October Board Meeting Highlights

Media Release - October 12, 2017

Trustees met at Sioux Mountain Public School in Sioux Lookout on Tuesday, October 10, for a regular board meeting.  Trustees held their board meeting following an opportunity for a firsthand look at the progress to date on the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board‘s new high school, Sioux North High School.  Trustees were pleased with the progress and were informed that the walls have now been erected with roof work to begin within the week.  Please click here to view a live stream of the construction.

The October Kids Come First presentation titled ‘Project Sunset – Sioux Mountain Public School’ was received by Trustees.  Project Sunset Coordinator, Curtis Robb, and Sioux Mountain student, Kanaysah Kakegamic, shared their experiences in the program with Trustees. Project Sunset is an OPP-led initiative, designed to empower children and build skills like resiliency and self-awareness through a strengths-based, outdoors-focused experiential learning curriculum.  Some of the hands-on activities students in the program participate in include dogsledding, rock climbing, canoeing, and camping.  Kanaysah had plenty to say about the program, including that the program makes her feel safe and throughout the presentation, she referred to those involved as her family.  Kanaysah plans to return to the program once she goes on to high school as a mentor for the younger students.  Project Sunset is offered to students at KPDSB schools in Sioux Lookout, Dryden and Kenora.

Deanna Pacheco, Student Achievement Administrator, presented the Student Achievement report.  The position of Student Achievement Administrator was put in place in February 2016 and works closely with central Student Achievement Special Assignment Teachers and school administration.  Six KPDSB school were identified as the focus of the student achievement work for the 2017-2018 school year.  The work includes school and classroom visits to talk about instruction and assessment, sharing resources and best practices, and support for both school administrators and staff based on school and classroom needs.  The province’s renewed Math strategy is also an important component of this work and ultimately, the goal is to see students’ literacy and numeracy scores improve over time.

Superintendents Caryl Hron, Joan Kantola and Tania Sterling presented the 2017-2018 Board Continuous Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (BCIP) update. The 2017-2018 BCIP, along with individual School Improvement Plans, guides the work of our schools.  Taking a grass roots approach to the plan, this year’s plan development includes increased analysis of school data with school administration, discussions around areas of student and teachers needs in each school, prioritization of centralized supports for schools, consultation with elementary and secondary administrators and central staff to identify priorities, and development of a draft BCIP for sharing with schools for feedback prior to presenting the BCIP to the Board of Trustees.

Kim Carlson, Facilities Manager, along with Chris Edie, Assistant Manager Facility Operations & Maintenance, and Steve Parker, Assistant Manager Facility Planning & Development, presented the 2017 Capital Projects report.  Highlights of capital work included:

• Construction of Sioux North High School (Sioux Lookout)
• Child care space planning at Sioux Mountain Public School (Sioux Lookout), New Prospect and Open Roads Public Schools (Dryden)
• Roof replacements at Evergreen, King George and Keewatin Public Schools (Kenora)
• Parking lot improvements at Red Lake District High School

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KPDSB Accepting Applications for the Office of Trustee for Sioux Lookout

Due to a recent resignation, the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board will accept applications for the office of:

TRUSTEE

Representing the interests of ratepayers in:

SIOUX LOOKOUT

Term of Office: September 2017 to November 30, 2018

As per the Education Act, a person is qualified to be elected as a member of the Board if the person is,

• Canadian citizen;
• of the full age of eighteen (18) years;
• a resident within the area of jurisdiction of the Board; and
• a public school elector.

Applications to be submitted to:

Mr. David Penney, Chair of the Board
Keewatin-Patricia District School Board
79 Casimir Avenue
Dryden, Ontario P8N 2Z6

Closing Date for Applications is August 28, 2017

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School Starts on Tuesday, August 29th! Welcome Back from our Director of Education!

Back to School! Classes start on August 29, 2017!

Message from the Director of Education

What a "Back to School” message means depends a great deal on who you are, where you live and if you are around young people; whether that be as parents, grandparents, elders, teachers or community members. In the days ahead, the relaxed atmosphere of the dog days of July and August, transitions into cooler nights, shorter days, and kids with backpacks walking our sidewalks emitting the sounds of laughter. I always think of the parents of first year kindergarten students, and more specifically their emotions, as they send their greatest investment and achievements...their children, off to start school; and in doing so keeping in the back of their minds that 14 years from now they will hopefully graduate from high school.

As the proud Director of Education for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, I write this annual message while sifting back and forth between looking out over my favorite Northern Ontario lake in Ear Falls, reflecting on the summer's events dominated by fishing and reading, and feeling the energy and invigoration that working in the service of children brings. I recognize I am biased, but in my own opinion there is no greater calling than EDUCATION.

September is almost here, and I welcome all of our students, staff and families back to our schools!  Our schools in the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board are sparkling.  Much capital work has been completed in Red Lake, Dryden, and Kenora; and work in Sioux Lookout on our new Sioux North High School has begun and is on track! There is a feeling in the air of excitement, enthusiasm, renewed energy and thoughts of the year ahead with all of the promise and hope that public education can bring….education truly is the great leveler of the field. And nowhere in this province of Ontario is education more important than right here in the Northwest.

September marks the beginning of new chapters for many students and families, but also for our staff who eagerly await the arrival of faces of young learners, looking to be inspired and they themselves inspiring those around them with stories of resilience and optimism.

