Student Agenda

St. Paul Catholic School Mission Statement
The mission of St. Paul Catholic School is to provide quality education that will support the spiritual, physical, academic, social and emotional development of each student. By being provided curriculum that is grounded in Catholicism, students are enabled to reach their full potential as responsible and respectable community members. The school will cooperate with the home and the parish in providing the best possible education in a safe, happy and nurturing environment.
 DCDSB Mission Statement
We are called to celebrate and nurture the God-given talents of each student as we serve with excellence in the light of Christ.
 St. Paul Catholic School Prayer

Pray for us, St. Paul,
that we may be worthy
of the promises of Christ.

The Church is the building
which stands upon Christ,
St. Paul and the other apostles
are its pillars
and we are its living stones.

Teach us to do what is right
though we may seem to fail.

Help us to agree with one another,
to live in peace,
so that the God of love
and peace may be with us.

Amen
 Our School Community

St. Paul Catholic School is supported in its educational efforts by Holy Family Catholic Church and Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School. These partnerships are consolidated with open and regular communications and the sharing of numerous events and celebrations. Home, school and parish cooperate in forming the heart and spirit of our school community. There is an open invitation to all of its members at all times. 

At St. Paul Catholic School, every day begins with prayer. School Masses and Liturgies are scheduled regularly throughout the school year to celebrate the gift of our school and its uniqueness as a Catholic Learning Community of living and learning. Students from our school move on to Father Leo J. Austin C.S.S.
 Sacramental Preparation with Holy Family Catholic Church

The students of St. Paul C.S. are very fortunate to have the strong support of our associated parish, Holy Family Catholic Church and our Pastor, Fr. Laszlo Nagy, and our associate, Fr. Ravi.

Each year, the Grade 2 students receive the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion, and the Grade 7 students will receive the sacrament of Confirmation. The effective preparation of our students for these Holy Sacraments requires the partnership of school, home and parish. And so, the church has an organized program in which families are to participate if they desire their children to receive these sacraments. 

Please make note of the following requirements and information:

The family must;

  • be parishioners of Holy Family Parish;
  • attend Sunday mass regularly;
  • register for the sacraments – submit a completed registration form along with a copy of the child’s baptismal certificate
  • attend all parent meetings and catechetical sessions
 Holy Family Catholic Church

Mass Schedule

Saturday - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday - 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 12:30 p.m.

Parish Website

www.holyfamilywhitby.ca
 St. Paul Catholic School Council

Our Catholic School Advisory Council is a dedicated team of parent volunteers who have an important role to play in the school. The purpose of the Council is to advise the Principal on matters set out by the Ministry of Education and the Durham Catholic District School Board.

The St. Paul Catholic School Council is composed of elected parent representatives (Chair, Vice-Chair, Recording Secretary, Parish Representative, Community Representative, Parent Representatives) the Principal, and teaching and non-teaching representatives. All parents are welcome and encouraged to participate in our meetings as many voices make us a stronger Catholic community. Please find all Council related information posted on our parent bulletin board just inside the front doors of the school.

Elections for parent representatives for this year will be held at our first meeting in September. Please refer to our Website for further information. Meetings will be held throughout the year and the dates for the school year will be decided during the first meeting in September. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend any Catholic School Council meeting held throughout the school year. We look forward to working together for the benefit of our students.
 Emergency Contact

A parent information/emergency contact form is sent home through Permission Click at the beginning of each school year. Parents and guardians are asked to ensure that the information is correct. 

Should your contact information change throughout the school year, please notify the office immediately.
 Supervision of Students

Students are supervised by staff at all times, whether in classes or outside. Supervision on the yard begins at 8:30 a.m. After school, the bus zone is supervised until approximately 3:30 p.m. There is no formal yard supervision after 3:15 p.m. as those students who walk to school are expected to leave for home immediately after school.
 Lunch Procedures

At lunch students are expected to observe the following guidelines, which have been established and clearly explained to them. 

Lunchtime rules are “C.L.E.A.R.” 

  • Clean up desk and area;
  • Listen to lunch supervisor/staff;
  • Eat only your own food calmly;
  • Ask permission to leave the class;
  • Remain sitting at all times. 

Staff members and Lunch Hour Supervisors supervise students during this time, lunch 11:30 – 11:50, then outdoor play 11:50 – 12:30.    

Children are not allowed to leave the schoolyard without written permission from the parent/guardian given to the child’s teacher. A dated and signed note must be provided to your child’s teacher each time your child leaves the property at lunch. This greatly assists the staff in safeguarding student welfare and provides accurate information as to the whereabouts of all students in our care. We highly discourage parents from allowing their child to leave the school grounds to go to the store or other areas around school during the lunch hour period. The schoolyard is the safest place for your child during the lunch hour.

St. Paul Catholic School is an ECO school, and so, in our attempt to reduce the amount of garbage we generate at the school, we would encourage all students to bring a “garbage-less” lunch to school daily. They are encouraged to use reusable containers and to “boomerang” any garbage back home. Any materials that can be recycled are properly disposed of. 
 Administration of Oral Medication

The Durham Catholic District School Board recognizes that it will occasionally be necessary for staff to administer oral medication to students at school. Under these special circumstances, parents/guardians will be asked to sign a consent form giving permission for school personnel to administer the medication. (This includes over the counter and prescription drugs). All medications are stored safely at the office. It is understood that this consent form needs to be activated each year. We rely on parents to inform teachers of any medical conditions during the year.
 Parking and Kiss & Ride

There are 6 parking spots designated for the YMCA on the north side of the building and they are marked accordingly.  Parking at the front (east side) of the building is for staff only. Other spaces are for parents, visitors and board staff. Due to fire regulations, there should be no vehicles parked on or beside the curb at the front of the school at any time.  At the front of the school there are two distinct lanes. One is for busses only and the other is for Kiss and Ride. 

