Good Evening Northern Families,

Yesterday marked one year from the declaration of the pandemic and tomorrow the start of the first closure of schools. It is incredible to look back over this past 12 months and consider the challenges everyone has had to face. I think it is important to acknowledge how everyone- school staff, students, and families have responded to make this year as manageable as possible. Thank You for everything you have done, and for what you will do over the coming months (fingers crossed) as we ride out the remainder of the pandemic together.

There have been students arriving having challenges with the screening app. Here is a link to the sign-in directions if you need them: HealthScreeningApp

This morning you would have received a separate email about Virtual Learning for Quadmester 4. Remember you need to fill this form in to be placed in Virtual Learning Quad 4. We assume everyone is bricks-and-mortar unless you fill in the link. *please note- this DOES NOT include students at the VIRTUAL SCHOOL! Virtual School students already have timetables at the VS for quad 4. Here is the letter from this morning again with the link embedded: Quad 4 Letter

For Achievement this quadmester- Teachers will communicate the mid-quad marks the week of March 22-26, 2021 to students and families. This will give Grade 11 and Grade 12 students 5 days to drop courses before Full Disclosure on April 6th, 2021 and without the credit appearing on the students' transcripts.

Secondary schools will flag all grade 12 students for OUAC and OCAS Transmission 4 on April 22, 2021. At the end of each quadmester, Ministry Report Cards that include final marks, one comment and learning skills will be completed by teachers for courses that students have completed during that period.

Last chance to purchase a yearbook! The School Cash Online yearbook link will close on Monday at 5pm. We need to get the order into the Yearbook supplier. A reminder that only students who purchase a yearbook will receive one this year (remember we have not had any student fees this year). Yearbooks are available for $35.00. If you are a face-to-face learner and have an account with school cash online. If you are attending the Virtual School you will need to access school cash online here. Thank You.

A reminder that it has been determined that no TDSB schools will participate in the OSSLT field test in Quad 3. Further, participation in Quad 4 is being assessed and updates will be shared in the near future.

 

Northern's wellNSS team has prepared this list of wellNSS Fun Resources we feel will help support mental health. Take a look and feel free to share it with your family and friends.

 

Northern families, we need your support! Lauren Altomare, a grade 11 Northern student, is a semifinalist in the national Poetry in Voice contest (bilingual category) and has the chance to win the People's Choice Award for her poetry recitation in English. This is where you come in: Please click on this link and cast your vote by March 23rd for our very own Lauren Altomare!

https://www.poetryinvoice.com/peoples-choice

 

Attention Graduates!

Pending TDSB approval, we have tentatively scheduled photos for March 22-26. You MUST book your appointment on a day you are in school (your cohort days). If you are a Virtual Learner OR attend the Virtual School you can only sign up for appointments AFTER 12:45pm each day. The cycle days for the week of March 22-26 are as follows: Day 1-2-3-4-1.

The sit fee is $40- and will include your photo session, a class composite. A sash, gown and cap will be provided for each student to borrow. It will only be worn once before being cleaned. No props, collared shirts or ties will be available for use due to health and safety reasons. We suggest bringing props from home to add to your sessions- a rolled up paper/ribbon to use as a scroll, a hard cover book, an item that shows off your personality! Please come to your appointment prepared and ready for your photo session! We look forward to seeing your smiling face! Any questions please contact: Holly Wiseman at hwiseman@edgeimaging.ca

 

Please follow the instructions below to book your photo today!:

Visit- https://booking.edgeimaging.ca/portal/book/NEH

Click – Classic Sitting

Choose the Appointment Day and Time of your choice

Click- Confirm Now

Fill out Student, Contact and billing information

Click- Confirm Sitting

 

Northern Secondary School Foundation:

Accepting Applications for Scholarships and Awards March 12-April 31, 2021

Attention Parents of Graduating Students,

The Foundation is pleased to offer many Scholarships and Awards to Northern graduates. We are grateful to former teachers, parents and alumni who fund these awards.

Go to nssf.ca/scholarships for a complete list of the awards and application forms.

Students apply online.

326149. scholarships and awards recognize academic achievement in math, science, social science, business, family studies, music, art and design.. Others recognize leadership in community service, environmental and humanitarian initiatives, participation in athletic and extracurricular activities, and perseverance in face of adversity.

If you have any questions about the awards or the process or require additional information, contact info nssf@nssf.ca.

 

 

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award:

Congratulations to Sierra Benayon-Abraham for achieving the Silver Standard for the Duke on Edinburgh’s Award.

