About Us
St. Albert Catholic School provides a Catholic education which focuses on Christ's life as intrinsic to the entire curriculum. Our school is not just a school where academic learning occurs, but also a place to teach and model Christian living. We respect individual differences, individual rights and individual responsibilities in following God's plan for us, with the guidance of His church. Love of God, love of others and love of self as the basic means by which we are to live our lives and conduct our school activities. Our school provides an inviting, safe and welcoming environment where each child can learn, grow and develop.
St. Albert Catholic School operates on the belief that all students have the right to have a safe, happy, and productive day of learning at school. Each child needs to feel safe both physically and emotionally, both in the classroom and on the playground. Consequently, we believe that a safe, caring and orderly community is necessary. It is our collective responsibility to help children grow into caring and productive citizens who celebrate the value and dignity of each individual. Therefore, each student and staff member work together towards creating a learning environment that is joyful and productive.
St. Albert Catholic School takes pride in offering a focus in the area of Mathematics, Science, and Technology. Class presentations and excursions are carefully chosen to complement our focus. As well, the St. Albert staff continues to study different ways to implement these curriculum areas using teaching methodology that is current and deemed effective. Consequently, all members of the St. Albert staff appreciate, participate in, and/or lead different forms of professional learning in a variety of areas.
Mission Statement
St. Albert is a school formed by Catholic beliefs and traditions. Our Mission is to educate children to their full potential by providing:
Leadership in the shared responsibility for education at St. Albert, the students, the families, our parish and the school community.
A safe and welcoming learning environment that is an example of Christian living.
Role model of the Gospel Values of our Lord and Catholic doctrines, teaching and beliefs.
Guidance in what students need to learn.
Instruction in the learning process itself.
Integration of Catholic, Christian beliefs into the total learning experience, and feedback on the students’ proficiency and performances throughout the school year.
We envision that St. Albert students:
Are formed in the Catholic faith.
Apply Christian values to life’s opportunities, challenges and choices
Pursue academic excellence.
Demonstrate relevant knowledge and ability.
Display self-esteem and self-respect.
Strive to be the best they can be.
Demonstrate skills for developing and maintaining personal and family wellness.
Demonstrate global perspective and community responsibility.
We at St. Albert Catholic School are: Christ-centered, student-focused, demonstrate a clear sense of purpose, visibly and demonstrably Catholic, empowering leadership, collaborative decision makers and innovative.
How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students
St. Albert Catholic School implements the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) mission of providing a Catholic education which focuses on Christ's life as intrinsic to the entire curriculum. We respect individual differences, individual rights and individual responsibilities in following God's plan for us, with the guidance of His church. Love of God, love of others and love of self are the basic means by which we are to live our lives and conduct our school activities. Our school board has initiated support documents in keeping with the Ministry of Education directives. Our school provides an inviting, safe and welcoming environment where each child can learn, grow and develop.
A vital component of the TCDSB vision statement is the desire to foster a safe and welcoming learning environment that is an example of Christian community. Our safe arrival program is one example of this mission in action. Through cooperative parent-school communication, parents advise the school regarding their child’s absence. In the event that the school is not notified and absence occurs, parents are contacted immediately in order to determine the whereabouts of their child. In addition, every effort is made to attend to the health and safety of the students. We encourage parents to notify us of health conditions which may affect their child at school. Our school is a peanut, seafood, nut, and shellfish AWARE school due to the numerous life-threatening allergies. Students are reminded not to share food or bring in products that may contain such items. We encourage parents to notify us of health conditions which may affect their child at school.
As part of providing a safe and welcoming environment, we maintain two qualified teachers with first aid training. We also provide conflict management programs to the students. Several staff members supervise the outdoor periods from 8:40 AM – 3:30 PM daily. Children who take the school bus are supervised until the bus arrives for pick up at 3:40 PM each day. A Safe School Committee exists with members representing parents, staff and students in order to review the safety and well-being of our youngest stake holders.
It is our desire to make all members of our school community feel welcome when entering St. Albert Catholic School. The school is locked from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM for safety, however a video entrance procedure is in place and visitors record their names at the front office. We are pleased to provide information about our school and community and maintain collaborative communication with all stakeholders.
Clear expectations for student behaviour are another important element of school life. General guidelines for behaviour are presented to the students in a variety of formats including monthly student virtue and character building assemblies, newsletters, announcements, and classroom discussions. Regular review and reinforcement takes place throughout the year. The Safe Schools Policy of the TCDSB reflects our serious commitment to the well-being of all members of the school community.
A Model of Rigor
St. Albert Catholic School is an educational institution with a rigorous program of instruction. Our students actively explore, research, and solve complex problems to develop a deep understanding of core academic concepts.
“Rigor” does not mean more work, nor does it mean longer hours at home spent doing homework assignments. Rather, it means more time and varied opportunities for each student to develop essential learning skills and apply work habits of mind as they navigate more sophisticated and reflective learning experiences. Students weigh evidence, consider varying viewpoints, see connections, identify patterns, evaluate outcomes, speculate on possibilities and assess value.
