Loretto Catholic Elementary School

Ms. L. Spadafora - Principal

Website: https://schools.niagaracatholic.ca/lorettocatholic/
Location: 6855 Kalar Road, Niagara Falls, ON, Canada
Phone: 905 356 4175
Twitter: @LorettoFalls Instagram: lorettocatholicnf

Thanksgiving Blessing

May an abundance of gratitude burst forth as you reflect upon what you have received.

May thanksgiving overflow in your heart, and often be proclaimed in your prayer.

May you gather around the table of your heart the ardent faithfulness, kindness, and goodness of each person who is true to you.

May the harvest of your good actions bring forth plentiful fruit each day.

May you discover a cache of hidden wisdom among the people and events that have brought you distress and sorrow.

May your basket of blessings surprise you with its rich diversity of gifts and its opportunities for growth.

May all that nourishes and resources your life bring you daily satisfaction and renewed hope.

May you slow your hurried pace of life so you can be aware of, and enjoy, what you too easily take for granted.

May you always be open, willing, and ready to share your blessings with others.

May you never forget God who loves us lavishly and unconditionally.

Our Lady of Loretto, pray for us

Amen

The October calendar is located below at the end of the newsletter.

Loretto Catholic is rooted in Catholic and Christian values. Our goal is to create a safe, kind and loving environment for all who work, learn, and assist with our school community.

Aggressive or hostile behaviour or language toward, staff, students or our community helpers will not be tolerated. While we welcome feedback, concerns and opinions it is the expectation that all staff, students, parents, guardians and community helpers communicate their needs and concerns with one another in a respectful and peaceful manner whether through email, on the phone or face-to-face.

Adherence to this expectation is vital in order to create a community which can solve problems and help one another achieve success.

We continue to focus on "Bee-ing part of our Loretto Catholic Hive", we all play a role in order for our Hive to be successful. We can Be Kind, Be Caring, Be successful, Be Nurturing, Be workers, Be Faithful...

As we work through this year students and staff will work on the importance of Team work and how our Hive is a collective group that helps to make each one of us better and stronger spiritually, emotionally and intellectually.

Front Kinder Play area - Kinders only in gated area- escorted to class by staff at the bell

Front doors- late students after the bell only

• NEW ****Primary doors in back of school- Gr 1-8 all students enter and exist
• **** Grades 1 & 1/2 drop off and pick up at the back on the blacktop

Portable with ramp - Gr 4/5 Scordino and Gr 5 Barr

Thanksgiving Food drive for Project Share from October 1st until October 8th. Thank you for all your donations as we help other families in our community have the gift of food and essential items for Thanksgiving!!!

On Friday October 30 we will be hosting our Halloween Dance a thon. We will be using both Pledge-a-lopes and School cash online for donations. They will be sent home and you can donate through cash online from October 7th- October 27th.

We will be selling Halloween themed glow items as well as snacks. All items will range from $1.00- $5.00.

Theme- Black and Orange &/or appropriate costumes- Students are to be dressed appropriately (no crop tops, no pjs, short shorts etc, no masks/or face painting, gore, gruesome, weapons and/or blood that may scare our younger students who have not experienced this event at school with this many students. Students will be expected to change if they do not follow the expectations.

Students will change into black and orange after first Nutrition Break.

Student Council will be DJ and helping with organizing and running the event along with our CSC.

Please be mindful that students are not sharing or bringing in snacks or treats to share. We have many allergies and want everyone to be safe. Throughout the week after Halloween, do not send in treats that have nuts or nut products.

Thank you

8:35-8:45- Morning Free entry - Kinder students, we continue to be dropping off and picking up our students at side gate by the front doors only. Students will go directly inside with staff supervision. Parents are asked to remain on the outside of the play area. Parents are asked to not take pictures/videos of any other child(ren) and to move away from the gated area to help with the transition. Parents a package in August will come through the mail. Please complete the forms and place in your child's backback- it is pick up and drop off information as well as a name tage that is to be placed on your child for the first day. The teachers will be tending to children and can not take information on the spot.

