Mental Health in Schools
The 2019–2020 school year proved to be a year of significant change and uncertainty.
Between September 2019 and March 2020, the main focus related to mental health for KPDSB was the development of a new three-year Mental Health and Addictions Strategic Plan. Work had begun to survey staff, complete interviews, and collect data to support creating a plan for 2020–2023. Unfortunately, the global pandemic put a pause on this work.
With COVID-19 and school closures in March, the mental health focus very quickly moved to supporting students virtually. The Protocol of Student Counsellor Outreach During COVID-19 School Closure was developed and implemented so students could have access to the school’s mental health services in their homes. The board continued to stay the course and did not make drastic changes to the services. Remaining consistent with using the TIERs for supporting mental health, except with providing services virtually instead of face-to-face, our services and pathways remained the same.
Student counsellors provided services to students and completed multiple wellness check-ins to ensure that our students were doing well, given the circumstances, and still felt connected to the school community. Our first Instagram account was created (kpdsb_schools_mental_health) to engage students and share access to services and resources to support their well-being.
School boards across the province, for the first time, received funds to support student mental health and well-being over the summer months. As a result, two of our student counsellors were retained for July and August to support student mental health and provide wellness check-ins for students on active caseloads for the 2019–2020 school year. The student counsellors also supported students during the two-week transition period before the start of the 2020–2021 school year.
As the global pandemic continues, the focus remains on ensuring our students’ and staff’s safety and well-being. Multiple resources for supporting student and staff mental health have been shared and continued to be shared with the system through our KPDSB Mental Health Champions and the KPDSB/NAN Mental Health Champions. To access mental health resources for school and system leaders, educators, students, parents and families, school mental health professionals and other school staff, please access the School Mental Health Ontario website and our mental health tabs on the KPDSB website.
Despite the global pandemic, we have continued to make great progress in increasing mental health capacity and providing professional development opportunities, including the November Virtual Summit, and focus on staff mental health, including the December 12 Day Virtual Staff Wellness Event.
Special Education
During the spring, the special education central team supported staff and students by adapting programming to a virtual environment to continue supporting students with special education needs. They played a critical role in building school team capacity by providing virtual professional development opportunities to facilitate this new way of teaching and learning. These professional learning opportunities remain available through our learning platform to support our staff.
In preparation for the new school year, the KPDSB Bridging the Gap summer learning program was an excellent learning opportunity for all. For three weeks, students and, in many cases, the enrolled students’ caregivers spent their mornings with our amazing special education leaders and an educational assistant to focus on closing learning gaps in literacy, numeracy, social skills, speech and language and enhance personal wellness with the support of our virtually assigned student counsellors. Three student counsellors were assigned virtual responsibilities through July and August to ensure that student mental health and well-being needs were met.
KPDSB offered a summer transition-to-school program two weeks before the first professional development day of the school year that consisted of one EA, three SERTs, and an administrator who scheduled transition meetings for students with special needs and their families across our system to bridge the gap to ensure our students and families had the required resources to provide a comfortable return to their schools. Social stories were developed and implemented with students and families to help ease this transition.
The central special education team has adapted processes and procedures virtually to continue services for students. Assessments, as well as intervention and consultation with Board specialists, can be completed virtually. IEP and IPRC processes have also been implemented virtually to ensure that we meet the needs of our special needs students and their families and continue to build strong relationships. We continue to partner with community agencies to offer programs and services with students virtually and in person to ensure that our students receive the best programs and services to be successful.
KPDSB Capital Work
Savant Lake Public School Replacement School
We were pleased to share that the Ontario Ministry of Education announced funding for a replacement school in Savant Lake in the fall of 2020.
The replacement school will be built on the existing school property and will provide a mix of 21st-century classroom models and board-designed innovative spaces for multipurpose use. The new building is expected to have the most energy-efficient design of all facilities in the KPDSB. Students and families can also look forward to a school playground redesign to provide increased outdoor learning opportunities.
It is anticipated that the replacement school will open for the 2023–2024 school year (modular and prefabricated construction techniques are being explored for increased quality control and shorter timelines).
