Dear Northern Families,

Exams starting Wednesday of next week! Lots of information regarding exams and the end of the semester below. Put your devices away, focus, and be productive with your time this weekend. Your investment of concentrated time now will pay off not just on exams but in the future too. No matter what the outcome put your best-self into exam preparation.

Please see Trustee Rachel Chernos Lin's most recent NEWSLETTER.

A reminder that exams run from January 24-29. The moratorium period begins on Thursday January 18^th. There will be no excursions/ athletic events etc during this period. You can find an updated and (hopefully) more user friendly exam schedule here: Exam Schedule The schedule follows this format:

Students will follow their Day 1 schedule as follows for exams:

Wednesday January 24^th- Period 1 Exam

Thursday January 25^th- Period 2 Exam

Friday January 26^th- Period 3 Exam

Monday January 29^th- Period 4 Exam

ALL exams will begin at 10am.  Exam duration will vary by subject/ year.  Looking ahead, students should make sure they eat a good breakfast as they will eat a “late” lunch on these days once exams are over (late relative to our usual 11:40am lunchtime).

Please take some time to look through our Exam ReadiNSS site for information and resources.  More information will be added as the January exams approach – including some in person exam preparation sessions provided by our student services and special education!

Transition Days: January 30^th has no exams scheduled. Students may be approached by their teacher to complete work on this day. January 31^st is an attendance taking day. We will do exam review with students in the morning and students will engage in credit rescue with teachers by invitation in the afternoon. February 1^st is a PD Day, and Semester 2 starts February 2^nd.

CULMINATING TASKS 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.

 

Here are the “Three Things You Need to Know about Northern Next Week”:

1. Monday: Moratorium
2. Tuesday: Moratorium
3. Wednesday: Exams @ 10am- Day 1 Period 1
4. Thursday: Exams @ 10am- Day 1 Period 2
5. Friday: Exams @ 10am-Day 1 Period 3

 

Student Success:

Credit Rescue - “Complete, Not Repeat”

Credit rescue will be running January 30th from 9am-3:15pm for students who have a mark between a 40-49%. Your child's teacher will inform you if they will be invited to this day. Please also look out for communication from April Vibert. You may receive multiple emails if your child is invited to recover more than one course. Thank you!

 

ELL Parent/Guardian Options Potluck – Course Selections 2024

Our ESL & Guidance departments are hosting a potluck event on Thursday, February 15th, 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Please join us for an information session on Course Selection, graduation requirements and more. Bring a small amount of food (appetizer, main dish or desert) to add to our potluck if you wish. ELL Parents/Guardians and their students are invited and encouraged to come for this informative and helpful event.

We hope to see you there!

Please RSVP through this Options Potluck Google Form or email chana.boxer@tdsb.on.ca

 

King Charles III Award:

Congratulations to Lukas Scott on the receipt of the King Charles III award for excellence in sports/community service. Last weekend, Lukas was awarded this honour by nomination and received the award from Rob Oliphant, M.P. and his provincial counterpart, Stephanie Bowman, MPP.

 

17th Annual Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) Conference

This year’s PIAC conference is dedicated to empowering School Councils through leadership, support, and advocacy. Join PIAC for a day of insightful discussions, collaborative learning, and celebration of the crucial role School Councils play in the success of schools, children, and the community.

Date: Saturday, February 3, 2024

Time: 10 am - 3 pm

Venue: Earl Haig Secondary School

To join us, please register here.

 

Review of Legacy Technical and Commercial Boundaries:

As part of the Long-Term Program and Accommodation Strategy, the TDSB aims to address outdated technical and commercial boundaries that exist in certain areas of the city.

These outdated boundaries were established during a time of academic-vocational streamlining, but now hinder equity of access. The Board is proposing the dissolution of these legacy boundaries by September 2025 to provide equal access to all Toronto students.

The affected schools include Central Technical School, Central Toronto Academy, Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute, Northern Secondary School, Victoria Park Collegiate Institute, and Western Technical-Commercial School. The proposed changes would not affect current programs. 

I encourage you to attend public engagement opportunities, which are scheduled for mid-January 2024 through three virtual meetings, details of which will be provided before the winter break.

