Administrator Update
Northlea is Proud to be an OPAL School
Newsletter Updates
The Administrator Update & TDates 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.
Term I Report Cards & Interviews
Report cards will go home to all families this week on Tuesday, February 12. Teachers are holding parent-teacher interviews later in the week. We hope you have the opportunity to meet with teachers to discuss these reports and that you get a better sense of what's happening in the classroom and your child or children's progress. Interviews will take place on Thursday, February 14th - after school and on Friday, February 15th in the AM.
Lost and Found
During interviews, we invite you to visit the lost and found outside of the South Gym beside the courtyard (Jurassic Park). All items not retrieved by the end of the day on Friday will be added to our OPAL clothing library or donated to local organizations. Check out the pictures below to see if anything looks familiar. Thank you to Ms. Berger for her leadership.
Family Day Long Weekend
Quick reminder that there is no school for students on Friday, February 15th (PA Day) and Monday, February 18th (Family Day). We wish everyone well.
African Inventors & Icons Museum
Thank you to the parents who came to visit this travelling exhibit. We enjoyed co-learning with you. The numerous innovations by people of diverse African backgrounds represent excellent examples of the innovator's mindset in action and serve as meaningful STEM role models. Our students had the opportunity to visit this exhibit on Friday and Northlea was definitely buzzing with learning.
Parents as Partners Conference
The TDSB Parents as Partners conference is on Saturday, March 30, 2019. There is an incredible range of workshops to attend. Please visit https://www.parentsaspartners.ca/ for more information.
February is Kindergarten Registration Month
We are looking forward to welcoming new students and families to our Kindergarten program for the 2019-2020 school year. Registration begins in February.
There are two options for beginninging registration: ONLINE or IN-PERSON
Both options require a second step of in-person document verification. We invite you to call the main office at 416-396-2395 and arrange an appointment with Ms. Keith or Ms. Saroglou.
Please follow this Kindergarten Registration Link for all of the required forms and instructions for Kindergarten Registration.
Please also mark your calendars for two special Northlea Welcome To Kindergarten Events:
Kindergarten Orientation at Northlea: Friday, June 14, 2019 @ 9:40 am in the Library
The Great Kindergarten Play Date: Thursday, August 22, 2018 @ 6:30 PM
Additional information can be found via this link:
https://www.tdsb.on.ca/EarlyYears/KindergartenMonth
Lunar New Year Celebrations
We share best wishes with all community members who celebrate and we had a wonderful time learning together at school.
Kiss & Ride - Pause Extended
THE KISS AND RIDE PROGRAM ON HOLD DUE TO CONSTRUCTION
We have been informed that that watermain lines being replaced in our neighbourhood are taking longer than expected and should be completed sometime next week.
Please note that while this phase of construction is taking place, the Kiss and Ride Program is ON HOLD. Our hope is to have this program up and running after Family Day weekend if not earlier, but it will be dependent on the duration of the construction project.
For the duration of this portion of construction positioned at Sutherland and Divadale, we are encouraging the following:
- Please use the lane ways at the north and south sides of the school and encourage students to do so as well.
- Please tell students that if they do need to cross Sutherland, they must use the following crosswalk sections: (a) Sutherland and Divadale (b) Eglinton and Sutherland (c) Broadway and Sutherland or (d) Donlea and Sutherland.
- Please avoid driving on Sutherland as much as possible.
Please consider volunteering 15 minutes of your time weekly/biweekly to help keep this program running at Northlea! You can sign up to volunteer by clicking here.
Northlea Reduces our Carbon Footprint - #7thGenerationInnovation
As a Gold ECO School, we take ecological stewardship very seriously. Keep following us to see how students use design thinking to enhance sustainable and responsible use of resources at Northlea and beyond. In addition to our new composting program, academic inquiries about the environment, last week we also sent a group of Grade 7 and 8 students to the Middle Schools ECO Schools Leadership Conference. Big shout out to our Healthy ECO Pals and our Grade 7/8 ECO lead team & WE Team for their leadership. Thank you to all the staff who are supporting these initiatives both inside and outside of the classroom.
Sunnyview Inclusive Kindergarten Model
Below is information about a very special Kindergarten option:
The Inclusive Kindergarten Program (IKP) to Sunny View PS for the fall of 2019.
For 20 years, IKP was a joint laboratory school project between Bloorview School Authority (BSA) and the Jackman Institute of Child Study (JICS)that operated out of BSA. The study’s primary focus is to examine best practices around inclusion with a lens on the social dynamics that need to exist in order for the children with disabilities to be as successful in the classroom as typically developing children.
