St. Dorothy Catholic School (elementary)

155 John Garland Boulevard, Etobicoke, Ontario M9V 1N7

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History & Tradition

St. Dorothy Catholic School opened its doors for the first time in September, 1969, with a student population of 244. The school was established to serve the ever-increasing population in the Albion Road/Martingrove Road area of Rexdale, and to relieve the overpopulated neighbouring schools--St. Benedict and St. Andrew. The school is one of seven schools being served by St. Andrew's Parish, including two secondary schools. The school continued to grow and serve the Catholic population in the area, and in 1982, with the support of the Parent Teacher Association, an addition was added to provide for the needs of more than 900 students.

In September 1993, a new school, Holy Child Catholic School, was established to serve students living on the west side of Highway 27, and for a time operated out of St. Dorothy's School building. As a result, St. Dorothy's school enrollment had declined to 465 students, all of whom live east of Highway 27. Holy Child moved to its new facility during the 1995-96 school year.

St. Dorothy Catholic School is named after a fourth century saint

The History of St. Dorothy 

St. Dorothy lived in Caesarea in ancient Palestine. 

When the Governor Sapricius came to Caesarea, he tried to persuade Dorothy to praise and, adore false gods by offering to marry her, but Dorothy refused and replied that Christ was the only one she loved. As a result he tortured her. 

Two women who had lost their faith, tried everything they could, to lead her to sin and away from Christ, but instead, Dorothy led them back to Christ! 

Dorothy endured more torture and was sentenced to be executed. 

It was in the middle of winter when Dorothy was being led to her death and a lawyer named Theophilus, hired to make false accusations against Christians, called Dorothy names and made fun of her. He dared her to send him apples or roses from the garden of heaven where she was going.  

Dorothy agreed to do so and whil praying before her execution, an angel appeared and handed Theophilus a basket containing three roses and three apples. 

Theophilus was converted; he said yes to Jesus and began to follow Him and in the end, he too, gave up his life for his faith. 

We ask St. Dorothy to pray for us that we may have the strength to follow Jesus with the same love and courage as she did. 

St. Dorothy, patron Saint of our school pray for us!

How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students

SCHOOL OBJECTIVES 

The school staff welcomes parents and students to a new academic year. We hope that the 2005-2006 year at St. Dorothy will be a rich and rewarding experience in terms of spiritual, social, emotional, academic and physical development.

We, the staff of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, believe the work of the Catholic educators should engender a feeling of self worth, self-discipline and respect for both the student and educator. Our intent is to provide a community where Catholic values are respected both in theory and in practice. We feel that the total environment of school will be one in which students and staff will experience living in a genuine Christian Community where respect, love, faith and equality are practiced.

We recognize that parents are the first and foremost models of Christian discipline for children.  We will ask that parents remain in close contact with us and play a vital part in supporting our code of behavior.

These guidelines of student conduct are meant to help students develop self-discipline. We expect these guidelines to lead to a greater understanding of responsibility, trust, respect and decision making. We have set very high yet realistic expectations for our students and feel that with a joint effort among parents, students and staff, we can learn and grow.

The guidelines that follow apply on school property, on the bus and at all school sponsored activities.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE 

The Education Act states that students must attend school regularly and be punctual.  In order to track a pupil’s attendance at school, parents and/or guardians are requested to contact the school either by telephone or by note if the student will be absent. Only the initial call is necessary in the case of a stated prolonged absence.  Please call the school office at 416-393-5341. If a child has not arrived at school and a phone call has not been received, the secretary will attempt to contact parents by telephone.

PUNCTUALITY 

All students are expected to be punctual and to adhere to school hours. Upon entry, students should be seated quickly and prepare for morning announcements. Attendance is taken daily.  Late students should report to the office. Persistent tardiness may result in a discussion, consultation or other consequence, which may involve parents, school board attendance counselor and/or other appropriate personnel.

LUNCH 

Students staying for lunch will eat lunch in their designated areas.  Students are expected to clean up their own garbage.  Students are expected to remain on school property, and are under the direct supervision of school personnel.  Students are not to leave the schoolyard during lunch hour without permission from the office.

MEDICATION 

For safety reasons, no child should bring any form of medication to school without prior approval from the office. If medication is determined necessary, there is a form that must be filled out by your doctor to indicate that this must be taken during the school hours.  The container must be clearly labeled with names (child, parent, and doctor), phone numbers and directions. Please contact the school to address individual student needs in this regard.

EARLY SCHOOL DISMISSAL 

Every effort should be made to schedule appointments outside of school hours.  Students who are required to leave at some point during the school day must bring a note from home verifying the appointment. In event of illness or injury, every effort will be made to contact parents.

It is extremely important that parents provide us with accurate phone numbers for home and work and notify us of any changes, enabling us to make contact in emergency situations. 

DRESS CODE 

Students are expected to wear the school uniform. The following guidelines should be observed.

• Headgear is not to be worn inside the school.

•  Jewelry, bandanas, hair styles, inappropriate body piercing, body art, tattoos or clothing that do not reflect the school’s Belief Statements and Gospel Values are discouraged.

• For physical education, teachers may request students to wear a T-shirt, shorts and running shoes.

• Make-up is not permitted to be worn in school or on school excursions.

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 

All students are encouraged to participate in all school activities. Participating in sports and cultural activities outside of the classroom promotes the development of social, intellectual and physical skills as well as citizenship skills. The general rules regarding respect for authority, property and peers apply in all of these activities.

It is our aim to foster a healthy respect and appreciation for physical development and well-being, as well as to promote those activities which encourage these attitudes.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS, TRIPS AND EXCURSIONS 

We are very fortunate to live in an area, which has an interesting history and varied locations of interest in our immediate surroundings. Teachers are encouraged to make use of the world beyond the classroom as to stimulate and reinforce learning.

These programs and excursions usually involve some cost to the students. On occasion there is a cost for transportation and admission. We do our utmost to keep these costs to a minimum. We ask for your co-operation and support for all of these ventures, as they have a significant value in the overall education of your children. 

RULES OF SCHOOL BUS SAFETY AND BEHAVIOUR 

Students will be picked up and discharged at designated stops only. The safety of the student is the responsibility of the parent until pick-up and after drop-off at designated stops.

On entering the bus, students will take a seat promptly and remain seated for the duration of the route. Respectful manners and appropriate language and behavior are expected. There is no eating or drinking on the bus.  The driver’s instructions must be obeyed at all times.