Dear Northern Families,
Apologies this is getting to you a little late this week.
Congratulations to everyone who wrote their OSSLT’s this week. It is an important piece of the items that make up your high school diploma. Thank you to everyone involved in setting up and managing the test itself.
For everyone, this time of year is always tough. Shorter daylight hours, a long stretch between Thanksgiving Weekend and the winter break and so on. Check in with your friends and family and force yourself to maintain the routines that give you balance. Soon enough we will get to the winter break and recharge.
CULMINATING TASKS AND EXAMS While we are a few months away from the end of the Semester, it is important to remind all families of the following information related to culminating activities and exams: Culminating activities and examinations carry the same importance and the same attendance requirement. Thus, attendance during culminating activities is mandatory. Some courses have culminating activities that take place over several days. Thus, attendance during culminating activities/summative evaluations is mandatory. A culminating activity is the final evaluation in each course which is worth 30% of the final mark. “This evaluation will be based on evidence from one or a combination of the following: an examination, a performance, an essay and/or another method of evaluation suitable to the course content” (p.41-Growing Success). Students who miss culminating activities or summative evaluations will be given a mark of zero for the portion missed with no opportunity to make up the missed work unless there is an extenuating and documented circumstance, such as a medical situation, court date, funeral etc. It is absolutely crucial that students do not miss any time during the end of a semester. Under Ministry of Education and TDSB regulations, there can be no accommodations made for students who miss the 30% culminating activities and summative evaluations at the end of a semester for personal reasons such as vacation or work. Students and parents should be aware that scheduled vacations at this time can significantly impact student achievement. With the exception of a medical emergency, all summative tests and assignments that are missed as a result of these absences will be assigned a mark of zero.
The United Way Fashion Show- a long standing Northern tradition Thursday November 30th and Friday December 1st, 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.
Upcoming Week:
- Tuesday: Fall Athletic Assembly
- Wednesday: Late Start Staff Meeting @9:55am
- Thursday: Fashion Show @7pm
- Friday: Fashion Show @7pm
Wanna Go Thrift Shopping?
United Way’s Thrift Shop is back! We will be taking donations from November 15-29 and boxes are located at each entrance of the school to drop off items! Thrift Shop will be happening from December 5th-9th in the auditorium at lunch.
Music:
" Winterlude is back! Come see Northern's amazing music classes and ensembles perform at 7:00pm on Thursday December 14th! Tickets will be going on sale soon. Be sure to follow our instagram @NSSmusic for all the information!"
Yearbook:
The time for voting for your 2023-2024 yearbook cover has arrived! Please cast your vote, using the google form below, by Friday, December 1st, 2023. Happy voting NSS!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeN-LKAQOAc1ejW1nYX8hzWXqO489Jldc7T5SU7elePScc5ow/viewform?usp=sf_link
Thanks again,
Mr. Edwards & Yearbook Force
Northern Math Contest:
Registration is open for the Canadian National Math League #3 Contest.
It will occur on Tuesday, December 12th and is completed online. If your student is interested in writing please have them join the Google Classroom using code kzwovat and register before Friday, December 8th.
Winter Wear Exchange!
NEMO (Northern's environmental group) is hosting a Winter Wear Exchange. All next week students are invited to drop off winter wear items in the box in the front foyer. The clothing should be in good condition, but gently used items are encouraged. On December 7th all students are invited to meet in room 323 for the actual exchange, where everyone is welcome to grab any items they want! All leftover clothing will be donated to charity. For more, check the post on our Instagram; @nss_nemo. Thank you for your donations and we can't wait to see you there!
Free Parent/Caregiver Online Workshop - November 29th from 6:30 - 7:30 PM
It can be challenging to sort fact from fiction online, and an increase in hate speech, alongside ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools, have made it even harder. This virtual workshop is designed to help parents and caregivers learn simple skills for spotting misinformation in the context of social media platforms and AI.
To register, visit: www.ctrl-f.ca/en/TDSB
Registration is free and will be limited to 300 spots.
