Holy Name of Mary Welcome Back

The staff of Holy Name of Mary (HNOM) would like to take this opportunity to welcome both our new and returning students and their families to the 2024 - 2025 school year. We hope you all had a wonderful summer with time to refresh, relax and enjoy the summer with your families.

We are happy to welcome our new teacher, Ms. Pader, and our new Educational Assistant, Ms. Pye, to the Holy Name of Mary community. In addition, we would like to welcome back Ms. McWade who is returning from retirement, Ms. Hart from maternity leave, Ms. MacDonald and Mr. Lebeau to HNOM this Fall. Mrs. Caldwell will be our Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) for our primary students (Kinders - Grade 3).

We have provided helpful information below for your family to assist with the start of the school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the school office at 613-256-2532 or via email at holynamemary.almonte@cdsbeo.on.ca

We look forward to seeing our students next week!

Sincerely,

Mary-Kate Bridson

Principal

We realize that many students are anxious about the upcoming school year. Homeroom teachers will contact families by the end of day Tuesday to inform your family of who your child's classroom teacher will be. Staff may contact families by telephone, via TEAMS or email. We ask that on the student's first day, children look for and go directly to find their teacher on the school's back field/pavement by accessing from outside rather than through the front door. Teachers in Grades JK - 6 will have a sign with their name to help your child locate their teacher. There will be several staff members on the yard to assist with this process. Our staff will ensure that any students taking the bus for the first time on Wednesday will be directed to their homeroom teacher.

Kindergarten students can locate their teacher on the south side of the school in the fenced in Kinder yard. Students in Grades 1 - 3 will find their teacher on the pavement closest to the Kinder area. Students in Grades 4 - 6 will find their teachers on the soccer field and Grades 7 - 8 on the basketball court.

During the first week only, parents may accompany their children to the yard to help find their teacher. To assist with the transition and the school day routines we ask that parents keep goodbyes short and depart the school yard after the 9:15 am bell so classes can enter the school and start their day.

Below is a list of items that students are encouraged to bring:

• Agendas will be provided to communicate with the classroom teacher for Grades JK - 6.
• Personal items for completing assignments (pencils, pencil crayons, sharpener etc.).
• Kinders and students in younger grades are encouraged to pack a change of clothes in a labelled Ziploc bag for bathroom accidents, wet clothes due to puddles, etc.
• Packed lunch with morning and afternoon snacks. Our Nutrition Program will begin in mid-September offering healthy snacks in each classroom should students need extra food throughout the day.
• Water bottle that is refillable using our water filling stations. Water fountains are available if a child forgets their water bottle at home.
• Indoor shoes which will remain at school. Students must wear shoes at all times while in the school for safety reasons.

As mentioned in an email sent to families earlier this week, bus companies will not be reaching out to families prior to September 4th. Families should access Bus Stop Finder on STEO.ca for information including times and location of pickup/drop off. If you have not already set up an account, you will need your child's OEN number (9 digits) which can be found on the top of their report card. Any JK students requiring busing should call the school office for their child's student number to access busing information as they do not have an OEN assigned as of yet.

If there are no times listed on STEO's website or you have changed your address, please contact the school office at 613-256-2532. Any changes to busing takes approximately seven days and alternate transportation arrangements may be required until busing is in place.

Information on how to access the Parent Portal on the STEO website was emailed to families this past Tuesday and can also be found on our school's website: www.hnom.cdsbeo.on.ca

Students can be dropped off between 9:05 am and 9:15 am. Students cannot be on the school yard and front of school before 9:05 am as there will be no supervision available.

Please note that we have made changes to our daily schedule (nutrition breaks and recess times) this Fall. These changes have been made to reduce the number of transitions for our students throughout the day minimizing the interruptions to their learning.

KINDERGARTEN

11:25 am - 11:45 am - morning recess

11:45 am - 12:05 pm - lunch

1:25 pm - 1:45 pm - afternoon recess

1:45 pm - 2:05 pm - nutrition break

GRADES 1 - 3

10:45 am - 11:05 am - morning recess

11:05 am - 11:25 am - lunch

1:25 pm - 1:45 pm - afternoon recess

1:45 pm - 2:05 pm - nutrition break

GRADES 4 - 8

10:45 am - 11:05 am - lunch

11:05 am - 11:25 am - morning recess

1:25 pm - 1:45 pm - nutrition break

1:45 pm - 2:05 pm - afternoon recess

Grade 7/8 students can leave the property during their lunch and morning recess break from 10:45 - 11:25 am with written permission from their parents with date and signature. We cannot accept telephone calls or emails from parents providing permission.

Dismissal will be at 3:35 pm. Please note that the end of the school day is extremely busy at the office and therefore it is difficult to answer the phones at that time for any last minute changes to end of day routine.