Ear Falls Public School Capital Renovation
The 2020–2021 school year will see the completion of our capital renovation at Ear Falls Public School. The work done at the school is extensive, and we are thrilled that staff and students are teaching and learning in the new environment.
Renovations at the school included:
- Facility-wide lighting replacement from fluorescent to LEDs
- Interior renovations to the original building (1969):
- HVAC replacement of all mechanical and plumbing equipment
- BAS upgrade
- Main electrical services upgrade
- Main data service upgrade
- Energy monitoring system installation
- Flooring replacement throughout the school
- Painting throughout all classrooms and corridors
- Ceiling replacement throughout
- Classroom millwork storage replacement
- ITS replacement – data cabling, power cabling, CCTV, PA with new lockdown capabilities
- Exterior envelope upgrades:
- Roof replacement with increased insulation
- Cladding replacement with increased insulation
- Window replacements
- Door replacements
- Exterior works:
- Parking lot replacement and civil grading to correct stormwater drainage
- Water main replacement (completed 2018)
The capital renovation received $7.79 million in qualifying SCI funding to fund the project.
Beaver Brae Secondary School Capital Renovation
Beaver Brae Secondary School’s capital renovation saw upgrades and improvements to multiple areas of the building and the relocation of some of the programming offered to ensure the best possible learning spaces for all students. The learning opportunities provided through this renovation are greatly appreciated by students and staff at the school.
Work completed as a part of this capital renovation includes:
- Facility wide lighting replacement from fluorescent to LED’s
- Interior renovations to original building (1962), Addition #1 (1965) and Addition #6 (1993) including:
- HVAC replacement and recommissioning of existing equipment
- BAS upgrade
- Main electrical services upgrade
- Energy monitoring system installation
- Flooring replacement and resurfacing of technology shop floor treatment
- Painting in renovated areas
- Ceiling replacement (in coordination with lighting retrofit)
- ITS replacement – data cabling, power cabling, CCTV, PA with new lockdown capabilities
- Millwork replacement throughout various classrooms and other areas:
- Classroom teacher work stations and storage
- Library
- Cafeteria
- Technology shop storage
- Admin workstations and storage
Through the interior renovations, we upgraded classrooms/space use in some areas with a shuffle of programs, including:
- Old transportation tech to new Drama theatre classroom (first performance in February 2020)
- Co-op/computer lab to Grade 7–9 into technology (Bicycle Shop)
- Grade 7–9 tech to new Manufacturing technology (partnership with Seven Generations Education Institute (SGEI) who provided nine welding downdraft tables for the shop to enhance balanced student task potential during each period)
- Visual arts to the fitness suite
- Temporary classroom holding weight room to lower level Fitness Suite
- Cardio exercise room with Eco-Bikes
- Each stationary bike includes feed-in electrical capabilities to offset the power required to operate the classroom while cycling
- Cafeteria redesign to make a more inviting atmosphere and provide easier, open concept supervision opportunities while increasing capacity with multi-option seating delivery
- Converted staff lunchroom suite to Hospitality/Food Services Technology program adjacent to Cafeteria to promote partnership and increased food delivery opportunities
The total project budget was just over $7 million in SCI funding.
Keewatin Public School Child Care Renovation
In the fall of 2020, we were pleased to announce a child care facility renovation at Keewatin Public School, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Government of Ontario.
The project is currently underway with the scope of work including:
An in-school child care space with a licensing capacity of 24 pre-school or a family-aged grouping program operated by FIREFLY, as well as a child and family support program hub. The renovated space will include a new cubby entrance, auxiliary storage rooms and office areas and student and staff washroom facilities.
A newly renovated Kindergarten classroom to include a new entrance with a cubby area and washrooms.
All construction areas will receive interior flooring, exterior window replacements, LED tunable lighting for interior spaces and LED exterior lighting, new millwork storage and new security and intercom systems. There are also HVAC and accessibility renovations currently in the design stages, with work to begin following the child care renovation completion.