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.  

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/

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.

Welcome Back BBQ - Save the Date!

Please save Tuesday, September 24th from 5-7:30 (*slight time change) 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.

French Immersion Bus Parent Breakfast @ Thorncliffe Park School

We invite parents who bus their children from outside of the Northlea catchment area (Maurice Cody and Thorncliffe Park) to join us for a meet and greet breakfast after the bus departs at approximately 8:45 am on Tuesday, October 22nd @ Thorncliffe Park School. 

Parent Breakfast - ISP DD Program

We invite parents with children in our ISP DD program to join us for a discussion on Friday, November 8th at 9 am in the school library.  We look forward to connecting with you and generating parent input for the program.

Pizza Lunches

The pizza lunch date for this school year are:

October 24

November 21

December 19

January 30

February 27

March 26

April 23

May 28

June 18

Winter Concerts - Save the Date!

Grades 3 & 4, the Grade 5/6 Choir and the Grade 8 Honour Band will be performing at the two Winter Concerts on Wednesday, December 11th in the afternoon and the evening.

Grades 1 & 2 perform in the springtime and the Grade 7 Band will perform later in the year as well.

Our Kindergarten students typically perform on site during an afternoon concert in December.  

More details on all of the above will be shared but for now, please mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 11th if you'd like to share in this Northlea event.

Kiss & Ride Program Update

Our Kiss and Ride program is going to begin on Tuesday, October 15th after the Thanksgiving long weekend.  This program is an important part of our school safety plan and it relies on volunteers.  For those with time at the start of the day, it is a very manageable commitment.  Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to date. 

Please also consider this email a formal request for more volunteers.  We need to grow our roster of volunteers in order to keep this very valuable program up and running.  https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/5080f4da9af23abf49-knrfall

Northlea Shirts for Cross Country Meets

Lime green Northlea shirts are only available on the website until September 30th. The link to buy them is:  https://northleaschool.entripyshops.com/youth-pro-team-tee  These shirts promote school spirit and they are also an important safety measure to locate and identify Northlea students at very crowded meets.  All students must wear lime green shirts while at the Cross Country meets.  If finances pose any barrier to securing a shirt, please let me know so we can ensure we have additional shirts.  

Rumsey Parking Lot Closed on September 25th & 26th

On September 25th and 26th we will be welcoming the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Tour For Humanity Bus.  The bus is a mobile interactive classroom and it will need to park in the lot all day on both days.

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 

Forms and information can be found online on the Northlea school website and at the above links (https://sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/wearenorthlea/).

Terry Fox Walk

Northlea Elementary Middle School is proud to be participating in the 2019 Terry Fox School Run on Tuesday, September 24th, 2019.  Please join us and support this wonderful cause by donating to our school’s fundraising page at:http://www.terryfox.ca/NorthleaESToronto  Thank you for joining us in the fight against cancer.  

Kindergarten to Grade 3 will run on site.

Grades 4-8 will run off site.

We are looking for parent volunteers.  Interested parents are asked to please contact Michael.Sanders@tdsb.on.ca.  

Parent Volunteers in the Library

With the amazing flow of students in the library, we are looking for a few parent volunteers who are willing to commit to one or two days a week, to help with shelving books throughout the school year.

Please contact Ms. Ivancic by email at gemma.ivancic@tdsb.on.ca should you be willing to assist.

Servery Menu

The following servery menu is available for students in Grades 1-8.

Grade 7 & 8 Student Senate

The TDSB Student Senate will be holding an online By-Election for a Grade 7/8 Representative for the Student Senate Executive for Learning Centres 1 and 4 on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 as these positions went unfilled during the Student Senate Elections last Spring.The By-Election is open to all students who are currently in Grades 7 and 8.

Application packages will be available on Monday, September 23, 2019.

All Grade 7 and 8 students in your school are eligible to vote on Wednesday, October 30. The Election process will begin on Wednesday, October 23, with the campaign period during which students will be able to view the candidate speeches online up until the By-Election date.

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:

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.

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.

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.

Crossing Guards

There are 3 school crossing guard locations in close proximity to the school:

There are two other locations that will be studied this Fall. The results will be available in Spring 2020:

School Bus Transportation To & From Northlea

The Toronto Student Transportation Group (TSTG) has received an update from Stock Transportation that despite their best efforts, there continues to be a driver shortage now impacting 24 routes in Stock Transportation’s East, West and North Divisions.  For questions, contact Toronto Student Transportation Group at 416-394-4BUS (416-394-4287) or e-mail transportation@torontoschoolbus.org. Parents are also encouraged to check the delay portal for the latest information https://busplannerweb.torontoschoolbus.org/Cancellations.aspx.

Problems connecting with Student Transportation? TSTG has a temporary new phone line for the month of September to contact the call centre. You shouldn't get a busy signal using the new number at 647-790-3829.

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. 

New Student Dress Policy

The TDSB’s new student dress policy is now in effect. The new policy provides students with learning environments that are safe, equitable, welcoming and inclusive. It also recognizes that decisions about dress reflect individual expression of identity, socio-cultural norms and economic factors, and are personal and important factors to a person’s well-being and health. 

What are students allowed to wear?

All students:

• Must wear a top and bottom layer of clothing of opaque material.
• May wear tops that expose arms, shoulders, stomachs, midriff, neck lines, cleavage and straps but must cover the nipples.
• May wear bottoms that expose legs, thighs and hips and expose straps and waistbands, but must cover the groin and buttocks.
• May wear any headwear that does not obscure the face.
• May wear dress requirements to support a creed practices and similar human rights accommodations.
• May not wear tops that expose nipples.
• May not wear bottoms that expose the groin and buttocks.
• May not wear any headwear that obscures the face.
• May not wear undergarments as outerwear.
• May not wear anything that promotes or symbolizes drugs, alcohol, illegal activity, hate or discrimination, profanity, pornography; or that incites violence or harassment; or threatens health and safety.

Servery Menu

Trustee Corner

Please visit Trustee Chernos Lin's website for updates about Ward 11:  https://www.tdsb.on.ca/ward11/

You can also find the latest newsletter here:  

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.