Good Morning,

My apologies- somehow I got ahead of myself with the PLC late start for November.  This Wednesday November 15th is a REGULAR start day.  Next Wednesday the 22nd is in fact the late start PLC.  Again, sorry for any inconvenience this has had.

Adam Marshall- Principal

 

Dear Northern Families,

Students had the opportunity to hear important messages about the Holocaust and Remembrance Day this week. Elly Gotz (Holocaust survivor) was a fantastic guest for the Holocaust Assembly and is keen to return and speak to students again in the future. The Remembrance Day Assembly was student run and also a fantastic success. Thank You to all students and staff who made these events run so well.

Next week is report card week. Keep an eye on your email Wednesday as these will be distributed electronically.

Next Thursday evening (November 16^th) the Northern School Council presents Paul Davis at 6:30pm in the auditorium. Paul is an expert on internet safety and youth. We believe this is important messaging for all families. Please register here to reserve your tickets for this event. Information poster HERE .

The United Way Fashion Show- a long standing Northern tradition Thursday November 30^th and Friday December 1^st, 2023. Each night a spectacular dance, model and fashion show starts at 7pm. Buy a ticket to watch your friends dance, model, and show off their designing skills. This is not an event you want to miss! Tickets can be purchased through Cash Online under United Way Fashion show or they can be purchased in the first floor foyer every day at lunch for $15.

In grade 10 or need to re-take the Ontario Literacy Test (OSSLT) this year? Please make sure you read below for more details!

Upcoming Week:

1. Tuesday- Math League Contest #2
2. Wednesday – Report Card Distribution (electronic)
3. Thursday: School Council Presentation- Paul Davis in the auditorium @6:30pm
4. Friday: PD Day- no school.

 

Cross Country Team - OFSAA Podium!

Congratulations to everyone on the Cross Country Team who raced at OFSAA on Saturday, November 4th. Our Boys Team represented Northern with pride and ran their hardest, celebrating many Personal Bests. Our Girls Team had an incredible day... Every single member of the Northern Girls Team came home with an OFSAA medal! Both the Novice Girls Team and the Senior Girls Team came 3rd overall in the province, winning Bronze medals each. As a school, the combined Girls Teams came 2nd overall in the entire province. Congratulations to Kieva Birmingham who came 3rd overall in the Junior Girls race, winning the bronze medal as an individual racer. And a very special congratulations to Rebecca Pribaz, who is the 2023 Novice Girls OFSAA Champion and OFSAA gold medalist! Thank you to everyone on the team for all the hard work you've put in, and congratulations on an outstanding race season!

 

Dance Club

On Friday, October 27th, Ms. Vibert and Ms. Oziel took the NSS Dance Club to perform at Martingrove C.I's Annual Nuit Blanche Arts Night. They did a fantastic job and had so much energy on stage! Dancers performed their group piece throughout the evening as well as showcased some solo work. Thank you to all parents who came to watch and support our dancers. Please see videos in our Google Drive here

 

SAC

PURCHASE WINTER NSS SPIRIT WEAR:

The SAC Store is open until November 17^th to purchase NSS fashion items! Hoodies, sweats, PJ’s and more! Order by Friday November 17^th! Sample sizes are available to try in Guidance: Room 1 with Mrs. Beach.

10520. in anytime at lunch, before or after school to check sizes. https://northern-ss-winter2023-24-sac-store.itemorder.com/

 

Grad Photos

Attention Graduates: please see this FLYER . Graduation photos will take place starting Monday, November 13th. Please book an appointment online following the link and steps below:

https://booking.edgeimaging.ca/portal/book/NEH

Click “Classic Sitting”

Choose date and time of your liking, click “confirm and pay now”

Enter student, contact and billing information and click “confirm and pay”

**Props will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own to personalize your session. Additional props could include- an old school photo, a small item that shows of your personality or an interest. If you would like to take a casual photo, please bring an additional outfit/top.

