The initiative was spearheaded by Mrs. Poling, the grade 1 teacher. The fundraising goal was $700 and the students’ reward if they reached the goal, other than feeling a wholesome sense of pride and achievement, would be to have a large bucket of water dumped on three brave teachers and one daring vice-principal. With the sense of competition in the air, the students couldn’t help but be enlivened and run toward the opportunity.

As the Terry Fox Foundation’s relation to Thunder Bay is so strong and unique, every class in McKenzie Public School was motivated to participated in this historical cause. The teachers played a central role in teaching the students about Terry Fox, perseverance, and courage.

On September 30th, every class from JK to grade 6 took turns walking and running outside in the school yard for 15-30 minutes. The school not only met its fundraising goal of $700 but surpassed it, donating $970 to the Terry Fox Foundation’s much-needed cancer research. Congratulations to the students, teachers and administration of McKenzie Public School!
The students reveled in watching Mrs. Poling (grade 1), Mrs. Armstrong (JK/SK), Mrs. Parker (grades 4-6), and Mrs. Gayoski-Luke (Vice-Principal) get a bucket of water dumped on each of them, all in the name of fun, encouragement, and history.

The post McKenzie Public School shines in Terry Fox School Run appeared first on �AV.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit has informed us that at this point, no additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified and they have no evidence that the virus has spread in the school setting. While this is reassuring at this time, ongoing vigilance will be maintained until the full risk period has passed.

The TBDHU has advised individuals who were excluded from in-person attendance at the school and the school itself that it is safe for these individuals to return.

École Gron Morgan and Lakehead Public Schools would like to extend our deepest gratitude to both our families and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit for their support over the past couple of weeks. The safety and well-being of our students and staff has always been, and continues to be, our top priority.

COVID-19 Screening Tool for Children in School and Child Care:

The post École Gron Morgan welcomes back students appeared first on è��AV.

Should you choose to have your child move from their current school “location” follow these steps:

1. Have a conversation with the teacher/ECE and school principal about the concerns you have with your child(ren)’s current situation and the reasons for wanting a change. Schools will work to provide solutions to concerns and barriers.
2. If, after those discussions, you still feel a change is preferred, contact your school principal directly to request the change. These requests must be made between 9 AM September 25 and 4 PM on October 2. We are not able to honour requests made after October 2nd due to the impact of staffing changes in the system.
3. The principal will document the request, and during the week of October 5th, new class lists and school reorganizations may occur.
4. You will be contacted by your child(ren)’s new teacher on October 8 or 9 and your child(ren) will start in their new placement on October 13, 2020.

The next date to have your child move between learning environments is February 1, 2021. The final date for Elementary student moves back to in-school learning is March 22, 2021.

Any questions can be addressed to your current school principal.

The post Important Information for Elementary Families appeared first on �AV.

June 12 has been dedicated as Wellness Family Friday. While your child’s teacher is preparing year-end report cards for each student, Lakehead Public Schools instructional resource team is providing families with learning for the day. There is a selection of learning activities that promote a day of limited screen time, wellness and active learning. Below you will find links to the instructional activities that you and your child may choose to do on Friday June 12.

• Kindergarten
• Primary (Grades 1 – 3)
• Junior (Grades 4 – 6)
• Intermediate (Grades 7 – 8)

The post Wellness Family Friday June 12 appeared first on �AV.

All students, K-12, will receive a June report card.

Elementary Students

For students in elementary school, teachers will assign tasks, projects and activities during the school closure period and provide meaningful feedback. Evidence of learning during the closure period may be taken in consideration when determining a final grade if it improves the student’s mark. Otherwise, students in Grades 1 to 8 will be assigned the grades earned based on their learning up until schools closed on March 13, 2020.

Secondary Students

For students in secondary school, teachers will assign tasks, projects and activities during the school closure period and provide feedback, assessment, and evaluation; however, this work will only be taken into consideration for final marks if it improves the student’s mark. If not, final marks submitted in June will reflect work completed by March 13, 2020. There will be no final exams for secondary students this semester.

It is essential to remind students to continue to stay engaged in their at home learning. Gaining the critical knowledge and skills to move on to the next level in their learning is of the utmost importance for all students.

The post Report Cards and Assessment appeared first on �AV.

As there would be no traditional birthday parties this year, instead of a presents they suggested friends and neighbours donate to the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA) and the Thunder Bay COVID-19 Community Relief Fund.

Over two days, they collected 2 large boxes of food and $60 for the RFDA. Alexander also donated $250 of birthday money to the Thunder Bay COVID-19 Community Relief Fund!

