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Week 1 Done!!!
So much energy moving through the halls and classes at Sacred Heart this week! We are indeed up and running with so much going on already. We hope family time and drives in the car are filled stories from this week and with plans for connecting to the school in different ways throughout the year.
Congratulations to Megan (Gr 12) for sketching an awesome charcoal drawing this week!
Meet the Teacher Event -
Thursday, September 11 (4:00pm-5:30pm)
The purpose of this event is to briefly connect with teachers to establish a partnership in helping students achieve. Keep in mind that teachers have just met your child and are in the process of establishing routines and relationships. Data and reporting on progress will happen later in the term/semester.
7-8 Teachers can be found in their classrooms. Room numbers will be posted; however, we ask that you know the names of your child's teachers before the event. This can be found on your child's mystudentinfo.ca account. **Note: Phys Ed teachers will be in the Learning Commons (library) located on the 2nd floor.
9-12 Teachers:
Wood Floor Gym - Creative Arts, Business, Contemporary Studies, Technology
Cafeteria Gym - English, Math, French, Religion, Physical Education, Science
Atrium - Guidance, Resource, Co-Op
Attendance Matters
Research from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research shows that attendance is important for all students.
In their research they have discovered:
Grades are directly impacted by attendance - “almost all [first year university students] with strong attendance pass their classes”
Class attendance is a more significant predictor of student success than test scores.
Students with the best chance of succeeding in post-secondary studies missed less than 7 days over the course of the entire school year while in high school
Throughout the year, we will be sharing the strategies that we are using in order to help improve and maintain high attendance rates. You can help at home by having conversations about the importance of attending all classes. Your conversations have a tremendous impact on present and future success. Please let school staff know if your student is facing any barriers.
Student Activity Fee
At Sacred Heart, we attempt to provide students with unique and interesting opportunities to connect to the school inside and outside of the classroom. Securing opportunities for initiatives such as guest speakers, supplies for student activities and rentals require additional support. The optional student activity fee is $30/student or $60/family payable via School Cash Online. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Communicating Absences
Sacred Heart is now using SafeArrival, an attendance management system that makes it faster and easier for parents to report student absences or late arrivals. Instead of contacting the school, you can now report absences securely in one of three ways:
SM Home App – Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play
Online – Visit home.schoolmessenger.ca - link now embedded on school website
Phone – Call 1-844-478-2598
Drop-Off & Pick-Up Safety Reminder
As we work together to keep all students safe, we kindly ask parents and guardians to exercise extra caution during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. Please be mindful not to block driveways, intersections, or create hazardous traffic conditions—particularly on Moss Hill Trail, which can become especially congested.
Catholic School Council
The first meeting of the 2025-2026 Catholic School Council will take place on Tuesday, September 30 @7:00pm in the Learning Commons (2nd Floor). All parents are invited to participate in the council either as an elected member or as a visitor. We are fortunate to have a great and supportive parent community.
Optional Student Accident Insurance Available
Families have the option to purchase student accident insurance through Insure My Kids, with coverage starting at just $17 per year. This insurance can help cover costs not included in government or work benefits, such as dental injuries, fractures, tutoring, and more.
Coverage is available 24/7—whether your child is at school, at home, or at play.
To learn more or to purchase a plan, visit www.insuremykids.com or call 1-800-463-5437.
Action Item: Media Consent Form
The OCSB Media Consent Form has been updated for the upcoming school year. Parents/guardians will now be asked to select one of the following options:
No consent for sharing images
Consent to share images for school communication
Consent for yearbook/class pictures only
Please note: If no form is submitted, it will be considered implied consent for the yearbook and class photos. If you have any concerns or specific requests about your child’s image being used, we encourage you to contact the school directly.
International Languages Courses
Did you know that you can learn or master a language other than English and French while earning credits towards your high school diploma? The International Languages Secondary program with OCSB offers courses in languages such as Mandarin, American Sign Language, Ukrainian, Spanish, Russian, Punjabi, and more. Classes are held virtually or in-person every Saturday morning, from 9 am to 12:30 pm. For more information, check out the brochure in the guidance counselors' office or visit 2025-2026 IL Secondary (Credit) program.
Action Item
Student Activity Fee - please see above
Media Consent form - please see above
Epi-Pen - does your student require us to have an epi-pen on hand? If so, please communicate with the office ASAP.
