Forest Hill Collegiate Institute

View From the Hill - Issue 28 - Week of March 27, 2022

Monday, March 28, 2022 11:04 AM

Our School Council is proud to present a great Speaker Series that begins with Sean Mauricette on Wednesday, March 30 at 8:00 p.m.

 

Sean Mauricette will join us virtually to speak about Dismantling Racial Bias: Empowering Your School Community and Engaging the Future. This online event is an opportunity for parents and guardians to come together to learn about Black history, the cycle of oppression and systemic issues, and collaborative solutions to combat anti-Black racism.

 

Please join us for our first installment of the Forest Hill Speaker Series 2022. To register for this event link to: EventBrite RSVP for Sean Mauricette, Dismantling Racial Bias.  More information about our Speaker Series can be found in this flyer, as well as in the School Council Messages section of this newsletter. 

Have a great week,

Yvette Duffy, Principal                Joseph Ghassibe, Vice Principal               Anita Love, Vice Principal


In this issue: 

  1. The Next Two Weeks at a Glance
  2. Late Start – Wednesday, March 30 – Classes Begin at 10:00 a.m.
  3. April is Sikh Heritage Month – Join this Virtual Event
  4. Latin-American History Month @ the TDSB
  5. Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews – Thursday, April 7
  6. Messages from Guidance
  7. Messages from School Council – Chair Tracy Kowal
  8. Trustee Laskin’s Weekly Updates
  9. Worth Mentioning Again…Covid-19 Protocols and OSSLT

The Next Two Weeks at a Glance

Week at A Glance March 27

Keep apprised of what is happening by linking to our school year calendar which is live on our school website landing page


Late Start – Wednesday, March 30 – Classes Begin at 10:00 a.m.

This Wednesday will be a late start for students to allow for our monthly Staff Meeting. Classes will begin at 10:00 a.m.


April is Sikh Heritage Month

The Toronto District School Board proudly recognizes Sikh Heritage month during April. This year the theme is:  Come to learn, go to serve; the goal of education is to serve humanity.

As part of the celebrations to mark Sikh Heritage Month, all students, staff, and community members are invited to attend the TDSB Sikh Heritage Month Virtual Celebration. 

When?  Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Time?  9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Live Stream Link:  www.tdsb.on.ca/stream/LiveWebcast-Sikh-HeritageMonth.html


Latin-American History Month @ the TDSB

Latin-America History Month is proudly recognized at the Toronto District School Board during April. The theme is:  (DeColonizing) Latin-America History Month & Beyond – Learning about our collective pasts through the art of healing.  Enter the TDSB’s creative arts contest celebrating this theme by linking to this flyer

All students, staff, and community members are invited to attend a virtual launch celebration to kick-off the month!  Join us to learn about Latin-America through music, spoken word, and much more!

When?  Wednesday, April 6, 2022       

Time?  1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Live Stream Link: www.tdsb.on.ca/stream/LiveWebcast-LatinAmerica-HistoryMonth.html


Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews – Thursday, April 7

Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews will take place on Thursday, April 7.  A separate email with the link to book interviews will be provided this Thursday to parents and guardians. 

Two sessions will be held as follows:

  • Afternoon Session:  2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • Evening Session:  6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

All interviews will be 5-minutes and conducted remotely.  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 semester and to support students prior to the semester 2 official report card distribution. 

Please note that Friday, April 8 will be a late start and classes will begin at 10:00 a.m.


Messages from Guidance  

Course Change Requests         

The school has begun our scheduling process for the 2022/2023 school year and no changes to course selection may be made at this time.  Students will be given an opportunity to request changes at a later date once scheduling has been completed.

All parents and guardians must approve the courses selected in myBlueprint by their student.  MyBlueprint automatically generates an approval email which parents/guardians must review and click the green Approve Course Selections tab. If you have not received this email or have not responded to this email, please do so immediately.  Your student can generate a new course selection approval email by logging into myBlueprint and resending the approval email. 

