About Us
At St. Brigid Catholic School, we pride ourselves on the strong partnership that exists between the home, the school and the parish. Our school community strives to provide students with a warm, welcoming, safe and Christian environment in which to learn. Working together, we aim to have all children reach their full academic, spiritual, emotional, social and physical potential. We strive to celebrate the community’s success in a spirit of fun. As a community of believers in Jesus, we aim to teach tolerance, recognize and celebrate diversity, and build community.
In a school community formed by Catholic beliefs and traditions, our mission is to educate students by:
Working together with the home, parish and community.
Integrating Catholic beliefs into the total learning experience and daily school life.
Guiding our students so that they can become independent, self disciplined workers.
Nurturing the love of learning.
Expecting our students to behave in a manner which displays respect for self and others.
Providing our students with professional, well-organized and well-planned instruction which reflects the mandates of the Ministry of Education and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB).
Creating a learning culture which is positive and provides a combination of classroom learning activities, liturgical and para-liturgical events, co-curricular activities (sports and academic) and out of school excursions.
Promoting excellence in learning.
Providing on-going assessment of student learning and communicating to parents on a regular basis.
How We Meet The Diverse Needs Of Our Students
As a Catholic school, one of our foremost tasks is to provide an environment in which we model our actions, words, and beliefs on the life of Jesus. Our daily religion classes help us to understand and better define His life and our religion. Masses, sacraments, prayer and good works further enhance our spiritual needs.
We believe that there are 5 domains that support student wellbeing and achievement: Academic, Social/Emotional, Spiritual, Physical and Mental Health. We have programs and activities to support each of these 5 domains.
Students learn at different rates and in different ways. To help students achieve the outcomes set for them certain lessons may have to be modified or enriched to suit their special needs. Extra help from the teacher before or after school is also available.
Special needs may be identified formally, through an assessment process, so that a program can be provided by a special teacher. Students whose assessment shows them to be in the very superior intellectual range may qualify for a gifted program at another school one day a week, beginning in grade 5. Parents are informed of and kept aware of, the program modification their children may need through oral and written communication with the teacher and principal. Parents are part of the identification process if a student is formally identified as exceptional.
School life fills a very important social/emotional need for many children. They love to be with their friends. To ensure that their relationships at school are satisfying, peace education or conflict resolution programs support them. Currently we have the P.A.L.S programs in the primary years, and social skills programming that is taught through our school social worker and supported through our Child and Youth Workers. Through these programs, we hope that most students enjoy a safe and positive interaction with their school friends. For serious interpersonal issues, students know they can ask for help from the supervising teacher, classroom teacher, vice-principal or principal.
Students need to be active. They have two physical education classes per week. Daily physical activity occurs in each of the classes from Grade 1 to 8, when possible.
There is a strong, co-curricular sports program present in our school, thanks to the dedication and commitment of a number of our teachers. Students who are interested can try out for a variety of sports: soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross-country, track and field, hockey and swimming. An exceptionally high level of skill development and coaching is provided.
The aesthetic side of our students is developed through their classroom art and drama activities and by their vocal and instrumental music teachers.
Our school has a mental health committee that provides weekly school-wide mindfulness activities, mental health stops in the school hallways, and self-regulation hallways to promote and support the mental health of our students.
Our School History and Tradition
St. Brigid was born around the year 453 near Kidare in Ireland. She lived by her words: “to honour Christ, for Christ is in the body of every poor man”. Her hand was always out to the poor.
She formed a community of women who made their vows to St. Mel, a nephew of St. Patrick. By the end of her life she had brought about 13,000 women to a new life, living in monasteries and dedicating their lives to Christ. She was considered to be a joyful, invigorating saint, who radiated goodness, wholeness and the attractiveness of the Christian life.
St. Brigid Catholic School opened on November 14, 1921 with 223 students. Today, our staff is a group of highly experienced, self-motivated teachers, committed to making the teaching/learning experience in a Catholic environment as meaningful as possible.