Good Afternoon Northern Families,
It has been a good week with lots of positive hints at reduced restrictions for extra-curriculars coming from the government. Details as applicable to the TDSB will be shared as soon as possible.
Parking- An important reminder that Northern does not provide student parking. If students have access to a vehicle they are required to use street parking or a parking lot elsewhere. Our staff has been running into situations where spaces are all taken up when they arrive. Upon investigation it turns out students have been parking in staff spaces. Thank You.
Vacations and COVID- we have been receiving inquiries about vacations and accessing class remotely. We will be operating as per usual in these circumstances. This means students will not be granted virtual classroom access for these purposes. Every effort should be made to avoid scheduling travel/ vacations during school time. Holiday dates are published in the board calendar and can be found at Secondary Calendar . In the event of a missed evaluation due to a family vacation/ travel, teachers are not required to provide an alternative form of evaluation.
OSSLT Results- students that wrote the OSSLT during semester 1 will receive results (called our of class to pick up) on Tuesday February 15th in the morning.
Course Selection- it is that time of year again. Please see the guidance section below for details. Work through this process carefully- we assign sections (classes) based on student interest- this is why changing later on is so difficult- accuracy makes a difference!
Next Week Wednesday- is a late start- as a reminder late starts are on:
February 16 and 23
March 23 and 30
April 20 and 27
May 18 and 25
June 22 and 29
News from the Moderns Department - Congrats to our provincial winner!
We are very happy to announce that our student, Lauren Altomare, is the provincial winner of the 2022 Ontario Student Achievement Award in the Senior French category. Her poem "Les vignes" earned her this top prize, competing against entries from across Ontario, including from French school boards and French Immersion schools. This is Lauren’s second time winning this provincial award! Félicitations!
Duke of Edinburgh:
Congratulations to Gunnie Park and Julia Ankenmann for earning their Bronze Level Awards!
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award 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
Award Requirements: https://www.dukeofed.org/guidelines-award-structure-and-time-requirements
Peer Tutoring
Sign up is now available. Please have your child sign up using this form. Students will be notified by email when they are assigned a tutor. Tutoring sessions will be scheduled in the cafeteria after school either on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday starting February 15th.
Math Club:
The NSS Math Department is pleased to announce the re-opening of the Math HW Club!
- Math Department members will be in room 122 every day at lunch to offer extra help to students.
No appointments are necessary, just drop in!
Everyone must wear their masks in the room at all times, so lunch will have to be eaten in the hall. We look forward to seeing students there next week!
United Way:
Northern's United Way Thrift Shop is back! We will be collecting donations of lightly used clothing and accessories from February 10-24. There will be labelled boxes at each entrance for donation drop off. All profits will go directly to United Way! Stay tuned for the launch of the Thrift Shop. Bring in your donations Northern!
Pay It Forward :
Former Northern grads are participating in our Pay It Forward virtual panel to share their experiences at post-secondary school with NSS students on Wednesday, Feb. 23, from 4:00 pm -5:00 pm. All students are welcome. The Zoom link will be available next week.
To RSVP contact Mrs. Smither sherry.smither@tdsb.on.ca
Music:
Winterlude is back! Whether it's performing an improvisation on the double bass, singing a cover of your jazz idol or playing a guitar solo, share your musical talent alongside your peers and audition for Winterlude! Northern's annual winter concert will be held virtually this year. The submission deadline has been extended once again to February 14th at 11:59 PM. Submit your audition using the form bit.ly/winterlude2022. For more info, follow @nssmusic on Instagram. Let's turn up the music, Northern!
School Council:
1) Need a virtual assistant? Check out our website! Find need-to-know schedule changes, important deadlines, Northern's weekly bulletins, upcoming presentations and other Northern news right on our home page under "Up Next at Northern" and "Ask Adam"! For awesome parent tips, the new semester's schedule and COVID-19 info, visit the newly updated "Inside NSS" section.
2) Course Selection Tips (for parents, by parents) - Got 'em? Need 'em? Check out our tried-and-true parent tips to make the most of your students' experience at Northern here! Or send us your own tips to add to our list by emailing nss.school.council@gmail.com!
3) When Learning is Hard, What Do You Do? - Tuesday, March 1 at 7 pm - Stressed? Struggling? Slipping in confidence? Help is here! Join our experts, Dr. Todd Cunningham (Bright Lights Psychology Clinic, Asst Professor U of T) and Susan Schenk (Occupational Therapist, Author/Speaker, Shift Your Thinking), to hear stories, insights, and tools for understanding and supporting your student’s learning style and learning differences in an effective and manageable way. Presented by ARC for all students and parents at Northern and beyond. For a link, email nss.school.council@gmail.com with “Help” in the subject line.
For more information on any of these matters, please contact us at: nss.school.council@gmail.com or check out our website at nsscouncil.com
From the Student Activity Council:
Sac Store is closing on February 13th, so get your northern merch while you can! The link is below. Support our school clubs and associations while representing our school with pride! There is a small processing fee of $3.95, and for all troubleshooting, reach out to the sac instagram @sacnss or by email to northern.sac2021@gmail.com
https://maddistributions.com/en/category/schools/northernsecondaryschool.html
Guidance:
- 2022-2023 Course Selection Information:
Don’t forget!
- myBlueprint CLOSES for course selection: February 23, 2022 @ 4pm
- myBlueprint Parent/Guardian APPROVAL DUE: February 23, 2022 @ 4pm
NSS Course Fair – is digital this year!
Want more info about departments and courses? Check out our
NSS Course Fair Google Site .
NSS Course Selection Evening Presentation:
Recording of Jan 26, 2022 Evening Presentation
Slides ONLY version of Jan 26, 2022 Evening Presentation
NSS Student Grade Specific Course Presentations:
SLIDES ONLY: Grade 9 to 10; Grade 10 to 11; Grade 11 to 12; Gr. 12&Beyond
NSS Course Selection Process Dates:
- Grade Specific Student Presentations: January 12, 2022
- Research/discussion/meetings: January – Feb 22, 2022
- myBlueprint OPENS for course selection: February 3, 2022 @ 9am
- myBlueprint CLOSES for course selection: February 23, 2022 @ 4pm
- myBlueprint Parent/Guardian APPROVAL DUE: February 23, 2022 @ 4pm
Grade 10, 11,12 Course Selection Works Sheet Guides
We STRONGLY recommend you use these guides when considering your course selection. They allow you to see all courses at one time, which can be helpful when narrowing down your choices.
Grade 10 Course Selection Work Sheet Guides
Grade 11 Course Selection Work Sheet Guide
Grade 12 Course Selection Work Sheet Guide
Guidance Counsellor assignments:
Melanie Stassis – A, S, U-Z – melanie.stassis@tdsb.on.ca
Leslie Usin-Rojas – B-E, T – leslie.usin-rojas@tdsb.on.ca
Jennifer MacPhee – F-H, K, L - Jennifer.macphee@tdsb.on.ca
Andrew Primmer – I, J, M-R – Andrew.primmer@tdsb.on.ca
Lumenus Community Services:
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.
Have a great weekend!
Adam
Follow me @PrincipalNSS