Congratulations to our Asian Heritage Month student crew, led by Tessa W and Rebecca H., who put on a fabulous assembly celebrating Asian culture last Tuesday! Thank you to all our student performers, Ms. Ibe, Ms. Jackson, Ms. Simas and Stage & Production Crew, all of whom made this event such a success!
Cookies for a Cure Club will be selling treats this Thursday at lunch to help raise money for charity! All students are welcome to drop by the foyer to purchase some yummy goodies. Thank you to Hawa W, Yalda P and our staff sponsor, Ms. Pupovac for all they do to show Forest Hill cares for others.
Join us on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium for our annual Sounds of Spring! We are very excited to be hosting an evening of live in-person music that will showcase the Falcon musical talent! Thank you to our Music Directorate and Ms. Simas for making this happen!
Before the Sounds of Spring concert, our School Council will be continuing the Silent Auction in the foyer. This fundraising effort is aiming to replace the stage flooring and support this year’s Commencement. Check out the items or bid online by linking to the FHCI School Council silent auction.
We would like to say Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers and all of those who take on this special role. Many different people take on the role of mom and we would like to thank them for the love and care they provide as mothers, nurturers and more!
Sincerely,
Yvette Duffy, Principal Maharukh Kootar, Vice Principal Jaime Yamashita, Vice Principal
In this issue:
- The Next Two Weeks at a Glance
- Calling all Graduates – Valedictorian Nominations Due May 17
- FHCI Graduate School Award Applications – Opens May 15 & Closes May 26
- University of Waterloo Chemistry Exams – Thursday, May 18 – Period 4
- Cookies for A Cure Bake Sale – Thursday, May 18 @ Lunch
- Sounds of Spring Music Concert – Save the Date – Thursday, May 18 @ 7:30 pm
- Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month – Poster Contest & Creative Arts Call Out
- Athletic Council – Applications Due Friday, May 26
- Raise the Black Bar Presents: Networking Workshop – Friday, May 26
- Messages from Student Success
- Messages from Guidance
- Messages from School Council – Auction Launches Thursday, May 4
- Trustee Laskin’s Weekly Updates
- Worth Mentioning Again… Golden Falcon
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.
Calling all Graduates – Valedictorian Nominations Open – May 8 through May 17
What is a Valedictorian? noun val·e·dic·to·ri·an \ ˌva-lə-ˌdik-ˈtȯr-ē-ən. The individual in a graduating class who delivers the farewell or valedictory address. Each year, the graduating class nominates an individual for Valedictorian. On Monday, May 8 all grade 12 students will receive an email with a link to the FHCI Valedictorian Nomination Form. The nomination form will open on May 8 and must be submitted on or before Wednesday May 17th by 3:30 pm. to be eligible.
The nominee must be a graduating grade 12 student and meet the following criteria for the 2022/2023 school year:
- Enrolled in a full-time course load at FHCI, i.e. a total of six courses this school year
- Minimum 80% average based on six grade 12 courses taken at FHCI appearing on Semester 1 Final and Semester 2 Midterm
- Made significant contributions to the school during their high school years
- Has consistently demonstrated positive character traits, such as respect, responsibility and honesty throughout their high school career
- Must be able to prepare and deliver Valedictory address at Commencement on June 27
- Have the support and endorsement of two FHCI staff members
- Be willing to make a brief speech no longer than 1-minute at a grade 12 assembly on Monday, May 29 during period 2
FHCI Graduate School Award Applications – Opens May 15 & Closes May 26
Each year our school celebrates graduating students with many awards. Three awards require student to apply:
- School Key – the highest honour bestowed on graduating students who have made an outstanding contribution to the school through their leadership and participation in extracurricular activities. Link to the School Key application.
- Lieutenant Governor’s Community Volunteer Award – this award is presented to a graduating student for exemplary community contribution or outstanding achievement through volunteer activities. Link to the Lieutenant Governor’s application.
- School Council Award – this award is presented to two graduating students who demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities, is a role model in the school and engenders school spirit. Link to the School Council application.
Applications for all three of the above awards open on Monday, May 15 and close on Friday, May 26 at 3:15 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted.
University of Waterloo Chemistry Exams – Thursday, May 18 – Period 4
Each year the University of Waterloo hosts chemistry exams for students across Ontario.
- Grade 11s can compete in the Avogadro's Exam on Thursday, May 18 – Period 4
All chemistry students were informed about this opportunity in their chemistry class. Students are required to sign up with Ms. Pupovac are also responsible to communicate to their teachers that they will be sitting this exam and to make up any missed work. More information can be found at: University of Waterloo Chemistry Exam . Thank you to Ms. Pupovac who is organizing this opportunity for our chemistry students!
Cookies for A Cure Bake Sale – Thursday, May 18 @ Lunch
Listen up to the announcements this week for more information about the upcoming Bake Sale on Thursday, May 18 at lunch. Cookies for a Cure Club will supply treats to help raise money for charity! Thank you to Hawa W, Yalda P and our staff sponsor, Ms. Pupovac!
