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

960 Bellamy Road North, Scarborough, Ontario M1H 1H1

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History & Tradition

St. Richard Catholic School was built in 1964 and expanded in 1968 to serve the burgeoning Catholic population of central Scarborough. As enrollments declined during the seventies, the north addition was converted into the Board's Scarborough/East York Regional Administrative Office (now called the East Curriculum Support Unit). In recent years, enrollment has been steadily increasing, sustained in part by the popularity of the middle French immersion program, the excellent reputation of the school and the influx of younger families into the community.

The school was named after St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253). He is best known today for his prayer which is displayed in the entrance way of the school and was recently set to popular music: “Day by day, oh dear Lord, three things I pray: to see Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, follow Thee more nearly, day by day.”

During our history many positive traditions have been established and many memorable academic and athletic accomplishments have been experienced with the help of staff, students, parents and neighbours. As a result, St. Richard's enjoys an enviable reputation throughout Scarborough--a legacy that continues to evolve and inspire those who are privileged to share and uphold it.

For pastoral purposes, the school is most closely linked to St. Rose of Lima Parish, although a section of its northeast attendance area is in St. Thomas More Parish.

How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students

St. Richard's students come from diverse backgrounds but all are enrolled here because their parents expect that they will be educate to their fullest potential in accordance with Catholic teachings and traditions. The “Born in the Spirit” catechetical program and the “Fully Alive” family life program, both approved by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, are the basic resources for religious education instruction, but it is the Christian ethos of the school that is fundamental to the inculcation of our beliefs and values. The participation of students and parents in school masses, paraliturgical celebrations, daily prayer, parish events, sacramental preparation, food drives and other community and charitable activities are tangible expressions of the school's commitment to its mission and vision.

While there are many common spiritual, academic, physical, emotional and social goals for the students, each one is a unique individual with special talents and needs. The staff recognize this fact and work to sustain a secure and nourishing school environment which fosters maximum growth in all developmental areas. Fortunately, to the credit of our parents and Providence, the vast majority of our students arrive at school predisposed to learning and eager to explore the wonders of God's creation and life's mysteries.

The students' health and safety are of paramount importance. That concern begins with our safe arrival program which helps to ensure that all pupils are accounted for at the beginning of the day. Cooperation between home and school is critical for the success of the program and parents are requested to initiate communication to the school through our twenty-four hour answering service if their children will be absent or late. Failing that contact, the secretary will attempt to phone the parents of absent children to check on their whereabouts. The continual updating of phone numbers and the sharing of health-related information complemented this system which is further enhanced by bicycle, traffic and water safety presentations (Toronto Police) and dental and vision screening (Toronto Public Health Department). Our school social worker and other Board resource personnel are always available to offer advice and assistance to students or parents who may require support.

St. Richard's students are generally well-behaved and cooperative--a tribute to their upbringing--and “school rules” have been kept as few and simple as possible. Under the Board's relatively new violence prevention policy it will be our mandate to develop a more detailed code of deportment. School programming is dictated by the Ontario Ministry of Education and by TCDSB curriculum documents. These are periodically revised in order to incorporate the impact of new ideas and technology and public accountability issues. Within these broad parameters, the teacher adapts the documents to the needs and interests of his/her individual students in order to facilitate learning. This is being accomplished by the ongoing development of divisional, long range and daily plans, cooperative teaching ventures, consultation with parents and resource personnel, and continual reference to contemporary educational and medical research findings. Students, whose programs require modification for remedial or enrichment purposes receive individual or small group instruction with specialists and teacher assistants for part of the day and are integrated with their peers in regular classes for the remainder. Our middle French immersion classes offer a challenging enrichment program.

A full spectrum of optional, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, such as the chess club, W5H teams, dramatic and musical performances, intramural athletics, rep sports teams and numerous outdoor education experiences give the children opportunities to learn new skills and teamwork and to demonstrate innate talents. This in turn promotes healthy living and meaningful participation in the life of the school.

School News      

PA Days 2008-2009

• October 24

• December 5

• January 23

• February 13

• March 13

• June 26

Science Fair Winners--Details

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School Learning Plan -- 2007-2008

EQAO Assessment Results

EQAO: