Dear Northern Families,
We are nearly there! Congratulations to everyone on your work so far, if you do have one more exam to go focus for 72 hours and you are home free!
Please note the adjustment to next Friday’s timetable. This is to accommodate those students who may be celebrating the Lunar New Year on January 29th (and will therefore miss exam review day). A brief message regarding where to find teachers will come out next week for Friday’s exam review.
I want to acknowledge that International Holocaust Remembrance Day for 2025 takes place on Monday, January 27. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and honors the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including 2.5 million children. We also reflect on the survivors and the ongoing impact on their families and the larger community.
I also want to acknowledge that Wednesday January 29th is the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia 2025. This honours the six lives lost in the 2017 attack at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City. This tragic event forever impacted families, injured many, and deeply affected Muslim communities everywhere.
A reminder that we do not have space available for student parking at Northern. We have had to bring parking authorities to the school several times this year and hope to avoid this moving forward!
SAC MERCH IS HERE AND READY FOR PICKUP
Please see Mrs. Beach in Guidance to pick up your NSS wear!
Exams and Culminating Activities:
Congratulations to students on making it through the first three days of exams!
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:
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). Students do not have to remain at school after their exam. Only students who are writing exams need to attend school on exam days.
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.
For the Exams, please note the following:
- There are no electronic devices allowed in the exam room. Any student found using cell phones, iPods, smart watches, etc. will be deemed as cheating. This could result in a grade of zero on the exam.
- There is no access to lockers during exams. Students may only access lockers before or after exams.
- All coats, school bags, and notes must be placed at the front of the room.
- There are no opportunities for breaks during the exam.
- Please encourage your student to use the washroom before the exam begins to avoid needing the washroom during the exam.
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.
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:
Monday: Exams Day 1, Period 4 @10am
Tuesday: Exam Make-Up Day/ Credit Rescue (by invitation)
Wednesday: Exam Review Day-
Period 1- 9:00-9:40
Period 2- 9:45-10:20
Period 3- 10:25-11:00
Period 4- 11:05-11:40
PM- Credit Rescue by teacher invitation only.
Thursday: PD Day- No School
Friday: First Day Semester 2- short day for Exam Review see below.
Period 1- 9:00-10:00
Period 2- 10:05-11:05
Lunch- 11:05-12:05
Period 3- 12:05-1:05
Period 4- 1:10-2:10
Exam Review- 2:15-3:15
ELL Parent/Guardian Options Potluck – Course Selection 2025
We are pleased to invite you to our ELL Parent/Guardian Options Potluck!
The ESL & Guidance departments are hosting this event on Wednesday, February 12th, 6:00 - 8:00 PM in the school library.
Please join us for an information session about course selection, graduation requirements and more. Bring a small amount of food (appetizer, main dish or desert) to add to our potluck if you wish. ELL Parents/Guardians and their students are invited and encouraged to come for this informative and helpful event.
We hope to see you there!
Please RSVP through this Options Potluck Google Form or email chana.boxer@tdsb.on.ca
Attention Graduates!
We will be holding a second chance for graduation photos here at the school on February 10 and 11th! Please book your appointment by following the link below:
https://booking.edgeimaging.ca/portal/book/NEH
Please come prepared in a white collared shirt and tie. Graduation gown, hat, sash, and props will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own small props to personalize your session.
Come and celebrate this achievement!
Upcoming Library Closures:
The Library will be closed during Exams: Jan. 23-28 and reopen on Wednesday, January 29th, 8:30am-12:40pm
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.
Drop-In Sessions-Families
Parent Engagement Sessions-Families
Student Success:
Credit Rescue - “Complete, Not Repeat” Credit rescue will be running January 28th from 9am-3:15pm for students who have a mark between 40-49%. Your child's teacher will inform you if they will be invited to this day. Please also look out for communication from April Vibert. You may receive multiple emails if your child is invited to recover more than one course. Thank you!
Canadian Computing Competition:
Calling all computer programmers!
Do you want to compete with other computer science enthusiasts and flex your ability to understand, design, and implement algorithms?
Well then register to compete in the Canadian Computing Competition!
Contest date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Join the google classroom with code: fvzkjjb
And please see Dr. Afsari to register and create an account. Room 231
Contest fee per participant: $10.00 to be paid through “School Cash Online” at a later date.
