Hello to our Vimy Ridge Families,  

We had some hot weather this week. It is important to dress appropriately, clothing that can breathe, and can wick away the moisture can be very helpful in the heat. Students are encouraged to wear sunscreen, have a hat and bring a water bottle. 

As important as water bottles are, we are having an issue with water bottles being used as squirt bottles. If your child has a water bottle that squirts, please keep it at home. We understand that having water at school is important especially as we move into the warmer months. Please make sure your child has a water bottle that can be used to drink from not as a squirt bottle. Water guns, balloons and anything else that can squirt water should not be brought to school. Thank you.

This weekend is the Victoria Day weekend. Monday is a holiday and the school is closed. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Tuesday.

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Welcome to Kinder Open House 5:30-6:30 at Vimy Ridge Public School

We hope all of your little ones are getting excited to be starting with us in the fall! We will be hosting a Kindergarten Open House on May 22, 2025 from 5:30-6:30 pm. Please join us this evening to see what a Kindergarten classroom looks like, meet out Kinder staff, and meet some new Kinder friends. 

If you have any questions about this event please contact the Office.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

The Vimy Ridge Kinder Staff

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CULTURE DAY AT VRPS

SCC is hosting Culture Day at Vimy Ridge Public School on Friday, May 23rd. Students and staff are encouraged to wear clothing that represents their culture(s). Various activities will be taking place throughout the day at school in class.

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Subject: Save the Date: E-Waste & Metal Fundraiser – June 6th–8th!

Dear Vimy Ridge Families,

We’re excited to announce that our upcoming E-Waste and Metal Fundraiser will take place the weekend of June 6th–8th, coinciding with the popular Findlay Creek Community Garage Sale!

This is a great opportunity to clear out your old electronics and pieces of metal while supporting our school. Simply gather your acceptable items and drop them off during the event weekend.

Please refer to the link (below) of the event poster, for a list of acceptable donation items. Your contributions will help reduce waste and raise funds for school initiatives.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Ai-GNkuM7KL7oIkp_Tl6x78t4VJ4ypj/view?usp=drivesdk

Thank you for your continued support—we can’t wait to see you there!

Warm regards,
Vimy Ridge Parent Council 

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Save the Date: Ottawa Lions Club will be having a Food Drive at Vimy Ridge Public School on Saturday, June 7, 2025 during the E-Waste & Metal Fundraiser. The Lions Club will be collecting lunch box items such as juice boxes, pudding cups, granola bars, etc. Thank you for helping us support this cause. Every donation helps.

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An important message from OSTA:

Messaging to Parents/Caregivers:

Ottawa Student Transportation (OSTA) has implemented an opt-out process to enhance bus routing and transportation planning for the 2025-2026 school year.

If your child(ren) will not require school bus transportation next school year, please complete the electronic opt-out form to inform OSTA that a seat is not needed. This will help optimize services and minimize disruptions. Requests for reinstated service can be made anytime through OSTA’s Transportation Issues Form, and is subject to availability and eligibility.

The opt-out form is now available on OSTA’s website. The deadline to apply is June 1, 2025

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Here is a calendar for FREE Dental Screening.

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We continue to remind students to put their phones and earbuds away. Some of our students have been reminded multiple times, and for some we will be calling parents to help remind their students and/or ask that phones be left at home. Phones, and other devices, are to be off and out of sight during the school day, including recess, nutrition break and getting on the school bus. Leaving the phone off, or at home is a successful way to manage this distraction.

As per PR 622 IT - Appropriate Use of Information Technology (Students), The District will not accept liability for loss, theft, or damage to any Personal Mobile Device while on District property, except where it can be shown that such loss was due to negligence on the part of the District.

A reminder to families that the school day ends at 3:45 pm and it makes for better learning and less interruptions when students do not leave early.  We understand that appointments are unavoidable and so when you need to pick kids up early, please notify the classroom teacher and the office the morning of. If you know of an appointment sooner than the day of, please let the teacher and office know as soon as possible. Notice to the teacher and office is greatly appreciated. This makes it easier for the teacher and the office to have your child ready for you. We ask that all early pickups happen before 3:00 as some classes have outdoor DPA or are getting ready for end of day routines and it may be difficult to locate students.

Have a restful long weekend! 

Sandra Walker, Andrew Thorp and Jannah Campbell

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Leaving Ceremonies. As we shared, we will be having 3 leaving ceremonies in June. We have set our dates for the 3 leaving ceremonies. All of our leaving ceremonies will be held in the gym. UPDATE: Tickets will be coming home next week for families to sign up to attend the ceremonies. Please note: due to safety regulations and chair limitations, there is a maximum of 2 guests per student/family who may attend.

Grade 8 - Wednesday, June 25 at 1 PM

Grade 7 - Thursday, June 26 at 9:30 AM

Grade 6 - Thursday, June 26 at 12:30 PM

Idling Bylaw. When you are dropping off or picking up your child(ren), we ask that you follow the City of Ottawa's bylaws to help keep the air around our school clean. The Idling Control By-law limits the time that a vehicle can idle when someone is in the vehicle:

• Maximum of three minutes per hour when it is between 0 °C and 27 °C outside
• Maximum of 10 minutes per hour when it is colder than 0 °C or hotter than 27 °C outside

Respect for all. For the past few years we have focused on learning about the impact of hateful speech and racist comments. We appreciate your support in this continued learning. Unfortunately, examples of this type of conduct are easy to find on social media outlets. Racist, homophobic and hate language is not acceptable at school. Vimy Ridge is proud of our diversity, and wants to celebrate each and every individual. We are grateful for all your support. 

Outdoor play includes playing safely. This includes being careful in the mud, puddles and on the pavement. When playing soccer at school slide tackling should not be part of our soccer games. The professional players we all watch make slide tackles look easy, which also includes a lot of training and practice. At school slide tackles are dangerous and should not be part of a school game.

Breakfast Program. Our Breakfast program is now serving over 70 students each school day! Children who walk are welcome to come to the servery starting at 8:45. If your child is on a bus they can come when they get to school. We are looking for volunteers to help with the Breakfast program. Please email andrew.thorp@ocdsb.ca if you are able to help.

No Food Sharing. A reminder that Vimy Ridge has a “no food sharing” policy in our classes. We have too many allergies at Vimy Ridge for this to be done safely. Sharing candy, treats and other snacks also presents an equity issue between students. Please remind your students to eat the food provided by their family and not to share with other students in class.