Thurs. Sept. 11 at 4-5:30 p.m. -Meet the Teacher Night (Gr. 7-12)
Wed. Sept. 24 - Gr. 11 & 12 Student Photo Day
Thurs. Sept. 25 - Gr. 9 & 10 Student Photo Day
Fri. Sept. 26 - Gr. 7 & 8 Student Photo Day
Life Threatening Medical Conditions
We require the collection of medical documentation from some families. Information on this can be found by clicking HERE.
Please note: If your child/children has a serious medical condition (asthma, life-threatening allergy, diabetes, epilepsy/seizures, concussion/head injury) complete
1) Life-Threatening Medical Condition Verification Form
IMPORTANT: If the Plan of Care form has been previously submitted and there are no changes, please complete the Plan of Care Annual Review Sheet.
Lastly, please ensure all forms have been signed and dated. All forms can be returned to: sacredheart.high@ocsb.ca
We are ready to open our doors on Tuesday morning to welcome students to learning at Sacred Heart for the 2025-2026 school year. We hope the Summer was restful and full of time to connect with those important to you.
Tuesday brings new beginnings, new courses, new teachers, a new locker, new friendships and everythings that makes Sacred Heart a special place to learn.
We invite and encourage parents to have intentional conversations this weekend about expectations for the new year and to support students as they try to connect to the school both inside and outside of the classroom.
We Are Sacred Heart
We are proud to share the launch of We Are Sacred Heart—our first ever student and community identity statement. As we celebrate our 26th year serving the Stittsville-Richmond area, this statement reflects the heart of who we are and what we stand for as a school community.
The first 25 years of Sacred Heart were defined by growth, opportunity, and connection. We Are Sacred Heart now captures that journey and looks ahead, grounding our school in our motto of Faith, Purpose, and Wisdom. More than words, it points to the actions that make Sacred Heart a vibrant place to learn, grow, and belong.
This identity statement is the result of the voices of our staff, hundreds of students, parents, and community members who contributed their insight and inspiration. We are deeply grateful for the collaboration that brought it to life, and we look forward to seeing We Are Sacred Heart guide our next chapter together.
Student Activity Fee
At Sacred Heart, we attempt to provide students with unique and interesting opportunities to connect to the school inside and outside of the classroom. Securing opportunities for initiatives such as guest speakers, supplies for student activities and rentals require additional support. The optional student activity fee is $30/student or $60/family payable via School Cash Online. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Communicating Absences
Sacred Heart is now uses SafeArrival, an attendance management system that makes it faster and easier for parents to report student absences or late arrivals. Instead of contacting the school, you can now report absences securely in one of three ways:
SM Home App – Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play
Online – Visit home.schoolmessenger.ca - link now embedded on school website
Phone – Call 1-844-478-2598
9-12 Student Schedules
The Student Services team has been hard at work this week and have been making changes to grade 9-12 schedules to ensure that every student is set up for success. Please log into my.studentinfo.ca (MSI) Saturday, August 30 to check for 2025-26 schedules.
Students are expected to follow their schedule as they see it in MSI.
Moving forward, any course changes must be requested through my.studentinfo.ca only. Please do not email guidance counsellors individually or come to the Student Services office. We are all working together to ensure that requests can be granted as quickly as possible.
7/8 Student Schedules
7-8 Students will receive their schedule in homeroom on Tuesday morning. Parents will receive an email with information about which room and homeroom teacher their student is to report to on Tuesday morning. We will have many staff to help direct students as they navigate their first day at Sacred Heart.
Temporary Pause on Recycling at School
Due to the expiration of the city-wide contract with the provider, plastic, metal, and glass recycling is currently unavailable at all Ottawa Catholic schools, including Sacred Heart. Click HERE to read a CTV news article about this. Until a new contractor is secured, we are unable to accommodate recycling of these materials on-site.
We kindly ask families to be mindful of this when preparing lunches and snacks. Consider using reusable containers and minimizing single-use packaging whenever possible to help us reduce waste during this time.
Thank you for your continued support in helping us care for our school and our environment.
9-12 Lockers
All locker requests have been received. Students have been emailed their locker number to the email address they provided in the google form. If your child didn’t have their lock combination entered they are to tell their first period teacher their combination on Tuesday.
Action Item
Student Activity Fee - see information above
Send reusable containers for lunch - see above
Make sure students wake up on Tuesday.
Yellow Bus Information
Stay up to date on delays/cancellations. Go to The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority website and access the Parent Portal. Once you have an account, use the "Parent" drop-down menu to access "Subscriptions" to sign up for their emails. More instructions can be found here. Please ensure that your child is aware of their specific bus number (example: E42) so they can locate their bus at the end of the day.
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