School Council Update #15 - December 14th, 2018
Over the past three weeks, we have been actively seeking input from parents, staff and students to help us plan for the future. So far, we have received almost 10,000 ideas about what we do well, where we could improve and what our priorities should be for the next four years.

We have extended the deadline to Monday December 17th. Please take a few minutes to participate, using the links below.

You DO NOT need to sign up or login to participate. Just revie and agree to the terms of use and click continue.

You can even participate in another language. Learn more  here .

Got questions? Check  here  for answers. Visit our website  for further information.
Important Information
bsite  for further information.
Kindergarten Registration 2019

If your child will be 4 years old before December 31st, 2018, then they are ready to start kindergarten in September 2019. Call or stop by your child’s new school to pick up a registration package or register  online !

To find your local school, try our helpful  School Locator . You will be asked for your home address and the type of program you wish to enroll your child in our District. 

Don't worry if you miss the official registration week. You can register anytime in one of our schools or  online . Take a look at our  Welcome To Kindergarten  video and see some of the many new experiences your child will enjoy!
Reminders
 Continuing Education - Winter Newsletter
Check out the   Continuing Education Newsletter for December 2018, and have a look at what is coming up this Winter. 
High School Information Nights
Making decisions about high school? Come to an OCDSB inforao help you make an informed decision when choosing a high school, OCDSB schools host information night for parents and grade 8 students. Learn everything you need to know about our incredible variety of schools, programs and courses.
Upcoming sessions:
  • A.Y. Jackson Secondary School - December 20th
  • Gloucester High School - January 10th
  • Colonel By Secondary School - January 15th

Visit our website for a complete list of Information Nights by school.
 Ottawa Public Health (OPH) Immunization
All children attending school between ages 4 to 17 need to be immunized according to  Ontario's Immunization Schedule . Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, students attending school in Ontario are required to be vaccinated against nine (9) diseases or have a valid exemption. Parents are required to report all immunizations done at the doctor's office to OPH. Under this Act, OPH has the authority to suspend from attending school students for whom OPH does not have a record of immunization.
 
Parents/guardians of these intermediate and secondary students received written notice from OPH in the mail by  November 21st . Suspension orders are scheduled to be mailed to households on  January 25th, 2019  (Grades 7 - 12) and scheduled to be enforced on  February 20th, 2019 . 

Parents seeking more information can contact OPH by phoning 613-580-6744 or visit  parentinginottawa.ca/immunization . Learn more   here . 
School Council Information
School News
There are a lot of amazing events going on in our district. Check out our new School News section of the website to learn about the great things happening in our schools!


Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School Christmas Market -
December 15th, 2018

It's that time of year again! Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School is hosting their annual Christmas Market. Come support local crafts people and the school’s own trades by doing some great Christmas shopping. All kinds of wonderful things will be for sale, including the students work in Horticulture and Culinary classes. They are well-known for their goodies! Other vendors include Project TEMBO, Craft Studio Creations, Magnolia and Vine, Arbonne and more. Visit the event Facebook page for a full list of participating vendors. There will be an auction table as well, with items donated by the vendors. All of the money raised from the event will be going towards the students throughout the year.

Student volunteers are always welcome, to help the vendors bring in their tables and goods and to help bring them out at the end of the show. Lunch will be served to all volunteers.

Questions can be directed to Patricia Mulcahy at [email protected] .


Want to spread the word about your event? Send us an email at:  [email protected] . We will help publicize your events on our website.
Dates to Remember
Winter Break 2018-2019

All elementary and secondary schools of the OCDSB will be closed Monday, December 24th and will reopen on Monday, January 7th, 2019.

Administrative buildings will be closed end of day December 24th and will reopen on January 2nd, 2019.

School Year Calendars

The 2018-2019 school year  elementary   and  secondary   calendars are available on our website. The highlights include School Holidays, PA Days, and District-wide Secondary Testing. 
Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings
The next Committee of the Whole meeting will be on January 15th, 2019. Read the full agenda here . Watch the meeting live here .

Upcoming Committee Meetings:   
01/09/2019 6:00 PM Parent Involvement Committee
01/15/2019 6:30 PM Committee of the Whole, Public

Read our Boardroom Highlights here .
Stay Connected
OCDSB staff, students and community members can view the District's  website . Keep in touch by following us on  Twitter , visiting our  Facebook  and  LinkedIn  pages, and watching our videos on  YouTube .

About the Newsletter
If you forward this message, please delete all of the text from the "forward e-mail" link at the bottom left of the newsletter (just outside of the border). Otherwise, anyone who receives the message can click the opt-out button at the bottom of the newsletter and unsubscribe your name from our distribution list. If you are not on our distribution list feel free to subscribe or email  [email protected] .