We understand appointments and family commitments can fall within the school day. Should you need to pick up your child before the end of the day, we ask that it is before 3:00 pm to limit interruptions to what your child is learning in the classroom. Earlier departures are disruptive to the class. Students miss out on material being studied and for kindergarten students where routine is important, teachers are focused in getting your child ready rather than tending to the needs of the whole class.

Please communicate your intent to pick your child up early with your child's classroom teacher by 9:00 am. (via the agenda for students in JK - Grade 6). After this time, please call the school office instead as teachers are not available to check TEAMS, emails etc. throughout the school day.

Agendas will be available to students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 on the first day of school. We encourage families of these students to use the agenda as a means of communication between yourselves and your child's teacher. Questions, comments, upcoming appointments, change in end of day pick up times and locations should be documented in the agenda. This will ensure that the teacher and office staff are aware of any upcoming absences/lates or end of day changes. Classroom teachers will use the agenda to inform families of upcoming events, tests, projects, etc. Cash On-line will be made available to families in early September to pay for the agendas.

The school office will also have a supply of agendas for purchase for any students/families in the older grades who wish to have one.

Please call the school office when your child is going to be late or absent. A detailed message including name and reason for absence/late may be left on the school answering machine 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you do not contact the school before the start of the day to report your child's absence/late, the school secretary will contact you. By contacting our families, we are following our Safe School policy ensuring every child is accounted for on a daily basis.

Our Kiss and Ride will remain in place again this year. All JK - Grade 2 students will be using the Kiss and Ride at the front of the school. We ask that parents of Grade 3 - 8 students dropping off and picking up do so at the Harold Street gate located at the back of the school. If you have children in both panels, please pick up at the front of the school.

Please note that we are asking that parents using Kiss and Ride remain in their cars and pull up to the front of the school as the cars in front of them move forward. Please be patient. This is a great system but takes a few days to get parents familiarized with the tempo and teachers familiarized with who is picking the children up.

If you choose to pick up your child rather than be in the Kiss and Ride line, then we ask that you park your car in the parking lot and meet your child outside the front door.

There are bicycle racks in front of the Daycare wing as well as at the entrances on Harold Street. If you are a biker, please ensure you lock your bike for safety reasons.

Our kinder friends will have bus buddies who will help them to and from the bus each day.

If families are comfortable, you can send your child with a personal device. Please note that the school will not be responsible for lost or stolen devices. If a child needs a device at school for the assigned work, computers and iPads will be available.

Students use personal devices in the classroom on occasion to complete assignments. However, unauthorized use of devices in the classroom leads to distraction and disruption. Students are NOT to use their devices at school for reasons such as texting, social media, or contacting parents.

NOTE: If students are feeling sick, they should speak with their teacher instead of texting/calling parents. Our school secretaries will call parents if your child is unwell and needs to be picked up.

Any student seen with a device not authorized by the teacher will be asked to hand in the device to the school office until the end of the day.

Families can order food items for a six-week period beginning the week of September 23rd. Cash On-line will open September 4th. Information regarding our Cash On-line program will be sent home with students on their first day. If you have any questions or are having difficulty registering your cash on-line account, please contact Mrs. Lenouvel in the school office at 613-256-2532. Due to the administrative time required to process the various food orders, late orders cannot be accepted.

Vulnerable Sector Checks are required before you can assist in the school as well as on class trips, etc. Please contact the school office if you wish to volunteer. We will email you the required letter from the Board Office to obtain your Vulnerable Sector Check. Keep in mind that this process may take a few weeks, so if volunteering is of interest to you throughout the school year, we encourage you contact the school office at the beginning of the school year. Vulnerable Sector Reports are valid for one year.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be returning to Holy Name of Mary during the week of September 23rd. This event will be held in the school library. More details will be provided in the next few weeks. To assist with the success of the book fair, we are looking for volunteers to work day shifts. If you are interested, please contact Kelly MacDonald at kellyl.macdonald@cdsbeo.on.ca (that's an L not a one). A reminder that valid vulnerable sector checks must be on file at the school office in order to volunteer.

Our Catholic School Council meets a minimum of four times throughout the school year and is made up of parent volunteers and school representatives. School Council provides fundraisers and special events for our students and their families in addition to donating funds to the school to enhance both student achievement and school environment. In previous years, our Council contributed towards the cost of our basketball court, refurbishing and painting of our Mother Mary Statue, class field trips and to the Grade 8 Celebration of Achievement in June.

Further information will be sent home shortly with details on how to sign up to be part of our Catholic School Council. This is a great opportunity for you to become involved in your child's school experience. Our first meeting will be held in late September/early October. Details to follow.