About Us
Madonna Catholic Secondary School was founded by the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ), a religious order of sisters, on the tenets of faith, charity and justice. These are ideals that all who inhabit Madonna are encouraged to mirror in their daily lives. In 1963, the order opened Madonna High School to 75 girls, but this number rapidly increased to more than 700 as the program and facility expanded.
The FCJ tradition has always been “to communicate and give witness to Gospel values and attitudes, to emphasize education in faith; a faith that sees and discerns reality from the point of view of the Gospel and confronts reality with the Gospel”.
The school was named after Madonna, Our Lady, whose virtues of love, service, generosity, chastity and humility continue to inspire and guide the actions of the Madonna community.
2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the school and the celebration of the sisters and the traditions that they have engraved into our sisterhood continues. As we move forward into the 21st century, Madonna continues to provide an excellent foundation for both education and faith for the young women who will be our future leaders both in our local and global communities.
Ours is a school community where the focus remains on the success of each student – to nurture the development of each one of our students to her full potential. In our school community, students are provided with numerous opportunities to further develop their skills whether spiritually, academically, artistically, or athletically.
Ingrained is a sincere commitment to celebrate success, as we work toward developing responsible and contributing citizens who personify our motto "Fides Concordia Justitia" - "Faith, Charity and Justice". Equally important, our students are gifted with a safe and welcoming environment where student voices are encouraged and healthy relationships are nurtured.
How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students
Madonna is a highly diverse school community which strives to provide a common bond for its diverse population in several ways.
The most evident bond in the school community comes from a shared sense of Catholic values provided through the environment of a Catholic school. Students are provided with a rich curriculum of religious studies supported by a co-curricular program consisting of school and class liturgies, retreats, community outreach, linkage with our local parish, peer helping, peer mediation, and daily prayer.
The code of behaviour, which is consistent with the Progressive Discipline policy of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) , provides a safe and welcoming learning environment and demands that all staff and students treat one another with respect.
The care with which all students are treated is evident in our close monitoring of school attendance with its attendant follow-up procedures of personal counseling and collaboration with parents, staff, and outside support staff. Continuous parental contact ensures that school and home work as partners in the educational process of each student.
Curriculum initiatives are ongoing at Madonna. Our Grade 9 and 10 courses are expressed in terms of learning outcomes, and integration is occurring in various ways:
A team-teaching approach.
Collaboration between art, music, and drama teachers.
Opportunities between science and math teachers for connections to be made.
Integrating technology into the learning experience in all subject areas.
Three-phase orientation program for all Grade 9 students.
One of the school goals relates to integrating technology more fully into the learning process at Madonna. Staff has worked hard to identify technology goals in all courses. Madonna students regularly participate in science fairs, match contests, and projects such as those sponsored by Connaught in its annual Student Biotechnology Exhibition. In-house staff development has produced a high degree of staff computer literacy. Madonna has four computer labs and all students are given the fundamentals of basic computer applications in Grade 9.
Madonna provides an English as a Second Language (ESL) program to meet the individual needs of students new to Canada, with an orientation session each June to welcome new ESL students to the school.
Madonna also has a fully integrated special education program, where qualified special education teachers and teaching assistants work together with classroom teachers to provide supports and accommodations according to student needs. Enrichment is provided for gifted students through differentiated learning opportunities and/or enrichment activities such as lectures, seminars, advanced placement programs, university mentorship, and (inter)national exchange programs.
Finally, all students at Madonna are strongly encouraged to become involved in the clubs and sports teams that operate each year. It is evident to all who enter our school that this is a thriving community where academic excellence and co-curricular participation are key components of school life.