It was great to welcome all our smiling and enthusiastic students last week!
There are lots of activities starting up this week! Students are encouraged to check out the FHCI Brightspace landing page and to listen up in the mornings for our daily announcements to find out about all the sports team tryouts, upcoming events and more! See below for details.
Our Prefects are off to Cedar Glen on Monday for an overnight where they will participate in leadership training and team building. They will use these skills to support our Grade 9 Leadership Day on Monday, September 18! Thank you to Ms. Homatidis and Ms. Ibe for all they are doing to support with the Prefects and building leadership!
All families are respectfully reminded of our $60 Student Activity Fee which is due via School Cash Online. This fee ensures a richer experience for our students. All monies collected go to support student engagement in sports, clubs, the arts and co-curricular events. For example, these fees are used to support:
- A team that needs equipment or uniforms
- A club or council that require supplies to operate
- A club, council or group that wants to run a celebratory event, such as Hillstock
- Student ID Cards
- Toner and paper to support student printing
This fee also provides paying students with a yearbook. Each year many students are surprised to learn that they are unable to receive a yearbook in June. The yearbook goes to print in March and the number of yearbooks that are ordered are based on the number of students who paid the Student Activity Fee in the fall. Please link to FHCI Student Activity Fee to pay now. See below for further details.
Looking forward to week two,
Yvette Duffy, Principal Maharukh Kootar, Vice Principal Jaime Yamashita, Vice Principal
In this issue:
- The Next Two Weeks at a Glance
- Fall Sports – Tryouts this Week!
- Photo Day: Thursday, September 14
- Student Parking – Limited Spaces Available – Applications Due September 14
- Grade 9 Leadership Day – Monday, September 18 @ Earl Bales Park
- Code of Conduct
- Start of Year Forms 2023/2024 – Permission Click
- 1:1 Devices for Grade 9 Students
- Clubs Are Starting! Club Charter Applications – Due Thursday, September 21
- Caring and Safe School Committee – Students & Caregivers Welcome
- Youth Climate Action Grants – Calling all TDSB Students!
- Messages from Library Learning Commons & Our New Teacher-Librarian Ms. Legrow
- Messages from Guidance
- Worth Mentioning Again…$60 Fee; Return Outstanding Items; School Calendar & Vacation Planning; Addressing Concerns
The Next Two Weeks at a Glance
Click our Daily Schedule & Late Start Dates to review the school schedules. Link to our live school calendar on our school website landing page for more daily events.
Fall Sports – Tryouts this Week!
All students are encouraged to listen to the announcements each morning to learn about tryout times and dates. This week the following teams will be holding tryouts:
- Boys Hockey
- Boys Tennis
- Boys Volleyball
- Co-Ed Cross Country
- Girls Hockey – new to FHCI this year!
- Girls Tennis
- Girls Varsity Basketball
Thank you to our coaches, Mr. Dinsmore, Ms. Ibe, Mr. Ketchum, and Ms. Monaghan as these teams would not be able to run without them!
Photo Day: Thursday, September 14
We are very pleased to welcome LifeTouch back to our school to have our students and staff photographed for the 2023-2024 School Year! Photo Day will be taking place this week on Thursday, September 14. These photos will be used for our students photo id cards and the 2023/2024 Forester Yearbook. More detailed information about photo day and purchasing packages will be sent out in a separate email on Tuesday to parents, guardians and students.
Student Parking – Limited Spaces Available – Applications Due by Thursday, September 14
Student parking is limited and all vehicles parked in our school parking lot must have a FHCI Student Parking Pass. Prior to parking, student drivers must apply for a parking pass by filling out the Application for Student Parking Permit – Semester 1 by Thursday, September 14 at 4 pm.
Parking passes will be given out on a case-by-case basis which examine factors such as: full time student for the semester taking 3+ courses, distance lived from school according to school records, etc. If all factors are equal, a lottery system will be used. There are limited spaces available. Parking permits will be distributed through the main office to students who are granted one. Parking Passes are non-transferable. Unauthorized and non-permitted vehicles may be ticketed and/or towed. Ms. Yamashita will follow-up with all students who apply for a Semester 1 Parking pass.
