Administrator Update
Northlea is Proud to be an OPAL School
Newsletter Updates
The Administrator Update, Identity Months and The 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.
Welcome!
We are so excited to start the year together. To our new families - we welcome you to Northlea and to the returning families - we welcome you back to Northlea! In this newsletter, you will find information about the first day of school and many of our school routines and procedures.
Specific class placements will be shared in a separate email in the evening on Friday, August 30th, 2019.
Our team has been hard at work prepping the school for a wonderful start together. We thank them for their commitment and diligence.
The first day of school is an exciting and busy experience. Below you will find our process for the first day and we hope that this information will help everyone have a smooth start to the year.
Parent Handbook
The updated parent handbook can be found via this PARENT HANDBOOK LINK and it will also be posted on the school website.
Home and School Distribution List
DISTRIBUTION LIST: Please consider signing up for the Parent Home and School distribution list. This is a separate list than the TDSB list. We are required to have two separate lists. Home and School shares weekly communications which contain all sorts of relevant information about the Northlea EMS community. You can sign up via this link: https://www.northleaschool.ca/signup2019/
OPENING DAY LETTER FROM HOME AND SCHOOL: The opening day letter from Home and School includes important information and we encourage you to read through it.
HOME AND SCHOOL ONLINE:
Home and School and the school administration work together to ensure that we share relevant, timely and accurate information with you. We invite you to follow the Home and School online sites.
Website: www.northleaschool.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Northlea_HandS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northlea_hands/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northleahomeandschool/
Thank you to Heather McCann and Christina Snelson (along with webmaster Jonathan Zhao) for running the Home and School social media accounts and preparing weekly communications.
First Day Entry Procedures
On Tuesday, September 3rd, staff will greet your children in the yard starting at 8:35 am. Staff will be holding signs with their names and room numbers. Please locate the teacher whose name was shared with you in the class placement email.
Please follow this link for the list of entry locations for each homeroom grouping:
Staff will take students into the building beginning at 8:50 am.
We hope to begin as we intend to proceed. With that in mind, we ask that you please say your goodbyes in the yard. We promise to take good care! We ask this of your for three reasons:
1. Safety: Our hallways are busy places and we want as much room as possible for the students. As well, our visitor policy asks guests to use the buzzer and enter via Door 2 and then sign in at the Main Office. Following that, we ask that you wear a visitor's badge while visiting.
2. Independent Skills: We work to empower students so they have the organization skills, the confidence and maturity to navigate their days with developmentally appropriate opportunities for independence. Our staff members are skilled at supporting as needed based on each child's stage of readiness.
3. Academic: Our staff prepare learning experiences that begin upon entry. We want to dive into our instructional program as soon as students have transitioned into the building.
If you feel that your child has unique circumstances that require an adjusted approach, we encourage you to connect with your classroom teacher to discuss in more detail.
Welcome Back BBQ - Save the Date!
Please save Tuesday, September 24th from 5-8 for the Annual Welcome Back BBQ.
Curriculum Night - Save the Date
Northlea's Curriculum Night will take place on the evening of Thursday, October 3rd, 2019. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.
Curriculum Night is an opportunity to meet the staff and learn about programming.
Outdoor Play & Learning - OPAL Readiness
Northlea’s Outdoor Play and Learning’s slogan is, ‘Create & Play Your Way.’ Studies have shown OPAL’s benefits include promoting physical and emotional health and well-being, and improving social skills, learning and attention at school. With our two school-age OPAL sheds with loose parts, we are focusing on an inclusive play environment that fosters imaginative play. OPAL is available every day and is also easily incorporated into the curriculum.
Our guideline for OPAL play is for staff and students to use these prompts:
Is it fun for everyone?
Is it safe for you, others and the loose parts?
Is your play inclusive and respectful?
At Northlea we have an ‘Almost All Weather Play’ policy. We play in the rain and we recommend that students come to school dressed to play outside in sunshine, snow or drizzle. Useful clothing items include:
splash pants
rain coat
waterproof gloves
extra socks
rain boots
Cross Country
The beginning of every school year at Northlea marks the beginning of Northlea's historic and incredible Cross Country program. Due to the fact that training begins on the SECOND day of school, it is important to release all relevant documentation to the parent community before the start of the school year.
Please read the attached 'Northlea Cross Country 2019 Welcome Letter' and review the Permission forms for the 2019 season. This welcome letter details very important dates for the Cross Country season and other important details.
Grade 1-2 athletes need to only fill out the 'Interschool Athletics Tryout and Participation' Form and athletes in Grades 3-8 need to fill out both the 'Interschool Athletics Tryout and Participation' and 'Parent/Guardian Permission for Excursions' forms.
