Dear Canterbury Community,

We are excited to welcome students back to school on Tuesday, September 2nd.This is a
regular full day of school for all students starting at 9:10 am and ending at 3:25 pm.

Please read this letter in its entirety as the information below will answer the most common
questions students and parents have during the start up of the school. If you have any questions
not covered in this document, please email the school at canterburyhs@ocdsb.ca.

STUDENT TIMETABLES will be available to students on the first day of school. As was the
practice last year, students will stop by the main foyer upon their arrival and look for their name
alphabetically on lists that will be posted. Students will then proceed to the classroom number
indicated to the right of their name. The teacher in that classroom will provide each student with
their timetable.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE is important. If a student is absent from school for any reason, or
signing in or out at a particular time, a parent/guardian is asked to let the school know by
sending an email to canterbury.attendance@ocdsb.ca or by calling the school’s main phone
number, 613-731-1191; press 1 to reach our dedicated attendance line. Please speak clearly,
spelling the last name of the student and indicate the reason for the absence as well as the
date(s) the student will be absent.

STUDENT FEES are necessary for the operation of our school and its programs. These fees
can be paid via SchoolCash Online and will appear in your School Cash account by August
25th. For questions about the following fees, or school cash online, please contact
lauren.phillips@ocdsb.ca.

1. Annual Arts Fees ($250) are an annual requirement for all students in Arts Canterbury.
Note, there is a monthly payment option available for students.
2. Student Fees ($20) are voluntary and support clubs, sports, and guest speakers.
3. Yearbook Fees ($40) are collected to secure a copy of the yearbook in June. Note, after
Oct. 1st the fee goes up ($50) and we cannot guarantee a copy will be available for
purchase. Last year we had many students who were turned away, please be sure to
pre-order.
4. Student and Yearbook Fee Combo ($50) offers a saving for those families who pay
their combined fee prior to October 1st.

LOCKERS will be selected by students in grades 10-12 on the first day of school in their period
1 class. You must register and put a combination lock on your locker before using it on the first
day. Grade 9 students will select their lockers on the Grade. 9 ‘Welcome Day’. Locks are not
sold in the office. Students must use the locker assigned to them. Students may not use a locker
that is not registered to them or share a locker with another student.

TRANSPORTATION eligibility for students can be checked on the Ottawa Student
Transportation Authority’s (OSTA) website. Visit www.ottawaschoolbus.ca and click on ‘Parent
Portal’ and follow the instructions. This is where students will know what mode of transportation
was decided by OSTA (Presto Pass / Yellow School Bus / Walker).

Eligible students will receive a SCHOOL BOARD transit pass (presto pass) on the first day of
school from their period 1 teacher. This SCHOOL BOARD transit pass will be active effective
September 2, 2025.

STUDENT DROP OFF by a parent or other driver are asked to use the loop on the east side
parking lot of the school (where the portables are). The driveway (loop) in front of the school is
reserved for buses ONLY from 8:30 - 9:15 am daily.

STUDENTS PICK-UP AFTER SCHOOL by a parent or other driver are asked to meet on the
street or in the east side parking lot of the school (where the portables are). The driveway (loop)
in front of the school is reserved for buses ONLY from 3:00 – 3:45 pm daily.

Note: Heavy construction!!! - please consider meeting further from the school.

SCHOOL PHOTOS will be taken, for the yearbook and Student ID cards, on Tuesday Sept. 16th & Wednesday Sept. 17th. Information will be communicated with students and families the first week of school.

SCENT FREE and LATEX FREE learning environments are essential in keeping the students
and staff of our school safe to severe allergies. Please refrain from wearing perfumes, colognes,
and body sprays; also please refrain from bringing balloons to school.

INFORMATION ABOUT SCHOOL EVENTS can be found through our website. Please consider
subscribing to our CHS google calendar.

I wish you all a safe and prosperous year ahead!

Sincerely,
John Unsworth,
Principal