September 15, 2021

Dear St. Dominic Families,

Here are just a few reminders of what we can do to help keep our school COVID-Safe:

• All students and staff are required to use the Ottawa Public Health Screening Tool each morning before coming to school. A PDF version of the screening tool is also available. After completing the screening, if you said yes to ANY symptom, your child should NOT attend school.

• When dropping off or picking up your child, please wear a mask and keep physically distant.

• To avoid crowding, please know that students can use any of the 4 gates into the school yard at the beginning or end of the day.

Many thanks for all you do to help keep everyone safe,

Paul Gautreau

Principal ~ St. Dominic Catholic School
Address: 2300 Esprit Drive, Orléans
Website: https://dom.ocsb.ca/
Twitter: @StDominicOCSB

__________________________________________________________________________

September 10, 2021

Dear St. Dominic Families,

What a start to the new school year we have had! After many months of not having students at school, our classrooms, hallways, gym, Learning Commons and school yard are once again full of smiles, laughter and learning.

Below are a few pieces of information that I hope you find helpful.

Have a wonderful weekend,

​Paul Gautreau

Principal ~ St. Dominic Catholic School
Address: 2300 Esprit Drive, Orléans
Website: https://dom.ocsb.ca/
Twitter: @StDominicOCSB

STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE: Once again this year, we will be collecting an activity fee. This fee will cover the cost of all the ‘extras’ not covered through the regular school budget, including field trips, special craft materials, and special events. Because we’re not yet certain what activities will be permitted given COVID safety measures, we have decided to collect the fee in two installments. The first installment, $20 per student or $50 per family with 3 or more students, will be due on Friday, October 1st. A second installment of the same amount will be due in February. All fees must be paid using SchoolCash Online. If you have not already registered, please do so by going to https://ocsb.schoolcashonline.com and select the “get started today” option. Please complete your payment by Friday, October 1.

DROP AND GO ZONE: With our new Drop and Go Zone, our parking lot is a busy place in the morning. If you walk your child to school, instead of cutting through the parking lot, please use the gate closest to Vista Park if you can. If you do need to walk through the parking lot, please watch for traffic. Similarly, if you are a driver using our Drop and Go Zone, please watch out for pedestrians. Together we can help keep everyone safe.

ARRIVING AFTER 9:15: If your child arrives at school after 9:15 a.m., please do not bring them to the school yard. Classes begin entering the school at 9:15 a.m., and we don’t want any children left outside by mistake. Instead, after 9:15 bring your child to the office at the front of the school.

ON THE CALENDAR:

• September 25 ~ Jour des Franco-Ontariens

• September 28 ~ Photo Day (This is a new date)

• September 29 @ 6:00p.m.~ Virtual School Council Meeting and Elections

• September 30 ~ Orange Shirt Day: Supporting residential school survivors. Every child matters.

• October 1 ~ Student Activity Fee Payment Due

• October 8 ~ PA day (all grades)

• October 11 ~ Thanksgiving Day (no school)

__________________________________________________________________________

August 31, 2021

Dear Students, Families and Friends,

Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! Welcome to all of our new students, and welcome back to all returning students. As the new principal of St. Dominic, I have been eagerly anticipating the start of the new school year for many months. Now that it is almost here, I am excited to meet everyone and to learn more about what makes the St. Dominic School Community so special.

Below you will find a few pieces of information that will hopefully be a help to you as the new school year begins. Of course, if you have any questions, please feel free to phone or email. You may also find answers to your questions on our new school website. Be sure to check it out!

Over the summer, our custodial team has been busy scrubbing the school. This week, our educator team will be busy setting up classrooms and planning for the year ahead. WE ARE ALMOST READY!

May the year ahead be filled with much learning and growth, much compassion and understanding, much success and accomplishment, and with God’s many blessings. Let the learning journey begin!

Sincerely,

Paul Gautreau

Principal

OFFICE HOURS: Our school office is open this week during regular school hours. Mrs. Leslie and Mrs. Fayad will be busy getting everything ready for the school year ahead. Current COVID protocols prevent us from having visitors in the school, so please call or email if you need to reach us.

