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About Us
St. Barnabas Catholic School is a dynamic and spirit-filled community that offers diverse services and learning opportunities. Our excellent teaching staff is dedicated, caring and professional in their work to improve student achievement and the wellbeing of all children who attend our school. We thank our parent community who work together with us to support our children to grow intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Our mission at St. Barnabas Catholic School is to foster 21st century fluencies, enhance our environmental initiatives, and sustain a positive catholic school culture. Our vision is to create and sustain a nurturing Catholic, eco-friendly and 21st century environment that enhances learning. Academically, we strive to highlight learning goals, utilize success criteria and provide ongoing descriptive feedback. The old adage “it takes a village to raise a child” still has much meaning for education today, as it takes a school community to educate a child. Let us work together to teach our children and learn together.
Our hope at St. Barnabas is that, as we learn, we continue to mold a unique school culture in which all members share our Catholic values as seen in the way we relate to God, to ourselves, and to others. We expect that these values manifest themselves in the daily observance of our faith, in the manner in which we treat one another, and in our striving to do the best we can in the roles to which we are placed - whether that be student, teacher, support staff, parent, priest, service provider, or member of the broader community.
How We Meet The Diverse Needs Of Our Students
The students of St. Barnabas Catholic School have many differences and yet many needs in common. They range from 4-year-olds just starting out in Junior Kindergarten, to 14-year-olds who are about to graduate from Grade 8. Our students reflect a full range of talents and skills. What they have in common is a need to grow in three areas - in their Catholic faith, in their mastery of the curriculum and in social relationships. The staff of St. Barnabas Catholic School and Parish work hard to help our students develop in these areas.
Religion lessons are taught on a daily basis and an emphasis is placed on living your faith, not just studying about it. The students are involved in daily prayer in their classrooms and the school prays together at Masses, Paraliturgical Celebrations, Monthly Rosary Recitation, and during assemblies. Gospel values are the basis of school discipline, and every effort is made to develop the skills necessary for Christian community living.
Academic excellence is important at St. Barnabas, and students are encouraged to be attentive and diligent in their studies. Teachers regularly review their programs to ensure that they meet the many diverse needs of the students. Homework is assigned regularly, especially in the Junior and Intermediate divisions and students are trained in the study techniques that they need to succeed. Help is available for students who are experiencing academic difficulty. Both Special Education and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs are available at St. Barnabas. School staff are developing the strategies of a Professional Learning Community, as they partner to collaboratively plan and provide a common curriculum and assessment for all students within a grade. Staff regularly assist each other with ways to modify children's programs to help them learn and to assist children at risk. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in encouraging their children academically and are often called on to help in monitoring homework.
The programs in each classroom are planned with the understanding that there are many different skill levels within a single class. Activity-based lessons are encouraged as much as possible. Students are actively engaged in the writing process at all levels and are encouraged to read widely. We aim for a Comprehensive Literacy Program which incorporates Reading, Writing and Word Study and a wide exposure to children's literature. In Numeracy, both basic operations and problem solving are emphasized. Classes also receive a complete Science and Social Studies program, along with lessons in the Arts and in Health and Physical Education. In addition, there are daily French lessons from Grade 1 to 8.
A wide range of enrichment activities are part of every term at St. Barnabas. These include field trips to outdoor education centres, attendance at live performances of children's theatre and a variety of special presentations at school. Enrichment is also provided through our extracurricular program. The school has a chess team and participates in the general knowledge quiz game called W5H at the Junior level.
St. Barnabas has a full athletic program. House league sports are open to all. Our school sports teams include soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross-country and track. The many pennants hanging in the gym demonstrate the high level of athletic skill shown by St. Barnabas students. While our sports program encourages the development of high levels of athletic skill, we consider the development of team spirit and cooperation to be equally as important.
There is both a Vocal and Instrumental music program at St. Barnabas. In addition to weekly lessons, students have many performance opportunities. Both the school choir and Grade 8 band have performed in the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) Festival of the Arts.
At St. Barnabas Catholic School, we believe that a safe and welcoming school environment is essential. We maintain that every member of the community has a responsibility to help to make sure that this environment is maintained. There is a Safe Arrival Program in place to monitor student attendance. A student Behaviour Code was developed with input from parents, staff and students and is distributed during the fall term. Students at St. Barnabas are encouraged to take responsibility for their own behaviour and the development of self-discipline is considered a priority. At St. Barnabas we use progressive discipline to deal with misbehaviour in order to teach our students proper behaviour.
St. Barnabas has a Parenting and Family Literacy Center which is open to all children aged 0 to 6 years and their caregivers daily from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. There is no charge or registration necessary to attend this wonderful program. All members of the community are welcome. There is also an After-School Recreation Care (ARC) program run through the City of Toronto for a small fee. This program runs daily from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM and is open to students aged 6 to 12 years. Parents must register their children for this program. Information regarding these programs is available by contacting the school.
St. Barnabas Catholic School is an example of a full community-run program, as it depends on the input of every member of the community to see to the needs of its most cherished members: its children.
Our School History and Tradition
St. Barnabas Catholic School has been serving Catholic families in the Markham Road and Sheppard Avenue area since 1973. Built in the early days of the Malvern housing development, growth in the student population soon created the need for a multi-room portable. After many years of waiting, the school community was delighted to receive funding in 1994 for an addition to the main building, which would eliminate the need for the portable. This addition, opened in 1997, provides the space necessary for a new gymnasium, a redesigned main entrance and a larger library.
The patron saint of St. Barnabas Catholic School lived in Jerusalem in the first century. He worked with the apostles and with St. Paul, devoting his life to spreading the Gospel. The scriptures call him “a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and faith”. Barnabas means man of encouragement and this seems to capture his approach to life. He traveled extensively, encouraging people to listen to the gospel message. St. Barnabas was generous and brave, and scripture shows that he was trusted and respected by the leaders of the early church. He is mentioned fairly often in the Acts of the Apostles, and in several of Paul's letters.
Barnabas was born in Cyprus. His given name was Joseph; the apostles gave him the Hebrew name Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement," in honour of his work in the Church. Joseph Barnabas was born into a Jewish family, members of the tribe of Levi. The meaning of Barnabas is something to keep in mind as we interact with others. Encouragement can be a great act of Grace. Each of us can remember many who had great impact on us because of their encouragement of us. Being a member of the Saint Barnabas community means being a son or daughter of encouragement, too. The Feast Day of St. Barnabas is on June 11.
Prayer of St. Barnabas
Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who seeking not his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.