The Duke of Ed is a non-competitive, internationally recognized program designed to encourage young people to develop positive skills and lifestyle habits.The Award is about personal challenge and development and is adaptable according to each participant’s interests and abilities. It presents young people a balanced, not-competitive program of voluntary activities which encourages personal discovery and growth, self-reliance, perseverance, responsibility to themselves and service to their community. To learn more about the award, please visit websites provided below.
Website: Duke of Edinburgh Award (DOEA) Canada - https://www.dukeofed.org

Ontario Website: DOE Ontario Division - https://www.dukeofed.org/on

Facebook: Ask to Join our Facebook page: NSS Duke of ED Club

AwardRequirements: https://www.dukeofed.org/guidelines-award-structure-and-time-requirements

 

 

DECA Business Case Competition:

Congratulations to Eli Sidlofsky, Sam Drimmer, and Mason Drutz who were successful at the provincial level and are moving on to represent Northern at the international DECA event in April. This year's event is being held virtually, and we wish them the best of luck!

 

 

From the ARC (Academic Resource Centre)

CENTENNIAL COLLEGE is hosting their annual PrepSMART event!!

PrepSmart is designed to cater to students who need accessible learning supports. (e.g. IEP students)

There will be a keynote workshop and topical workshops for students to help with the transition from secondary to post-secondary education.

This event will take place VIRTUALLY on:

• Wednesday, March 31 @ 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 7 @ 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

If interested, please sign up using this registration link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=06RqMe708Eic587y4eKjMSmsjTHsMKhMuSADAWkLsZZURU83MExQTkNBVVRMVDcyQVJIUTQ4QzE5Wi4u

Once signed up, you will immediately receive an auto-response email with all the detailed info.

 

Summer Employment Opportunities:

The Summer Employment Opportunities (SEO) Program provides up to 5,000 students with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience through supervised summer employment in the OPS. To be eligible to participate in the program, students must be currently enrolled in a secondary or post-secondary institution, be at least 15 years old, be living in Ontario during the summer and be legally entitled to work in Canada.

Positions for the summer of 2021 will be posted on February 25, 2021 with different closing dates between March 10 and June 1, 2021. The 2021 employment period for students is from May to September. To participate, students must apply online at www.ontario.ca/careers.

As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, the OPS will be monitoring what program adaptations may be necessary for the summer of 2021. We continue to remain flexible in our approach. To the extent possible, proposed changes will be communicated prior to the screening and hiring of students.

To support our goal of reaching our target audience, I would appreciate if you would promote these opportunities to your students by:

• Posting the attached promotional posters in your school
• Sharing information about the program and how to apply via school communications (ex. newsletters, morning announcements); sample announcements are attached
• Following us on our social media channels and sharing our posts. We are on Facebook and Twitter with the account name of @ServiceOntario. You can also follow the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services on LinkedIn.

If you require additional information, contact us at SEO@ontario.ca.

 

UPCOMING MATH CONTESTS:

CNML #6

Congratulations to our top CNML#5 contest writers: Jonathan Uy, Zoe Iczkovitz, Johnson Qin, Isabelle Han, and Laura Seceleanu for their impressive performance on last month’s contest!

Registration for the March 16^th CNML #6 Contest is now open to all students, with no registration fee!

Interested in testing out your mathematical problem-solving ability? Sign up by Monday, March 15^th on our Math Contests Google Classroom, using the class code: j5mmrwq

Fryer, Galois, Hypatia, and Euclid Contests

There are only a few days left to register for the Spring uWaterloo Math Contests! Registration deadlines are as follows:

Fryer (gr. 9), Galois (gr. 10), and Hypatia (gr. 11)

- Registration deadline: Monday, March 15

- Contest date: Thursday, April 8

- Fee: $10

Euclid (gr. 12)

- Registration deadline: Wednesday, March 17

- Contest date: Wednesday, April 7

- Fee: $16

Registration forms can be found on the Math Contests Google Classroom, using the class code: j5mmrwq

Please direct any contest questions to stephanie.kendall@tdsb.on.ca

 

From Guidance:

 

1. Quad 3 Marks Maintain Date: April 5, 2021

To withdraw (drop) from a quad 3 course without record on a student’s transcript: please reach out to your Guidance Counsellor NO LATER than March 31st to allow processing of your request to remove a course before the Marks Maintain Date of April 5, 2021.

2. eLearning Quad 4 Registration OPENS March 23, 2021 at 9 am

If you are considering signing up for a Quad 4 eLearning course, we recommend that you access the eLearning site on March 23rd at 9 am.

You can access more information on the TDSB Elearning site.

Please speak to your Guidance Counsellor if you have any questions.

3. Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) 2020/2021 Information Session - March 23, 2021.

The 2020/2021 PLAR Challenge process will kick off with a Virtual PLAR Information Session for Families on March 23, 2021.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is the formal evaluation and credit-granting process whereby students may obtain credits for prior learning.

For more information please refer to the PLAR Information Session Flyer, the PLAR website and/or reach out to your Guidance Counsellor.

4. TDSB Summer School Registration 2021: Con-Ed Summer School & e-Summer School Program

TDSB Con-Ed Summer School registration information will be released mid-March. You can access more information here.

e-Summer School Program registration information will be released mid-March. You can access more information about e-Summer School Program here.

5. Spring Scholarships: Free Money!

The Northern Secondary School Foundation will be accepting scholarship applications from March 12^th-April 31^st. Learn more here.

