Administrator Update
Northlea is Proud to be an OPAL School
Newsletter Updates
The Administrator Update 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.
Holiday Greetings
7th Generation Innovation & Grade 5/6 Choir Performance
Thank you to everyone who joined us last week at the choir performance and the academic showcase. We were so pleased to see so many families attend our 7th Generation Innovation celebration of learning. Thank you to our wonderful students and staff for all of their hard work. Thank you also to the numerous parents who met with classes to teach about issues such as sustainability, designing prosthetics, green architecture, fundraising and urban planning.
Below is a video including some of the choir performance. Congratulations to our performers on a beautiful performance. Thank you to Ms. Malach, Ms. Roberts and Ms. Capes for your leadership.
Spirit Week
The SLC has planned a super fun Spirit Week for the week of April 15th - April 18th.
Monday, April 15th - Beach Day
Tuesday April 16th - Funky Hair Day
Wednesday April 17th - Jersey Day
Thursday, April 18th - Northlea Day
Jump Rope for Heart
We have a wonderful day of activities planned for Monday, April 15th. The weather; however, is looking a little messy. It's possible we may postpone the event. We will update the students at the start of the day. Thank you for your understanding. Thank you also to Ms. Zaharia for her leadership.
Artists in Residence
Students in Grades 4-6 have begun working with three different artists in residence.
Ms. Ossher's students have been working Erin ZImmerman. Erin is an educator and artist who specializes in expression through graffiti arts. Erin has been engaging students in discussions about creative confidence, inclusion, community-building and positive self-talk.
Grade 4 students from Mme Resnick's class along with Grade 4 students in Mr. Suokonautio's and M. Simms' classes are participating in the TDSB Creates Drama Residency program. They are learning with Kristen Lindell. They are exploring the theme of truth. They have begun to consider how they can express their truths and be their authentic selves.
All students in Grades 3-6 (with the exception of those working with the above two artists) are working with Pria Muzumdar. Students will be exploring the theme of "Stories in Stripes" with Pria. Together, they will consider how to visually represent the qualities of innovators and changemakers (ie. creativity, perseverance, patience and flexibility) using stripes. Students met Pria on Friday, April 12th and she shared the following slideshow with them: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Gi4-FNOxGRnd0IkuUGOlcsaiWMzz1ytFXSMULhHIqtk/edit?usp=sharing
X Movement Visits Kindergarten
Thank you to Mme Wenger for inviting X Movement to Northlea. X Movement got students moving and grooving.
Servery Closed on Friday, April 26th
Our Servery will be closed on Friday, April 26th, 2019.
Music Monday
This year we have something special in store for Music Monday. Grade 1’s and 2’s will be performing a vocal concert at Northlea in the North gym on the morning of Monday May 6th, 2019 as part of Music Monday, an event celebrated in schools across Canada that supports music education. This is a wonderful opportunity for these students to share with you all of the progress they have made this year in music. The Grade 1 choir will perform at approximately 9:10am and the Grade 2 choir will perform at 10:00am.
Parenting Series: Raising Resilient Children - PRO Grant
Topic: HOW TO RAISE GRITTY KIDS - Tuesday, May 14 at 7pm - 8PM plus Q&A.
In this interactive talk with parenting expert Sarah Rosensweet, you will learn about resilience, why it’s
important, and how children develop ‘grit’. We will cover specific ways that you can support your child to foster resilience and the common mistakes that well-meaning parents make that hamper the development of grit.
Topic: HOLD ON AND LET GO: PARENTING YOUR TWEEN - Tuesday, June 4 at 7pm - 8PM plus Q&A.
In this interactive talk with parenting expert Sarah Rosensweet, you will learn strategies for connecting with your tween and establishing more freedom and responsibility for them while maintaining appropriate limits. The teen years can be wonderful! This presentation will help you get started on the right track.
Running Shoe Drive
A big shout out to Liam and Curtis for leading a running shoe drive at Northlea. For the month of April, we invite families to bring running shoes for donation to local communities. There will be a box by the main office.
Running shoe requests:
• Noting bigger that an adult size 8
• Velcro shoes in smaller sizes are needed
• Shoes must be in good condition
Yoga Club
Ms. Calderone is starting a yoga club for students in Grades 1-3. It takes place Wednesdays from 12:00-12:40. Thanks Ms. Calderone! The first session was a huge hit.
