Prayer 

Dear God, 

During this Black History Month, we come before you with grateful hearts. We give thanks for the resilience and strength of people of African descendants throughout history and for the contributions they have made to our society. Help us to honor their legacy by working towards unity, justice, and equality for all. Guide us to make choices that promote love and understanding, and to reject prejudice and discrimination. May we see the beauty in our differences and celebrate the shared humanity that unites us. In your name we pray, Amen.                                                                   

 St Dominic: Pray for us

Student Census

The OCSB’s 2026 Student Census is going to begin on February 24th! 

Need more info? Consult: Board Census Webpage and FAQ 

If you do not want your student (grade 4 - 12)  to participate, the opt-out period is from Mon, Feb 2nd - Fri, Feb 13th, via the link above. This will ensure your student does not have access to the survey. Additionally, on the day of the census, your student can choose not to participate in the entire survey or specific questions in the survey.

If your child is in grades kindergarten through 3, you will be sent the link to complete the survey on their behalf.

Want to learn more?  Attend an In-Person Parent Engagement Session:

Wed, Feb 4th at St. Paul High School  (6:30 PM)   OR   

Thurs, Feb 5th Lester B Pearson High School (7:30 PM)

Sign up to attend a session HERE.

On-site child minding will be provided. We will provide on-site interpretation services for: Arabic, Spanish, French, Mandarin and Tigrinya

Need more info? Consult: Board Census Webpage and FAQ 

Kindergarten Registrations

We are accepting registrations for kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year. If you have a child who will be starting kindergarten, we encourage you to register them as soon as possible. Please spread the word to your friends and family who may also have children ready for kindergarten. We can't wait to welcome your little ones to our school community!  Registrations are to be completed and submitted online and can be found using the following link. 

Planning for Next Year

As we look ahead to the coming school year, we remind all parents that currently enrolled students do not need to be re-registered online for next year. If your grade 6 student is going to St Peter High School, the registration will be transferred automatically.

Should your family be leaving St Dominic next year, please inform the office as soon as possible at dominic@ocsb.ca so that we may plan accordingly.

Badminton Tournaments

 A huge congratulations to our Dragons who participated in the school board’s badminton tournaments.  They represented us well and we are very proud of them!

National Sweater Day

Our EcoClub is encouraging all Dragons to participate in National Sweater Day on Thursday, February 5, 2026, an annual WWF-Canada initiative to promote energy conservation and climate change awareness. On this day, everyone in Canada, including students and staff at St. Dominic, is encouraged to turn down the heat by 2°C and wear a cozy sweater. Students and staff are invited to participate at school, and families are also encouraged to join in at home by adjusting their thermostats. Thank you for helping us raise awareness for the environment!

Winter Play Day

Our Winter Play Day is scheduled for this Friday! Students will enjoy a fun-filled day with activities split into two halves: a morning or afternoon participating in various outdoor stations, and the other half watching a movie indoors.

One of the warm-up stations will feature hot chocolate. Please remember to notify your child's teacher if you prefer your child not to have it.

As this is an outdoor activity day, we strongly recommend students dress warmly. Please ensure your child wears or brings:

• Boots and snow pants

• Layers of clothing

• Extra mittens and socks

• Neck warmers (instead of scarves for safety)

A huge thank you to all the parents who volunteered to help! Our volunteers have been notified. We look forward to a fantastic day of winter fun!

Bake Sale

Get ready to satisfy your sweet tooth! Our Grade 6 students are excited to host their annual Bake Sale on Friday, February 13th.  Students are invited to bring money to purchase a delicious treat. Items are peanut and nut-free. All proceeds from the sale will go directly towards funding their Grade 6 year-end activities.

Spirit Week

Our spirit squad has organized a spirit week for next week, and students are invited to participate!  

Monday: Dress to Impress Day

Tuesday: Twins Day

Wednesday: Favorite Team / Sports Jersey Day

Thursday: PJ Day

Friday: Valentine’s Day: Red / white / pink / purple

Reporting your child’s absence

A friendly reminder that parents should now use the Safe Arrival App to report absences. 

