St. Andrew Catholic School (elementary--Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8)

2533 Kipling Avenue, Etobicoke, Ontario M9V 3A8

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History & Tradition

St. Andrew Catholic School was established in 1964 in response to the growing population of north Etobicoke.  As with the city in general, the school has seen many changes since its founding.  Today, our strength lies in our widely diverse student population, which is drawn from a multitude of ethno-cultural backgrounds.  We pride ourselves on our close connection with St. Andrew's Church, staffed by the Priests of the Consolata Missionary Order.

St. Andrew, our patron saint, belonged to a family of fishermen.  Andrew was also a disciple of John the Baptist and together with his brother Simon Peter, became the first apostles of Jesus.  According to our biblical tradition, he preached the Gospel in northern Greece and was martyred in 70 A.D. He is the patron of fishermen, fish dealers and women wishing to be mothers. Each year, our school and parish celebrate his feast on November 30th.

How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students

The love of the mass is a very important objective for our school. Students from grades 1-8 take advantage of community mass at the church. Religious instruction is provided in the class through Toronto Catholic District School Board programs. Sacramental preparation takes place--first communion/reconciliation (grade 3) and confirmation (grade 8). Promoting Christian values is also a school objective and the religion committee coordinates masses, paraliturgies, and charity projects such as ShareLife, Multiple Sclerosis Read-A-Thon, Covenant House etc.

St. Andrew's is committed to providing a safe environment for learning. A behaviour code exists and copies are sent home for posting. Expectations are outlined along with the consequences for inappropriate behaviour. There is also a conflict manager program (grades 1-6) and peer mediation (grade 7/8) where students are trained to help other students solve problems and avoid confrontation. A safe arrival program is available to ensure that students arrive safely at school.

The curriculum meets TCDSB and Ministry of Education requirements. Parents are encouraged to communicate with the classroom teacher with respect to each child's curriculum needs.

St. Andrew has much pride in our French program. It enriches the mind, body and soul of the whole child. The program follows the oral, reading and writing curriculum expectations with a “joie de vivre”. Some annual highlights include: a hiking excursion, a Carnival festival, and various traditional culinary experiences (crêpes), all of which complement and encourage regular physical activity and the pursuit of healthy lifestyle and nutrition choices. Spiritually, our strong Christian values are the foundation of our daily teachings.

To meet the student's academic needs, a school-based support team meet regularly to plan program modification, ensure smaller optimum class sizes and seek other Board personnel for students with exceptional circumstances. Students can receive special education, learning disability, and English as a second language assistance. There is a half time guidance counsellor and child care worker to assist with social concerns. As well, students are tested in grade 4 for possible entry into the gifted program offered one day a week at another centre.

To ensure the students have a balance education, the following extra-curricular activities are provided:

• Soccer (grade 7 & 8)
• Volleyball (grade 4-8)
• Basketball (grade 4-8)
• Cross Country (grade 4-8)
• Track & Field (grade 3-8)
• House leagues (grade 1-6)
• Chess
• W5H
• Baseball
• Choir
• Skating
• Swimming (grade 4)

School News

PA Days 2010-2011

• September 2, 2010 (Faith Development/Provincial Education Priorities)
• November 19, 2010 (Parent Teacher Conference)
• January 21, 2011 (Assessment and Evaluation)
• February 18, 2011 (Parent Teacher Conference)
• May 20, 2011 (Assessment and Evaluation)
• June 30, 2011 (Provincial Education Priorities)

The Healthy Action Committee at St. Andrew Catholic School 

During the month of March, nutrition became an important focus at St. Andrew Catholic School.  The students and staff actively promoted and celebrated healthy eating practices.  The Healthy Action Committee comprised of the staff, students, the public health nurse and community organizations organized a variety of activities to develop and support lifelong healthy eating habits through the nutrition curriculum and access to healthy food choices.   A healthy action plan was then developed consisting of various activities to engage the St. Andrew students and community.  Some of the initiatives included:

·       Bringing healthy snacks to school;

·       Participating in two weekly P.A. dance sessions for D.P.A.;

·       Student leaders tracking snacks at school;

·       Healthy activity rewards for classes with 80% compliance;

·       Class poster contests for students to creatively illustrate and express messages of healthy eating practices;

·       Teacher workshops facilitated by the Public Health Nurse;

·       Hands-on activities and classroom sessions for students on “Healthy Eating” and “Think What You Drink” facilitated by the Public Health Nurse;

·       Daily informative health tips read over the P.A.; and

·       Teacher in-services provided by the Dairy Farmers of Canada to further enhance the nutrition curriculum.

March proved to be a very exciting and rewarding month for the St. Andrew community. Together we emphasized and learned that eating well and being active are key to our good health and well-being.

R. Redigonda and D. Noordin
Healthy Action Committee Co-ordinators

School Learning Improvement Plan -- 2009-2010

Safe School Plan -- 2009-2010

EQAO Assessment Results

EQAO: