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.
Put Bullying to Bed - Dance-A-Thon
Mark your calendars for Friday, November 23rd for Northlea's 'Put Bullying to Bed' Dance-A-Thon.
The countdown is on! We are two weeks away from the ultimate cosmic pyjama dance party! Get ready to bust out your favourite dance moves on Friday, November 23rd and help us put bullying to bed!
Online fundraising is highly encouraged via this link: www.pledge.me. Please find Northlea and scroll through the class list to find your students teacher.
The class with the highest level of enthusiasm combined with great fundraising efforts will win a prize. Students have also been given a pledge form to accept cash or cheques.
Music requests can all be made via www.pledge.me!
This is a new initiative for Northlea and we are hoping for 100% of students participating in this fun and community building event. Thank you for your continued support.
Check out our Primary Division warming up for the Dance-A-Thon with Professor Neutron.
Sports Centre
The Cross Country, Soccer and Football seasons have come to an end. Welcome to Boys' Volleyball and Girls' Basketball. Northlea is offering both Grade 5/6 and 7/8 teams for both sports. The teams are set and tournaments are taking place in the next couple weeks. We will announce our Winter Roster in a few weeks.
Cross Country Appreciation
The Cross Country Pizza Lunch celebration is on Monday, November 26th @ lunchtime.
Healthy Relationships Week
Across Ontario, the week of November 19-23 is a week focused on preventing and raising awareness about bullying and helping students navigate relationships in healthy and productive ways. At Northlea we are highlighting healthy relationships with self and others.
We continue with regular activities supporting this work such as building conflict resolution skills on a daily basis by supporting restorative problem solving. We also infuse instruction about theZones of Regulation to help students learn about themselves and how to self-regulate.
We are pleased to offer numerous clubs that focus on community building and offer welcoming spaces to students at Northlea. Just last week, our Girls' Club was discussing the topic of healthy relationships. The WE Team is preparing an awareness campaign on digital citizenship. The Glitter Squad and Be the Change groups focus on social justice leadership as well. The ECO PALS will be instrumental student mentors when we grow our OPAL programming. The ASL Club is opening up learning about another mode of communication. We even have a new club led by students in Grades 1 and 2. It's called "Sam's Club" and students can join Sam's club during lunch on Friday for some quiet, peaceful time together. Stay tuned for another club starting up soon . . . the Yoga Club.
In addition to the ongoing clubs and experiences offered at Northlea, we also have a few special events prepared for the week of November 19th, 2018.
Monday, November 19th, 2018
Buddy Day/Week - Classes will buddy up and participate in activities together.
Supporting Well-Being for Staff and Students - Lunch session Led by Dana Chapman of Bee Birch Yoga
Inclusion through Universal Design for Learning & Differentiated Instruction - Professional Learning workshops for staff throughout the day.
Tuesday, November 20th, 2018
Jennifer Capes to take a group of Glitter Squad leaders to the Envision Conference
Wednesday, November 21st, 2018
Bianca Angheloni - Elementary Itinerant Guidance Counselor - will lead interactive sessions with several Primary and Junior classes on how our brains work and, together, they will create hands-on mindfulness items.
Friday, November 23rd, 2018
PUT BULLYING TO BED PAJAMA PARTY DANCE-A-THON
We have also begun forming a Grade 8 Mental Health Leadership initiative in partnership with Toronto Public Health. Soon you'll be hearing about our Northlea Let's Talk Campaign. The Grade 8 students are set to begin planning a wellness event that focuses on mindfulness and well-being. More news to come.
We are also in the process of rolling out the My Life Onlineprogram. This is a multifaceted program that includes online modules and in-person sessions on the topic of digital citizenship. Thank you to the Home and School Association for funding this program. We will update the community with additional details at a later date.
We hope that this broad range of opportunities, both during this week and throughout the year, offer your children numerous opportunities to grow their confidence, social skills and sense of belonging at Northlea and beyond.
Spotlight on Assistive Technology
Read & Write Gold @ Home
Read and Write Gold is designed to provide literacy support for students. It supports a Universal Design of Learning model which aids students in accessing the curriculum and completing reading, writing and research assignments. When used in conjunction with other applications, Read & Write allows students to experience greater independence and promotes inclusive classroom practices. This software incorporates the functionality of many pieces of software. As a result, it eliminates the need for students to train on multiple technologies.
Some features of Read & Write Gold include;
- Speech Feedback
- Research Tools and Graphic Organizer
- Word Prediction / Phonetic Spell Checker
- Talking Dictionary / Homonym Support
- Audio File Creation
- French Translator
- Calculator: Standard and Scientific
- Scanning Capabilities
To access it at home, instructions can be found here: https://sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/tdsbat/read-write/read-and-write-installs-at-home-for-ios-mac-and-windows-machines
Makerspace - Innovate, Create, Iterate
We are delighted to update you on a few new purchases for the Library. Last week, the "Pit" was repainted (Thanks TDSB Facilities!) and we now have a green screen for all the classes to use as they wish. In addition to the resources purchased by Home and School, we also purchased 10 Chromebooks and a number of Makey Makey kits to go with our Dash and Dot robots and IPads.
Check out some music making with the Makey Makey kit:
Ms. Ivancic has even registered our school in the Hackergal competition. Stay tuned for details on this middle school initiative.
The video below shows the students beginning to work on their coding skills.
As well, Ms. Ivancic and Ms. Mason visited the TDSB Resource Book Fair and purchased boxes of books that reflect a diverse and complex world.
We are committed to continually growing the resources and experience in the library so it is a space that inspires curiosity, literacy, collaboration and creativity. Thank you to Ms. Ivancic for her leadership.
This work and our broader push for cross-curricular design thinking learning opportunities reflect our commitment to infusing learning about Global Competencies in teaching and learning experiences at Northlea.
Trustee Gershon - Revised Coffee Date
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 @ 2 PM
Grades 1-2 & Grade 7 & 8 - Spring Concert - Date TBD
Halloween Fun at Northlea
We had lots of fun and we share a special shout out to all the parents who helped lead class parties.
Community Coaching Clinics
Litter and Washroom Vandalism
We continue to see a lot of litter throughout the building and on the yard. All students are asked to 'boomerang' their food. All packaging and remaining food items should be brought home. We thank you for talking with your children about proper disposal of refuse. Ideally everything is being boomeranged. We also have recycling, garbage (and soon we'll also have composting) as options as needed. Where possible, please send food in reusable containers.
As well, there is often a mess made in the washrooms. We see soap being emptied and paper strewn through the washrooms. Most of our students are using the facilities responsibly. We ask for your continued support to discuss this with your children and encourage them to talk with an adult if they are aware of any issues.
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/ .