Board Meeting Highlights - May 19, 2026

Posted on 05/19/2026

Chair Jane Thomson began the meeting with a reflection highlighting the burst of activity occurring at schools and the system level as the end of June approaches. From the culmination of student athletics, year-end trips, and graduation ceremonies to budget submission preparations, Summer School, and facilities renewal work planning, the efforts of staff, families, trustees, partners, and volunteers were acknowledged.  

Student Senate and Student Trustee Recognition
Members of the 2025-2026 Student Senate were recognized for their work and commitment this past school year. Each student was invited to the podium to share their plans for next year and then personally received a gift and letter from Chair Thomson and Director of Education AJ Keene.

Introductions followed for members of the incoming 2026-2027 Student Senate in attendance. The following students have been elected to serve beginning in September 2026:

Bruce Peninsula District School..........Jee-Yu Chan
Georgian Bay Community School..........Parker Conway
Grey Highlands Secondary School..........Paige Johnson
John Diefenbaker Senior School..........Natalie Peters
Kincardine District Senior School..........Madison Chilton
Owen Sound District Secondary School..........Maddox Leonard
Peninsula Shores District School..........Elizabeth Madill
Peninsula Shores (FNMI)..........Claire Gibbons
Saugeen District Senior School..........Ewan Dennison
Saugeen District (FNMI)..........Ryder Sky
Walkerton District Community School..........Serena Foxcroft

The two 2026-2027 student trustees are:

Grey Highlands Secondary School..........Paige Johnson
Saugeen District Senior School..........Ewan Dennison

Grade 1-9 Literacy and Mathematics Frameworks
An in-depth presentation was shared to demonstrate how the Grades 1-9 Daily Language and Mathematics Instruction Frameworks are supporting planning and consistent instructional approaches across Bluewater. Highlights include at least 150 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction that is occurring each week (30 minutes daily) in Grades 1-3, and 300 minutes of weekly math instruction (up to 60 minutes daily) in Grades 1-8. Details were also provided on the priority actions in Ontario’s Math Achievement Action Plan, and how Bluewater is meeting these directives by strengthening understanding of the curriculum across grades, aligning resources with math priorities, and providing guidelines and supports.

Guidelines for Minutes of Instruction have been updated and shared with schools to support the scheduling of uninterrupted language and math blocks in elementary schools for the 2026-2027 school year. Teachers in Grades 1-9 also received training during the Professional Activity (PA) Day on April 24, 2026.

Moving forward, resources will continue to be enhanced within the LearnBW internal platform for teachers, and next year’s PA Day learning will focus on ensuring consistent, high-quality instructional practices in language and math for all learners.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy
Staff have been working proactively to develop and implement AI guidelines for educators and students. The guidelines support safe, ethical, and responsible use of AI tools, clarify expectations around privacy, academic integrity, and professional judgment, and ensure alignment with board values, equity commitments, and existing policies and procedures.

Over the past school year, senior leadership and other key staff roles have been participating in a range of provincial AI networking and collaborative opportunities with other boards and professional associations to explore best practices. Discussions have focused on governance, instructional implications, and system-level implementation of AI.

Bluewater’s AI Strategy includes the development of several resources, including Guiding Principles, Guidelines for AI Use, AI Use Case Roadmap, AI Literacy Framework, learning modules and resources for staff and students, and supports for families.

An AI Steering Committee with representatives from various departments and schools has been formed to oversee implementation of the strategy. The group will work to map out the skills, competencies, and knowledge to be taught at different grade levels. Pilot projects are being planned, and decisions will be made on applications and tools to be supported in schools.

Some initial areas of focus include solutions to help educators with personalized instruction and assessment, route optimization and scheduling for bussing, and automating forms and workflow.

Several options are being planned for staff training, such as learning modules that offer certification or micro-credentials, PA Day learning, and other opportunities. Resources will also be developed for families seeking more information about AI in education at Bluewater.

Governance Standing Committee Update
The following items presented at the meeting held on May 5, 2026, were approved.

Field trips

Saugeen District Senior School trip to Athens and Argolida, from May 6-12, 2027, contingent that it aligns with all travel advisories at the time of the trip

Bruce Peninsula District School Specialist High Skills Major – Senior Science Killarney Acid Rain Lake Rebound Study, from September 28 to October 2, 2026

Georgian Bay Community School PAD20: Outdoor Ed Killarney Canoe Trip, from October 5-9, 2026

March 2027 Meeting Date

The Regular Meeting of the Board in March 2027 will shift from the third Tuesday to the fourth Tuesday.

Business and Facilities Standing Committee Update
The report from the meeting held on May 5, 2026, included revenue and expenditure forecasts to March 31, 2026, details on the annual Community Planning and Partnership meeting held on April 14, 2026, and an update on new transportation routing software that will be implemented for the 2026-2027 school year.

Student Senate Report
Student Trustee Jack Farmus welcomed incoming student senators in attendance and then shared an update on the many ways schools continue to demonstrate strong student leadership, school spirit, and community involvement through a variety of activities and events.

Students in the Non-Profit and Education Specialist High Skills Major program recently visited local non-profit organizations in Hanover and Owen Sound to learn about community resources, explore future career pathways, and the important work of these organizations. Construction students have also been applying their skills beyond the classroom by partnering with Habitat for Humanity and assisting with current building projects.

School communities are preparing for Relay For Life events to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. Meanwhile mental health awareness remains an important focus with the Jack Chapter and Youth Wellness Club recently hosting a “Take a Bite Out of Stigma” bake sale.

At the end of April, Model UN students from several schools attended the Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly (SOMA) conference in Toronto, where they demonstrated strong communication, leadership, and critical thinking skills. Many students also competed in mock trial competitions in Owen Sound with Grey Highlands Secondary School winning the event.

Schools have been welcoming incoming Grade 9 students through transition visits led by current students.

Track and field athletes have continued to perform well at recent meets, with many students qualifying to compete at CWOSSA soon.

John Diefenbaker Senior School’s Music Night featured student musicians performing a variety of songs for families, students, and community members.

Students recently wrote the Diplôme d'études en langue française (DELF) B1 exam for their French certification.

Other upcoming year-end activities include prom events and Grey Highlands Secondary School’s annual Tractor Day.


View the meeting agenda and reports.

View the video recording of the meeting.

Next Governance Standing Committee Meeting – Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Next Regular Meeting of the Board – Tuesday, June 16, 2026