Lead

Lead

Empower collaborative and student-centred leadership.

Incorporate reconciliation into all we do.
Provide learning opportunities for students that support the priorities of the Strategic Plan.
Empower student leadership including students who are Indigenous, Black, people of colour (racialized), persons with disabilities, and members of 2SLGBTQIA communities.
Empower Indigenous students as leaders and advocates who contribute to the collective identity of all learning communities.
Nurture student leadership in all aspects of schooling.

Provide professional development opportunities that support the priorities of the Strategic Plan.

Provide teachers and leaders with the guidance, knowledge and training to incorporate Indigenous ways of teaching in their practice.
Provide pathways to training and hiring a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of the community in which we live.
Engage in, demonstrate, and foster leadership and service excellence in education.
Engage student and parents, guardians and caregivers in learning about global citizenship including Indigenous worldviews and knowledges.

Provide leadership and service excellence to enhance education for every student.

Provide leadership by addressing anti-Indigenous racism in our schools and community.
Provide leadership by addressing structural and institutional racism and all other forms of systemic oppression.
Foster human rights and promote equity so that diverse students and staff can thrive and society can benefit.
Engage community partners and continue to engage strategic partnerships to support the success of every student.
Continue to work with groups such as the Parent Involvement Committee, Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee, Special Education Advisory Committee, and Equity and Inclusive Education Committee.
Continue to develop and implement the ongoing Plans that inform the Strategic Plan.

Demonstrate Fiscal Responsibility through a financially balanced budget,supporting the goals of the Strategic Plan.

Use the Strategic Plan to inform budget decisions.
Ensure the long-term financial stability of Lakehead Public Schools through responsible fiscal decision-making.

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New Multi-Year Strategic Plan

The Lakehead District School Board is pleased to announce its 2025-2029 Multi-Year Strategic Plan, which was approved at its regular board meeting on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. The plan, which will guide the board over the next four years, is supported by the pillars of Belong, Succeed and Reconcile.

“Creating and monitoring a multi-year strategic plan is an important role for Trustees as it provides the basis for all decision-making across our board,” said Lakehead District Board of Trustees Chair Leah Vanderwey.

“Providing environments where everyone belongs, holding high expectations for all learners while continuing on the journey of reconciliation, this new strategic plan reaffirms our commitment to the success of every student at Lakehead Public Schools.”

The plan was created in conjunction with Maximum City, which hosted consultations with staff, students, trustees and advisory committees, including Miiniwewinan, along with a survey to community members. The Lakehead District School Board would like to thank everyone who provided their feedback and suggestions in the creation of its 2025-2029 Multi-Year Strategic Plan. To view it, visit https://www.lakeheadschools.ca/about/board/strategic-plan-2025-2029/

The Great Outdoors

We know how much Kingfisher Outdoor Education Centre means to our staff, students and our entire community. For more than 50 years its been welcoming and teaching the students of Lakehead Public Schools all about the land. We were so happy to welcome CBC Thunder Bay to experience it for themselves this past October.

MusiCounts Winner

MusiCounts Canada supports music programs across the country. In September, Mr. Kowlessar announced that Westgate was one of 74 successful applicants across Canada to be offered a grant!! MusiCounts Canada has provided Westgate’s music department $11,000 to support the band program, which has been used to purchase brand new flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, tenor saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and music for the program.

First Visit

We were honoured to have Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute be the first secondary school visit in the province for new Ontario Minister of Education Jill Dunlop in September. From music to construction to beverages from Special Brew, we were so proud to show how amazing the Westgate school community is.

For Terry

In September, students and staff across Lakehead Public Schools continutes the annual tradition of spreading Terry Fox’s message. At Nor’Wester View Public School, they wrote inspirational messages on the walking path during their Terry Fox Run/Walk. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation 7/8 students!

Great Performance

More than 180 students from Lakehead Public Schools got to rehearse with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra before their big Grade 3 Sing-a-long in November. Students got to perform for friends, family and community members and joined the orchestra at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium!

Math Night

After the wonderful success of our first Family Math Night in 2024, it was great welcome everyone who “added” themselves to our second one in November! It was so great to see so many of our Lakehead Public Schools families learning, sharing and discussing all things math. Plus there were games, prizes and a chance for our school communities to meet our dedicated staff who work so hard to make sure students at Lakehead Public Schools start a life-long love of math.

Helping and Learning

In December, Kakabeka Falls Public School’s Grade 8 class went to help out with sorting and hampers at the Rural Food Cupboard. They did the math and learned that they helped to distribute 3000 kg of food! The Grade 7’s helped out at our holiday store, with all proceeds donated to the Food Cupboard.

Welcome Class of 2039!