When submitting your permission form to Mr. Sanders or to a parent/teacher volunteer, please also include your CashOnline receipt for the 2019 Cross Country season. Payment will be made available on SchoolCashOnline as of Tuesday, September 3rd. If finances pose any barrier, please be in touch with Ms. Sandler. We are committed to ensuring that every student interested in participating has full access to this program.
Interschool athletics tryout.pdf
Parent Permission Excursion.pdf
Northlea Cross Country 2019 welcome letter.pdf
Training Schedule:
Grade 1: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8-8:30 am (starts Thursday September 5th) **
Grade 2: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 8-8:30 am (starts Wednesday September 4th) **
Grades 3-8: Monday-Friday 7:45-8:30 am (starts Wednesday September 4th).
We still need volunteer parent coaches for all grades. Any time you can give would be greatly appreciated!! Please email alexisdecastro@outlook.com if you can help!
*Please note, adult supervision is required for all Grade 1 and 2 runners.
We will be having a mandatory meeting on Friday September 6th at 8:00 in the North Gym. There will be no training that day.
Forms are available online on the Northlea school website and at the above links (https://sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/wearenorthlea/), please print them out and return them no later than Friday September 6th.
Staff List
2019-2020 Classroom & Office Staff
Office Administrator - Judy Keith
Secretary 1.0 - Helen Saroglou
Secretary 0.5 - Fotini Tzevelekos
Kindergarten JK with an ECE - Susan Lanktree (teacher) & Roxanne Caracciolo (ECE) - Room 116
Kindergarten JK without an ECE - Ashley Zaharia - Room 221
Kindergarten JK/SK with an ECE - Deborah Cranswick (teacher) & Wanling Huang (ECE) - Room 114
French Immersion SK - Ellisa Wenger (teacher) & Carmen Gaspar (ECE) - Room 224
French Immersion SK - Nathalie MacInnis (teacher) & Rose Patrick (ECE) Room 113
Kindergarten Drama, Dance, Music and Physical Education - Mika Suokonautio
Grade 1 English - Victoria Horton - Room 103
Grade 1/2 - English - Kira Ali - Room 101
Grade 2 English - Susan Siurna - Room 102
Grade 2/3 English - Laura Pontuschka- Room 115
Grade 3/4 English - Karen Andrew - Room 206
Grade 4/5 English - Isaac Card - Room 202
Grade 5/6 English - Bill Shizas - Room 211
Grade 6 English - Allana Ossher - Room 227
Grade 7 English - Harshini Fazl - Room 214
Grade 7/8 English - Janet Standing - Room 215
Grade 8 English - Damien Benedict - Room 210
Grade 1 French Immersion - Linette Zhang - Room 104
Grade 1 French Immersion - Donatien Gahungu - Room 107
Grade 1/2 French Immersion - Sarah Demirjian - Room 108
Grade 1/2 French Immersion - Jennifer Sepetdjian - Room 105
Grade 2/3 French Immersion - Guy Lariviere - Room 106
Grade 2/3 French Immersion - Farid Taileb - Room 109
Grade 3 French Immersion - Carolyn Loares - Room 205
Grade 3/4 French Immersion - Lindsay Resnick - Room 204
Grade 3/4 French Immersion - Samantha Kaziev - Room 203
Primary/Junior ISP for students with Developmental Disabilities- Brittney Vogrin (Teacher) & Salma Ahmed (Educational Assistant) - Room 208
Junior/Intermediate ISP for students with Developmental Disabilities - Sophia Poulimenakos (Teacher) & Janette Lourie (Educational Assistant) - Room 207
Grade 4 French Immersion - Isaac Simms - Room 213
Grade 5 French Immersion - Kalina Butts - Room 226
Grade 5/6 French Immersion - Kai Shapiro - Room 228
Grade 6 French Immersion - Katarina Klipina - Room 217
Grade 7 French Immersion - Rachel Fixman - Room 216
Grade 8 French Immersion - Susan Gardner - Room 212
Special Education - Mindy Gatt
Special Education - Marina Mason
0.5 Special Education & Library - Gemma Ivancic
Junior/Intermediate Music - Natalie Sommers - Room 117
Primary Music - Mika Suokonautio, John Ellis, Julie Roberts, Naomi Szamosi, Julia Cioban- Room 117
Physical and Health Education - John Ellis, Julia Cioban, Julie Roberts
Drama and Dance - Jennifer Capes - Room 223
Gina Fortsas - Special Needs Assistant
Julie Karapapas - Educational Assistant
5 Day Cycle & School Day Timetable
5 DAY CYCLE
TDSB operates on a 5 day cycle. We encourage families to reference the following 5 day cycle calendar. (The cycle is also reflected on our Google Calendar) :
NORTHLEA HOURS OF OPERATION:
| Grades 1 – 8 | Entry Bell Rings at 8:45 Lunch: 11:35 – 12:40 Dismissal: 3:30 |
| Kindergarten | Start: 8:50 Dismissal: 11:20 Start: 12:50 Dismissal: 3:20 |
| School Office | 8:20 – 4:30 |
New Online Forms
TDSB has transitioned many forms to an online platform. If you have an email on file with your school, you’ll get an email with the link to complete the forms after your child’s first day. Learn more via the this link.
