New School Updates

Dear Families,

I am happy to inform you that following final approval of the OCDSB Board of Trustees, our school will now be named Wazoson Public School.

Pronounced wuh-zoh-sohn (audio pronunciation), Wazoson is the Algonquin/Anishinaabe word for bird’s nest. A nest is a safe place to nurture the young. Birds of all types, sizes and shapes begin life in a nest. As there is a place for all those different kinds of birds in the natural world, there is also a place for every student in our school. The name encourages engagement and connection with the natural world around students.

The name Wazoson was chosen following consultation through the spring of 2023 with students, parents, staff and members of the Half Moon Bay community. Additional input was provided from a member of the Indigenous Education Advisory Committee along with an Algonquin Elder and an Algonquin Knowledge Keeper.

We are so thankful to all who participated in helping us find a name for our new school. This is a significant step in framing the school culture we would like to create. We want our school to be a safe, caring and nurturing environment for children to thrive. An Algonquin-named school also sends an important message of our commitment to reconciliation and learning about the rich knowledge, history and culture of Indigenous peoples.  

With the name now official, we can really start to move forward together in building the community and culture of Wazoson Public School.

We are hoping you will be able to join us for an open house at D.A. Moodie School at 595 Moodie Drive on August 31, from 5:30 to 7:30, we will also have a video to share with families to view in August to further prepare for our first day of school.

All students will be bussed to D.A. Moodie.  You can check your bus stop location and time at the end of August on the OSTA website.  Please make sure you have updated your pick up and drop off locations with us, if your child will take the bus or be dropped off to a location other than your home.

Sincerely,

Janis St-Germain

Principal 

Wazoson Public School

Staffing Update

I am thrilled to share that Mrs. Karen Martin, VP at Half Moon Bay has been appointed as the VP of our new school. 

I have also completed my hiring of teachers to staff our new school.  These teachers will work at the DA Moodie site in September and move with your child to their new classroom In January.  I am pleased to tell you that Catherine Finn, Otusa Farahani, Taylor Harbers, Darlene Carruthers Kaila Mattar, Emilie Flainek, Tegan Stranks, Katie Fraser, Brenna Ranger, Shannon Way and Craig Allen from Half Moon Bay will be helping transition our students, as they join the teaching team at our new school.

Kindergarten Information session

New to kindergarten families (JK in 2023/2024) will be invited to meet our kindergarten teachers and learn about the Kindergarten program on June 8th from 5:00 to 6:30.  We will be holding our event at Half Moon Bay. 

We are excited to invite you and your child to the following event: 

Please join us for our Discover our Junior Kindergarten Drop - In (in-person event for children and families).

During this in-person event, you and your child will be invited to:

•  visit a Kindergarten classroom;
•  engage with preset early learning activities alongside your child and a staff members;
• learn about our temporary site at DA Moodie (September to January, 2024); and
• ask your questions

Open House at D. Aubrey Moodie

Please save the date - Thursday, August 31st, from 2-5 p.m. to come visit our temporary site. Students and their teachers will be learning from the site at 595 Moodie Drive from September to January.  Teachers and their classes will move from the temporary site to the permanent building together.  

Construction - Latest update from our Facilities Department

The new Half Moon Bay #2 construction project is progressing as expected and the completion date remains late 2023 with opening planned for January 2024. Over the spring and summer months we will see structural steel, windows and roofing installed.  Site work, fencing and landscaping will continue through the late summer months and into the fall. Interior work and other finishing touches will extend into the late fall.

We will continue to provide updates as the project progresses and look forward to the opening of the school.

Dear Families,

I have been really enjoying meeting my new students during my visits to HMB every Monday.  I have had the pleasure of hearing their excitement and discussing any concerns they may have about the big move.  I hope that I have been able to answer any questions that are lingering and set their minds at ease.

As I am sure you have noticed, we have walls!  March 27th was a very exciting day, as our first walls were lifted into place.  I managed to get a short video of this historic event that I shared with many students when I arrived at Half Moon Bay for the day.  The rest should come together nicely and the interior will be next on the construction list. 