In January we welcomed more than 1,000 families to our Kindergarten Information Session. What a night! It was so great to meet the Class of 2039 and share information about all the wonderful things Lakehead Public Schools has to offer.

Welcome Back Jamboree

We were so excited to welcome back the Lakehead Public Schools Creative Movement Jamboree in April. After a five year hiatus, students rocked the Fort William Gardens!

Established over 30 years ago, this non-competitive showcase celebrates the talents of students from junior kindergarten to Grade 8 through dance and movement. This year’s theme, “Welcome Back,” celebrated the joy of reunion, the resilience of our community, and the excitement of creating new memories together. Awesome job everyone!

Take your MPP to School Week

May is OPSBA’s Take Your MPP to School Week across Ontario! It’s a chance for students, staff and senior administration to have local MPPs visit schools to learn all about the challenges and successes of our school communities. Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois visited St. James Public School to learn everything about the amazing Polar Bear community, from visiting classrooms to getting a history lesson about the century-old school.

Honoring the Heroes: Bergen Op Zoom VE80th Commemorative Ceremony

We are incredibly proud of our Superior CVI students who headed to the Netherlands and actively participated in the Bergen Op Zoom VE80th commemorative ceremony in May, honouring the Canadians who fell during the liberation of the town.

Anna Bain co-mastered the ceremony at the Bergen Op Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, where our students showed immense respect, solemnity and dedication. Russell Jackson and James Manion carried the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s “Torch of Remembrance” in the Silent March, while Bogdan Anisca carried the Peace Tower Flag. Fergus Kerr, Cam Bill, Lily Ariganello, and Owen Setala carried Canadian Town Signs recognizing the fallen from those cities.

Tori Niittynen-Dreifelds read the Act of Commitment, and wreath layers Fitzgerald Ponka, Emily Harris, and Breanna Bruce paid their respects. In the town square, Sammy Mitsunaga presented a tulip bouquet on behalf of the students of Canada during the community ceremony. Our students were featured on the news in the Netherlands.

The City of Bergen op Zoom was presented with the Peace Tower Flag and a time capsule, with submissions from each attending high school, to be opened on the 100th anniversary of VE Day. A special thank you to the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment for allowing them to carry their flag in the silent march.

Hear more about their journey here: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6770610

Carnival d’Hiver

More than 200 Lakehead Public Schools French Immersion students participated in a celebration of French-Canadian traditions at Claude E. Garton Public School in February.

The event combined elements of Carnaval and cabane à sucre. Grade 7 and 8 students from École Claude E. Garton, École Elsie MacGill, École Gron Morgan and Hammarskjold High School enjoyed games, food, music, and dancing.

The event culminated with a few “set callés” to traditional music with dance figures instructed by a caller, allowing students from the various schools to get to know each other.

Quelle belle fête!

The Results are In

Lakehead Public schools is pleased to announce that it has improved in nearly every category with the recent publication of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) outcomes for the 2023-24 assessment period.

Grade 3 and 6 Math assessments saw large increases from the previous years, with 70.5 per cent of Grade 3 students meeting the provincial achievement for math, up from 58.4 per cent in 2022-23, and 51.1 per cent of Grade 6 students, up from 43.9 per cent.

In reading 83.1 per cent of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard, up from 74.1 per cent, while Grade 6 students remained steady at 84 per cent. Writing saw 75.8 per cent of Grade 3 students meet the provincial standard, an increase from 68.3 per cent in 2022-23, while 82.7 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard, slightly down from 83.5 per cent.

More than 51 per cent of Grade 9 Math students met the provincial achievement standard in 2023-24, up from 49 per cent in 2022-23. Lakehead Public Schools saw a slight decrease in the number of Grade 10 students who took the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, with 79.5 per cent achieving success, down from 81.6 per cent in 2022-23.

“We are pleased to see that the majority of Lakehead Public Schools’ most recent EQAO results are trending in the right direction, however, it is important to note that this data does not encompass all that is required to ensure our commitment to the success of every student,” said Director of Education Sherri-Lynne Pharand.

“These results will guide us on which initiatives and programs are achieving success and where we focus our efforts on continual improvement.”

Showing Respect

In June, Grade 6/7 and 7/8 classes from Valley Central Public School visited Stanley Cemetery to clean headstones and show respect to those who served. Students also had the chance to chat with military personnel and explore a military vehicle built in 1952. It was a powerful day of hands-on learning, community service, and remembrance.

Olympic Visit

In October, Olympian 3-on-3 Basketball star Paige Crozon stopped by a few Lakehead Public Schools to tell her story, share some basketball skills and, of course, sign autographs. Thank you to Paige and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities for stopping by. See more about Paige’s visit here: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6530541