Dear Northern Families,
Whether you are celebrating (or just celebrated) Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or any other special day(s) I hope you reconnect with those you care for.
On behalf of the staff- thank you to School Council who put on coffee, tea, and goodies for us on Wednesday morning. What a great way to start the day!
When we return from the break keep in mind that Wednesday is a late start at 9:55am.
In the meantime, I wish all of our Northern Family a safe, health, and happy holidays! To our student body, see you January 6th!
In HUGE News….NSS United Way Fashion Show 2024….It is hard to believe that the fashion show was two weeks ago. The committee has been hard at work tidying up all the loose ends and counting all of the donations. The final tally is in and we are overjoyed to announce that we raised $15 793.63 for the United Way, an all time high! This organization serves those in our community that are unhoused and are facing food insecurity, unemployment, and/or mental health issues. We are delighted to be able to give back and would like to extend our gratitude to our community, family and friends for their support of this event. We are already looking forward to next year!!
Grade 11 and 12 students, please check your google classrooms for some information about an additional course being offered semester 2. There will be reminders in January as well.
To everyone that contributed, and especially to our student organizers, a huge Thank You from the Leaside Toy Drive. Stella McIntosh, Kieva Birmingham, Oliver Greenbaum, Cassandra David and Eli Rethazy were instrumental in collecting over 350 toys for our toy drive campaign this year and assisted in delivery of over 5,000 educational gifts to schools in the Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park neighbourhoods…WOW!
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
SWAC/ Dual Credits:
Field Trip to George Brown College - January 7th, 2025
Email April Vibert (april.vibert@tdsb.on.ca) if you are interested in attending
Student Success is taking a field trip to visit George Brown College at 3 Lower Jarvis and 200 King St E. Students will be meeting the instructors for the SWAC (School Within A College) Program and seeing the facilities for the Dual Credit Program. Both programs allow students to enroll in College courses while still in high school. Enrollment for both programs is available for Semester 2 and Fall 2025.
To learn more, click here.
Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) – Drone Workshop
On December 16th, the SHSM (Design, Manufacturing, and Engineering) students participated in a one-day drone workshop held in our library and auditorium. This immersive experience in drone design and construction combined theoretical learning, practical building, and hands-on flying. Participants left with a comprehensive understanding of drones and completed related certifications.
You can view photos and videos from the workshop using this link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t9njg5n-PBhAjFtU4rJy2RbUfB4bORXm?usp=sharing
TDSB Student Trustee Elections 2025-26
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) will soon be accepting applications for Student Trustee positions for the 2025-2026 school year.
Student Trustees represent the voice of approximately 240,000 students in the Toronto District School Board. They work closely together to empower and promote student voice and engagement across the district.
Key Dates
§ January 15, 2025 – Student Trustee Information Session (Virtual @ 4pm)
§ January 23, 2025 – Application Opens
§ January 30, 2025 – Application Closes (7:00 pm Deadline)
§ February 7, 2025 – One Minute Campaign Video Due (4:00 pm Deadline)
§ February 17 to 25, 2025 – Campaigning Period
§ February 26, 2025 – Voting Opens at 9:00 am
§ February 27, 2025 – Voting Closes at 5:00 pm
- information about this will be available soon on our website. Our Student Senate Elections will take place in late April/early May 2025.
Virtual Office Hours-Pathway To Care For Mental Health with the TDSB Mental Health and Well Being Parent Committee
Date: January 15th, 2025
Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm
Join us for an engaging presentation titled "What Is Mental Health?" designed specifically for parents, guardians, and caregivers. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of mental health, helping participants better understand its importance, recognize signs of mental well-being, and learn practical strategies to support children and youth. The presentation will be co-facilitated by members of the TDSB Mental Health and Well-Being Parent Committee, alongside TDSB Professional Support Staff and TDSB Mental Health Leads. Together, they will share valuable insights, resources, and tools to empower families in fostering positive mental health and resilience. A flyer for this event is attached and click here for future Virtual Office events.
Credit Summer School 2025 (Continuing Education and e-Summer)
Continuing Education Secondary Summer School (Remote/Synchronous & In-Person)
- Dates: July 2 - July 25, 2025
- Courses Offered: Remote Full Credit, Remote Adult, Remote Credit Recovery - Only Grade 9 and Grade 10 courses will be available through Continuing Education.
- Gr. 8 to 9 Reach Ahead: In-Person Reach Ahead opportunity only: TAS1O1 - Exploring Technologies.
- In-Person Sites: TBD. To ensure equitable access, the program will be available to all students across the city. However, the program's operation is subject to enrollment levels.
e-Summer July & August Summer School (Online)
- Dates: July Session: July 2- July 25, 2025. August Session: July 28 - August 22, 2025
- Courses Offered: Only Grade 11 and Grade 12 courses will be available.