A typical Monday to Friday Balanced School Day at Loretto Catholic would be:

• 845- 8:55 a.m. -Bell rings/Announcements & Attendance
• 8:55–10:55 a.m. – 120 instructional minutes
• 10:55-11:35 a.m. – 40 minutes nutrition break (20 mins eating/20 mins physical activity break)
• 11:35-12:55 p.m. – 80 instructional minutes
• 12:55–1:35 p.m. – 40 minutes nutrition/physical activity break
• 1:35–2:55 p.m. – 80 instructional minutes
• 2:55-3:05 p.m. - Prayers/Announcements & Dismissal of all students

Tips for Parents:

How to Plan and Prepare for Nutritional Breaks Packing a nutritious meal for the Balanced School Day can be both enjoyable and straightforward. Here are some suggestions to help you plan a healthy lunch for your child:

• Divide a single lunch into two portions to ensure adequacy for each nutritional break.
• Wrap sandwiches individually or cut them in half.
• Separate fruits, vegetables, crackers, and cheese into labeled bags for each break.
• Consider providing two healthy drinks for each break.
• Avoid packing foods containing nuts or nut products to support our peanut-safe schools.
• Involve your child in planning and preparing their nutritional breaks.
• Ensure your child includes a balanced selection of healthy foods if they are responsible for packing their lunch.
• Aim to include items from three of the five food groups outlined in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating for each break.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we work together to ensure a safe and calm learning environment for our students, we would like to share an important reminder regarding end-of-day calls and early dismissals.

We continue to experience a high volume of phone calls near dismissal time. Answering these calls often requires interrupting classrooms for several minutes, which impacts teaching and learning at a critical time of day.

To help minimize disruptions, we kindly ask that families use the following procedures whenever possible:

• Absences
• Student attendance is becoming an increasing concern. Students are required to attend and be present for the teaching and learning. When students are away for extended absences- parents must inform the classroom teacher(s) and the school in order to obtain the proper documentation and work needed to remain registered.
• Student absences due to illness- we understand and expect some to come back when feeling better and then have an opportunity to get caught up on work.
• Absences- Chronic and unexplained have a negative impact on student learning, their social and emotional wellness
• Teachers and the school will be reaching out when students miss a variety of thresholds

• Late arrivals or early dismissals:
  Please report these through SafeArrival. Once the information is entered, our secretary, Mrs. Ginette, will ensure your child is called down to the office at the appropriate time.

• End-of-day pickup changes:
  If you know in advance that your child will be picked up early or by someone different, please inform your child’s teacher before the school day begins. This allows staff to plan ahead and avoids last-minute interruptions.

When these steps are followed, students can come to the office, sign out safely, and be dismissed in an orderly manner.

We truly appreciate your cooperation and support. By working together, we can keep our focus on student learning while maintaining student safety and clear communication.

Thank you for your understanding and continued partnership.

Thank you to all our parents to joined us on September 22 for our first CSC meeting and elections. We are very excited to congratulate and welcome our 2026-2027 CSC committee:

Chair: Mrs. Groves Co Chair: Mrs. Freeman

Teacher Rep: Mrs. Mancuso

Members: Mrs. Allen, Mrs, Lucisano, Mr & Mrs. Americo, Mrs. DeProphetis, Mrs. Dieroff, Mrs. Parlatore, Mrs. Geddes, Mrs. DelVecchio & Mrs. Johnson

Congratulations to all of your students who tried out for Student Council this year. Everyone did a wonderful job and it was so great to see so many participate.

Welcome to our 2026-2027 Student Council:

Student Senates: Olivia F & Maddie Z.

Grade 8 reps: Aidan C, Mia N, Maddie T, Edwin J

Grade 7 reps: Ben C, Ella S, Amelia L, Annabelle R, Sienna G

Grade 6 reps: Gemma S, Mary A, Joey M, Abbyrose F

Just wanted to take a moment to thank all our families who are following the Kiss'n Ride process both before and after school.

Kiss n' Ride at the front of the school at the end of the day is for Kinder- Gr 3.

