Prayer 

As we return in this new year, after the light and rest of the Christmas season, we pause to breathe and to remember that we do not walk this path alone.

In moments of stress and uncertainty,  may we be granted compassion for one another—  gentle words, patient hearts, and the grace to listen well.

Grant us strength for the days that feel heavy,  wisdom for the choices we must make,  and courage to support one another with kindness and care.

May our school be a place of safety and understanding,  where we lift each other up,  heal together, and move forward with hope.

May peace guide our actions,  and may we be reminded that even in difficult moments,  we are a community rooted in care, resilience, and love. Amen. 

 St Dominic: Pray for us

Continued Support for a student

Last week, a student of our school community required medical intervention and is currently receiving ongoing care at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. Our thoughts are with the student and their family during this challenging time. We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who has already contributed to a separate fundraiser in support of the family—your kindness and generosity are deeply appreciated. Our school community will be organizing an additional event to further show our support at a later date.  For now, we kindly ask that you keep the student and their loved ones in your positive thoughts and prayers.

Kindergarten Registrations

We are accepting registrations for kindergarten for the 2025-2026 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.

Lenten Project 

Our grade 6 students are organizing a “Chuck a Duck” Competition as a fundraiser for our Lenten Project.  More information will be shared shortly about this year’s charity and of course how students can purchase their duck. 

Dressing for the Weather 

Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for spending time outdoors, as a significant portion of the day is spent outside. To help reduce lost items, please clearly label all of your child's outerwear, including coats, hats, and mittens, with their name or initials. 

The Importance of school attendance

Consistent attendance is vital for your child's success, as each school day builds their academic foundation and develops essential social skills. Regular presence ensures they benefit from continuous learning and engagement with peers and teachers. Even minor disruptions like frequent late arrivals or early departures can hinder their grasp of concepts. Let's work together to provide every child with the full advantages of an uninterrupted school day.

 Picking up your child early

Just a reminder that if you need to pick your child up before the regular dismissal time of 3:45 p.m., please notify the school office by 3:00 p.m. This allows us to have your child waiting for you upon arrival. For a smooth transition, early pick-ups are best facilitated before 3:15 p.m. This allows our teachers to wrap up the school day with fewer disruptions. 

If you are unable to arrange for an early pick-up of your child by 3:15 p.m., please plan to pick them up at the regular dismissal time of 3:45 p.m.

If you wish to pick up your child during the lunch outdoor recess, please be aware that it can be difficult to find your child in the yard unless we are made aware before 11:50.

NEW - Reporting your child’s absence

Be sure to look in your inbox Monday morning for a step by step how to report your child’s absence using the Safe Arrival app. 

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. 

School Council News

Pizza Lunch - Session #2 coming soon

School Council is pleased to have our Pizza Lunch program continuing with Session #2 for February, March and April. We will continue to order our pizza from The Dough Bros. They will deliver regular crust cheese or pepperoni pizza or gluten-free cheese pizza.

NEW FOR SESSION 2: Pizza will be offered EVERY THURSDAY! There has been a lot of interest and requests for pizza weekly, and School Council is pleased to be able to offer pizza weekly.

Session 2 will cover the following dates: Feb 5, 12, 19, 26, March 5, 12, 26, April 2, 9 (a total of 9 lunches for this first session). School Cash Online is now open for ordering. Payment will be accepted from now until Thursday, January 29th at 11:59pm. As we move to weekly pizza, to ensure the administration is manageable, NO late payments/orders will be accepted. No refunds will be offered. Please direct all questions to info@stdominiccsc.com.

Upcoming Council Meeting

Our next St. Dominic School Parent Council meeting is Tuesday January 27th at 6:30pm at the school. All parents and guardians are welcome. Hope to see you there!

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook

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”. 

Family Rosary: The Knights of Columbus Rosary Program, in association with the Pro-Life Group of Good

Shepherd Parish, aims to build faithful families and communities, as well as a culture of life, through rosary prayer and devotion to Mary. All parishioners are invited to pray the rosary starting at 7pm on Tuesday, January 20th on Zoom.  The Zoom session can be joined by running the Zoom app - Meeting ID: 947 8467 9616 and Passcode: 469494. Alternatively, you may use the following link: Family Rosary January 20 

Knights of Columbus Parish Breakfast: Please join us for a fabulous parish breakfast on Sunday, January 25th after the 9am and 11:15am masses.  $7 per person or $20 per family. 