For more information, please visit the Boards’ Secondary Program Review which can be found here: www.tdsb.on.ca/High-School/Secondary-Program-Review

A webpage dedicated to the review of legacy technical and commercial boundaries can be found here: www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Strategy-Planning/Search-All-Reviews/id/189

 

Online Interpreter Training Program

The Parent/Caregiver Engagement Office are excited to offer the Online Interpreter Training program again. We will be offering the opportunity to 85 TDSB parents/caregivers to receive online interpreter training in TDSB's most requested languages! Administrators are asked to share this opportunity with their school communities.

Are you a parent/caregiver with a child registered in the TDSB who:

1. has full proficiency in English and another language (i.e., Pashto, Farsi, Roma, Ukrainian);
2. is interested in being trained as an interpreter to work with the TDSB;
3. is comfortable with virtual/online learning;
4. has access to a computer, and the internet and has, at minimum, intermediate computer fluency;
5. has a recording device, headphones, and dictionaries (hard copy and/or online).

TDSB is the largest school board in Canada and one of the most diverse. 23% of our students were born outside of Canada and there are over 120 languages spoken by TDSB students and their parents/caregivers. Research also identifies communication between the home and the school as essential to student success. Ensuring equitable engagement opportunities for our multi-lingual parents/caregivers, while maximizing their language assets, will enable the TDSB to improve communication between parents/caregivers and the school/Board.

Please join us on January 25, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Please see the attached flyer for more details.

 

Battle of the Bands:

Northern’s first ever battle of the bands will be after school on Wednesday March 27th! Anyone can sign up to compete for a performance opportunity at our end of year concert! See our POSTER. Check out Instagram for all the details or sign up at bit.ly/NSSbattleofthebands24

 

Attention Graduates!!

Graduation photos will take place on February 12 and 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!

 

Northern Math Contest:

Registration is open for the University of Waterloo - Pascal, Cayley, and Fermat Contests.

Students will write on Wednesday, February 28th at 9:00 a.m.
The registration fee for the contest is $7.
More information is available at https://www.cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/pcf.html

If your student is interested in writing please have them join the Google Classroom using code kzwovat and register before Monday, February 5th.

 

TDSB Student Elections 2024-25

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is accepting applications for Student Trustee positions for the 2024-2025 school year.

Student Trustees represent the voice of approximately 240,000 students in the Toronto District School Board. They work closely together to empower and promote student voice and engagement across the district.

Key Dates

January 8, 2024 – Application Opens - - (new Application link)

January 8, 2024 – Email to students

January 17, 2024 – Information Session

§ Microsoft Teams meeting

§ Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

§ Click here to join the meeting

§ Meeting ID: 270 275 351 962
Passcode: jZTi8Y

§ Download Teams | Join on the web

§ Learn More | Meeting options

January 19, 2024 – Application Deadline

February 12 to 19, 2024 – Campaigning Period

February 20, 2024 – Voting Period to determine Runoff candidates

February 22-27 – Campaigning period for Runoff candidates

February 28 – Voting to determine two Student Trustees

 

ELL Learners- This guide provides secondary schools with guidelines around accommodations for English Language Learners (ELLs). The Ontario Ministry of Education clearly states that ELLs are entitled to accommodations throughout their learning experiences, particularly during assessment and evaluations.

 

Guidance Updates:

1. Guidance Week-in-Review: This week was full of exam prep support, course selection planning and semester 2 planning.

Guidance Week Ahead: Checkout the “Exam Wellness” section of the Exam ReadiNSS site. Instead of wishing you good luck on your exams, we wish you “good exam prep” and “good sleeping and eating”!

• Ontario College applications are due February 1, 2024 for equal consideration – www.ontariocolleges.ca

2. Semester 2 Course Change Request REMINDER: there are VERY specific criteria for any Semester 2 timetable changes. See below:

Criteria for Requesting a Semester 2 Timetable Change:

1. You are eligible to drop a course and will take a spare.
2. You are missing a compulsory course or a graduation requirement (i.e. English, Math, Science).
3. You are in grade 11 or 12 and are changing post-secondary pathways. For example, you have three Science courses, but have decided to not study Science in post-secondary.
4. You do not have a full timetable: Grade 9 & 10 = 8 courses; grade 11 = 7 courses; grade 12 = 6 courses.

