March 6 2025 O'Neill CVI Communications

Dear Parents/Guardians,

A new month and we are already leaving for a break! A few important moments, dates and events to share before we all take off for well-deserved rest:

This week the Positive School Climate Team invited a guest speaker, Ahmad Jabbir, to provide an interactive assembly for our students. His key messaging was to  ‘Be Proactive about Mental Health through Mental Fitness’. He shared his personal story and shared six practical strategies to strengthen our mental fitness.  Students left feeling inspired to try at least one new strategy and to prioritize their mental health the way they do physical fitness. See our Instagram for pics!

On Thursday and Friday last week we were host to the Motor City Jazz Festival and various levels of jazz ensembles from across Ontario. The aim for this event is to be a welcoming, educational and inspiring opportunity for young musicians and directors and it was a huge success! We were also fortunate to have a lunch hour concert with @uoftjazz featuring the 10 O’Clock Jazz Orchestra under the direction of @beddagemusic. We were also very excited to see and hear OCVI Performing Arts alum Raul, Michelle & Riley. A huge thank you to Ms. Hunter and the PA department for a wonderful experience for our students. See our Instagram for pics!

Ontario Vocal Festival

We are proud to be hosting the Ontario Vocal Festival here at O’Neill on Tuesday, March 25th  and Wednesday, March 26th. This is an incredibly rich learning opportunity for our students. They learn through participation with their ensembles in performance and workshops, and from listening to other ensembles perform. The festival has professional choral conductors as clinicians who bring a wealth of knowledge to our students and teachers. (Check out ontariovocalfestival.com)

Through this festival, ensembles can be invited to the national festival, Musicfest Canada!

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)

The spring OSSLT will be running on Tuesday, April 1, and Wednesday, April 2, 2025. All students who are writing will be contacted following our March break.

COMMUNITY

Muslim Educator’s Network of Durham (MEND) invites you to join them for a community Iftar. This will happen on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at Valleyfarm Public School in Pickering.

Students and families will have an opportunity to arrive early at 6pm and participate in activities prior to breaking fast. Ramadan Iftar 2025 is a special event where we gather to break our fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Experience the joy of sharing a meal with friends and family as we come together to celebrate this auspicious occasion. *See attached

Ticket purchase below: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ramadan-iftar-dinner-2025-at-valley-farm-public-school-pickering-tickets-823227845647?aff=oddtdtcreator

REMINDERS

Progress Reports and Parents/Guardians-Teacher Interviews for Semester 2

Progress Reports will be going home Tuesday, March 18th and Parent/Guardian-Teacher Interviews will be happening on Thursday, March 20, 2025 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Scheduling appointments began on Wednesday, March 5^th at 8:00 am and will remain open until Wednesday, March 19^th at 11:00 pm.

 To schedule an appointment please follow the instructions below;

Instructions

1. Prepare a list with the names of each teacher you would like to meet

2. Go to the O’Neill Collegiate scheduling webpage at https://ocvi.parentinterview.com

3. Enter your child's 9-digit student number and click "Sign In"

4. Fill in your contact information and click "Continue to Make Appointments"

5. Click on the name of a teacher with whom you wish to schedule an appointment

6. Click on "Available" for a time at which you wish to have your meeting

7. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until you have scheduled all the teachers you wish to meet

8. Click on "My Schedule" (top left of the page)

9. Print out, email or copy down your schedule

Should you wish to delete an appointment you have made, click on "Delete" beside the meeting you wish to have removed from your schedule.

If you misplace your schedule, you may use your Confirmation # to retrieve your schedule from the website at any time. If you need help using the service, please email support@parentinterview.com

RESCHEDULED!!: Neon Nights School Dance

Hold on to your tickets! The Neon Nights Dance has been rescheduled to Thursday, April 10th! If you have NOT purchased a ticket yet, ticket sales will RE-OPEN on Tuesday, April 1 and will be on sale until Friday, April 4th during lunch in the main front foyer. This is the last school-wide dance of the year, so don’t miss out…get your tickets!

If you have previously purchased a ticket and now CANNOT attend the dance on the 10th, you may refund your ticket. All refunds will occur during our ticket sales April 1 to April 4th during lunch.

O’Neill Spirit and Grad Wear

Tomorrow is our LAST day to purchase O’Neill’s Spirit and Grad wear!! Please go to Https://monstertc.ca/oneill-cvi/ to order your clothing now! Password is REDHAWKS.

Where to find more information? Follow us on Social Media

School: @oneillcvioshawa on Instagram

Athletics: @oneill_redhawks on Instagram

Activities/Leadership: @ocvi_activities on Instagram

Performing Arts: @ocvipa on Instagram

General School Info: https://oneillcvi.ddsb.ca/en/index.aspx

Upcoming Important Dates

Thank you, and hope everyone enjoys a restful break. See you all back here on the 17th!

The Admin Team of O’Neill CVI

Attachments

MEND Ramadan Iftar - Mar