Grade 9 Leadership Day – Monday, September 18 @ Earl Bales Park
We are excited to host a Grade 9 Leadership Day filled with lots of fun and activities on Monday, September 18 at Earl Bales Park. More information will be coming out later this week. Stay tuned and please keep your eyes open for the excursion forms!
Code of Conduct
Administration hosted our Welcome Assemblies last week. During these assemblies, the school expectations for students were outlined. Students are expected to review the Student Handbook and abide by the rules and procedures outlined in this Handbook. This handbook will be available on the TDSB Connects App and the school website.
Start of Year Forms 2023/2024 – Permission Click
As per the email to all parents and guardians from the TDSB IT Services on September 7, there were some technical difficulties with the distribution of the start of year forms. All parents and guardians are asked to keep an eye out for an automatic email from noreply@tdsb.on.ca that will be directed to the parent or guardian email address on file at the school. This email will be requesting that a host of digital forms be completed. Completing this package of forms will ensure that the school has the most current and up-to-date student information. This email will direct you to Permission Click, a secure site, to complete and submit the required school forms.
Grade 9 1:1 Device Program
The TDSB provides all grade 9 students with an opportunity to borrow a Chromebook to support with learning. An email will be sent to all parents and guardians of grade 9 students with a Student Device Program Agreement. This agreement must be signed and returned electronically to activate the delivery of such a device to the school. Once the school receives the device, the device can be picked up in the library. The school anticipates that devices will be delivered near the end of September for distribution to students. In the meantime, students are welcome to borrow Chromebooks from their classroom teacher or the library if available.
Clubs Are Starting! Club Charter Applications – Due Thursday, September 21
Do you want to start a club? Are you the leader of a club that is running this school year? We hope that lots of clubs will run! It is the clubs that keep our school spirit and community alive. A few things to keep in mind:
- every club needs a staff sponsor
- each club must have a different mandate or reason for existing
- each club is entitled to funding that is raised through our Student Activity Fees
Once you have found a staff sponsor, please take a moment to complete this 2023/2024 FHCI Club Charter Application by the end of the school day on Thursday, September 21 to let us know about your club. Remember you can advertise your club at our Clubs Fair on Wednesday, October 4!
Caring and Safe School Committee – Students & Caregivers Welcome
Each school must have in place a safe and accepting school committe responsible for fostering a safe, inclusive, and accepting school climate that should include at least one student and must include at least one parent, one teacher, one non-teaching staff member, one community partner, and the principal or designate. In the TDSB this committee also includes the school’s positive space representative and school equity representative.
The Caring and Safe Schools Committee will:
- work together to ensure a positive and peaceful school
- develop prevention strategies and peaceful problem solving
- support police outreach through Crime Stoppers and other police-community involvement
- encourage students to help each other through programs such as peer mediation, counselling, theatre performances and classroom discussions.
Our first in-person meeting will be held on Thursday, September 21 at 11:45am in the conference room. The option for Parents and Guardians to join virtually will be provided. If you are interested in joining this committee, please email Jaime Yamashita jaime.yamashita@tdsb.on.ca
Youth Climate Action Grants – Calling all TDSB Students!
City of Toronto grants of up to $1000 will be available to student groups who want to foster climate action projects in their schools and community. Applications for grant funding will open on September 18. Visit City of Toronto Youth Climate Action Grants to learn more.
Messages from Library Learning Commons & Our New Teacher-Librarian Ms. Legrow
The TDSB Virtual Library is available for use by all grades K to 12 students and their familes. If you would like to access eBooks for you or your family, please ask your TDSB student to help you with the passwords. Ms. Legrow hopes to meet you in person during school community events, as well as provide updates this year through this newsletter.
Messages from Guidance
Student Timetables & Course Change Requests
Thank you to Ms. Reid and Mr. Oosterhoff for dealing with upwards of 200 course change requests. WE appreciate your patience as we continue this week to work through additional requests. Students are being called out of their classes to attend a Guidance appointment. Therefore students must be in their scheduled classes to allow us to locate them at the time of their appointment. Students should also continue to monitor their TDSB student email accounts and the TDSB Connects App daily for updates. Please note that most of our courses are full. We are not able to entertain requests to switch teachers or move to another section of the same course.
