Good Afternoon Northern Families,

The first week after a break is always an interesting one. I suspect students are ready for some rest this weekend. In the school this week there has been a definite uptick in energy. Events are being planned again (prom!) and arts/ athletics are gathering steam too!

There is teacher-guardian interview information below. You should have had access to a mark update from all your children’s teachers by today. Please reach out to them if you have not seen one. To give everyone an opportunity to review achievement before booking interviews, please look for an email on Monday afternoon that will include a link for sign-up that will open Tuesday March 29^th at 8am.

Did you know that Northern has a Robotics Team (named Crimson Revolution- #8884) that is taking part in the First Robotics Competition? https://www.firstroboticscanada.org/

New teacher Stephen Wong has spend 100’s of hours working with approximately 25 students on the project this year. This weekend they are off to their first competition at York University. We all want to wish the Crimson Revolution success on Sunday! Want to learn more? Check out their website here: https://www.crimsonrevolution.com

Here is Trustee Chernos Lin’s most recent Newsletter. Look for information about her upcoming Coffee House and more!

Next Wednesday is a 10am Late Start.

Semi-Formal Warning: We have got wind of a “Northern Semi-Formal” that may be taking place this evening. Please know that Northern IS NOT holding a semi-formal. Please note this is an event that is not organized or sanctioned by the school. We are unaware of the security measures put in place to ensure the safety of students. School staff will not be at the event to supervise students. As you know, the safety of our students is always a top priority and we ask that parents exercise caution should they permit their children to attend.

Conversation Starters: (follow-up and a new starter)

Follow Up: “To permit is to promote”. What does this mean to you? When have you permitted something that you don’t agree with? What could you do next time you are faced with a similar situation?

Some thoughts: The key take away from this is that your silence speaks for you. When you see, hear, witness an injustice or even something that makes you uncomfortable you have two divergent choices: speak out and interrupt, or remain quiet and not “rock the boat”. The courage to speak out is no small thing. It is never more difficult than with your friends and family. We don’t want to threaten our relationships with these people…so we sometimes choose the simple path of silence. The issue is that this silence is allowing the space for harmful words and actions to take root. It emboldens further words and actions of a similar nature. Before you know it these becomes norms in your spaces….and the interruption becomes more and more challenging.

Your school becomes your family during the day. You take care of your family and ensure that everyone is safe and secure. That is a statement that implies responsibility. I challenge you to be an upstander and not a bystander. Your impact will be significant!

If you see, hear, witness words and/ or actions that do not align with your moral compass consider:

1. Speaking out- interrupting.
2. Letting an adult know (hall monitor, secretary, teacher, administrator, guidance counsellor, parent) so they can help.
3. Taking positive action- join a club/ group a the school that stand up for everyone….Social Justice, BlackNSS, Jewish Heritage, and No Means No to name just a few. Just being a part of these groups sends a message to your peers.
4. Never stop learning! The library is full of resources to support you- pay Ms. Solomon a visit.

This Week’s Conversation Starter:

Have you every had to think about the colour of your skin/ gender identity/ sexuality/ religion before you spoke your mind? Walked out of your home or into a public space? Asked for something?

Reflect on how you felt (or try to think how it would feel to be in that position).

43113. if you were confused by the point of the question or think it is trivial, it means you are fortunate enough not to have to consider these things.

 

Parent Teacher Interviews:

Semester 2 Parent/Guardian-Teacher interviews will take place virtually on Thursday, April 7^th in 2 blocks of time:

Afternoon Block à 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Evening Block à 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

*Please expect your meeting to be 5 minutes in length, with 2 minutes between each interview for teachers to switch between calls/zoom participants.

Parent/Guardians will be able to sign up starting on March 29^th @ 9:00 a.m. (sign up instructions and support will be provided by the end of day on Monday March 28th). Parent/Guardian scheduling will close on Wednesday, April 6^th at 11:00 p.m. We will be using the same ParentInterview signup site as used in semester 1; using the child’s student number, you will be able to see their teachers and available blocks of time.