Our School Pledge
I pledge today and every day to do my best in all I do.
I promise to do good, because it is good to do.
I will respect myself, respect others, and respect God.
I will treat others the way I want to be treated, because we all belong to God’s family.
I am here to learn all I can, to try my best, and be all I am.
I know that life is work – and I will work in all I do to be all I can!
Rigor is the process of:
Creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels.
Ensuring each student is supported so that they can learn at high levels.
Ensuring each student is expected to demonstrate learning at high levels.
Rigor means our classrooms are MOTIVATING.
Rigor means our lessons are ENGAGING.
Rigor utilizes a “GROWTH MINDSET” on a daily basis.
Rigor is something that can be LEARNED, PRACTICED, and USED in all aspects of life.
Rigor is a set of STANDARDS, PRACTICES, and EXPECTATIONS that we establish for our students and for ourselves.
The Seven Essential Survival Skills (Learning Skills and Work Habits) which we explicitly teach, practice, and learn are:
Critical Thinking and Problem-solving.
Collaboration across networks and leading by influence.
Agility and adaptability.
Initiative and entrepreneurialism.
Effective oral and written communication.
Accessing and analyzing information.
Curiosity and imagination.
Rigorous work begins with a clear message:
School work is important.
Yes, work is hard, but you can do this.
We will help you to succeed.
Life is work, but it’s worth working for.
At St. Albert Catholic School, in order to meet the wide-ranging needs of individual students, teachers are encouraged to engage all students in "differentiated learning opportunities" within the regular classroom - that is, extend, accommodate, and/or modify programs in order to provide all students the opportunity to achieve personal success and growth. Special programs support students with specific and exceptional needs.
As well as meeting academic needs, we also seek to develop the student in the area of athletics and the arts, all of which is within our Catholic school environment. We have regular house league sports at recesses for all children to participate for good fun and friendly competition. Our school teams in track and field, cross country, soccer, volleyball, cricket, flag football, and basketball continue to perform well in local and regional competition. We also have a multitude of clubs and student-led activities such as choir, a chess club, W5H, and Tree Bee teams.
Also, we have many celebrations throughout the year that include: Carnaval, Play Day, Hallowe’en Dance-a-thon, Advent-Christmas Concert, Bingo Night, Remembrance Day, Swim to Survive (Grade 4), Lake St. George / Claremont Outdoor Education Centers 3-Day Excursion (Grade 6), Mansfield Outdoor Education 5-day Excursion (Grade 7), and and Teen Ranch Outdoor Education Centre (Grade 8).
In addition to the regular subjects taught our school provides:
Physical and Health Education
English as a Second Language (ESL) \ English Language Learning (ELL)
Science & Computer Studies
Vocal music: Early Learning Program to Grade 6
Instrumental Music: Grades 7 to 8
French as a Second Language: Grades 1 to 8
Our staff has been most generous with their time to coach sports teams, organize various clubs, and supervise these various activities. Communication is an important aspect of our day to day experiences and we are thankful for the commitment of our Catholic School Parent Council (CSPC), a group of supportive parents meet on a regular basis to support activities that occur in the school.
Communication is the key to a shared partnership in education, and parents are kept informed of progress on an ongoing basis as well as at formal conference. Monthly Newsletters are sent home to assist in keeping parents informed about school activities and directions as well as reminder notices for major events. Individual classes also provide information for families (i.e., classroom newsletter and/or blog or wiki site) more specific to their child.
Our School History and Tradition
St. Albert Catholic School was officially opened as an eight room classroom open-concept school at its present site in March, 1968. Initially, the families of St. Albert were affiliated with both the St. Lawrence and St. Rose of Lima Churches. At the present time, the school is able to provide for the spiritual development of the students through the celebration of liturgies, reconciliations and paraliturgies, sacramental preparations and regularly scheduled visits from the pastor of St. Maria Goretti Church, which we are presently affiliated with.
The school was named after St. Albert the Great, a humble Dominican monk, scholar and teacher. St Albert the Great was born circa 1193 at Swabia, Germany. St. Albert the Great spent his youth under the spiritual tutelage of Blessed Jordon of Sarcony, who inspired him to join the Order of Preachers. He studied and taught philosophy at Colgne and Paris, where he became one of the most famous philosophers of his day. At Cologne, he was famous as the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas. Name to the Bishopric of Ratisbon, he retired to dedicate his skills and talents to writing and teaching. St. Albert the Great was a person of immense knowledge and erudition. His works are voluminous in bulk and encyclopaedic in scope and depth. His works include: biblical and theological works and sermons; thesis on logic and metaphysics, ethics and the physical sciences. His interests extended to physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and to human and animal physiology, geography, geology and botany. This Universal Teacher stands out for his recognition of the autonomy of human reason in its own sphere of influence and the validity of knowledge gained from spiritual experience. Yet he never ceased to regard the Scriptures as the front of human’s spirituality or true wisdom. St. Albert the Great died in 1280.