School Messenger - Friday, June 27, 2025

Dear Families,

Today marks our last day of the 2024-2025 school year. It is such a privilege to watch your children learn and grow everyday.  Thank you for everything you do to support the students and staff at John Young.  Ongoing engagement and partnership with families is such an essential part of our school community.  Our talented staff created a 2025 Staff video that students enjoyed at today’s assemblies.  We thought you might enjoy it too!

New School Year

The first day of school for the 2025-2026 school year is Tuesday, September 2, 2025.  Information regarding class placements will be communicated with families just prior to start up. Registration is open throughout the summer. The school office reopens on Monday, August 25. 

Life Threatening Medical Conditions

If your child has a life threatening medical condition, please ensure that you complete a Plan of Care form prior to the start of the new school year.  This form needs to be redone each school year.

Report Cards and Kindergarten Communication of Learning - Early Reading Screening

Yesterday, Term 2 Grade 1 to 6 Report Cards and Kindergarten Communication of Learning were sent home via secure electronic communication.  On the Year 2 Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 reports, your child’s Early Reading Screening results will be indicated.  This data was collected between February 20 and March 19, 2025.  If your child received an ‘NA’, it indicates that they met the benchmark in the beginning of year screening as indicated on the Term 1 report card.  In exceptional circumstances, ‘NA’ could also indicate that the screening was not completed due to a student joining an Ontario school outside of the assessment window.  

Leaving Staff, Students and Families

We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to our leaving grade 6s in both the English and French Immersion programs.  These students will be moving on in their learning journey and we wish them every success at their new schools. For families who are leaving John Young, please know that it has been our pleasure to work with you and your children as part of our school community.  Best wishes to all of you. 

We would also really like to thank the many wonderful staff members who worked with your children this year.  The work of educators is both rewarding and challenging and we hope that all of our staff have the opportunity for some rest and relaxation over the summer months.  

Some of our staff will be leaving John Young and moving on to other experiences.  This week we say goodbye to Ms. Vanessa Woodward, Mr. Ian Terris, Ms. Chloe Carroll, Mme Mel Robinson, Ms. Jeannie Wardrop, Ms. Lauren Ashley, Ms. Emma Gillespie, Ms. Tina Mendzigall, and Ms. Kristine Storah.  We are also saying a ‘see you again soon’ to Ms. Christine Fotherby, Ms. Joanne Clarke, and Mme Kate Woolley, all of whom will be away for the upcoming school year on different adventures of their own.  

We thank all of our leaving staff for being such important members of the John Young team and wish them every future success.  We look forward to introducing students and families to some new faces in September.  

To all of our families, please enjoy a safe and happy summer.  We’ll see everyone back again on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.  

Most sincerely,

Kim and Kris

Kimberly Simpson

Principal

Kristine Storah

Vice Principal

John Young Elementary School

In case you missed it…

Community Dental Screening -Ottawa Public Health

Has your child missed the school dental screening?  Community Dental Screenings are held over the summer at Neighbourhood Health and Wellness Hubs.  Dental screenings and fluoride varnish applications are free for all ages.  Registered dental hygienists can also support clients with the Healthy Smiles Ontario and Ontario Seniors Dental Care Plan enrollments. Here’s a short video that highlights the dental services available in the community. For the full list of programs/services, schedule and locations of Neighbourhood Health and Wellness Hubs, please visit: www.OttawaPublicHealth.ca/NeighbourhoodHub