The past year for us in the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board was a powerful reminder of what can be and what hard work and innovation can achieve, when we work together and think outside-of-the-box. I see our hard work and enthusiasm as absolute traits of us Northerners. I also want to take the opportunity to extend best wishes to all in the region for a successful year ahead, and specifically to the students, families and staff of the Kenora Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boreales, and Northwest Catholic    District School Board. May we work together in a spirit of cooperation that supports all students in the name of public education, and as always, put their needs first!

As the Director of Education for the KPDSB, I assure all parents and students that our commitment to the needs of Northern Children, your children, remains resolved, determined and assuredly uncompromising.

Best wishes for 2017-2018.

Sean Monteith,                                                                             
Director of Education

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Register for Kindergarten NOW!

We have launched a brand new online resource for families with children starting Kindergarten in the fall (children born in 2013 can start Kindergarten in the fall of 2017).

Our new website can be found at http://buddysystem.ca/

Families can visit the site for everything Kindergarten, including:

• Videos of parents and staff talking about our schools and programs
• Our Full-Day Kindergarten programs
• Dates and times for our schools’ Kindergarten Open Houses
• Specialized programming like our popular Hockey Canada Skills Academies and French Immersion programs
• A new online registration process families can complete from the comfort of their own home
• And so much more!

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Keewatin-Patricia Announces Significant Changes to Administration Team, Completes System Restructuring

Media Release - May 10, 2017

Trustees met at Crolancia Public School in Pickle Lake on Tuesday, May 9, for a regular board meeting.

The May “Students Come First” presentation titled ‘Kids in the Kitchen and Athletic Education at Crolancia’ was received by Trustees.  Staff members Amanda Pedalino and Kayla Blakney, accompanied by Crolancia students, shared some of the ways they are thinking outside the box to deliver athletic and extracurricular activities to their students.  One example of this work is the partnership between Crolancia and Ignace Public School to allow both schools to participate in area sports tournaments.  Students said being able to participate in different sports has encouraged them to be more active, improved their confidence, and provided opportunities for them to face and overcome challenges.  Other examples include an after-school healthy eating cooking class provided through a partnership with the area Northwestern Health Unit where students learn about healthy eating options, safe food preparation and cooking skills. 

Candice Kerkermeier, Children’s Mental Health Lead, presented the Children’s Mental Health Update.  The KPDSB Mental Health and Addictions Strategy for the 2016-2017 school year is guided by three main goals; building organizational mental health and wellbeing, increasing mental health literacy, and changing classroom climate.  The work around the strategy is vast, including training for all staff to become a trauma informed and proactive response Board, incorporating student voice through student mental health focus groups, identifying mental health champions in each school and office, conducting staff mental health needs assessments, and resource development to support staff.  For more information and access to resources, please visit the recently developed Mental Health section on our website at *|SITE_URL|*pages/view/mental-health.

Superintendents Caryl Hron and Joan Kantola presented the KPDSB Administration and Business Report.  The following appointments were announced for the 2017-2018 school year.

 Dryden High School

• Principal – Richard Hodgkinson (currently KPDSB Adult and Alternative Education Administrator)
• Vice-Principal – Natasha Menard-Mousseau (currently central Teacher Diagnostician)
• Richard and Natasha will join current Vice-Principal Brad Bartlett as the administration team for DHS

New Prospect Public School (Dryden)

• Principal – Kelly Schollie (currently Principal of Lillian Berg Public School in Vermilion Bay)
• Vice-Principal – Ryan Graham (currently acting Vice-Principal at Dryden High School)

Open Roads Public School (Dryden)

• Principal – Tanis Oberg (currently Principal of New Prospect Public School)
• Vice-Principal – Teri Jackson (currently Vice-Principal of New Prospect Public School)

 Lillian Berg Public School

• Principal – Humberto Pacheco (currently central Technology and Assistive Technology Administrator)

Sioux Mountain Public School (Sioux Lookout)

• Principal of Sioux Mountain and KPDSB Adult and Alternative Education – Steve Poling (currently Co-Administrator of Sioux Mountain Public School)
• Vice-Principal – Barb Van Diest (currently Vice-Principal of Ear Falls Public School)
• Vice-Principal - Andy Schardt Sioux Mountain & Queen Elizabeth District High School K-12 Transition  (currently Co-Administrator of Sioux Mountain Public School)

Ear Falls Public School

• Vice-Principal – Doris St. Jules (currently Vice-Principal of Golden Learning Centre in Balmertown)

Evergreen Public School (Kenora)

• Principal – Shannon Bailey (currently acting Principal of Evergreen Public School)

Ignace Public School

• Vice-Principal – Adele Bernaudo-Marth (currently acting Vice-Principal of Ignace Public School)

System Administrator Support

• Safe and Supportive Schools (Kenora) – Gayle Mutrie (currently Vice-Principal of King George VI Public School in Kenora)
• Teacher Diagnostician and Special Equipment Amount (Dryden) –Syrena Lalonde (currently Principal of Open Roads Public School in Dryden)

Sean Monteith, Director of Education, said “With the appointment of our new Superintendent of Business and with the multiple school administration appointments and assignments, the reorganization of Keewatin-Patricia District School Board’s organizational structure is now complete.  After two years of careful planning and strategic conversations, our schools and students are well placed for success looking ahead.”

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