Dear Northern Families,
Our Semester 1 OSSLT writers are done! Congratulations to all of you for your hard work. A massive thank you to Joy Kim (VP) for her work co-ordinating the tests.
I wanted to put out two reminders this week. First, cellphones are not permitted during class time in class or in the hallways. I have noticed an increase in cellphone appearances in hallways which is likely creeping into classrooms as well. Students, you are the decider on whether the cellphone remains in your possession for the day- please ensure it is silenced and out of sight during class hours. Second, and somewhat along the same line, I wanted to remind all students of some of the safety risks when your headphones/ airpods are in and you are looking at your cellphone. You are not as aware of your surroundings- cars, other pedestrians, lampposts, and individuals who may want to take advantage of the costly devices you have out in the open. Be vigilant, be safe!
We are just a couple of weeks away from the United Way Fashion Show. This event takes place over two evenings: Thursday December 5th and Friday December 6th. It is an all-around feel good experience- a good night of entertainment for a good cause! Ticketing information out next week.
Next Wednesday will be a REGULAR START DAY and an EARLY DISMISSAL for our Grade 8 Information events. Schedule for the day as follows:
Period 1 9:00 - 9:40
Period 2 9:45 - 10:20
Period 3 10:25 – 11;00
Period 4 11:05 - 11:40
The student calendar can be found here: 2024-25 School Calendar. Any additions made will be highlighted for a two week period throughout the year.
The student handbook can be found here: Student Handbook
Things to Know for Next Week:
Tuesday: Fall Athletic Assembly (period 1)
Wednesday: Regular Day Start.
Wednesday: Early Dismissal @11:35am
Wednesday: Grade 8 Open House
Friday: PD Day- no school
DECA:
Congratulations to Joshua Epelman, Rachel Freedman and Violet Schatzker, our top DECA role play scorers at Regionals. Alex Vasquez, Humza Jadoon and Uma Schwerdtfeger are our top exam scorers. Dingbang Zhou, Ellie Osmond and Rehan Patel are our top written scorers. Our team has qualified in total an amazing 57 students for Provincials in February.
GO NORTHERN!!!
Fall Athletic Assembly
If you played a sport at Northern this Fall, you are welcome to attend the Fall Athletic Assembly on Tuesday Nov 26 during period 1 in the auditorium. You will need to pick up an admission ticket from the South or North gym on Monday all day or Tuesday morning before class in order to attend!
Reach Out:
NSS Reach Out is a club dedicated to running fundraisers, raising awareness, and providing goods/services to local, non-profit organizations. This week, from Monday, November 25th until Wednesday, November 27th, NSS Reach Out will be holding a food drive to be provided to Bethany Church Food Bank, in the morning and during lunch. Bring your canned and non-perishable food items to help feed our community!
Library:
1) LOVE Manga?
Visit the Library to check out our newest editions. Our manga section is BIGGER than ever!
2) Chromebook (aka 1:1 Device Program) for all grades:
If you are a student in grade 9, check your email to see if your Chromebook is waiting for you to be picked up in the Library next week, starting Monday, November 25th
If you are a student in grade 10, 11 or 12–We are expecting another batch of Chromebooks to arrive at Northern in the next week or two.
We will email students individually, to let them know they can pick them up outside of class time
Buddies Toy Drive:
We are so excited to announce that the Buddies are running our annual holiday toy drive! This year, we are partnering with the Leaside Toy Drive, a volunteer based initiative that collects toys and funds to support children in elementary schools in the Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park communities. This is a fantastic cause and we’d love your help to make it a success!
How you can help:
- Grade 9 students: Each homeform class should have a special drop-off bag or bin for collecting toy donations. The homeform class that brings in the most toys by December 6th will win a pizza party!
- Grade 10-12 students: donations can be left in the drop-off box in the guidance office until December 6th.
If you have any questions, or want to learn more about the cause, feel free to email buddies.nss01@gmail.com
Thank you for helping us bring joy to kids this holiday season!
Exams and Culminating Activities:
Final exams run from January 22-27, 2025. The moratorium period begins on Thursday January 16th. There will be no excursions or athletic events during this period.
Students who require computer exam accommodations will receive an email to their TDSB student email next week with a google form.
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 1 2024-2025
You can find a detailed exam schedule here: NSS Exam Schedule - Semester 1 2024-25
The schedule follows this format:
Students will follow their Day 1 schedule as follows for exams:
Wednesday, January 22 - Period 1 Exam
Thursday, January 23 - Period 2 Exam
Friday, January 24 - Period 3 Exam
Monday, January 27 - 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.
TDSB Black Student Post-Secondary Engagement Symposium
The Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement invites Black students, educators and their families to the TDSB Black Student Post-Secondary Engagement Symposium.