**Please come prepared in a white collared shirt or blouse and tie.

**A black graduation gown, sash and graduation cap will be available.

**Your confirmation email will confirm the location of your photo session.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

OSSLT:

The fall administration of the OSSLT will be taking place during the week of November 20 – 24, 2023 for all students currently enrolled in grade 10 English, ESLD, ELSE classes as well as grade 11 & 12 students who are required to fulfill the literacy graduation retirement. An e-mail will be sent to all participating students notifying them of the dates, times and locations they will be writing the OSSLT.

The OSSLT is a provincial standardized test that evaluates the literacy skills students should have acquired by the end of Grade 9. These literacy skills are not taught exclusively in English, but across all subjects. The OSSLT Framework Document provides a review of the OSSLT for a detailed breakdown of the assessments & the skills being evaluated.

For additional support to familiarize yourself with the test and what to expect please access and complete the Practice Test. In particular review the embedded assistive technology tools.

You can also access the Northern OSSLT Prep Google classroom using the code ds2eymd

 

Northern Robotics Club

Congratulations to Northern’s Robotics Team for their work at the STEMley Cup Championship and Overtime Sunday Robotics Competition (Nov 5, Sunday). The team had a solid performance in the qualification matches and placed 7th out of 27 teams. Despite some major collisions with other robots that led to significant damage to our mechanical components and electronic control system in our playoff run, we learned valuable lessons that will help us prepare for the upcoming season event.

Video clip:

https://youtu.be/zTepyq2vFlI

Photos:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15dqtlyIPFq8zJ5N3Zr6WFasQjUivaywq?usp=sharing

To support and donate to our Robotics Club, please visit our team website/NSS Foundation link and specify that your donation will be used to support the robotics club in the private message area.

https://knightowls.ca/donate

Thank you for your support on this valuable learning experience.

 

Northern March Break Trip:

All NSS students are welcome!

Is your child interested in a fun filled and educational trip to Chicago this March Break?

Why? To experience Chicago's Art, Architecture, Museums, Theatre, Parks and Zoos.

Where? We are planning to explore everything that Chicago has to offer: WILLIS TOWER | HISTORIC NAVY PIER | ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO | LINCOLN PARK ZOO | FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY| MILLENNIUM PARK | ARCHITECTURE RIVER CRUISE | JOHN G SHEDD AQUARIUM | ADLER PLANETARIUM & ASTRONOMY MUSEUM | MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY | and see some really great CHICAGO THEATRE (MUSICALS)! Click here for the itinerary!

When? Mar 11-Mar 15, 2024

Who? All Northern students are welcome.

Cost? Price: $1,975 per student (Trip price based on 30 participating students). This includes hotel accommodation (4 students in a room), coach bus transportation, 4 breakfasts & 4 dinners, all trip experiences,entrance fees and tickets, Edutravel tour animator and all night security. Link here for more details!

How? Find out more information and/or check the registration instructions attached here.

Please contact Flora Wellsman flora.wellsman@tdsb.on.ca for more information and/or join the Google Classroom using this LINK and code: phdus2m.

 

Student Success:

Peer Tutoring

Peer Tutoring is now available! We are able to offer tutoring support in all compulsory subjects for Grades 9 and 10. Students, please complete the Tutee Registration Form in order to be matched with a Peer Tutor this semester.

 

School Council:

1. Walking Buddies - Sat Nov 11 - 9:30-10:30 am Join other Northern parents for some fresh air, exercise, and conversation about school, kids, and life! Email nss.school.council@gmail.com for more details.

2. Social Networking Safety with Paul Davis, Thursday, November 16th - 6:30 pm - Join Northern families for an engaging presentation by internet safety expert Paul Davis in the auditorium at Northern Secondary School. Please register here to reserve your tickets for this event.

3. Ask Adam The Principal's update is an important part of every school council meeting. If you have a question about something that is happening at Northern, please submit your question to nss.school.council@gmail.com with "Ask Adam" in the subject line.

 

The Northern Secondary School Foundation Needs Your Help!

We are a charitable organization, registered in 1999 to raise funds to enrich the academic experiences of students and staff at Northern.

We are currently looking for alumni, parents and/or former staff who would be interested in serving a two-year term on our Board of Directors.

