St. Theresa School

Hello Parents and Guardians

We hope your families have had a wonderful summer.  We are so happy to greet your children this week.

Below is some important information for families as we start this new school year.  Please read the information below as it will be helpful to all families. 

OUR BOARD THEME 

This year’s OCSB Spiritual Theme is Nourishing New Beginnings. 

A big part of that is feeding our hungry hearts. So, each month the journal focuses on a different keyword of what it means to: Be Nourished. With each keyword, you’ll find different activities to help you stop and think about the questions, try some of the ways to rest and recharge, or take on the challenges. 

Making time to listen, to think about things that matter to us, even just to think about what we think can be the first step in finding that wonderful sense of peace, hope, and great joy that God wants each one of us to have. 

This journal is not meant to be busywork, or homework. It’s heartwork. Simply taking a few minutes each day or each week can have a huge impact on how things are going for you. God really does work in amazing ways!

WELCOME NEW STAFF We are very excited to welcome new staff at St. Theresa Catholic School this year!  Please welcome the following staff who will be joining our wonderful team: 

Alexandra Paul, our new grade 4 teacher

Amanda Rogers, our new grade 2/3 teacher 

Educational Assistants: Katrine Majewski, Natalie McLeod, Vanessa Ramirez, Adeleye Adeyinka, Trinidad Lavin-Venegas, Amanda James Simpson and Kathleen Gagnon

We wish them all a warm welcome to the St Theresa family

We are in the process of hiring a new french teacher, grade 4, 5 and 6 Core. More details to follow

SCHOOL CALENDARS

This year, the Ottawa Catholic School Board has decided to not print paper copies of the school calendar for our families.  The school calendar is found on the school board website.  Here is the link to the 2026-2027 calendar.  Please keep in mind upcoming pd days, Christmas break, March Breaks and holidays throughout the school year. 

MEDICAL INFORMATION

As we prepare for another school year, we require the collection of medical documentation from some of our families.  If your child has a serious medical condition (asthma, life-threatening allergy, diabetes, epilepsy/seizures), you need to inform the school using the Life-Threatening Medical Condition Verification Form. You will also need to submit the appropriate condition-specific Plan of Care form.  These forms are linked on the Life-Threatening Medical Condition Verification Form and are available on the board website.  

If your child requires the administration of life-saving medication (e.g., Benadryl, epipen, etc) an Administration of Medication form is to be completed.  Medication must come to school in the original container.  All medication is to come to the school office, as lost medication could pose a hazard to the rest of the school population.

The school is not permitted to give any child routine medication on a short-term basis e.g. Tylenol, antibiotics, cough medicine, etc.  

Plan of Care Annual Review Sheet. An updated plan of care is required every school year.

More information can be found on the board's website: https://www.ocsb.ca/student-health/

Please send the completed information with your child to school prior to September 11, 2026

BUS INFORMATION  Due to the ongoing driver shortage, there may be bus cancellations throughout the school year.  It is vital that parents and guardians regularly check the posted cancellation lists on the OSTA website to confirm your child’s bus route status. 

We ask that you please review with your child the School Bus Safety Rules (staying in assigned seats, no eating/drinking, refraining from throwing items out of windows or in the bus, speaking using respectful language and with a respectful volume/tone, attending to the bus driver’s instructions, be aware of the “Danger Zone” around the bus, etc).  

Safety is our number one concern in everything that we do and the behaviour of our students on the bus plays an important role in this. 

KISS AND RIDE

Wondering how the Kiss and Ride program works?  CLICK HERE

STUDENT ABSENCES/LATES If your child will not be attending school for any reason, please use the Safe Arrival app to inform the school. 

Instead of calling or emailing the school of your child's absence, you will be able to update your child's attendance using one of three ways:

1) the SM Home App on your cellular device

2) Your home computer using the new School Messenger Account,

3) Telephoning a specific toll free number

Please take time this week to set up your new account.  Attached you will find easy instructions

A reminder that if your child is late or needs to be picked up earlier, ensure that the classroom teacher and the office are aware. Should your child be late or get picked up during the school day, parents MUST come in to sign them in/out.  There are no signouts between 2:30pm-3:00pm.