As mentioned in our Welcome Assemblies last week and on the Course Request Drop Form, students should keep in mind that to participate in extra-curricular activities and sports students must maintain a minimum number of courses at Forest Hill Collegiate.
eLearning Registration Opened Wednesday, September 6
Registration for e-Learning Day School for grade 11 and 12 courses opened on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. Please link to the TDSB eLearning Information site for a list of courses.
Course requests approvals by our Guidance Counsellors will be completed by Tuesday, September 12, 4:00 p.m. An orientation for students will take place on Thursday, September 14. Courses will begin on Monday, September 18. Registration will continue until Friday, September 22, with final guidance approvals completed Monday, September 25, 4:00 p.m. More information can be found on this information flyer and poster. Please note that an eLearning course must fit in your schedule. You cannot add an eLearning course if you already have a full course load of four courses this semester.
Students who cannot fit a course offered at FHCI into their regular schedule OR want to take a course that is not offered at FHCI are the ideal candidates for enrolling in an eLearning course. Note: You must make an appointment with your guidance counsellor if you would like to register in an eLearning course.
Night School Opened Wednesday, September 6
Registration for Night School opened on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. and will close on September 29, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Please link to the TDSB Night School site for more information. With night school courses, you are able to add a course to your existing schedule. Also, credit recovery courses are being offered in night school. You must make an appointment with your guidance counsellor if you would like to register for a night school course.
Worth Mentioning Again…
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.
Our school activity fee will support the Arts, Athletics, Clubs, and many other co-curriculars. The fee also covers the cost of our wonderful yearbook that will be delivered to our students in June and sundry other items that are not covered by the funding provided to schools. The fee will cover the following and more:
$30 - Forester Yearbook, printed in colour
$10 - Academic programming needs, such as student printing and FHCI Photo ID card
$5 - Athletic programming to support teams and Intramural for students
$15 - Student programming, including Student Council, Clubs, Hillstock
Link to FHCI Student Activity Fee to make this payment using School Cash Online. If you have not already registered for School Cash Online, please do so. Please visit and select “Register”. Once registered, you will receive email notifications when items become available for purchase online.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the school. Thank you for supporting student engagement at Forest Hill. Note: In the event of financial hardship for a student or family, please speak with an Administrator to request waiving this fee. Confidentiality will be respected. If you have any further questions regarding the Student Activity Fee, please contact the school.
Outstanding Textbooks & Other Items – Call for Return!
Loaned textbooks and other loaned items can be returned directly to the school. Please print and complete the FHCI Textbook & Loaned Items Return Form before arrival at the school to allow for a quick and smooth drop off of borrowed textbooks and loaned items to the Main Office.
School Calendar & Vacation Planning 2023/2024
The 2023-24 School Calendar is now available on the TDSB website. Please link to TDSB Secondary School Calendar 2023/2024 for important exam and holiday dates. Please note that we will be scheduling final Exams and culminating activities for the 2023/2024 school year in both January and June. A reminder that vacations are not considered a legitimate absence from instructional days or exam days. Every effort should be made to avoid scheduling family vacations during school time. In the event of a missed evaluation due to a family vacation, teachers are not required to provide an alternative form of evaluation or Exam and a mark of zero may be assigned.
Addressing Concerns and Questions You May Have – Who Should Be Contacted
Our staff are here to support students and want to hear from you if there is a concern or question. We make every effort to address concerns quickly.
For classroom and specific academic concerns, the classroom teacher is the first point of contact. Please remember when contacting a teacher that the teacher is in class for most of the school day teaching and cannot respond immediately. Our service excellence culture is to return calls or emails within 24 hours and all staff will attempt to do their best to adhere to this timeline.
If you would like more information about student schedules, academic pathway or post-secondary planning, or course selection, please reach out to our Guidance Counsellors:
Andrew Oosterhoff – Surnames that begin with A to K – andrew.oosterhoff@tdsb.on.ca
Rosemarie Reid – Surnames that begins with L to Z – rosemarie.reid@tdsb.on.ca
If you need support with other student matters, please contact our Vice Principals at:
Jaime Yamashita – Surnames that begin with A to K – jaime.yamashita@tdsb.on.ca
Maharukh Kootar – Surnames that begin with L to Z – maharukh.kootar@tdsb.on.ca
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.