our students back to school.

During these unprecedented times and the significant shifts away from our normal routines, many people have expressed concerns about the impact on students’ academic journeys. We want to encourage parents, educators, and students in the Near North District School Board family to remember the big picture. This is a time to focus on and be grateful for our family’s safety, health, and well-being and a time for us at the �㽶ֱ�� to do the best we can to support your children in returning to a safe and welcoming environment. We will embark upon this journey together.

Director chair message to parents��

Dear �㽶ֱ�� Families,

We would like to acknowledge and thank you for your patience, flexibility and understanding as we have planned for school re-opening in a year like no other.�� We are confident in the status of our preparations and look forward to school startup and engaging with students and ��facilitating their learning once again.�� With this in mind, we would like to highlight a few critical areas for our students and their families.

COVID-19 School reopening��

Parents and Guardians,

As previously stated, when we released the return to school plan, we continue to review and update our school re-opening models in partnership and with guidance, from the Ministry of Education and local and provincial health authorities from the lens of enhancing the safety of our students, staff, and school communities.

��Change to In School Learning

Keeping student and staff safety in mind, the ministry has suggested further reduction of in contacts at school. As a result,��we have revised the model to the recommended Octomester Model��for secondary schools.

The��Octomester Model��is most significantly characterized by the fact that students will take one course at a time for approximately 20 days of full-day instruction. For example, the first octomester would run from September 9th – October 9th for a total of 24 days.

There are many positives for our students with this model, including and most prominently, the increased safety for our students as they remain with one cohort of students each day, for the duration of the course.�� This change has been made to allow us to support our students, in �㽶ֱ�� secondary schools, in adhering to the directive of a maximum of 100 student daily contacts. For questions related to this, or any other questions regarding the start of the school year, please contact your school principal.

At-Home Learning����

​If you have already registered your child(ren) for At-Home Learning, additional information will be shared with you in the coming days.�� At this time, a waitlist has been created for additional registrations for At-Home Learning and placement will depend on staffing and programming considerations.

The safety of staff and students is of the utmost importance. We remain vigilant in planning with this in mind.