Madonna Catholic Secondary School (secondary)

20 Dubray Avenue, North York, Ontario M3K 1V5

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History & Tradition

Madonna Catholic Secondary School was founded--by the Faithful Companions of Jesus, a religious order of sisters--on the tenets of faith, charity and justice, ideals which all who inhabit Madonna are encouraged to mirror in their daily lives. In 1963, the order opened Madonna High School to 75 girls but this number rapidly increased to more than 700 as the program and facility expanded. The F.C.J. tradition has always been “to communicate and give witness to Gospel values and attitudes, to emphasize education in faith; a faith that sees and discerns reality from the point of view of the Gospel and confronts reality with the Gospel.” The school was named after Madonna, Our Lady, whose virtues of love, service, generosity, chastity and humility continue to inspire and guide the actions of the Madonna community.

How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students

Madonna is a highly diverse school community, with 36% of the student population born outside of Canada. Sixty-two percent of Madonna students come from homes where a language other than English is spoken. Madonna strives to provide a common bond for its diverse population in several ways.

The most evident bond in the school community comes from a shared sense of Catholic values provided through the environment of a Catholic school. Students are provided with a rich curriculum of religious studies supported by a co-curricular program consisting of school and class liturgies, retreats, community outreach, linkage with our local parish--St. Philip Neri--peer helping and peer mediation, and daily prayer. The code of behaviour, which is consistent with the Toronto Catholic District School Board violence prevention policy, provides a safe and welcoming learning environment and demands that all staff and students treat one another with respect. The care with which all students are treated is evident in our close monitoring of school attendance with its attendant follow-up procedures of personal counseling and collaboration with parents, staff, and outside support staff. Continuous parental contact ensures that school and home work as partners in the educational process of each student.

Curriculum initiatives are ongoing at Madonna. Madonna's grade 9 and 10 courses are expressed in terms of learning outcomes and integration is occurring in various ways: a team-teaching approach to applied keyboarding/integrated studies by the guidance and business teachers; collaboration between art, music, and drama teachers; opportunities between science and math teachers for connections to be made; integrating technology into the learning experience in all subject areas; and a three-phase orientation program for all grade 9 students.

One of the school goals relates to integrating technology more fully into the learning process at Madonna. Staff has worked hard to identify technology goals in all courses. Madonna students regularly participate in science fairs, match contests, and projects such as those sponsored by Connaught in its annual Student Biotechnology Exhibition. In-house staff development has produced a high degree of staff computer literacy. Madonna has four computer labs and all students are given the fundamentals of basic computer applications in grade 9.

Madonna provides an English as a second language program to meet the individual needs of students new to Canada, with an orientation session each June to familiarize new ESL students to the school.

Madonna also has a fully integrated special education program, where special education teachers and teaching assistants work together with classroom teachers to provide differentiated learning according to student needs. Enrichment is provided for gifted students through differentiated learning opportunities and/or enrichment activities such as lectures, seminars, advanced placement programs, university mentorship, and (inter)national exchange programs to name but a few.

Finally, all students at Madonna are strongly encouraged to become involved in the clubs and sports teams that operate each year. It is evident to all who enter Madonna CSS that this is a thriving community where academic excellence and co-curricular participation are key components of school life.

School News

Status Update

Grade 8 Open House
November 8, 2010
7:00 p.m.

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 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
• June 21, 22, 23, 24, 27

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.