The TDSB Black Student Post-Secondary Engagement Symposium is an opportunity for Post Secondary institutions to connect with Black TDSB students and families. Institutional representatives will share culturally relevant programs, resources, opportunities, and services that positively affirm Black students’ sense of belonging in post-secondary spaces.
Date: November 27, 2024
Time: 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: John Polanyi Collegiate Institute
Register here or at bit.ly/TDSB_ENGAGE2024
Special Education and Inclusion Parent/Guardian/Caregiver Sessions
Special Education and Inclusion is pleased to offer a variety of drop-in and topic-specific sessions for parents, guardians, and caregivers throughout the 2024-2025 school year. These sessions provide valuable information, resources, and support to help families navigate special education programs and services.
Please share the links below with families through your regular school communication (email blast, blog, newsletter, etc.).
Drop-In Sessions-Families
Parent Engagement Sessions-Families
Student Success Updates
Peer Tutoring- Peer tutoring is now available in all compulsory classes for all grades! To be matched with a tutor, please fill out this form.
Northern's Student Nutrition Program- Each week Student and Parent Volunteers prepare FREE lunch for students on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays starting September 24th. If you would like to receive FREE lunch every week please sign up here.
If you are a parent looking to volunteer, please email april.vibert@tdsb.on.ca
School Council:
1. Thank a Teacher As the calendar year draws to a close, we encourage all Northern students and families to think about Northern staff who have made a difference to them this school year and consider sending a note of thanks. Who has really made an impact for you?
2. Feedback Please! Each year we develop a School Statement of Needs that would be used to guide the selection of a new principal should that become necessary. Please review our draft at https://nsscouncil.com/school-council/# If we have left out anything, please send your suggestions to nss.school.council@gmail.com We will be accepting comments until December 20th.
3. Events Survey. School council would love your input as we plan social and educational events for this school year. Please complete this survey.
4. Thank you! A big thank you to everyone who contributed to our fundraising campaign. We are pleased to report that we've exceeded our goal. We now turn our attention to funding initiatives that will make a difference to Northern students.
Northern Secondary School Foundation:
Congratulations to Northern alumni recently in the news....
Marco Chown Oved NSS’ 01 a frequent writer on climate change for the Toronto Star asks Who’s Trying to kill the $17,000 Electric Car ?? in the Fall 24 issue of Corporate Knights.
Tal Schwartz NSS ’11 has launched a new VC fund called Capital North Ventures investing in early stages fintechs based in Canada.
Claire Cameroon NSS ‘ 88, author of The Bear and will launch How to Survive a Bear Attack: A Memoir in March 2025.
Dr Debra Hamer NSS’01, Assistant Professor and Psychiatrist at Queens and recipient of the Canadian Medical Education Meredith Marks Award for her contribution to medical education early in her career.
Read more about Northern alumni at nssf.ca/stories Contact us at info@nssf.ca to learn more about the Northern Secondary School Foundation. Connect with us on insta @northernssfoundation.
Guidance Updates:
- WellNSS Fear VS Danger Quote of the Week: "Fear destroys your ability to save yourself from danger." - Olena Zsoldos (NSS Student)
- Semester 2 TDSB e-Learning Course Registration OPENED November 12, 2024 at 10:00a.m.
Check out semester 2 e-Learning Day School course offerings on the e-Learning Day School website Registration opens to students on November 12, 2024 at 10 a.m. through the e-REG system.
under 18 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- TDSB Semester 2 Night School OPENS for Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 10:00am. Registration closes Friday Jan 31, 2025 at 10:00am.
For Course information please click here.
- 2024 – 2025 Scholarship Updates:
Seeking Scholarships has released their November Scholarship Report which has upcoming scholarship dates listed for students applying to post-secondary programs. It also has some great tips this month for applying to scholarships and funding post-secondary education.
Northern students, teachers, and families can access from this link using the password, scholar678: https://seekingscholarships.com/the-scholarship-report-2/
Please note: This resource is copyrighted and only available to Northern families - please do not share outside of the Northern community.
Northern-specific scholarship information and deadlines (along with other common awards that students apply to can be found here): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-ZrEGhtrhY8rH4WW3NLC-p5QE-2hStUszLZTn34h8_o/edit
A general list of scholarships has been shared with Grade 11 & 12 students, and can be found here. This list includes major scholarship awards that require a nomination from Northern (highlighted in yellow). Now is a great time for Grade 12 students to take a look and plan out which awards they may want to apply for!
- IMPORTANT Volunteering Information:
PLEASE NOTE: Events and activities supporting a not-for-profit initiative/organization 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.
- Online Graduation Requirement – Information and Opt-Out Form.
Looking for information about the Ontario Ministry Online Learning graduation requirement? Please click here. Overview Info: 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.
- Mental Wellness Resource Document
Have a great weekend!
Adam Marshall
Principal
Follow me @PrincipalNSS