Do you know which courses your child should select?  What are the benefits of taking ‘co-op’?  Should a SHSM be considered?  What are the compulsory and elective courses required for graduation in Ontario?  

For answers to these questions and many, many more, we are excited to invite you to our upcoming Program Night. 

WHAT IS PROGRAM NIGHT?

This event will provide an opportunity for you to gain valuable information about course selection, pathway planning, school life, and to meet with teachers and staff. 

We will be discussing important updates, course selection, curriculum highlights, and various resources available to support student success.   

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

All parents and guardians should attend.  There are incredibly important decisions to be made and we want to make sure you have all the information necessary to make the best ones.  If you cannot attend, please try to coordinate with another guardian or parent to get information on your behalf.  

WHEN?

Wednesday, February 5. 

5:45 until 6:15 - School Tours and Course Displays 

• Meet in the cafeteria for the tour

• Visit classes

• Learn about courses from student guides

• Talk to Department Heads and Curriculum Leaders about courses

6:30 - Presentations 

• Grades 7&8 presentation in the Learning Commons

• Grades 9 to 12 presentation in the Chapel

High school students will receive their semester two schedules via email by Friday afternoon.  Please check your junk/spam folder before calling the school Friday afternoon.  

COURSE CHANGES

Requests for course changes need to be completed using this Google Form by February 7.  Students MUST be logged into their OCSB gmail account to access this form.

At this time, we can only accommodate course changes for the following reasons:

1. A student does not have the necessary prerequisite for a course on his/ her timetable

2. A student must make level changes and/or pathway changes to courses on his/her timetable

3. 
   

Only requests made through the link above before February 7, 2025 will be considered. 

Together We Can is excited to announce the launch of their annual Black History Month writing contest. They are now accepting contest submissions from students who may be interested. 

Deadline to enter contest: all entries must be received by February 28, 2025

• Open to all Black, African, and Caribbean students, ages 14-18.

• Theme: Black History Month

• Short stories, poems, essays, comics, and personal reflections.

• Students may enter multiple times, and different genres. 

• English language submissions only.

To enter, please use the QR code on the poster, or the link below:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=mMfZdlIbZ0G65xvUTEVrpE7Q7lZVknFBn0qQ2nZcnqNUOEpWWDNXRloxMDlEQUlaMkNTRVJYMVhOSi4u

Immediately following the Program Night presentations, all parents and guardians are invited to join the Catholic School Council meeting. 

The meeting will be held February 5 at 7:30 pm.  Those joining us in person can meet us in the Learning Commons (Library). 

The OCSB in partnership with Jaku Konbit is offering a Math or English literacy tutoring opportunity to Grades 4-12 students who self-identify as Black. The tutoring will all be offered on a virtual one-on-one basis. 

Jaku Konbit will be managing the student registration form and tracking attendance.  The registration deadline is Feb 10, 2025.

The commitment for you and your child is one hour per week, with the program running from the week of February 3 to May 30, 2025.  There is no financial cost to participate. Tutoring sessions will take place after the regular school day.

After registering, a Jaku Konbit tutor will contact you to arrange a schedule that fits your availability and provide further details about the program.  If you have any questions about tech support, please contact your child’s vice-principal. 

For students who do not self-identify as Black but are interested in tutoring, please contact Student Services.

The Girls’ Tackle Football Program is for students born between 2006 and 2012 and focuses on leadership, teamwork, and physical fitness.  Please see the following advertisement for more information: Bel-Air OWFL Promotion. 

Ms. Aiston, our Student Success Teacher, will be running a "Catch-up Club" on Thursday from 3:00 to 4:30 pm.  Here, students will be able to catch up on missed work and have a quiet place to study.  If any parents would like more information about this, please contact Ms. Aiston.    

Registration for the OCDSB Winter 2025 Night School session is now open and will close on Thursday, February 13, at 4:00 pm. The Winter 2025 Session will run virtually on Tuesdays and Thursdays from February 20 to May 29, 2025. For more information, please see the Winter 2025 Night School Flyer or visit the OCDSB Night School website.

Our after-school recreation and tutoring program is now open to grade 9 students!  

ND After 3 runs every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3 until 5:30 pm.  Students in grades 7, 8, and 9 can choose from a variety of activities, including sports and games, crafts, cooking and baking, and tutoring to join after school.  

For more information and to join, please click here or contact Kate McGarrity, Gr. 7&8 Guidance Counsellor. 

We have a yearbook this year!  Lucky for us, we had Ms. Susan Trickey and a group of very keen students step up to the task of creating the yearbook. 

You can show your support for the school while at the same time purchasing a keepsake that you will have for years to come by purchasing your very own copy.  

If you are purchasing a Yearbook as a Christmas gift, we can provide you with a colourful note to include in a Christmas card for the recipient.  You can request one from Mr. Cloutier. 

Yearbooks are $60 and can be purchased at this link. 

A personalized attendance report will be sent in the first week of February that will include all attendance from December and January.  

Students have been expressing concerns about OC Transpo.  Buses not arriving on time; full buses; and other bus issues are preventing students from arriving on time.  We encourage students to arrive before 8:30 am to provide a buffer so they can get to class on time.   

8:30 am is on time.

At this time of year, even the school temperature can be cool at times.  We recommend that students wear layers beneath their uniform to stay warm if they are cold.  If layers are worn, the uniform item must be the top layer. 

Students must be in full uniform at all times.  Jogging pants are not allowed to be worn, nor are non-uniform sweaters.  Students wearing these will be sent home to change. 

Very important information will be sent to graduates weekly via email.  

Please stay up to date with all things related to the grade 12 year by reviewing these emails together.  It is very important that these are read to avoid missing essential information.  

For example, the first email was sent this week with information about: 

• Grad fees

• Important dates

• Scholarships 

• Grad Mass

• College and University applications

• First meeting with grads will be Sept 26 during period 2

To ensure students with medical concerns or life-threatening allergies are safe at school, please click here for information on submitting their plan of care if you have not done so yet. Your child’s safety and well-being is our top priority, which is why we have many policies and procedures in place. For help with this, please contact your child’s vice-principal. 

Notre Dame is a uniform school.  Students wear the uniform as a symbol of school pride and unity.  If your student will not have their uniform by the first day of school, please contact their vice-principal by emailing NotreDame.High@ocsb.ca. 

All students are expected to be in school uniform at all times with the only exceptions being gym/fitness class, spirit days, or dress down days.  Sweaters, jackets, and other items that are not school uniform are not to be worn in the school at any time.  Jogging pants are not allowed. 

Clothing for the uniform must be acquired through the authorized supplier: Top Marks.  Order forms are on-line at www.topmarks.ca or by calling 1-800-667-7105. You may place an order with school code: NOT01.

Students must wear a uniform top and bottom and it must be worn properly (ie// shirt must be fully on, buttoned fully).  No alterations of the uniform are permitted, nor is attaching a ‘Top Marks’ tag to a pair of non-uniform pants.  With the kilts, solid coloured nylons, tights or leggings may be worn provided they match the school uniform colours (white, navy blue, grey, black). No sweatpants are allowed. 

Eagle Wear or Club Wear is appropriate to wear as part of the uniform.  Eagle Wear is available for order twice per year; Club Wear is made available by coaches or club supervisors. 

The Principal may issue further clarification on this policy as required.  Should a student be out of uniform, they will be asked to go to meet with their Vice-Principal.   Outcomes could include: being sent home to change; being asked to remain in the office for the day; calls home; or other consequences determined by considering the specific situational circumstances. 

We encourage everyone to consider donating used uniforms.  These can be dropped off at the main office.  If you would like us to pick up the uniform donation, please call the school office and we can arrange pickup. 

If you are not receiving emails such as the Principal Updates, Parent-Teacher Conferences, OSSLT, Early Dismissal, etc, please be sure to update your SchoolMessenger settings. You want to have the email icon under "General Email" turned green. 

It is very important that all guardians/parents update and verify the following information in the “Parent Portal” ASAP.

• Student Verification

• Responsible Use of Technology

• Consent for Use and Disclosure of Information

• Offsite Permission

Please note that this must be done each school year.  To update your information on the Parent Portal, please follow these instructions. 

The first scholarship application workshop offered in partnership with the Black Education Fund (BEF) and BEF Empowers is today, Friday, December 6th from 7 PM - 9 PM (EST).  This workshop will be open to all Black students and their families. 

Click here to register for the BFCN Scholarship Application Workshop on December 6th 

Before a test or an exam, many people experience some level of stress. A little stress before an exam or test can be a good thing. It can help motivate students to work hard and focus. However, too much stress can get in the way of a person’s ability to study and perform on tests and exams.

At Notre Dame, students have many resources available to them when it comes to helping with stress and anxiety.  We encourage students to talk to any of the caring adults in the building for help.  For information about relieving stress, you can also check out this LINK.   

Please take a look at the January 13 edition of the Principal Update email or our social media for the exam schedule. 

Please book vacation or appointments so they do not conflict with these very important dates, including January 29 and 30 that could be used if there is a snow day.   In general, it is very important not to miss class time in January at all because of RSTs (final projects), exam reviews, and exams in courses.   

GRADE 9 STUDENTS 

Grade 9 courses do not have final exams.  All grade 9 students will complete summative assessments (Rich Summative Tasks or other assessments) between 8:45 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. each day.  Vacation and work arrangements are expected to be made around this timetable.  Attendance will be taken.  Students are expected either to leave the building after their summative assessment time or to study quietly in the cafeteria. 

GRADE 10 TO 12 STUDENTS

Many grade 10, 11 and 12 courses will have final exams in their courses. Students can see their teachers for more information about exams in each course. 

GRADE 7&8 STUDENTS 

Students in grades 7&8 follow their regular schedule during the high school exam period.

EXAM ATTENDANCE

Students with exams are expected to be in their exam room by 8:45 am.  All exams will begin at 9 am.  Students in grade 10, 11, and 12 courses are only required to attend on days in which they have a scheduled exam. Students are expected either to leave the building after their exam or to study quietly in the cafeteria. 

*INCLEMENT WEATHER DURING EXAMS

In the event of an "inclement weather day” during the high school exam period where yellow school bus transportation is canceled, exam schedules at all OCSB schools for all students will be affected (not just for school bus riders). The missed exam (or grade 9 assessment) will be written the following school day. All other exams (and grade 9 assessments) will be bumped by one day. For example, if Tuesday were declared an inclement weather day, then all  of those exams would be written on Wednesday, bumping all exams one day.  During a snow day, the school will be open, but exams and grade 9 assessments will not be written.

E-LEARNING EXAMS 

There will not be any formal, supervised exams for e-learning, rather, all final exams/summative assessments will be completed by the student in the same way they have completed assessments throughout the semester. Students taking e-learning courses will receive information about their exam/summative assessment directly from their e-learning teacher. 

CREDIT INTERVENTION DAYS FOR GRADES 9-12 

This is especially important for students who may be at risk of not achieving the credit. Teachers will be contacting students and parents if credit intervention is necessary for a specific course.