Are you hoping to go directly to work after high school or considering taking a gap year?

The FHCI community is invited to visit the FHCI JOB FAIR 2022!  Students who are interested in pursuing the workplace pathway after high school or taking a gap year will find links to Summer 2022 job opportunities, training information and employment programs in Ontario.

Summer Volunteering at Holland Bloorview

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Canada’s largest children’s rehabilitation hospital, is now recruiting volunteers for their summer program. Volunteers help kids with disabilities participate in activities to the best of their ability and make a difference in kids’ lives, while having fun, giving back to the community, and gaining experience that may inform future school or career goals.

The deadline for our summer program applications is Friday, April 22, 2022.  Link to the recruitment flyer to learn more or visit www.hollandbloorview.ca/volunteers for more information.

Conversation Series - Islamophobia & Its Impact on Muslims & Muslim Youth

TDSB Parent and Community Engagement is hosting a conversation series: Islamophobia & Its Impact on Muslims & Muslim Youth, on Thursday, March 31, 2022 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  The Presenter is Jasmine Zine who is a Professor of Sociology/Religion & Culture/Muslim Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University.

As the author of Under Siege Islamophobia and the 9/11 Generation, Dr. Zine will be exploring Islamophobia and the experiences of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism for Muslim children and youth.  Register in advance for this webinar:

https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JktCes9kQW27JipU-ak8KA

Passcode: 051544 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Calling All Students of Tamil Heritage – Scholarship Opportunity

To support Tamil student achievements and build leadership, the Tamil Heritage Month Volunteer Planning Committee is establishing the THM Scholarship Fund.  The scholarship will support secondary school students and recognize their contributions to one's own community.  The Scholarship will award four financial awards of $250.00 annually.  Grades 9 through 12 Tamil students can nominate themselves by submitting a 250-word essay on the following topic:  how they contribute to one's own community. 

Deadline to Apply: Friday, May 20, 2022

Send Essay by Email to:  Meera.McDonald@tdsb.on.ca

Thank you to Ms. Ng, Mr. Oosteroff, Ms. Robles Evans for all they are doing to keep us informed about opportunities for our students and families. 


Messages from School Council – Chair Tracy Kowal

School Council Speaker Series 2022 – Wednesday, March 30 @ 8:00 p.m. via Zoom – Join Us!

FHCI School Council is extremely proud to present:

Sean Mauricette

Dismantling Racial Bias: Empowering Your School Community and Engaging the Future

To register for this virtual event link to: EventBrite RSVP for Sean Mauricette, Dismantling Racial Bias

Sean Mauricette has been an artist, educator and motivational speaker for more than 2 decades. He has received more than 20 awards including the 2012 Medal of Appreciation from the United Nations Association of Canada for his work with youth in high-risk communities. A graduate from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture, Sean continues to cement his role as an active leader in the global community, while helping people create foundations for success. To learn more about the speaker and his work link to: Mauricette's website.

School Council Speaker Series 2022 – Check out our other scheduled speakers

Our School Council subcommittee has been working hard to organize two other speakers as well.  Please hold these dates to join us for our other two speakers:

  • Katherine D. Dudtschak, Wednesday, April 27 @ 8:00 p.m.
  • Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, Tuesday, May 24 @ 8:00 p.m.

Link to this flyer:  FHCI Speaker Series 2022 for more details. 

For more information on any of the above events, contact Forest Hill's School Council Chair Tracy Kowal at tracy.kowal@yahoo.ca.

School Council Meeting – Hold the Date – Monday, April 4 

Please hold the date of Monday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. for our sixth virtual School Council meeting.  All parents and guardians are welcome. Add agenda items and rsvp for the Zoom link by emailing Tracy Kowal at tracy.kowal@yahoo.ca.


Trustee Laskin’s Weekly Updates

Learn more about upcoming events and keep informed by linking to Trustee Laskin's Weekly Newsletter