Check out the Scholarship Report for some great tips and opportunities.

Check out this document for a list of university entrance scholarships.

 

6. Spring Post-Secondary Information: Grade 12 Guidance Google Classroom Info

Just a reminder to have your child check the Grade 12 Guidance Google Classroom for the “Post Secondary News of the Week” for information about upcoming events at universities and colleges, virtual tours, and OSAP FAQs.

7. Graduating? Volunteer Hours and OSSLT Graduation Requirement Updates and Reminders

OSSLT update for 2021 Grads: Graduating students who have not completed the OSSLT will have this graduation requirement waived for June 29, 2021.

Volunteer hour reminders for 2021 Grads: Due May 1, 2021

Community Involvement - 20 Hours Are Required for Graduation! Please submit by May 1, 2021.

2021 graduating students need to submit 20 hours (and 10 of those can be from a paid job). For more info, book an appointment with your guidance counsellor.

 

School Council:

1) A Word from Wellness - Our Wellness focus for March is coping. Click here for ideas on great walks in the city to help manage stress. As well, visit our webpage for more resources on coping and the slides and resources for our Feb 18 presentation, “Supporting the Mental Health and Well-Being of Our Teens During the Pandemic”.

2) "News for parents, by parents" - sign up for our email list for updates and news written for parents by the parents at School Council. Send an email to nss.school.council@gmail.com with "Count me in" in the subject line. And check out our website for notes from meetings and presentations, resources, and upcoming events!

 

ARC (Academic Resource Committee):

1) ARC Parent Chat - Monday, March 15 - 6:30-7:30 pm - The Academic Resource Committee invites all parents of students with an LD to join us for a Zoom social hour. Grab a beverage and chat with other parents about what is (and isn’t working) for your child this year.

To register, just send an email to northernldcommittee@gmail.com with "Social Zoom" in the subject line. Links will be sent out the afternoon of the 15th. Hope to see you there!

2) "The Teenage Brain" - Thursday, March 25, 6:30-7:30 pm - Does your teen's behaviour ever puzzle you? What changes are going on and how can parents learn to work collaboratively with their teen and facilitate their transition to adulthood? Join Adrienne Sequiera, a registered psychotherapist, as she explores these questions to help parents understand this significant stage of development. A Q and A time will follow the presentation.

For a link, please email nss.school.council@gmail.com with "Teenage Brain" in the subject line. Links will be sent on March 25.

 

 

Mental Health Counselling Support at Northern Secondary;

50. Community Services provides a registered psychotherapist , Dale Callender, on-site, full time at Northern, to work in partnership with the existing school support services. The service uses an early intervention model and supports students by allowing them easy and immediate access to mental health and counselling services provided through the In-School service. Dale Callender works in collaboration with TDSB staff in order to customize a program to enhance the mental health services and supports that are available to students on-site at the school. This program allows Northern priority access to Lumenus’ mental health service program, and offers students a seamless referral process to other community programs as dictated by their individual needs. Dale Callender is available currently via virtual sessions and/or phone calls to provide psychotherapy counselling support to students, parents/caregivers. If you would like to consult and /or set up a time to talk with Dale, you can contact him via his email at dalecallender@lumenus.ca

 

 

 

Historical:

Essential Reading: There have been changes that are designed to minimize the risk of COVID transmission in our daily screening process. The Updated Screening tool and the Back to School Confirmation Form are very helpful in determining if a student is required to stay home from school or if they have met the requirements for return. Your Vice Principal can also assist with this decision. There are several significant changes to the daily screening tool which are reflected in the Now Mobile app that most students use before arriving at school for face to face classes.

Summary of Screening Updates:

Question 1: If your child has any of the listed symptoms (see screening tool link above)

• If your child has any of the listed symptoms, they must stay home from school, self-isolate and get tested. They can return to school once they have a negative test result and after it has been 24 hours since their symptoms started improving.
• Now, any siblings must also stay home from school until the symptomatic sibling receives a negative test result.
• If your child does NOT get tested, your child (and any siblings) must stay home and self-isolate for 10 days. The symptomatic child can return to school after 10 days if their symptoms have/are improved.
• If your child has symptoms and also had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, your child must self-isolate for 14 days from the last exposure to the person who was positive. All siblings must also self-isolate for the same period of time, regardless of a negative test result.
• At the onset of symptoms please notify the school at (Northern@tdsb.on.ca and your child's Vice Principal:
• Eric Halling - Vice Principal (alpha A-G) --> eric.halling@tdsb.on.ca
• Jessica Pearson - Vice Principal (alpha H-O) --> jessica.pearson@tdsb.on.ca
• Rani Vohra - Vice Principal (alpha P-Z) --> rani-vohra@tdsb.on.ca

Both the symptomatic student and the siblings must return to school with a completed Back to School Confirmation Form

Still want to read more about COVID management at schools? Click here for the TPH webpage that helps guide our practice: TPH COVID Guidance for Schools

Have a great weekend!

Adam

Follow Me @PrincipalNSS