Dear Northern Families,

Interesting times….At this point I have somewhat limited information to share as I believe the board continues to discuss the next several weeks, and there is always the Ministry of Education/ Province to consider as well. So here is what we do know:

-School will be closed for two weeks following March Break. This means nobody will be in the building to take calls, open doors etc. School will re-open on Monday April 6^th unless there is a change between now and then.

-The OSSLT will not take place on March 31^st as a result of the school closure. We will share board/ ministry direction on this as it becomes available.

-all school trips/ events/ council meetings are cancelled during the two week closure. School Council will work towards rescheduling the April 1^st meeting and I will share the new date as soon as possible.

-You may have questions about homework/ coursework. Some teachers may post to google classroom, but there is no directive they must do so. Again, any changes to this will be communicated as soon as information is available.

-For graduating students there will be concern about OUAC and OCAS deadlines. An announcement is likely from the province/ board on this matter and I will share it when it becomes available.

 

From the Board earlier today:

1790313790. to the brief update sent yesterday afternoon, I want to provide a more detailed update on the provincial government’s unprecedented decision to close all publicly-funded schools in Ontario, including those at the Toronto District School Board, from March 14 to April 5, 2020 amid the growing concerns over the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Through this Ministerial Order from the Minister of Education, the Ontario government is ordering school boards to close schools to minimize contact between people, especially children, in order to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). For this reason, all childcare centres located inside TDSB schools will also be closed and all TDSB Extended Day Programs will be cancelled from March 14 through to April 5, 2020. We recognize that these closures and cancellations will be challenging for many families, especially those with limited childcare options and/or work flexibility. However, this approach is to ensure the health and wellbeing of all families and is consistent with the Ministerial Order to close schools and the decisions of many other school boards.

 

As all TDSB schools and sites will be closed, the following programs and services will also be closed/cancelled from March 14 to April 5, 2020:

 

• All Continuing Education and Night School Courses

• All permits

• All Authorized Recreation Programs

• All EarlyON Child and Family Centres

• All TDSB eLearning courses

• All field trips, athletic events, and arts performances

• All school-based meetings and other public meetings and consultations

 

We know that families will, understandably, have a number of additional questions. For more information, including a complete list of impacted programs and services, please visit the TDSB website at www.tdsb.on.ca , which we will be keeping updated with the latest information. Please note that the Ministry of Education has indicated that it will be providing resources that will be available online to support student learning during the closure. Once these are provided, we will post a link on our website.

 

I recognize that there will be questions and concerns as we move forward. I will endeavour to share information as it becomes available over the break. Keep an eye on the TDSB board website, and of course the local media for any changes. I expect you will get more information through a board mailing over the next several days.

 

I am not using the usual “Five things you need to know about Northern next week” format as it is so unpredictable at the moment, so information follows in no particular order.

 

 

News:

 

Screenagers- for parents interested in more material and updates from Screenagers about mental health matters, tech, and teens, please visit http://www.screenagersmovie.com to sign up for a weekly blog and other resources. For those who were unable to attend our presentation of Screenagers Next Chapter this week, visit the website to find other showings in Toronto to attend.

 

 

Share Your Voice: Policy Consultation on the new Specialized Schools and Programs Policy

The TDSB offers specialized programs across the district from CyberArts programs to International Baccalaureate, arts-focused to schools to specialized programs in math, science and technology. We are committed to our specialized programs and schools and value the variety and opportunity they bring to our students and their school experiences.

As part of our Secondary Program Review, we are making updates to current policies and procedures, including the addition of a new policy – the Specialized Schools and Programs policy – which will allow us to be clearer when it comes to admission procedures, practices an timelines, which differ from those in regular schools. Together, this new policy and review will help more students have access to these programs.

Please share your voice to help make this policy meaningful and relevant to you. This short video gives a great overview of the new policy. Then, head to the policy consultation page and share your thoughts. The consultation is open until April 20, 2020.

