THUNDER BAY -- The path to future success lies in technology, says the director of education for the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board.
To get there, Pino Tassone says the board will continue its push to introduce computers and other wireless devices into classrooms at all age levels.
Tassone introduced the idea on Wednesday, unveiling the board’s new five-year strategic plan.
The plan also included the ambitious goal of graduating more students and a renewed focus on Aboriginal learning.
Also covered are mental health and physical well-being.
“We also have a plan around academic success, by putting resources into our schools and with our kids, so they’re successful,” Tassone said.
The educational landscape has certainly changed over the past decade or more, Tassone added.
In recent years the board provided each secondary school teacher with a laptop and provided a dozen technology carts for use in high school classrooms.
The program is only going to continue to grow, Tassone said.
“We’re looking at 21st century learning skills,” he said.
“We’re really launching technology into our system. We know that kids are learning differently and we’re keeping ahead of the game and the province in that area. We’re going to be infusing an enormous amount of technology within our schools and we’re going to train our staff to deliver a program in which kids will learn around that technology.”
Board trustee chairman Bob Hupka said the new direction, essentially a continuation of the current plan, is important.
“We want a plan that has laid out a path that we know we’re going down,” Hupka said.
“This board is very well advanced in the technology aspect of education and bringing that to our students. That’s the future of education here.”
When it comes to mental health, the key is attempting to greet the problem head-on as early as possible.
The board has a three-year plan in place and has hired a mental-health lead and a mental-health nurse.
“What we’re doing now is to infuse more social workers in our schools, because we understand the roots of the problem being early … We are connecting with a lot of outside agencies so the services are quicker, especially if there is a student from the hospital transitioning into the schools,” Tassone said.
When it comes to Aboriginal education, the board has developed a handbook around the issue, and the next steps will be developing better resources and programming for students, First Nation and non-First Nation alike.
“There’s lots of cultural sensitivity programs in place and we’ve developed a relationship with First Nations,” he said.
The five-year vision was mandated by the province.
