Greetings Northern Families,

Thank You to everyone for your efforts with masking this week. Let’s maintain the momentum and get to the winter break healthy! This week’s reminder is about cleaning up after lunch. It is important to make sure the wrappers and leftovers of anything you eat during the lunch break makes it to the recycling/ waste bins. Your attention to this is greatly appreciated.

A reminder that next Wednesday is a late start (10am).

Reminder: With the return of Arts, Athletics, and other co-curriculars comes a significant increase in operating costs that we are not funded for. With this in mind we have put our Student Activity Fee back in place. You have received a separate email from School Cash Online for this item. This will cover printing costs for students (library), the yearbook, and subsidize student arts/ athletics/ clubs outside of the classroom. Thank you for supporting student engagement at Northern!

 

2020-2021 Yearbooks are still available! Interested? Please click here to purchase.

 

 

Member of Parliament Rob Oliphant is looking for applicants to his Youth Council. This is a great opportunity with some fast-approaching deadlines- please visit the links below for more information.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=304698161471487&set=a.303710291570274

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWLiSICp9lS/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rob_Oliphant/status/1459171733076910083?s=20

 

 

School Council:

A Big Thank You! to our guest speakers Superintendent Ron Felsen and Trustee Rachel Chernos Lin for presenting at our most recent School Council meeting. It was an informative and engaging session. Thanks to all who were able to attend.

Our next council meeting is Thursday, January 13, 2022 6:30 pm on Zoom. Watch this space for more information.

 

ARC presents: "Is Your Student Struggling with Math?" - Tuesday, December 7 at 6:30 pm - All are welcome to bring questions to ask our experts, Ms. Kendall and Ms. Malloy (ACLs of Math)! They will talk about how to support your student at Northern with tips, course planning, and resources. We will also have time for parents to connect and share experiences and resources beyond Northern. Please send your questions in advance and request a link at nss.school.council@gmail.com with "Math" in the subject line. Links will be sent on the afternoon of Dec 7.

 

Thank-a-Teacher, Thank-a-coach. Let your favourite Northern SS coach know how much you appreciate their time and dedication. We encourage parents to write a quick email to teachers, staff, or administration to recognize the efforts and energy they put forth every day. A "Thank You" is deeply appreciated and can make a positive impact on someone's day.

 

 

TDSB Psychology: Let’s Connect about Mental Health and Well Being: Spotlight on Student Voices

Parents, caregivers and students are invited to join our Professional Support Services staff for our next Let’s Connect About Mental Health and Well-Being session with a focus on student voice and mental health. Hear TDSB student voices and experiences about well being and increase your knowledge of mental health strategies to better support your child’s overall mental health and well-being. Please share with your school communities and parent councils! We are looking forward to seeing you all there!

 

www.tdsb.on.ca/letsconnect

Monday, November 29

6:30 – 8 p.m.

See the Webinar Link below:

https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/s/92642080216

 

 

United Way Silent Auction:

Hello everyone! We are very excited to announce to start of Northern’s 2nd online silent auction! It will be going live on November 29th at 10 am and run until December 10th at 9 pm. Our United Way committee has worked extremely hard to make another successful silent auction possible. We have so many great items for the holidays coming up so be sure to check it out! All of the proceeds from this year’s auction will be donated to United Way Greater Toronto, an umbrella organization that will support hundreds of communities across Canada. We hope to surpass last year’s earnings and have this year’s auction be even more successful!

Check out what items are available using the link below (not all items will be posted right away, we are constantly adding more items.) we look forward to seeing what you all bid on, it will be lots of fun and for a great cause! NSS United Way Silent Auction

 

 

PIAC

The 15th annual parent conference "Bridging the Gap". A curated two-day virtual event, with speakers & workshops focused on bridging gaps in our schools in Mental Health, Parent Engagement, and School Councils. Engage with others from across the TDSB ​as we learn and share best practices on reconnecting mentally and socially with ourselves, our students, schools, and communities.

November 27 and 28, 2021 10:30AM-3:30 PM. Registration (bit.ly/PIACBridgingtheGap) closes on November 25, 2021.

For more information https://www.torontopiac.com/piac-conference.html

 

From the TDSB: All Parents/Caregivers of Secondary students

 

As you know, all TDSB students selected either in-person or virtual learning for the 2021-22 school year. At the time of selection, we communicated that there would be one opportunity to switch between in-person and virtual learning in February 2022.