For more information, please contact secondaryreview@tdsb.on.ca.

 

Parents as Partners Conference Postponed

For many years, the TDSB has hosted the Parents as Partners Conference for families in collaboration with Community Advisory Committees, Parent Involvement Advisory Committee, Special Education Advisory Committee, staff and community agencies. After consulting with our partners, a decision has been made to postpone this conference until fall 2020. The current labour context has made it difficult to ensure that the conference will maintain the breadth of options and offer participants a similar experience to previous years and concerns about coronavirus (COVID-19) may negatively impact attendance. The planning team is committed to hosting another comprehensive and rewarding conference in fall 2020.

 

 

Parent and Community Involvement Policy

We are reviewing of our current Parent and Community Involvement Policy to help set standards, improve consistency and further develop meaningful approaches to parent and family engagement. We want – and need – to hear from our parents and families to help develop and draft this policy in a way that is meaningful, relevant and valuable.

There are a number of ways parents and families can participate, get involved and share their voice:

• Visit www.tdsbengage.ca to learn more and complete our online survey
• Attend a ward forum or in-person consultation session

 

Some key areas this review is focusing include:

• Communication between the Board, the school and home
• Equity and inclusion in family engagement
• Family engagement at home
• Enhancement of learning opportunities for families

 

From Drama:

 

Mainstage: The Laramie Project took first place at NTS District!!! We’re on to Hart House! Congrats to Cooper McCrory for Award of Merit Acting, Darya Heydary for Award of Excellence Acting and Robbin Dowling, Sameena Ladak and Noah Sparrow for Award of Excellence Directing!!!

 

From Dance:

The dance students audition and were chosen to represent Northern at the TDSBCreates show. Congratulations! The show will take place May 6, 2020 at the Meridian Arts Centre, 5040 Yonge Street. Come see us! Email Mrs Usin Rojas for more information. Go NSSDance!!!

 

From Geography:

We should congratulate Jake DeKoning, who is this year's Canadian Geography Challenge school champion! We had class challenges in each grade 9 Geography class, and then those students competed against each other at lunch on February 27th. Out of all those kids, Jake came out on top! He now will write the Provincial test and move onto the next level.

 

Besides the grade 9 Geography Challenge, there is another level available for the senior students. This year we had only one student compete - Kaitlyn Crombeen. She wrote the test a few weeks ago, and she just heard this week that her score put her in the top 20 in the whole country! So she is now onto Stage 2 where she must complete a field study project. If she ends up in the Top 4 overall, she will be invited to join Team Canada as they compete this August in Istanbul, Turkey at the iGeo International Olympiad.

 

 

Lunch Program!

The Toonie Trio Lunch Program is back in 2020! Students can come down to the Cafeteria on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to get lunch for $2.

 

Northern Secondary School Foundation:

The next NSSF meeting is on March 10^th @ 6:30pm.

For more information, contact us at info@nssf.ca

 

School Council:

Stay tuned for a new meeting date.

For more information please visit our website at nsscouncil.com or email us at: nss.school.council@gmail.com

 

Upcoming Events:

1. April 6-10^th: Pride Week
2. April 8^th: International Day of Pink
3. April 8^th: Report Cards Issued
4. April 8^th: SAC Elections Information Meeting @ lunch
5. April 10^th: Good Friday (no school)
6. April 13^th: Easter Monday (no school)
7. April 17^th: Marks Maintain Date (last day to drop full-year classes)
8. April 21^st: Mainstage Matinee
9. April 22^nd: Sounds of Toronto @ Roy Thompson Hall
10. April 23^rd and 24^th: Mainstage @7pm
11. April 27^th: Prom/ Valedictorian Assembly
12. April 27^th: Academic Resource Committee Meeting
13. April 28^th: Spring Volunteer and Student Employment Fair
14. May 4^th: SAC Elections Assembly
15. May 4-15^th: AP Exams
16. May 7^th: Tunescape
17. May 8^th: SAC Elections