Our Student Council hosted the Grade 9 campaign and elections last week. Congratulations to Alex F. who was elected as our grade 9 School Council Representative! Thank you to all seven grade 9 students who put themselves out there to compete for this role. There will be many leadership opportunities this year for all grade 9 students and we hope that they will get involved. Thank you to Ms. Pawlowski who spent many hours supporting our grade 9 leaders over the last few weeks!
Our school will host a polling station for the upcoming Municipal Election on Monday, October 24. As the community votes, our students will also participate in the democratic process by casting their ballots in a mock municipal election held at the school. We will share our student results in our October 30th newsletter.
Diwali will be celebrated next weekend. We would like to wish students and families who celebrate, a Diwali that brings happiness, prosperity and joy.
Sincerely,
Yvette Duffy, Principal Maharukh Kootar, Vice Principal Nancy Martins, Vice Principal
In this issue:
- The Next Two Weeks at a Glance
- Late Start for Students – Wednesday, October 19 – Classes Begin at 9:55 a.m.
- City of Toronto Elections – Polling Station – Monday, October 24
- Student Vote – Monday, October 24
- Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews – Save the Date! Thursday, October 27
- Respecting School Property – We Need Your Support!
- Sports Update – Go Falcons!
- Parents and Caregivers as Partners Conference – October 23 & 24 – Registration Now Open
- Messages from Guidance
- Messages from School Council – Commencement Survey & Voluntary Donation
- Trustee Laskin’s Weekly Updates
- Worth Mentioning Again…Digital Tools for Parents & Guardians; Student Fees
The Next Two Weeks at a Glance
Keep apprised of what is happening by linking to our school year calendar which is live on our school website landing page.
Late Start for Students – Wednesday, October 19 – Classes Begin at 9:55 a.m.
Each month our staff will participate in a Professional Learning Community (PLC) and a Staff Meeting. This will result in a late start for students as classes will begin at 9:55 a.m. on these dates. Link to our Daily & Late Start Schedule for more information.
City of Toronto Elections – Polling Station – Monday, October 24
Forest Hill will be hosting an official polling station on Monday, October 24 to make it easier for our community members to vote in our Municipal Election. All our students who are 18+ should consider voting in this upcoming election. Find out more about registering by linking to the City of Toronto Elections page.
Student Vote – Monday, October 24
On Monday, October 24, Forest Hill Collegiate will be hosting our third student vote in just over a year. The Student Vote program allows students to engage in the democratic process of voting and casting their ballot at polling stations run by student volunteers at the school on election day. On October 24, our students will be electing a municipal government by selecting a mayor, a council member and a local trustee.
Classes will be escorted to the library on the 24th to cast their vote. Students who want to learn more about our municipal candidates are encouraged to visit the Toronto Star Vote Compass. Thank you to Mr. Billinghurst and our civics teachers for supporting this initiative!
Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews – Save the Date! Thursday, October 27
On Thursday, October 27, our staff will host Parent-Guardian-Teacher Interviews in-person. Two sessions will be held as follows:
- Afternon Session: 2:00 p.m. t 4:00 p.m.
- Evening Sessin: 6:00 p.m. t 8:00 p.m.
All in-person interviews will be 5-minutes. The objective of the 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.
Owing to the TDSB’s shift to a new software platform this September, teachers will not be sharing a mark printout at this time. Our teachers are committed to supporting all students and will reach out this week and next via email or telephone to parents and guardians of students who are progressing at or below 60%.
A sign up link for interviews will follow in next week’s newsletter. We look forward to seeing you on October 27!
Respecting School Property – We Need Your Support!
Since September, TDSB staff have been working hard to clean up and repair our bathroom spaces once again. Some of these repairs are the result of vandalism by a few students. Such repairs are costly and unfortunately requires the closure of bathroom facilities. Students are reminded of our school’s expectations and student responsibilities. Please consider treating the school bathrooms as you would treat your own at home - that is with respect. Thank you to all our students who continue to respect our facilities every day!
Sports Update – Go Falcons!
Basketball – Lots of games scheduled for this week: October 17, 19 and 21. More games in the coming weeks: October 24, along with November 1. Thank you to Mr. Billinghurst as this will be a busy week for our team!
Cross Country – Our Cross Country team, sponsored by Ms. Monaghan, has two upcoming meets scheduled: October 20 and 24. Best of luck to our team!
Soccer – Our next two games are scheduled for October 21 and 24. Thank you to Mr. Sinevici and Mr. Doyhenard for coaching this season!
Tennis – Our Girls’ Team competed on October 12 and placed first! Congratulations to our team, and our coach, Mr. Ketchum, and our staff sponsor Ms. Halas.
Volleyball – Our Senior Boys Varsity team will be playing Rosedale Heights on October 18, and then will host two home games on October 25 and November 2. Thank you to Ms. Ibe for her support of our Senior Boys Varsity team!
Parents and Caregivers as Partners Conference – October 23 & 24 – Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for #TDSB's Parents and Caregivers as Partners Conference! Join the conference on Saturday, October 22 and Sunday October 23, 2022 to learn strategies to support your child, to connect with experts and other parents, and to hear inspiring keynotes. Find all of the details at http://www.parentsaspartners.ca/. The landing page provides details about scheduling and the agenda for the event.
