A Message from the NTCI Parents Mailing List:
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Acknowledgements & Upcoming Events & Dates
Please contact the appropriate vice-principal with any issues throughout the
school year:
Annamaria Mazzaferro (students with last names A-L)
Kathleen Pyper (students with last names M-Z)
Please contact the appropriate Guidance counsellor with the following student
alpha responsibilities:
Michelle de Braux (students with last names A-D)
Jennifer Hayden (students with last names E-L, O)
Jennifer Schwartz (students with last names M-N, W)
John Taylor (students with last names P-V, X-Z)
September 19: Mini-Night - Thursday September 19th!
This evening has been designed to provide parents/guardians with the
opportunity to experience an abbreviated version of your son or daughter's
timetable. As you move from classroom to classroom and meet each of your
child's teachers, you will learn about the main features of the course of
study, the teacher's homework expectations, and the evaluation policies and
practices for each class. Although this is not a time for personal interviews,
if you wish to speak to a teacher on a more personal level, please feel free to
request a mutually convenient time to discuss these issues.
We request that you arrive no later than 6:10 p.m. so that you may pick up your
child's timetable and other information in the Student Commons (timetables will
be available between 6:00 and 6:25 p.m.).
We look forward to seeing you on September 19th.
Note: 1) General parking in the area of Yonge and Eglinton is always a
significant problem. We advise travel by TTC. There is NO parking available at
the school.
2) If you are not on our parent e-mail distribution list, please
register at
http://ntci.on.ca/main-office/mailing-lists/
Class Sizes
We have heard some concerns from parents/guardians regarding larger high school
class sizes in some grades during the first week of school. While
understandable, I want to assure you that this is not uncommon for the first
few weeks of school. This school year, there may be more awareness of class
size issues due to a new provincial plan to reduce the number of teachers over
the next four years, especially in secondary schools. This will increase class
sizes in each of the next four years.
I want to take this opportunity to outline our process for stabilizing our
class sizes. Each spring, the Board projects enrolment for every school and for
every grade within the school. At that time, the Board also allocates the
number of teachers. At the end of the third week of the new school year,
schools report their enrolments by grade to the Board. High schools wait longer
than elementary schools to report their September enrolment due to the fact
that in the first two weeks, high school students are more likely to change
their courses (or in some cases, their school). At high schools that
experience an enrolment greater then projection, there may be some
reorganization of classes and/or they may be assigned additional teachers. I
will be requesting additional staff for North Toronto which will result in some
changes to students' schedules. By the start of October, class sizes will
normalize - meaning they will reflect expected class sizes. We appreciate your
patience and support while our Guidance counsellors deal with course request
changes (over 425) and new registrations (30+ new registrants since mid-August).
Starting this year, the new provincial plan to reduce the number of high school
teachers will mean an increase in average class sizes from 22 to 28 in Ontario
high schools over four years. The government expects school boards to reduce
the number of secondary classroom teachers through attrition (i.e. retiring
teachers who are not replaced) to reach the higher class size. Recently the
government announced the provincial average high school class size for 2019-20
will be 22.5. Based on the current TDSB's secondary teacher attrition rate, the
Board's average high school class size for 2019-20 will be 23.6 students, up
from an average of 21.9 students last year. School boards historically have had
different class size averages and different teacher attrition rates and
therefore they will reach the four year class size average of 28 students at
different stages.
In the first week of high school classes there have been a few isolated cases
where some classes have reached as high as 40 or more students. Please know
that this will change in the next few weeks to meet the expectations outlined
above.
I trust this helps explains some of the concerns we have heard about class size
this September. Please don't hesitate contact me if you have any questions.
Upcoming Events & Dates
September 20: late start (classes start at 10 am)
September 20: Music Council retreat begins
September 23: Student Club Fair
September 23: North Toronto Foundation (Alumni) meeting
September 23: Terry Fox run
September 24: Staff meeting (late start)
September 26: Grad Photo re-take day
September 27-29: Ontario Universities Fair @ MTCC
September 30: Rosh Hashanah
September 30: Orange Day
School Council news!
>From the NTCI School Parent Council
We hope everyone had a good first week back to school, that families and
students have adjusted to the new routine, and are ready for a great year ahead!
Please note that the date for the first School Parent Council meeting has been
changed due to a conflict with Rosh Hashanah to Monday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m.
in room 215.
Attendance at this meeting is especially important as the Parent Council
Executive election will be taking place. We will have more information on that
meeting out shortly. We warmly encourage everyone to attend.
Parent involvement strengthens our partnership with the school, and contributes
to students' success.
The NTCI School Parent Council has a number of communications channels for
parents to use:
§ Email
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
if you have any questions or suggestions.
§ Subscribe to NTCI School Parent Council mailing
list<https://ntci.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=86a97e16d7abecd32cbbe6284&id=9cf77cbe41>.
Please connect with us through one or all of the following social media
channels:
§ Facebook page: Like and follow NTCI School Parent
Council<https://www.facebook.com/NTCIParent/>
§ Facebook group: Join NTCI School Parent
Council<https://www.facebook.com/groups/1336801883128478/>
§ Twitter: Follow @ntci_parents<https://twitter.com/NTCI_Parents>
New School Dress Code!
We would like to share some important information with you
about new changes to the TDSB policy regarding student dress, effective
September 1, 2019.
The Student Dress Policy
(P042)<http://ppf.tdsb.on.ca/uploads/files/live/97/204.pdf> recognizes that
dress plays a fundamental role in students' lives and that students come from
many diverse backgrounds, identities and experiences and ultimately their right
to decide their dress resides with their family. The policy therefore provides
choices for students dress and does not encourage any one choice but rather
only directs students on what are inappropriate choices for dress at school.
What are students allowed to wear?
All students:
· Will 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 will cover the nipples;
· May wear bottoms that expose legs, thighs and hips and expose straps
and waistbands, but will 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.
Policing students' bodies is neither a
positive, nor effective method to encourage respectful behaviours, ensure
safety and discourage harassing behaviour. However, educating students about
topics of diversity, healthy relationships, sexism and discrimination,
boundaries and consent is a fundamental requirement of creating a safe and
positive school climate and effective strategy to ensure healthy and shared
respectful spaces for everyone.
To find out more information and review our
frequently asked questions please visit:
https://www.tdsb.on.ca/High-School/Your-School-Day/Student-Dress/Questions-and-Answers
William Mack
Principal
North Toronto Collegiate Institute
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To contact the school, 393-9180 or e-mail: [email protected]
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North Toronto Collegiate Institute
17 Broadway Avenue
Toronto, Ontario, M4P 1T7
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NTparents mailing list: [email protected]
http://ntci.on.ca/mailman/listinfo/ntparents_ntci.on.ca
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