Thank you for your overwhelming support of Toonie Tuesday, Cupcakes for Kindness, and Pink Shirt Day.  The John Young community certainly has a talent for beautiful cupcakes!  We appreciate everyone’s efforts to support our Kindness initiatives throughout the month of February.  Your generosity is greatly appreciated.  The Cupcakes for Kindness initiative raised $890.  We will share our totals for Toonie Tuesday once we’ve had a chance to count it all up!

Next week we welcome March.  Spring is just around the corner!  It will be another busy week heading into the March Break:

• On Monday, students will have the opportunity to enjoy a MASC performance entitled Dance and Music as Medicine featuring traditional Hoop Dancers.  
• Rocks and Rings will take place on March 4th,5th and 6th, 19th and 26th. This is an opportunity for all students to learn more about the sport of curling.  
• We also have three Triple Ball tournaments next week.  A big thank you to our volunteer drivers for making this possible.  
• On Friday, students will have the chance to learn more about Inuit culture with the Bridging the Gap presentations.  
• Also on Friday we will be having a school-wide spirit day - Beach Day! 

IEPs

Individual Education Plans (IEPs)  went home earlier this week.  A reminder that only IEPs with updates are sent home at this point in the year.  Please reach out to the school if your child has a IEP and you have questions or concerns.  

Website Calendar

If you haven’t already had the chance, we invite you to visit and bookmark the revamped John Young website.  The website includes a active school calendar on the landing page that reflects all of our ongoing events.  Please make this your first stop to confirm important dates such as Spirit Days, Hot Lunches, PA Days, etc. We are hoping that by maintaining the calendar we can reduce queries to the office and help keep everyone informed.  A reminder that March Break is coming up soon.  The school will be closed from March 10 through 14.

Morning Drop Off 

A reminder to all families to please ensure that when you are dropping your child off in the morning, and picking up in the afternoon, that you adhere to the signs posted in the community. There are NO PARKING signs posted beside the entrance to the school parking lot. Stopping by the school parking lot is a safety hazard for you and your child. It also causes unnecessary traffic. The parking lot is closed between 8:30 and 8:45 am every morning and between 3:15 and 3:30 every afternoon. During these times, please drop/pick up your child off at the Kiss and Ride located in front of the kindergarten yard on Sheldrake Drive.  When at the Kiss and Ride, please pull up the next empty space at the front and be considerate of other families by ensuring that you are as efficient as possible - a tall order in the mornings with children, we know!  A reminder that parking on the opposite side of Sheldrake and U-turns are not allowed.  Please adhere to posted signs and pylons as we work to keep everyone safe.  

In case you missed it…

OSTA updates

If your child takes the school bus to and from school, please note that you can be notified of any delays or bus cancellations directly. Please consider signing up at https://www.ottawaschoolbus.ca/

Elementary Program Review

If you haven’t already done so, we invite you to complete the survey on the proposed elementary program model. This is an important opportunity to share your thoughts and questions. The online survey will be available until March 25, 2025. You can also join us at our in-person and virtual Community Meetings on March 6th, 17th, and 24th.   Your feedback is valuable and will help the Board of Trustees make an informed decision about the proposed model. A reminder that the proposed school locator will be available on Engage OCDSB starting February 28th.