- Gr. 8 to 9 Reach Ahead: Not offered for e-Summer.
Please share this information with your staff and school community to ensure families and students are aware of these opportunities. Further details regarding registration and course availability will be shared in the coming weeks and on our respective websites: www.creditprograms.ca and TDSB e-Summer Program.
Library:
1) Studying in the Library
The Library Learning Commons will be open at lunch from 12:00pm-12:40pm, Monday to Friday, for Quiet Study. Students are reminded that there is no food or drink permitted in the Library. We are also open each day at 8:30am, and stay open until 3:45 or 4:15, depending on the day (check the schedule).
2) Upcoming Library Closures:
Fri. Jan. 17th, Mon. Jan. 20, & Tues. Jan. 21 - Library closed for EQAO Math
The Library will be open before school: 8:30-8:55, at lunch: 11:55-12:35, and after school: 3:15-3:45 for students who need to borrow, return, or renew books or Chromebooks.
3) Toronto Public Library Volunteer Opportunity
TPL Palmerston Branch is looking for Youth Volunteers for their Seniors E-Connect program. They are looking for Teens ages 13 to 17 to volunteer. Visit in person or contact Mabel from Palmerston at msit@tpl.ca for more information or for an application form.
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 received an email to their TDSB student email 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.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity. Apply today and take the first step toward your future!
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. In-person Careers Night at Leaside High School - January 9th at 6:30 pm. Leaside High School Council welcomes Northern students accompanied by an adult to attend their in person careers night. There are presenters with a wide range of careers who will be speaking to students about their career paths. Registration is required.
3. Understanding and Managing Teen Anxiety – A Virtual Workshop for Parents - January 16th, 2025 7:00-8:00pm. Leaside High School Council has once again extended an invitation to Northern Families for the second part of their series on Teen Mental Health - Understanding and Managing Teen Anxiety. This workshop is designed to help parents understand the factors that contribute to, sustain, and worsen anxiety, while equipping them with effective strategies to reduce it. Together, we’ll explore different forms and expressions of anxiety, provide practical parenting techniques to loosen anxiety’s grip on your teens and boost their confidence, and we will address your questions about managing anxiety and strong emotions—both in your teens and yourselves. We are very fortunate to have Drs. Michele Foster & Nina Mafrici, clinical psychologists and the co-directors of Toronto Psychology & Wellness Group (TPWG), lead this workshop. Click here to RSVP and to receive the meeting link.
Northern Secondary School Foundation
Season’s Greetings from the Northern Secondary School Foundation. May your holiday season bring many moments of peace and joy!
Your support has enabled us to
- Honour outstanding student achievement in our scholarship program
- Help fund new student initiatives in Robotics
- Recognize excellence in teaching and learning
It’s not too late to make a charitable tax donation to the Foundation and receive a tax receipt. To donate go to www.nssf.ca/donate and help us continue our work in 2025. Wishing the Northern Secondary School Community a Happy and Prosperous 2025!
For more information contact us at info@nssf.ca
Connect with us on insta @northernssfoundation.
Guidance Updates:
The NSS Student Services Team wish you all a restful and fun winter break!
Please find here the TDSB’s Wellness Resources, as well our NSS Mental Wellness Resource Document
- December’s Wellness Theme is “Acts of Kindness”
- Acts of Kindness Quote of the Week: "To be kind is to be human." (NSS Jack Keable)
- Save The Date: It is ALMOST that time of year again, time to start thinking about course selection. Course selection for the 2025-2026 school year will begin in February 2025.
- Planning on applying to an Ontario Post-Secondary School for September 2025?
Ontario University applications are DUE JANUARY 15, 2025! www.ouac.on.ca
Ontario College applications are DUE FEBRUARY 1, 2025. www.ontariocolleges.ca
- Semester 2 Night School Registration:
Registration opens December 3rd, 2024 at 10:00 AM.
Registration closes on January 31st, 2025 at 10:00 AM.
Space is limited. Courses are only offered remotely in a synchronous (live) format on Google Meet or Microsoft Teams.
Registration and course offerings can be found here: Night School Website
Full Credit Night School/Remedial Night School:
Full credit courses run twice per week, on Mondays/Wednesdays or Tuesday/Thursdays from 6:00-9:00 PM.
Remedial math courses are also being offered for students who were unsuccessful in earning their math credit. Remedial classes are 1.5 hours, twice per week, and can be found under ‘full credit’ registration.
Credit Recovery:
Credit recovery courses are offered for students that have been unsuccessful in earning a credit within the last two (2) years. Credit recovery courses are delivered synchronously (live) online once per week from 6:00-9:00 PM.
Please reach out to your guidance counsellor have any questions or concerns.
- 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.
- 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
If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911.
Have a great winter break!
Adam Marshall
Principal