September 9, 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please join us this Thursday, September 11th, after school, anytime between 3:30 and 5:00 p.m., for our Open House/Meet the Teacher. 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 the Grade's 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.

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

• 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.

Weekly News from St. Bernard Parish