This Week at Lakehead Public Schools – October 10, 2014
Oct 10, 2014
Minister of Education Visit
Ian MacRae – Director of Education, Liz Sandals – Minister of Education and Deborah Massaro – Chair
Monday, October 6 was not just another regular Monday. On this day, Liz Sandals, Minister of Education, took time out of her busy schedule to meet with the Chair of the Lakehead District School Board and Lakehead Public Schools Senior Administration.
Minister Sandals was very interested in the challenges, opportunities and success at Lakehead Public Schools. While the meeting was brief, the interest shown by Minister Sandals and representatives of the Ministry of Education for our students and their success was clearly evident through her attentive and thoughtful questions and comments.
Following her visit to Lakehead Public Schools, Minister Sandals then continued on to events in Nipigon and Sioux Lookout.
Voting Convenience for Rural Residents
In a continuing effort to encourage voter participation in the upcoming municipal election, the Lakehead District School Board is once again allowing rural ratepayers to send in their trustee ballot by mail. This voting option is available for ratepayers who reside or own property in the unorganized territories. The vote by mail option for rural residents was first introduced for the 2000 Municipal Election and has been used for the past three municipal elections.
“This voting option has proven to be very successful when it was used in the past two municipal elections,” says Bruce Sauder, Lakehead Public Schools Administrative Services Supervisor. “The vote by mail option is not only convenient for voters, it also provides a cost effective method of conducting an election.”
Ratepayers in the unorganized areas including Armstrong, Collins, Ferland and Auden will have a voter kit sent to them during the week of October 6. Voters will be asked to complete the ballot and voter declaration by Friday, October 18. The ballots can be mailed or dropped off to the Jim McCuaig Education Centre at 2135 Sills Street by Monday, October 27.
By law, voters may only vote once for any elected office within in the same school board jurisdiction. For example if a person’s primary residence is in the City of Thunder Bay and they also own property in the unorganized area, they must vote only once for the office of school board trustee. The ratepayer is responsible for deciding the most appropriate method of voting in the upcoming election.
For more information about the vote by mail option for the October 27 Municipal Election, please call Lakehead Public Schools at 625-5100 or toll free 888 565-1406.
Community Bead In at Westgate
Aboriginal Resource Officer Darren Prince and School Resource Officers Ben Grieve and Gary Cambly.
Aboriginal Resource Officer Darren Prince and School Resource Officers Ben Grieve and Gary Cambly participated in a Megwech to Cole and the teaching staff for showing them how to bead. Hopefully they were not all thumbs!
“We were proud to host the members of the Thunder Bay Police Service at our school this week. It’s great to welcome visitors and positive role models such as Police Officers into our school and an activity such as this has never happened before,” says Barbara Boucher, Art and Native Studies Teacher at Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute. “We understand that the beading work was brand new to the members, but you can see their concentration in the photo!”
It Takes Two….or More!
What can you do to help the students of Lakehead Public Schools?
For the cost of a cup of coffee (and not one of those fancy lattes either!), you can be a supporter of some incredible student success focused Lakehead Learning Foundation initiatives including:
- Bursaries for graduating secondary school students
- The Grade 8 Awards of Excellence Dinner and Ceremony
- The Student Assistance Fund
While some of the funding for the Lakehead Learning Foundation comes from individual donations, a majority of the funding comes from the annual Golf Tournament. A new way for staff to get involved is the “It Takes Two” payroll deduction plan. You can help realize the dreams of our students for as little as $2 per pay.
For more information on how you can get involved, please call My-Tien Nguyen, Lakehead Learning Foundation Communications and Development Coordinator at 625-5176 to learn more about how you can participate.
Each week, we will be featuring Lakehead Public Schools staff who have chosen to support the Lakehead Learning Foundation through the It Takes Two payroll deduction program. This week, we will be profiling Paul Tsekouras, Student Success Lead , a proud supporter of the Lakehead Learning Foundation.
“Supporting the Lakehead Learning Foundation ensures our students are provided with enhanced learning opportunities and financial assistance to help them reach their post-secondary goals and aspirations. Through this assistance, we individually and collectively ensure that financial challenges facing our students do not keep them from achieving their dreams and reaching their full potential. Working to support this valuable work over the last number of years has truly been an amazing privilege for me personally and I would encourage everyone who supports public education to get involved and contribute.”
Diversity Days
Friday, October 10
- Second Day of Sukkot (Judaism)
- World Mental Health Day (WHO)
Saturday, October 11
- International Day of the Girl Child (UN)
- Coming Out Day (LGBTQ)
- Karva Chauth (Hinduism)
Sunday, October 5
- Ghambar Ayathrem begins (lasts to the 16th, Zarathushti/Zorostrainism)
Monday, October 13
- Nichiren Shonin Memorial (Buddhism)
- Thanksgiving Day (Canada)
- International Day for Disaster Reduction (UN)
- Ally Week (LGBTQ)
Tuesday, October 14
- World Sight Day (UN)
Wednesday, October 15
- Last Day of Sukkot (Judaism)
- Eve of Shmini Atzeret (begins at sundown, Judaism)
- International Day of Rural Women (UN)
- Eve of Sukkot (begins at sundown, Judaism)
- Lunar Eclipse Full Moon
Thursday, October 16
- ‘IIm (Baha’i)
- Shmini Atzeret (Judaism)
- Eve of Simhat Torah (begins at sundown, Judaism)
Upcoming Meetings
- Regular Board Meeting
Tuesday, October 28 – 7:30 p.m.
Board Room, Education Centre
2135 Sills Street - Standing Committee Meeting
Tuesday, October 14 – 6:30 p.m.
Board Room, Education Centre
2135 Sills Street - Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee
Thursday, November 13 – 9:30 a.m.
Board Room, Education Centre
2135 Sills Street - Parent Involvement Committee
Monday, November 17 – 6:30 p.m.
Board Room, Education Centre
2135 Sills Street - Special Education Advisory Committee
Wednesday, October 15 – 6:00 p.m.
Board Room, Education Centre
2135 Sills Street
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