Reading for Well-Being Community Book Club and Podcast:
Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Mental Health and Well-Being Research and Training Hub (MeWeRTH; https://carleton.ca/mental-health/) housed at Carleton University created the “Reading for Well-Being Community Book Club” (https://carleton.ca/mental-health/mewerths-reading-for-well-being-community-book-club/) to help combat misinformation and disinformation around wellness. He choose evidence-based books, selected as Professor Pozzulo’s Picks, to help members sift through the thousands of titles available for improved well-being. The Book Club is open to all and there is no cost in joining or being a member. The objective is to connect people with the science and strategies for improved well-being.
He wrote several pieces for a general audience discussing the benefits of reading and community. He did a piece for The Conversation in the summer when he first started the Reading for Well-Being Community Book Club, https://theconversation.com/summer-reading-4-books-on-well-being-that-you-can-rely-on-229863
General information about the book club can be found on the MeWeRTH website, https://carleton.ca/mental-health/mewerths-reading-for-well-being-community-book-club/.
He also started a “Reading for Well-Being Podcast” where he interviewed the authors of the selected books to help readers understand the science behind the strategies that they can use to help improve their well-being.
You can find the Reading for Well-Being Podcast at these locations:
School Council:
1. Your Donations at Work. We extend our gratitude to our generous donors. Your support has enabled us to make the following contributions to the school: three cameras for the photography program; stools for our ceramics program; essential cookware for the school nutrition program; equipment for experiments in science labs; support girl’s volleyball team trip; T-shirts for our PALs and support for the Buddies Conference.
2. Walking Buddies - Saturday, January 25th at 9:30 am. Join other Northern parents for some fresh air, exercise, and conversation about school, kids, and life! If you are interested in joining us, please send a message with “Walking buddies” in the subject line.
Northern Secondary School Foundation:
Northern Secondary School Foundation Quiz!: Can you identify these Northern Alumni?
- He won an Oscar in 2019 for Art Direction for Spider Man: Into the Spider Verse and recently gave a Master Class to Northern Art Students -
- A former Red Knight and Harry Jerome Award Winner who played 10 years and won 2 Grey Cups with the Toronto Argos.
- Got his start in the theater on Northern stage, played Mike Ross on Suits and more recently played the role of John Glen in the Mercury Astronaut in mini-series The Right Stuff.
Answers next week!
Guidance Updates:
- January’s Wellness Theme is “Standing Strong: Power Poses”
Standing Strong Quote of the Week: "We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down." – Eleanor Roosevelt
- Planning on applying to an Ontario Post-Secondary School for September 2025?
Ontario College applications are DUE FEBRUARY 1, 2025. www.ontariocolleges.ca
- SAVE THE DATE: VIRTUAL NSS Course Selection EVENING Presentation: Thursday, February 6, 2025
Want to learn more about Course Selection at NSS? We invite VIA ZOOM all parents/guardians to attend our Virtual Evening Course Selection presentation!
Title: NSS Evening Course Selection Presentation 2025/2026
Webinar Link:
https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/j/96553526377?pwd=UMJM9YWfCZr4j0R22lnM2q9wHFpObL.1
Passcode: 601548
- 2025-2026 Course Selection Save-the-Date: It 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.
- myBlueprint OPENS: February 5, 2025
- myBlueprint CLOSES: February 26, 2025
- Course Selection Classroom Presentations: Feb 3-6th @ 9:15am
- Course Selection Department Fair: Friday, February 7, 2025 – EXTENDED LUNCH
- Evening Course Selection Presentation: Thursday, February 6, 2025 TBA
- Criteria for Requesting a Semester 2, 2025 Timetable Change:
- You are eligible to drop a course and will take a spare.
- You are missing a compulsory course or a graduation requirement (i.e. English, Math, Science, group 3 credit).
- You are in grade 11 or 12 and are changing post-secondary pathways. For example, you have three Science courses, but have decided not to pursue Science in post-secondary.
- You do not have a full timetable: Grade 9 & 10 = 8 courses; grade 11 = 7 courses; grade 12 = 6 courses.
- You failed a course in semester 1 and want to retake it in semester 2, if possible.
Please note: We will not be able to accommodate all timetable change requests. Thank you for your understanding. Please see your guidance counsellor with any questions.
- 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.
- 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 weekend!
Adam Marshall
Principal
Follow me @PrincipalNSS