The front of the school building.

About Us

At The Divine Infant Catholic School, we pride ourselves on the strong partnership that exists among the home, the school and the parish.

Mission

To provide a safe and nurturing learning environment, guided by the spirit through Reason, Respect and Responsibility.

Vision

To nurture a self-directed and responsible life-long learner by example.

How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students

At The Divine Infant Catholic School, we strive to ensure that each student develops to the maximum of their potential in the academic, spiritual, social, emotional and physical realms, all the while being cognizant of the fact that each child is also a unique individual with their own talents and special needs.

Maintaining a Catholic school environment at The Divine Infant is one of our prime objectives. The very foundation of the instructional program in religious education is the Canadian catechetical series, Born of the Spirit, which is approved by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. To develop the students' knowledge of common prayers and to strengthen their prayer life, we employ the book of prayers as appropriate for each grade level.

A variety of strategies are utilized throughout the year to encourage the students' participation in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. As a means of putting their faith into practice, the children regularly support, among other charitable causes, Thanksgiving and Christmas food drives for the Daily Bread Food Bank and/or the Good Shepherd Refuge and ShareLife. Through these types of endeavours, it is hoped that the students become more aware of the fact that they must live the Gospel values on a daily basis by helping those in need in both the local and global communities.

A key component of the mission statement of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) is to provide a safe and welcoming learning environment that is an example of Christian community. In order to fulfill this obligation, we have adopted a safe arrival program, through daily attendance monitoring in the morning and afternoon session, which necessitates the full cooperation of both parties in the home-school partnership. Primary responsibility rests with the parents/guardians to inform the school if their children will be absent or late. In the event that no notification is received, the school office will contact the home and/or business to ascertain the reason for absence. With the current system of two-way communication in place, we feel that every effort has been made to provide direct, adult supervision for them. Thus, before and after school, during lunch-hours and recesses, the school playground and the lunchrooms are monitored vigilantly by staff.

Parents/guardians have been apprised to alert the office re: any serious health conditions which may affect their children while at school (i.e., asthma, allergies, epilepsy, etc.). A list of such students is maintained and posted in appropriate locations in order to assist staff in dealing with any situations of an emergency nature. The staff of The Divine Infant trust that all who enter the school, students, parents and visitors, are made to feel welcome at all times and are recognized as an important part of the school community.

Expectations regarding proper behaviour have been clearly outlined for our students. Respect for the rights and safety of others and for school property is encouraged and expected. Throughout the year, school rules/routines/procedures are reviewed and reinforced for students in a variety of ways by staff. The recently introduced violence prevention policy of the TCDSB, with its call for a school “code of behaviour”, confirms our commitment to the safety and security of all members of the school community.

At all grade levels within the regular class setting, teaching staff at The Divine Infant modify and adapt instructional programs, where necessary, to meet individual student needs. Consultations with colleagues and with resource personnel assigned to the school assist us in our efforts to individualize programs. Classes of a more specialized nature (i.e., resource, behaviour program, English as a Second Language) and programs for those who learn differently support exceptional students with identified needs.

The Divine Infant offers a full range of extra and co-curricular activities for its student body. Annually, we have participated in the TCDSB Music Education Festival by showcasing school bands, choirs and choral speaking groups. Chess and W5H teams provide an outlet for students to develop their talents in these areas. A variety of house league activities assist in the development of skills, good sportsmanship and healthy competition. School teams vary from year to year and offer educational experience through participation in inter-school athletics. All of this would not take place without the cooperation and generosity of staff who voluntarily assume responsibility for the above activities.

School History and Tradition

The Divine Infant Catholic School was opened to the community in the September of 1986. At that time, there were 273 students registered and a staff of 18, which included 14 teaching staff. For the first school term of 1986, the school was based at Our Lady of Grace Catholic School. The Divine Infant Catholic School was opened in January, 1987. The official opening and blessing took place on June 3, 1987 (Wednesday). Mr. Harry Murphy was the founding principal.

The Divine Infant Catholic School is dedicated to Jesus, Infant and King. A statue of The Divine Infant is mounted on a pedestal in the Church of Our Lady of Prague, Czechoslovakia. Devotions to Jesus, Infant and King, have been held since 1628. With the permission of the Roman Catholic Church, the statue was crowned by the bishop of Prague in Czechoslovakia on April 4, 1655.

Devotion to "The Divine Infant" was enriched with indulgences. The Divine Infant's patronage is especially sought for schools, the welfare of children and good family life. The many miracles attributed to The Divine Infant of Prague, have helped to spread the devotion throughout the world even to this day.