All students from Grades 4-8 are expected to use the Kalar Soccer parking lot on the KSD side of the building for pick up.

Grade 1 and 1/2 students will also enter and be dismissed by the primary doors - on the black top as of Sept 8th, 2026.

We are asking parents to only use the front area designated as a Kiss'n 'Ride- to not park and leave your car or exit your car in this area. Student(s) exit the car only with their belongings and cross with the supervisor to the school property. We also ask for you to be patient and stay inline as parents are waiting on the side and moving up as we have students enter and buckle into car seats.

We also ask that parents do not park in front of the stop signs along the exit path as this blocks traffic and flow and the entry of the afternoon busses.

Parents/Guardians we ask that you not block the entrance way at the end of the day as the busses are struggling to get into our parking lot or to have to try and manuever around cars.

We have supervision staff who are helping students so they can walk to their entrances both at the front and back of the school before 8:45 a.m. Once the bell goes, students must enter through the front doors.

We ask that cars proceed slowly as we have had a few very close calls with students. Cars need to STOP and check that the crosswalk is clear where students and families are walking to cross.

Should parents want to park- then please use the side entrance at the KSD side and enter through the back gates after 8:35.

Families are asked not to park on the side of Loretto Catholic where the gate and portables are at any time as this is an Emergency Lane, as well we have been asked not to use the Avondale Parking lot as a pick up zone.

Your support and assistance in ensuring our students' safety are very important to all of us.

As we begin the school year, we would like to remind families about the use of electric scooters (e-scooters) in our community.

The Niagara Regional Police Service has advised that none of the municipalities within the Niagara Region have passed by-laws permitting the use of electric kick-scooters in public places. As a result, e-scooters are currently not permitted on public roads, sidewalks, parks, or trails, and riders of any age may be subject to fines.

In addition, electric scooters are not permitted on Niagara Catholic District School Board property. Students should not ride, bring, or store e-scooters on school grounds at any time.

To help ensure the safety of all students, staff, and visitors, we ask families to discuss these regulations with their children and make alternate transportation arrangements where necessary.

Thank you for your support in helping us maintain safe and welcoming school environments.

The expectation after school is for all students is that all students are expected to go directly home. Our playground is a shared space with the YMCA daycare and they use the playground. Students that are supervised by parents can stay to use the climber when it is open during non-winter months if the YMCA is not using it. Students should not be unsupervised or at school before 8:35 when supervision begins. We do have some staff in the blacktop, but it is difficult to know which students our Loretto, KSD, YMCA or with parents. We ask that everyone goes home after the bell as supervision only remains until shortly after the bell while teachers are dismissing. Parents we ask that you remind your child(ren) about going directly home.

Thank you for your co operation

At Loretto Catholic, we continue to have several students with Anaphylaxis - a severe life threatening condition caused by an allergic reaction to certain food products (i.e.) peanuts, dairy, medications, latex products, inhalers, and insect bites from bees or wasps. Residue on any surfaces can trigger a severe allergic reaction. Anaphylaxis requires immediate action through medications or an EPI- PEN. We ask that students continue to work on ensuring products from home are nut-free as well as any other allergies lists in each class which teachers will inform them of.

If your child has allergies that the school is unaware of, please call and speak to your child's classroom teacher and we will send home the forms to be completed and have on file.

Families are able to purchase Spirit Wear through Big Bear Spiritwear - please visit the website by clicking on the banner above with their name.

We have launched our new FRESH Loretto Catholic Logo for our Spirit Wear.

Students may continue to wear existing spirit wear. Just a reminder that Spirit Wear T-shirts are not part of the daily dress code as collar shirts must be worn.

Please see the items below that are available throughout the year to purchase.

**To order- Link to Big Bear website- click schools- click Niagara Falls - click on Loretto Catholic

School dress code is in effect. Collared shirt is either blue or white- no logos. Pants, skirts, shorts are blue. Denim is dark denim and in good repair, not faded or with holes.

