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

111 Sharpecroft Boulevard, North York, Ontario M3J 1P5

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History & Tradition

St. Jerome Catholic School was opened in the fall of 1963. The school building was composed of 10 classrooms and had a staff of six teachers and a principal. The student population was approximately 200. In the spring of 1966, construction began on an addition to the building which was completed by November 1966.

The school is named after St. Jerome who was born in Dalmatia in the fourth century A.D. He studied in Rome and is best remembered for translating the bible into Latin. He died in 420 A.D. He is the patron saint of librarians. His feast day is celebrated on September 30th.

Some of the traditions of St. Jerome School include:

• Strong parent commitment and support
• Strong link to St Wilfrid parish
• Various drama performances and workshops for students
• Ontario Arts Council visiting artists
• CSAC sponsored education events
• CSAC sponsored bingo nights and dinner dance
• Annual Christmas family mass in the parish
• Student of the month awards
• Annual junior kindergarten Christmas Concert

How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students

The nurturing of a Catholic environment is clearly evident at St. Jerome. The community, school and church work hand in hand to provide a safe and welcoming environment in which we strive to meet the various needs of our students. In addition to the religion program set out by the board, a student prepared mass is celebrated each month. In cooperation with the parish and the family, the students are prepared for the sacraments of reconciliation, first communion and confirmation. Christian and moral values are a way of life at St. Jerome, from the high standards set in the classroom. The work of the Liturgical team is central to school operations. The Cube of Love project, the Cube of Love in Sports program are two initiatives started in the last two years. Students from St Jerome took part in the Family Fest at Convocation Hall and the Run 4 Unity Peace Programs. Charity and global social justice support is evident.  Students from St. Jerome and their families have raised $5000 to build a secondary school in Haiti. As well, they have financially helped to support Father Massey’s Uganda project through Student Council fundraising. The community is quick to respond to worldwide needs from Tsunami Sharelife Relief to Blankets for Pakistan-Earthquake Relief.

Student safety is a priority at St Jerome. A student safe arrival program is in effect. The school site is fully secured with entry via a buzzer system that is fully monitored. The sign in procedure of the Safe Schools Act is in place. All volunteers are screened and must provide a police criminal reference check. All program providers must be affiliated with OESC (Ontario Educational Services Corporation). The Toronto Police Services speak to our students on various topics. For our Primary students, Officers discuss Elmer the Safety Elephant (Rules for pedestrians, traffic safety) and Stranger Safety. Junior grades hear about internet safety, Bullies, and Drugs. Intermediate students are spoken to about gangs. Supplementary presentations are provided by The Crime Concern Organization: Primary - Streetproofing and Stranger Smart; Junior Grades - Fire and Water Wise, Take an Anti-Bullying Stand; Intermediate students - Youth and the Law, Drugs and Drinking, Internet Intellect. Bus safety presentations are made to all students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. There is an in class component and an on the bus component. 

Meeting the academic needs of the students is the focus of staff development. All teachers receive extensive curriculum in services at the board level and at the local school level. On staff, we have lead teachers for the following areas: Early Reading Strategy, Junior Literacy, Balanced Literacy, Junior Math Strategies and Early Math Strategies. At divisional meetings and staff meetings, teachers assess data (from Cat 3, CCAT, and EQAO) and make school improvement plans based on gap analysis of performance indicators. Other curriculum areas are addressed through various presentations including Scientists in the Schools, U of T Science outreach program, Ontario Arts Council artists’ workshops, Joy of Theatre workshops and Drama Express workshops. Teachers enhance in class learning with planned field trips that consolidate curriculum goals.

Our school-based support team coordinator and special education consultant works closely with teachers, parents and support services to address needs of the special needs students. Classroom teachers provide accommodations and modify their programs in relation to contents, student activities and assessment and evaluation strategies to meet the individual needs of the students. This is often done in collaboration with special services such as Dellcrest Children's Center, public health nurse, speech therapist, audiometricians, social worker, guidance counsellor, consultants, gifted program, special education teachers, ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. St Jerome is the professional development center for The Hospital for Sick Children LDRP (learning disabilities research program).Teachers from elementary and secondary panels receive training in this program from our Incremental Special education teacher. St Jerome Special Education teachers have been trained in this program and run groups for our students.

