| Our Mission |
| We are called to celebrate and nurture the God-given talents of each student as we serve with excellence in the light of Christ. |
| School Hours |
| Entrance Bell - 8:45 a.m. Morning recess - 10:10 a.m. Lunch - 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Afternoon Recess - 1:55 Dismissal - 3:15 p.m. |
| Our Parish |
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At St. Matthew the Evangelist Catholic School, we work in partnership with our local parish to strengthen our Catholic beliefs. Holy Family Catholic Church Pastor: Rev. Laszlo Nagy |
| 2021/2022 School Year Calendar |
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Sept. 1 - P.A. Day Sept. 2 - P.A. Day Sept. 6 - Labour Day Oct. 8 - P.A. Day Oct. 11 - Thanksgiving Nov. 12 - P.A. Day Dec. 20 – Dec. 31 - Christmas Break Jan. 21 - P.A. Day Feb. 21 - Family Day Mar. 11 – Mar. 18 - March Break Apr. 15 - Good Friday Apr. 18 - Easter Monday May. 23 - Victoria Day June 3 - P.A. Day June 30 - P.A. Day |
| DCDSB Safe, Caring, and Healthy Elementary Schools |
| The Durham Catholic District School Board recognizes that a school should be a place that promotes responsibility, respect, civility, and academic excellence in a safe learning and teaching environment. A positive school climate exists when all members of the school community feel safe, comfortable, and accepted. It is the responsibility of all members of the school community to work together to create a positive learning environment where all members feel supported. |
| Access to Premises |
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Parents/guardians are welcome to visit the school to discuss an issue with teachers or administrators. In keeping with the Board’s Access to School Premises Policy, all doors will remained locked during school hours. Our Safe Welcome Program provides an intercom and camera at the main door of the school for all visitors to communicate with the office prior to entering the school. This enhances the safety of students and staff. Please remember that anyone coming into the school must first sign in at the office and obtain a Visitor’s badge. (Parents/guardians are not allowed access to the school yard before school or during recesses and noon hour.) At recess time, the school yard is well supervised and staff will question anyone whose presence is not expected. Each member of staff is wearing photo ID and is identified on duty with a safety vest. If a parent/guardian needs to pick up his/her son/daughter during the school day, this must be facilitated at the office. Members of the office staff will call the student down to the office to be signed out. If parents send a friend/relative/designate to pick up their child, please advise the school in advance and ask the designate to provide photo identification at the office. If the student returns to school before dismissal, he/she must sign back in at the office so that his/her attendance can be monitored. |
| Make Every Day Count — Attendance Matters |
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Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Now is the time to start building this habit so your child learns right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college or university and in the world of work. Did You Know? Absences can add up quickly. A child is considered chronically absent if he/she misses just two days every month!! Research shows:
School success goes hand in hand with good attendance! What You Can Do:
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| Safe Arrival — Automated Attendance |
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In June 2018, The Durham Catholic District School Board adopted a new automated attendance system, called Safe Arrival, for reporting student absences. Safe Arrival reduces the time it takes to verify student attendance making it easier for you to report your child’s absence and easier for staff to respond to unexplained student absences. Parents are able to report their child’s absence quickly and conveniently using three different methods: 1. Parents can log into a website: go.schoolmessenger.ca to report student absences. 2. Parents can call into the automated interactive telephone system using the toll free number 1-844-288-7628 through which absences can be reported. 3. Parents can download the SafeArrival app for iOS and Android smartphones. Search for the keyword "school messenger" in the Google Play store or the Apple App store. Select Canada, select sign up, enter your email address that is on file with the school, enter a password. All three methods are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Future absences, like doctor’s appointments can be reported ahead of time. |
| Restorative Schools |
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We believe that safety begins with positive connections between the students, staff and parents. To foster these relationships, staff in the Durham Catholic District School Board use restorative practices, including classroom circles and small group conferences to build community within the classroom and the school. Restorative Practice is rooted in the same philosophical approach as Canada’s Native Aboriginal communities. It rests on the belief that it is best to do things with people, rather than to them. When conflict arises, using restorative practice engages students in a fair process that responds to behavior in ways that strengthen and repair the relationship. It is collaborative rather than adversarial in nature. The aim of restorative practice is to hold individuals accountable for their actions while restoring and repairing any relationships amongst each other and within the community that may have been harmed. Catholic Restorative Schools will:
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| School Code of Conduct |
| Please click here to read the Code of Conduct |