The forms available online now, include:
- Consent Form Package
- Permission to participate in off-site walking excursions
- Student media release consent
- Permission to leave school in severe weather conditions
- Use of parent/guardian email address
- Medical Information Form
- Acknowledgement and Declaration of:
- Digital Learning Tool Consent
- Code of Conduct
- Code of Online Conduct
Families who wish to complete the above forms are welcome to do so. We will have some hard copies in the office upon request.
Hard Copy Northlea-Specific Forms
There are still some Northlea-specific forms that we will be sending home in hard copy. They can also be found via this link if you wish to print and complete at home. Students should return these forms to their homeroom teachers.
Allergy Awareness
Every parent is asked to please review the Northlea approach to supporting students with allergies in our Parent Handbook. It is essential that every family abide by the terms of this approach.
If your child has a serious medical condition, we ask that parents please contact the teacher and school administration directly to review the medical profile together.
Visitor Policy
When you visit, please go to Door 2 and get buzzed in by an office staff member. Once you enter the building, please proceed to the main office to sign in at the office.
Visits to classes should be planned ahead of time so the teacher is aware of potential guests. If you have made previous arrangements to work in a classroom, please borrow a visitor's badge before you make your way to the classroom. We ask that you please coordinate classroom visits ahead of time with the teacher.
All volunteers need to have police reference checks completed before you are able to volunteer at Northlea. Please refer to the "Police Reference Checks" section for more information.
Police Reference Checks for Volunteers
Please submit either a money order or a certified cheque.
Amount: $20.00
Payable to: Toronto Police Services
2. ** Please collect a Police Reference Check form from the office.
3. Then return the completed form + payment to the Northlea office. Northlea office staff will submit the form and payment on your behalf.
4. Once you receive the CLEAR form at home (approximately 4-6 weeks) please resubmit to the office to clear in our system. **
Safety Tips
Please review the Streetproofing Tips found in the "Safety Tips" section of this newsletter before the first day of school.
Communication Between Home and School
Below are the main sources of information you can expect to access:
1. The Google Calendar - The Google calendar is linked to the Northlea website. On this Google Calendar, we will endeavor to include information that is relevant to the whole school such as Photo Day and, at times, major events for a specific age group such as overnight trips. Please familiarize yourself with this calendar as we use it often.
2. School-Wide Newsletter - The school administration will send a newsletter to the community twice a month. It will be mailed to you directly through your email address via our School Messenger program. These newsletters are also posted on the school website and we generally post them on our Twitter feed as well.
3. Twitter (@northleaTDSB) - We will use Twitter to highlight events and moments of interest. We'd love for you to share your summer pictures with the hashtag #NorthleaSummer and then also share your 1st day pictures at the hashtag #NorthleaFirstDay
4. Staff Communications - Staff members will share their individualized information sharing approaches with you at the start of the year.
5. The School Website - Our website- www.northleaschool.ca - will also contain updates. It contains information about both the school and the Home and School parent association. *On the bottom left hand corner of the website is a section that allows you to subscribe to the website. If you opt to sign up, you will receive updates to your email whenever the website is updated.
6. The Home and School Association Email List - Northlea's Home and School Association is a pivotal part of the Northlea school experience. We encourage all families to stay up to date and involved with H &SA. The #1 way to ensure you are informed is for you to consent to share your email and phone contact information. If you want to receive correspondences from the Home and School Association, please sign up at the start of the school year: https://www.northleaschool.ca/signup2019/
7. Northlea Co-Curricular Website. -Northlea is piloting a new link that will provide information to the community about various athletic and co-curricular opportunities that are being planned for the 2019/2020 school year. The website link is sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/wearenorthlea.
Mandarin Lessons
This year, International Languages continues to offer Mandarin Simplified classes at Northlea every Wednesday afternoon after school. This flyer contains all the details.