At no time should a vehicle be parked in either lane as these must be kept free flowing. Also, these lanes are one way.  Please be aware of areas with “cut-outs” in the curb which allow people with wheelchairs to access the building. Please do not park in front of these areas. As per local by-law, vehicles must have a registered handicap sticker to use the handicap parking spaces. The "Kiss and Ride" drop-off point is at the south end of the building.

There are several busses at the end of the day. Students will load their bus between 3:15 and 3:25 p.m. Students can be picked up at the “Kiss & Ride” at 3:15 dismissal. To maintain a safe and continuous flow of traffic in front of the school, vehicles may not park in the Kiss and Ride circle at any time. We appreciate your cooperation to help put safety before convenience at all times.
 Bus Transportation

It is expected by the Durham Catholic District School Board that children who qualify for transportation will make regular use of the service.

  • Riding the school bus is a privilege.
  • Students who ride on our school buses and do not behave properly are putting the safety of themselves and others in jeopardy.
  • Consequences for disregarding responsibility for appropriate behaviour on the bus will reflect the seriousness of this safety issue, up to and possibly including removal of bus privileges.
  • Students are to wait quietly and orderly for the bus at their designated pick-up location.
  • Students are to obey the bus driver at all times.
  • Misbehaviours should be reported to the bus driver and/or Principal.
  • At a minimum, all students must remain seated at all times, and students should never be eating or drinking on the bus.

Only those students who are in our approved transportation zone may ride the bus. Students are assigned to a bus stop, and are not permitted to get on or off the bus at a different stop – not even with a note from parents. Students are only permitted to ride their designated bus. Bus students are expected to go home on the bus. Alternate arrangements must be shared in writing with the classroom teacher.

To support our students’ awareness of safety when riding school buses, our bus companies and school board sponsor two sessions with bus company personnel here at the school. One presentation relates to safe conduct, and the other gives students and staff an opportunity to practice a safe bus evacuation.

Please visit www.dsts.on.ca for more information.
 Primary and Junior EQAO

Each year, in late spring, students across the province participate in the Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics for primary (Grade 3) and junior (Grade 6) levels conducted by the Province of Ontario Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). Parents / guardians interested in the preparation for this assessment can visit the eqao website at www.eqao.com and refer to the “Parent Resources” section.

Parents and guardians will be provided with an individual report of their child’s test results in the fall. The overall results of these tests are shared with our community and school improvement plans are created from this rich data source, in combination with other data. 
Student Assessment and Evaluation

“Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools”, 2010 is the policy document of the Ontario Ministry of Education. This policy governs how educators will assist students to reach their potential and to succeed.  

The Seven Fundamental Principles of Growing Success

To ensure that assessment, evaluation and reporting are valid and reliable, and that they lead to the improvement of all students, teachers use practices and procedures that:

  • are fair, transparent and equitable for all students;
  • support all students, including those with special needs;
  • are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs and experiences of all students;
  • are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the school year;
  • are ongoing, varied in nature and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
  • provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement;
  • develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning.
Expectation of Academic Honesty

Students of the DCDSB are instructed in faith and are taught to use the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations as the guiding principles for their moral, Christian and academic development. Academic honesty, based on respect for others and oneself, is a fundamental value in Catholic Schools. Catholic educators, with parental support, are expected to teach students about the definitions of plagiarism and cheating and about measures they must take as responsible and self-regulating learners to avoid academic dishonesty. Though this is critical at higher levels of education, we realize that student awareness of and respect for academic honesty must begin in these early learning years.

Students are expected to:

  • submit work, including tests and exams, consisting of their own ideas, expressed in their own words;
  • demonstrate respect for the ideas of others by acknowledging the source they use in appropriate ways;
  • take responsibility for completing work on time and for seeking additional time or assistance when needed.

It is important that we work together to help our students acquire this important practice as failure to meet these expectations may result in a variety of consequences, one of which could include receiving a mark of zero.
Dress Code

All students are expected to come to school dressed modestly, neatly and appropriately for school activities. 

Students must:

  • be attentive to personal grooming and cleanliness;
  • arrive at school neat and clean, wearing appropriate seasonal clothing for both indoors and outdoors;
  • wear age appropriate attire that demonstrates modesty and respect for self and others;
  • wear shirts, skirts and shorts of reasonable length (covering belly; mid-thigh - half way between the hip and knee or longer);
  • wear jeans that are intact (no ripped jeans or cut-offs);
  • pants worn waist-high; ensure that midriffs are covered, no tank tops, spaghetti strap tops, bare or off the shoulder tops;
  • wear clothing that does not imply or have objectionable logos displaying violence, racism, discrimination, profanity or promoting inappropriate behavior and refrain from wearing hats indoors. 

All Dress Code infractions will be addressed with discretion and respect.
 School Code of Conduct
Click here to read the Code of Conduct.