If you prefer to use the phone, you must email your child’s teacher in advance and they will provide you with instruction of how to call into the zoom. As well, if you require and interpreter, we can arrange to have support in your preferred language.

 

Student Activity Council (SAC):

Sac Store was handed out today with great success! Thank you to all who supported our school through the clothing store! If you didn’t get a chance to pick up your items, we will be providing an alternative date for pick up next week. If there are any problems with sizing or missing items, please call or email the company directly through info@maddistributions.com or 866-744-1766

 

Ethics Bowl:

Before the March Break Northern beat Humberside in the Provincial Finals of the Ethics Bowl! This amazing group included Laila Somani, Agastya Kushari, Ellen Edmonds-White, Catherine Gadlova and Sophia Szabo.

Northern’s additional team were semi-finalists. Wow! Way to go Red Knights.

 

Device Return:

As students have returned from remote to in-person learning, IT Services will be administratively locking the devices that were loaned to support remote learning from March 2020 to January 2022. This will occur on March 31, 2022. The locking process will cause the devices to be non-functional to anyone attempting to use them.

TDSB loaned over 80,000 devices to our students from Spring 2020 to January 2022. Many devices have been returned, however, there are 18,000 devices that are still outstanding. These devices are urgently needed by the schools from which they were borrowed to accommodate their students.

 

School Council:

1) Reminder: Upcoming School Council Meeting - Wednesday, April 6 @ 6:30 pm on Zoom.

Please email chandra.ramdhani@tdsb.on.ca with "School Council Meeting Link" in the subject line for the link, which will be sent out the afternoon of April 6th. If you would like to submit a question for the principal's update, please send it to nss.school.council@gmail.com.

2) The Bright & Quirky Child Summit 2022 - April 4-8 - join this free, virtual conference to discover what's possible for bright kids with challenges related to ADHD, aggression, autism, anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, executive function, and more. For more information on the summit, speakers or to register, click here.

3) Check out our improved 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" !

GAC (Gifted Advisory Committee) Virtual Presentation – (Tuesday April 5^th)
All parents of gifted students are invited to hear Northern’s former, excellent, longstanding, now retired Gifted Curriculum Leader, Leonila Liko, present “Parent Guide 101: Supporting Your Gifted Adolescent”. Come to be informed and gain insight, tips, and suggestions about ways that parents can support their gifted teens at home, including on mental health and other developmental issues.

Please send an email to northerngifted@gmail.com to obtain the meeting link. We hope that you can join us!

 

Congratulations... And Northern, we need your help!

Congratulations to Lauren Altomare (grade 12) for being selected as a semifinalist in the national Poetry in Voice contest in the bilingual category. Lauren has the chance to win the People's Choice Award for her poetry recitation, but we need your vote. This is where you come in: Please click on the link just below and cast your vote for Lauren Altomare before March 29th at 8:00pm (Lauren's English-language recitation is the one that is posted and the one that you would be voting for the People's Choice Award)!

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

 

French Extra Help:

The Moderns Department is offering extra help in French every Tuesday at lunch in room 102. This is for students in grade 9 or 10 French who would like some extra support.

 

Northern Secondary School Foundation:

Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, former staff and parents we have lots of funds to give out to Graduates and Undergrads. Deadline for applications April 30^th. New awards this year:

The Grandson XX Creative Writing Award in Creative Writing in Grades 11 and 12.

Established by Jordan Benjamin NSS’11 a singer songwriter known professional as Grandson, Jordan believes his writing was initially fostered and encouraged by the teachers at Northern. He hopes this award will encourage other students to follow their dreams

The John Jossifakis Technical Theatre Award.

Established by John Jossifakis NSS’98 currently working in Dubai. John started his journey in Technical Theatre as a member of Northern Stage Crew that has led to organizing spectacular events all around the work including the Olympics. This award is for a student wo plans to enter the technical side of Theater, Radio Television Arts or Events Production following an apprenticeship or college or university Program.

