School
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 enrolment fluctuated and space became available, the North York administrative offices of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (formerly Metropolitan Separate School Board) occupied the original section of the building. 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 School took place. The community was pleased to welcome back Mother St. Albert, the first principal of the school.
Our school community, which encompasses home, school, and parish, is active and decicated to realizing our school mission. The staff endeavours to nurture the development of the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of the students in a Christ-centred environment.
The St. Gabriel Mission Statement is:
"Acknowledging the Mission and vision statements of the 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 collaborative development, implementation, and review of programs to ensure that they are excellent, equitable, and reflect an individualized integrated learning experience for students. Of paramount importance is the necessity of providing a safe and welcoming learning environment for students. We continue to stress the need for effective conflict resolution strategies and self-esteem programs. This is achieved within a framework of a Catholic education philosophy.
The staff and parents of St. Gabriel recognize the uniqueness of every student. The individual needs of students are met in a variety of ways, including access to special education programs, gifted programs, English as a Second Language, French as a Second Language, Multiple Exceptionalities Program, guidance and social work intervention, speech and language screening and support.
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, various excurisons, computer literacy programs, special art, drama, and dance programs, vocal and instrument programs.
Our school day is enriched and enhanced by many co-curricular activities and special events. Students are involved in religious celebrations, choir, drama club, French tutorial, play day, carnival, W5H, student council, annual walk-a-thon, weekly pizza lunch, daily hot lunch program, skating, skiing, swim team, cross country, track and field, indoor soccer, and volleyball.
Once a month, there is a school mass at the church.