The post Woodcrest Student Birthday Generosity appeared first on �AV.

Even a global pandemic cannot stop what has quickly become a Kingsway Park Public School tradition! The Fine Arts Academy will continue to battle it out for the title of Kingsway Cake Boss….with some virtual baking, decorating and judging!

“We have been doing the Kingsway Cake Boss competition for a number of years now and we wanted to safely continue the event despite the pandemic,” says Ryan Roy, Kingsway Park Public School Grade 8 Teacher. “Because of the current situation, judging of the cakes will not include sampling the completed works. A new criteria for choosing the winner has been established to ensure that all students and judges can participate safely.”

Students have until Friday, May 15 to submit photos of their completed cakes. The cakes will be judged by guest judge Chef Shane Warwick from the Confederation College Culinary Program on:

• Overall design
• Wow factor!
• Quality of structure
• Creativity with decorating

To ensure that all students are able to participate, ingredients were made available for delivery Principal Darren Lentz.

Attached is a photo of the cake submitted by Kingsway student Reid Daniele – a cake model of his dog Baxter!

The post Kingsway Cake Boss appeared first on �AV.

“Our students were so excited to bring some happiness and joy to the seniors who have been impacted by the pandemic and the stay at home order that has kept visitors away,” says Cathleen Armstrong, Teacher at McKenzie Public School. “We are so incredibly proud of the efforts that our students made to make a difference in the life of seniors in our community.”

Through this effort, 80 letters were dropped off at The Walford and over 100 letters and artwork were delivered to Chartwell.

Picture 1 – Mr. Finn Andersen
Picture 2 – Mrs.Harriet Renaud

The post The Power of Kindness! appeared first on �AV.

While the Learn at Home plan is for the duration of the extended closure, families are asked to be patient as it will take some time to ensure that all facets of the program are in place. For the week of April 6, there will not be hardcopy learning packages available for students without digital access to learning materials. Hardcopy learning packages will be available to families beginning the week of April 14th. Families will be contacted by their schools with regard to pick up times.

During this new learning and instruction process, Lakehead Public Schools staff will be guided by the following guiding principles:

• At Lakehead Public Schools, we are committed to doing our part to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus in order to flatten the curve. This requires our students to learn from home, and our educators and support staff will work with families to provide the best possible learning experience for our students.
• We are committed to doing our part to support students’ well-being and learning. At Lakehead Public Schools, all of our students belong here, including when “here” is the safety of their own homes.
• For elementary students, the main goal is to support their continued growth in literacy and numeracy through their interests, wonderings and exploration.
• For secondary students, the main goal is to support them in demonstrating the overall expectations of their Semester 2 classes in order to achieve these credits.

In addition to the guiding principles, Kindergarten to Grade 12 guidelines were developed for staff. Some of these include:

• We understand that every household is unique and educators will be flexible in how they support students and families.
• We are not expecting parents to homeschool their children.
• Educators are encouraged to plan with “quality over quantity” in mind. Our focus is Communication, Connection, Content.
• The main method of delivery will be electronic and educators will ensure that all students are able to access the learning materials and plans.
• Educators will be available on a daily basis to support students and families.
• Parents can expect their child to do a certain number of hours of schoolwork per week, as outlined by the Ministry of Education for learning from home.

Elementary Students
The total number of hours includes the time it will take students to engage in the recorded and posted individual online learning and any resulting work or activities.

Elementary Assessment

Elementary teachers will assess students by gathering evidence of how they are progressing in their learning. Teachers will also provide feedback to their students on their progress. Lakehead Public Schools will issue final report cards, including the Kindergarten Communication of Learning, for all students.

Classroom teachers will:

• provide students/family with a weekly schedule/plan by Monday of each week
• be available to correspond and support students and families throughout the week
• schedule check-ins with parents and/or students (e.g., virtually, email, phone call)

Kickstart Program

For students in the Kickstart Program, Kickstart teachers will use the Edsby platform for posting content and Microsoft teams for live interactive chats. Kick Start programs will begin the week of April 13th. Teachers will make contact with students and students will perform 1.5 hours of work per week.

Secondary Students

The total number of hours includes the time it will take students to engage in the recorded and posted individual online learning and any resulting work or activities.

Delivery of secondary program will be a combination of teacher directed content, which is posted online and teacher dedicated time to be available to support students on Microsoft team meet or by telephone.

Secondary teachers will continue to work with school staff including guidance counsellors, graduation coaches, student success teachers, attendance counsellors and support staff to create a culture of learning during this time when face to face interaction is not possible.

