Last week, teachers shared an electronic progress report with all students in their Week 1 and 2 classes. This report provided a list of evaluations to date and no overall mark was provided. The Provincial Report will provide a mark when it is issued on November 19.
The objective of last week’s progress report was to indicate progress, advise of missed evaluations and highlight any concerns. Parents, guardians and students should review the electronic progress report to prepare for our upcoming Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews.
Please remember that we are still in a pandemic. During the last 18+ months, gaps in literacy, numeracy and subject-specific knowledge have occurred. Teachers are currently working hard to close these gaps. The mental health and well-being of students is paramount at this time and it is important that we focus on the learning and engagement as students are still adjusting to in-person learning and the return to routines of school.
Happy Halloween to all that celebrate!
Sincerely,
Yvette Duffy, Principal Joseph Ghassibe, Vice Principal Anita Love, Vice Principal
In this issue:
- Next Two Weeks at a Glance
- Voluntary Disclosure of Vaccination Status
- Coffee House is officially happening on Tuesday, October 28 @ 3:30 p.m.
- Late Start – Wednesday, November 3
- Credit Rescue – Friday, November 5 and Wednesday, November 10 – Supporting Students At Risk of Not Meeting Curriculum Expectations
- EQAO – Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test – Grade 11s – November 10
- Free Cloth Masks Distributed to Students
- Photo Retake Day – November 22
- Messages from Guidance
- Message from Toronto Public Health – Free Hepatitis B, HPV & Meningococcal Vaccinations
- Message from School Council – Chair Tracy Kowal
- Trustee Laskin’s Weekly Updates
- Worth Mentioning Again – Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews & Early Dismissal/Late Start
Next Two Weeks at a Glance
Keep apprised of what is happening by linking to our school year calendar in the left sidebar of our school website landing page.
Voluntary Disclosure of Vaccination Status
Toronto Public Health is requesting that the Toronto District School Board collect the voluntary disclosure of vaccination status of students born in 2009 and earlier. This is intended to minimize disruption to schools and support a more efficient process when managing possible Covid-19 cases. For more information on uploading the vaccination status of a student link to Voluntary Disclosure of Vaccination Status.
Coffee House is officially happening on Tuesday, October 28 @ 3:30 p.m.
Coffee House is an open mic event, organized by the FHCI Music Directorate. Students of all grades showcase their musical talents by performing live in an informal and casual setting. It features a wide variety of musical styles and instrumentation and is a marvelous opportunity for all students to express themselves artistically. It is a free event and all students are welcome. This event will take place after school on Thursday, October 28 and run from 3:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Thank you to Ms. Simas, the FHCI Music Directorate and the Art department for making this happen for our students!
Late Start – Wednesday, November 3
Our October Staff Meeting has been rescheduled to Wednesday, November 3. Classes will begin on at 10:00 a.m. on this day.
Credit Rescue – Friday, November 5 and Wednesday, November 10 – Supporting Students At Risk of Not Meeting Curriculum Expectations
Credit Rescue is an early intervention initiative to support student achievement. Only students who have been contacted by their teacher, Special Education or Student Success departments will attend in-person (or virtually if the student is a simultaneous learner). Teachers will pause regular classroom activities for these two designated days and will focus on Credit Rescue activities.
There will be two Credit Rescue opportunities for students in November as follows:
- Friday, November 5 for Week 1 Classes
- Wednesday, November 10 for Week 2 Classes
Students who are not participating in Credit Rescue will be expected to work on subject-related material while remaining at home on both of these days. Please note that all grade 11 students will be writing the OSSLT on November 10 at school – more information follows below.
Note: This additional November Credit Rescue Day will result in one fewer Credit Rescue Day at the end of the semester in January. See this updated school year calendar.
EQAO – Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test – Grade 11s – November 10
All grade 11 and non-graduating grade 12 students will be required to write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) on Wednesday, November 10 at school. All students who are required to write the OSSLT in November, along with their parent or guardian, were sent an email communication about this last week. Please refer to this email for more information.
To access practice tests and more information, link to: EQAO – OSSLT page.
