February 25, 2026

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:

This week begins our second week of Lent.  Lent began on 

Ash Wednesday, lasts 40 days, and ends just before Easter.  

During Lent, we remember Jesus in special ways.  Lent is a time to think about Jesus’ life, to give to others to remind us what Jesus gave us, and to remember that Jesus died for us.  

St. Theresa School invites all of our families to become involved in our school Lenten project that supports our global community.  We would like to support Chalice.  Chalice is a Canadian, Catholic sponsorship organization dedicated to supporting vulnerable children in developing countries to complete their education.

We will have a school spirit week to raise funds for this important cause.  We welcome any donations March 6-13.  Donations can be made on School Cash Online on March 6.  See the spirit week schedule below.  Based on the amount collected in each homeroom, each class or grade level will then have the opportunity to discuss and choose which gift(s) they wish to give.  There are a large variety of gifts to choose from in the areas of:  animals, farming, education, household, nutrition, health, etc.  Examples include:  chicks, seeds, farming tools, school supplies, blankets, milk, hygiene supplies, current disaster projects, etc.  

This will be a great educational and meaningful giving experience for your child.  We encourage students to earn the money they bring in by offering to do extra chores at home, or to take from their own savings.  You may visit the website ahead of time with your child, to explore the gifts available to purchase and the importance of his/her gift giving.  View the Chalice Gift Catalog at https://chalice.ca/donate.

We thank you in advance for your contributions as we grow closer to Jesus this Lent.

Thank you kindly,

The Lenten Committee

Here are a few friendly reminders for our St Theresa Squires about the busy week ahead. 

PJ Day and Toonies for Ronald McDonald House -  Thursday, February 12th

Just like last year, we will be participating in the PJ Walk Day Toonies for Ronald McDonald House.   The event will be held on Thursday, February 12th and our staff and students are invited to wear their cozy PJs. Please send in a $2.00 donation per child for participation in this worthy event.  

Each year, hundreds of families find themselves in a difficult situation where their child requires ongoing, specialized medical care at CHEO – and they live too far away to commute. The Ottawa chapter of Ronald McDonald House provides these families with a comfortable, loving home just 167 steps away from the CHEO hospital. Last year, our school raised $924.50 for this special charity.  Let’s beat last year’s amount! 

Valentines Day Celebrations - Friday, February 13th

Get ready for a day filled with love and friendship! On February 13th, we will be celebrating Valentine's Day. Students are encouraged to wear red, pink, and/or white.  Classes will engage in Valentine-themed activities, and students can exchange valentines.

Important Note:  Due to the diverse range of allergies in our school, we kindly request that no food items be sent to school to be shared among students.  Non-edible valentines are welcome!

Batteries

Thank you to our families for sending in their used batteries.  Since we began this recycling competition in the Fall, we have filled 3, 20-gallon buckets!!!  Amazing job Squires! The competition with other schools will continue until late Spring.   Please continue to send in your used batteries.

Jump Rope for Heart

From February 9-20, all students from grades K-6 will be participating in jump rope and ball skills during their regular indoor gym classes, to support our Jump Rope for Heart FUNdraising event.

Students will discover fun ways to get active, practice healthy habits and learn about helping others, while raising money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.  The funds kids collect support research that helps other kids and families suffering from heart disease and stroke across the country.  

Join our school and help Heart & Stroke save lives by jump-starting your fundraising.  Contributions can be made online from January 30 - February 28.  Simply click on the link below and you will be directed to our school page.  

School Page Link:

https://jumpropeforheart.crowdchange.ca/116598

We are excited to get jumping next week!!  Thank you in advance for your support.

Safe Arrival

Thank you to all of our families who are using the Safe Arrival app to update your child’s absences from school. We hope you find the new system easy and efficient.  If you have not used the new system yet, here are some steps to get you started.

 Please use whichever method you would prefer:

1) Use the SchoolMessenger mobile app (download and install the SM Home App from the Apple App Store or Google Play) 

2) Log into your SchoolMessenger account.   home.schoolmessenger.ca 

3) Calling 1-844-478-2598.

For early pickups prior to 2:30pm, please let the teacher know and contact the school office.

Cellphone Policy

In alignment with the Ministry of Education's guidelines, and to help maintain a focused and distraction-free learning environment, our school board’s policy is that cell phones are not to be used by students on school property

Students who bring cell phones to school will be asked to place them in a designated, secure location at the beginning of school. Phones will be returned to the student at the end of the day

We recognize that some students may need a phone for safety or communication when travelling to and from school. If this is the case, they are welcome to bring their device. However, unless it is essential for this reason, we kindly ask that students leave their phones at home.

This approach reflects the Ministry’s direction that personal cell phones are not required during instructional time and supports our goal of creating a positive, productive classroom experience for all students.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

Dear Parents and Guardians

We have sent many messages this year to our families regarding unsafe parking and driving around the school.

This morning, a number of parents have reported to the school the following incidents that have happened at drop off today:

-Vehicles who triple and double parked on Scala and other side streets

-Fast driving near a school zone

-Parking in the cross walk lane

-Causing gridlock in the intersection of Scala and Portobello

-Not using 4 way stops appropriately

-Driving through the stop sign without stopping

We have contacted bylaw to send agents to ticket dangerous drivers around our school. We are also asking parents who see these types of activities to please call 311 and report incidents. This has been a concern for quite some time and we need things to improve. We need the help of the parents community. Our primary concern is the safety of our students.

Kiss and Ride is an excellent option for transporting your children.  Here is how our Kiss and Ride system works.  

The school parking lot is closed everyday to all parents including those who use childcare between 8:00am-8:30am and 2:45pm-3:10pm.  Parents, please refrain from coming in the parking lot during those times (even if we are late in putting out the parking cones that block the parking lot entrances)

Parents, please do not block the staff parking lot entrance. Please park on a street where it is legal to do so. 

Let's all do our part to keep our students and staff safe.

Beginning on Monday, January 19, our school will be using 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.