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17³Ô¹ÏÍø

News and Announcements

Directors of Education and Medical Officers of Health from across Northern Ontario stand united to deliver on COVID-19 safer schools

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On March 13, 2020, schools across Ontario closed their doors without us knowing when they would reopen. Almost six months later, school doors are beginning to re-open to welcome students back for the 2020-2021 school year. These last 25 weeks have been marked with uncertainty, personal and economic sacrifice . . . and ultimately, with success in flattening the curve of the first wave of COVID-19 in our area.

A Message from the Director of Education and Chair of the Board

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Dear 17³Ô¹ÏÍø 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 17³Ô¹ÏÍø 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 NNDSB 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 

Information for School start up

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Dear NNDSB 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 

Updates to Return to School

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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.

°Õ³ó±ðÌýOctomester 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 NNDSB 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 LearningÌýÌý

​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.

Health Unit School Reopening Letter to Parents

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North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (Health Unit) has been working diligently with school boards within our district to help inform and support the school reopening efforts. Through these discussions, the Health Unit identified additional information needed by parents and guardians as they prepare their children for a safer return to school. In an effort to help fill this gap, the Health Unit has launched COVID-19 and School Reopening – Public Health Information for Families.

For information from the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit regarding COVID-19 and School Reopening – Public Health Information for Families, .

Staggered Re-Entry

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Wednesday August 26, 2020

As we approach the new school year, we are working hard with the Ministry of Education and the Local Health Units to adequately prepare for the safe reopening of our schools. Building a safe, effective learning experience with new parameters for our students who come with diverse learning needs and identities is a key priority. Given the complex nature of the planning required and the focus on keeping students safe, we are planning a staggered start for our schools this year.

As health guidelines and information continue to be shared with schools, we are staggering the first day of school for students to give our staff time to familiarize themselves with new policies and ensure proper implementation to avoid making mistakes once students return. This means that different grades will return to school on different days (see chart below). A staggered response is essential for students to have the space and flexibility to practice their new routines and familiarize themselves with how to safely move around the school without every other student doing so simultaneously.
We understand that there are urgent requests for normalcy and a simple return to the old status quo. However, to ensure our community is as prepared and confident as possible, we ask for patience and support during this year’s reopening. We are all eager to see our students back in the classroom and reconnect with their friends and peers, but we must take extra steps to prioritize everyone’s health and well-being.

Staggered Entry Start Schedule

Day K-6-School K-8 School 7-12 School 9-12 School
Tues. Sept. 8 – – – –
Wed. Sept. 9 SK-2 SK-2 7-8 9
Thurs. Sept. 10 3/4 3/4/5 9-10 10
Friday Sept.11 5/6 6/7/8 11/12 11/12
17³Ô¹ÏÍø have the option to stagger JK re-entry with all students in attendance by Tues. Sept 15.

Launch of NNDSB Back to School Guideline

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Dear Parents and Guardians, it is with great anticipation that we look forward to welcoming students back for the start of the 2020-2021 school year. It will be wonderful to see students in our hallways once again.

The purpose of this communication is to share with you the Return to School Guidance Document prepared to guide staff and families as they prepare for Startup. To access (through the NNDSB website) please follow this link: Return to School Guidance Document

The information contained within this Guidance Document falls within the Ministry of Education's current parameters and meets both provincial and local health authorities' regulations.  It is critical to note that information and directives are in a state of frequent change. The material on the website document will be updated once received to reflect the most recent Ministry directives and public health recommendations.

As well, this material covers broad issues that impact all of our schools in the District. Please look for specific information, unique to your school communities, to come from your principals shortly.

Before highlighting a couple of items in the document, we would like to express our appreciation for reaching out with questions and concerns about sending your children back to school this September. This information has informed our research, planning and decisions over the last months.

Here are a few important items for parents and guardians as you prepare your children for the new school year (for the full document, and considerably more information, please access the link above).

  • The NNDSB will use the "Conventional Model" with enhanced public health protocols directed by the Ministry of Education. This model will have students attending school five days a week, in direct or indirect contact with a maximum of 50 (Elementary) or 100 (Secondary) students daily.
  • Parents and Guardians continue to have the option through completion of the NNDSB Survey (link below) to request their child(ren) not attend school physically but participate through At-HOME Distance Learning. (An extended deadline for the closing of pre-registration by completing the survey is Monday, August 24, 2020, at 4 p.m.. Suppose you have already preregistered your child(ren) but have changed your mind regarding your selections. In that case, you may register again, and it will automatically replace the previous information with your most recent entries).ÌýÌý
  • Student safety and well-being are the number one priority as we return to our school. Self-screening your children at home prior to them coming to school each day is critical for our school communities to be pro-active in preventing and reducing the spread of Covid-19. The following is a link to the Health Unit's Self-Screening Assessment: .ÌýÌýStudents in Grades 4-12 will be required to wear a mask indoors.  Students five years and older will also be required to wear a mask to board a school bus and for K-Grade 3 students wearing a mask while in NNDSB school buildings is highly recommended. Hand-washing/sanitizing and physical distancing is required of all individuals entering our buildings, and training will be provided on these and other safety measures to both staff and students. Cleaning protocols of the building and the spaces used by students and staff is significantly enhanced.
  •  A staggered entry for all students to begin school is being considered to support the necessary health and safety processes and protocols required. Once a decision is made it will be immediately shared out with families.

The above items are a small fraction of the information you will find in the full Return to School Guidance Document (link provided above).

Finally, we believe this Guidance Document supports the Board's position that students' and staff's health and well-being is critical at this time, and that in combination with effective teaching and learning, is the correct stance as we welcome students and staff back to school.

Reopening Message to Parents

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August 11, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians:

As we awaited the Ministry of Education announcement outlining the provincial plans to return students to school, the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø maintained vigilance in creating plans that would align with Ministry and more importantly with our vision of student achievement and success for your children. We thank you for your patience as all schoolboards across the province align their plans to the shifting landscape of Covid-19. We thank you also for your responses to enrollment surveys that helped us to keep your needs in mind as we navigated the ministry directives.

The July 30 Ministry of Education (MOE) announcement has designated the NNDSB as a board that will engage in the full reopening of all publicly funded secondary and elementary schools five days a week all day. The NNDSB has developed plans that meet the requirements as set out by the ministry reopening plan that must now be revised with the most recent announcement to ensure that we are doing our utmost to provide the best of learning while providing a safe and healthy school environment for students, teachers and staff, and safeguarding our community.

Please know that we will leave no stone unturned as we ensure that these plans meet the recently announced expectations of the ministry and more importantly the safe return of students and staff to our schools. You will be informed the moment the plan is solidified.

In the mean-time you will be receiving an information sheet via school messenger, providing answers to the key questions that you may have. This information will also be posted on the NNDSB website at www.nearnorthschools.ca.

Please understand that in order to keep your children safe and secure and to ensure their success and well-being we must stay current with emerging information. Rest assured we have a thorough and extensive plan prepared that is constantly updated based on the latest Ministry, Provincial Government and local and Provincial Health Authority updates.

We are ready to support your children’s success. We look forward to seeing you and your children in September.

Craig Myles, Director Jay Aspin, Chair

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

17³Ô¹ÏÍø
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