Secondary students will be assigned learning tasks, projects and culminating activities that will be marked by their teachers. Teachers will communicate results of these marked assignments to students. Results will be used by teachers to inform students’ final course marks. The requirement to issue mid-term marks for non-graduating secondary students is suspended for this school year.

Content will be posted on Edsby or D2L by 9:30am Monday of each week.

Senior Students

Secondary teachers will be focused on ensuring that senior students are supported in order for them to graduate. The Ministry of Education is working with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to coordinate admissions for students entering post-secondary education.

Community involvement hours and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) requirement for the 2019-20 graduating class are waived.

Co-op

Students enrolled in Cooperative Education are able to earn credits through the use of posted lessons and activities and live online instruction or conversations with their teacher.

Teachers will use EDSBY and Microsoft Teams to post lessons and connect with their students.

Dual Credits

Team taught dual credits are cancelled.

Dual credits will continue. Two of the dual credits (tech and baking) will NOT be offered and therefore these students have the option of being moved into another course at the College.

Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM)

Specialist High Skills Major requirements are paused at this time. SHSM graduating students WILL NOT be compromised due to Covid-19.

The Board will apply for an override for requirements that are not achievable due to the present situation. This process is completed on a student by student basis. An example would be mandatory certification such as First Aid CPR.

Alternative Education

Day school alternative education students (SAM MISOL, Connections, College Link) will continue with course requirements to earn credit(s).

Supervised Alternative Learning (SAL) students will continue to complete course requirements to earn credits(s).

Supplementary Learning Resources

Supplementary learning resources beyond what is delivered by educators can be found at /online-learning-resources/ and .

Supporting Students with Special Education Needs in K-12 Classes

Classroom teachers will work with students and families to develop and assign appropriate tasks/activities for students, ensuring that the required accommodations and/or modifications specified in their Individual Education Plans are in place. Classroom teachers will seek support from the school Special Education Facilitator if additional support is required. Empower Reading Teachers will work with students and families to adapt the program for home delivery. Classroom teachers will collaborate with Student Support Professionals as required. Students will be provided access to SEA technology and equipment

Learn at Home Support

Schools have contacted families about their requirements for the Learning at Home program. Devices will be deployed next week to families who require them. We have had conversations with community partners to provide internet access where possible. Those families with internet access will receive learning activities and resources electronically. Some of the learning activities can be printed at home and completed by students, others will be completed online. Those without digital access will be provided with a weekly package for learning each Monday. These can be picked up at the school or in some cases they may be delivered. Schools will coordinate the distribution of these materials. For secondary students, printed work packages will come with a stamped return envelope for work to be returned to the teacher. In ALL cases where materials are provided to families, our protocols are informed and approved by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

The response to COVID 19 is in a critical phase. We must respect the direction of municipal, provincial and federal public health agencies: stay home as much as possible, remain at least two metres away from others, do not attend gatherings of five or more people, and wash your hands often.

Throughout this process, communication will be extremely important. Parents are urged to monitor the Lakehead Public Schools website at www.lakeheadschools.ca and social media channels for updates.

This has been a challenging time for all of us. We are committed to supporting the needs of our students. Our staff are working diligently to ensure the continued success of every student.

Thank you for your ongoing support

Sincerely,

Ian MacRae, Director of Education
Lakehead Public Schools

The post Lakehead Public Schools Learning at Home Program appeared first on �AV.

The bell rang and Westmount Public School answered in a big way! When Roots to Harvest discovered they were short shipped on a delivery for the family breakfast and snack program, the school and staff came to the rescue! The packages are provided each Friday at various locations for families who relied on school food programs.

In response to the dilemma, Principal Eric Fredrickson coordinated the donation of close to 200 boxes of cereal, pancake mix, and granola bars from the Westmount Public School breakfast program.

Once Westmount Public School staff found out about the situation, they responded with $1,000 in donations. In addition to prior fundraising efforts, Westmount will be donating close to $3,500 to Roots to Harvest for this very important initiative.

“I know that our students, staff and their families will be thrilled to know that we have supported Roots to Harvest to feed many vulnerable families in our community,” says Eric Fredrickson, Principal of Westmount Public School. “We also could not have done this without the expertise of the Lakehead Public Schools finance staff who were able to remotely facilitate the donation. It was a team effort!”

The next pick up for the school food packages is Friday, April 3. (The schedule is attached.)

To donate to the family breakfast and snack program, please visit the Roots to Harvest website at –

The post Westmount Public School Stepping Up for Local Families appeared first on �AV.