Two familiar names, one new one

Jennifer Sarlo will once again serve as Algoma District School Board (ADSB) chair.

Sarlo was acclaimed as chair for 2016 at Tuesday's board meeting.

"It's been a challenging and rewarding year," Sarlo told the board, noting the relief felt with the ratification of several new collective agreements with teachers and support staff from several unions after months of work-to-rule sanctions and labour unrest.

First elected as a trustee in 2006 serving Ward 1, Sarlo was first selected chair of the board in 2011.

Sarlo said she and the board look forward to future ADSB developments such as the opening of the new JK-6 wing for former Johnson-Tarbutt Central Public School students within Central Algoma Secondary School (CASS), the completion of renovations at East View Public School and the transformation of the former Alexander Henry High School into a JK-8 French Immersion school for approximately 620 students. 

Trustee Gladys Wiggins, of Elliot Lake, was once again selected to be vice chair at Tuesday's meeting, over trustee Graham Lidstone, who told the board he wanted to be more involved in the planning and direction of ADSB trustee meetings.

Wiggins became an ADSB trustee in 2006, and was first selected vice chair in 2012.

"I appreciate working with Jennifer and Lucia (Reese, ADSB director of education)…it's been an honour and a learning curve," Wiggins said.

Trustees also voted to approve "Central Algoma Elementary School" as the official name for the new JK-6 wing for former Johnson-Tarbutt Central Public School students within Central Algoma Secondary School (CASS).

An alternative name which had been put forward by a naming committee was CASS Elementary School (with "CASS" as a word, not an acronym).

In another ADSB matter, all necessary daycare facilities are ready at Isabel Fletcher Public School, said Lucia Reese, ADSB director of education and Joe Santa Maria, ADSB superintendent of education.

As a result of city council's Monday decision to close the municipally-run Jessie Irving and Maycourt daycare centres before the end of 2016, 85 municipally-run daycare spots will be offered from local schools.  

Santa Maria told SooToday discussions will be held with the city as to how many daycare spaces at Isabel Fletcher will be filled and when.

"We believe in a seamless transition for kids and if they're in our schools and want to transition to the next grade they're already there, it makes a lot of sense, they would have access to a gymnasium and bigger spaces than they would have had before," Santa Maria said.

The board already runs daycare sites with other community partners (such as the YMCA) at several other schools within its system. 

(PHOTO: ADSB chair Jennifer Sarlo with ADSB vice-chair Gladys Wiggins. Darren Taylor/SooToday)