Mr. J. Tornabuono - Principal

Mrs. Y. Leheta - Vice Principal

Website: https://schools.niagaracatholic.ca/stmartin/

Location: 18 Streamside Drive Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

Phone: 905-957-3032

Follow us on Twitter @MustangsMartin

Happy New Year, and welcome back to all students, staff, and families. I sincerely hope that the Christmas season was a blessed and peaceful one spent with family and friends. As the new calendar year begins, I welcome back staff and students and pray for the welfare of our St. Martin School Community.

As we begin 2025 we will continue to support our students as they set new year resolutions and help them achieve excellence in all that they do.

I wish to extend my gratitude to our parents, students and staff who generously donated to our Christmas Advent Angel Program. All toys were distributed to children throughout West Lincoln by West Lincoln Community Care. On behalf of our entire St Martin Staff, I would like to thank our students and parents for your beautiful gifts, cards and prayerful wishes at Christmas.

In 2025, we will continue to work together to build a Catholic, caring community where respect flourishes and Jesus Christ is our role model in all that we do. May He bring joy to your heart; and may He watch over and bless all our students and families. May Jesus’ love light your way in 2025.

J. Tornabuono

Thank you to all of our families that donated toys to our West Lincoln Community Care Angel Toy Drive. As you can see we received an abundance of toys that were delivered to children in our community.

Please note the following dates:

• Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Bus Safety Presentations
• Thursday January 16, 2025 - Blessed Trinity Open House 6:30 pm
• Friday, January 17, 2025 - P.A. Day
• Wednesday January 22rd, Catholic School Council Meeting
• Dental Screening January 27 & 28, 2025 - K,2,4,7
• Wednesday February 5, 2025 - Kindergarten Open House 9-6 pm

Please ensure that your child(ren) have a pair of indoor 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. Winter boots will not be permitted inside the classroom..

Thank you to our Catholic School Council for organizing our Christmas Craft and our Milk & Cookies event. It was a fun and exciting for the students.

Our next Meeting will be held on Wednesday January 22nd at 6 pm in the School Library. All St. Martin parent(s) are welcome to attend.

Kindergarten Open House Our Kindergarten Open House will be held on Wednesday February 5th, 2025 from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm. Regardless if you have already completed a registration, you are welcome and encouraged to attend our Open House. If you have a child born in 2021 they are eligible for Year I Kindergarten here at St. Martin Catholic School for the 2025-2026 school year. Registrations can be completed online at https://niagaracatholic.ca/registration/ This will help us better prepare for September 2025.

Parents are asked to scan and submit the following documents electronically: · Copy of child's Birth Certificate or Birth Registration Form Copy of Baptismal Certificate (Parent's Certificate is acceptable) Proof of full address if you live in bounds (e.g. bank statement, utility bill, or similar documentation) Any relevant custody order documents Starting Kindergarten is an exciting time for everyone. We look forward to welcoming you and your child to St. Martin. In addition, we will also have an in-person orientation at the beginning of June.

Family Literacy Day takes place every January 27th to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. Since 1999, thousands of schools, libraries, literacy organizations and other community groups have taken part in the initiative. ABC creates free learning and promotional resources for anyone that wants to get involved. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development, improving a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well.

A reminder that students are expected to adhere to Niagara Catholic’s Standardized Dress Code. An additional copy of the Dress Code is attached below. According to the Standardized Dress Code, the following items are not permitted:

• Black Pants
• T-shirts of any kind (spiritwear exempt)
• Faded or torn Jeans. (Jeans must be dark blue and in good condition)
• Please ensure that sweaters are navy blue, white or spiritwear

Your cooperation is important and appreciated.

We are just 1 week away from Christmas, but Blessed Trinity is still moving forward with many activities and the start of the Winter sports season. Our boys and girls' hockey, girls volleyball and boys' basketball teams have started their regular seasons. Our wrestlers hosted a tournament and our Music Dept. is touring our Family of Schools spreading the Christmas Cheer.

A representative from our Student Services Department has begun doing presentations to all of our grade 8's focusing on the courses they will be choosing and taking at BT next year. Those presentations will continue throughout December and early January. An early plug for our Grade 8 Open House that will take place on January 16th at 6:30 pm.

Niagara Region Public Health School Health Newsletter

January 2025

Grade 7 Vaccines Catch Up

Niagara Region Public Health has completed all fall school-based immunization clinics for the following publicly funded routine school vaccinations:

• Meningococcal

• Hepatitis B

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

Grade 7 students who missed their school immunization clinic can receive these vaccines through the following options:

• Niagara Region Public Health vaccination clinics – book an appointment at a community clinic by calling the Vaccine Preventable Disease Program at 905-688-8248 ext. 7425

• Family doctor or Nurse Practitioner– Contact your health care provider to discuss vaccine availability. If you do not have one, you can check with a local walk-in clinic.

Wintertime Well-Being

As the weather changes and days get shorter, many people, including children and youth, may feel more anxious, depressed, or tired. It's essential to be mindful of our emotional well-being. Beat the winter blues and check out these simple activities to boost your and your child’s mood.

• 8 feel good tips to boost your mood

• 100 Fun Activities to Boost Your Mood

• Stress relief activities for kids

Help Keep the Classroom Germ Free – Stay Home When Sick

Respiratory viruses like the flu and COVID-19 are spreading in our community. Since these viruses can have similar symptoms, it can be hard to tell what you are infected with based on just symptoms alone.

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

By keeping your child home when sick, you help prevent them from spreading whatever infection they have to others.

Snow Safety for Kids

Embrace the thrill of tobogganing this winter, but remember, safety comes first! Whether your child is racing down the slopes or enjoying a leisurely ride, follow these snow safety tips to make the most of winter adventures:

1. Gear Up: Wear appropriate winter gear such as gloves, and sturdy boots to provide protection from the cold.

2. Choose Safe Hills: Opt for designated tobogganing hills that are free from obstacles like trees, rocks, or traffic. Avoid hills with steep inclines or crowded areas.

3. Follow Etiquette: Be mindful of others on the hill. Encourage your child to wait their turn and choose a clear path to avoid collisions. Respect the space and safety of fellow tobogganers.

4. Think Safety: Help your child to sit facing forward on the toboggan with their feet first. Remind tobogganers to hold on firmly and avoid standing or kneeling during the ride.

5. Stay Visible: If tobogganing in the evening, ensure visibility. Wear bright colours and consider adding reflective elements to clothing.

Remember, tobogganing is all about having fun, but safety ensures that the enjoyment lasts throughout the winter season. So, bundle up, find a safe hill, and make lasting memories with your child and friends in the winter wonderland!

Visit Niagara Families for places your child can toboggan.

Educational Resources

Mindfulness Awareness Stabilization Training

As teachers wrap up their final lessons amidst the excitement of the holiday season, holiday preparation becomes a hectic task. In the midst of this hustle, focusing on the present moment can be challenging. Unity Health Toronto presents Mindful Awareness Stabilization Training (MAST), a program designed to teach emotion regulation skills through psychoeducation and mindfulness practices. With easily accessible handouts and a collection of brief audio tracks, MAST aims to enhance mindfulness not only in individual educators but also within the classroom environment.

Jack.org’s Mental Health Promotion

Introduce Mental Health Promotion to the Classroom with Jack.org’s Educator Hub (edHUB) resource. This comprehensive and free resource library equips educators with teaching materials to integrate mental health promotion programming into their classrooms. Featuring curriculum-aligned activities, lessons, and a unit plan, this program supports educators by offering safe, youth-friendly, and evidence-informed mental health resources. It empowers educators to enhance their students' mental health literacy within a learning environment that fosters growth and well-being.

Our Niagara Catholic's new theological theme for 2022-2026 will be "Called by Name". Our theological theme will direct us through daily prayer, faith formation sessions and school and system faith-centered events for the upcoming years:

2023-2024 Called by Name: Hear My Voice

2024-2025 Called by Name: Follow Me

2025-2026 Called by Name: Go and Make Disciples

Let us focus on this thought - Jesus knows my name. And Jesus calls me by name. He doesn’t just say, “Hey, you!” but He knows me. And he calls out to me by name. You aren’t just a faceless name in a crowd of humanity. Jesus recognizes you. And you’re precious to him. You matter so much to Jesus that he calls you by name, beckoning you to walk closer to him. To trust him more and to live and move and have your being in his unconditional love for you.

Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed January 24th as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.

Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind.

Today, 244 million children and youth are out of school, and 771 million adults are illiterate. There is a crisis in foundational learning, literacy and numeracy skills among young learners. 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable. It's time to transform education.

St. Martin Catholic School and all schools throughout Niagara Catholic use the Safe Arrival program to manage student attendance reporting. The Safe Arrival program reduces the time it takes to verify student attendance by making it easier for you to report your child’s absence and easier for staff to respond to unexplained student absences. The Safe Arrival program allows parents to report their child’s absence quickly and conveniently in one of three ways:

1) Use the SafeArrival website, https://go.schoolmessenger.ca. The first time you use the website, select Sign Up to create your account using your email address. After logging in, select the Attendance tab to Report an Absence.

2) Using your mobile device, download and install the SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (or from the links at https://go.schoolmessenger.ca). Use your new login information to access your account. Select Attendance to Report an Absence. If you would like to receive attendance notifications on your mobile device please enable Push Notifications in the Settings area of the app. The document Using the SchoolMessenger app will give instructions for using the App.

3) The toll-free number 844-287-6287 will allow you to report your child absent without creating an account.