About Us
James Culnan Catholic School is a safe and caring school community. At James Culnan we seek to enrich Catholic Spirituality and Faith development, respect the individual, and embrace diversity.
As a community, we meet the diverse needs of our student population and nurture the academic potential and love for learning in all our students. With our School Learning and Improvement Team, we ensure that each student in both our English and French Immersion programs is supported and challenged.
Our very active Catholic School Parent Council (CSPC) continues to support our students academically, socially and in their Faith development. As a Catholic School Community, we nurture strong relationships between home, school and parish.
How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students
The students at James Culnan receive excellent Christian modeling that helps nurture the spiritual lives of the members of our community. We believe that our school must have a safe and welcoming school environment. This objective is implemented through our safe arrival program as well as through our revised discipline policies.
Throughout the school year, the staff focus on improving student achievement, particularly in the area of literacy. Teachers work within their divisions and attend meetings with other staff members to review strategies and assessments.
Our History
James Culnan Catholic School was opened in September 1970, and the formal opening and blessing took place on June 6, 1971. It began as a senior school, but opened up to children from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 in response to parental demand.
Our school was named for James Culnan, a veteran trustee who was chairman of the property committee of the Metropolitan Separate School Board (MSSB), now the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB). During the 37 years he served as a school trustee, including two terms as Board Chairman, he received no salary and no honorarium. An exemplary Catholic gentleman, he was knighted by the Pope in 1957 in recognition of his efforts on behalf of Catholic schools. He had a vision of acquiring land for Catholic schools and put his energy and negotiating skills into buying farmland cheaply for that purpose.
Mr. Culnan died on April 8, 1964, while still active as a trustee. On the Sunday of June 11, 1995, when James Culnan Catholic School celebrated its 25th anniversary, his surviving children and grandchildren were present, along with 700 other people who returned for the occasion, which began with a mass at St. James Church and was followed by a reception and open house at the school.