St. Philip Updates

A Warm Welcome

Dear Parents/Guardians: 

On behalf of the staff of St. Philip School, we would like to welcome everyone for the 2026-27 school year! A warm welcome to new families joining our St. Philip community. We are looking forward to renewing relationships, forming new friendships, embarking on new journeys and working together on behalf of a great school!

Continuing a sense of warmth and maintaining a safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environment for all is a priority.  We are looking forward to an exciting, fun, faith-filled year of learning. Our school team will work closely with parents/guardians in establishing a positive learning environment for each child at St. Philip.

School begins for Gr. 1 - 6 only -  Tuesday, September 1st!

Kindergartens: Verify your scheduled appointment and your start date for this week in the email or letter you have received. There are no kindergartens that begin school on Tuesday. 

Here is a link to the 2026-27 School Year Calendar (PD days, holidays, etc).

We can’t wait to see our students back at school!

We feel both privileged and excited to work with this wonderful school community and we look forward with excitement to September! 

Your Partners In Education, 

Jennifer Murphy        Shawn Bedard                 Susan Goslin

Principal                    Vice-Principal                   Vice Principal

Construction Update

This summer has been transformative for St. Philip as we continued the two-year construction project to increase classrooms and facilities within our school! Over the summer months the building got new lighting, a new HVAC system, a new electrical system, renovations started in the gym, and walls were relocated to create a new Kindergarten classroom in the interior of the school. Work continued on our two new Kindergarten classrooms in the kindergarten addition, the new multipurpose room, and the two-storey addition. 

Daily Schedule

Student Arrival: 9:05-9:20

Block 1: 9:20-10:30

Recess: 10:35-10:50

Block 2: 10:50--12:05

Lunch for Primary: 12:05-2:25

Recess for Junior: 12:05-12:45

Lunch for Junior: 12:45-1:05

Recess for Primary: 12:25-1:05

Block 3: 1:05-2:20

Recess: 2:20-2:35

Block 4: 2:35-3:50

Dismissal: 3:50

Student Arrival and Dismissal 

Please note the following arrival and dismissal routines:

1. Buses will be dropping off and picking up students along Maitland. To facilitate this, there will be no parking along Maitland, and no parking in the lot in front of the school;

2. All other students will be dropped off on Fortune Street and go through the gate at the back of the school yard by the portables. There will be a staff member at the gate to welcome and direct students. At the end of the day families will pick up students at the same gate at 3:50;

3. There is to be no parent parking in the Church parking lot. This is a request made by the Church, and we wish to maintain a positive relationship;

4. There is no parent parking in the new staff parking lot on Royal York as we have just enough spots for our growing staff. 

Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation!

Who is My Teacher?

All families will receive an email from their morning teacher by the end of the day Monday August 31st. On Tuesday morning, should a student not know who their homeroom teacher is, there will be lists posted in the school yard and staff available to help. 

If you do not receive an email from your homeroom teacher, please email the school and we will do our best to assist. 

Please remember, the class lists are always tentative in September and may change through the early fall as enrollment fluctuates and classes have to be adjusted.

Please note: educators put a lot of thought, time, and consideration into class placements. While parents sometimes make requests, due to numbers, professional judgment, and other factors we are not always able to facilitate requests. We will not be making any student moves at this time. 

The First Day of School

If you accompany your child to school on Tuesday morning, you are welcome to accompany your child to the schoolyard.  You are welcome to assist your child in finding their class in the school yard, but then do give them a big hug and let them start their day when the bell rings! We will be gently asking all parents to say their goodbyes by bell-time.

Please note, this is only the procedure for the first day of school . Beginning on the second day of school, the children will gather in the school yard and line up in their class lines when the bell rings at 9:20 a.m. Supervision on the yard begins at 9:05 a.m. Students should not arrive before 9:05 a.m.

Our staff will be very busy gathering their students on Tuesday and will not be able to speak with you regarding any particulars about your child. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you wish to discuss concerns.

Bus Routes

Be sure to check for the details regarding bussing, if your child receives a bus for school. Double check their bus stop location, pick-up and drop-off times in the OSTA Parent Portal.

Attendance Matters

Attendance and arriving on time to class is very important for student success.

