ELEMENTARY
Niagara Catholic elementary schools will host virtual open houses between February 14 and 25, 2022. Please contact the principal of your child's future school for a date, time, and platform for their virtual open house to reserve your space today.
We hope to answer your registration questions. To learn more, we encourage you to schedule a visit at the Niagara Catholic elementary school in your neighbourhood when it is safe to do so.
Our Elementary Schools
Niagara Catholic has 50 Catholic elementary schools for students in Kindergarten through Grade eight, including the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Centre, which offers elementary students in the Indigenous community and alternative learning site. Niagara Catholic elementary schools offer before and after-school care to children between the ages of four and 12. A list of these schools, the associated child care and the daily and weekly fees is available here. If you require childcare, you must access the Niagara Region’s Online Childcare Registry for licensed child care providers in Niagara.
School Locator
If you are uncertain which school is your child’s home school, please use the Transportation Eligibility section of the Niagara Student Transportation Services website. Simply enter your home address and your child’s grade to find your neighbourhood Catholic elementary school, and to determine whether your child is eligible for transportation.
Dress Code
Students in Niagara Catholic elementary schools are required to comply with the Board’s standardized dress code while at school. Students wear navy blue on the bottom, and navy or white on the top. Items may be purchased at the store of your choice. An example of our Elementary Standarized Dress Code is available here.
Transportation
Please visit the BusPlanner Web section of the Niagara Student Transportation Services website to determine your child’s eligibility for transportation.
For additional information about student transportation, please review the Niagara Catholic Student Transportation Policy (500.2).
Faith Development
A Catholic education focuses on the whole person – body, mind and spirit. Niagara Catholic is currently in the second year of our three-year Theological Theme, Mass, Mercy, Mission, which is intended to guide students and staff on their faith journeys. Students in Grade 2 receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion. Grade 7 students participate in an annual Faith Festival each May, and Grade 8 students participate in the two-day, one-night Journey Retreat as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Child Care
Niagara Region Children’s Services and the Niagara Catholic District School Board will be conducting a viability study for before and after school care for school age children.
You will receive notification from the board, in the spring, to advise you of the process and timeframe to make application for care. The notification will include the process of application and timelines.
For more child care information please click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Children who have been baptized Catholic
- Children with one or both parents who are Catholic
Niagara Catholic also accepts children of other faiths when space permits.
Catholic students receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion in Grade 2 and Confirmation in Grade 8. During these special years, students work closely with parish priests and the Elementary Chaplaincy Leader associated with their school as they prepare for these very special steps in their journey as Catholics
Niagara Catholic believes in providing special-need students with the opportunity to attend school with their peers. Our fully inclusive classrooms ensure special need students interact with their classmates regularly, while receiving specialized attention from an educational assistant assigned to them.
Parents of children registered to start school in September are usually invited to visit the school near the end of the previous academic year (in May or June), to become familiar with the classroom. Parents also receive an introductory package at the start of the summer so they know how to prepare their children for that all-important first day.
Please visit the BusPlanner Web section of the Niagara Student Transportation Services website to determine your child’s home school and eligibility for transportation.
For additional information about student transportation, please review the Niagara Catholic Student Transportation Policy (500.2).
Catholic education is publicly funded by the Province of Ontario through tax dollars. Parents who wish to enroll their children in before or after-school care must pay an additional fee for service.
All Catholics are entitled and encouraged to support Catholic education. If you are unsure about your current tax support, please contact the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) at 1.866.296.6722.
Niagara Catholic has an elementary standardized dress code students follow while at school. Items may be purchased at the store of your choice. However, in order to quality for discounts for multiple children, purchases must be made at a Board-designated supplier.
Beyond that, all your child will need is an appropriately sized backpack, a healthy lunch and snacks, a positive attitude and a smile! We’ll supply the rest.
Kindergarten FAQs
Children as young as three years and nine months old may enter school for a full day; provided they turn four years old by the end of the calendar year.
Full-day early learning is not required, but research shows that students who participate in Early Learning have better health and brighter futures.
Kindergarten prepares your child for the formal part of their education. Through play-based learning, children acquire early literacy and numeracy concepts, and also learn important social skills they will carry throughout their lives.
Other than your child’s elementary standardized dress code items, a properly fitting backpack and a healthy lunch and snacks, the only thing your youngster needs to bring to school is a willingness to learn.
Transportation is provided according to Board policy.
Can My Child Ride the Bus?
Niagara Catholic Kindergarten students who live more than 800 metres from their home school are eligible for transportation to and from school. You can check your eligibility for transportation by visiting the Niagara Student Transportation Services’ (NSTS) website here. NSTS will send electronic communication to families of registered Kindergarten students during the summer providing instructions to view your child’s preliminary transportation through the NSTS parent portal and to review important school bus safety and service information.
How does busing work?
NSTS arranges busing for eligible students based on the pick-up and drop-off address in your child’s school records. Effective in the 2022-23 school year, it is mandatory for families to opt-in with NSTS to receive transportation and these instructions are available on the NSTS.ca website. Safe student transportation is a shared responsibility with parents, students, bus drivers, schools and NSTS and important information is on the NSTS.ca website, including safety videos. NSTS.ca also posts alerts if there is a bus delay, or you can subscribe in the NSTS parent portal or download the BusPlanner Delay App to your phone for direct notification of service disruptions.
Bus routes and First Ride Program dates and times will be available at nsts.ca or call 905-357-6787