Dear Northern Families,
We welcomed Spring and everyone back to school this week. We hope everyone had a chance to unwind over the break. We are into Spring athletics/ activities now- lots of announcements and callouts happening!
A reminder that we have moved Semester Two Parent/Guardian Teacher Interviews to next Thursday, March 30th. The school will close early (12:15pm) on the 30th and re-open at 9:55am on the 31st. There will be an afternoon session as well as an evening session. Please see further details below. There is lots of important information in this week's bulletin- please scan through to check for any items that pertain to you/ your student.
4 Things to Know About Northern Next Week:
- Wednesday: Late start (9:55am) PLC
- Wednesday: In-person Post-Secondary Financial Aid OSAP Presentation – at 12:00 pm, in room 111.
- Thursday: Early Close @12:15 for Parent/ Guardian- Teacher Interviews
- Friday: Late Start @9:55am
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Canadian Computing Competition:
We have received the official results of Canadian Computing Competition. There were participants from Canada and around the world.
Congratulations to James Begin and Shams Chandani for being named to The University of Waterloo honour roll list!
Parent-Teacher Interview Information
Dear Parents and Guardians of Northern Secondary School,
We will be holding Parent-Teacher Interviews on Thursday, March 30th from 1:30 - 3:00 pm and 6:00 - 8:30 pm. This semester, you will be able to schedule your Parent-Teacher Interviews online. If you wish to schedule a meeting with any of your child's teachers, please follow the instructions printed further down the page.
You will be able to make appointments from March 24th at 3:00pm to March 29th at 11:00 pm.
Instructions:
1. Prepare a list with the names of each teacher you would like to meet
2. Go to the NSS scheduling website at https://nss.parentinterview.com
3. Enter your child's 9-digit student number or Ontario Education Number and click "Sign In"
4. Fill in your contact information and click "Continue to Make Appointments"
5. Click on the name of a teacher with whom you wish to schedule an appointment
6. Click on an "Available" time at which you wish to meet with that teacher
7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 until you have scheduled all the teachers you wish to see
8. Click on "My Schedule" (top left of the page)
9. Print out, email or copy down your schedule
Should you wish to delete an appointment you have made, click on "Delete" beside the meeting you wish to have removed from your schedule.
If you misplace your schedule, you may use your Confirmation # to retrieve your schedule from the website at any time.
If you experience any difficulty using the service, please email support@parentinterview.com
We look forward to speaking with you.
Pine River Institute:
- Pine River Institute's final webinar is about addiction and addictive behaviours. This applies to teens struggling with their alcohol and marijuana use, but also those with disordered eating, cutting, excessive screen time, etc. The final webinar will be held on March 28th- additional information can be found HERE .
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
All students are required to meet the Literacy Graduation Requirement through the OSSLT. This semester all students who are currently enrolled in Grade 10 English will be writing the OSSLT either on Wednesday April 19, 2023 or Thursday April 20, 2023. Their English teachers will be supporting their preparation for this within their classes. For additional information about the OSSLT and opportunity to do a Practice Test can be done by accessing www.eqao.com . In addition, the What is assessed by the OSSLT - Google Docs will provide an overview of the OSSLT format, types of reading and writing tasks that are required. Additional practice material can be found on the Northern OSSLT Prep Google Classroom – the code is ds2eymd . Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Vice-Principal Tiffany Peel (tiffany.peel@tdsb.on.ca)
Previously Eligible students in Grade 11 & 12
Students in Grade 11 & 12 who need to write the OSSLT (Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test) will do so on Monday April 24, 2023 from 9:00 – 11:40 am and their Location(s) will be posted outside guidance two weeks prior to the date. Communication to these students and their families outlining the supports and preparation has been delivered. For additional information about the OSSLT and opportunity to do a Practice Test can be done by accessing www.eqao.com . In addition, the What is assessed by the OSSLT - Google Docs will provide an overview of the OSSLT format, types of reading and writing tasks that are required. Additional practice material can be found on the Northern OSSLT Prep Google Classroom – the code is ds2eymd. Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Vice-Principal Tiffany Peel (tiffany.peel@tdsb.on.ca)
Special Schedule to Support the OSSLT:
The OSSLT will be delivered over 2 days and to support the time required we will be modifying the Calendar Dates following a Day 1 Schedule. We will have classes double in length for these two days to make it work.
Wednesday April 19, 2023
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Period & Time
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1
9:00 - 11:40
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Lunch
11:40 - 12:40
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2
12:40 - 3:15
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Thursday April 20, 2023
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Period & Time
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3
9:00 - 11:40
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Lunch
11:40 - 12:40
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4
12:40 - 3:15
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Northern Debate:
This past weekend Northern Debate participated in the McGill Winter Bonanza Debate Tournament. Duncan Volk and Sean Gao tackled some difficult topics and managed to place 23rd out of 97 teams. Congratulations on the hard fought debates."
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
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 1st, 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 :
School Council Meeting - Tuesday April 4th at 6:30 pm on Zoom - hear updates from the Principal and Committees, as well as guests. We are excited to welcome Superintendent Roni Felsen and TDSB Chair Rachel Chernos-Lin who will present shortly after opening remarks to give us an update on all things TDSB. To obtain a link please send an e-mail to Chandra.Ramdhani@tdsb.on.ca with "School Council Meeting link" in the subject line. The link will be sent out the afternoon of April 4th. If you have any questions for the Principal's Update, please send them to nss.school.council@gmail.com.
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.
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.
Guidance Updates:
- Thinking about taking a course at TDSB Summer School?
TDSB Summer e-Learning – Registration OPENS April 4, 2023 @ 10am
Check out this link for more info about TDSB Summer e-Learn.
TDSB Con-Ed In-person & Remote Summer School: Registration TBA
Check out this link for more info about TDSB Con-Ed Summer.
- 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.
- In-person Post-Secondary Financial Aid OSAP Presentation – Wednesday, 29, 2023, at 12:00 pm, in room 111.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Post- Secondary Updates:
- 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.
- OUAC Updates can be found here.
- 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.
- 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/
- 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
Have a great weekend!
Adam Marshall
Principal
Follow me @PrincipalNSS