Messages from Guidance
Booking An Appointment with our Guidance Counsellors
To book an appointment with a Guidance Counsellor, please link to our Appointment Request Form. Our Guidance Counsellors are here to support students and are meeting with students every day. As every student and their needs are important, our Counsellors want to ensure that each student is supported appropriately. Please note that once the appointment request has been submitted, the current wait time is approximately 3 school days. Thank you for your patience as our Counsellors continue to schedule appointments and meet with students.
Grade 9 Guidance Orientation – Monday, October 17 – Period 2
During period 2 this week, Mr. Oosterhoff and Ms. Ng will be visiting all of our grade 9 classes to speak about the supports available in Guidance, explain graduation requirements, and introduce the FHCI Guidance Site.
Grade 12 Post-Secondary Liaison Visits This Week
Forest Hill is excited to host various post-secondary institutions at lunch during the months of October and November. Various university representatives will be available to discuss their schools and programs this week as follows:
|
Date
|
Time
|
University
|
Location
|
|
Monday, October 17
|
11:40 a.m.
|
Western
|
Auditorium
|
|
Thursday, October 20
|
11:40 a.m.
|
Guelph
|
Auditorium
|
|
Friday, October 21
|
11:40 a.m.
|
McMaster
|
Room 245
|
Please link to FHCI Post-Secondary Sessions 2022/2023 for the full list of the universities and colleges that will be visiting Forest Hill throughout this and next month.
Timetable Changes for Semester 2 & Students Wishing to Drop a Course
Students wishing to make changes to Semester 2 Schedules or drop a course must book an appointment with Guidance. Dropping a course requires a Drop Form to be completed. This form can be picked up from the Guidance office.
FHCI Peer Tutors Available – Complete Form to Request a Peer Tutor
Students who need academic support in Grade 9, 10, and 11 courses are welcomed to request a peer tutor by completing a Peer Tutor Request Form which is available on the FHCI Guidance Site.
Thank you for Ms. Ng and Mr. Oosterhoff who are working hard to support our students!
Messages from School Council – Chair Tracy Kowal
Commencement Survey: Should Commencement Occur in October or June?
Thank you to the 173 families who responded last week to our survey to determine whether the tradition of Commencement in October should continue or whether Commencement should occur at the end of the school year in June.
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, any decision about when Commencement will be held affects future school years and future graduates, we are asking for the input of all our students and their families. Please read the School Council Letter for more information. Click here to complete the survey.
Each family can vote up to three times as follows:
-
- Each student currently attending Frest Hill Collegiate can vote once
- Given that families can have numerus caregivers, the parent or guardian of current students can submit up to two votes
School Council will also send a separate email blast later this coming week to remind everyone to complete the survey. Thank you for voting.
Voluntary Donation to School Council
The School Council – which is comprised of parents and guardians – is requesting that once a year, each family make a voluntary donation of $15.00. This is a suggested amount only and any voluntary donation for this year will be gratefully accepted.
Please note that funds raised benefit students in all grades. School Council intends to use the funds raised for:
- Guest speakers fr parent and guardian community event on topics such as mental health in teens, impacts of social media and gaming, cyber safety and crime prevention
- Staff appreciatin breakfast and/or lunch to thank our amazing staff for all of their work during the school year
- Graduatin scholarships and awards
- Supprt for student initiatives and clubs
- Student nutritin and outreach
We ask that you kindly consider making a voluntary donation this year through Cash Online. This item will become available on Monday, October 17. As of Monday, you can contribute by linking directly to : Voluntary Donation for School Council.
If you have any questions or concerns about any of the above, please reach out to our School Council Chair 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.
Worth Mentioning Again…Digital Tools to Support Parents & Guardians
EMA - Excursion Management Application - Update
As mentioned in previous copies of our newsletter, the TDSB has moved to a new digital tool to support with the management of excursion and athletics. All parents and guardians must set up an account for the TDSB Excursion Management Application system to learn about and provide permission for student participation in field trips, tryouts and teams.
To support parents and guardians to set up an account, please link to Excusion Management Application Parent/Guardian Account Creation and Login. Once you have reviewed setting up an account, please link to the following to access login: https://parent.ema.tdsb.on.ca/#/.
School Messenger for Parents & Guardians
A separate email will be sent to all parents and guardians using the email on file for your student on Monday, October 17 requesting that all parents and guardians set up an account. Please keep an eye out for this email which will contain important information and details.
Permission Click
An automatic email was sent mid-September to all parents and guardians requesting that a host of digital forms be completed. A reminder email will be sent this week by Friday, October 14 to all students who have not completed these forms. Completing the forms will ensure that the school has the most current and up-to-date student information. Please check your email (including your junk or spam folders) for an email from noreply@tdsb.on.ca. This email will direct you to Permission Click, a secure site, to complete and submit the required school forms.
School Cash Online
The TDSB has moved to a cashless payment system, and all student purchases must be made using School Cash Online. If you have not already registered for School Cash Online, please do so. Please visit https://tdsb.schoolcashonline.com and select “Get Started Today” to complete the registration process. Once registered, you will receive email notifications when items become available for purchase online.
Student Activity Fees – $60 Requested
Each year schools collect a student fee to support costs that are not covered by the Ministry or the Board to provide an even richer school experience for our students. This year our school is requesting a Student Activity Fee of $60. This fee will support the Arts, Athletics, Clubs, and many other co-curriculars. This fee can be paid by linking to School Activity Fee 2022/2023.
Land Acknowledgement: We, the students and staff of Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, acknowledge that we are hosted on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Wendat. We also recognize the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis, and the Inuit peoples.