YOUR CHILD’S TEACHERS: Later this week, teachers will be emailing parents to introduce themselves and to provide some information about the start of the school year. Teachers will also be telling you about how your child will find their teacher on the first day (more about the first day below). If you do not receive an email by the end of the day on Friday, please send us an email to let us know.

NEW JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS: The first day of school for our Junior Kindergarten students is staggered through the first week of school. This allows us to give our youngest students close attention as we get to know them, and as they get to know us. Parents of our new Junior Kindergarten students should have already received a letter with the date and time of their child’s orientation meeting and first day of school. If you haven’t received an orientation visit letter, please email the school.

BUSES AND VANS: Information about your child’s bus stop can be obtained by logging into the Bus Stop Planner. For other school bus and van information, visit the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority website at http://www.ottawaschoolbus.ca/.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES: What supplies will your child need for school in September? The easy answer is that we provide everything students will need. We will provide all children with the pencils and erasers, notebooks and art supplies, and Chromebooks and iPads. That said, all children will need a pair of indoor shoes, a backpack and lunch box. Kindergarten students will also need a crib-size blanket for rest time. If you’d like to buy your child a special pencil case, pencil crayons, markers, or other supplies, feel free. We also go through a lot of Kleenex over the school year, so if you can, please send in a box of tissues. Teachers will provide more detailed information once the school year begins.

The First Day

MORNING: The first day of school is Tuesday, September 7th. At 9:00 a.m., teachers will be in the school yard ready to meet their new students. Teachers will be holding signs to make it easier for children to find their teacher. Students who take the bus to school or who are in EDP will be brought to the schoolyard by a staff member and helped to find their new teacher. Children will line up with their new classmates, then at 9: 15 a.m., teachers will begin bringing children into their classrooms.

NO VISITORS ON THE SCHOOL YARD: Due to current COVID protocols, parents and guardians are not allowed onto the school yard. Parents and Guardians will have to say “Goodbye” to children at one of the 3 gates into the school yard, and then, if you so choose, watch from outside the fence line. Please be sure to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing.

IF IT RAINS on the first day of school, children will be brought directly into the school and helped to find their class.

AFTERNOON DISMISSAL: At the end of the day (a few minutes before 3:45), students who don’t take the bus and who aren’t in EDP will be brought out to the school yard. Teachers will dismiss students to parents once they see them. If you are picking up your child, please wait outside the school fence, and let your child know where you will be waiting for them. Children who have permission to walk home will be dismissed at 3:45.

STUDENT HEALTH AND SAFETY

COVID SAFETY: To begin the school year, our COVID-19 safety protocols will be very similar to what they were last school year. All Kindergarten to Grade 6 students, staff and visitors are required to wear masks when in the school. All students and staff will need to self-screen daily before arriving at school. Cohorting classes, hand sanitizing, enhanced cleaning will also be practised. For more details about COVID-19 safety in our school, please refer to this Summary of COVID Protocols at St Dominic.

LUNCH AND SNACK ALLERGY ALERT: We have several students at our school who have severe life-threatening allergies brought on by contact with even the tiniest traces of nuts or peanuts. Please do not send in snacks and lunches with any foods containing nuts or peanuts (even trace amounts).

CARE PLANS FOR PREVALENT MEDICAL CONDITIONS: If your child has asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, anaphylaxis, has had a recent concussion, or has any other prevalent medical conditions please let us know so that we can put an appropriate care plan in place. Also please note that we are not able to administer any medications without a ‘Request and Consent for the Administration of Medication’ form that has been completed and signed by your child’s doctor. For more information, please visit: https://www.ocsb.ca/our-schools/student-health/

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY: Our school is a very busy place at the beginning and ending of the school day. Traffic on streets and in parking lots poses a significant risk for pedestrians. For this reason, we ask that you walk rather than drive your child to school. If you must drive your child to school, please park at least a block away and walk. We will also be setting up a “Drop and Go Zone” this year. Stay tuned for more details. Together we will keep everyone safe.