THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board says it is strengthening learning opportunities across its schools through a series of program and staffing updates.
In a public update, the board said it is "enhancing learning opportunities" while "aligning with ministry direction, maximizing student benefit, and responsibly managing public funding for long-term sustainability."
The board has made adjustments to library and guidance teacher staffing “to better align with 2025-2026 ministry funding allocations.” When asked, a board spokesperson did not clarify the specifics of those adjustments.
Among the program changes the board announced, the design technology and culinary program will no longer be offered in a rotation format for Grade 8 students.
Instead, the board said, a new hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program will be introduced for Grade 7 and 8 students at its three senior elementary schools. Officials said the change allows for year-round learning, compared to the previous model that limited Grade 8 students to 10 sessions annually of the preexisting design technology and culinary program.
The board said that existing culinary classrooms will remain in use, as it explores community partnerships. “There are many great organizations in Thunder Bay and we continue to explore a variety of options,” Alexandra Frankow, the Catholic board's communications officer said in an email to Newswatch.
At the secondary level, the board's public update said that technology education classrooms are being added at St. Patrick and St. Ignatius High Schools to support the new ministry-mandated Grade 9 or 10 technological credit, which is now a compulsory graduation requirement.
The board announced it is also rolling out new supports for students with special needs, including assisting students with "intensive needs" in areas such as social skills, communication, self-regulation, and remedial academics.
“This is a new program to support students who are identified with special education needs,” Frankow's email said.
Finally, a new Grade 12 interdisciplinary credit is being introduced, which the board said will combine personal fitness and interdisciplinary studies in a two-period course.
The program will allow students and athletes to explore personal fitness, nutrition and health, and sports psychology, the board's update said.
It is being offered in partnership with Lakehead University’s kinesiology department, which will support its implementation.
