Board Meeting Highlights - March 24, 2026
Good News
FE Madill Hosts Living Library
Vice Chair Patricia Smith shared that FE Madill SS hosted their third Living Library event which enables students to interact with experts to learn about a particular topic, rather than reading about the topic in a book. A wide variety of guests attended including AMDSB Indigenous Team members Matt Baker and Jessie Dew, past AMDSB staff member Paul Finkelstein, OPP Constable Jamie Stanley and others. Students completed an information sheet in order to interact with the guests and many reported learning something new!
New Agri-Food Discovery Centre Coming to North Perth
Trustee Nancy Rothwell was pleased to share that a first-of-its-kind Ag Science Centre will be opening in Listowel under the leadership of a design team from Moriyama Teshima Architects (proposed design below). Students and community members of all ages will benefit from the educational opportunities that this Centre will bring in the agriculture and food sector in Ontario.
Leroy Hibbert Presents to Students About the Importance of Acceptance
Superintendent Riley Culhane highlighted that in recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21), AMDSB hosted presentations led by Leroy Hibbert of LUSO Community Services. Over 900 students and 40 educators participated, including live Grades 6-8 audiences from Seaforth PS, with a separate session engaging Grades 10-12 students and 60 central office staff. The learning emphasized our collective responsibility to end racial discrimination by deepening understanding through education and amplifying stories shared by individuals with lived experience, reinforcing that differences in skin colour or melanin should never divide us. Next year, the goal is to expand the audience to include Grades 4 and 5.
Local Municipal Council Members Support Trustees Call for Provincial Consultation
Chair Michael Bannerman was pleased to share that the council members of the Municipality of North Perth and the City of Stratford have both endorsed the AMDSB request for public consultation and transparency regarding potential changes to English public school board governance. He wished to publicly thank the members of both councils for their support.
North Perth Access Centre Improves Service for Families in North Perth
Trustee Nancy Rothwell highlighted a new Access Centre that brings together services from Children’s Aid Society, the Well Community Collective, the Optimism Place Women’s Shelter, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance. Access Centres across Huron and Perth counties support families and residents with better access to critical services. Full details in a recent Stratford Beacon Herald article.
School Showcase
Communications Manager Chera Longston highlighted École Bedford Public School, located in Stratford (Chair Michael Bannerman and Trustee Deepika Mishra), and serves approximately 465 elementary students (grades K to 6). Its progression schools are Stratford Intermediate School for grades 7 and 8 and then Stratford District SS for grades 9 to 12. The current building opened in 1966 and is led by Principal Mike Stanley and Vice Principal Melissa DeBrouwer under the supervision of Superintendent Paul Langis.
Highlights from Bedford include:
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A Focus on Numeracy and Literacy: Primary and French Immersion classes are focusing on literacy skills including phonemic awareness, decoding and encoding as well as reading comprehension. Their French Immersion teachers participate in a Professional Learning Community in order to build their skills and improve collaboration. Junior classes are focusing on math with specific attention given to: numeracy, spatial sense and thinking questions.
- Character Counts: Each month Bedford focuses on a Board Character Trait. Daily announcements highlight the monthly trait and the importance of a positive growth mindset. Teachers select students who demonstrate the character trait of the month and those students are celebrated on the Bedford Character Board and presented with a donut!
- Nutrition Program and Special Food Days: Bedford has an amazing group of parent volunteers who prepare fruit and vegetables weekly for students. Also, throughout the year, students enjoy special food days including: pancake day, yogurt parfait day, quesadilla day, Booster Juice day and popcorn day.
- Successful fundraising campaign for a new playground: A new playground was installed in June 2025 for students and the community to enjoy. It features an accessible rubber base and separate hill slide with artificial grass.
Days of Significance Wrap-Up (March)
Schools celebrated important days throughout March. The video below provides a sampling of these activities!
March DOS Wrap-up Video - 2026 by AMDSB Communications
Student Trustee Update
Student Trustee Julia Havenga reported that the student senate hosted a variety of bake sale initiatives in order to raise funds for each school's equity (or benevolent) fund. She explained that students are now more aware that there is a fund that can support them. She also highlighted that later in the evening the Senate will meet with AMDSB Mental Health Lead Heather Hirdes to discuss their mental health social media campaign that will focus on existing support available to students and encourage students to reach out for support when needed in order to reduce the stigma.
Future Board Meetings
Regular Board Meetings are held in person unless otherwise noted. Links to join the Regular Board meetings online will be posted on the Board Meeting page the day before the meeting.
- Tuesday, April 14, 2026 - Governance and Strategic Planning Committee
- Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 4:45 p.m. - Regular Session, followed by Committee of the Whole, Closed Session
- Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - Governance and Strategic Planning Committee
- Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at 4:45 p.m. - Regular Session, followed by Committee of the Whole, Closed Session
Future Meetings/Events with Trustee Representation
- Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) – Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. (online)
- Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) – Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. (online)
- Supervised Alternative Learning (SAL) – Monday, April 27, 2026 at 8:30 a.m.