Dear Northern Families,

Three exams days down and one to go. Some important reminders/ items before heading off for summer in this bulletin. Please have a look!

183318153. ensure you have picked up all personal belonging and locks before by the end of Exam Review Day (June 26^th). Caretaking will be cutting of locks and donating any leftover locker contents in order to clean and ready the school for next year. Thank you.

Students participating in the 1:1 Student Device Program (chromebooks) are encouraged to take their devices home during the summer. Students transferring schools within the TDSB should take their devices with them to the new school in September. Students leaving the TDSB for any reason must return their device to the school.

TDSB accounts for graduating students or students leaving the TDSB will remain active for 6 months and then deactivated. Students will have access to their Google Drive and TDSB email during this period to back up their data. To prepare students for this transition they will need to either move/download the content using Google Takeout or use Google Transfer to move content to their personal Google account. More information is provided in this document

The 2024 Summer Well-being Guide is now available! The Guide has resources, community connections, events and ideas for students and parents/caregivers/guardians to promote mental and physical wellness during the summer months. The resources are culturally responsive with many resources for students with disabilities/special education needs.

 

Things to Know for Next Week: NSS Exam Schedule - Semester 2 2023-24

Monday: Day 1, Period 4 Exams @10am

Tuesday: Exam Medical Make-Up Day/ Credit Rescue by Appointment

Wednesday: Mark/ Exam return day. Credit Rescue by App’t. (schedule below)

9:00-9:40 Period 1

9:45-10:20 Period 2

10:25-11:00 Period 3

11:05-11:40 Period 4

PM Credit Rescue by Invitation

Thursday: Summer Vacation Begins!

Thursday: Commencement @1pm (graduates look for a separate email!)

 

 

STUDENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!:

Students who are done their exams and credit rescue are invited to earn community service hours on Tuesday, June 25^th from 9 am to 3 pm setting up computers in classrooms at NSS. No tech experience required. Email Kristen.Beach@tdsb.on.ca and meet in the Guidance office at 9 am on Tuesday. Thank you!

 

SEA Claim Returns:

If your child/ward has a SEA Claim laptop/chromebook from the Special Education Department please remind them to return it to room 112 asap. (not 1:1 chromebooks)

 

School Council:

We would like to thank our parent & guardian community, students, volunteers and school staff for their support and participation on School Council initiatives. With your help and the dedication of School Council members we were able to organize a range of events benefiting the NSS community in addition to raising funds that supported several school clubs and teams.

Thank you for a successful year and we wish you a restful, safe and happy summer break.

 

Northern Secondary School Foundation:

Hi Grade 12s! Are you interested in staying in touch with Northern and your graduating class after this year? Would you be interested in a class reunion in the future? See the message below from the Northern Secondary School Foundation:

Please complete the following survey to stay in touch with the Northern Secondary School Foundation as an Alumni to hear important updates about Northern and how you can stay connected:

https://forms.gle/sarGLC99YcQnYSd19

Information about NSSF can be found at this link: https://nssf.ca/

The Foundation would welcome expressions of interest in joining our Board of Directors. Please contact us at info@nssf.ca for more information.

 

Library:

1) Return your Overdue Books!

• Keep searching for overdue books from the Northern Secondary School Library.
• The last day to drop off school Library books will be Wed. June 26 - 8:30am - 12:00pm
• OR
• Use the Book Drop outside the Library entrance at any time during the day Mon. June 24, Tues. June 25, Wed. June 26.

2) FINAL CALL for Lost and Found: Come to the Library to look for your missing items!

• Lose something at PROM? Ask the Teacher-Librarian on duty about the item/s.
• Final date to check the Lost and Found: Wed. June 26 - 8:30am - 12:00pm
• Items remaining after June 27th will be donated to charity.

3) Summer Programs at the Toronto Public Library

Free programming for kids, teens and adults offered at the local Toronto Public Library: Northern District Branch, throughout June, July and August!

 

EXAMS:

Final exams run from June 19-24, 2024. The moratorium period begins on Thursday June 13^th. There will be no excursions or athletic events during this period.

You can find information about the culminating activities and final exams for each course here (organized by grade) here: NSS Culminating and Final Exam Information Sem 2 2024

You can find a detailed exam schedule here: NSS Exam Schedule - Semester 2 2023-24

The schedule follows this format:

Students will follow their Day 1 schedule as follows for exams:

Monday, June 24 - Period 4 Exam

ALL exams will begin at 10:00 am.  Exam duration will vary by subject/year.  Looking ahead, students should make sure they eat a good breakfast as they will eat a “late” lunch on these days once exams are over (late relative to our usual 11:40 am lunchtime).

Please take some time to look through our Exam ReadiNSS site for information and resources.  More information will be added as exams approach – including some in person exam preparation sessions provided by our student services and special education departments.

CULMINATING TASKS AND EXAMS

Culminating activities and examinations carry the same importance and the same attendance requirement. Thus, attendance during culminating activities is mandatory. Some courses have culminating activities that take place over several days. Thus, attendance during culminating activities/summative evaluations is mandatory. A culminating activity is the final evaluation in each course which is worth 30% of the final mark. “This evaluation will be based on evidence from one or a combination of the following: an examination, a performance, an essay and/or another method of evaluation suitable to the course content” (p.41-Growing Success). Students who miss culminating activities or summative evaluations will be given a mark of zero for the portion missed with no opportunity to make up the missed work unless there is an extenuating and documented circumstance, such as a medical situation, court date, funeral etc. It is absolutely crucial that students do not miss any time during the end of a semester. Under Ministry of Education and TDSB regulations, there can be no accommodations made for students who miss the 30% culminating activities and summative evaluations at the end of a semester for personal reasons such as vacation or work. Students and parents should be aware that scheduled vacations at this time can significantly impact student achievement. With the exception of a medical emergency, all summative tests and assignments that are missed as a result of these absences will be assigned a mark of zero.

 

Guidance Updates:

1. Mental Wellness Resources

Kids Help Phone: text 686868.

In an emergency, call 911.

2. 2024-2025 Semester 1 e-Learning Registration is OPEN.

A list of courses being offered can be found here.

Registration may continue until September 20, 2024 BUT classes will fill up early

Please check out this information flyer and poster for more information.

3. 2024-2025 Saturday International Languages School Registration is now open. For more information about dates and registration, please click here.
4. TDSB e-Learning AUGUST Summer School Registration is still open. Registration closes July 4, 2024. For more info about TDSB e-Summer school go here.
5. The BCTI STEAM Summer Camp is offering a dynamic program that focuses on mechatronics, programming, and engaging outdoor activities. Camps run from 9 AM to 4 PM and are organized into three different age groups to ensure age-appropriate learning and fun.

For more details and registration, visit: STEAM Summer Camp - Humber College

6. OUAC Updates:

Haven’t received an Ontario university offer?

Use the Admission Information Service (AIS)!

Starting June 5, 2024, Ontario high school students can use the AIS to find possible openings at Ontario universities.

7. Graduating Students: be sure you have submitted your 40 Community Service Hours and your Opt Out of eLearning form (if you are not completing two eLearning courses) by mid May to ensure there are no issues with your graduation status. Please see your Guidance Counsellor if you have any questions.
8. Scholarship Information:

Thank you to all the students who applied to an NSSF Scholarship. Students will be notified about their application status closer to commencement (which takes place June 27, 2024).

9. Seeking Scholarships has released their April Scholarship Report which has upcoming scholarship dates listed for students applying to post-secondary programs. It also has some great tips for preparing for interviews for scholarships, admissions to special programs, or for employment opportunities.

Northern students, teachers, and families can access from this link using the password, scholar58

Please note: This resource is copyrighted and only available to Northern families - please do not share outside of the Northern community. A copy of the report is posted on the Guidance Google Classroom for Grade 12 students.

NSS Scholarship Information Chart 2023/2024 where Northern-specific scholarship information and deadlines can be found (along with other common awards).

10. IMPORTANT Volunteering Information:

PLEASE NOTE: Events and activities supporting a not-for-profit initiative are approved. If you are unsure if your activities supports a not-for-profit program, please see your Guidance counsellor for approval of the volunteering initiative.

For more information about the TDSB’s policy on Volunteering, click here.

Students: for volunteering information and opportunities, please visit your Guidance Google classroom or www.volunteertoronto.ca.

You can find the TDSB Community Involvement form here.

11. Students, are you LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES? Be sure to check out your Guidance Google classroom: Gr 9 Google Classroom: x6sh4ue; Gr 10: 4ixv2jl; Gr 11: kmv6fcz; Gr 12: twdxca6.
12. Online Graduation Requirement – Information and Opt-Out Form

Looking for information about the new Ontario Ministry Online Learning graduation requirement? Please click here

Overview Info: applies only to students who entered Grade 9 on or after September 1, 2020. Students may withdraw/opt out of this new requirement and graduate with an OSSD if you have decided now to withdraw from the graduation requirement, please complete the TDSB Opt Out/Withdrawal Form and return it to your Guidance Counsellor.

 

Have a great weekend!

Adam Marshall

Principal

Follow me @PrincipalNSS