 

In order to plan ahead for students to switch between in-person and virtual learning for Semester 2 in February 2022, parents/caregivers and students requesting a change must complete a Switch Form between November 29 and December 6, 2021. Students who do not wish to make a change do not need to complete a form.

 

If you are considering a switch, please speak with your child before submitting a Switch Form. We expect that parents/guardians with shared decision-making responsibilities will come to an agreement before completing the form.

 

We recognize that we are asking for this decision well in advance of February and thank you for your understanding, as this process takes time to complete. While we cannot guarantee that all switch requests will be met, it is our goal to accommodate as many as possible based on available programs and space (e.g. French Immersion, Extended French, Specialized Programs, Alternative Schools, other limited circumstances).

 

Students who switch learning models will begin attending Semester 2 classes on February 3, 2022.

For more information, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/switchform

 

 

Grade 9 and 10 After School Numeracy Program

Northern’s Math Department is pleased to announce the return of our after-school Numeracy Program to support grade 9 and 10 math learners! Students will work with members of the NSS Math department to build and strengthen mathematical reasoning and comprehension as well as practice and apply key mathematical processes and concepts required throughout the Grade 9 and 10 math curricula.

The Numeracy Program will start the week of November 15 and follow the schedule below:

	Grade 10 Numeracy	Grade 9 Numeracy
When	Tuesdays 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.	Thursdays 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Where	Room 113 (in-person)	Room 113 (in-person)
Teacher	Ms. Kendall	Mr. Mehrjoo

 

All grade 9 and 10 students are welcome and do not have to currently be taking math to register. Interested in joining? The registration form can be found on the Numeracy Program Google Classroom using the class code 2fwtbdv

For any questions or inquiries, please contact Ms. Kendall at stephanie.kendall@tdsb.on.ca or Mr. Mehrjoo at arman.mehrjoo@tdsb.on.ca

 

Guidance Updates:

Reminder to students: There is much more to explore in our Guidance Google classrooms!

Gr. 9 code: kmv6fcz; Gr. 10 code: twdxca6; Gr. 11 code: hfg74ws; Gr. 12 code: u565fkg

1. Mental Wellness Spotlight:

Let’s Connect about Mental Health and Well Being: Spotlight on Student Voices

Parents, caregivers and students are invited to join our Professional Support Services staff for our next Let’s Connect About Mental Health and Well-Being session with a focus on student voice and mental health. Hear TDSB student voices and experiences about well being and increase your knowledge of mental health strategies to better support your child’s overall mental health and well-being.

www.tdsb.on.ca/letsconnect

Monday, November 29

6:30 – 8 p.m.

Webinar Link:

https://tdsb-ca.zoom.us/s/92642080216

 

2. Youth Employment Spotlight: City of Toronto, Virtual Job Info Sessions
3. TDSB Day School eLearning (Sem 2): Registration opens December 6, 2021

Please click here for more information.

 

4. UPDATE: Last Day to Request a Drop (gr 11 & 12 only) & Marks Maintain Date (MMD)

The last day to request a drop with your Guidance Counsellor is December 6, 2021.

The Marks Maintain Date (MMD)/Full Disclosure date is December 15, 2021. Please see your Guidance Counsellor for drop criteria.

 

5. Post Secondary Live Virtual Presentations: Week of Nov. 22-27

• Wednesday, Dec 1 at 3:45 – University of Guelph

Links will be posted on the gr 12 Guidance Google Classroom on the morning of the presentations.

6. The Scholarship Report

The November-January Edition can be found here.

Find tips on writing scholarship essays and learn about scholarship opportunities.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UvMtP2QY90c7wX4bNdfx0RVw75Mt65DC/view?usp=sharing

7. OUAC (Ontario Universities) PINs are available in Guidance.

If you are in grade 12 and planning on applying to Ontario universities for Sept 2022, please see your Guidance Counsellor before, at lunch or after classes.

OCAS (Ontario Colleges) applications are now OPEN. Students can apply directly at ontariocolleges.ca. No PINs required.

8. Post Secondary Info Night: Recording + Slideshow

Our community Post-Secondary Information night was a success!

Please find links to the slide show and the recording below.

 

Post-Secondary Community Presentation: Slides only

Post-Secondary Community Presentation: Nov 9, 2021 Recording

NSS Guide to Applying to Post Secondary

 

 

Lumenus 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 supports to enhance the mental health services that they may need and wish to access. 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. If anyone 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. Please see attached information on the service provided at Northern.

Thank You, and have a great weekend,

Adam

Follow me @PrincipalNSS