Administrator Update
Northlea is Proud to be an OPAL School
Newsletter Updates
The Administrator Update, Dates to Remember, Identity Months, French Immersion and Transition to Grade 8 sections have been updated with new information.
Stay Connected with Northlea
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @NorthleaTDSB. You can also check out our website at www.northleaschool.ca.
Topics Covered in This Newsletter
Happy Diwali
PIcture Retake Day
Me to We Costume Drive
Halloween Festivities
Remembrance Day
OPAL Loose Parts Drive
Liberation 75 & The Holocaust Memoirs Program
UDL/DI @ Northlea
Student Vote 2019
Representing Identity @ Northlea
French Immersion Application Timelines
Home and School Meetings
French Immersion Bus Parent Breakfast @ Thorncliffe Park School
Parent Breakfast - ISP DD Program
Healthy ECO PALS Textile Drive - Bag2School
Global Read Aloud
Forest of Reading
High School Open House Evenings @ Secondary Schools
Athletics Update @ Northlea
Winter Concerts - Save the NEW Date!
Parent Involvement Advisory Committee Conference
Trustee Corner
Happy Diwali
We were enriched by our shared learning about Diwali. Thank you to our community members who shared teachings with our students and to al the staff who infused this learning across the curriculum. From literacy to coding to visual arts . . . valuable educational experiences were found in many forms.
Picture Retake Day
Picture Retake Day will take place on Wednesday, November 6, 2019.
Me to We Costume Swap/Drive
The ME to WE Costume Swap/Drive was a huge success. Thank you to the student leaders, to everyone who donated and to all the people who participated in the event. Shout out to Ms. Gatt and Ms. Fazl for showing such great staff leadership!
This costume swap was part of our participation in Toronto Waste Reduction Week between October 21 - 27, 2019.
Halloween Festivities
We had lots of fun together. From dances to a haunted lab to class parties to a wonderful parade . . . Northlea was epically spooktacular! Shout out to all the parents who helped prepare for class parties.
Check out our haunted Knights TV episode:
Remembrance Day
Poppy Pinning Ceremony
We were honoured to have our Grade 5/6 choir perform the Royal Canadian Legion's annual Poppy Pinning Ceremony at the Sunnybrook Veterans' Centre. It was very special to meet The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and numerous Canadian veterans.
We have prepared a full day of programming in honour of Remembrance Day. We welcome your participation. There are 3 options for parent/family involvment this year:
1. Remembrance Day Assemblies
Please join us at our special Remembrance Day assemblies on November 11th, 2019. We will have two assemblies.
First Assembly: 9:00am -9:30am (Grades 5-8)
Second Assembly: 9:50am-10:20am (Grades 1-4)
2. The Tour For Humanity - Parent Sessions
In the morning on November 11th, the Tour For Humanity has kindly donated the bus back to Northlea to lead 2 sessions for parents who are interested in joining during the morning. They will be leading the "Canadian Experience" and you can read a short description below :
The Canadian Experience: In this workshop, students learn about a variety of difficult topics in Canadian history including the Indian Residential Schools System and the systemic internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. Following a review of the past, current issues including cyber bullying and modern-day examples of intolerance are examined and discussed.
Each presentation can accommodate 30 parents. Students in Grades 5-8 have all seen this presentation.
This is an opportunity to share in learning that your children have experienced.
Session 1: 8:50-9:40 am - Tour For Humanity Parent Session—The Canadian Experience
Session 2: 10:40-11:30 am - Tour For Humanity Parent Session—The Canadian Experience
We ask interested parents to please RSVP via this link: https://forms.gle/ed9RtCFnS3dEH9nx5
3. Military Family Member Participation
If you have a family member who is a veteran and would like to join our assembly with their family member at Northlea, we would be honoured to welcome such visitors. Our hope is that students can stand alongside family members as we pay tribute to their service. If there are family members who would like to share a few words, that would also be wonderful. Alternatively, if a parent or student would like to share a family member's story, we invite this option as well. Please email me directly at barbara.sandler@tdsb.on.ca if your family would like to participate.
In the afternoon, a group of Northlea student leaders will participate in a special workshop called Leadership 101 – Training for Student Leaders “Leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example.” This interactive, hands-on workshop challenges existing perspectives on leadership and encourages students to explore their own diversity story. Students are introduced to tools they can use to promote respect and lead their school in affecting real, inclusive change." We are fortunate to have a Canadian war veteran meet with this group during the afternoon. The program consists of: a) Learning about Canadian Leaders, b) Veteran’s Reflections on Being a Leader and c) Group Leadership Development Activities.
OPAL Loose Parts Drive
We are excited to be growing Northlea’s OPAL in the Kindergarten play area. We will be storing the loose parts in the Kindergarten shed and bringing them out for our youngest students to use for outdoor play and learning. As with the school age OPAL loose parts collection last Fall, we’d love to have the following items donated:
Kitchen items, which work well for creative play with sand:
- Muffin tins
- Baking pans
- Pots and pans (not too heavy)
- Utensils (without sharp edges) e.g., soup ladles, wooden spoons
- Baking trays
- Wooden cutting/cheese boards
Please no melamine or plastic items, as they tend to break easily. Items can be dropped off at our OPAL bin in front of the office. Thank you in advance.
An Ode to OPAL at Northlea
There once were students with extraordinary imaginations
Using creativity, loose parts and teamwork to build amazing installations
Together they played with tires, pylons, tents and crates
Opening restaurants, hotels, and forts with all the best traits.
If they had something extra, they would gladly share
And all weather play ensured tonnes of fresh air.
Responsibility reigned as decisions were made,
The kids managed risk at the same time they played.
The children used their smarts and items on the ground,
But the best discovery of all were the smiles they found.
Liberation 75 & The Holocaust Memoirs Program
Northlea is honoured to participate in Liberation75 this year. (liberation75.org.) Liberation 75 is the Global Gathering of Holocaust Survivors, Descendants, Educators and Friends which will be held in Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from May 31-June 2, 2020. Liberation75 is a worldwide event dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War 2 and liberation from the Holocaust.
In preparation for this event, our Intermediate team has been partnering with the Azrieli Foundation as part of the Holocaust Memoirs Program. They shared French and English memoirs written by survivors. All of these survivors share the experience of being hidden as children and surviving the Holocaust. Our anchor text, The Hidden Package, is the 2015 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Bronze Medal Winner and is written by Claire Baum. Last week, our team participated in a workshop to learn more about these resources. This work will culminate in our students meeting with survivor and authour Claire Baum later in the spring.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Differentiated Instruction (DI) @ Northlea
UDL and DI are essential tools for student engagement and achievement. At Northlea, we are working hard to expand our repetoire and ensure that learning is engaging, representative of different learning styles and affords students a range of options to share their learning.
UDL: The Why, What and How of Learning:
Inclusive Learning Environments Focus Groups
Our special education team is working in partnership with homeroom staff to co-plan universally designed and differentiated programs (UDL & DI). The teams are co-writing IEPS, co-planning long range plans and co-learning in relevant areas. They had the chance to meet at the start of October and this past week, the first group met again with an assistive technology instructor . They explored Read and Write Gold and tools such as highlighting features and screen masks. Over the course of the year, these teams will collaborate to continue offering a strong approach to inclusive programming.
Below are some pictures of our team learning together as well as examples of students using resources like flexible seating, noise cancelling headphones, study carrels, assistive technology and graphic organizers. These are tools that we are sharing universally which means all students have access to them.
Zones of Regulation
At Northlea, we also continue to grow our focus on the Zones of Regulation. Recently, Ms. Berger arranged for Sheera Perry from the central learning resource team to host a 'make and take' Zones day. Staff came by over the course of the day to learn together. We have been really impressed with how creatively Northlea staff have been using this resource and sharing with each other. We have even seen classes come together to learn from each other and this builds community while also growing our capacity with this co and self -regulation framework.
Student Vote 2019
Northlea was abuzz with energy during the federal election. Elections bring learning to life in such a relevant way and it is all the better when students have direct experiences that connect them to the issues and candidates. It was exciting to host a mock polling station in the Library while a real polling station was in action in our North Gym.
We welcome MP Rob Oliphant back to the role and look forward to continuing our partnership together.
Representing Identity @ Northlea
At Northlea, we want to grow the ways in which we learn about each other and represent our diverse identity backgrounds. We are inviting parents to help us meet this goal. Below is a sign-up for parents to prepare visual displays and share teachings with us that represent different identity months and holidays.
Please consider sharing artifacts and images to display in our front foyer.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MW9LLKAwdaknt0SvVhVpTH_Y_b9VKufm_9v8dpY6sbg/edit?usp=sharing
Please also let us know if there are events that should be added to this list.
Thank you to Mr. Shizas and his students for sharing these beautiful pieces honouring Islamic and Hindu Heritage Months.
French Immersion Application Timelines
For families interested in the Toronto District School Board's French Immersion or Extended French programs, TDSB uses an online process.
At this time, TDSB guarantees an offer of placement in the program (not a specific school) to all on-time applicants. The timelines for applying for these programs for September 2020 are:
• Applications for Early French Immersion which begins in SK (for a Junior Kindergarten aged child), must be completed online between November 4, 2019 and November 29, 2019.
• Applications for Junior Extended French which begins in Grade 4 must be completed online between January 6, 2020 and January 31, 2020. Please note that this will be the last entry class for this program as it will be transitioning out - Grade 4 Immersion Program will continue.
Offers of placement within your chosen program will be made to all on-time applicants in the weeks following the close of the application window.
Please note that families with an older sibling currently in a French program are still required to complete an online application for the new student.
Please also note that transportation for French programming is currently being reviewed and there may be reduced bussing offered for all in French programming from 2020 and onward. Please note there may be uncertainty at the time of the application.
For further information about French as a Second Language programs, the application process and important dates, please visit www.tdsb.on.ca/french.
Early French Immersion Parent/Guardian Information Sessions
This year, there will be two virtual (online webchat) information sessions for parents/guardians interested in the Early French Immersion (SK entry) application process. For more information on dates/times for each virtual online webchat session, please visit https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Elementary-School/School-Choices/French-Programs website or click on Information Sessions.
Home and School Meetings
Please join us at our Home and School meeting on Wednesday, November 6th @ 6:30 PM.
Below please find our list of Home and School meetings for this school year:
- November 6th - 6:30 PM @ Northlea in the School Library
- November 8th - 9:00 AM @ Northlea in the School Library - ISP Program Parent Roundtable
- November 13th - 8:45 AM - post bus departure - Discussion with French Immersion parents who bus their children to Northlea hosted @ Thorncliffe Park School
- November 25th - 6:30 PM @Northlea in the School Library
- February 6th - 2:30 PM @ Northlea in the School Library
- April 6th - 8:35 AM @ Northlea in the School Library
- May - Date TBD - 6:30 PM @ Northlea in the School Library
- Annual General Meeting - Time TBD - Post or pre volunteer breakfast perhaps.
We are working to ensure that there are many parents able to participate in these discussions. You will notice that we are introducing a few new meeting times (8:35 am and 2:30 pm) and even certain thematic meetings. We hope this approach will open up new opportunities for parent perspectives to be shared.
Parent Voice
We invite you to join the conversation. Our next Home and School meeting on November 6th, 2019 will include a chance to unpack Northlea's data together. We will look at EQAO, progress reports, learning skills, report cards and climate surveys. We also have a special presentation by Jessica Howe and Jilda Lazar introducing a new initiative to build on our amazing parent network. We value your involvement in this process.
French Immersion Bus Parent Breakfast @ Thorncliffe Park School
DATE CHANGE: We invite parents who bus their children from outside of the Northlea catchment area (Maurice Cody and Thorncliffe Park) to join us for a meet and greet breakfast after the bus departs at approximately 8:45 @ Thorncliffe Park School on Wednesday, November 13th, 219
Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/Bjhy5Ntnw8ejVGh7A
Parent Breakfast - ISP DD Program
We invite parents with children in our ISP DD program to join us for a discussion on Friday, November 8th at 9 am in the school library. We look forward to connecting with you and generating parent input for the program.
Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/4XGUUyXMc7saTwjbA
Heathly ECO PALS Textiles Drive - Bag2School
Our Healthy ECO PALS are back in action and, just like Me to We, they are working to address textile waste. Below is a description of the Bag2School initiative. We will share more details soon. For now, we invite you to look through your homes to see what you may be able to share.
Please share textiles you wish to donate until Friday, November 22nd, 2019. Textiles will be collected in each class and the ECO PALS will pick up donations from each class. The class that collects the most will win a prize.
Global Read Aloud
We are proud to participate in the Global Read Aloud again this year. Thank you to the many classes who have joined this amazing oppotunity. The Global Read Aloud enables us to connect with readers around the world and our staff are taking it to the next level by infusing deep learning with technology via Kahoot and Flipgrid and the use of the Rotman School of Business Integrative Thinking structures.
Forest of Reading
One of our favourite programs is about to begin again. Thank you to the Home and School for purchasing all of our Forest of Reading books. Thank you also to Ms. Horton and Ms. Ivancic who lead this program with such passion. Our books have arrived and our staff preview will take this week. Stay tuned for more details.
High School Open House Evenings @ Secondary Schools
Please follow the TDSB website and our 8-9 Transition-specific section in this newsletter for detailed information and timelines.
To help you make an informed decision when choosing a school, TDSB schools host open houses and information nights for parents and students each year between October and January. Learn everything you need to know about our incredible variety of schools, programs and courses. Please click here for the schedule https://www.tdsb.on.ca/OpenHouse. If you have questions about a specific school or open house, please contact the school directly for more information.
Please note that not all programs/schools are open to Optional Attendance if you do not live in the school's catchment area. Acceptance at these schools is subject to space availability and program suitability. The procedures, conditions and timelines relating to optional attendance are described in the Optional Attendance Policy and the Optional Attendance Operational Procedure.
Each year in December, schools are classified as limited or closed to optional attendance based on the space they have available for the upcoming school year.
Athletics @ Northlea
Cross Country
Once again in 2019/20, Northlea's Cross Country program was an immense success. From the second day of school our runners gathered together and ran with energy and passion. The spirit, enthusiasm and commitment of our runners contributed to a great deal of participation and success at three different Cross Country Meets. Here is a brief summary of that success: *More detailed information can be found on the Northlea School site: sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/wearenorthlea
Grade 1/2 Race
Our enthusiastic Grade 1 & 2 runners had a great morning of fun competition during their Grade 1/2 race. They ran their hearts out and demonstrated a love for the sport of Cross Country running. Their long term athletic development is in good hands thank to the commitments of their dedicated coaches.
Zone Qualifier Meet:
Northlea sent 154 students in Grades 3-8 to compete at the Zone Qualifier Meet at Earl Bales. It was a fun, beautiful day and our runners represented Northlea with pride. 75 of these runners qualified for the Conference Championship.
Conference Finals:
75 runners qualified for the Conference Finals from the Zone Qualifier Meet, 44 of which qualified for the City Finals. Our Grade 4 Girls and Boys and Grade 8 Girls teams finished in 3rd overall. Our Grade 5 Girls finished in 2nd place overall and our Grade 6 Girls, Grade 7 Boys and Girls and Grade 8 Boys finished in 1st place overall and were Conference Champions.
City Finals:
44 runners competed at the City Finals lat Centennial Park. Here s a brief some of the accomplishments from the day:
Grade 6 Girls: winning the Grade 6 Girls City Championship, Grade 7 Boys: Finishing 3rd as a team Eleanor Voykin: 1st Place overall - Grade 6 Girls
Rebecca Pribaz: 1st Place overall - Grade 5 Girls
An enormous amount of appreciation goes to all of our parent volunteers and coaches for making this season such a success. A special thank you goes to Alexis and Meagan for their tireless efforts, year after year, to make Northlea Cross Country what it is today. Also, a big thank you to Ms. Ossher, Ms. Cioban, Mr. Gahungu, Mme Roccasalvo, Mme Loares and Mr. Benedict for helping coach the students during the training season.
Grade 7/8 Girls and Boys Touch Football
Both our Grade 7/8 Girls and Boys Touch Football teams showed a great deal of commitment to fair play and sportsmanship. They ended up scoring numerous touchdowns and finished their respective seasons with a great deal of pride. Thank you to Mr. Ellis for coaching both of these teams.
Grade 5/6 Girls and Boys Soccer
The Grade 5/6 Girls had such an amazing season. They played with a great deal of energy and relentlessness resulting in a season with only 1 goal allowed! The made it all the way to the Conference Championship (where they still had not allowed a goal all season) and lost in the Championship game 1-0. The girls deserve a lot of recognition for their commitment to team play. Great season girls!
The Grade 5/6 Boys team also represented Northlea with pride. They played hard and with a great deal of determination in their qualifying tournament and narrowly missed qualifying for the Quarter finals. Great job boys.
Grade 7/8 Girls and Boys Soccer
On Tuesday, Oct.29, Northlea’s Gr. 7/8 Girls Soccer Team participated in the North Conference Division 2 soccer playoffs. Our girls played two exciting games; they comfortably won the semifinals against Avondale, then after a tough finals game against Bedford Park, our golden girls managed to bring home the North Conference Champion banner for Soccer! Warmest congratulations at the end of a very successful season.
The Gr. 7/8 Boys Soccer Team qualified for the North Conference soccer playoffs, as well. The boys played a dramatic semifinal game against Bedford Park; it came down to penalty shots and… Jack saved two out of three shots!!! For the finals, the boys faced Don Valley MS and a couple of minutes before the end of the game it was a tie at 3-3. Our Boys brought home the North Conference Finalist banner for Soccer! We are extremely proud of your tremendous talent and passion and we thank you for a great season. Thank you to Ms. Cioban, Ms. Siurna and Mr. Gillady
Up next......Grade 5/6 & 7/8 Boys Volleyball, Grade 5/6 & 7/8 Girls Basketball and Ice Hockey.
Winter Concerts - Save the NEW Date!
Grade 4, the Grade 5/6 Choir and the Grade 8 Honour Band will be performing at the two Winter Concerts on Tuesday, December 10th in the afternoon and the evening. Please note that we have changed the date from December 11th to December 10th.
Grade 3 classes will perform in the Spring Concert in celebration of Music Monday. We are delighted that they will also be able to share some of their learnings with the Ghanian Drumming instrument set.
Grades 1 & 2 perform in the springtime and the Grade 7 Band will perform later in the year as well. Our Kindergarten students typically perform on site during an afternoon concert in December. More details on all of the above will be shared but for now, please mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 10th if you'd like to share in this Northlea event.
Parent Involvement Advisory Committe (PIAC) Conference
Mark your calendars for the 2019 PIAC Conference on November 16th, 2019. The theme is: School Councils and there are a wide range of excellent workshops to support the tremendous work done by school councils across the TDSB. The registration link is: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/piacs-school-council-event-tickets-73432248833
Trustee Corner
Please visit Trustee Chernos Lin's website for updates about Ward 11: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/ward11/
You can also find the latest newsletter here:
Ward Forum Meeting
Please join Trustee Chernos-Lin at a Ward Forum on Wednesday, November 20th, 2019 at York Mills Collegiate at 7pm.
Community Coffee Meetings . . . A Message from Trustee Chernos-Lin
"Community Coffee" meetings are informal gatherings where parents and constituents are invited for a round table-style discussion of information sharing, best practices and interesting conversation related to education in our ward. We often have superintendents and sometimes even principals who drop by, so these are fun and engaging events. These meetings are usually held at Longo's Leaside (93 Laird Drive), unless stated otherwise. I hope you can join us at one of upcoming dates below!
- November 12, 2019 at 9:15am
- January 15, 2020 at 9:15am
