May 5, 2023 - Police Involvement in Schools, 2023 Summer School Programs - Register Now!, and more.
Dear Families,
Thanks to everyone who was able to attend school based events for Education Week. There have been many exceptional open houses, performances, activities, and events to celebrate student learning and well-being. The engagement of parents and guardians in these opportunities makes all the difference.
Police Involvement in Schools
The Ottawa Police Service is an important community partner to the OCDSB and we are grateful for the work that officers do to keep our schools and community safe. We know that there are many perspectives about policing and police involvement in schools. In 2021, the OCDSB undertook a review of police involvement in schools and heard from many community members who were impacted by police intervention and asked that the OCDSB review its practice. In June 2021, the Board passed a motion which ended the School Resource Officer Program and the District moved towards an emergency response based relationship with police and away from having uniformed officers in schools providing direct learning to students.
Over the past 18 months, we have been working through this change in approach. This week’s experience has reaffirmed the need for the school district and the Ottawa Police Service to work together to establish new protocols for police involvement in schools which focus on students, safety, and relationships of trust. These protocols must reflect the community concerns raised during our review. I have been in contact with both the Chief of Police and the President of the Police Association to arrange meetings as quickly as possible. They share our commitment to building a path forward and I look forward to meeting with them. You can read our letter to the Police Association here.
2023 Summer School Programs - Register Now!
Get ahead this summer with our flexible Summer School Programs. Designed for students in grades 6-12 and adult learners, our courses (in-person & virtual) offer a range of options for credit recovery, upgrades, and e-learning. Learn more.
Classroom Chronicles
Muslim Student Associations from Woodroffe High School, Ridgemont High School, and Brookfield High School organized Iftar events for their school communities. Iftar means "fast-breaking" and refers to the meal that members of the Muslim community gather to enjoy every day at sunset during Ramadan.
Community Involvement Hours and Local Volunteer Opportunities
Looking for volunteer opportunities? There are many exciting ways to get involved in our community, including the Canadian Tulip Festival (May 12-22) and Ottawa Race Weekend (May 27-28). A reminder that students graduating in the 2022-23 school year are required to have completed 40 hours of community involvement. Visit our Community Involvement page to learn about eligible activities.
OSTA’s Driver Appreciation Day
Saturday, May 27th is OSTA’s Driver Appreciation Day, where we recognize and thank our dedicated drivers and walking school bus (WSB) leaders for getting students to and from school safely each day. Help us recognize our drivers and leaders by sharing your thanks for their hard work! Your child can create a thank you card to submit to your school office in-person, or to send to OSTA online. Learn more and follow the instructions on OSTA’s website to participate.
Bear Witness Day
Each year on May 10th, we recognize Bear Witness Day / Journée de l’ourson témoin. Bear Witness Day is Spirit Bear’s birthday, and honours the memory of Jordan River Anderson through the full and proper implementation of Jordan’s Principle. Learn more about how you can take part.
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, May 10: Speech and Language Open House. Join us from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. for a virtual open house where OCDSB’s Speech Language Pathologists will provide parents/caregivers of children of all ages with information and resources about developing your child’s communication skills. Register Now.
- Saturday, May 13: Open Trails. Bill Mason Outdoor Education Centre is having its annual Open Trails day from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. This is the only day of the year when this 77-acre outdoor classroom is open to the public for everyone to explore! Learn more.
- Saturday, May 13: Rockcliffe Park Public School 100th Anniversary: Families, students, staff, alumni, and community members are invited to join a High Tea celebration at the Jubilee Gardens from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., organized by the School Council. Learn more and RSVP by May 10.
- Monday, May 15: OCDSB Strategic Planning Open House: Join us from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Ottawa Technical Secondary School (485 Donald St) for an in-person public meeting to engage in conversation about the development of the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan. Learn More
In case you missed it…
Register Your Child for French or Spanish Summer Camp: Registration is open for the OCDSB’s French and Spanish Summer Camps, for students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 in any school board. Learn more and register here.
Question and Answer Video with Dr. Vermeulen: After Dr. Peter Vermeulen’s virtual presentation for World Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, families and staff were invited to submit questions for him to answer in a follow-up video. Watch the video here for more of Dr. Vermeulen’s insight on some of the questions related to his presentation.
Thank you,
Michele Giroux
Director of Education