Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,

Welcome back to A.Y. Jackson for the 2025-2026 school year!  September represents endless possibilities and gives all students a chance to reconnect with their classmates and to embrace new learning opportunities and challenges.  As a staff we look forward to seeing all of you and helping you to maximize your experience at A.Y. Jackson Secondary School.

A.Y. Jackson has a long history of excellence in academics, athletics, the arts, technology and developing global citizenship.  We look forward to supporting your achievements as you continue this tradition.  Your efforts and leadership will help set the tone for our incoming class of grade nine students.

The administrative team consists of myself and Vice Principals, Ms. Colleen Taylor and Ms. Melanie Cantrell.  Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns throughout the year.  Our entire staff at A.Y. Jackson are committed to creating a respectful, positive and supportive learning environment where students are engaged and challenged in reaching their full potential.

Daily Timetable

All classes are 75 minutes in length. Day 1 will occur on the odd-numbered days.  Day 2 will occur on the even-numbered days.

Renovations and Parking

As you must know by now, AY Jackson SS is undergoing major renovations this year.  We are adding 12 classrooms and an additional double gym to our existing building.  This should not cause much disruption to the day-to- learning but it will have an impact on parking and traffic circulation.  We are losing the last row of parking at the back of the lot which was mostly used for student parking in the past.  This means that to start the year there will BE NO STUDENT PARKING AVAILABLE.  We will re-evaluate this later in the month of September to determine whether we can offer any student parking this year. 

We would prefer to limit the number of parents dropping students off at the school, but we do realize that sometimes this is unavoidable.  If you are dropping your child off, you are not allowed in the bus lane during drop-off or pick-up times.  That means the parking lot is available to drop them off and then exit the same way you came.  The back of the building is off limits to all traffic and is used for deliveries and construction traffic only.   That means the entrance at the end of Paddock Way is not accessible to parents or students.  We are recommending dropping your child off at a nearby location and walking part of the way to avoid any congestion. 

Student Activity Fee

In order to provide our students with the best possible experience at AY Jackson we do ask for a student activity fee.  The breakdown of the fee is below and without this it is very difficult to supplement some of our programs. 

The student activity fee is crucial in providing support to sports teams, student council, field trips and co-curricular activities.

There will be a separate email sent to you with a link to school cash online where you will be able to pay for student fees and a yearbook if you would like one. (https://ocdsb.schoolcashonline.com/).  Students and parents can also pay in the Main Office by cash or cheque made payable to A.Y. Jackson SS or Debit/VISA/Mastercard. 

Yearbooks

The yearbook is a great tradition in high school and the product at AY is nothing short of amazing every year.  This student-led initiative is a great memento of your years as a Jay.  We are offering yearbooks again this year at a cost of $55.  School cash online will have a separate invoice to purchase your yearbook and will be open for the first couple of weeks of the year.  Please note that we only sell them through pre-order and will not have extras to sell at the end of the year.   

Lockers

Locker selection can begin next Thursday, August 28^th at 9:30 AM.  Students must use their school email and login to access the form.  The link will be sent to students next week so they may access it on Thursday. 

Message from the Guidance Department

Guidance counsellors are hard at work to finalize student timetables.  Students will receive an electronic copy of their schedule next Friday August 29^th.  If a change is required students/guardians will receive a link to fill out the course change request form when they receive their schedule.  All students must attend the classes on their current schedule until they are contacted by a guidance counselor for any possible changes. 

Grade 9 Students

Grade 9 students will have orientation with their J-Crew group on the first day of classes September 2^nd.  They will be guided to the cafeteria as soon as they get to school for a morning of activities including a tour of the building.  Don’t miss this chance to meet your new cohort for the next 4 years!

First day of classes

The first day of classes is Tuesday, September 2^nd and it will be a Day 1.  It will be a full day of school for all students with four - 75 minute periods except grade 9 students.  Timetables will be emailed to students on August 29^th.  If you do not receive a timetable, a list of period one classes will be posted in the Pit.    

The schedule for Tuesday, September 2^nd is as follows:

GRADE 9s ONLY

(9:15 – 11:50)                    Orientation with J-crew leaders (all morning)

ALL OTHER GRADES

9:15-10:30                         Period One for all grade 10, 11, 12 classes                                         

10:35-11:50                       Period Two for all grade 10, 11, 12 classes

11:50- 12:45                      Lunch

12:45-2:00                         Period Three for all grades

2:05-3:20                            Period Four for all grades

Students will get a chance to meet each of their semester one teachers, learn about the course expectations and receive a list of any necessary materials that students may be required to provide. 

Communication between school and home is extremely important to support student learning.  If you wish to speak to a teacher, please contact them using email or using the school voicemail number (613) 836-1697 to leave a message.  Teachers strive to call home with success stories, or if concerns arise.  Both parents and students can access information including staff emails and upcoming events at the school by visiting our website at ayjacksonss.ocdsb.ca.

Transportation

AY Jackson offers transportation for all students that live beyond 3.2 km walking distance to the school.  This is measured using all municipal paths and not simply the driving route.  Transportation could be provided using a yellow school bus but, in most instances, it will be an OC Transpo bus pass.  We have multiple OC Transpo routes that serve AY.  We will send a transportation update once all the routes are finalized but you should receive an email from OSTA if you qualify for a yellow bus.   For more information including the OSTA website, please visit:

                                             https://www.ocdsb.ca/our-schools/transportation

School Council

School Council is an integral and important dimension of the school and I would like to encourage your participation.  The first School Council meeting of the year will be Tuesday, September 23^rd at 7PM. Keep an eye out for the invitation.  I look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you for entrusting your child to A.Y. Jackson Secondary School.  I look forward to meeting and working with you.  On behalf of Vice Principals, Ms. Taylor and Ms. Cantrell and all the A.Y. Jackson team, enjoy the remainder of the summer.

Yours sincerely,

Al Brule

Principal