January Newsletter

St. Daniel Weekly Update

January 5 -  January 9, 2026

Prayer

Lord, as we embark on this new year, we lift up to you, our loved ones, our communities, and the world. May your peace reign in our hearts and in the hearts of all people. Bring healing where there is brokenness and reconciliation where there is division.

Amen

Sixteenth  Week of School

Monday’s  trip to St. Basil for Mass was a wonderful community experience. Seeing so many parents there was fantastic, and our Kinders did a beautiful job performing the Birth of Jesus. Our St. Daniel  little angels were truly shining! The spirit wear on display, especially among our primary students, was incredible – reindeer, elves, and toys galore!

The lead-up to the Christmas concert was filled with beautiful singing from our students. It was such a joy to hear them rehearsing!

Wednesday brought a thoughtful question from one of our Grade Ones: "Why is it raining today? Isn't it winter?" It's a good question, and honestly, I didn't have a perfect answer! Once again our poor canal.  

The Christmas concert was a resounding success! It was a truly wonderful showcase of talent, and the excitement and joy it provides our entire St. Daniel Community.  The memories will last a lifetime.

Finally, Friday brought a welcome slowdown. It was lovely to wish everyone a blessed Christmas and spend some time with our classes. Christmas joy filled every corner of St. Daniel, and we even enjoyed a festive movie together. 

Snow Days

In the event that extreme weather results in the cancellation of school buses, parents are required to submit their child’s absence to the safe arrival if they take a school bus.  The school will remain open.  Should you choose to send your child to school, parents are responsible for transportation to and from school that day.  School hours are from 9:15 to 3:45 p.m.  If you wish to have someone other than a family member pick your child up, a written request with your signature must be delivered to the office.

EQAO Assessment Results for Grade 4 Parents

Your child’s EQAO scores are now available on the Parent Portal. Please see this video for steps on how to access. https://youtu.be/uSgRuMoNA7E

KG Transportation Information for 2026 -2027

Please see the information provided by OSTA.

St. Daniel Catholic School Council  

Next Meeting:  January 28, 2026   6:00 PM Learning Commons

This is a very special Council meeting.  OCSB Mental Health Worker, Gavin Simmons-Feigel, will be facilitating a workshop on supporting children in developing a healthy relationship with technology. His talk will include information on the harmful impact tech over use is having on Ottawa area youth, give insights into the addictive nature of social media and gaming, and provide practical tips for how we as a school community can support students through a rapidly changing tech landscape. The workshop should last about 40 minutes and will hopefully spark constructive conversation amongst participants around strategy sharing. 

REMINDERS

Arrival / Dismissal Drop off / Pick up

Please be aware of the procedures that are in place for dismissal and pick up.  To promote the safety of our students at St Daniel Catholic School, we have developed and implemented a plan to ensure the safe arrival and dismissal of our children. Parents and school staff have a vital role in this process. 

ARRIVAL: Children enter the gate which is located at the east end of the school . They do so between 9:00 - 9:15 a.m. Students will then proceed to the schoolyard. No adults are allowed on the school yard before, during or after school. Educators will be in these designated areas.  At 9:15 when the bell rings, students will line up with classes, and then they will proceed into the school through their designated door, and be escorted with their teacher to their classroom.  In the case of inclement weather, students will enter the school from designated doors, and be directed by staff to their classrooms. We ask for your full cooperation as the safety and security of our children is a whole school approach.  

Dismissal:  Everyone will be dismissed from their classrooms between 3:38 - 3:45pm.  When the buses arrive, kinders will start boarding buses at 3:40, followed by Grades 1-6 students.  EDP students will leave at 3:44 to walk directly to EDP.  Walkers will leave at 3:44 to leave school for home.  

Drop Off /Pick UP If you are driving your child to school in the morning or picking them up at dismissal time, we ask you to park your car away from the school and WALK-A-BLOCK. We ask that you do not enter the Bus drop off zone, these are off limits to all cars between 9:00 AM - 9:30 PM and  3:30 PM - 4:00 PM .

Volunteers

Snowsuit Fund

The Snowsuit Fund provides new snowsuits to children aged 0-15 who are Ottawa residents and considered low-income. Eligibility criteria include proof of the child's age, household income, and address. Families can apply for the program by appointment only through the Snowsuit Fund website. There is a nominal $10 fee to help cover administrative costs.

Breakfast Program

All students are invited to attend the breakfast program.  If you do not want your child to participate in the breakfast program, kindly contact your teacher with this request.

School Messenger

 Please sign up for School messenger to make sure you will be receiving all communication from our school. If this is not completed you may miss out on receiving some important announcements from our school. School Messenger

Parent Portal: 

Please visit Login - enCompass to access your students information and in future their report cards.  Please review the contact information listed.  If any changes need to be made please email Daniel@ocsb.ca with the new updates.  

Office Administrator 

Please take note that oftentimes you will not be able to speak to our Office Administrators 30 minutes before the end of school bell at 3:45 PM. This is a very busy time.  Requests to have students be removed from the bus or ready for you to pick them up early should be done in the morning,  by communication in the agenda or a voicemail message before 12:00 PM.  Please understand that these types of requests may not be addressed if you are calling late. We would kindly ask that if you are requesting a pick up at 3:30, please wait until 3:45.

Thank you 

Important Dates

January 5                 First Day back from Christmas Break

January 5                 World Junior Gold Medal Game  Canada vs ? 

Future Dates

January 30               PD DAY

Triduum Schedule