All sweaters are blue unless they are Loretto Catholic Spirit wear which are blue and/or grey and have our school logo on it.

Current Grad hoodies are reserved for our students in Grade 8 only. As well s St. Michael's current spirit wear on Wednesdays.

In the winter months students, please have students layer and wear blue dress code sweaters and collared shirts.

Please be mindful that running shoes are necessary for gym classes and for outside play. No crocs, slides, Burks, etc. in order for them to play actively outside or gym.

Dear Parent/Guardian(s),

As we continue to foster a safe and positive learning environment for all students, I would like to remind you of the new regulations regarding cell phone use that have been implemented in Ontario schools.

To minimize distractions and maximize learning, cell phones are only permitted during instructional time when they are being used for educational purposes as directed by the teacher. Outside of these times, students are expected to keep their phones turned off and stored away unless needed for documented learning needs and/or health related requirements. We kindly ask for your support in reinforcing this policy with your children and encouraging them to focus on their studies during school hours.

Your cooperation is essential in helping us maintain a healthy and respectful school environment. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these rules, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Families we are asking for your support with electronics in the form of watches. Many students received a variety of watches: Apple watches, Garmon watches etc. that have access to data, texting, games etc.

Please understand that we have a policy on electronics. Students should not be wearing or using these to school that are to be used even at recess times.

Our Intermediate students place their electrons away in locked cabinets and only use if their teachers allow access for school work if needed. We continuous are purchasing Chromebooks for our school so students have access in all classes.

We appreciate your support with this matter

Thank you

Parents/Guardians are asked to sign up for our convenient payment program - SCHOOLCASHONLINE. This is an excellent way to pay for student activities/lunches without sending in money to school.

To register, please go to:

We will continue to sell our Loretto Lynx 24- ounce reusable Sports Water bottles with our Loretto Lynx logo on it as well as a spot to write your child's name on it. Water bottles are BPA-free sports bottles that are made with a polyethylene (PET) material that's phthalate-free, non-toxic and lead-free. It features a twist-on lid with push/pull drinking spout. Its translucent bottle colour matches its lid color. Bottles can be purchased through School Cash Online for $8.00 each or 2 for $14.00. We will begin selling as of mid September until late May.

Please ensure that your child comes to school each day with a reusable water bottle. This will not only help keep our children hydrated but will also help our environment. We ask that if your child needs a fork or spoon to eat their snacks or lunch that you please place one in their lunch pails.

Any student who wishes to leave the school grounds during the school day for any reason is required to be signed out by a parent/guardian in the main office. Students will not be permitted to leave school grounds for lunch unless picked up by a parent/guardian.

If a change in dismissal routine is to occur, a signed note from the parent is required EACH TIME. This will help us ensure your child is safely dismissed from school. Texts from parents, office phone/cell phone usage will not be a regularly accepted form of permission and will only be considered in the case of an extenuating circumstance.

Thank you to our Niagara Nutrition Partners for all their support this year. Each class has a bin and tongs filled with delicious and nutritious food items such as yogurt tubes, fruits, fruit bars, and individually baked goods. These items vary from day to day. All students are welcome to pick a snack to compliment their own snacks.

We also want to thank our families for donating to this great cause so we can continue to sustain and help maintain it throughout the year.

Please continue to help by donating through School Cash Online.

We know it is the season when we have many student belongings at school like hats, mittens, sweaters, coats, indoor/outdoor shoes and boots at school. Often items are not labelled and it is hard to know who they belong to. We do have a lost and found for students to check in the vestibule in the main entrance to the school. Unfortunately, should items go missing and/or are lost when students have left them at school a reminder that we, the school, are not responsible for any lost items or items left at the school. We will do our best to help our students find their items. We ask that items are all labelled as many items are similar or from the same stores.

We remind all our students and parents that although toys are fun to play with during recess times, it is difficult to keep track of whose toys belong to whom. Often students bring and play with their toys during class time. We ask that you please consider not sending toys or labelling the toys and speaking to your child about when is an appropriate time to use them.

