KPDSB appoints New Superintendents of Education, Human Resources

Media Release - February 14, 2017

Trustees of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board are pleased to announce the appointment of Tania Sterling to Superintendent of Education with responsibility for Secondary Schools and Student Success effective August, 2017; and the appointment of Joan Kantola, currently Superintendent of Education, to the new position of Superintendent of Human Resources and Special Education effective April 1, 2017.

The appointments mark a further significant milestone in the Board’s restructuring of its administration and executive teams. Supported by the Efficacy work that has been underway for the past four years and taking place across the board and schools, these changes also secure strong succession planning for the future.  

Dr. Sterling made the following comments about her new appointment “Over the past few years, I have developed strong relationships with staff and a deep understanding of the goals that lie ahead. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities offered by this new position with KPDSB.”

“I am very appreciative and humbled to be assuming my new role” said Joan Kantola with regards to her new appointment.  “I have great respect for our current Human Resources staff and I look forward to working alongside the department to ensure we maintain the highest level of customer service for our entire system.  I am looking forward to building a collaborative working relationship with Tania in her new role in our efforts to continue to put students first.”

Dave Penney, Board Chair, said “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are extremely pleased to welcome Tania, knowing that her qualifications will no doubt be a great asset and that she will help to strengthen what we know is already an incredibly strong executive leadership team here at the KPDSB.  We look forward to working with Tania and Joan in their new appointments.”

Sean Monteith, Director of Education, added “With the appointment of Tania Sterling to our team and the experience that she brings with her; and the appointment of Joan to a new realm of responsibility, the KPDSB has taken the last major step towards its end-goal of a system-reorganization. Capitalizing on the new external expertise Tania brings, and supported by the reassignment of existing assets and experiences Joan, Caryl Hron, Dean Carrie, and Kathleen O’Flaherty possess, as Director of Education I could not be more pleased. This is tremendous for the KPDSB; there is simply a lot of gratification being felt today.”

Dr. Tania Sterling comes to the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board with over 22 years of instructional and educational leadership experience in Ontario. She has designed and facilitated face-to-face and online professional learning in K12, higher education, and corporate settings. In June 2013, Tania assumed the Vice President, Efficacy role at Pearson Canada to ensure its products and services had a measurable impact on learners. Her most rewarding system improvement work has involved collaborating with educators and leaders in K12 school districts in Northwestern Ontario and the Ministry of Education in Nunavut to support the unique needs of FNMI learners. In her free time, Tania enjoys cooking, yoga, and spending time outdoors. She and her husband Kevin keep busy schedules coordinating visits with their two sons Kurtis and Jack who are attending university, and cheering their daughter Julia on during her competitive dance season. 

Joan Kantola has been the Superintendent of Education with the KPDSB since 2013 when she assumed responsibility for the Board’s Special Education and Elementary Schools’ Programming. Recently Joan successfully completed the Rotman School of Business Strategic Executive Human Resources Management Program, with the University of Toronto.

Joan and Tania will work alongside Caryl Hron Superintendent of Elementary Education, Early Learning and Instruction; Dean Carrie, Superintendent of Business; Kathleen O’Flaherty, Assistant Superintendent of Business; and Director of Education Sean Monteith.

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Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Education, visits Sioux Mountain Public School

Media Release - January 27, 2017

The staff and students of Sioux Mountain Public School were honoured to welcome Ontario Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter to Sioux Lookout yesterday (Tuesday, January 24, 2017).

Minister Hunter toured the Kindergarten classrooms at Sioux Mountain Public School, where the staff and students of the Full-Day Kindergarten program were excited to welcome her.    Following that, at the invitation of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, the Minister participated in a closed-door meeting with KPDSB staff, agency partners, and First Nation leadership representatives.  The focus of the meeting was a sincere but serious conversation around the unique challenges of helping and supporting northern children.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board remains a strong advocate for children, their families, and the staff that work with them every day, and accepts this leadership role willingly.  Minister Hunter listened and offered her support to all staff in the region who work with children.

Mitzie Hunter, Ontario Minister of Education, stated “I am inspired by the educators and school leaders working hard on behalf of students, and I am so appreciative of this visit to learn more about their unique circumstances and challenges. We need to work together through the many complexities affecting our students here in the north.”

Sean Monteith, KPDSB Director of Education, added “The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has welcomed senior Ministry officials before; but unlike those visits, the focus was on a serious and candid discussion around the sense of urgency we feel in addressing the needs of northern children.”

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KDPSB launches new Kindergarten Resource for Registration Week (January 30 to February 3)

We have launched a brand new online resource for families with children starting Kindergarten in the fall (children born in 2013 can start Kindergarten in the fall of 2017).

Our new website can be found at http://buddysystem.ca/

Families can visit the site for everything Kindergarten, including:

• Videos of parents and staff talking about our schools and programs
• Our Full-Day Kindergarten programs
• Dates and times for our schools’ Kindergarten Open Houses
• Specialized programming like our popular Hockey Canada Skills Academies and French Immersion programs
• A new online registration process families can complete from the comfort of their own home
• And so much more!

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KPDSB Chair and Vice-Chair acclaimed, Trustee appointments announced, Trustee Appointments Announced

Media Release - December 19, 2016

Trustees of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board met at Dryden High School on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, for the inaugural board meeting of the 2017 calendar year.

The Board of Trustees committed to stability and direction by acclaiming Trustee Dave Penney as Chair and Trustee Cecile Marcino as Vice-Chair.

The following Trustee appointments were made:

• Trustees Roger Griffiths, Jennifer Kitowski and George Seaton were appointed to the Audit and Finance Committees for a one year term. 

• Trustees Lesley Barnes, Desta Buswa and Gerald Kleist were appointed to the Native Education Advisory Council (NEAC) for a one year term.  

• Trustee Cecile Marcino was appointed to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) Board of Directors. 

• Trustee Jennifer Kitowski was appointed as the alternate to the OPSBA Board of Directors. 

• Trustee Dave Penney was appointed as the OPSBA voting delegate. 

• Trustee David Wilkinson was appointed as the OPSBA voting delegate alternate for the General Meeting. 

• Trustees Lesley Barnes and Michelle Guitard were appointed to the Parent Involvement Committee for a one year term. 

• Trustees Michelle Guitard and Jennifer Manitowabi were appointed to the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) for a one year term.  

• Trustee Roger Griffiths was appointed to the Transportation Policy Committee. 

• Trustee Lesley Barnes was appointed as the Transportation Policy Committee Alternate.

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KPDSB launches new application process for employment opportunities

Media Release - December 1, 2016

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board (KPDSB) is launching a new platform for receiving applications for positions with the organization.

Apply To Education provides a paperless application system that streamlines the recruitment process for applicants by allowing them to fill out one application online and upload all of their supporting documents to complete their portfolio. 

Beginning today, when individuals access www.kpdsb.on.ca/pages/view/employment-opportunities they will be directed to https://kpdsb.simplication.com/ to create a profile and apply for jobs.  Additionally, job seekers can request to receive e-mail alerts when a new job is advertised for the Board.  There is no cost to applicants to utilize this service.

The use of Apply To Education will replace previous procedures for applying for jobs and being hired within the KPDSB.  This platform will also provide additional services within the Board, including management of absences for staff as well as internal job postings.

Jocelyn Bullock, Human Resources Manager stated “We are excited to move forward with this project and look forward to the new working relationship with Apply to Education to improve the overall experiences of potential future employees and current staff”.

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