September 20th Newsletter

Prayer

Lord, we long for unity in our community. We thank You for the diversity that exists among us and pray that we would use it to build bridges instead of walls. Bring us together as one body, unified in purpose and vision, working together to make a difference in our world. (Today’s Prayer)

Allergy Policy

To ensure the safety and well-being of all our students, we maintain a strict peanut, nut, sesame,fish and shellfish-free environment at our school. We kindly request your cooperation in ensuring that your child's snacks and lunches are free of these allergens, which include hummus (sesame tahini) and hamburger-type buns (& other bagels or breads with sesame seeds). Thank you for your understanding and partnership in creating a safe and healthy space for everyone.

Fire Drill Practice

We successfully conducted our first fire drill of the school year yesterday morning. I am pleased to report that our students did exceptionally well, and we were able to evacuate the building quickly and safely. We will continue to practice fire drills regularly throughout the year to ensure that our students are prepared in case of an emergency. 

Reporting your child’s absence

Reminder to please inform the office of your child’s absence, either by calling the school at 613-424-3760 or by email at dominic@ocsb.ca.  

A Message from St. Dominic Food Drive Team

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, we are gearing up for a successful food

drive to raise food for our fellow neighbours. In keeping with our school board’s

theme: "We are called to open doors, build bridges, and nourish new

beginnings" we ask that you think of your neighbour, the Cumberland Resource

Center, as family and join us in the collective effort of bringing in canned or

non-perishable goods. Please send in any goods with your child over the next two

weeks. The final collection will take place Wednesday, October 9th 2024.

Each grade is asked to contribute the grade specific item that the food bank has

highlighted as some of their greatest needs.

Kindergarten-Crackers and cereal 

Grade 1-School snacks 

Grade 2-Canned meat 

Grade 3- Canned juice (tomato, apple)

Grade 4-Canned fruit and vegetables

Grade 5-Rice and pasta

Grade 6-Canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce

Should you wish to further contribute, other items that are in great need include:

tomato paste, flour/sugar, vegetable oil, gluten-free products, soap/shampoo/

toothpaste, laundry soap, toilet paper, diapers sizes 5 and 6, pull-ups (L and

XL)/Goodnites.

We thank you for your generosity and continued support.

School Fees

Thank you to those who have paid their school fees.  School fees can be paid via School Cash Online.

Homework Help

The Cumberland Branch of the Ottawa Public Library (Ray Friel Centre, 1599 Tenth Line Rd) will be hosting Homework Help sessions on Thursday evenings between 6 pm and 7:30 pm, starting on September 19. United for Literacy volunteers will be present to help students in grades 1-10 with all subjects. Kids should come with their homework and work material. A parent/caregiver must remain in the library while their child is being assisted.

This is a drop-in program; registration is not required. Families are not required to stay for the entire duration of the session – come anytime between 6 pm and 7:30 pm!

Terry Fox Run 

Thank you to all who have been able to contribute to our fundraising efforts, either by participating in our Toonie for Terry drive, contributing online or purchasing a Terry Fox Foundation t-shirt.   There is still time to donate directly to our donation page at the following link:  St. Dominic Terry Fox Run  .  Our run date is Friday, September 27th.   We are also still looking for volunteers to help.  Please contact Mr. Lauder at ian.lauder@ocsb.ca if you can help 

School Council News

A reminder that our first meeting will take place on Thursday September 26th at 6:00 pm at the school (in the Learning Commons) We will close out the previous year, hold elections for the current year and start looking ahead at our plans for 2024 - 2025. We look forward to seeing lots of parents and guardians of our St. Dominic Dragons!

For more information about School Council, please email us at info@stdominicCSC.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stdominicCSC.

St. Dominic School Council

Good Shepherd Parish News

Good Shepherd Parish is an integral part of our school community, and we encourage you to read the Parish News for updates on upcoming events and activities.

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, September 25th - Franco-Ontarian Day

Friday, September 27th - Terry Fox Run

Monday, September 30th - Orange Shirt Day

Tuesday, October 8th @ 11am - Thanksgiving Mass in the gymnasium

Friday, October 11th - Christian Community Day (no school for students)

Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion: To the parents of children in

grade 2, this is an important year in the life of your child. They will celebrate the Sacrament of

First Reconciliation followed by the Sacrament of First Communion after Easter. Preparation

for these sacraments will begin with an information and registration meeting. This meeting

will be held on Tuesday, October 1st at 7:00 pm. The meeting will occur at The Good

Shepherd Church and will be for parents only. We would like to remind you that a copy of

your child's baptismal certificate is required to register for sacramental preparation. The

registration form may be downloaded from our parish website. Please bring it to the meeting

with your baptismal certificate and payment of $40.00.

Sacrament of Confirmation: Through Confirmation we are strengthened with the gifts of the

Holy Spirit in order to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, to build up the Church, and defend the

faith by word and deed. If your child is baptized and in Grade 6, he/she may prepare to be

confirmed. The preparation for this sacrament is a family affair and involves the parent and

child. The most important component of the process is weekly attendance at Sunday mass at

The Good Shepherd Parish. Parents, if you wish that your child be confirmed in 2025, you

must attend the information and registration meeting on Wednesday, October 9th at 7:00 pm

at The Good Shepherd Church. This meeting is for parents only, but candidates may attend

with parents. The preparation process, resources, and expectations for your family will be

fully explained.

Parish Youth Group: The youth group will meet every Friday from 7pm to 8:30pm,

beginning on September 20th. These weekly meetings provide students in grades 5 to 8 a

safe place to have fun, cultivate friendships and learn more about the Catholic faith. Youth

nights consist of games, talks and snacks! If you have any questions, please contact Joseph,

our Youth Coordinator, at youth@thegoodshepherdparish.com.