Although students are encouraged not to trade playing cards of any kind i.e. Pokémon, we are not responsible for traded, lost or misplaced cards.

Thank you for your support

Parents, we kindly ask that your pets do not come on to school property at arrival and dismissal. Many of our areas are already congested with families at pick up and some of our families and students are a little uncomfortable.

We appreciate your support.

Families are asked to check the site often for changes in services such as shift time changes, additions or removals of locations, and service interruptions due to inclement weather or staff shortages. We will always try to post changes in services by no later than 7:30am and 2:00pm, but sometimes last-minute issues arise, so check and check often!

https://niagarafalls.ca/city-hall/transportation-services/school-crossing-guards.aspx

Niagara Region Public Health School Health Newsletter October 2026

AODA note: hyperlink addresses are in the Link Destinations section of this document.

Don’t Be Scared by Cavities this Halloween!

Keep your child’s smile BOO-tiful this Halloween!

Here are some tips to help keep teeth healthy:

• Brush teeth twice a day for two minutes using fluoridated toothpaste

• Floss once a day

• Stay away from sticky, starchy, and hard candy

• Limit sugary drinks. Drink water after eating tasty treats to rinse away sugar that may be stuck on your teeth.

• Book a FREE dental appointment at Public Health's dental clinics by calling 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7399 or live chat with us (Link #1).

To learn more on how to keep your family’s teeth healthy, visit www.niagararegion.ca/dental.

Help Keep the Classroom Germ Free – Stay Home When Sick

Fall brings the ‘unofficial’ start of respiratory illness season. This means that viruses that affect our respiratory system (for example our lungs and throat) begin to spread more often.

Help keep the classroom germ free by keeping your child home if they are sick. If your child is sick, they should stay home from school until:

• They have no fever, without the use of fever reducing medication and

• Their symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours or 48 hours if they have nausea, vomiting and / or diarrhea and

• They don’t develop any new symptoms

Each year, different respiratory viruses can be spreading in our community at the same time. These viruses can have similar symptoms. This means it can be hard to tell what you are infected with based on just symptoms alone. For more information on, visit Managing Illness - Exclusion periods (Link #2) and our downloadable resource Respiratory Illnesses: Protect Yourself and Others (Link #3).

By keeping your child at home when they are feeling sick, you are actively helping to prevent the spread of infection and disease among the entire school community.

Cannabis Edibles and Staying Safe this Halloween

With Halloween around the corner, it’s a good time to review safe storage tips for cannabis edibles. These products can look just like regular treats—gummies, brownies, or cookies—which makes them easy for children to mistake for candy.

Hospitalizations for accidental cannabis poisonings in children have increased across Canada, most often happening at home. To help keep kids safe:

• Store edibles in child-resistant packaging, out of reach (up high) and out of sight

• Keep them separate from regular food

• Use a locked container whenever possible

Symptoms of cannabis poisoning in children may include confusion, drowsiness, vomiting, slowed breathing, or trouble walking. If you suspect a child has consumed cannabis, call 1-844-POISON-X or 9-1-1 in an emergency.

Let’s keep Halloween safe and fun for everyone!

International Walk to School Month (IWALK)

The changing season means colourful leaves, migrating birds, and scurrying critters. How many of these can you and your child(ren) spot on your journey to school this month? Use the IWALK I-Spy activity cards to track your sightings!

Visit ontarioactiveschooltravel.ca/international-walk-to-school-month/ for resources, ideas, and tips to help celebrate and participate in IWALK Month. Share stories and images of your community getting your walk on by tagging @OntarioAST and using the hashtags #IWALK and #JourneyOutside on Twitter.

Link Destination

1. Live chat with us (https://vue.comm100.com/chatWindow.aspx?siteId=232657&planId=545)

2. Managing Illness - Exclusion periods (https://www.niagararegion.ca/living/childcare/service-providers/child-care-manual/illness.aspx#non-report)

3. Respiratory Illnesses: Protect Yourself and Others (https://www.niagararegion.ca/living/childcare/service-providers/child-care-manual/illness.aspx#non-report)