About Us
At St. Gabriel Catholic School, we pride ourselves on the strong partnership that exists among the home, the school and the parish.
How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students
The St. Gabriel Mission Statement is as follows:
“Acknowledging the Mission and Vision statements of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), we at St. Gabriel Catholic School will strive to create an environment in which the meeting of the individual's intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social and physical needs will foster academic excellence, peaceful co-existence, creative problem-solving and personal community and global responsibility.”
In keeping with the statement, our school is committed to the collaborative development, implementation and review of programs to ensure that they are excellent, equitable and reflect an individualized integrated learning experience for students. This is achieved within the framework of a Catholic education philosophy.
Of paramount importance is the necessity of providing a safe and welcoming learning environment for our students. Programs and practices have been devised to ensure that this happens. Not only does St. Gabriel have a clearly defined code of behaviour, it also has an organized safe arrival program. We continue to stress the need for effective conflict resolution strategies and self-esteem programs.
The staff and parents of St. Gabriel recognize the uniqueness of every student. Individual needs of students are met in a variety of ways including access to:
Special education programs
Enrichment/gifted programs
Guidance/social work
English as a second language and French as a second language
Speech and language assistance
St. Gabriel School places a high priority on diversification within the regular program. Appropriate adjustments are made to program outcomes to reflect the school culture, linguistic diversity and student learning styles through:
An integrated curriculum
Excursions
Computer literacy programs
Special art and drama productions
Teaching/learning activities that meet student needs
Individual and group activities
Paired reading
“Be free” program
Prime mentors
Our school day is enriched and enhanced by many co-curricular activities. Students are involved in religious celebrations, young authors programs, mathematics projects, choir, a drama club, play day, carnival, W5H, curriculum fairs and athletic activities including very successful ski excursions and a Toronto-wide swim meet.
School History and Tradition
St. Gabriel Catholic School first opened its doors in 1953. The first six classrooms and other facilities of the school housed 210 students. Over the years, as North York grew, so did the school population, and several additions to the physical plant were made in 1956, 1963 and 1966. As the enrollment fluctuated and space became available, the North York administrative offices of the school board occupied the original section of the building. A day care facility was added in 1986. The school population grew and reached 490 in 1993, creating a need to reclaim the original building. On May 3, 1995, a re-blessing celebration of St. Gabriel Catholic School took place. The community was pleased to welcome back Mother St. Albert, the first principal of the school.
Our school is named after “St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin”, who became a Passionist priest early in life, and died in 1862 at the young age of 24. He was beatified in 1903 and canonized in 1920. His feast day is on February 27.