Sounds of Spring Music Concert – Save the Date – Thursday, May 18 @ 7:30 pm
Our annual Sounds of Spring Music Concert will be held on Thursday, May 18 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Our Music Directorate, under the leadership of Alicia G and staff sponsorship of Ms. Simas, is organizing fantastic performances including the voices of West Prep’s student choir for this event. We hope that our community will join us to celebrate musical talent! Tickets will be available through School Cash Online.
When: Thursday, May 18 at 7:30 pm
Where: FHCI Auditorium
Ticket Cost: Varies from Free to $10 per ticket
- FHCI students and Children under 12: Free
- Adults: $10 & Youth (ages 12-18): $5
Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month – Poster Contest & Creative Arts Call Out
Portuguese-Speaking Heritage Month is proudly recognized during the month of June by the TDSB. This year the theme is Alegria/Joy! The contributions of the Portuguese-Speaking heritage to Canada are significant as they include the arts, sports, music, culinary arts, and many professional contributions to educational and medical service areas. Over 1,400 TDSB students speak Portuguese as their mother tongue or as a primary language. Internationally, there are 250 million Portuguese-speaking people worldwide, making it the fifth-most spoken language.
We invite all TDSB students from all grade levels to submit a drawing that they feel best represents this year's theme for Portuguese-Speaking Heritage month, Alegria/Joy! Link here for details. Deadline for submission is Friday, May 19, 2023, by 3:00 pm. Please contact Diana Condeco at diana.condeco@tdsb.on.ca if you have questions about this contest.
Students are also invited to submit a creative arts project, such as art work, poetry, songs and short stories that demonstrate the theme of joy. Link to the submission criteria and descriptor. The deadline is Monday, May 29, 2023, by 4:00 pm. Carmen Oliveira, carmen.oliveira@tdsb.on.ca, is available to answer any questions about this opportunity.
Athletic Council – Applications Due Friday, May 26
Athletic Council Applications open on Monday, May 8. Athletic Council is a leadership group that is responsible for organizing various school wide events and activities. Members of the Athletic Council are one of the forces behind school spirit! They run lunch time intramurals, keep score for home games, and organize Terry Fox and our pep rallies each semester – just to name a few things they do! Applications are due on Friday, May 26. Listen to Monday’s announcements for more information. Thank you to Ms. Homatidis and Ms. Ibe for all they do to support our Athletic Council.
Raise the Black Bar Presents: Networking Workshop – Friday, May 26
The Raise the Black Bar program is a collaborative community-based pipeline initiative between Osgoode Hall School, Osgoode's Black Law Students' Association, and the Toronto District School Board. The mission is to deliver programming designed to help Black high school students access legal education and opportunities in the legal profession. After having officially launched in November 2022, Raise the Black Bar is pleased to announce The Networking Workshop.
Location: Earl Haig Secondary School
Date: Friday, May 26 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.
Audience: All self-identifying Black TDSB students in grades 10, 11, and 12
For additional information, contact Raenelle Manning @ coordinatoorrtbb@osgoode.yorku.ca.
Messages from Student Success
Healthy Vs. Unhealthy Relationships Workshops – Begins Wednesday, May 17 @ 6 pm
Are you the parent, guardian or caregiver of a neurodivergent child and want to learn more about how to navigate and support healthy versus unhealthy relationships? Three virtual workshops will be held in May to learn about consent, values, beliefs and boundaries. The first workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 17 at 6 pm. See this flyer for more information and Zoom link.
Messages from Guidance
OCAS & OUAC Transmission
Please note that the transmission to OCAS and OUAC occurred Friday, April 28. It is highly recommended that students log into OCAS and OUAC to confirm all information is current and accurate. If there are any discrepancies, please email your Guidance Counsellor. If the discrepancy is with a course taken outside TDSB/FHCI, please reach out to the school that delivered the course.
Graduation Requirements
Ms. Ng and Mr. Oosterhoff visited Grade 12 classes last week and provided each Grade 12 student with their most updated Ontario Student Status Sheet (formerly called the Credit Counselling Summary). Students must review their graduation requirements. If there are concerns, students must book an appointment with their Guidance Counsellor.
Toronto Police Service - Student Part-time Employment Opportunities - Fall 2023
Are you interested in working part-time for the Toronto Police Services. If yes, Toronto Police is hiring part-time students for September through December 2023 to work for a minimum of six hours per week. See this flyer for more information.
Messages from School Council
Silent Auction Continues – Closes Thursday, May 18
Our School Council is hosting a live and online auction to raise funds to support Forest Hill! Help us with resurface the stage in the auditorium, support Commencement, and more! Link to Forest Hill School Council Auction to view all the great items up for auction! Bidding opened on May 4 and will continue until May 18. Contact Chair Tracy Kowal, tracy.kowal@yahoo.ca, for information.
Trustee Laskin’s Weekly Updates
Learn more about upcoming events and keep informed by linking to Trustee Laskin's Weekly Newsletter.
Worth Mentioning Again…
Golden Falcon Publishes May Edition
FHCI’s own Golden Falcon has published their May edition! Link to FHCI Golden Falcon to read the student stories about what is happening in our school. Thank you to our editors, Francesca C, Daria D, Sonika H, and Ellaha S, along with Mr. Lee for all they do to keep us informed!
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.