Staffing

After two intense weeks of interviewing, I have hired 33 full time teachers from 20 different schools across the District. They are a dedicated group of professionals who are committed to the success of starting a new school.   I was pleased to offer positions to 9 teachers from Half Moon Bay to help students with the transition to our new school.  In the next couple of weeks, I will be continuing to hire Special Education Teachers, part-time Teachers, Registered Early Childhood Educators and Educational Assistants.

School Naming 

A wonderful group of Grade 4 leaders created information posters for the school.  Thanks to their efforts we received 45 submissions of possible names.  Our School Naming Committee met for our first meeting this week to review the submissions collected from the community.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to send us ideas.  We will meet again in a week to create a shortlist of submissions.  In May, the committee’s recommendations will be shared with School Board Staff and the Board of Trustees will vote on a name for our new school in June.  Stay tuned for the official announcement.

Kindergarten Open House

We will be hosting a Year One Kindergarten (JK) Open House for new families at our DA Moodie site in June.  Although we will not have all of our furniture and toys in place, it will be a wonderful opportunity to meet the educators and tour the site with your child.  Details will be emailed to new families in May.

Open House at DA Moodie

In August we are hoping to host  an Open House for families to tour the DA Moodie site for Kindergarten Year 2 (SK) to Grade 5 students.  Without an official School Council in session until September, I am looking for individuals who would be interested in helping out with the planning of our Open House event in August.  The planning will take place in May/June.  Please provide your contact information HERE. 

Sincerely,

Janis St-Germain

Principal Of Half Moon Bay2 

 613-843-7722, ext 2600 (Temporary phone through LDHSS) and our temporary email address is newhalfmoonbayes2@ocdsb.ca

Communications to Families of the NEW Half Moon Bay School, located at 989 Kilbirnie Drive 

The new school needs a name!

You are invited to share your ideas through our school name survey. This online survey is open to students, parents/guardians, staff and community members. 

• Families are encouraged to share ideas for a school name that:   
• Celebrates the diversity of our community 
• Highlights our natural environment 
• Reflects a geographical feature of the local area 
• Showcases an important Canadian event or achievement 
• Posthumously honours an individual or family whose story may inspire young learners 

Click HERE to submit your school name suggestions by March 31, 2022: 

If you wish to be part of the naming working group, please volunteer by adding your name to the naming survey and we will reach out to you.

The new school now has a tab on the menu bar of the Half Moon Bay website.  The Principal, Janis St-Germain will provide frequent updates to families about how our new school is shaping up.  If you need to reach out to us, our current phone line is 613-843-7722, ext 2600 (Temporary phone through LDHSS) and our temporary email address is newhalfmoonbayes2@ocdsb.ca

Dear HMB 2 Families,

I am excited to introduce myself to you as the Principal of the new Half Moon Bay 2 School, set to open in September 2023. I am very much looking forward to getting to know the community and my new students.  I am honored to have this opportunity to continue building on the strong foundation that everyone has worked so hard to achieve at Half Moon Bay Public School, while carving out our new identity in the community.  My new team will work hard to establish a caring school environment,  and foster  academic excellence for all of our students. 

In the coming months, I will be working closely with many departments within the OCDSB to ensure that our temporary site at D.A. Moodie, 595 Moodie Drive,  is ready for our occupancy in September 2023 and that we are on track for the grand opening of the 989 Kilburnie site in January 2024.  I am looking forward to sharing the progress along the way.  Since the first week of February,  I have been  spending  Mondays at Half Moon Bay School, to meet with the children, get to know them and elicit their vision for their new school.  My hope is that this  early connection will help to ensure a smooth transition for every student.

I have had the privilege of working in a variety of teaching and educational leadership roles over the past 25 years in diverse school communities.  This opportunity is very special and  I am excited about the adventure ahead.  I look forward to being a part of the community.

Sincerely,

Janis St-Germain

Principal New Half Moon Bay 2