About Us
St. Demetrius Catholic School is an Eastern Rite school within the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) that has been in existence for 45 years. It offers classes from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8, delivering the Ontario curriculum with an enriched program which includes the half-day instruction of the Ukrainian language in Junior and Senior Kindergarten and a half hour of daily Ukrainian instruction from Grade 1 to Grade 8, as well as the integration of Eastern Rite religious and cultural traditions. Core French is taught daily from Grade 1 to Grade 8. There is a Vocal music program from JK/SK to Grade 4 and an instrumental music strings program for all Grade 5 to Grade 8 students. At St. Demetrius Catholic School, we provide a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for our students, so that they may work and grow to their full potential.
High academic and behavioural standards are set for all - Catholic Graduate Expectations as well as the Virtues are emphasized daily and integrated into curriculum programs. We aspire to nourish our students in the Eastern Rite Catholic faith, to become discerning believers, effective communicators, creative thinkers, good family members, and responsible citizens.
Through the precise and collaborative work of the entire staff, St. Demetrius students achieve at high levels in such areas as EQAO provincial assessments. To see the most recent EQAO results, please click here.
Local and international community outreach, for example, the support of local food banks, and the Dzherelo Children's Center in Lviv, Ukraine, are a focus of student fundraising and community work, as is the development of student leadership through an active Me to We that seeks also to raise school spirit through a variety of activities.
St. Demetrius offers a large variety of extra-curricular and co-curricular activities during and after school hours, which include boys and girls soccer, volleyball, softball, basketball, cross-country running, track and field, swimming, hockey, flag football, chess, tennis, spelling bee, W5H, cooking club, and Me to We. This year we are beginning a Robotics club and a Girls Club.
A collaborative Catholic School Parent Council (CSPC) seeks to enhance and support school programs through the engagement of the parent community in fundraising and active involvement in volunteer activity. The Parent Council also provides funds that are used for the classroom, curriculum delivery and co-curricular activities such as sports and Eastern Rite celebrations (e.g., Mykolaj). It is directly engaged in supporting the school's literacy and Safe Schools initiatives.
St. Demetrius Catholic School is the epitome of a trifecta of school, home and parish. The school works very closely with the church and with parents. When your child attends St. Demetrius, they are a part of a real community – the St. Demetrius community. “It takes a village to raise a child” – this is so fitting for our community.
Mission Statement
Our school's mission is to offer our students a rich spiritual, academic and cultural formation in the light of the Gospel values, challenging them to achieve excellence in a stimulating, culturally rich, community-based and welcoming environment. Together with our Parent Council, our school strives to provide our students with the most current educational and technological resources available to us through the Ministry of Education and the TCDSB to enhance their learning opportunities.
How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students
From its inception in 1975 St. Demetrius Catholic School has been closely linked to St. Demetrius The Great Martyr Church and has been supported by the Church and the Church community through the celebrations of the Eastern Rite faith.
St. Demetrius Catholic School is an inclusive community that focusses on developing the full potential of every learner through the implementation of the Ontario Curriculum, applying differentiated instruction to meet the individual needs of all students to help ensure student success. Our curriculum is enriched through the provision of an International Languages Program of Ukrainian language instruction which is offered daily from Grades 1 to 8. At the Kindergarten level, instruction in Ukrainian is offered for half a day. This, is in addition to French language instruction, allows our students to become trilingual graduates.
Students are very involved in the liturgical and cultural life of the parish as well as the church community, contributing through performance at community celebrations like Prasnyk, Vertep at Christmas, and Easter Hahilky. Our students also participate in an outreach program of service to the residents of the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre and the Seniors Residence through visits and performances during celebrations and feast days.
A broad range of athletics and other cultural programs are also offered to our students, including:
Sports teams such as soccer, boys' and girls' volleyball, basketball
Intramural sports
String orchestra and string ensemble
Vocal music program
Chess club
Art club
Track and field team
Cross country team
Student Council leadership opportunities (charitable events, spirit days)
Math group for Gauss competition
W5H teams
Curriculum related excursions
Concerts presented by French, Ukrainian performers
Author visits to enhance literacy
Scientist in the School presentations for all classes
Anti-bullying and safe schools presentations
Early identification of student needs through our School Based Support and Joint Teams
Resource support
Gifted learning opportunities (Grades 5 to 8)
English as a Second Language classes
Through the excellent efforts and strong collaboration of school, church, parents and CSPC, our students benefit and have the opportunity to excel academically, socially and spiritually.
School History and Tradition
St. Demetrius Catholic School is one of three Ukrainian Catholic schools within the TCDSB. It was founded in 1975 as the result of the vision and commitment of the pastor of St. Demetrius Ukrainian Catholic Church- Rt. Rev. John Tataryn - who recognized the need to ensure the future of the Ukrainian Catholic community by providing its children with the opportunity to learn about and appreciate their unique and rich spiritual and cultural heritage.
The school was guided and nurtured from its infancy stages to the present largely through the untiring and dedicated efforts of its founding principal, Sister Rachel Tataryn, Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate (SSMI), who served the school community in that capacity for many years. Today the school is an integral part of the St. Demetrius community, intimately linked with the St. Demetrius The Great Martyr Church, Demetrius Residence, and the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre.
St. Demetrius Catholic School celebrated its 25th anniversary in the year 2000. In 2011, St. Demetrius School proudly celebrated its 35th Anniversary through a concert in June which was attended by His Excellency Bishop Chmilar, followed by an Alumni Celebration event on October 27, 2011, consisting of a special Liturgy at St. Demetrius The Great Martyr Church and an Alumni Reception and Open House at St. Demetrius School. This event was attended by many alumni, former staff, principals and students as well as members of the community who came together in these celebrations.