Free Cloth Masks Distributed to Students
The school distributed one reusable cloth mask to our students earlier in the month. Extra reusable free masks are available and students may obtain these from the Main Office. Please ensure all cloth masks are laundered before wearing.
Photo Retake Day – November 22
Our school’s Photo Retake Day will take place November 22nd. Further details will be emailed at the beginning of November.
Messages from Guidance
Grade 9 Orientation – October 25, 27 & 29
Guidance Counsellors will be visiting grade 9 classes during the afternoon period on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of next week to speak about graduation requirements, mental health, myBlueprint, the role of Guidance and more.
Upcoming University/College Virtual Visits for FHCI Students
Our Guidance Department is working hard to keep our potential graduates informed and aware of possible post-secondary options. This week’s upcoming sessions include:
- Monday, October 25 at 11:30 a.m. – Dalhousie University
- Wednesday, October 27 at 3:30 p.m. – Brock University
- Friday, October 29 at 11:30 a.m. – uOttawa =
Visit the FHCI Guidance Post-Secondary page for links to these and other upcoming events.
Ontario University Fair – Virtual Event – Tuesday, October 26 @ 5:00 p.m.
Ontario's universities are excited to host the second Ontario Universities' Fair on:
- Tuesday, October 26 - beginning at 5:00 p.m. until 7 p.m.
All Ontario universities will participate in this free event and all students, parents and guardians are welcome. Pre-registration is not required. The event will be divided into four 30-minute sessions, where students can learn about universities of their choice and ask questions. This event is a great opportunity to get answers about programs, admission requirements, student life and much more. Link to Ontario Universities Fair 2021 for more details.
Post-Secondary Q & A with Our Guidance Counsellors – Wednesday, November 3
Our Guidance Counsellors will be visiting our Grade 12 classes on Wednesday, November 3 to address and support with any questions or concerns students may have at this time.
Thank you to Ms. Ng, Mr. Oosteroff, Ms. Robles Evans and all our grade 9 and 12 teachers who are hosting these important sessions to support our students.
Message from Toronto Public Health – Free Hepatitis B, HPV & Meningococcal Vaccinations
Toronto Public Health is offering free vaccinations for hepatitis B, human papillomavirus and meningococcal for Grade 7 to 12 students who have not received these vaccines. Appointments can be booked for students at immunization clinics through www.tphbookings.ca/tph/studentvaccines.
Currently TPH is offering clinics every Tuesday through Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the various locations, including the Metro Toronto Convention Center. Learn more about the Grade 7 School Vaccination program.
Message from School Council - Chair Tracy Kowal
Please mark your calendars and save the date of Monday, November 1st at 7:30 p.m. for our next School Council meeting. Any questions, reach out directly to Tracy Kowal at tracy.kowal@yahoo.ca.
Trustee Laskin’s Weekly Updates
Learn more about upcoming events and keep informed by linking to Trustee Laskins Weekly Newsletter.
Worth Mentioning Again…
Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interview: Tuesday, October 26
Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews will take place on Tuesday, October 26. Two sessions will be held as follows:
- Afternoon Session: 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Evening Session: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
All interviews will be 5-minutes and conducted remotely. Parents and guardians are welcome to join a virtual meeting or book a phone appointment. If you elect for a virtual meeting, Zoom will be the platform used. If you elect for a virtual meeting, please ensure that you have downloaded Zoom from either the Apple App or Google Play, are aware of how to use the platform and know how to connect your audio system.
The objective of this Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interview is to gain a better understanding of how students are progressing at this early stage in the year and to support students prior to the mid-November official report card distribution. Less emphasis should be placed on marks and instead the focus should be on student engagement and learning.
parentInterview Platform
As in previous years, we are using the parentInterview platform to schedule our sessions. Parents and guardians received an email with instructions and passwords last week. An account is required to book. All appointments are 5-minutes in length and will be booked on a first-come-first-serve basis. Booking will close on Monday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m.
Early Dismissal on October 26 & Late Start On October 27
To support with Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interview set up, there will be an early dismissal on Tuesday, October 26 with the day ending at 1:45 p.m. There will also be a late start on Wednesday, October 27 with classes beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Download and print a copy of this newsletter: View From the Hill - Issue 9 - Week of October 24, 2021