How We Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Students
Madonna is a highly diverse school community which strives to provide a common bond for its diverse population in several ways.
The most evident bond in the school community comes from a shared sense of Catholic values provided through the environment of a Catholic school. Students are provided with a rich curriculum of religious studies supported by a co-curricular program consisting of school and class liturgies, retreats, community outreach, linkage with our local parish (St. Philip Neri), peer helping, peer mediation, and daily prayer. The code of behaviour, which is consistent with the Toronto Catholic District School Board's Progressive Discipline policy, provides a safe and welcoming learning environment and demands that all staff and students treat one another with respect. The care with which all students are treated is evident in our close monitoring of school attendance with its attendant follow-up procedures of personal counseling and collaboration with parents, staff, and outside support staff. Continuous parental contact ensures that school and home work as partners in the educational process of each student.
Curriculum initiatives are ongoing at Madonna. Madonna's grade 9 and 10 courses are expressed in terms of learning outcomes and integration is occurring in various ways: a team-teaching approach; collaboration between art, music, and drama teachers; opportunities between science and math teachers for connections to be made; integrating technology into the learning experience in all subject areas; and a three-phase orientation program for all grade 9 students.
One of the school goals relates to integrating technology more fully into the learning process at Madonna. Staff has worked hard to identify technology goals in all courses. Madonna students regularly participate in science fairs, match contests, and projects such as those sponsored by Connaught in its annual Student Biotechnology Exhibition. In-house staff development has produced a high degree of staff computer literacy. Madonna has four computer labs and all students are given the fundamentals of basic computer applications in grade 9.
Madonna provides an English as a second language program to meet the individual needs of students new to Canada, with an orientation session each June to familiarize new ESL students to the school. Madonna also has a fully integrated special education program, where qualified special education teachers and teaching assistants work together with classroom teachers to provide supports and accommodations according to student needs. Enrichment is provided for gifted students through differentiated learning opportunities and/or enrichment activities such as lectures, seminars, advanced placement programs, university mentorship, and (inter)national exchange programs to name but a few.
Family Of Schools
Area 3, SEC - Michael Caccamo
Enrollment
738
Principal
Caroline Falzon
