Dear Northern Families,

We've made it to March Break! Wishing all our Northern families a relaxing week. We were hoping to have the exam schedule out this week, but it is not quite ready to be put out. We will have it out before the end of March. Thank You for your patience.

Congratulations to Andrej Draskovic, Keon Fisher and Andrew Rozee for winning the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the TDSB Mechanical Computer Aided Design Competition. The winners will represent TDSB to participate in the Ontario Skills Competition.

577. have moved our mark update forward to March 24^th to give an earlier indicator of hour your child is going in class. Semester Two Parent/Guardian Teacher Interviews will be held on Thursday, March 30^th. The school will close early (12:15pm) on the 30^th and re-open at 9:55 on the 31^st. There will be an afternoon session as well as an evening session. As with previous sessions, we will be using the online booking system: ParentInterview. Specific timelines and booking information will be given closer to the interview date.

 

5 Things to Know About Northern the Week after March Break:

1. Monday: Cdn. Math League Contest #6
2. Wednesday: Late start (9:55am) PLC
3. Wednesday: NSSF Meeting via Zoom
4. Thursday: Ramadan (tentative start)
5. Friday: Mark Updates (electronic communication)

 

Graduates:

Hello class of 2023! Want to get your grad quotes in? Fill in the form below by April 1, 11:59pm. You can edit your response until then. Happy writing!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJEZvps8MgEsHgHN_JlON6oh1Q2RiB8-Vyw8BikW78jWYAuw/viewform

 

From the Canadian and World Studies Department:

The CWS department would like to congratulate the two Northern Ethics teams and Mr. Dingwall, their staff advisor for their incredible hardwork and dedication that helped them to qualify for the Provincial Ethics Bowl Championship. The event took place on March 4-5 at UofT Mississauga campus. The teams were confronted with challenging ethical dilemmas which required careful, critical and balanced thinking - unlike debate, Ethics asks two teams to explore middle ground, develop and develop opportunities to collaborate to move forward together on an issue.

Agastya, Ellen, Cat, Laila and Sofia narrowly missed the championship round finishing fourth overall. Ajai, Arjun, Ethan, Luka, and Peter also finished strongly.

This weekend's championship was the culmination, for our senior team, of weeks of training and an incredible three year run that saw them capture both the provincial and national championships. We look for big things in the future from our junior teams!

Special thanks to the NSSF and Parent Council for their support.

 

March Break Tutoring Camps:

Looking for something to do over the March Break?

• TDSB is working with organizations across the city who are providing March Break Tutoring Camps. More information can be found on the flyer.

Need some help with your assignments over the March Break?

• Free, unlimited, on-demand Online Tutoring is available through Paper and Brainfuse. See the flyer for links to sign up.

Link to flyer: March Break Tutoring Camps

 

Music:

"Sounds of Spring" is here! Northern's second outdoor barbeque and concert will be on Thursday May 4th! Anyone is welcome to perform, no matter whether you're a solo singer or in a group. Signup to perform at bit.ly/soundsofspringsignup. Tickets will go on sale closer to the date. Follow @nssmusic on instagram to stay up to date with all the music news at Northern.

 

Northern Secondary School Foundation:

Parents/Guardians: Please encourage your graduates to apply for Northern Secondary School Foundation Scholarships and Awards.

Northern Alumni have established scholarships to recognize the achievements of Northern students and to show appreciation for their Northern experience..

The Belyk Award for Excellence in Design. Created by Tom Belyk to honour his family’s 50-year association with Northern.

Gail Robertson Whitworth Award in Family Studies. Funded by Gail Robertson Whitworth NSS ’73 to honour three generations of her family who have graduated from Northern.

Jim Davidson NSS ’76 to recognise leadership in athletic and academic achievement in the Jim W. Davidson Scholarship.

Norman Hayman NSS ‘45 to recognize achievement in math and participation in National Mathematics’ competitions.

Jason Herriott NSS ’87 to honor the inspiration and mentoring of ‘Mr. Z’ in the Robert Zawerbny Scholarship in Design and Illustration.

The Red Knights through the years to honor legendary coach in the Clarke Pulford Memorial Award.

Go to nssf.ca/scholarship to learn more about the awards and to complete an application.

Deadline: May 1^st, 2023. For more information contact info@nssf.ca

 

Excellence Awards 2023 to Celebrate Staff Dedication

Every year, the TDSB Excellence Awards help shine a light on the stories of extraordinary staff commitment, and we are delighted to announce that nominations for the Excellence Awards 2023 will open today, February 27, 2023.

Last year, the Excellence Awards were modified to align with our shared system priorities and help highlight TDSB staff’s efforts to foster joy, engagement and belonging in our schools, workplaces, and communities as a foundation for academic achievement, student success and service excellence.