Dinner with Chef Joe Thottungal:  The CWL is hosting a cooking demonstration and dinner with renowned Chef Joe Thottungal on Sunday, February 1st at 4:30pm.  Chef Joe will take us through the preparation of a number of delicious dinners which we will then enjoy.  Tickets are $75 per person. To reserve please contact Barb Paquette at barb@barbpaquette.com 

Upcoming Important Dates

PD Day: January 30th

Bake Sale (grade 6 Fundraiser):  February 13th

Kindness Week: February 17th - February 20th

Shrove Tuesday: February 17th

Ash Wednesday Ceremony: February18th, 11am

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

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.

Prayer 

Dear Father, As we prepare our hearts for December, we ask that You bring to our minds the blessings You have given us over the past year. Let us not forget Your tender care over our lives. We ask You to strengthen our faith to look ahead to December with hope.

Amen.

Looking for donations for our Christmas Store

We are still accepting gently used items for our Christmas store.  We are looking for gift wrap, gift bags, ribbons, picture frames, unused candles and bath products, mugs and much more.  Donations will be accepted until December 12th, and students will shop on Monday, December 15th!

Advent Project

As was shared earlier, we are collecting funds to support families in need this Christmas season.  Grocery gift cards or online cash donations via school cash online are now being accepted.  Thank you in advance for your generosity. 

Dressing for the Weather

With the colder weather here, we kindly remind all parents and guardians to ensure their children are dressed appropriately for outdoor activities. Layering is key, and warm coats, hats, gloves or mittens, and waterproof footwear will help keep our students comfortable and healthy throughout the school day.

The Importance of school attendance

Consistent attendance is vital for your child's success, as each school day builds their academic foundation and develops essential social skills. Regular presence ensures they benefit from continuous learning and engagement with peers and teachers. Even minor disruptions like frequent late arrivals or early departures can hinder their grasp of concepts. Let's work together to provide every child with the full advantages of an uninterrupted school day.

 Picking up your child early

If you need to pick your child up before the regular dismissal time of 3:45 p.m., please notify the school office by 3:00 p.m. This allows us to have your child waiting for you upon arrival. For a smooth transition, early pick-ups are best facilitated before 3:15 p.m. This allows our teachers to wrap up the school day with fewer disruptions. 

If you are unable to arrange for an early pick-up of your child by 3:15 p.m., please plan to pick them up at the regular dismissal time of 3:45 p.m.

If you are dropping off your child for the regular start time, we encourage you to use the Vista park parking.  We have noticed that there are lots of parking spots and this would greatly reduce the amount of vehicle traffic in the roundabout at the opposite end of the yard.

If you wish to pick up your child during the lunch outdoor recess, please be aware that it can be difficult to find your child in the yard unless we are made aware before 11:50.

Reporting your child’s absence

Please be sure to inform the office of your child’s absence, either by calling the school at 613-424-3760 or by email at dominic@ocsb.ca.   Informing of us of your child’s absence is extremely helpful and also avoids an unnecessary attendance call from our automated service.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

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.

OPH Respiratory Fact Sheet

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

Spirit Week

We will host a Spirit Week coming up the week of December 15th. Our themes will be: 

Monday Dec 15: Christmas Sweater Day

Tuesday Dec 16: Sparkling Snow Day (wear sparkles or something white, get dressed up for Mass)

Wednesday Dec 17: Holiday Hats & Headbands (the more Christmas accessories, the better!)

Thursday Dec 18: Festive Flannel (wear your best, or comfiest, plaid)

Friday Dec 19: PJ Day

School Council News

• Annual Cookies and Christmas Carol night will be Thursday December 11th , 6:30-7:30 

• Pizza Day: The next pizza day is Thursday, December 11 2025. This is for those who have already ordered for this session.

Upcoming Important Dates

PD Day: December 5th

Advent Mass: December 16th, 11am

Last day before Christmas Break: December 19

First day back after Christmas Break: January 5, 2026

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

Please use these links to learn more about this year's Sacraments:

First Reconciliation and First Communion

Confirmation