This session is a repeat of the April and October 2203 sessions.
Presenters
Kim Davidson is a teacher-librarian and digital media literacy specialist who has been with TDSB for 22 years. She is also a member of CIVIX’s Board of Directors.
Ken Boyd is Director of Education at CIVIX, a charity dedicated to building the habits and skills of active and informed citizenship among youth.
Any questions, please email Kelsey Davis kelsey@civix.ca .
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 - Saturday November 25 - 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. Thank a Teacher. As the calendar year draws to a close, we encourage all Northern students and families to think about Northern staff who have made a difference to them this school year and consider sending a note of thanks. Who has really made an impact for you or your student?
3. Mental Health at Northern - Tuesday, December 5th - 6:00 pm. Join the Gifted Advisory Committee for a Question and answer session with John Moyer about mental health at Northern. Please send any questions that you would like addressed to northerngac@gmail.com.
4. Upcoming external events. Please visit nsscouncil.com to view a list of external learning opportunities for parents. Current listings include
- a Tech Coaching Call with Bright Lights Psychology,
- Helping teens with emotional problems by the Brain and Behavior Research Foundations, and
- a money management program with CPA Ontario.
All members of the Northern community are welcome to share upcoming events that might be of interest to the parent community by sending an email to nss.school.council@gmail.com
The Northern Secondary School Foundation Needs Your Help!
The Northern Secondary School Foundation is proud to enrich the academic and extracurricular programs at Northern. With Giving Tuesday just around the corner, please consider making a donation to support Northern's student clubs, teams or awards. All contributions go directly to enrich the experience of Northern Students-the Leaders of Tomorrow. Perhaps your company will match your donation? With your donation you will receive a charitable tax receipt. For more info check us out at nssf.ca/donate or email us at info@nssf.ca for more information.
Guidance Updates:
- Guidance Week-in-Review: Thank you to everyone who participated in the SHSM & Careers Week events!
- TDSB eLearning Semester 2: Registration OPENS December 5, 2023 at 10 am.
For more information and course offerings click here.
- Semester 2 Night School Registration and Course Offerings:
Continue to check our website for updates as all of our information you can find here: https://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/conedsecondarycreditprogram/
Registration Opens: December 1, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
- Looking for quality volunteering opportunities? You should attend volunteertoronto’s IGNITE FAIR this 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
- 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.
- Post Secondary Updates:
- NSS Post-Secondary Individual School Lunch Visits 2023/24
- NSS Post-Secondary Guide is here!
- Scholarship Information:
- NSS Scholarship Information Chart 2023/2024 where Northern-specific scholarship information and deadlines can be found (along with other common awards).
- 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.
- Future Black Applicant Day
Join us for the U of T Future Black Applicant Day! Find out about our programs, hear from our current students, and learn how you can connect with Black community, services, and supports on our campuses.
Date: Sat. November 25
Time: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm EST
Location: U of T St. George – Hart House, 7 Hart House Cir, Toronto, ON M5S 3H3
Register Today at uoft.me/FutureBlack2023
- Aboriginal Post Secondary Information Program (APSIP)
- Meet with Aaron Sinclair, Recruitment Officer, at the Aboriginal Post Secondary Information Program (APSIP) tour. APSIP is a collective of recruitment representatives from Colleges, Universities, and Indigenous learning institutes in Ontario and Quebec. Over 30 post-secondary institutes participate in this post-secondary education tour.
- Click here to see all the regions Aaron will be visiting this fall!
- The Urban Indigenous Education Centre is honoured to host a Post-Secondary & Trades Fair for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students across the Toronto District School Board, Wednesday, December 6, 2023 from 9:30 am – 3:00pm at the URBAN INDIGENOUS EDUCATION CENTRE 16 Phin Avenue, Toronto.
- Reach Ahead to Kinesiology
- 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
Have a great weekend,
Adam Marshall
Principal
Follow me @PrincipalNSS