May 23, 2025 - News, Upcoming Events, Resources, and Helpful Links

Hi Everyone,

Quick heads-up: there's some interesting things happening in the district coming up. 

The Student Senate has launched a short, voluntary survey for students in Grades 9-12. The survey will ask about your awareness of the Student Senate and your experiences with the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) and school-provided menstrual products. This is your chance to share your voice and help the Senate develop policies that impact students. Complete the survey.

News

• 2024-2025 Director's Citation and Employee Recognition Award Winners Celebrated at Awards Ceremony
• Building Connections at Merivale High School's Community Resource Fair
• Local Frequencies to Cosmic Conversations: Kars on the Rideau Students' Radio Rendezvous with Astronaut
• Indigenous Summer Learning program for First Nation, Inuit and Métis Secondary Students - Register by June 13th.
• Share Your Feedback on our Community Use of Schools Policy and Distribution of Communication Materials in Schools Policy.
• Applications Open for the Marion Dewar Scholarship Fund.
• Register Now for 2025 Summer School Programs, including Reach Ahead, eLearning, Cooperative Education, Credit Recovery and more.

 Events:

• Black Youth Forum - The 8th Annual Black Youth Forum was held on May 21st and was a successful day of learning, connection, and empowerment. Thank you to all the students who participated and to Professor Awad Ibrahim!
• Rainbow Youth Forum -  The students of the OCDSB 2SLGBTQ+ Voices: Pathways Program hosted the annual Rainbow Youth Forum last week. The day was a vibrant celebration, full of fantastic performances, insightful workshops and opportunities for participants to connect and uplift each other. Shoutout to the students and staff who worked so hard to make this year’s event such a memorable one!

Resources:

• Mindful Media Podcast - Is it for me? Decoding mental health advice on social media

Helpful Links: 

• Post-Secondary Scholarships 
• OCDSB Safe Schools Reporting Tool 
• Secondary Calendar 
• Religious/Creed-Based Days Of Observance 
• MultiFaith Calendar
• Days And Months Of Significance

Thank You,

Pino Buffone
Director of Education