Dear St. Joseph High School Families,

I hope this message finds you and your families well and that your summer holidays have been restful. I am incredibly excited to join the St. Joseph High School community as your new principal and am looking forward to connecting with our students and families.  I would also like to welcome new vice-principal Ms. Alison Kinahan to the St. Joseph administrative team. With this year’s OCSB Spiritual Theme, “Nourish New Beginnings,” we anticipate many opportunities to create new memories and build on our school's great traditions -- Go Jags!

The first day of school is almost here and we will soon be welcoming our returning and new students into the building! Here are several updates to help you prepare for the new school year. 

Welcome Visits for New Students

This year we will be holding a tour for high school and 7/8  students who are new to our board and DID NOT participate in a tour of St. Joseph in May with their elementary school.  

Students who have not been in the school for a tour already are invited on August 27th at 10:00am. This is a student only event; parents are asked to drop their child off and pick them up at approximately 11:00am.  

Our Inclusion Students 

You have been sent invitations to visit the school. Please check your email!

Grade 7&8 Start-Up

Grade 7&8: Schedules
Please know that we are still hard at work balancing classes and preparing schedules, so any information you might be seeing in various spaces online may be inaccurate and subject to change. All Grade 7/8 students will receive a paper copy of their finalized schedule on the first day of school.

Grade 7&8: Where to go on the First Day
Specific information about the first day of school, including homeroom assignments, room numbers, and instructions for students in Grades 7 and 8, will be shared with parents and guardians by Monday, August 31 via email. 

Grade 7 students will be directed to the Cafeteria Gymnasium; homeroom teachers will be organized in alphabetical order and staff will help your child locate where to go. 

Grade 8 students can proceed to the location indicated in the email sent by Monday, August 31st with their teacher and room.

Grade 7&8: Timetables

All students will receive their finalized timetables and locker assignments during their first period class. 

Grade 7&8: School Supplies 

Please remember to bring a combination lock on the first day. The following items are recommended for the first day:

• A pen and pencil

• A binder with lined paper

• Your lunch

• Your Chromebook (fully charged)

• Non-marking running shoes for Phys Ed

Information about additional suggested school supplies can be found on our school website and at this link. 

Start of the Year Checklist for 7-12 Parents/Guardians

To help you and your family prepare for the new year, we've created a checklist for you to reference before the start of school. This will help ensure you and your student do not miss out on exciting news and opportunities during the year.

• Click here to: Register for a SchoolMessenger Account (including Safe Arrivals)

We share important information with parents and guardians in a variety of ways, including through

SchoolMessenger emails and phone calls. To ensure that you do not miss any important updates,

please ensure you have not only created a SchoolMessenger account, but please be sure to set

your preferences to include:

■ Attendance: All daily absences and late arrivals must be reported by a parent or guardian prior to the start of the school day using the SafeArrival system. Please be advised that the SafeArrival system is not configured to process mid-day sign-outs. Please call the school at 613-823-4797 for all sign outs. Automated attendance messages are always sent by both phone and email whenever a student is unexpectedly absent.

■ General: General messages will include school and school board newsletters, important messages, and notices of cancellation to services and events. These messages may also include information of a commercial nature such as yearbook sales, field trips, milk and pizza sales, student photos and fundraisers.

■ Teacher to Parent Messaging: Teachers may choose to send messages to the parents of students in their class.

■ School to Student Messaging: Messages sent by teachers or schools to their students at the students’ @ocsbstudent email accounts.

More information about SchoolMessenger can be found on the Board website.

• Click here to: Register for a Parent Portal Account

It’s the place for parents to:

■ view and print report cards

■ check that your child’s school has your current contact information

■ view your child’s class schedule

■ track your child’s high school credits

• Click here to: Register for a School Cash OnLine Account

SchoolCash Online is an easy to use and safe way to pay for anything related to your student’s school experience, including student fees, field trip fees, athletic fees, donations, etc.

• Click here to: Fill Out School Forms on Parent Portal

There are a number of Board forms that need to be completed each year. These can be found on the Parent Portal, including the OCSB Media Consent Form, the OCSB Technology Consent Form

and the OCSB Student Verification Form.

The following video outlines how to access forms in the Parent Portal: Helpful Hints for Parent

• Click here to: Update Your Contact Information on Parent Portal (How to video: Portal Forms)

It’s important that the contact information that we have on file is up-to-date. Please take a moment to confirm your contact information is accurate (phone number, email address, home address, etc.) by reviewing your OCSB Student Verification Form in the Parent Portal.

The following video outlines how to check your contact information: How to view contacts in parent portal

Please note that all of the above links are also available under “School News” on https://sjh.ocsb.ca/

Transportation Updates for the 2026-2027 School Year

The first day of school is September 1, 2026. Students are assigned to one of four transportation modes:

1. Yellow bus 

2. Van Transportation

3. OC Transpo - Student Pass

4. Walking

Check your student’s assigned mode in the OSTA Parent Portal (via the OSTA website). For help, view the Parent Portal Guide.  All eligible families are urged to use their assigned transportation (yellow bus/van/OC Transpo). With approximately 2,600 students, limiting parent vehicles in the parking lot is essential for safety.

Yellow School Buses and Special Transportation

Ensure your student knows their bus/van number and pick-up location, available on the OSTA Parent Portal.

Yellow Bus Map

Review the Map with your student to help them locate their bus. Note: This map applies only to the first week of school; updates will follow.

Student Drop Off/Pick-Up

With over 40 school buses, special transportation vehicles, and public buses servicing our school, heavy traffic creates safety hazards in the parking lot.

To help ensure the safety of students and staff in the parking lot, we are asking parents and guardians to please drop their student off at the Riocan Mall. This will greatly decrease the congestion in the parking lot. 

If you must drop off your child at school, please follow the loop shown in the photo. Drop off should only be at the spot marked X. Your student will enter at the side door.

Student Parking

Students cannot park in the main parking lot; illegal parking is strictly prohibited. Students must park responsibly in the temporary gravel lot without blocking others.

OC Transpo 

Eligible Grade 7–12 students assigned to public transit will receive Student Passes instead of PRESTO passes this year. See OSTA's OC Transpo page for details. Please be advised that all Student Passes issued during the prior academic year have been deactivated. These passes are invalid and will not be accepted for the 2026–2027 school term.

Picking up your pass:

1. Pick up at St. Joseph High School front office on Wednesday August 26th, or Thursday August 27th, 2026 (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM).

2. Alternatively, arrange transportation for September 1, 2026, and have your student pick up their pass from the front office for subsequent days.

To plan your route:

1. Plan your route using the OC Transpo travel planner. Routes 677 and 679 serve the school directly, but student passes are valid on any required route.

For schedule details, visit the OC Transpo website. For questions, email joseph.high@ocsb.ca.

Locker Update

All students in grades 7-11 will be assigned a locker. It is important that they use the locker that is assigned through my.studentinfo.ca. Please have a combination lock ready for the first day of school .

The availability of lockers is limited for grade 12 students. If your child would like a locker immediately, please have them fill out this form. Lockers will be randomly assigned starting September 7th through my.studentinfo.ca for those who receive one. Please have them continue to check their account daily for updates. For those that do not get a locker right away or at all, bags will be permitted in classrooms until they have been assigned one. 

Bring Your Own Device

The Ottawa Catholic School Board uses Google as the main platform for students and staff. All students and staff are issued a school board Google email address (gmail), have use of a Google drive, and use Google Chrome for web browsing. Students and teachers use and reference technology regularly in the classroom and a device will support student learning.

We encourage families to purchase a Chromebook for their student, if they are financially able to do so. The OCSB Bring Your Own Device model helps ensure equitable access for families who cannot afford this expense.

The Ottawa Catholic School Board Learning Technologies Department recommends a device with 4 GB of memory. If it has a touchscreen, that is helpful, but not necessary. Websites or apps like reebee or flipp, may be helpful in finding a device at a good price, especially during “Back to School” sales. For further information please review the St. Joseph B.Y.O.D. Model

International Language Learning Opportunities

The following message is being shared on behalf of the OCSB Continuing Education Department:

Did you know that you can learn or master a language other than English and French while earning credits towards your high school diploma? The International Languages Secondary program with OCSB offers courses in languages such as Punjabi, Mandarin, Italian, Spanish,Yoruba, and more. Classes are held virtually or in-person every Saturday morning, from 9 to 12:30. Check out the brochure in the guidance counselors' office or visit 2026-2027 IL Secondary (Credit) program for more information.

Important Dates

Tuesday, September 1: First Day of School

Thursday, September 3 : In-class Welcome Assemblies begin

Thursday, September 10: Meet the Staff Night 4:00-5:30 pm

Monday, September 13, 7:00 pm : Parent Council Meeting

Monday, September 21 & Tuesday, September 22: School Photos

Additional information may be shared as the first day approaches.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Daria Borland

Principal

OSTA Transportation Updates & Deadlines for 2026-2027 

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, please review the following critical information and upcoming deadlines from the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA).

Share Your Feedback: 2-Minute OSTA Transportation Survey 

Dear Families, 

Ottawa Student Transportation (OSTA) invites you to take two minutes to reflect on your family’s transportation experience this past school year. Your anonymous feedback is important and will be shared with our transportation operators as we work together to ensure the best possible experience for our students. 

 Please click the link to access the short, 2-minute online survey. The survey is open until  Tuesday, June 9, 2026.  

Thank you for your time and participation! 

Sincerely,

OSTA 

Standing Against Racism Week 2026: Building Belonging Through the Beloved Community

Belonging does not happen by chance. It is something we build together.

From April 13 to 17, 2026, schools across the Ottawa Catholic School Board will mark Standing Against Racism Week, a time to reflect, learn, and take meaningful action so that every student feels they have a place.

This year’s theme, Beloved Community, focuses on creating schools where everyone is welcomed, valued, and included, and where our commitment to Build Bridges is lived each day.

What This Week Is About

Standing Against Racism Week invites students and staff to look at how we build inclusive school communities and where we can do better.

Across the system, schools will engage in conversations, classroom activities, and shared experiences centred on respect, understanding, and connection. It is about learning from one another, celebrating diversity, and continuing to strengthen school communities where everyone feels they belong.