Canadian Martyrs Catholic
November 2026
Progress Reports will be published in the Niagara Catholic Parent Portal on Monday, November 16th. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held in person on Tuesday, November 17th from 4:00 pm -7:00 pm
To book an appointment with your child(rens) teachers, please use the online booking tool below:
This booking tool will be open from October 31 to November 17th at 9:00 am.
Edge Photography will be in on November 17th to retake photographs of students that were either absent on September 24th or that parents have requested another photograph taken.
Grade 8 students will have Grad Photos on November 17th. Students should wear a white shirt with a collar and their best smile for this milestone photo.
#ProjectPlaid will be celebrated in Niagara Catholic schools on Thursday, November 26, 2026 to increase the conversation around mental health and well-being and to support programs at Pathstone Mental Health. On Thursday, November 26, 2026 we encourage all staff and students to:
1. Wear PLAID
2. TALK & SHARE about Mental Health, In-Person, Text/Email, or on Social Media
3. DONATE to the campaign #ProjectPlaid is about finding hope and giving hope to others.
All Parents dropping off children are to use the Kiss and Ride Lane:
If you are walking your child to the gate, you will need to park in a parking spot in the first row of parking to the left upon entering the parking lot
If you are arriving late, students are to enter the front door (after 8:30 am).
- Place your vehicle in park before allowing your child to exit out the passenger side ONLY.
- Remain in your vehicle—staff will be present to greet your child and safely escort them to the walkway. Students will be directed to stay on the cross walk until they reach the sidewalk.
- There is no need to exit your car, which helps keep traffic flowing and ensures safety for everyone.
- Please be patient and courteous to staff and other families during drop-off. Safety is our shared responsibility.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and efficient morning routine.
As the weather starts to change it has been another busy month at Holy Cross. In the world of athletics our boys' golf team finished 5th in Ontario at OFSSA, while we had a 2nd place finish at SOSSA in tennis from one of our grade 9's (shout out Emiliano!) We awarded our monthly Super Locker winner, our athletes and artists of the month, we hosted the student based musical group Schaumburger Jugenchor from Germany as well as all the members of Niagara Catholic's High School Student Councils for a leadership conference, participated in Orange Shirt Day and our Terry Fox walk, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Thank you to our admin team of Mrs. Williams (Principal) and Mr. Welsh (VP) for helping to guide us through a very busy start to the year. Moving forward, we are looking forward to our annual Pilgrimage Walk for Haiti on October 25th, the always exciting Halloween costume event, along with more clubs and teams kicking off. For our future Raiders, the Class of 2031, our Guidance team popped in to hand out their Team Orange shirts in preparation for next year.
Three important November dates to take note of for our Grade 8's
1. Advanced Placement Information Night on November 5th from 6-7 pm.
2. Holy Cross Grade 8 Open House on November 18th, doors open at 6 pm.
3. Grade 8 Course selection for Holy Cross on November 30th at 9:30.
We're excited to welcome our future Raiders and their families into the building.
November 20th, 2026, marks the 36th Anniversary for National Child Day!
This year’s theme, #OurRightsOurFuture, emphasizing that children are today's innovators and changemakers. Children and youth are not merely future dreamers, but present-day innovators, leaders and changemakers. They are setting the stage for a brighter, more inclusive Canada with compassion, courage and conviction. Empowered young people can make a difference now, not just someday.
National Child Day is a time to honour Canada’s commitment to children’s rights, as part of the global World Children’s Day movement.
The United Nations adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on November 20, 1989. Canada joined in 1991, making a commitment to ensure that all children are treated with dignity and respect and have every opportunity to reach their full potential. This commitment includes:
- Providing children opportunities to have a voice (speak out and be heard)
- Protecting children from harm
- Ensuring children's basic needs are met
The Ministry of Education has established guidelines cell phone use in schools. At Canadian Martyrs, students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 do not require a cell phones for academic purposes. Therefore, there is no need for these students to bring a cell phone to school. Each classroom as well as the main office, has a telephone for issues that require a more immediate response.