We want to know about the TDSB colleagues you know who are inspiring students, innovating the curriculum, championing digital transformation, creating inclusive schools and workplaces, and working behind the scenes to support events, operations, initiatives, learning, and wellness in so many different ways.

We welcome nominations from anyone – staff, students, parents/caregivers, or community members – so we encourage you to submit nominations and to encourage your colleagues to submit nominations between February 27 and April 6, 2023.

 

School Council News :

1) Thanks to all who attended the February 27th School Council Workshop on Canadian University Admissions by Teo Salgado from VerveSmith. It was a highly informative presentation. Teo has graciously shared an overview for the Canadian University Landscape. You can view this document here. We look forward to welcoming Teo back next fall to hear more about what's new for the 2023-24 admissions year.

2) Walking Buddies - Saturday, March 11 at 9:30 - 10:30 am - join other Northern parents to walk and talk about parenting, school, and life. Email nss.school.council@gmail.com for more details.

Gifted Advisory Committee Re-Launch

Families of gifted students at Northern are invited to complete a short survey to provide input into upcoming activities of the Gifted Advisory Committee. The survey includes the following:

- An opportunity to sign up for the new email list,

- Information about a summer enrichment opportunities event,

- Information about a planning for university event,

- An opportunity to share your experience in the gifted program so far, and

- An opportunity to make suggestions for issues that you would like the gifted advisory committee to address moving forward.

 

Northern SS Council wishes everyone a safe and happy March Break 2023!

 

Save the Date Northern!

Guidance is hosting a live presentation on OSAP and Financing your Post Secondary Education at lunch on Wednesday, March 29 at noon. It's a late start day so the presentation will start at the beginning of lunch and it's a 30-45 minute presentation. The presentation will be given by Robyn Papoff, George Brown College.

This is designed to help students understand the what the ins and outs of the OSAP program are including, eligibility, how to apply, loans and bursaries, where the money comes from, repayment, interest relief (Repayment Assistance Plan), etc.

 

Student Success

NSS Peer Tutoring

Peer Tutoring for Semester 2 is now available! If you would like to be matched with a tutor, please fill out the form here.

Please complete the form for each class you require support.

 

HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America- Fall Leadership Conference 2022

If you are interested in participating in health science competitions at HOSA’s Spring Leadership Conference (SLC) taking place on May 17 and 18, 2023, in Downtown Toronto, join Northern’s HOSA Club. The last day to register, pay, and change your event/teammate information is March 17 at 11:59 pm. The top three competitors/teams from each event will be offered the opportunity to compete at the International Leadership Conference taking place June 21-24 2023 in Dallas, TX

Our google classroom code is CQBHZXH -- join to receive updates and information. Everyone is welcome!

To learn more about HOSA Canada: https://hosacanada.org/

To learn more about HOSA’s International Leadership conference: https://hosa.org/ilc/

 

Guidance Updates:

1. Happy March Break! Looking for stuff to do this break?
   1. Check out some Toronto March Break ideas here.
   2. Visit an Ontario College campus. Check out info here.
   3. Visit an Ontario University campus. Check out info here.
   4. Graduating this year? Prep to apply to our NSSF Grants & Scholarships! More info here.
   5. Looking to get some volunteer experience? Check out www.volunteertoronto.ca
2. Help Ahead is an organization to help connect people to Mental Health resources. https://helpahead.ca/ Not sure where to turn? It’s okay, we’re here to help you. Help Ahead is the centralized phone line to access child, youth and family mental health and well-being resources.

Kids Help Phone -text CONNECT to 686868

3. The TDSB Ukrainian Welcome Fair is taking place 11:00AM-2:00PM, Saturday, April 15, at Western Technical-Commercial School, 125 Evelyn Crescent. All TDSB Ukrainian secondary students and families are welcome.
   
   Please complete the registration form by April 1st 2023.
4. Opting-Out of the e-Learning Graduation Requirement
   Students may withdraw from the online e-Learning requirement. A parent/caregiver/guardian or student (18 years of age or older or 16 or 17 years of age and withdrawn from parental control) may withdraw by submitting the TDSB Opt Out/Withdrawal Form to their school. No explanation or reason is needed to opt out/withdraw.

If you are not ready to make a decision with regard to participating in e-Learning, there will be future opportunities to participate in e-Learning courses or withdraw from the graduation requirement. A final decision is not required at this time.

If you have decided now to withdraw from the graduation requirement, please complete the TDSB Opt Out/Withdrawal Form.

5. Post- Secondary Updates:
   1. Individual colleges and universities are booking presentations with NSS. Be sure to check out the Post-Secondary calendar in the Grade 12 Guidance Google Classroom for dates and times.
   2. OUAC Updates can be found here.