Parish Breakfast: The Knights of Columbus will host a parish breakfast on Sunday,

September 29th after the 9am and 11:15am masses. Tickets are $7 per person and $20 per

family. All are welcome!

Mass Times: Please join us for weekly mass on Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 9am and

11:15am. Daily mass is celebrated from Tuesday to Saturday at 9am.

Inspired by the Word of God and in communion with the Universal Church, the mission of

the Good Shepherd Parish is to build a thriving Catholic community upon the foundations

of worship, fellowship, discipleship, social action, and evangelization.

Visit https://www.oawfest.com/events for more information. The session is free. Registration is required.

September 6th Newsletter

Principal’s Message

It was a great week welcoming students to the 2024-2025 school year.  We are privileged to lead the St. Dominic school dream team of educators as we strive to offer our students an enriching and fun learning experience.  We look forward to seeing you at the various events we will be hosting this year.  Wishing you a wonderful school year!

Warm regards,

Carrie-Anne Gravel (Principal) and Dan Rigley (Vice-Principal)

Parent Portal and School Messenger

It is important that all parents register on the OCSB parent portal.  If you have not yet done so, please visit the following site, for a step by step guide.  

In addition,  please be sure to register for School Messenger as all school messages are sent via Messenger. 

YOU ARE RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER TODAY BECAUSE THE EMERGENCY FEATURE OF MESSENGER WAS USED.  ALL FUTURE COMMUNICATION WILL BE SENT USING THE REGULAR FEATURE.  THIS MEANS IF YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED FOR SCHOOL MESSENGER YOU WILL NOT BE RECEIVING COMMUNICATION FROM THE SCHOOL.  

Parent’s Homework

Please have a look at the following document.  It contains many links that will be helpful to sign up for many school and school board applications.  

List of supplies

A list of school supplies was shared with families.  For easy reference, here are the lists of supplies per division.  

Kindergarten Primary Junior

Please label your child’s items.  An identified water bottle makes it so much easier to return to its owner!  

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.

School hours and tardiness

Our school hours are from 9:15 am to 3:45 pm, and it is crucial that students arrive promptly to make the most of their educational experience.

Attending school on time has numerous benefits for your child's academic progress and overall development. When students arrive punctually, they have the opportunity to settle in, prepare for the day ahead, and engage in valuable classroom activities right from the start. This sets a positive tone for the rest of the day and allows them to fully participate in all learning opportunities.

Regular and timely attendance also helps students build important life skills, such as time management, responsibility, and discipline. By consistently attending school on time, students develop a strong work ethic and establish a routine that will benefit them throughout their lives.  Of course, appointments do happen and we understand that scheduling them outside of school hours can be challenging.  

School Fees

We will be keeping the school fees amount to $30 per student to a maximum of $75 per family. School fees help offset the cost of guest speakers, special presentations (e.g. Scientist in School, music performance) and various crafts.  Student fees can be paid via School Cash Online.

Drop off / Pick up

The parking lot and the bus lane are not accessible to parents at the start of the day between 8:50 and 9:15 and again at the end of the day between 3:20 and 3:45.   If you are driving your child during these peak hours please park on the side streets and walk. Thanks to those parents who have found a new routine.  Your cooperation is keeping everyone safe.  

Meet the Educator Evening

We are excited to invite you to our "Opening our Doors" event on Wednesday, September 11th from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. This informal gathering is an opportunity for you to drop in, meet our dedicated team of educators, and get a glimpse of where your child spends their day. Since educators are still getting to know their students, please remember that this evening is not a formal interview;  it is more an opportunity to connect, meet the educators and learn more about our school community. We look forward to seeing you there!

Terry Fox Run 

 As is in past years, St. Dominic students will participate in the Terry Fox Run and will be  collecting donations for this very worthy cause.  Our run date is Friday, September 27th.  More details will be sent in a separate communication. 

Smile - Picture Day 

  Mark your calendars!  St. Dominic’s picture day is October 30th. 

Volunteers  

Your school needs you!  Please consider volunteering.  There are many tasks and activities which require volunteers, ranging from a few hours a week to once in a while, ie: field trips or school events.  Please note that all volunteers require a yearly Volunteer check.  The form is to be completed online and can be found at https://www.ocsb.ca/contact/volunteers/.

School Council News

St. Dominic School Council would like to welcome you back to our amazing community (and extend a very warm welcome to all our new families)! Next week you will see some important information being sent out (sent home with your child as well as electronically) about School Council, including what we do, how you can be involved and our upcoming meetings.

School Council is a great way to meet new families, get a behind the scenes look at what's happening at St. Dominic and across the OCSB, as well as have a tangible impact on your child's education. You do not have to have a specific role on Council (though you're more than welcome) to attend our monthly meetings - parents are always welcome. The Council supports the school financially, organizes community and school events, and provides advice on matters affecting students' learning. Parents and guardians can get involved by attending meetings, volunteering for events, running for elected positions, and/or participating in activities and fundraising efforts.

Our first meeting will take place on Thursday September 26th at 6:00 pm at the school (in the Learning Commons) We will close out the previous year, hold elections for the current year and start looking ahead at our plans for 2024 - 2025. We look forward to seeing lots of parents and guardians of our St. Dominic Dragons!

For more information about School Council, please email us at info@stdominicCSC.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stdominicCSC.

All OCSB elementary schools are closed throughout the summer. Register for school using our online form. If you have questions, contact our Admissions Department by email at admissions@ocsb.ca or by phone at 613-228-3338.