Friday, August 29, 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to all our returning students and families, and welcome to new students and families! I hope you all had an enjoyable summer with your family.

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce myself as the new Principal of St. Marguerite d'Youville School. My name is Mrs. Nicole Brooks, and I am excited to be joining the SMY community.  I look forward to meeting all of you over the coming days and weeks, and at our upcoming Information Evening on Thursday, September 11th, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 pm. 

As a staff, we are very excited for the new school year and have been working diligently this week to prepare for the return of students. A big thank you to Mr. Grenier, our head caretaker and to his team for their work preparing our school for the upcoming school year!

On the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 2, class lists will be posted outside on the school walls for you to locate your child’s new class and teacher. Please refer to the school map (Drop-off/Pick Up/Entrance Map) to find out where your child will line up in the mornings every day this year with their class. 

There have been a few changes in our SMY staff, and I have the pleasure of introducing the following new staff:

• Rebecca Janna (ECE, Kinder A)

• Naahid Mohamud (ECE, Kinder C)

• Celine Charbonneau (Educational Assistant) 

• Maddisyn Klic (Education Assistant)

• Ahn Nguyen (Educational Assistant)

• Salma Hudah (Educational Assistant)

• Julie Voorberg (Educational Assistant)

• Ana Lopez (Teacher, Grade 5)

• Ashley Hampton (French Teacher, Kinder E and Primary)

• Natasha Green (French Teacher, Grade 4/5 and Grade 5)

• Jeff Wright (Teacher, Grade 2/3, LTO for Jennifer Albert)

• Robertine Tagefouege (French Teacher, Primary, LTO for Alexandra Robillard)

• Jeanne d'Arc Byaje (French Teacher, Primary and Junior, LTO for Vanessa Luft)

I encourage you to take a look at our website: https://smy.ocsb.ca/, which includes important information, links, and our calendar.  I also recommend you bookmark this site, as updates will be posted here throughout the year.

If your contact information has changed over the summer or if it changes over the course of the school year, please advise us so that we have accurate and up-to-date information. The most efficient way to do this is to email the school with the specific details at: Marguerite.dYouville@ocsb.ca. 

Together with the staff of SMY, I look forward to an amazing school year filled with growth, learning, and success for all our students.

We can't wait to see our students next week, and we hope you all have a wonderful long weekend. 

Yours in Catholic Education,

Mrs. Nicole Brooks

Principal 

September Checklist for Families

To ensure a smooth start to the year for our families, please use this Back-To-School Checklist:

• Sign up for School Cash Online: https://ocsb.schoolcashonline.com/ 

• Sign up for School Messenger: https://www.ocsb.ca/parents/schoolmessenger/utm_medium=school&utm_source=site&utm_campaign=schoolmessenger    This is the platform that the school/teachers will use to deliver all messages throughout the year.

• Sign up for the Parent Portal on OSTA’s website for frequent updates about bus and van routes/delays/cancellations: http://www.ottawaschoolbus.ca/parents/

• Sign up for the Parent Portal with the OCSB. This is where you will access your child(ren)'s report cards and many other forms of information that can support your child with their education: https://www.ocsb.ca/parents/parent-portal/

• Update your child’s medical plan of care, if your child has one: https://www.ocsb.ca/parents/student-health/

       Life-Threatening Medical Condition Verification Form.  Plan of Care Annual Review Sheet. 

• If you would like to volunteer in our school this year, complete the necessary process found at this link: https://www.ocsb.ca/contact/volunteers/?utm_medium=school&utm_source=site&utm_campaign=quick-link&utm_content=volunteers

• If you need before or after-school child care, please visit this link: https://www.ocsb.ca/parents/child-care/

• Review our School Board Code of Conduct with your child before they begin school: Code of Conduct

• If you are new to our school, please review our daily school schedule:

Arrival to the yard - 8:20-8:35 am

School Starts (Attendance taking) — 8:35 am

Block 1 —  8:35 - 9:50 am

Morning Recess —  9:50 -10:05 am

Block 2 — 10:05 - 11:20 am

Lunch (eating time) — 11:20 - 11:40 am

Lunch Recess —  11:40 am -12:20 pm

Block 3 (Attendance taking) — 12:20 -1:35 pm

Afternoon Recess — 1:35 - 1:50 pm

Block 4 — 1:50 - 3:05 pm 

Dismissal — 3:05 pm

• SMY Parent Information/Curriculum evening will be held on Thursday, September 11th, from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm. This will be an opportunity for parents/guardians to come into the school, visit their child(ren)'s classroom(s), and ask their child’s educators any questions they may have about the school environment and Grade curriculum.  Specific questions/discussions about individual children are saved for the first interview night, in November, or for a phone call with your child's teacher at another time.

• Our Attendance Phone Line: It is imperative that you let us know when your child(ren) will be late or missing school.  To inform us of a lateness or absence, call the school at our Absence Phone Line 613-737-4020. Please save this number to your phone contacts for easy use. 

Food / Allergies

Foods containing nuts (tree nuts or legumes) are not permitted at school at any time of year.  We have many children with severe nut allergies (both peanut and other nuts); therefore, ALL student snacks and lunches must be entirely peanut- and nut-free. 

Birthday Treats/Food Letter

Update on Recycling at School

This year, blue bin recycling for plastic, glass, and metal will no longer be available at our school. The contractor who previously serviced blue bin recycling for all four Ottawa school boards chose not to continue when the contract ended in July, and unfortunately, a replacement service has not yet been secured. While we share in your disappointment, we are hopeful that this service can be reinstated in the future.

Paper and mixed fibre recycling will continue as usual. In the meantime, we ask students to bring any plastic, glass, or metal recyclables back home for proper disposal in household blue bins. To help reduce waste, we also encourage families to embrace some of the following environmentally friendly practices:

• Boomerang Lunches: All wrappers, containers, and food scraps are returned home in your child's lunch bag. This allows families to see what has been eaten and to recycle or compost appropriately. 

• Litterless Lunches: When possible, pack snacks and meals in reusable containers, bottles, and cutlery, while avoiding single-use plastics or individually packaged snacks.

• Choose "Naked" Foods: Send fruits, vegetables, and snacks without extra packaging whenever possible.

• Reusable Water Bottles: Encourage your child to refill a reusable water bottle instead of bringing disposable plastic bottles.

Thank you for supporting our school’s efforts to reduce waste and for helping your child make environmentally responsible choices each day.