2021 Director’s Message

As I complete my second year as Director of Education at the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board (KPDSB), I feel a deep sense of pride in the accomplishments of so many.  Despite the challenges we at KPDSB faced this year, we have succeeded in many ways:

  • We have maintained a strong focus on equity.  As Caroline Belden explains, “Equality is leaving the door open for anyone who has the means to approach it.  Equity is ensuring there is a pathway to that door for those who need it.”  We work to ensure all students have the support they need to succeed.
  • We have increased achievement by providing different learning opportunities for students.  We have also worked on providing training for teachers and implementing a new math curriculum for grades 1–8 and a new destreamed curriculum for Grade 9, emphasizing math fundamentals, financial literacy, and coding.
  • We have increased pathway options.  The students at Crolancia Public School, for example, now have access to the trades for the first time in over 25 years.
  • We have supported the many students experiencing transitions in our schools, helping students move from virtual learning to in-person classes and from elementary to secondary school.  We have also supported the transition of students from First Nation Communities into our schools.
  • We have supported summer learning by providing opportunities for elementary and secondary school students.  New this year was a unique garden project where students from Beaver Brae Secondary School earned co-op credits and received a summer student salary by building and tending a garden.
  • We have increased the number of childcare spaces, including a new childcare area at Keewatin Public School.
  • We have returned to co-curricular activities that we know are so important to the physical and mental well-being of our students.
  • We have upgraded our learning spaces and included new ventilation, renovations, and sound field systems.
  •  And we have implemented NBE 3U, a university-level Grade 11 English class, as an important part of our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation for all students.

I encourage you to read through the report and explore the many highlights of 2021.  As you read, you may be filled, as I am, with a profound sense of gratitude for the many staff and community partners who made these learning opportunities possible, for the new spaces available to students, for our students who have worked so hard toward their life goals, and for our families and communities who have encouraged and supported us.

Sherri-Lynne Pharand
Director of Education