About Us
At St. Roch Catholic School, we pride ourselves on the strong partnership that exists among the home, the school and the parish.
How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students
In a school community formed by Catholic beliefs and traditions, our Mission is to help individual learners to achieve their highest potential in intellectual, emotional, social, moral, cultural and physical development, all in the context of the faith dimension.
To meet the diversified needs, abilities and interests of our students, a broad spectrum of programs and services is available at St. Roch: French immersion classes, Italian language and cultural program, instrumental music, guidance, English as a Second Language (ESL) program, remedial speech, program for special needs, multi-handicapped class, language impaired class and general special education classes.
The use of program modification strategies for student with specific needs is an accepted part of school practice and begins with the early identification of students at risk in kindergarten. The school is committed to the integration of special needs students, utilizing withdrawals as and when appropriate. Regular meetings with school and Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) personnel are held throughout the school year to discuss students that have been identified by the classroom teacher and parents.
Our staff is strongly committed to provide programs based on Catholic teaching and congruent with Ministry of Education and Board curriculum guidelines and initiatives. We have continued to place emphasis in the following areas:
The acquisition by students of life and social skills.
The teaching of design technology at all levels.
The provision of a safe and orderly learning environment where respect for others and respect for authority are as important as academic learning.
Teaching and learning with computers.
The understanding and appreciation of the Eucharistic liturgy.
Within each class there is a proper balance of individual, small group and large group instruction and the teachers try to tailor their programs to meet the students' needs. Activity centres have been set up in many classrooms for remediation, motivation and enrichment and children are provided with hands-on materials in mathematics and science to learn at their own developmental level.
The regular program is well served by other activities. A host of cocurricular and extracurricular activities are offered to students - sports, choir, band, liturgical celebrations, public speaking, a technology fair, school concerts, theatre productions, carnival, excursions, math competition, W5H, young authors' conference, student council, peer mediators, student patrollers and more.
The staff is working hard to ensure that our school is orderly, attractive and safe for the children. A discipline code is in place and student assemblies have been held to present school rules. In addition, there is a safe arrival program in place coordinated by the secretaries.
Our School History and Tradition
St. Roch Catholic School opened in September 1968 to serve the needs of Catholic students living in the Humber Summit area, the northwest corner of North York. The school is named after St. Roch, a 14th century saint born in southern France, who spent most of his life nursing those who had the plague. Legends tell us that Roch became afflicted with the disease himself. He was kept alive by a dog bringing him a loaf of bread daily until the dog's master found Roch and cared for him until he recovered. He is usually shown with a pilgrim's staff, a dog at his feet and a sore - the mark of the plague - showing on his thigh.
During the first few years, most of the school's students were families of Italian background living in nearby semi-detached homes, townhouses and apartments. Over time, the composition of the school community changed. The school has experienced an influx of students whose families originated in many parts of the world.
In 1977, the student population peaked at 1218. Parents were attracted to the strong Catholic presence within our school, which challenges students and staff to grow in faith and love of neighbour and Church. In 1979, an Italian international language program was introduced on an extended day basis.