Welcome Back from the Chair of the Board and Director of Education

Posted on 08/29/2025

Dear parents, guardians, students, and staff,

With heartfelt joy and renewed purpose, we welcome each of you to the 2025-2026 school year! We hope that your summer offered a time of rest, peace, and meaningful connection with loved ones.

At the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board (NPSC), our dedicated team is thrilled to welcome new students beginning their educational journeys, and to continue nurturing those we are blessed to teach anew. Each new school year is a fresh chapter — one filled with promise, growth, and shared discovery.

Rooted in our Gospel values and guided by our NPSC Strategic ENDs, we remain committed to nurturing safe, inclusive, and faith-filled spaces where each student is seen, valued, and supported.

This school year, we continue our celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope while embracing our new NPSC Pastoral Theme of Faith. Faith calls us to trust in God’s presence, to see His work in one another, and to walk together with courage and compassion. It is through this shared faith that we find strength, meaning, and inspiration in both our learning and our living.

As a Catholic education family, our faith is foundational. At NPSC, we recognize that each student, as a beloved child of God, carries inherent dignity and limitless potential. Through growing in relationship with God and one another, we are grounded, we are guided, and we are called to achieve more than we ever thought possible.

We look ahead to this new school year with profound hope and a vibrant spirit — alive in our mission, anchored in our vision, and united in faith.

As we prepare for the new school year, we would like to share with you the following important information: 

The first day of school for all Kindergarten to Grade 12 students is Tuesday, September 2. Our NPSC schools are now open to assist you with any registration or transportation inquiries.

The Nipissing-Parry Sound Student Transportation Services (NPSSTS) website is now open for parents and guardians to review bus routes for the 2025-2026 school year. Details on how to access this information may be found on our website.

❤️Mental Health & Well-Being

All students will continue to have access to quality mental health services and supports provided by our outstanding Student Support Services team. We invite families to review School Mental Health Ontario's parent/caregiver resources to support mental health learning and well-being.

As we begin this new school year, we would like to provide a reminder of our Board's Use of Personal Devices in Schools policy, aligned to the revised Policy/Program Memorandum 128 - Code of Conduct that took effect last school year.
This policy is intended to reduce distractions while protecting instructional time, allowing educators and students to focus on teaching and learning. During instructional time, personal devices will not be permitted unless their use is for educational purposes as directed by an educator, permitted by the principal/vice-principal, required for documented health/medical reasons, or to support special education needs.
Beyond classroom use, we encourage all students to engage in responsible and respectful use of technology that reflects our Catholic values. As a community, we each share responsibility in fostering a safe, positive, and inclusive environment that promotes the dignity of every person.

At NPSC, we believe that open and ongoing communication with families is key to supporting student success and well-being. We value the role of our parents as the first educators of their children and our shared responsibility in fostering their success. By working together and keeping the lines of communication clear, we create a strong support system that helps every child reach their full potential.  
As we begin the new school year, we invite our families to review our Communication Protocol that in all of our Catholic schools, which supports responding to parent and caregiver inquiries.
We encourage parents to stay connected through your school's Edsby platform for back-to-school information. You can also access key resources such as Your Child's Education - A Parent Guide to Our School System, and stay up to date through our NPSC website and social media channels for news, events, and stories from our Catholic school communities.

Throughout the 2025-2026 school year, NPSC staff will participate in seven Professional Activity (PA) Days, in accordance with Ministry of Education priorities and requirements. These days are dedicated to supporting student learning and well-being through professional learning aligned with the Ministry of Education's PA Day priorities including safe schools, the School Resource Officer (SRO) program, tackling racism, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Details about each PA Day are available on our website.

 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to every member of our NPSC family for the vital role you play in supporting student success. From the preparation of our school facilities over the summer to the many ways our staff contribute each day, your dedication ensures that our students are welcomed into safe, caring, and vibrant learning environments.

We look forward to warmly welcoming all our students, staff, and families back to school on Tuesday, September 2 and extend our prayerful best wishes for a happy, safe, and successful school year ahead!
As we begin this journey together, we invite you to join us in praying our Year of Faith Prayer, written by Father Joseph de Viveiros, C.R., NPSC Board Chaplain, as a guide and inspiration for the year ahead.

 

Sincerely, 

Paula Mann Shawn Fitzsimmons   

Director of Education Chair of the Board