Student Illness

Please do your part to help prevent the spread of common illnesses by following Ottawa Public Health guidelines if your child is sick. Students can return to school when they are fever-free (without fever-reducing medication) AND their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours. If they are experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis (vomiting/diarrhea), they should stay home until they are 48 hours symptom-free.

Please also see this information from Ottawa Public Health regarding when to keep your child home. 

Ottawa Public Library

We are encouraging students to prepare an entry for the Ottawa Public Library’s Awesome Authors Youth Writing Contest. Participants ages 9 to 12 can submit a poem, short story and/or comic in English or in French. Winning entries will be published in a bilingual anthology, and first place winners will receive an eReader. The contest closes on February 28, 2026. Good luck!

School Council News

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday will take place on Tuesday, February 17th. School Council will be marking the day by providing each child with a pancake and syrup for dipping. We are looking forward to celebrating this much-loved annual tradition with our students!

Next School Council Meeting

Our next School Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m. in the school staff room. We are a friendly group and are always happy to welcome new parents to join us. If you have any questions about School Council, please feel free to reach out via email at info@stdominiccsc.com.

Pizza Day

Weekly Pizza Day will begin on February 5th. Families who did not register prior to January 29th will have the opportunity to join the next session, which starts on April 16th. Reminders and registration information will be sent out toward the end of March.

News from Good Shepherd Parish

Confirmation:The next retreat for Confirmation preparation is Saturday, February 14th from 1:00 to 4:30pm. Children are asked to bring a pair of indoor shoes to wear in the church. More details will be e-mailed to parents this month. Families are encouraged to attend mass at The Good Shepherd Church as part of the preparation process for Confirmation. Mass is celebrated on Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 9am and 11:15am. 

Good Shepherd Youth Group: We welcome young people to join our youth group every Friday from 7:00 to 8:30pm.  This group gives students in grade 5 to 10 the opportunity to have a safe place to have fun, cultivate friendships and learn more about the Catholic faith. Our youth nights consist of games, talks and snacks!

First Communion:  The next retreat for the children preparing for First Communion will be held on Sunday, February 8th, starting with the 11:15am mass and finishing at 3:45pm.  The theme for the retreat is “The Mass”. 

Upcoming Important Dates

Spirit Week: February 9th - 13th

Bake Sale (grade 6 Fundraiser):  February 13th

Kindness Week: February 17th - February 20th

Shrove Tuesday: February 17th

Ash Wednesday Ceremony: February18th, 945am

Be sure to visit our school website regularly! 

Here is a link to this year’s school board calendar. 

“We are Called to Build Bridges”

“May we work together for unity in our communities, opening doors and building bridges in place of walls.”

Pope Leo

Next week, our EcoClub is excited to announce National Sweater Day, taking place on Thursday, February 5, 2026!

National Sweater Day is an annual initiative organized by WWF-Canada to raise awareness about energy conservation and climate change. On this day, schools, workplaces, and families across Canada are encouraged to turn down the heat by 2°C and wear a cozy sweater to stay warm.

On February 5, we invite all students and staff to wear warm sweaters as we take part in this important initiative. Classrooms will also be encouraged to engage in cozy, energy-saving activities and discussions about how our everyday choices can help protect the planet, and how small changes can make a big impact.

We also invite families to participate at home by turning down the thermostat and wearing a sweater for the day, helping to extend this message beyond the school and into our wider community.

Thank you for supporting our EcoClub and for helping us build awareness around caring for our environment one sweater at a time!

Beginning on Monday, January 19, our school will be using SafeArrival to report student absences. SafeArrival is designed to make it easier, faster, and more convenient for families to report absences and late arrivals.

With SafeArrival, there’s no need to call the school and leave a message. Instead, you can quickly and securely report your child’s absence in one of three ways:

• Using the SM Home App: Download and install the SM Home app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

• Online: Visit home.schoolmessenger.ca.

• Phone: Call the toll-free number 1-844-478-2598 and follow the prompts

Further detailed instructions are available on the OCSB website.