After a public consultation process, Trustees approved boundary revisions to Lester B. Pearson and St. Matthew High School at a Board meeting on January 28, 2025.

These approved changes to attendance boundaries for the schools will be effective for September 2025.

A brief summary of the recommendations which were approved, are as follows:

• The attendance areas of both schools would be revised so that those students that reside in the Good Shepherd ES attendance area will be redirected to St. Matthew High School effective September 2025.

• Grade 7 to 11 students who reside in the area to be redirected, and attend Lester B. Pearson HS during the 2024-2025 school year, have been provided with an one-time option to be able to remain at the school.

• Current Grade 6 students at Good Shepherd ES will transition to St. Matthew High School in September 2025.

• For the 2025-2026 school year onward, all new Grade 7 to 12 students residing in the redirected area will be directed to St. Matthew High School.
  
  

Students residing in the redirected boundary to St. Matthew HS would be eligible for transportation to the school. Existing high school students living in the redirected boundary who choose to remain at Lester B. Pearson HS would also be eligible for transportation, subject to meeting criteria.  The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) will ultimately determine transportation entitlements for students as part of their planning process leading up to the 2024-2025 school year.

Approved Lester B. Pearson and St. Matthew HS Boundary Map

Lester B. Pearson and St. Matthew HS Proposed Boundary Revisions Final Recommendations

Need More Information?

Many of these changes are the result of a public consultation process that started in June 2024. To help parents who may want more background on how these decisions were made, we’ve gathered several resources.

Proposed Option Area Consultation Overview

Proposed Option Area Consultation Document

Existing Boundary

Proposed Boundary

Public Meeting Presentation

Supplementary Information Further to Public Meeting

Stay connected with your child’s school. Opt in with SchoolMessenger . 

Our schools use the SchoolMessenger communication platform to send automated phone calls and emails to parents. We use this system for attendance and emergency messages, as well as for general messages including newsletters and school updates. 

Opt in to receive emails 

To receive all types of email messages, you must opt in. Otherwise, we will only send you emergency and attendance email messages. (Families with children in our school last year and who had previously provided Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation(CASL) consent will receive General messages.) 

You can opt in by creating an account with SchoolMessenger and choosing your contact preferences for each type of message. To receive any emails sent by the school, your preference must be set to “yes” for General Messages. To receive any emails that may be sent by your child's teacher, your preference must be set to “yes” for Teacher-to-Parent Messaging. 

Create your SchoolMessenger account 

1. Go to ocsb.ca/SchoolMessenger to learn how to create your account. 

2. Create your account using the email address you provided when you registered your child for school. 

3. Choose your contact preferences for each type of message. Have questions? If you are having difficulty creating your parent account, please email the OCSB at School.Messenger@ocsb.ca 

• If you haven't done so yet, please create your Parent Portal account. Go to Parent Portal – The Ottawa Catholic School Board and follow the instructions for registering for an account. There are important forms in the Parent Portal to sign for a successful transition to school.

• Please register for School Cash Online which is used for purchases or partake in any fundraising events (ie Pizza Lunches)

• Go to https://www.ottawaschoolbus.ca/using-the-parent-portal/ and create an account 

• Follow the instructions to create an account. 

• You will have to "add student" for each of your children so you can see their bus stop information

• Please make sure to subscribe to alerts/notifications from OSTA in the event your bus is late or canceled.

Good Shepherd Transportation Guide, Entry and Dismissal Procedures Doc