We would welcome your participation:

• To join our Board of Directors or become a member of one of our committees.
• To bring fresh ideas as to how we might continue to enrich program. through fundraising.
• To maintain our social media platforms and website.
• To reach out to alumni to build connections with current students.
• To write articles for an newsletter.

If you would like more information, please send expressions of interest to president@nssf.ca . We will contact you immediately.

 

Guidance Updates:

1. Guidance Week-in-Review:
   1. NSS Post-Secondary Fair was a huge success. Thank you to everyone for coming out Nov 8^th with their questions! Please find the NSS slides here.
   2. One-on-one grade 12 post-secondary meetings looking more closely at our “I’m in Grade 12, Now What?” Graduation Requirements check & Post-Secondary home form presentations
2. Guidance Week Ahead:
   1. Last day to request to drop a course is November 14, 2023.

Semester 1: Full Disclosure date: November 23, 2023. Dropping a course after the Full Disclosure date will result in the mark being listed on a student’s transcript.

3. TDSB eLearning Semester 2: Registration OPENS December 5, 2023 at 10 am.

For more information and course offerings click here.

4. IMPORTANT Volunteering Information:

PLEASE NOTE: Events and activities supporting a not-for-profit initiative are approved. If you are unsure if your activities supports a not-for-profit program, please see your Guidance counsellor for approval of the volunteering initiative.

For more information about the TDSB’s policy on Volunteering, click here.

• for volunteering information and opportunities, please visit your Guidance Google classroom or www.volunteertoronto.ca.

5. Looking for quality volunteering opportunities? You should attend volunteertoronto’s IGNITE FAIR: Saturday, November 25, 2023 from 1-3pm.

Lansing United Church, 49 Bogert Ave, North York.

To register and for more info click here. https://info.volunteertoronto.ca/ignitefair

6. Career & SHSM Week: Nov 20 – 24^th – workshops topics include: career speakers, resume writing, financial literacy, City of Toronto student employment info, and more!
7. Post Secondary Updates:
   1. NSS Post-Secondary Individual School Lunch Visits 2023/24
   2. NSS Post-Secondary Guide is here!
8. Scholarship Information:
   1. NSS Scholarship Information Chart 2023/2024 where Northern-specific scholarship information and deadlines can be found (along with other common awards).
   2. Seeking Scholarships has released their November Scholarship Report which has upcoming scholarship dates listed for students applying to post-secondary programs. It also has some great tips this month for writing scholarship essays

Northern students, teachers, and families can access from this link using the password, scholar58: https://seekingscholarships.com/the-scholarship-report-2/

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

9. Reach Ahead to Kinesiology invites Black and Indigenous high school students to attend the Faculty during March Break. Participants are provided with experiential learning to explore the field of kinesiology, where health and physical activity intersect! Poster attached
   • Age Group: Black and Indigenous youth aged 15 – 17 who are currently enrolled in grade 10 or 11 at a high school within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), or who currently reside in the GTA.
   • Program Dates: March Break
   • Application Deadline is December 8th, 2023 Click here to apply today
10. Academic Bridging Program

• The Academic Bridging Program offers an opportunity for those who do not meet the academic requirements for admission to the U of T to qualify for Honours Bachelor of Arts or Honours Bachelor of Science degree programs in the Faculty of Arts & Science.
• Application Deadline is Nov. 17, 2023.
• APPLY TODAY: https://wdw.utoronto.ca/academic-bridging

11. TDSB Black Student Post-Secondary Engagement Symposium November 15, 2023 - 7 to 9 PM.

The Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement in collaboration with TDSB Guidance invites Black students, educators and their families to the TDSB Black Student Post-Secondary Engagement Symposium. REGISTER at bit.ly/TDSB_ENGAGE

The TDSB Black Student Post-Secondary Engagement Symposium is an opportunity for institutions to connect with Black students in the TDSB to share programs, interest groups, clubs, communities, and services that affirm Black students’ lived and historic experiences, support their sense of belonging in post-secondary spaces, and connect them to culturally relevant programs and resources.

 

Have a great weekend,

Adam Marshall

Principal

Follow me @PrincipalNSS