DIVINE INFANT PARISH NEWS Divine Infant Parish would like to extend a special welcome back to a new school year to all students, staff and families. If you are new to our area they extend an extra special welcome.  Please consult the parish website for Mass schedules and for other parish information at  Divine Infant Parish.

VISITORS AND VOLUNTEERS

Should you wish to volunteer on a regular basis or periodically, all volunteers must complete the OCSB Volunteer Application and a Level 3 Vulnerable Sector Check from the Ottawa Police (even if you are volunteering for a field trip).  Only once you have completed the OCSB Application and have received an email confirmation from the school board, you can volunteer in our school and/or on field trips.  

If you completed the application last school year and are a registered volunteer, in order to keep volunteering, you will need to complete the annual offense declaration survey. This survey takes less than a minute to complete and will allow you to keep volunteering without submitting a new Vulnerable Sector Check. You will receive the offense declaration from ocsb.surveys@ocsb.ca. Check your spam folder if you don’t receive it!

Should you have any questions or would like to opt-out of the volunteer program, please email volunteers@ocsb.ca.

PARKING LOT SAFETY Our school parking lot is CLOSED EVERY DAY BETWEEN 8:00-8:30am AND CLOSED BETWEEN 2:45-3:10pm.

For your children’s safety, if they are not accompanied by an adult, we ask that the student please use the opening in the gate to enter the school yard.  Although the parking is closed to parents, staff may still be using the parking lot between 8:15-8:30.  

KINDERGARTEN DROP OFF

There is NO parking/stopping in the bus lane before 8:30am.  Please park legally on neighbouring streets and walk your child to the kindergarten yard.

DROP OFF

The back door locks at 8:30 am.  If you drop off your child after 8:30 am, there will be no supervision in the schoolyard, therefore, please come to the front door to sign your child in at the office. If your child bikes or walks to school, please ensure they are aware that, if they are late, the back doors will be locked and they will need to come through the front door.

PICKUPS AFTER 2:30PM DISCOURAGED

At 2:30pm, the bus lanes in front of the school begin to fill with buses and the Kiss and Ride Lanes begin to fill with parent's cars.  To help with student safety and allow teachers and students to get ready for the end of the day dismissal, please refrain from picking up your child after 2:30pm.   You are most welcome to pick your child prior to the 2:30pm deadline if necessary.  

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR FRIENDLY CROSSING GUARDS

Parents are being asked to not cross the street without the crossing guard signal/whistle.  They want to ensure everyone remains safe.  Please wait for the crossing guard to guide you and your children across the street

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SCHOOL COUNCIL

Our School Council is always looking for new parents to join the council.  Our first School Council meeting will be held September 24th at 6:30pm in the Learning Commons (library).  All are welcome to join!

Any questions or comments for the school council?  Please email at stparentcouncil@gmail.com.  

Catholic School Parents’ Association (CSPA)  - CLICK HERE  for more information and resources to 

support your child’s educational journey.

SCHOOL RULES AND ROUTINES

All school rules and routines can be found on our school website under the Parents Link.  I have included a direct link to the rules and routines here for your convenience.

VIDEO SERIES FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS - MENTAL HEALTH

Find out about resources available to Ontario parents and caregivers and learn key facts about children’s mental health.  CLICK HERE for more information.

STAY INFORMED

We encourage all parents/guardians to check the school website frequently for updates, news, announcements and important dates at http://the.ocsb.ca/

Remember to let the office know if your email address changes, as all communication is released electronically.  You will also need to update your SchoolMessenger profile.

Has your child missed the school dental screening?  Community Dental Screenings are held over the summer at Neighbourhood Health and Wellness Hubs.  The calendar poster is attached. 

Dental screenings and fluoride varnish applications are free for all ages.  Registered dental hygienists can also support clients with the Healthy Smiles Ontario and Ontario Seniors Dental Care Plan enrollments. 

Here’s a short video that highlights the dental services available in the community.

For the full list of programs/services, schedule and locations of Neighbourhood Health and Wellness Hubs, please visit: www.OttawaPublicHealth.ca/NeighbourhoodHub

Our school uses 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.