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Important Dates Coming up in Feburary
Dear Parents and Guardians,
St Theresa School is busy with many fun activities and events for the month ahead. Please read below on all the activities we have planned for our school community over the next few weeks
Celebrating Black History Month
Throughout February, we commemorate Black History Month in Canada. Our Squires will learn about the significant contributions and achievements of Black Canadians who have shaped our country's history and culture. We will be incorporating Black History Month themes into our lessons and activities throughout the month.
National Sweater Day - February 5th
St Theresa School will be participating in this event on Thursday, February 5th. We will be turning down the heat by 2 degrees and teachers will be discussing climate change and energy conservation. All students are encouraged to wear their coziest sweaters that day. Thank you for encouraging our ongoing environmental initiatives
Wear Canada Day Gear - February 6th
As you all know, the 25th edition of the Winter Olympics will begin on Friday, February 6th in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. We invite all students to wear red and white and cheer on our Olympians! Go Team Canada!
PJ Day and Toonies for Ronald McDonald House - 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. Staff and students are invited to wear their cozy PJs. Please send in a $2.00 donation 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!
Term 1 - Communication of Learning and Report Cards - February 11th
On February 11th, your child’s Communication of Learning (JK/SK) and/or Report Card (Gr.1-6) will be published on the Parent Portal. Please ensure your portal account is activated so you can see your child’s progress for Term 1.
Valentine's Day Celebrations - 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!
Shrove Tuesday - February 17th
On Shrove Tuesday, February 17th, our school will be celebrating with a special, yummy treat before the holy season of Lent begins! Each student from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will receive a nut free/egg free pancake snack. A huge thank you to our School Council for helping us make this possible for our students! Please note that this is just a small treat to enjoy and students should still eat their regular, healthy breakfast at home before arriving at school that day.
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.
Kindness Week - February 17-20th
It is spirit week at St Theresa School during the week of February 17-20th. Show your school spirit by wearing the colour of the day.
Tues. 17 Blue
Wed. 18 Purple
Thurs. 19 Green
Fri. 20 Rainbow
Pink Shirt Day - February 25th
We ask if possible that students and staff wear a pink shirt to support anti-bullying. Wearing a pink shirt reminds us all to be kind and stand up for each other. It also shows everyone can make a difference.
Volunteers
Class trips are being organized this winter and spring for our classes. 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 one field trip). Once you have completed the OCSB Application and have received an email confirmation from the school board, your name will appear on our school master list (compiled by the OCSB). Please note that once you have completed the process, you are on the volunteer list for one year. Annually you will be asked to do an attestation to continue to be on the Volunteer List
Drop off and Pick Up Information
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.
Dec. 17th Update
Dec. 11th Update
December 12th, 2025 - Holiday Craft Night
Holiday Craft Night — Mark Your Calendar!
Hi Squires Families!
Get into the holiday spirit at the 2nd Annual Craft Night on Friday, December 12th in the School Gym!
Stop by anytime between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
(Please note: doors close at 7:30 p.m. so everyone has time to finish their crafts.)
Remember: All students must be accompanied and supervised by a parent or guardian. This event is only open to our school community.
Rotate through festive craft stations, and don’t miss the cookie decorating and hot chocolate stops!
The event is completely FREE.
We can’t wait to celebrate the season with you!
St Theresa Parent Council
November 2025 - St. Theresa Advent Project 2025
November 2025
Dear St. Theresa Families,
As we prepare our hearts for Christmas this Advent season, we are asking our students and families to make a small, but significant difference in the lives of others in our local community. This year St. Theresa will support two initiatives during Advent: the Orleans-Cumberland Food Bank and an Ottawa Catholic sister school in need of support (as well as those in our community in need of support).
The Orleans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre Food Bank provides for the needs of families in our local community. As we await for baby Jesus to be born again in our hearts this Christmas, our project will focus on the moms and babies in need in our community. We will be collecting: non-perishable baby food, baby cereal, toddler snacks, school snacks, formula, diapers, pull-ups, Goodnites, hygiene products and any non-perishable food items. Please click on the link to view frequently required donations. Donations can be placed in the large basket by the font office. Food Donations - CRCOC - OCCRC.
This year, we will be supporting some families in our own school community. With this in mind, we are asking families to donate grocery store gift cards (e.g., Walmart, No Frills, Giant Tiger, Food Basics, Freshco, Superstore, etc.) to help out.
