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 2023 - 2024 school year. We hope you all had a wonderful summer with time to refresh, relax and enjoy the summer with your families.

Please keep Caroline LaBelle in your thoughts as she continues to recover from her medical treatments. During her continued absence our new Acting Principal is Colleen Donovan. Mrs. Donovan has been with CDSBEO since 2001 as a teacher, mainly in the Brockville area. She has a Special Education background and has been a Vice-Principal with the Board since 2020 in Cornwall and Brockville. Please reach out to Mrs. Donovan if you have any concerns or questions.

We would also like to welcome our new acting Vice Principal and Grade 5-6 Core Language and Math teacher, Lori Beckstead.

We are happy to welcome our new teachers, Ms. Proteau, Mr. Toderian and Mrs. Murphy to the Holy Name of Mary community.

Mr. Sauve and Mrs. Caldwell will be our Special Education Resource Teachers (SERT) for our primary students.

We look forward to seeing our students next week!

Sincerely,

Colleen Donovan

Acting Principal

We realize that many students are anxious about the upcoming school year. Homeroom teachers will contact families by the end of this coming weekend to inform your family of who your child's classroom teacher will be. 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 - 4 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 Tuesday 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, 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 shortly after the 9:15 am bell.

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 are encouraged to pack a change of clothes in a labelled Ziploc bag.
• 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.
• Indoor shoes which will remain at school.

We are happy to inform our families that a tentative agreement has been put in place between STEO and the Eastern Ontario Bus Operators Association. More information will follow from our Board office. Below is information for families to access their child's busing details using STEO's website.

Please note that bus companies will not be reaching out to families prior to September 5th. 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.

Below is information on how to access the Parent Portal on the STEO website.

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.

Lunch hour for Grades 1 - 8 will be between 12:00 pm and 12:50 pm with classes alternating between going outside and eating. Our four Kindergarten classes will have lunch between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. Grade 7/8 students can leave the property at lunch 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. 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. Cash Online will be made available to families in early September to pay for the Agendas.

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. 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 October/November beginning mid-September. Information regarding our Cash Online program will be sent home with students on their first day.

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.

We are currently looking for lunch monitors to supervise a few days a week. If this is something you are interested in, please reach out to the school office as soon as possible. Please note, a valid Vulnerable Sector Check and resume will be required.

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 assisted with our basketball court and mental health week activities through the donation of funds.

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.