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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Live Stream of Construction of Sioux North High School (Sioux Lookout)
Our new high school (Sioux North High School) in Sioux Lookout is really taking shape! Save this link to watch the construction - https://www.youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=UCQGj4ntcdJSsaIpV4q1TA_A
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Jack Talks Session in Kenora - Free Community Event on May 2, 2017 at 7:00pm
Please click here to view the event poster for our Jack Talks Session!
To recognize Children’s Mental Health Week, May 1-7th, we are hosting a Jack Talks session for all families in Kenora and the surrounding areas.
The session features young leaders who discuss how to identify a mental health crisis, how to seek help, and how to support a friend who may be struggling by sharing their own experiences.
Please join us at Beaver Brae on Tuesday, May 2, for this free community event.
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It's Time to Register for the KPDSB's Hockey Canada Skills Academies for the 2017-18 School Year!
It's time to register for the our popular Hockey Canada Skills Academies in Dryden/Vermilion Bay, Kenora/Sioux Narrows, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake/Ear Falls and Ignace!
Please click on the links below for registration information by area:
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Beaver Brae’s Tracey Benoit appointed to Ontario Minister of Education’s Principal Reference Group
Media Release - October 11, 2017
The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board wishes to congratulate Tracey Benoit, Principal of Beaver Brae Secondary School in Kenora, on her recent appointment to the Minister of Education’s Principal Reference Group (MPRG). Benoit will join the MPRG for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years.
The Minister’s Principal Reference Group (established in 2006) is made up of 20 principals and vice-principals from across Ontario who are appointed by the Minister of Education. Principals serving on the MPRG provide the Minister with invaluable advice on a wide range of policy and program matters through their perspectives and experiences with Ministry of Education programs and policies. They also share their individual insights, feedback and recommendations for education in Ontario directly with the Minister of Education.
Benoit stated “My initial reaction was one of shock when I learned I was chosen to be a part of the Minister’s Principal Reference Group. It’s now sinking in and I understand the importance of the role, I feel very honoured to be a part of this group. We have a firsthand opportunity to provide feedback on Ministry initiatives and their impact on our students and schools, and it’s exciting to think about the impact that my voice will have on future education policies and programs. The Minister is interested in what educators, students and stakeholders have to say and I feel that it is critical to have the input of everyone across Ontario.”
Benoit added “I’m also excited to be able to collaborate with the principal group to share effective practices and to hear about their programs that foster student success. I know that what I learn over the next two years will help me develop immensely as an instructional leader and I’m really looking forward to that part of it.”
Sean Monteith, Director of Education, said “We are indeed pleased and proud of Tracey’s appointment to the Minister’s Principal Reference Group; but we are not surprised. Those that know Tracey know her to be a leader among her peers and she deserves this appointment.”
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