Unlike usual integration efforts where a physically challenged child is placed as a minority into a mainstream educational setting, the IKP offers reverse inclusion, i.e., placing children without physical disability directly into a congregated school. Special needs children do not lose their group affiliation and they are not placed in the position of entering extant social groups in community school settings.
The program was recognized internationally as an example of successful integration; the founding teachers were awarded the Premier’s Award in 2011; and the classroom was used as training site for teacher candidates from the Master of Arts in Child Study and Education program (MA CSE) candidates at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (OISE).
If this program is of interest to you, please contact Edward Goldring at: edward.goldring@tdsb.on.ca.
More information can be found in the following document:
Grade 6 Introductory CPR Training
An amazing opportunity is being offered to our Grade 6 students at Northlea E & MS. The Toronto Paramedic Services Safe City Program is partnering with our school to lead an Introductory CPR Training Workshop for our Grade 6 students. The event will be taking place on February 20th in the North Gym from 1-3pm.
This event is being co-facilitated by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. They have graciously donated 30 CPR manikins for use during the CPR workshop which will permanently be housed at Northlea.
We are proud to support learning experiences that grow CPR awareness. This opportunity is also aligned with Northlea’s Code Pink Procedure. The Code Pink procedure emphasizes fast and organized intervention in the event of medical trauma. Northlea developed Code Pink in partnership with the Northlea staff team, TDSB central departments and our parent community.
Thank you to parents Joanna Degez and Sandra Zambon for their partnership and leadership.
Student Leadership - Valentines Fundraiser
The SLC is selling Valentines related item to raise money for Camp Oochigeas. They are selling Friendship Grams with either a Ring Pop, a stress ball, a reusable plastic straw or a book marks for $1.00 each.
Capes for Kids - Supporting Holland Bloorview
During the week of March 4th - March 8th, Northlea will be participating in Capes for Kids.
Capes for Kids is a fundraiser run by Holland Bloorview to raise money and awareness for the hospital. Since many of the clients/students at Bloorview cannot fully and easily participate in fundraisers like 5Ks or walk-a-thons, Capes for Kids is an inclusive fundraiser that everyone can do! Simply wear a cape during the week of March 4-10 and encourage people to raise funds. More information about the actual campaign and hospital can be found here.
What Are We Doing at Northlea?
While we encourage everyone to raise awareness about Holland Bloorview and this great initiative throughout the next month or so, our official fundraising day will be on Thursday March 7th on “Super Hero Day”.
Everyone will be asked to wear a cape for Capes for Kids and also bring in a toonie or more. Commercials and posters promoting this event will come out soon!
We also ask you to encourage others to donate at our official site: http://donate.hollandbloorview.ca/northleaems
We encourage parents to wear capes to your places of work and in the community.
Stay tuned for more details about this exciting initiative.
Summer Camp Opportunities
Below please find a PDF document with numerous adaptive and therapeutic camp options. A number of the camps focus on an inclusive model and are wonderful options for students of all learning profiles.
Yearbook Photo Submissions
We invite you to share photo submissions with the yearbook. The online link is: https://www.northleaschool.ca/upload-pictures-201819-yearbook/
7th Generation Innovation
Please save the following date: Thursday, April 11th at 6:00 PM
Our teachers have begun planning for this year's 7th Generation Innovation design thinking initiative. Our theme this year is SUSTAINABILITY. We are drawing upon both the wisdom of the Seventh Generation Principle from many Indigenous communities and the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals to frame our problem based learning.
My Life Online - Parent Webinar
MY LIFE ONLINE WEBINAR: Teaching Kids to be Safe, Smart & Kind Online
Tuesday, February 12th @ 7:00 PM
It is clear that social media is here to stay. It is very quickly becoming the primary method of communication for kids in the 21st Century. It is almost impossible to keep up with kids and what site/ app/ game they are into these days. If you are like most parents in the digital age, you feel like your kids are speaking a totally different language.
This webinar allows parents to watch and learn from the comfort of their own home through the link provided http://bit.ly/northlearegistration. This webinar will focus on:
- Helping kids be safe, smart and kind online.
- Helping parents have better conversations about this with their kids.
Please join the webinar next week, on Tuesday, February 12 at 7:00pm. No worries if you can't join on Tuesday evening as a recording will also be available after the webinar.
During the webinar, you will have the opportunity to ask questions. If you have questions you wish to ask ahead of time, you can share your questions by using the hashtag #NorthleaQandA on Twitter or you can submit your questions to this form: https://goo.gl/forms/J7pY9wYqRPSJCoz22
More information can be found in this package:
Northlea Let's Talk
On January 30th, 2019, Bell Canada hosted #BellLetsTalkDay2019. This day is focused on reducing stigma and other barriers in support of an open and caring dialogue about mental health. Northlea was proud to participate and we led #NorthleaLetsTalk. We are keeping this discussion going in numerous ways including with our Grade 8 Mental Health Leadership Group and numerous other co-curricular and curriculum-based experiences.