Registration and First Day of School:
Online registration for our ILE program is on-going until September 6. Parents can access through www.ileprograms.ca.
Manual registration will be happening on Wednesday, September 18, 2019 from 3:30 -5:30 pm in the school staff room.
Parking & Pedestrian Safety
We encourage everyone to consider participating in the “Walk A Block” initiative. While we know mornings are busy and there is a time crunch, a one block walk will disperse traffic and offers numerous valuable experiences for your child. Below are a few resources you may find useful in support of the “Walk A Block” program:
Legal Parking Options: Northlea Legal Street Parking Guide
Pedestrian Safety Guide from Parachute Canada - This guide shares best practices for pedestrian safety. They recommend that adults walk with their children to be role models.”
“Be a role model. Talk to your child about safe pedestrian practices while you walk. Over time, your frequent demonstrations will become ingrained in their approach to crossing roads.”
Pedestrian Safety Message To Parents - Toronto Public Health
WALK & ROLL: The optimal choice is to walk and roll with our kids whenever possible. Exercise, a couple minutes chatting together and no traffic hassles. Who can beat that?
PARK: If you can’t walk, there is plenty of legal parking available where you can park and be on the school property within minutes. Please observe the parking signs to help keep our students free from harm and teach them respect for the law. Legal Parking Options: Northlea Legal Street Parking Guide
RUMSEY PARKING LOT: A few friendly reminders about parking at the lot on Rumsey Road:
Pedestrians are asked to please use the walkway parallel to the lot rather than walking through the lot.
There is one spot reserved for people who need accessible parking. Please only park in this spot if you require accessible parking.
2 spots are reserved for TDSB at all times of day. Please refrain from parking in these spots even if they are empty.
There are only 3 first-come first-served spots available. These spots are designated for TDSB staff, visitors to Northlea and families from the Northlea Community Child Care (NCCC) and Northlea EMS. These three spots are intended to be short term parking.
Please ensure you back into the parking spots so you have strong visibility upon exiting.
The lot is not available between 8:30 am - 9:00 am, as you will not be able to enter or exit the lot during this time. Please plan to leave the lot before 8:30 or after 9:00 am.
Please do not park in the fire lane. Cars can only park in designated spots and not perpendicular to those spots.
The safety of all of the children who access NCCC and Northlea EMS is our top priority.
SUTHERLAND STAFF PARKING LOT - There are no designated parking spots for visitors in the larger parking lot at the back of the school. All spots have been assigned to Northlea staff.
Parents are not permitted to park in this lot for any reason during school hours.
School Bus Transportation To & From Northlea
Some of our students qualify for transportation to and from Northlea. Transportation staff have been in constant contact with our bus operators over the summer to ensure a smooth start-up in September. At this point in time, all operators are reporting sufficient drivers to cover all routes. Thanks to all families who have signed up on the transportation portal as it will allow for the team to communicate and keep you updated on service related issues. If you haven’t signed up yet, please visit https://busplannerweb.torontoschoolbus.org/Subscriptions/Login.aspx. The portal will continue to be your one stop shop for valuable information. If you have any issues signing up on the portal, please contact us at support@torontoschoolbus.org and staff will assist you with the registration of your account. For more information, please click here.
The Potential for September Reorganziation
In September we track class sizes to ensure we uphold provincial and TDSB standards as they relate to averages and the primary cap. At times, our enrollment changes the summer and may result in needing to reorganize class groupings and teaching assignments in the fall. Our staff are skilled at supporting students and families through this process. Please keep this system norm in mind as we begin the year and please be assured that we will keep you informed if any changes need to be made.
Grade 6 Trip to Sheldon Outdoor Centre
Our Sheldon Outdoor Centre Field Trips have been booked. Given our large student numbers, we will continue to divide the total number of students in half and host two trips to Sheldon.
Monday, September 16th - Wednesday, September 18th - TRIP 1 - Mr. Shizas and Mme Roccasalvo
Wednesday, September 18th -Friday, September 20th - TRIP 2 - Ms. Ossher and M. Shapiro
If you have a child going into Grade 6, please put these dates on hold. The teachers will send home the permission packages shortly. We ask that you please return the forms as soon as possible.
Trustee Corner
Please visit Trustee Chernos Lin's website for updates about Ward 11: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/ward11/
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/ .
School Year Calendar 2019-2020
The 2019-2020 school year at the TDSB begins on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 following the Labour Day long weekend. For more information about important dates and holidays for the upcoming school year, please refer to the 2019-20 School Year Calendar.