Writers and Illustrators Club
We are so excited to update you about a new club at Northlea inspired by student leaders. Thank you to Ms. Robson for supporting this initiative. Students in Grades 3-6 are invited to join the Writers and Illustrators Club. Meetings are announced on our daily video announcements.
Athletics Update
Swimming: Northlea competed at the City finals this past week and took home a significant amount of hardware! We are so proud of all the swimmers. They showed great character and represented Northlea extremely well.
Medals were awarded to the following Northlea students:
Victoria B.- Gold Medal - 25 Meter Breaststroke - 17.04 seconds
Zane B. - Silver Medal - 50 Meter Freestyle - 27.20 seconds
Zane B. - Gold Medal - 50 Meter Breaststroke - 34.81 seconds
Zane B. - Gold Medal - 100 Meter Freestyle - 1:00.50 seconds
Jacqueline L. - Bronze Medal - 100 Meter Freestyle - 1:00.93 seconds
Kylea C. - Gold Medal - 25 Meter Freestyle - 15.22 seconds
Congrats Swim team!
Grade 5/6 Co-ed Volleyball: The Grade 6 Co-ed Volleyball team played in a hard fought round robin tournament and just missed moving on to the Conference Championship. They ended up in a 3-way tie for 1st place, but unfortunately due to tie-breaking procedures, actually finished in 3rd place. They played hard to the end and deserve a lot of credit for the level of sportsmanship they showed, especially when they found out they were not advancing.
Grade 7/8 Co-ed Volleyball: The Grade 7/8 Co-ed Volleyball team is competing for the Conference Championship again! After finishing first in their round-robin tournament, they are looking forward to continuing this torrid pace by giving their best at the championship. The Conference Championship is being held at Northlea this Monday, April 15th, starting at 10:30 am.
Badminton: Northlea's Badminton teams have been attending tournaments for the past couple of weeks. They have won a couple of matches and are on the hunt for a spot at the Conference Championship. Stay tuned for more details.
Coming soon: Slo-pitch, Rugby, Ultimate Frisbee, Track and Field
Grade 8 Trip - Parent Information Evening
We invite all parents of Grade 8 students to join us for an information evening about the Grade 8 trip on Monday, April 29th at 6:30 PM.
EQAO Parent Information Evening
Parents of students in Grades 3 and 6 are invited to attend a parent information evening about EQAO on Tuesday, May 7th at 6:30 PM.
Little Mermaid Musical
We can't wait to invite families to see this year's musical - The Little Mermaid. The performances will take place at 7 pm on April 30th, May 1st and May 2nd. The actors, stage crew, set designers, make-up team and staff directors are working diligently to bring an excellent production to the Northlea community. Stay tuned for more information about tickets.
Grade 7 & 8 Dance
The SLC is excited to welcome students in Grades 7 and 8 to the spring dance on Friday, April 26th in the afternoon. The SLC has a goal of sending several children to Camp Oochigeas this summer. The money collected for the dance goes towards paying for the DJ and food and then all profits go to Camp Oochigeas.
The costs are as follows:
Entry only - $5.00
Entry and a drink and a snack - $7.00
Extra drinks or snacks can be purchased on site for an additional fee.
Where possible, we invite payment via Cash Online.
In the TDSB we are committed to ensuring that all activities are accessible and that finances do not pose a barrier to involvement. Please feel free to be in touch with Ms. Sandler if you have any questions.
Day of Pink Pink-nic
The Glitter Squad hosted a fabulous Pink-nic in honour of Day of Pink. This event was open to all students in Grades 1-8 who wished to join and we thank them for their involvement. We were also delighted to have several parents join in the fun.
Be the Change
Our Grade 5 & 6 Be the Change group has been thinking a lot about how to foster belonging at Northlea. They identified areas where students feel vulnerable and they are working one space at a time to transform them.
This past week they painted a washroom with inspirational messages. They have big plans for the other washrooms at Northlea and we are tremendously proud of their initiative and commitment to making Northlea the best it can be.
Reminders about Device Usage at Northlea
1) Students accessing the wireless network with any device are reminded that they must at all times abide by the TDSB Code of Internet Use. Students may only use electronic equipment in the classroom. Devices are not permitted to be used in the halls or in other areas of the school including the schoolyard. The use is for educational purposes only and subject to the discretion and direction of the teacher.
