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!

Please ensure you have picked up all personal belonging and locks before by the end of Exam Review Day (June 25^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.

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

As the school year comes to a close, families may feel a mix of excitement and the need for extra support. The TDSB Summer 2025 Well-Being Guide is here to help, offering culturally responsive and identity-affirming resources to support the mental well-being of both students and families throughout the summer.

 

Things to Know for Next Week:

Monday:  Exams- Day 1, Period 4

Tuesday:  Exam Medical Make-Up Day

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

 

Student Success:

Credit Rescue - “Complete, Not Repeat”  Credit rescue will be running June 24th from 9am-3:15pm for students who have a mark below 50%. 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!

 

Sincere Appreciation from the Robotics, Electric Vehicle and Tech Design Teams:

As we approach the conclusion of another productive and dynamic school year, the Robotics, Electric Vehicle, and Technological Design teams at Northern Secondary School extend our heartfelt appreciation to the parents, students, School Council, NSS Foundation, SAC, School Board, sponsors, supporters, and our school administration and staff. Your generous support has been instrumental in advancing and enriching our programs.

In recognition of your support, the students of the Northern Tech Design and Robotics teams have prepared a brief Student Voice video. This presentation highlights the teams’ activities over the past year and conveys their sincere gratitude for your ongoing commitment and encouragement.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/aKuf5rtfpSgRtWb2A

Additional details are available in the following document, and we wish you a restful and enjoyable summer season!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WqAM6fQ56bRNKkFNhgCzkVRv7eO3lpN9DPChQYoNY7Y/edit?usp=sharing

 

News from Deaf and Hard of Hearing:

Congratulations to current NSS student Tasbeeha Z. and former NSS student Maddie W. for volunteering their time to support CanadaHelps!  To celebrate their 25th anniversary, CanadaHelps created a video on the meaning of generosity in which Tasbeeha and Maddie share what generosity means to them.  Congratulations, scholars!

Please watch our NSS DHH superstars on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/nBuLTKmDtAc?feature=shared

 

Grade 9 Orientation Day Registration - Head Start to High School

• We currently have 125 students registered for our Head Start to High School Grade 9 Orientation Day on August 27 and our goal is to have 400 before the end of the school year!
• Please register your child(ren) as soon as possible through the Head Start to High School - Student Registration Google Form so we can reach our goal!

 

Graduating Students – TDSB 1:1 Device Collection:

All Grade 12 students participating in the Student Device Program are expected to return their Chromebook prior to June 30 to the administrative offices at Northern. Grade 12 students taking a TDSB-provided summer course will be able to retain their device. Students taking a summer course will be required to complete an agreement that includes returning the device in good working order to their home school prior to September 1, 2025. The agreement will be shared digitally with Grade 12 students registered for a TDSB summer course in mid-June and this data provided to schools.  

 

 Library Learning Commons: 

1. ALL School Library books DUE by June 16, 2025. 

→ put overdue books into the BOOK RETURN slot outside the Library doors

2. LIBRARY CLOSED:

EXAM DAY: Monday June 23

→ open for students with Exam Accommodations and instructions to write In the Library

CREDIT RESCUE DAY: June 24

→ open for students by invitation only for Credit Rescue

3. LIBRARY OPEN: Wednesday, June 25 (Exam Return Day) - 8:30am - 12:40pm

→ ALL Semester Loan Chromebooks due

 

Final 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 2 2025.

You can find a detailed exam schedule here: NSS Exam Schedule - Semester 2 2024-25

Monday, June 23 - 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.

 

Northern Secondary School Foundation:

Thank you to all the parents and friends who have supported us this year.

We were very impressed with the calibre of applications and the reference letters. 

Successful recipients will be notified by email as soon as candidates are selected. Please read the email carefully as to how to access your certificate and the funds.

Funds will be  e-transferred to the bank account of successful recipients during the first week of July. 

 

School Council:

Toronto Public Library: Northern District Branch - July 2025 Summer Programs: 

The ChillZone: Mondays, 4pm to 6pm at Rm 200 Drop-In

Crafty Thursday: Thursdays, from 3:30pm to 4:30pm in the Teen Zone. Drop-InPlease see the calendar for the craft of the day!

Business in the Streets: Ask a Newcomer Entrepreneur Panel, Tuesday June 8, 2025 from 4pm to 5:30pm. Room 200 Drop-In

Advanced Robotics with LEGO Mindstorm EV3: Summer Camp: Registration begins June 16 (space is limited) Program will occur from Monday July 14 to Friday July 18 from 4pm to 6pm 

Please also take note that we will be taking registration starting on July 2 @ 9:30am for our Recycled Paper Making with Paper Powered Workshops which will be held on Monday, August 11, 2025 from 4pm to 5:15pm Room 200. 

 

Guidance Updates:

1. June’s Wellness Theme is “Rest and Rejuvenation”

Student are encouraged to check out the NSS Exam ReadiNSS site for tips on Stress Management and Wellness.

2. TDSB Summer School Options:  

e-Summer Information here

• Asynchronous, online e-learning (most flexible option)
• July and August courses available
• Grade 11 and 12 courses 
• July e-Learning registration is closed. 
• August e-Summer Key Dates – Registration closes July 4, 2025. 

ConEd Information here

• Full Credit Course Registration IS CLOSED
• TDSB Credit Recovery will CLOSE June 27, 2025. 
• Credit Recovery eligibility includes:

• • Students must have earned 1- 49%
  • Students must have attempted the course within the last two years

3. IMPORTANT Volunteering Information:

Opportunities are being posted all the time in the Guidance Google Classrooms!

Sign-up for your Guidance Google Classroom:

Grade 9 Google Classroom code: bedkqks

Grade 10 Google Classroom code: x6sh4ue

Grade 11 Google Classroom code: 4ixv2jl

Grade 12 Google Classroom code: kmv6fcz

NSS Volunteer & Community Involvement Policy:

Guidance has been working with Admin to finalise the NSS Volunteer & Community Involvement Policy. 

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.

4. OSAP Applications are now OPEN for the 2025-2026 school year: www.osap.on.ca for more information. 

Recently, the Guidance Department held a lunch presentation on How to Pay for Post-Secondary, here's the slide deck from that presentation.  You will find the following topics within:

• OSAP: when to apply, how it works, what you need etc.
• Student Loans: how to bridge the gap if OSAP is not enough
• The difference between OSAP and Student Loans

Feel free to come to the Guidance Office if you have any questions!

5. Seeking Scholarships has released their MAY Scholarship Report which has upcoming scholarship dates listed for students applying to post-secondary programs in all areas, and there are tons of helpful resources around applying to OSAP as well.

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

6. 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.

7. Mental Wellness Resource Document

If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911.

 

Have a great weekend!

Adam Marshall

Principal

Follow me @PrincipalNSS