Greetings Northern Families,

We are four days away from finally having students back in the hallways and classrooms of Northern Secondary School. Students will have the start of year jitters and be excited to reconnect with their peers and teachers. We are equally energized and look forward to welcoming everyone back! We all have questions about how this is going to look this year. There will be bumps in the road as we operationalize an unusual school year. I want to assure you that we are prioritizing the following at every step of the process: student health and safety, mental health, academic rigour, equity, and a culture of caring. This is a lengthy bulletin with links embedded so I will cut this opening short. We look forward to welcoming your children back to the school and engaging them in school.

Students are going to receive their timetables via email starting as early as Monday the 14^th. These will come from the TDSB centrally much like report cards were delivered in the spring. The timetables will only show quadmester 1 timetables. Face-to-Face classes will run from 8:45am-12:30pm and students will attend twice out of every four day cycle. Students are also expected to attend afternoon virtual classes from 2:00pm-3:15pm. Timetables will look a little bit different this year. To help clarify how this all works please click Timetable 1 and Timetable 2 for clarification on the schedule you will receive on Monday.

There are still some finer details being worked out, but please find an update on many of the items we have been working on below:

Please check the board’s detailed guidelines to reopening schools here: TDSB Return to School Guide some highlights worth checking out include: p. 13 – PPE requirements for students and Entering the School, p. 15 – Cleaning and Other Additional Measures, p. 16 – Water bottles - students are encouraged to carry individual water bottles filled from home. Water filling stations can be used, but require that a button be pushed- fountains are off limits, p. 18 - Mental Health and Wellbeing, p. 29 – Secondary Schedule, and p. 33 – Additional Learning and Instruction Considerations.

Building Entry/ COVID Screening Procedures at Northern:

Once at the school property students will need to enter via one of three doors for screening verification. We have structured school entry so students go in a door depending on the floor their class is on. Students can find the floor their class is in by looking at the first digit of the room # their class is in, for example Room 213 is located on the second floor.

Students with class on the first floor will enter through the main front entrance and line up to the north along the rock “river”. Students with class on the second floor will enter at the southeast door and lineup on the south pathway leading to the parking lot. Once inside they will proceed upstairs directly to the second floor. Students with a class on the third floor will enter by the northwest doors and line up along the north side of the school towards the parking lot. To help visualize this please look at this MAP . All students will sanitize their hands upon entry and be wearing a mask/ face covering. Details about mask protocols can be found here: TDSB Mask Information

So how does this screening work?

When students arrive at the school for the first day, they will need to follow a number of new procedures to gain entry to the building. First, they will need to do a COVID self-assessment and create a record of this using either an online app or paper version. Details on this process can be found here: www.tdsb.on.ca/healthscreening

40305482067. are asked to use the “Now Mobile” Health Screening app each day. It can be accessed from a desktop computer or through the free app. Each day, when self-screening is performed at home through the app, student can bring the QR code for quick scanning at the door. Instructions for using the app can be found here LINK. When this is not possible, a daily Health Pass should be signed and sent to school with the student.

Inside the building students will co-operate to maintain 2 metres of physical distancing from each other. Signage has been put up on floors, doors, and walls of hallways and classrooms to help direct traffic. Travel on the right side of the hallways at all times, yield to traffic at intersections in the hallway, use an elbow to open push doors (fire doors in hallways/ stairwells), wear your mask, sanitize hands as needed, abide by wait stickers for offices, water stations, and washrooms where capacity restrictions will be posted outside. Most of all, be respectful of others and of yourself- you can take the best actions for yourself and those around you to mitigate against transmission during the pandemic.

Textbook/ Technology Drop Off:

If you still have books or devices to drop off from last year we will collect them at the entry points to the school. Please write your name neatly inside the front cover as a safeguard for recording purposes. It is vital that we have materials returned so that we can be fully prepared for the year. If you are a graduate please come to the main entrance and we will take your books at the door.

Enhanced Cleaning Routine and Disinfection Practices:

Head Caretakers/Shift Leaders/Caretakers are to ensure that the following actions are completed and scheduled:

• Incorporate Enhanced Daily Cleaning and Disinfection of high-touch surfaces and shared objects (i.e. handrails, door knobs/handles, light switches, push buttons, push plates, desk tops, toilet and faucet handles etc.) as part of your regular and routine daily activity;
• Enhanced Daily Cleaning is to happen twice per day and when visibly dirty, which is to be scheduled once during the school day (generally between 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) and once after school ends;
• If the same student is using the chair and desk all day it can be cleaned once daily at the end of the day;
• Provide waste receptacles lined with a plastic bag and empty as often as necessary;
• Monitor and clean the parking lot and school outdoor grounds daily and as necessary (e.g. for discarded gloves, masks, litter);

Start of School: The start date for Secondary Schools has been adjusted to Thursday, September 17. Students in cohort A of their first class will be expected at school.
Online classrooms will be established prior to September 17 – students should begin checking their TDSB student email accounts this week.

Students new to the TDSB: Students will find their Student Number on their emailed timetable. Students can get assistance in setting their password and connecting to their TDSB Student Email by contacting IT Support and requesting a chat. Families are asked to do this prior to September 17.

