As of 4:00 p.m. today, power outages continue to affect five CDSBEO schools including:

• Carleton Place: St. Mary Catholic School, St. Gregory Catholic School, Notre Dame CHS
• Hammond: Pope John Paul II Catholic School, St. Francis Xavier CHS

These five schools will remain closed for tomorrow (Wednesday, May 25).

Additionally, and as of 4:00 pm today, St. Patrick Catholic School in Rockland will close as a result of power limitations which have been deemed by Ontario Hydro as a power outage.

Students and staff are encouraged to work remotely through Microsoft Teams and Brightspace D2L, but we recognize that a number of educators and learners are also affected by power outages for remote learning. Our collective patience is necessary at this time.

Please note that if power is restored to any of these schools before tomorrow morning, they will remain closed for the day to ensure facilities are clean, and that ventilation and other systems are operational.

Parents will receive another update tomorrow regarding the status of school closures for Thursday, May 26, as soon as information becomes available.

Wellness During Times of Crisis

We recognize that communities in the surrounding areas will continue to be impacted for days, and in some instances, for weeks, to come. We recognize that in the following days there will continue to be many images and messages relating to the damage, loss, and the ongoing efforts to regain a sense of normalcy.

Our Mental Health and Student Support Services team offer the following suggestions as a starting point for supporting your children in the days and weeks ahead:   

• Explain that you and other adults will continue to take care of them.
• Be available to answer questions to the best of your ability but try to avoid having detailed adult conversations about the impacts in front of young children.
• Limit exposure to media coverage. Images of devastation and damage can become overwhelming, especially if watched repetitively. Young children may not be able to distinguish between images on television and their personal reality. Older children may choose to watch the news but be available to discuss what they see and to help put it into perspective.
• Be aware of your own needs. Don’t ignore your own feelings of anxiety and concern or anger. Talking to friends, family members, and mental health counsellors can help. Let them know you are concerned. You will be better able to support your children and each other if you can express your own emotions in a productive manner.
• Take care of yourself – for your own well-being, and so you’re better able to support the young people in your life.
• Remember to eat, sleep, play, pray, and exercise.
• Practice positive ways of coping with sadness, fear, anger, and worry.
• And finally, ask for help if you need it. You don’t have to face this experience alone.

The Board has additional mental health resources and supports for students and parents posted at: CDSBEO Student/Parent Mental Health Resources

Local Support

During times of emergency, 211 Ontario is available to provide communities with information on government and community-based health and social services. Residents can call 211 to access these services.

For residents seeking access to water, phone charging, shower facilities, and other supports, municipalities have posted information to their websites:

• Carleton Place: Power Outage Update
• Clarence-Rockland: Emergency Update – May 24, 2022