The Northlea News

Home & School Association

Home & School Association 2017-2018

Hello Northlea Families, 

 

The Northlea Home and School and the Northlea School Council would like to extend a warm welcome to all new and returning families.  We hope everyone has enjoyed a great first week!

 

Did you ever wonder why Northlea has not just one, but TWO parent organizations – the Home and School and the School Council? It’s one of the quirks of our school, and also means we have lots of ways for parents to get involved, as these organizations work on different areas of school life. In a nutshell, however, the Home and School is responsible for fundraising, whereas the School Council deals with matters related to the school and students. It’s a bi more complicated than that, of course, so for a fuller explanation, please see the “About Us” section of our website or follow this link: http://www.northleaschool.ca/home-school/home-school-council-overview/

 

With that in mind, we have several pieces of information to communicate below from both parent groups, including procedures regarding online sign-up for communications, the need for volunteers, and more. Please read this information carefully so your family stays in the loop!

 

The Home and School Association/School Council would like to remind families to please check the Northlea website regularly (www.northleaschool.ca) for updated school news and reminders, including back to school procedures and much, much more.

Communication Sign-Up

First off, the Northlea Home and School and School Council have moved to online sign-up for our weekly emails, class lists and Home and School membership forms. It is really important that all families fill out these permission to contact forms by Friday, Sept. 15th, as this will enable us to start building our 2017-2018 distribution list, enable new class parents (once recruited) to begin compiling their class lists, and allow class parents to start communicating with their classes. Families must provide these consents each year, so even if you are currently receiving our emails, you must sign up for this school year so that you remain on our list. To access these online forms, click here: https://www.northleaschool.ca/2017/09/important-communication-update-hscouncil/. If you have any questions or concerns about these procedures, please do not hesitate to contact us at homeandschool@northlea.ca. We thank everyone in advance for their cooperation in filling out these forms in a timely manner!

Important School Council Reminders and Requests

  1. Class Parents: Anyone interested in taking on this fun and rewarding opportunity is asked to sign up online here). We are working together closely with teachers and our school Administration in determining the best fit of class parent(s) and teachers.
  2. Kiss & Ride (KnR): The KnR (often referred to in the past as the PSP or Parent Safety Program) will start on Wednesday, September 6, the second day of school. The KnR operates southbound on Sutherland Avenue every morning from 8:30-8:45. For more information on this program and how to use it, please click here
  3. Urgently Needed: Kiss and Ride Volunteers! If you can help out for 15 minutes, 1 to 2 times per month, please contact our KnR coordinator, Valerie Cooke, at valeriecooke68@gmail.com. Alternatively, you can now sign up online using Sign Up Genius by following this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f4da9af23abf49-september
  4. Police Background Checks: need to be completed if you would like to volunteer in any capacity. Forms for the initial Background Check, as well as the separate Offence Declaration Forms (which must to be signed subsequently each year) are available from the School Office. Don't put this task off, as there can be a significant wait time!
  5. Volunteer Opportunities: There are many ways to volunteer at Northlea! Please consider filling out our volunteer form and pick an area that interests you! The link can be found here: https://www.northleaschool.ca/2017/09/volunteers-needed/
  6. Yearbook: It may be early in school year, but the Yearbook Team is already getting organized! Parents and kids can now upload pictures directly from the following link on our website’s front page: https://www.northleaschool.ca/upload-pictures-201718-yearbook/. Pictures can also be sent to yearbook@northleaschool.ca. So make sure to capture Northlea events and field trips, sports teams and clubs, and start sending in those pictures starting today!

Many more dates: Check out the web calendar, already filled with several important dates for the coming months!

Important Home & School Association Reminders and Requests

  1. The Welcome Back BBQ is Thursday, September 28th, from 5:00-7:30pm. Shift volunteers are needed throughout the evening, together with a 7:30pm clean-up crew. If you can help, please contact homeandschool@northleaschool.ca.
  2. Pizza Lunch is back and will run monthly all year long! The first pizza lunch is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 29! Forms and information can be found here: https://www.northleaschool.ca/2017/09/northlea-pizza-lunch-program-

Please check out how you can shop at our newest neighbourhood grocery store and support Northlea on Wednesday, September 20th! For more information, click here: https://www.northleaschool.ca/2017/09/shop-whole-foods-market-leaside-wed-sept-20/

Paid After Four and Paid Lunchtime Programs

Please visit the Northlea School website to find out more details about these opportunities.

Welcome Back BBQ Details

We hope you and your children are getting as excited as we are for our BBQ, scheduled for next Thursday September 28th, from 5-7:30pm! It’s a great community event -- come meet new friends and catch up with old friends at Northlea! The BBQ has an exciting list of activities for kids and adults alike, such as Bouncy Castles, Obstacle Courses, Basketball and Badminton Games, Chess, Freezies, Menchies, Candy Floss, Mini Putt, Nail salon, Balloons and much, much more! Also, who could forget our ever popular and fun Watermelon eating contest?!

 

And new this year, please bring a non perishable food item for the kick off of Sarah and Claire's 10th annual food drive!

 

Volunteers Urgently Needed! An event of this size requires help! We are in need of volunteers to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Sign up for a half hour shift (or two!) at an activity, or provide some delicious items to the Bake Sale! To sign up, simply click here:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D4AAEAE2FA1F49-welcome.   

 

Helpful Tips

Here's a few tips that you might find useful for the big night (especially if you are new to Northlea and not sure what to expect!):

  • The event starts at 5pm and closes down at 7:30pm.
  • All food and activities are purchased and enjoyed with tickets.
  • Tickets are available at tables outside the North East and South East school doors.
  • Activities range in cost from 1 to 3 tickets, each ticket is $1.
  • Dinner-type food (pizza, hot dogs, burgers, vegetables and drinks) is available for purchase with tickets.
  • The Bake Sale is located on the South East corner of the school playground.
  • Free coffee - compliments of Starbucks - is available while supplies last.
  • There are 3 different large inflatables for the kids to enjoy.
  • Other games such as Chess, Basketball and Badminton are FREE!
  • if finances present a barrier to involvement, please speak with Ms. Sandler or Ms. Wadden. The discussion will be held in confidence.

Housekeeping

  • This event is a Home and School event with the co-operation of the School, including teachers, staff, custodians and Admin team.
  • Your children are your responsibility - please do not leave children unescorted as there will be no adult supervision provided by the school staff or by the organizers.
  • Lost children should be brought to, and collected from, the DJ station, located on the field.
  • Lost and found items will be sent to the School Office.
  • Please keep in mind that a lot of people have volunteered a lot of time to make this event happen, and even with the best laid plans, things can occur. Should you notice anything that needs addressing or something that doesn't seem quite right, kindly let one of the parent volunteers or any of the attending School Admin team know.
  • Finally, if finances present a barrier to involvement, please speak with Ms. Sandler or Ms. Wadden. The discussion will be held in confidence.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday night!

Keeping Up to Date

Finally, as started last year, the Northlea Administration, Office Staff, and Teachers will start sending more and more information directly to parents/caregivers, so make sure all your e-mail addresses are up to date! Last week, our admin team sent out a very thorough and detailed communication. If you did not receive it, or didn't have a chance to get to it, it's truly worth a read! You can find it on our website or by clicking here.

 

The Northlea H&S / Council will of course continue to provide information and often communicate news on behalf of the school as well as the Home and School. Your Communications Chairs this year are Rachel Chernos Lin and Christina Snelson, who will work closely together with webmaster and IT hero Frank Chang, the returning Co-Chairs Amy White and Arti Panday, and new Vice-Chair Sarah Andersen, as well as the rest of the parent executive and of course the School. 

For now, we are sending messages to our list from last year (2016/2017). If you have moved on from Northlea, and do not wish to receive these communications, please hit unsubscribe on the Northlea website or e-mail us and let us know. 

 

We wish everyone a wonderful weekend, and encourage parents and guardians to take a few minutes this week to fill out our online permission to contact forms so that everyone stays in the loop!

 

Rachel Chernos Lin and Christina Snelson, Communication Co-Chairs

Frank Chang, Webmaster

Amy White and Arti Panday, Co-Chairs

Northlea School Council / Northlea H&S Association