Athletics Update
Ice Hockey: The Grade 5/6 team won the Leaside Cup!! They are currently 3-1 during League play and are looking for a high seeding in the playoffs. They 7/8 team is 2-1 and should finish in 2nd after the regular season. An all girls team is in it’s planning stages, leading up to an end-of-March tournament at the Mastercard center
Grade 5/6 Girls Basketball: The Grade 5/6 Girls Basketball team were Conference Finalists! They won their semi-final match at John Wanless on Dec. 4th and lost in the Conference Finals in a tightly contested match. Great job girls!
Grade 7/8 Girls Basketball: The Girls ended up qualifying for the North Conference Finals by winning their last League game. They won their Quarter-Final game against Pleasantview on Dec. 3rd and lost in the Semi Finals. Great Season girls!
Grade 5/6 Boys Volleyball: The Grade 5/6 boys won the Division 1 North Conference Championship and went to the City Finals. They ended losing their first game in the City Semi-finals but had an incredible season.
Grade 7/8 Boys Volleyball : The Grade 7/8 boys went 4-0 during league play and eventually won the North Conference Finals. They had an incredible season and should be applauded for their sportsmanship and dedication to fair play
Grade 7/8 Boys Basketball: The boys participated in a competitive tournament on February 4th and are hoping for better results at their next tournament.
Grade 5/6 Boys Basketball: The Grade 5/6 Boys Basketball team has been practicing tirelessly for the first tournament on Friday, February 8th @ St. Andrews P.S.
Grade 5/6 Girls Volleyball: The Grade 5/6 Girls Volleyball Team is anxiously awaiting their first tournament on Feb. 19th @ Milne Valley P.S.
Grade 7/8 Girls Volleyball : The Grade 7/8 Girls Volleyball Team went 5-1 at their first tournament on Tuesday, February 5th @ Northlea and are looking to match that result at their next tournament to ensure a high seeding for the playoffs.
Grade 4-8 Swim Team: The Grade 4/5 Swim Team completed their tryouts last Friday, January 31st and are now in training mode for their upcoming swim meet! The Grade 6/7/8 team finished their tryouts this Friday, February 8th.
Pink Shirt Day - February 27th
Please mark this special day in your calendars. This year, the Glitter Squad is running a door decoration contest. Kindness counts @ Northlea!
For more information, please visit www.pinkshirtday.ca
Spring Fling
The Northlea Home and School Council is moving Family Fun Night from February to spring time. It's going to be a fabulous community-building event. We can't wait to see you there and please stay tuned for more information.
Trustee Corner
Please visit Trustee Chernos Lin's website for updates about Ward 11: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/ward11/
Grade 8 Transition to Grade 9
Secondary Optional Attendance – Key Dates:
February 1, 2019
Optional attendance forms due at secondary school - Applicants are responsible for brining the forms to each of the schools they are applying to via Optional Attendance.
February 15, 2019
Deadline for parents/guardians of students to be informed of the status of the application request
Course Selection
February 22, 2019
Course selection sheets due at elementary schools
March 1, 2019
Course selection sheets due at secondary schools - Northlea staff will deliver these course selection sheets.
TDSB Policy Consultations
From the TDSB Website - We Want to Hear From You - The objective of consultation is to gather public input regarding options, alternative courses of action, as well as to identify unintended effects for various participants and to find solutions. We would like to know your thoughts about our policy decisions by inviting you to our policy consultations. Please click on the policy of your interest to see the current draft. You are welcome to provide your comments, including suggestions on the wording and provisions of the draft policies, questions or recommendations using the contact information below.
Student Dress Code Policy (P042) - To establish standards and fair and equitable practices for student dress in schools; centered on student engagement and student voice. To recognize that students need the freedom to express themselves and experience school as an important social environment, not a professional work environment, and that dress plays a fundamental role in how students build healthy relationships and express themselves. Click for Draft Policy (save as word document) Student Dress Code Policy Survey - Closes February 28, 2019 Contact kenneth.jeffers@tdsb.on.ca
Home Instruction Policy (P060) - To establish the Board's commitment to providing home instruction services for all eligible pupils in accordance with the requirements of Ontario Regulation 298, Operation of Schools – General under the Education Act. Closes February 22, 2019 Draft Policy Contact: Ron.Felson@tdsb.on.ca
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/ .