Administrator Update
Newsletter Updates
The Administrator Update and Dates to Remember 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. Special thanks to Frank Chang for his work on Northlea's website.
December 7th PA Day
Quick reminder that there is a PA Day on December 7th.
Home and School Meeting
We look forward to welcoming you to the Home and School meeting this Thursday, November 29th at 6:30 PM. We will be discussing the school improvement process.
Special Thank You & Welcome Messages
Thank you to Gerri Gershon who served 33 consecutive years as a public school trustee - North York Board of Education 1985-1997; TDSB 1998-2018. Trustee Gershon was also the previous President of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association and the Canadian School Boards' Association. We share immense gratitude for Trustee Gershon's decades long commitment to public education and, in particular, to our neighbourhood schools.
We are delighted to welcome Rachel Chernos Lin to the role of Trustee. Trustee Gershon and Trustee Elect Chernos Lin have been working together to ensure a strong transition. Northlea has benefited first hand from Rachel's advocacy for public schools and , in her new role, she will continue to serve the broader Don Valley West public school community.
Our superintendent of Education Kathleen Garner will be retiring in December. Kathleen has been an educator for over 33 years and served in many capacities. She worked closely with the Northlea community and worked to ensure that Northlea was positioned for success in all regards. We will miss Superintendent Garner and wish her all the best in her well-earned retirement.
Diana Panagiotopoulos, Centrally Assigned Principal in Learning Centre (LC) 2, who brings her 15 years as an administrator will be our new Acting Superintendent of Education in LC 1, Learning Network 6. We welcome Acting SOE Panagiotopoulos to the Northlea community and look forward to working together.
Walk to School Wednesdays
The "Healthy Eco Pals" will be starting a new initiative to promote the importance of physical health as well as environmental stewardship. For those of you unaware, the "Healthy Eco Pals" is a joint initiative between the ECO-team, OPAL and OPHEA Healthy Schools made up of both staff and student representatives from Grades 1-7.
On the first Wednesday of each month, Northlea will have "Walk to School Wednesdays" (W2SW) where the students are encouraged to walk, run, scooter, bike (anything but drive) to school. This promotes physical activity as well as reducing our carbon footprint.
Our first W2SW will be on Wednesday, December 5th.
Book Fair
"The Enchanted Forest of Books"...is coming to Northlea! Scholastic Book Fair is a reading event that brings irresistible books kids want to read, right into our school!
There will be a selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. Please make plans to visit our Book Fair and be involved in shaping your child’s reading habits and allowing their imaginations to soar!
Book Fair Dates: December 3rd- December 6th, 2018
Shopping Hours:
December 3rd - 5th - 8:30- 4:00 pm
December 6th - 8:30am-7:00pm
Should we reach our goal to sell $14,000 worth of merchandise, Ms. Berger, Mr. Sanders and Ms. Sandler will allow students to give them a PIE IN THE FACE to show good spirit in honor of our literacy goals!
We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Book Fair! We've been extremely successful in our previous book fairs and hope to have your help to make this year's fair a continued success!
Remember, all purchases benefit our school. We hope to build our library collection to fulfill children's interests and develop the love of reading!
Sincerely,
Ms. G. Ivancic - Teacher-Librarian
Cross Country Lunch Celebration
We are excited to celebrate together on Monday, November 26th during lunch in the North Gym. We had a fabulous season and are looking forward to the annual slideshow, awards and, of course, the pizza is a hit too!
Sports Centre
Ice Hockey: The coaching team are meeting Thursday at lunch to discuss next steps for the Leaside Tournament and this year's teams. Coaches Kaziev, Klipina, Zaharia and Sanders are excited for the season.
Grade 5/6 Girls Basketball: The Girls won their qualifying tournament and are heading to the Conference Finals on Dec. 4th @ Jon Wanless. Game time is roughly 12:00.
Grade 7/8 Girls Basketball: The Girls played an amazing game during their qualifying tournaments and displayed great sportsmanship but did not advance to the Conference Finals.
Grade 5/6 Boys Volleyball: The Boys have their qualifying tournament this Tuesday, November 27th at Don Mills MS. The top two teams out of the 4 teams in their pool will advance to the conference Playoffs.
Grade 7/8 Boys Volleyball : The Boys went 2-0 at their first Qualifying tournament on November 20th at Bedford Park. They have the second Qualifying tournament at Northlea on Dec. 4th. If they win one of the two games on that date they progress to the Conference Finals as the Top Seed.
#GOKNIGHTS!
Healthy Relationships Week
This week was full of positive energy. We are committed to continuing the conversation about healthy relationships and bullying awareness and prevention. Below is a video that has been making the rounds in classes. As we move into December, we are thinking of the caring and kindness that we wish to share with one another.
BUDDY WEEK: We had a ball at Buddy Week. Classes joined together for so many creative community opportunities. Some of the experiences included: making friendship bracelets, doing yoga together leading a caught you caring' campaign, writing acrostic poems about one another, co-creating posters about commonalities as well as collaborative MakerSpace opportunities. Northlea students and staff were building community between classes and it was wonderful to see.