The TCDSB Success for All initiative provides a boost to students achieving below academic expectations in the Grade 6, 7 and 8 level. Special Education and Intermediate teachers have been instrumental in providing Pathways to Success programs, HSC Phast Paces programming and Soar to Success programming to address needs in this area. St. Jerome Intermediate staff is affiliated with the St Wilfrid Guidance professional Learning Centre, through which additional opportunities are created to facilitate transition of Intermediate students to Secondary Schools. To this end, partnering projects occur between the secondary schools and St. Jerome, with students attending art, math and career workshops at the local high schools.

Each student is a unique individual with a particular style of learning. Computer access provides teachers with another resource that will allow the student to learn at his own pace. The availability of computers in each classroom and the computer lab allows teachers to provide students with a wide range of different learning opportunities allowing each student to reach the expected outcomes. Computer in-services are provided for all staff members by on-staff Information technology lead teachers. There is a Technology team at St Jerome comprised of teachers skilled in this area. Using LCD projectors and Power Point presentations, taking part in on line interactive learning and teleconferencing are some of the areas in which this team excels and provide IT supports to other staff member for the purpose of teaching our students in varied and interesting formats.

As well as meeting the academic needs of the students, the school encourages active participation in a variety of activities. These activities are designed to meet the diversified interests and abilities of our school population. Each student has numerous opportunities to meet with success and work towards a goal of individual growth. These opportunities include: public speaking, community arts workshops, after school Drama Express in school workshops in drama and art, W5H, Junior and Intermediate sports tournaments, track and field, cross-country, choir, instrumental ensembles and bands, vocal music and international languages.

St. Jerome CS places a high priority on healthy living. Specialized staff, Public Health nurses, student and parent representatives comprise the Health Action Team. The Health Action Team organizes the yearly Terry Fox Run, Laps for Lungs event, daily vigorous activity, as well as, public announcements on nutritious eating and exercise. The walk for Heart event in the spring and cross country running training are further examples of HAT’s commitment to student health.

News 

June 26
PA Day

St. Jerome Takes Part in RUN4UNITY Worldwide Sports Event
On Saturday, May 10, St. Jerome took part in the worldwide event RUN4UNITY, a global relay race, in the course of 24 hours, in progressive time zones. Children and teenagers used sports to show their commitment to building peace and unity among all people. This was done in every time zone from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, passing the baton from one zone to the next, so as to cover the globe in a planetary embrace. The event began in the Fiji Islands in the Pacific and the youth of San Francisco, Lima and Vancouver brought the race to a close.The young people ran in symbolic places on the planet: nations at war, marginalized and forgotten areas, the streets of large cities. They spanned the whole world with a rainbow of brotherhood. The event was promoted by the Young for Unity of the Focolare Movement. 

Two thousand youth were present in Rome from every continent and more than 100,000 throughout the world participated in hundreds of cities in 120 nations. 

After inviting everyone to live the “Golden Rule” of the Gospel – “Do to others what you would want them to do to you,” which can also be found in the holy scriptures of other religions, the event began. There were songs, dances and games.
 

A MATH CUBE was presented which encouraged everyone to follow the mathematical signs in order to love. For example, the multiplication sign X invites everyone to multiply their love by discovering the richness in each person. The minus sign --- reminds us to give our attention to others, to comfort the lonely and not leave them alone. The percentage sign % asks us to do our part and then God will do the rest. 

At St. Jerome, among the concrete activities to help “colour” our city with love were the planting of a Peace Garden and visiting a nearby Seniors’ Home where the residents felt much love and joy from the children. The day ended with a sports relay which included soccer and dodge ball and then the baton was passed on to Vancouver. 
 

This day was dedicated to Chiara Lubich who passed away last March 14. In 1968, she said, “The moment will come when the adult will finish his race and the young person, now grown to adulthood, will carry on the race and hand over the flag to another youth. And this will continue until all are truly one and the testament of Jesus will be fulfilled.”

Walking for the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign--Video

School Learning Plan -- 2007-2008

EQAO Assessment Results

EQAO: