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| Total enrolment | 956 |
| Principal | Sebastian Carubia Tel: 416-393-5525 Fax: 416-393-5714 |
| Superintendent | Paul Crawford Tel: 416-222-8282 ext. 2732 |
| Parish | Transfiguration of Our Lord 45 Ludstone Drive Etobicoke, Ontario M9R 2J2 416-247-0513 |
| Local Trustee |
Joseph Martino Tel: 416-512-3401; Fax: 416-512-3401 e-mail: joseph.martino@tcdsb.org |
| CSAC Chair | Franca Giacomelli Voice Mailbox: #88525 csac.donbosco@tcdsb.org |
History & Tradition
St. John Bosco (1815-1888) was a Catholic priest who
dedicated his entire life to the total education of young people. “Don” is a
title of respect in Italian for priests. St. John Bosco was known to young people in his
day, and is still known today, as Don Bosco.
Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School's educational style is very successful because it is geared to touching the heart of a young person. His concern was not only to impart knowledge--though he insisted it be done well--but to educate the young for life. Don Bosco's style is to prepare the young to make a solid contribution to society and to live in preparation for heaven. His pedagogy is based on the foundation pillars of reason, religion and loving kindness.
Don Bosco has been named the patron saint of Catholic education in Canada by the Canadian Bishops. Pope John Paul II has given Don Bosco the official title, “the father and teacher of all the world's youth”.
How did Don Bosco come to Toronto? In 1976, through the influence of Basilian Father Tom Mohan, the first Salesians of Don Bosco were invited into the Catholic education system of Toronto. The first Salesians initially taught at Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School. In 1978 Don Bosco Secondary School was born in a temporary setting at 165 Dixon Road. From 1981-83 Don Bosco Secondary School operated out of the Transfiguration elementary school building. In 1983, with the sale of public secondary school, Keiller McKay to the MSSB, 2 St. Andrews Boulevard became the permanent site of Don Bosco Secondary School.
Don Bosco put great emphasis on sacramental life as the key towards the total education of the young. Throughout the years, Don Bosco Secondary School has held as a priority the preparation of students for the reception of the sacraments, especially the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist and in providing opportunities for sacramental celebrations.
Don Bosco's philosophy is an “expansive” community-minded one. Therefore, Don Bosco Secondary School encourages students and staff alike to think beyond the school and to offer services to local church communities and society at large.
How Do We Meet the Diversified Needs of Our Students
Don Bosco provides a rigorous education rooted in Gospel
values. Students are challenged to work towards their potential within a supportive
environment guided by caring and supportive staff. Students at Don Bosco have access to
programs and experiences designed to meet their individual needs, regardless of their
post-secondary goals.
The following are a number of our key program highlights:
Enrichment Program
In September 1995 Don Bosco initiated an enrichment program for grade 10 students. The purpose is to provide an alternative advanced level curriculum that is both challenging and innovative. A major focus of the program is the integration of computer skills along with independent study strategies. The enrichment program is being extended to grades 11 and 12.
Broad-based technology
Don Bosco is proud to have been chosen as the first pilot school in Metropolitan Separate School Board by the Ministry of Education and Training to develop new programs in broad-based technology. Over the last several years Don Bosco has undertaken to re-shape its curriculum and its facilities to respond to these new challenges. Students are now able to study a course called broad-based technology-communications in grades 9 through 12. The facilities and equipment used to support this course includes a complete television studio. Students work with television cameras, computers and editing equipment to produce video programs. All incoming grade 9 students are introduced to this exciting new program.
Special education
Students identified with specific exceptionalities are provided with a program that meets their learning needs. The program modifications made by teachers are designed to ensure that all students have an opportunity to learn and succeed at a speed and rate that corresponds to their needs and abilities. Although the option exists for students to be withdrawn for specific assistance the vast majority of our students are integrated into regular classrooms. We are very proud of our staff at Don Bosco especially the special education department, which received certificate of Exemplary Practice in Integration from the Ministry of Education.
Youth to youth
It is a group of highly trained students who are available to act as peer counselors. Often students would rather speak to another student than a teacher or a counselor. Youth to youth has been active in setting up a Mothers Against Drunk Drivers at Don Bosco. They have been recognized by the City of Etobicoke for their efforts.
Conflict resolution/peer mediation
We are currently developing a program designed to train students in the skills of conflict resolution and peer mediation. Programs of this nature have proven to reduce the number of reported incidents of conflict situations between students.
Career education
The guidance and counseling services department delivers a comprehensive career education program to students in all grades. The program consists of both in class instruction and out of class presentation. Each student is aided in their career exploration process by having the opportunity to complete a yearly career interest inventory. The guidance department stocks an extensive collection of career materials in print, video and computerized formats.
Athletics
Since our humble beginnings on Dixon Road we have had many dedicated coaches, exceptional athletes and very deserving programs. Bosco teams have been ranked highly provincially in sports such as volleyball, basketball, hockey, track and field and team handball. We pride ourselves in shaping young men and women into fine members of society and have developed athletes to compete in universities both here in Canada and the U.S.A.
At present we offer programs in badminton, baseball, basketball, field hockey, golf, hockey, skiing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball.
To complement our competitive sports program Don Bosco offers a strong participation based intra-mural program. The following sports can be played wither at lunch or after school: boys and girls in school soccer, three on three basketball, ball hockey, volleyball and badminton.
Extra-curricular
Don Bosco offers many opportunities for students to join clubs and activities which contribute to the life of the school. A sample of the clubs available include: the chess club, computer club, outers club, Italian and French clubs, student council, yearbook and special assemblies.
School News
November 19, 2008
Grade 8 Open House
7:00 p.m.
Don Bosco Commemorates 200th
Anniversary of the end of the North Atlantic Slave Trade
On Tuesday
March 25, Don Bosco hosted a special presentation to commemorate the 200th
Anniversary of the end of the North Atlantic Slave Trade in the United
States, 1808-2008. Senior classes were invited to hear guest speakers
including, John Nay, U.S. Consul General to Toronto, Professor Colin A.
Palmer, Princeton University and Professor Kate Clifford Larson, a world
authority on Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railway. A question period
followed. The Committee to Commemorate and Memorialize the
Abolition of the Slave Trades (CMAST) was the sponsoring group that brought
the scholars, the American Consulate and Don Bosco together.
Left to
Right --- Tim Stewart, History Dept., Don Bosco; Kirk Mark, Ethnic Relations
TCDSB, Mark Fenwick, TCDSB Superintendent, Curriculum& Accountability;
Professor Palmer; Professor Larsen; John Nay, U.S. Consul-General; Sebastian
Carubia, Principal; Paul Crawford, TCDSB Superintendent; Diego Noronha,
Student Trustee, TCDSB.
The official opening of the Hospitality and Tourism Centre opened in the Fast Forward School to work Pathways Program on Thursday at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School. Here Chef Vincent Loccaciato second from left, is seen with a grade eleven and twelve class at the opening. Etobicoke Guardian
Don Bosco launches hospitable new program
CYNTHIA REASON, Etobicoke Guardian
Back in September, the freshman class at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary
School was treated to a very special semi-formal.
Not only were the 120 ninth graders in attendance at the dance welcomed into the school community, but it was their older classmates who planned, decorated and catered the swanky affair.
"They did all of the cooking, serving and planning," principal Sebastian Carubia said proudly of the students in the school's new Hospitality and Tourism program. "The kids loved it."
The program, which was officially launched at a ceremony at the school yesterday, is part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board's Fast Forward School-to-Work Pathways. Under the program, Don Bosco recently became one of 10 GTA schools to receive the capital investments necessary to provide state-of-the-art program facilities in order to deliver authentic workplace programming.
With that funding, Don Bosco took what used to be their under-utilized wood-working shop and converted it into a hospitality and tourism centre, complete with a cutting edge travel agency, a stocked and fully functional kitchen, a front desk training area, a presentation centre and a restaurant/banquet hall.
"What we have here is a spectacular, innovative program," Carubia said. "The kids are not only getting their academic credits, but also incorporating that experiential aspect to gain all of the skills as if they were on the job."
While the TCDSB originally launched the program as a pathway for students to gain the necessary skill sets to embark into the construction, transportation or hospitality and tourism industries directly after completing high school, Carubia said the program also works as a pathway towards higher education.
The program has evolved, he said, so that the school now has industry partnerships with both Humber College and several of the hotels on the airport strip. Through their co-op placements, students gain dual credits - three high school credits and one at Humber.
"The students are learning at an almost college level," he said, noting that those in the program are also required to take additional CPR, first aid, service excellence, Passport to Safety and food handling courses. "By the time they're through here, students will have a lot of the skills necessary to handle those college- and university-level courses in hospitality and tourism."
Combining classroom theory with practical training, the hospitality portion of the program is overseen by eight-year veteran chef Vince LoCacciato, while the tourism side is being taken on by various interested teachers in the school, Carubia said.
While construction on the centre was still underway last year, 10 sections worth of classes (each boasting 20 to 30 students) worked their way through the year in makeshift quarters, but now that the centre is up and running, Carubia said those numbers have jumped to facilitate an additional two sections. Students can opt to enter the program in Grade 10 and follow through all the way to graduation.
"This is all about our commitment to reach every child in the TCDSB system," Carubia said. "This is the way education is changing. In the old days there used to be certain courses you had to take in order to go on to university and others you could take to get into college, but this is a unique program, delivered in an innovative way."
School Learning Plan -- 2007-2008
EQAO Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics:
Academic Year | Academic | Applied |
| 2006 - 2007 | ||
| 2005 - 2006 | ||
| 2004 - 2005 | ||
| 2003 - 2004 | ||
| 2002 - 2003 | ||
| 2001 - 2002 Description | ||
| 2000 - 2001 | ||
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT):
The OSSLT shows the extent to which Ontario students are meeting the minimum literacy standard expected by the end of Grade 9. The test assesses the reading and writing skills as they apply to all subjects as out-lined in the Ontario Curriculum. Students must pass the OSSLT as one of the 32 requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
| Year | Grade 10 |
| 2006 - 2007 | |
| 2005 - 2006 | |
| 2004 - 2005 | |
| 2003 - 2004 October | |
| 2002 - 2003 October Description | |
| 2001 - 2002 February | |