Parents are asked to email or call the school with information regarding absences, lates, sign-out or sign-in information prior to the absence. We appreciate your efforts in trying to minimize the disruptions for your child and their classmates. 

Reporting Absences

Parents and guardians at St. Philip use SafeArrival to report student absences. 

SafeArrival is designed to make it easier, faster, and more convenient for families to report absences and late arrivals.

SafeArrival helps schools verify attendance more efficiently, enhances student safety, and keeps families informed in real time. Many school boards across the country already use this system, and parents consistently report that they appreciate its convenience and ease of use.

With SafeArrival, there's no need to call the school and leave a message. Instead, you can quickly and securely report your child's absence in one of three ways:

1. Using the SM Home App: Download and install the SM Home app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
   If you already have the SchoolMessenger app or an account, you can log in to the new SM Home app using the same credentials. If you don't already have an account, please create one using the email address on file with your child’s school. Follow these instructions to submit an absence.
   
   

2. Online: Visit home.schoolmessenger.ca.
   The first time you visit, click Sign Up to create your account using the email address on file with your child’s school.
   Once you have an account, click the avatar in the upper right corner and select Attendance, then Report an Absence. Follow these instructions to submit an absence.
   
   

3. Phone: Call the toll-free number 1-844-478-2598 and follow the prompts to report your child's absence using the automated phone system. Follow these instructions to submit an absence. 

Using SafeArrival, you can:

• Report absences in advance or respond to unexplained absences.

• Notify the school for multiple children all at once.

• Include a reason for each absence with just a few taps.

• Ensure school staff are alerted promptly and can follow up quickly if needed.

If you have any questions or need support setting up SafeArrival, please contact the school office—we're happy to help.

Important - Verification Sheets

It is important for the contact information on file for your child to be up-to-date.  Please log onto the Parent Portal to confirm your contact info.  If any of your contact information (phone number, email address, home address, etc.) changes, the easiest way to update it is to use the OCSB Student Verification Form in the Parent Portal.  Please refer to these instructions. 

Plan of Care and/or Medical Documentation

If your child has a serious medical condition (asthma, life-threatening allergy, diabetes, epilepsy/seizures, concussion/head injury), you need to inform the school using the Life-Threatening Medical Condition Verification Form. You will also need to submit the appropriate condition-specific Plan of Care form.  These forms are linked on the Life-Threatening Medical Condition Verification Form and available on the board website. If your child has an epipen or other life-saving medications, we will also require an Administration of Medication .  If the required Plan of Care form has previously been submitted to the school and there are no changes to be made, please complete the Plan of Care Annual Review Sheet. If you need to make a change to your plan of care, please submit a new plan of care form.  Please email all forms to philip@ocsb.ca.

What You need for School

Teachers will let you know this week what your child needs for the classroom. Most classroom supplies will be provided by the school.  

We suggest the following personal items for all students this year:   

• Backpack to carry their personal belongings

• Indoor running shoes 

• Reusable water bottle

• Lunch bag with enough food for their lunch and two additional snacks & necessary cutlery

• A set of dollar store headphones

Cell Phone and Smart Device Policy

As per the Ministry of Education directive, cell phones and smart watches are not to be used at school. If they are sent to school (at the owner’s risk) they are to be out of sight and not in use for the entire duration of the school day. This includes bus transportation and in the school yard. 

BooHoo/Yahoo Breakfast

📅 Tuesday, September 1

🕒9:00 – 10:30 a.m. 

📍Parish Hall

The St. Philip School Council invites all families to join us for our annual Boo Hoo Yahoo Breakfast! Whether you’re saying “boo hoo” or “yahoo” on the first day of school, this event is a great way to come together as a community.

☕Enjoy coffee, tea, juice, and a selection of breakfast sweets while connecting with other parents and guardians.

This gathering is especially meaningful for our new families — a chance to meet friendly faces and feel welcomed into our school community. Don’t forget to bring your new Kindergarten student so they can meet classmates and make a few friends before their first big day, helping ease those first-day jitters.

We look forward to starting the school year with community, conversation, and warm St. Philip spirit!

Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to a wonderful school year!

Jennifer Murphy, Principal

Shawn Bedard, Vice Principal

Susan Goslin, Vice Principal