6. SCHULICH BUILDERS SCHOLARSHIPS
   Schulich Builders are scholarships for students enrolling in an eligible, full-time skilled trades program at a participating college in Ontario. Ten colleges award a total of 100 scholarships annually. Each college will award ten scholarships: Five for one-year certificate programs, Five for two-year diploma programs

Valued at $40,000 ($20,000 per academic year), these scholarships support the costs of tuition, tools and living expenses.

Northern Application is due April 1, 2023. Please apply here.
https://schulichbuilders.com/ for more information.

7. Looking for Scholarship Application Support?

Seeking Scholarships has released their February Scholarship Report which has new and upcoming scholarship dates listed, as well as tips to support a strong application.

Northern students, teachers, and families can access from this link using the password, scholar1: https://seekingscholarships.com/the-scholarship-report-2/?mc_cid=0a7a52e07f&mc_eid=a90fd997dd

Please note: This resource is copyrighted and only available to Northern families - please do not share outside of the Northern community.

The Northern Secondary School Foundation will be opening scholarships for application soon. Graduating students can choose up to three scholarships to apply for. Grade 12s can start exploring available awards here: https://nssf.ca/scholarships/

8. Please note: the TDSB Volunteer Policy States that an eligible volunteer activity constitutes:

• An event or activity designed to be of benefit to the community.
• A volunteer activity – not for pay or credit.
• An event or activity to support a not-for-profit initiative.

For more information please visit the TDSB Community Involvement policy.

Students, looking for Volunteer or Youth Employment Opportunities? Check your Student Guidance Google classroom: Gr. 9 code: 4ixv2jl; Gr. 10 code: kmv6fcz; Gr. 11 code: twdxca6; Gr. 12 code

9. UPCOMING UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PROGRAMMING

Black Student Leadership Conference

• Rotman Commerce is delighted to announce that the Black Student Leadership Conference will be returning on Monday, March 13, 2023 at U of T's St. George Campus.
• In partnership with the Black Rotman Commerce student group, Rotman Commerce has planned an engaging afternoon of hands-on training in the core business competencies of trading and case study. Prospective black students in grades 9-12 are invited to campus to gain an introduction to the fields of finance and business problem-solving through sessions hosted by current Rotman Commerce students and staff.
• Registration is now open at uoft.me/bslc.

The Summer Mentorship Program (SMP)

• Date: July 4 -28, 2023
• The Summer Mentorship Program (SMP) gives high school students of Indigenous or African ancestry a chance to explore health sciences at the University of Toronto over four weeks in July. There are two deadlines for the Summer Mentorship Program. Space is limited, so we encourage applicants to apply as early as possible. See Brochure here: 2023 SMP Brochure (utoronto.ca)
• Apply early – final application deadline is March 24: Click here to learn more

Blueprint Program

• Date: July 4 -28, 2023
• Blueprint is a free academic enrichment program designed for highly motivated Black students in Grades 10 and 11 who are interested in pursuing degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, with a strong focus on engineering. The program includes four weeks of summer academic programming and continued community engagement including monthly webinars, workshops, and socials. Applications are now open and will close on March 24th, 2023.
• Learn More: uoft.me/blueprint

Inaugural All-Nations Powwow at UTM

• Date: March 25, 2023
• Join us for the inaugural All-Nations Powwow co-hosted by the UTM Indigenous Centre and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
• To register visit: https://uoft.me/utm-powwow-2023

Drop-In Pow Wow Dance

• Winter Program runs until March 28!
• Join John (Waaseyaabin) Hupfield and Deanne Hupfield along with special guest instructors in a welcoming space to learn and practice pow wow dance. This weekly class is open to all levels and has the goal of nurturing dancers, whether this is your first or hundredth time dancing. This is a great and supportive space to bring regalia, or just something to move in! This drop-in class is open to Indigenous community members only, at U of T and beyond (free-of-charge).
• Learn More: http://uoft.me/powwowdance

Hip Hop Education Community Connector Chats

• Date: March 30, 2023 - Hip Hop as a Global Passport
• Interested in learning more about Hip-Hop and diving deeper into conversation about its history, present, and future? Hart House is grateful to be working with Marcus Singleton a.k.a. iomos marad as our inaugural Hart House Hip Hop Education Community Connector, who is available to meet with all U of T students, Staff, and Faculty, and Community to chat all things Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop Education!

Learn more here: https://harthouse.ca/events/hip-hop-education-community-connector-chats-2022-2023/2023/03/30/

 

Have a great March Break!

Adam Marshall

Principal

Follow me @PrincipalNSS