Director's Welcome

All of us are beginning another year and another journey with our students. The students are excited, hopeful and dreaming of the possibilities for their future achievements and successes in their 2008-2009 school year. I too, am excited, hopeful and dreaming of the possibilities for the Near North District School Board’s future achievements and successes. I know that working together collaboratively with our trustees, staff, students, parents and the educational community of the Near North District School Board, we will be successful in our work with students. Students are the most important business for the Near North District School Board and together we will continue to make a significant difference in the lives and achievements of our students.

One of the major system initiatives during the 2007-2008 academic year was development of a common set of Character Education traits.  Families of schools met with their communities and through a process of consensus building established ten character traits for the Near North District School Board - integrity, honesty, co-operation, confidence, compassion, acceptance, service, responsibility, respect and perseverance.  Teachers throughout the board will be encouraging their students to understand what these traits mean and how embracing those traits can help them develop as responsible global citizens. These ten traits are ones that I will attempt to model in my daily work as Director and I hope will be embraced by all of our Near North community.

As always there will be challenges that we will face in the upcoming year.   I hope that we meet them with grace and the ability to solve them with the students’ best interests in mind.

Strategic planning will be a focus for the upcoming school year.  I will continue to focus on three target areas: student achievement, fiscal management and promoting the exemplary work of the Near North’s teachers and staff.  Together as a caring educational community, we will continue to make a significant difference in the lives and achievement of our students.  I believe it is essential to understand, acknowledge and appreciate the needs of the various education stakeholders in our small, geographically diverse board.  I know that all of the educators and staff in the Near North District School Board work diligently every day for our students and I am privileged to be a part of that team.

I want to wish all students, staff and parents in the Near North District School Board the very best and a highly successful 2008-2009 school year, as we all strive to “polish our apples!”

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