Grade 7 & 8 students who bring their cell phones to school must have the phone stored out of view and turned off during the instructional day. They may only use it if their teacher permits it for learning.
Any student that requires a cell phone for health or medical purposes, or to support special education needs are permitted to use their cell phone as necessary with prior permission, At Canadian Martyrs each Grade 7 & 8 teacher will have a place for students to store their phone for safe keeping during non-instructional times. If a teacher sees a cell phone that is not stored out of view, students will be required to hand in their device in for the instructional day. The cell phone will be placed, by the student, in a secure storage area designated by the principal.
If a student refuses to hand in their personal mobile device, the Ministry requires that the student be sent to the principal’s office. Consequences for failing to hand in their phone is at the principal’s discretion. School boards are now required to disable access to social media platforms on school networks and board devices. This is intended to limit the number of interruptions in class and to benefit the mental health and well-being of students. Niagara Catholic already blocks access to some social media sites. Now all will be unavailable to students.
Maddalena Apparel & Embroidery
Canadian Martyrs Spirit Wear is now available through Maddalena Apparel & Embroidery! Families can choose from hoodies, polo shirts, zip-up hoodies, and baseball caps featuring Canadian Martyrs branding.
Visit the online store to view products and place your order or visit their location at 22 Geneva Street, St. Catharines. 905 708 1111. Open Monday- Friday: 9 am to 5 pm.
Regulations state that school personnel cannot administer any medication, without written permission from the parent and a doctor. If there is a need for such medication, please contact the school to obtain the forms which must be filled out and signed by both the doctor and the parent. This record is required by School Board Regulations and must be kept on file. Please notify the school if medication distribution stops so that all medication can be returned to the family as soon as possible.
Please remember that Canadian Martyrs CES is an Allergen Aware School. Please do not send products with nuts or nut traces with your child.
Nut Free School Lunches and Tips for Packing Lunches
The challenge for all parents is to send foods that are nutritious and nut free and that will keep our kids energized and alert at school all day. They also need to be tasty, so that our kids will actually want to eat them! Those can feel like competing goals at times.
Here are tips for making school lunch easier:
1. Try to include a variety of colours and textures to make the food appealing to kids. You want them to actually eat what you’ve packed!
2. Use up those dinner remnants. Brown rice can be tossed with black beans and served at room temperature. Cooked pasta can be transformed into a pasta salad. Chicken can be sliced and wrapped up in a tortilla with lettuce and veggies.
3. Include a sweet treat that is healthier than pre-packaged foods. Homemade granola bars, whole wheat muffins, or even homemade doughnuts are fun treats that are worlds better than anything you can buy at the store!
4. No matter what, always make sure lunch is balanced by including fruit, vegetable, protein, and carbohydrate!
Head Lice
Students are now back into the swing of things and spending lots of time with friends and classmates during school and after school. Lice can spread regardless of a student’s age. Head lice are spread by direct head-to-head contact or by sometimes sharing items like combs, brushes, hats, pillows, etc. Anyone can get head lice, it's not a sign of poor personal hygiene or an unclean environment. Please check your child regularly.
PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS THIS RESPIRATORY ILLNESS SEASON
Infections increase in the fall and winter months.
While anyone can get very sick, infections can be especially devastating to the most vulnerable in our community. This includes older adults and people with underlying medical conditions.
There are simple actions we can take to help protect ourselves and others. Use layers of protection:
Stay up to date with vaccinations
Stay home if sick
Keep up good hand hygiene – use soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue or into the upper sleeve
Regularly clean and disinfect high touch surfaces
Keep indoor air fresh and circulating
REMINDER- No single serve plastics available
Please ensure that your child(ren) have a pair of indoor running shoes at school. Students are expected to change their footwear when they enter their classroom. This will not only keep the floors dry but also clean. Students that do not have indoor running shoes will not be permitted to participate in gym.