Roehampton Shelter Update:

As many of you are aware from a previous letter that we sent to parents, the City of Toronto had been seeking feedback from TDSB Principals, Senior Staff, Trustees and School Councils regarding the Roehampton Residence shelter, which opened during the summer of 2020. The City of Toronto has just released a document which outlines individual school safety plan plans for schools located in the vicinity of the shelter. We will be continuing to meet with the city to discuss how their safety plan is working. To read this document please go to the following link below:

https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/community-partners/emergency-shelter-operators/about-torontos-shelter-system/new-shelter-locations/physical-distancing-shelter-sites/community-engagement-for-roehampton-residence-broadway-residences/

Student Activity Fees:

We will not be charging activity fees at this time.

Student Agendas: Now Online!

You may recall the challenges the TDSB faced with timely delivery of agendas last year. In response an online version has been launched. It will allow real-time updates to the calendar and access to board information in a timely manner. We are building new parts to this app daily- check it out regularly for new information and quick links to important sites (calendars, school website etc). Click here for more information: Online Agenda/ TDSB Connects

Yearbooks:

Yearbooks will be distributed to returning students during Day 1 and 2 classes no later than the end of September.

Lockers:

Lockers will not be assigned this year. All lockers have been secured/ locked for this year. Students are attending ONE class per day, and therefore can bring the materials they need for the day directly from home to the classroom and back. Students with phys ed on their timetable (PPL/ PAL or PAF coded courses) should come dressed ready to participate fully. Please leave valuables at home!

In the spring we made the decision not to cut locks off given the circumstances. Students will have until Tuesday September 22nd to remove locks from last year. After this we will cut locks off, remove contents, and secure lockers.

Student Success:

Welcome to our new Student Success department head April Vibert. Thank you for your efforts creating this new Website: Student Success

Special Education:

Welcome to our new Special Education department head Jessica Beresford. Thank You for your efforts creating this new website: Special Education

Visitors:

We will not be entertaining visitors at Northern SS until COVID guidelines are eased.

Guidance Updates: September 11, 2020

We thank you for your patience with the process of getting our school ready!

1. 2020-2021 Timetables:

• Our timetable has been created and our priorty is work towards getting Quad 1 conflicts settled.
• Guidance will be reaching out to students directly with conflicts. If you haven’t been contacted, but you worry that you have a conflict later in the year, you will be able to book a phone appointment with us after Sept 17, 2020.
• We will continue to work on timetable conflicts for C-H after September 17.
• We are working hard to give you the best timetable possible in these unprecedented times. Thank you for you understanding!
• The TDSB will be releasing all Quad 1 timetables to students early next week. Please read any direct communication from the TDSB.

2. Grade Google Classrooms:

• Please accept your invite to our Guidance Google classroom.
• Once student accept the invite, they can set their guardians up to receive communication.
• This platform will be used to share IMPORTANT information with you. Please note: It will not be used as a two-way communication platform.

Grade 9 Google Classroom link: c7wbn3w

Grade 10 Google Classroom link: xt4sp7k

Grade 11 Google Classroom link: jhazx2s

Grade 12 Google Classroom link: gthmiui

 

3. eLearning and Night School:

• We will be sending more informed updates for eLearning and Night school through our google classrooms.
• Quad 1 eLearning registration has begun and timelines have been extended. For more info click HERE
• Online Night school info and registration click HERE

4. Booking an Appointment: Soon, we will be sharing info about our new Online Appointment Booking system through our Google classrooms.

 

5. Please note there has been a change in Guidance Counsellor assignments:
   Melanie Stassis – A, S, U-Z – melanie.stassis@tdsb.on.ca
   Leslie Usin-Rojas – B-E, I, T – leslie.usin-rojas@tdsb.on.ca
   Jennifer MacPhee – F-H, K, L - Jennifer.macphee@tdsb.on.ca
   Andrew Primmer – J, M-R – Andrew.primmer@tdsb.on.ca
   
   We hope you had a safe, fun and restful summer! We are all looking forward to working with you this year.
   
   Check out our Welcome video!
   
   Warm Wishes, NSS Guidance

Bikes:

We are anticipating more students riding to school than ever. We will be sending further communication this week about where you can lock your bike up. Please make sure you have a quality lock and remember you are far better off locking up an inexpensive used bike than a brand new expensive one.

School Council:

Please visit nsscouncil.com or email us at: nss.school.council@gmail.com for information from School Council. It will be important to visit the site for information moving forward until meetings can resume again.

Meetings

· School Council executive and working group meetings may be held;

· School Council meetings may be held or postponed until October, 2020;

· The existing school council membership remains in office until the date of the first meeting of the School Council after the elections (under Education Act, O. Reg. 612/00: School Councils and Parent Involvement Committees).

 

Elections

· With 14 days notice, elections of parent members of School Council will be held within 30 days after school re-opening, which will be by the week of October 19, 2020 where feasible;

· All other election/appointment of School Council members may be held during the week of October 19, 2020 where feasible.

 

Other Useful Links:

-return to school daily checklist: Checklist

-help stop COVID poster/ reminder: Stop COVID

-recent email from the board here: TDSB Message

-TDSB mask guidelines: Masks

-Toronto Public Health Update: TPH Update

 

Thank You for taking the time to look through this document and its attachments. Communication is going to be key this year. I will be endeavouring to hold regular updates for the school community via Zoom starting in the very near future. You will also receive the usual weekly bulletins throughout the year to keep you up to date on what is going on.

Have a wonderful Sunday,

Adam