The McKelvey Family Award in Canadian and World Studies

This scholarship was created by the McKelvey family to recognize the outstanding achievement of a graduating student in economics, law or human geography. The family enjoyed a long association with Northern through their children Alex and the late Michelle McKelvey] and their mother Merilyn who was a member of the teaching staff for 16 years.

2022 Scholarship Awards Applications -Go to nssf.ca/scholarships and complete an application.

For more information contact info@nssf.ca

 

From the Forest Hill School Council:

Our School Council is proud to be organizing a great speaker series that will begin with our first guest speaker, Sean Mauricette, on Wednesday, March 30 at 8:00 p.m.

Sean Mauricette will join us virtually to speak about Dismantling Racial Bias: Empowering Your School Community and Engaging the Future. This online event is a wonderful opportunity for parents and guardians to come together to learn about Black history, the cycle of oppression and systemic issues, and collaborative solutions to combat anti-Black racism.

Sean Mauricette has been an artist, educator and motivational speaker for more than 2 decades. He has received more than 20 awards including the 2012 Medal of Appreciation from the United Nations Association of Canada for his work with youth in high-risk communities. A graduate from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture, Sean continues to cement his role as an active leader in the global community, while helping people create foundations for success.

Please join us for our first installment of the Forest Hill Speaker Series 2022. To register for this event link to: EventBrite RSVP for Sean Mauricette, Dismantling Racial Bias

509. learn more about the speaker and his work link to: Sean Mauricette's website. For more information on the event, contact Forest Hill's School Council Chair Tracy Kowal at tracy.kowal@yahoo.ca.

 

Guidance:

1. You’ve Got Questions: We’ve Got Answers!

“Ask a Guidance Counsellor”: every Wednesday at lunch

Drop by the front foyer at lunch to ask a Guidance Counsellor your questions.

2. TDSB SUMMER SCHOOL: Continuing Education (In-person) and eLearning

eLearning Summer School: Registration opens April 5th at 10am. Please check the TDSB eLearning website July session and August session tabs for important dates.

Continuing Education (In-Person): Registration opens April 19, 2022 at 9 am and information will be released in the coming weeks on the TDSB Continuing Education Summer School page

3. Carlton University: Enriched Support Program

Sometimes grades don’t tell the whole story.

Join Carlton’s info night (April 21, May 19, June 2, June 16) to learn more about the Enriched Support Program; a program that supports students with potential to succeed at university, but who may not meet the traditional entrance requirements.

For more information email: esp@carlton.ca, website: carlton.ca/esp

4. Volunteer Opportunities: Be sure to check your Guidance Google classroom for listed opportunities!

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

 

HISTORICAL:

OSSLT: Grade 10 and 11 students will be writing the OSSLT starting in late April. In order to accommodate the requirements of the test (it is all online this year) we are going to have 8 modified schedule days as follows:

MODIFIED OSSLT DAY SCHEDULE
	OSSLT Day A/C (April 19, 26, May 4, 11)	OSSLT Day B/D (April 21, 28, May 5, 12)
9:00-10:15	Block A	Block B
10:20-11:35	Block A	Block B
11:35-12:15	LUNCH
12:15-1:35	Block C	Block D
1:35-2:55	Block C	Block D

 

Students writing the test will do so over two days. Details for students required to write the OSSLT will be shared directly at a later date. This information is being shared with ALL students because the entire school will follow the modified day schedule to accommodate the test.

Parent/Guardian- Teacher Interviews: will be held on April 7^th as follows:

Period 1: 9-9:45am
Period 2: 9:50-10:35am
Period 3: 10:40-11:25am
Period 4: 11:30am-12:15pm (students dismissed)
Parent/Guardian - Teacher Interviews Afternoon Session - 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Parent/Guardian - Teacher Interviews Evening Session - 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

April 8^th will be a late (10am) start.

Credit Rescue Days: There are TWO mid-semester Credit Rescue Days. The first is on April 11^th (Day 2 schedule) and the second on April 20^th (Day 1 Schedule).

Mid-Term Report Cards: Issued electronically on April 29^th

 

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