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About Us
At St. Joachim Catholic School, we are committed to excellence in learning, to living our shared Catholic story, and to supporting our school families. Our community understands the intimate connection among learning, faith, and community collaborations.
St. Joachim has served Catholic students in our community since the mid-20th century. We celebrated our 50th Anniversary in 2013 and also received a new two-story addition to the eastern side of the school. It has a welcoming atrium, a new library, 5 new classrooms and a lovely front office.
St. Joachim staff, along with the students and parents, provide a safe and welcoming learning community where all of the needs of our students are met. With high academic standards, athletic competition, student leadership opportunities, Virtue and Empathy activities and awards, and social justice initiatives, we at St. Joachim support our students in meeting the Catholic School Graduate Expectations set out by the Ministry of Education.
The staff is always working on improving instructional practices, especially in the areas of language and math by implementing new and proven strategies that increase student engagement and achievement. The major academic focus at St. Joachim continues to be in the area of problem solving in mathematics. We are also learning about the relationship between the operations of addition and subtraction, and multiplication and division, using strategies including using adding up by benchmark numbers, using the number line, and applying the parts/whole model of thinking to all strands of mathematics.
At St. Joachim, the students use Cloud books, Chromebooks, and iPads to support their reading, writing, math and research skills. They use Prodigy and Lexia and learn so many skills through engaging programming. The Early Learning Program and many primary classrooms utilize technology to support the inquiry approach to learning where students learn about topics of interest.
St. Joachim students are given the opportunity to participate in many co-curricular activities such as athletics, academic quizzes (W5H), chess, coding, choir and other committees that support social justice activities. Dedicated teachers give of their free time to coach and supervise these activities there by assisting our students to be well-rounded Catholic school graduates.
As outlined in our school policy published in our school agendas, St. Joachim has a code of conduct based on Gospel values which emphasize mutual respect, conflict resolution and self-discipline. St. Joachim Catholic School endorses a dress code consisting of a navy blue and white school uniform which is worn daily by all students. Our Safe Arrival program uses SchoolMessenger for constant home-school communication when a student is absent or late.
At St. Joachim we have an active Catholic School Parent Council (CSPC) whose main priority is the raising of support funds. Together, we organize and execute fundraising opportunities that include monthly pizza lunches, an annual Community BBQ, and different opportunities such as Dance-a-thons and Cookie Dough sales. Our CSPC financially supports such things as class trips, student agendas, additional resources for the classrooms and the library, Grade 8 Graduation and busses for athletic events, to name a few. With the financial support of the CSPC, many students will have an opportunity to participate in class trips that enhance the curriculum, and attend dramatic and creative performances both at the school and outside the school.
School History and Tradition
St. Joachim Catholic School opened its doors in September 1963. Hundreds of people attended the solemn opening and blessing on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The school was constructed to ease the overcrowding at Our Lady of Fatima, Saint Maria Goretti and Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Schools due to the rapid growth of the surrounding area in the late 1950s and 1960s.
From the very beginning, St. Joachim Catholic School established an excellent reputation for providing students with a well-rounded education. Today, we continue to provide our students with an excellent core program, and offer them many opportunities to develop their skills in cocurricular activities in the arts, academics, and athletics.
Our school is named for St. Joachim, the husband of St. Anne and the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although little is known about his actual life, St. Joachim - together with all the saints - stands as a role model who heard God's word and responded to it in the daily actions of his life. At St. Joachim Catholic School, both the staff and the students are committed to the integration of our Catholic Christian beliefs into the total learning experience.