PUT BULLYING TO BED PAJAMA DANCE-A-THON: Thank you to Shannon Chaplin and Allison Wesley for their leadership. The students had a ball at the dance-a-thon. It was an absolute pleasure to see students dancing, laughing and playing together. If you wish to make a donation, the online portal is open for a little bit longer. https://www.professorjamz.com/northlea
Below is a brief clip of some of the fun:
WE TEAM - PREVENTING CYBERBULLYING CAMPAIGN: Our Grade 7/8 WE Team leaders have been hard at work preparing workshops for students in Grades 4-8 about the harm caused by cyberbullying. They have been leading an awareness campaign with in-class learning and posters throughout the school. Some groups have prepared skits, mini-workshops, and even Kahoot quizzes for their peers.We are so proud of these student leaders and share gratitude with the teacher leaders - Ms. Gatt and Ms. Fazl.
GLITTER SQUAD PARTICIPATION IN ENVISION CONFERENCE:
Middle School Conference Highlights:
- TDSB Associate Director, Dr. Kathy Witherow opened the conference and present the 2017-2018 Director’s QSA/GSA Award
- A special performance of "Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls" with a talk back.
- The MC was the unstoppable Ravyn Wngz - African, Bermudian, 2Spirit, Mohawk, Queer Transcendent Empowerment Movement Storyteller.
- Facilitated networking sessions for GSAs in the same part of the city.
- Over 16 new and exciting workshops to choose from
- A community fair to connect students to resources across the city.
- A book fair and book sale
Winter Concerts
Grades 3-6 & Grade 8 Honour Band Winter Concerts - Wednesday, December 12, 2018 : Afternoon concert at 1:30 p.m.Evening Concert at 7:00 p.m. @ Northlea United Church
Kindergarten Winter Concerts - Wednesday, December 19 @ 1:45 PM
Grades 1-2 & Grade 7 & 8 - Spring Concert - Music Monday -Save the Date - Monday, May 6th in the AM. More details to follow.
First Lego League Space Cavaliers
The Northlea Space Cavaliers had a great showing at their 1st First Lego League event. Ms. Santos and Mr. Simms were so proud of the teamwork demonstrated by this fantastic team. Stay tuned for an update from the major competition in December. We can't wait!
Universal Design for Learning & Differentiated Instruction
We are committed to focusing on student learning. The TDSB recently shared the Multi Year Strategic Plan. A key priority is Transforming Student Learning. At Northlea, we are working to ensure that our classrooms and are inclusive and academically challenging spaces. Last week, our staff spent time with a TDSB Inclusion Coach, Sheliza Jamal, and discussed the topics of Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction. Her presentation includes highlights of their conversations together. Our next steps include staff working with our Learning Coach - Ariel Vente to co-plan Math units that infuse differentiated instruction and UDL so we can ensure all students are actively engaged in the learning experiences.
Mindful Parenting
The TDSB Parent Partnership Committee on Mental Health and Well-Being invites all parents and caregivers to attend a special presentation -
Wednesday, November 28 from 6:30 Lawrrence Park Collegiate 125 Chatworth Dr.
Please register here:
French Immersion & Extended French Applications
Families interested in Early French Immersion or Junior Extended French should record the timelines noted in the above poster and in the Early Immersion Package attached below. The package below includes important dates for Early Immersion Parent Information Evenings.
Families in JK looking to move to FSK should pay close attention to all notices about Early Immersion timelines and information evenings.
**Please note that, current TDSB policies and procedures, guarantee that all JK students who register on time are offered a placement in FSK. It is imperative that families take the required step to "accept" the placement when it is offered. You are encouraged to check your SPAM/Junk Mail folders regularly during the offer timeframe. As well, please note that, according to current policies and procedures, students are guaranteed a spot (if the above steps were followed) but they are not guaranteed a site. If the applications from local families exceed our allotment of FSK spots at Northlea, then families will be redirected to an alternate FSK site.
Please also note that the report coming from the Review of TDSB French Program Consultations from last Spring is expected to be shared at the Program and School Services Committee on November 1, 2018.
Rainy Recess
Friendly reminder that, as part of our ECO Schools/OPAL programming, we are moving to almost all weather play. Students are asked to bring rainboots, raincoats and splash pants so they can enjoy outdoor play in the rain.
We are building our inventory of rain gear. If you have spare rain boots and raincoats that you wish to donate, please bring them to the main office.
Servery Lunch Options
This year, the Servery is pleased to offer a pre-paid lunch club program twice a week. Payment is made via Cash Online. This option is in addition to the daily offerings that can be purchased a la carte. Both options are available to students in Grades 1-8.
OPTION #1 Lunch Club Program - Please see PDF below:
OPTION #2 - A La Carte Offerings
Below are the Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3 schedules for A La Carte offerings from the Servery. They may be updated for November. In an effort to reduce our waste production, students are encouraged to bring reusable containers for their Servery lunches.
Grade 8 Transition to Grade 9
Families with children in Grade 8 are asked to pay close attention to all notices about the transition to Grade 9. Grade 7 families are also welcome to join these events so they have a good understanding of the process and options available.
Below are 2 important updates re: The Transition to Grade 9
1. TDSB Secondary Schools Open House Evenings: List of Dates and Locations TDSB schools host information nights for parents and students each year between October and January. Learn everything you need to know about the incredible variety of schools, programs and courses throughout the TDSB. Find what inspires you. Join the open houses to help make an informed decision before choosing a school. Tour TDSB facilities, meet staff and learn more about exciting TDSB Secondary programs and activities.
2. Parent Information Evening about the Transition from Grade 8 - 9 for Northlea and Bessborough Parents on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 @ 6:30 PM. Thank you to the many families who joined us at Bessborough to learn more about the transition to Grade 9. Below please find the slide show and handout from the event.
School Cash Online
We use an online payment system for school related items such as field trips. You can register at: https://tdsb.schoolcashonline.com/ .