About Us
St. Joseph Catholic School houses approximately 180 students. Our school is a community based school, where we work closely with church and home.
Our students come from all walks of life. Because St. Joseph offers programs in Learning Disabilities, Multiple Exceptionalities and Language Instruction, many of the students in these programs are bussed to the school from surrounding communities.
St. Joseph Catholic School also has 8 regular classes, including two all-day kindergarten classes. In addition, we have 1 Special Education class to service students with special needs.
Vocal music is offered to students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 5, and instrumental music is offered to students in Grades 6 to 8. Our staff is made up of 15 teachers, 2 child youth workers, and 5 educational assistants.
How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students
A Catholic environment permeates the daily life at our school. Formal religious education is taught at each grade level. Beyond this, courtesy, kindness and respect for one another is fostered in all our interactions.
We try to provide a safe and welcoming environment in our school community. The safe arrival program requires a phone call home if a student is absent and the parent has not notified the school. Health and safety issues are presented by staff, the public health nurse and the police. A code of behaviour has been developed with input from parents, staff and students.
Since not all students learn in the same way nor at the same rate, modifications in program are made based on student needs in the areas of language, learning styles and social considerations. These needs are addressed in both the regular program and through our special education, language impaired, learning disability and behaviour classes. We currently offer a Junior Language Intervention Program at the school.
We have many cocurricular and extracurricular programs in this school, including:
House leagues
Soccer
Volleyball
Cross-country
Track and field
Softball
Choir
Drama
Computers
Peer tutoring, involving older students working with younger students, is an excellent vehicle for enhancing self-esteem.
School History and Tradition
St. Joseph Catholic School was first established in 1863 as a combined church and school in the town of Leslieville. At that time, it was part of the parish of St. Paul. In 1878, St. Joseph Parish was established.
In 1871, a two-room brick school was built on the west end of a 55-foot lot running from Curzon Street to Leslie Street on the property owned by the Archdiocese of Toronto. In 1904, the Board authorized the construction of a new four-room school on Leslie Street just north of St. Joseph Church. During the years 1912, 1916, 1952 and 1973, some demolition and addition took place.
The primary building on Curzon Street, about 100 metres to the south and across the street, was built in 1962 with a major addition in 1973. This building is no longer used by St. Joseph Catholic School but is rented for other various uses. Our enrolment expanded at the start of the 2000-2001 school year as we welcomed students from Corpus Christi, St. Ann and St. William Catholic Schools, which were closed in June of 2000. All students are taught at the Leslie street location.