2) Students in Grades five to eight are permitted to bring in computers for use in school after discussion and agreement with their parents and teachers. They are reminded that they are solely responsible for their equipment; the school cannot be responsible for lost or stolen devices, nor do we have storage facilities.
3) Students are expected to put any electronic devices in their locker for safe keeping while they are being used at school.
4) Students in Grade four may bring in a device to support their learning only after consultation with parents and their classroom teacher.
5) Students in Grades 1 to 3 are not permitted to bring personal electronic devices to school.
6) For our purposes a computer is defined as any electronic device that can access a wireless or cellular network.
7) Do not leave personal computers unattended in classrooms, common areas, or lockers. Students who are using their personal computers in such a way that is not permitted under the TDSB Code of Internet Use will be asked to shut down their computers and may be subject to further disciplinary action.
8) Failure to adhere to the school’s policy for use of personal electronic devices will be addressed via our progressive discipline approach.
9. Grades 1-6 should not have cell phones out at school at any point.
10. All students are expected to use the office phone to call home for any matter. In an effort to support student succcess with this school expectation, parents are asked to communicate with students via the office during the school day.
Kiss & Ride
All dates need your help. Please consider volunteering 15 minutes of your time weekly/biweekly to keep the Spring program running smoothly at Northlea! You can sign up to volunteer by clicking here.
Spring Fling - Save the Date
The Northlea Home and School Council is moving Family Fun Night from February to Thursday, May 30th. It's going to be called "The Spring Fling" and it will be a fabulous community-building event. We can't wait to see you join in the fun.
Walk & Roll to School Wednesdays
April #WalkAndRollWednesday Winners are are up: FDK & MOST IMPROVED: Ms. Cranswick’s class with 85%! INTERMEDIATE: An impressive 3-way tie between Ms. Standing’s Gr8s, Mme. Gardiner’s Gr8s and Ms. Fazl's Gr7s with 100%! Thanks to all classes who participated!
Kudos to the top classes! PRIMARY: Ms. Horton‘s Grade 1 class with 85% JUNIOR: Mr. Shizas’ Grade 5/6 class and Mme Loares' Grade 4/5s TIED with 90%!
Please mark your calendar for our upcoming dates:
Wednesday, May 1st, 2019
Wednesday, June 5th, 2019
Social Series
The Northlea Social Series is a series of events organized and hosted by Northlea parents and school staff. This year's Social Series has an awesome lineup of parties and events for both the kids and adults. For the adults some events include: Lawn Bowling, a Painting Evening and Knight Riders (spinning). For the students some events include: the Ice Cream Truck, Floor Hockey, Hip Hop Dance, Pawsitively Pets Kids Night Out and a Planting Party. It's a great way to connect with the Northlea community, make some new friends and have fun, all while raising money for the school!
Don't miss out! Online ticket sales are available at: https://www.northleaschool.ca/2019-social-series/
My Life Online - Parent Webinar
MY LIFE ONLINE WEBINAR: Teaching Kids to be Safe, Smart & Kind Online
Thank you to everyone who joined the webinar. It was great to test our the webinar co-learning format on such a snowy day. The online parent turnout was fabulous. If you'd like to view the webinar, the link will be live until the end of the school year.
Thank you to Home and School for this opporutnity and special apprecation is shared with Shelagh Cummins for her leadership wiht this initiavitee.
More information can be found in this package:
Trustee Corner
Below please find a link to Trustee Chernos Lin's latest newsletter:
Coffee Meeting Dates with Trustee, Rachel Chernos-Lin - Monday, April 1 / Tuesday, April 30
Please join Rachel at an upcoming April coffee morning and/or evening. These "coffee" events are informal gatherings where parents and constituents are invited for a roundtable-style discussion of information sharing, best practices and interesting conversation related to education in our ward. Often superintendents and sometimes even principals drop by, so these are fun and engaging events. We hope you will attend! For more information, please visit here.
Coffee Morning: Tuesday, April 30, 9:15am to 11:30am
Location: Upstairs at Longo's, Leaside Location, 93 Laird Drive
Please visit Trustee Chernos Lin's website for updates about Ward 11: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/ward11/
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.
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/ .