For every donation brought in, students will place an ornament on our school Christmas tree. We hope to see the basket brimming with food, and the branches trimmed with ornaments!
The first Sunday of Advent is Sunday, November 30. Both of our Advent initiatives will take place during the weeks of December 1 - December 18.
In our final week of Advent together, we will be having a fun BE Christmas Spirit week from December 15-19. Click the link for details.
We thank you for your generosity and
continued support!
God Bless and Merry Christmas,
The St. Theresa Staff
November 20th, 2025 - Parent Teacher Interviews
Dear Parents and Guardians
Please find the link to sign up for Parent Teacher Interviews on November 20th. Meetings will be held after school hours in the school gym.
If you have any issues in booking your appointments, please contact your child's teacher
Oct. 28th Update
As our students remind us daily, Halloween is this Friday. Students can dress in Black and Orange or wear a costume but for safety/practical reasons, masks and accessories are not permitted.
Please read the following from the Board on Costumes:
“With Halloween just around the corner, the countdown is on for parents to find the perfect Halloween costume for their children. As tempting as it may be to dress our kids in pretty much anything they want to be, it is important to consider a more thoughtful approach about whether the costume is culturally sensitive and appropriate. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, cultural appropriation is, “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect the culture.” Halloween is a fun event and with some creativity and imagination, parents can help their child(ren) with deciding on a costume that aligns with a culturally sensitive Halloween. Being proactive can help all of us to avoid uncomfortable situations at school and in our community and can help us ensure that Halloween is a fun event where all students feel safe and honoured.”
As well, we have been informed that By-law will be patrolling the streets around the school during pick up time so please ensure you are following the signage and not blocking driveways.
October 24, 2025 - Halloween Dance
The St. Theresa School Council invites your family to the Halloween Dance 2025! Friday October 24, 2025 from 6:30pm - 8:00pm in the school gym.
Tickets are available on Cash Online, $5/student.
Parents/Guardians and non-school age siblings are free.
Candy and water will be available for $1/each - cash only
Parents/Guardians must supervise their children, this is not a drop off event even for grade 5 and 6 students.
We need volunteers to help run the dance, please email stparentcouncil@gmail.com if you're available to help.
Looking forward to booging the night away!
St Theresa Parent Council
Thanksgiving Food Drive 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians:
With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, we are preparing for a successful food drive for our fellow neighbours who rely on the Orleans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre Food Bank. As our school board theme this year calls us to “Open Doors, Build Bridges and Nourish New Beginnings”, we ask that you join us in the collective effort of bringing in any nonperishable food items. Please see the list of most needed items below. If you would like to contribute, please send in any nonperishable food items with your child over the next two weeks (Sept 26 - Oct 9). Alternatively, a monetary donation can be made through this link: https://www.crcoc.ca/en/donate-occrc/ .
We are hoping to leave others feeling grateful and blessed this Thanksgiving. We thank you in advance for your generosity and support this fall season,
St. Theresa Catholic School
Sickness and Ottawa Public Health Guidelines
The fall and winter seasons often bring an increase in respiratory illness and enteric illness. We have seen a marked increase in student absences due to illness over the past three weeks.
Preventing Illness These steps can help reduce the spread of illness and keep St Theresa school community healthy:
• Hand hygiene: Wash hands often with soap and water or use alcohol-based sanitizer.
• Vaccination: Stay up to date on routine vaccines and seasonal flu/COVID-19 vaccines.
• Staying home when sick. Students should stay home if they have any of the following symptoms:
Respiratory symptoms: Fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, congestion or feeling very tired. Return only when fever-free without the help of fever-reducing medication and symptoms have been improving for 24 hours.
Enteric symptoms: Vomiting or diarrhea – stay home until 48 hours after the last symptom.
Students should be well enough to participate in normal activities before returning.
The School Parking Lot
The parking lot is closed everyday 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. Bylaw officers have been patrolling our streets to ensure the safety of the students in the area.
Kiss and Ride is an excellent option for transporting your children. Here is how our Kiss and Ride system works.
Let's all do our part to keep our students and staff safe.
Advent is a time to prepare our hearts for the arrival of Jesus. One of the symbols of Advent is a wreath with four candles (three purple, one pink). We have enjoyed our weekly Advent celebrations and the fellowship that it brought to us as we lit each of our Advent Candles. On behalf of the staff and students of St. Theresa, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a safe and enjoyable holiday season.
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