Please note: We will not be able to accommodate all timetable requests. Thank you for your understanding. Please see your guidance counsellor with any questions.

3. NSS Course Selection Overview: Mark Your Calendars!
4. Graded Live-Stream In-Class Course Selection Presentations:
5. Tuesday, February 6/24 Period 2 – Grade 9 Course Selection Presentation
6. Wednesday, Feb. 7/24 Period 1 – Grade 10 Course Selection Presentation
7. Thursday, February 8/24 Period 2 – Grade 11 Course Selection Presentation
8. Friday, February 9/24 Period 1 – Grade 12 Course Selection Presentation
9. Evening Course Selection Presentation for NSS Community– Thursday, February 8, 2024 6:00pm – Link to TBA
10. NSS Course Selection Fair – EXTENDED LUNCH Friday, February 9, 2024.
11. myBlueprint OPENS: Monday, February 5, 2024

myBlueprint CLOSES: Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

4. TDSB eLearning Semester 2: Registration CLOSES February 22^nd, but all courses are now waitlisted.

For more information and course offerings click here.

5. Black Student Leadership Program CPC301- Black Studies Course Politics in Action Making Change

This course will critically examine Blackness within the Canadian context. Students enrolled in this course will learn about the historical and present-day experiences of Black-Canadian changemakers who have, and are currently, transforming the socio-political and socio-economic landscape at the local and national level. Throughout this course, students are encouraged to build a positive racial identity while they practice critical self-reflection. Students will leave this course with a strong understanding of how best they can impart and impact change in their communities locally as well as globally.

View flyer and register here or at bit.ly/3TVsX2W

6. Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) 2023/2024

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is the formal evaluation and credit-granting process whereby students may obtain credits for prior learning. Prior learning includes the knowledge and skills that students have acquired, in both formal and informal ways, outside secondary school. Students may have their knowledge and skills evaluated against the expectations outlined in provincial curriculum policy documents in order to earn credits towards the secondary school diploma.

The 2023/2024 PLAR Challenge process will kick off with a Virtual PLAR Information Session for Families on January 17, 2024 from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Please share the information below with your school community.

• PLAR Information Session Registration
• PLAR website

7. University of Toronto Outreach Opportunities:
   STEAM Design:

• Program Dates: July 2 - 26, 2024
• The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Design Program is an experiential learning program with an equity focus, as it is designed for grades 10-12 students identifying with groups that are underrepresented in health sciences (i.e. Black, Indigenous, Filipino, Latin American, racialized, and/or from any background experiencing socio-economic barriers)
• Click here to APPLY

Blueprint

• Program Dates: July 8 – August 2, 2024
• Blueprint is an academic enrichment program designed for highly motivated Black students interested in science and engineering. Blueprint is open to students currently in Grades 10 and 11, and are interested in careers in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Math).
• Click here to APPLY

NSBE Hacks 2024!

• Date: Feb. 24 @ 9 am– Feb 25, 2024 @ 5 pm
• Age Group: High school students
• Location: St. George Campus
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) U of T Chapter is offering an exciting opportunity to showcase your creativity and problem-solving skills by participating in our annual Hackathon this February. The theme for this year’s hackathon is Hack the City. The event is open to anyone from high school and beyond, at any skill level.
• Deadline to apply: End of January
• Click here to APPLY!

8. 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.

You can find the TDSB Community Involvement form here.

9. Post Secondary Updates:
   1. Do you have questions about how to access accommodations at your post-secondary school? This chart lists each university's policy/needs around what is required to get accommodations: https://caddac.ca/wp-content/uploads/Post-Secondary-documentation-Requirements-Chart.pdf
   2. NSS Post-Secondary Individual School Lunch Visits 2023/24
   3. NSS Post-Secondary Guide is here!

10. 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.

11. Online Graduation Requirement – Information and Opt-Out Form

Looking for information about the new Ontario Ministry Online Learning graduation requirement? Please click here

Overview Info:

• applies only to students who entered Grade 9 on or after September 1, 2020.
• Students may withdraw/opt out of this new requirement and graduate with an OSSD
  • if you have decided now to withdraw from the graduation requirement, please complete the TDSB Opt Out/Withdrawal Form and return it to your Guidance Counsellor.

 

Have a great weekend!

Adam Marshall

Principal

Follow me @PrincipalNSS