Jean Vanier Catholic
Secondary School
(secondary)
959 Midland Avenue, Toronto
(Scarborough), Ontario M1K 4G4
History & Tradition
The
doors of Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School opened in September 1989
welcoming 18 staff and 198 grade 9 students. Construction and renovation
were not complete until the spring of 1994, and the school now accommodates
close to 900 students.
From
the onset, the school was de-streamed in grade 9. Another feature of our
curriculum was an extended homeroom to accommodate our mentorship program.
The staff and students, the core of our community, were committed to living
the philosophy and teaching of Jean Vanier, the founder of L'Arche. They set
out to build a school in an atmosphere of cooperation and acceptance.
Perhaps Jean Vanier best expressed the essence of our school in his book, A Hope That We Can Grow. “I accept you as you are, not expecting more
and not weeping because you are not exactly what I want you to be. So to
celebrate is to give thanks for all you are and all we are together,” says
one passage. Our school celebrated its solemn blessing and official opening
in November 1994. Another treasured event was the visit of Jean Vanier
himself in May 1995. His vision continues to inspire us to grow in the words
of our motto: “Through knowledge towards God.”
How We Meet the Diverse
Needs of Our Students
The
Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School community is oriented towards a way of
life defined by the Gospel. Our staff and the parents share the mission of
guiding our students to develop a knowledge of our Catholic faith while
pursuing an education that will prepare our students for adulthood. All of
our courses are infused with Gospel values.
The
strategies and programs we use to ensure this Christian environment are
varied. Mass is celebrated twice per week in our chapel. At special times
of the year we travel to St. Maria Goretti Church for: Jean Vanier’s
birthday at the opening school mass, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, for an
end-of-year mass and for a special mass for our graduates of the particular
school year. Students are expected to participate in these celebrations.
Parents are invited to attend. In addition there are opportunities for
public prayer, reconciliation, retreats and almsgiving.
The
entire Vanier community enjoys a comfortable and safe environment for
learning. To achieve this, the school operates on the premise that each
person has great dignity and deserves the highest respect. We have a code of
student behaviour that is clearly defined and which is reviewed annually.
Students are aware of what is expected of them of the consequences for
failure to live up to these expectations. All of our regulations are
designed to ensure that respect for the rights of other students is
maintained.
Our
extra-curricular programs play a significant part in our students'
education. Sports teams, clubs, field trips and socializing make school
enjoyable and result in a positive attitude toward school life. In these
activities our young people often discover hidden talents and interests.
Our
curriculum initiatives are broad based, intending to serve the various needs
of our pupils. We offer all of the compulsory credits but also offer a very
wide range of optional programs in the areas of The Arts, Technology, and
Athletics. In addition to the courses which students can select, the staff
select students to be part of our annual Leadership Program. With respect
to identified students, we feel that this broad curriculum assists these
students to be successful and we offer enrichment and modification of the
curriculum by the staff as a regular occurrence in meeting the diversified
needs of our students.
Grade 8 Open House
November 10, 2010
7:00 p.m.
School Calendar 2010-2011
| School Begins |
September 7, 2010 |
| Thanksgiving Day |
October 11, 2010 |
| Christmas break |
December 20-31, 2010 |
| Family Day |
February 21, 2011 |
| Mid-Winter Break |
March 14-18, 2011 |
| Good Friday |
April 22, 2011 |
| Easter Monday |
April 25, 2011 |
| Victoria Day |
May 23, 2011 |
| Last day of classes for elementary students |
June 29, 2011 |
PA Days 2010-2011
- September 2, 2010 (Provincial
Education Priorities)
- June 28, 29, 30 (System
priorities and local goals articulated in school Learning
Improvement Plans)
Exam Dates 2010-2011
- January 25, 26, 27, 28
- June 20,
21, 22, 23, 24, 27
First Place Essay Writing Student
Jean Vanier is proud to announce that Shahad Sahar, a grade 12
Vanier Student, was recently awarded a first place in an essay
contest sponsored by the
Human
Rights and Race Relations Centre. The contest's theme was
"Diversity Binds Canada Together." The essay contest is open to all
the schools run and managed by the Toronto District School Board and
the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Finishing in first is an
amazing accomplishment and we are extremely proud of Shahad. We also
want to recognize and thank Juan Osegueda who mentored Shahad.
Congratulations
Two automotive tech students from Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary
School, James Ryan Bachiller and
John Gonsalves came in 14th place out of 30 in the National
Automotice Technology Competition in New York. Earlier
in the year, the two beat out 19 other Toronto-area
high school teams to win a skills competition at the Canadian
International Auto Show in Toronto. James Ryan Bachiller and
John Gonsalves, both 17, performed a number of timed technical
tasks and attempted to start a 2010 Volkswagen New
Beetle Convertible that had been rigged with a no-start
condition by automotive instructors from Centennial
College.
Jean Vanier Student Film
Festival--Details
and photos
School Learning Improvement Plan -- 2009-2010
Safe School Plan -- 2009-2010
EQAO Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics: 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.
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