We know you have questions and we’re here to help you learn all about our KinderGrow Programming!
With our Messages in a Minute, you have the opportunity to explore through short videos, various programming, skills and initiatives Thunder Bay Catholic has in store for your child!
Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
- Upon registration in one of our schools, you will receive a phone call sometime prior to entry, from the school’s resource teacher who will schedule a meeting date with you to complete the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (or ASQ) .
- If your child attends a community Childcare Program, the ASQ may be completed by their resource staff. This screening tool provides a quick look at how children are doing in important areas, such as communication, physical ability, social skills, and problem-solving skills.
- As a parent or caregiver, you are the best source of information about your child. Your answers help us to learn about your child’s – strengths and areas that may benefit from a little more support.
- This screening tool is not a test but instead supports young children’s growth and development. By partnering with us, and completing the ASQ screening tool, you are making sure your child is off to the best possible start!
French Immersion & Ojibwe Languages
- Thunder Bay Catholic offers a French Immersion Program at both St. Bernard and St. Martin School. This program, which begins in Year 1 Kindergarten, continues in Grade 7 & 8 at Pope John Paul and Bishop Gallagher and can be completed at both St. Patrick and St. Ignatius High School.
- French Immersion is for any student interested in learning a second language and who wants to work towards the DELF, which is a Diploma in French Language Studies, upon graduation.
- Parents of students in French Immersion do not need to be bilingual. Many students in French Immersion do extremely well in the program despite not speaking French in the home.
- We also offer Ojibwe programs at St. Ann, St. Jude, St. Martin, St. Elizabeth, Our Lady of Charity, Pope John Paul II, Bishop Gallagher, Bishop EQ Jennings, St. Patrick High School and St. Ignatius High School.
- This program offers students the opportunity of learning Ojibwe from northern Ontario. In this program, students learn both oral and written Ojibwe language with the integration of Indigenous culture and philosophy.
Values & Virtues
- A Catholic school is a distinctive educational community with core values, principles and fundamental beliefs.
- The religious education program in our schools is based on the understanding that the child is the centre of an interrelated system that includes the family, the school, the broader community, and the world.
- The expectations guiding the learning journey for all students are described not only in terms of knowledge and skills but also in terms of values, attitudes and actions.
- Our inquiry-based program gives children opportunities to discover their strengths, interests and God-given talents in a way that fosters their personal and social development.
- Our schools welcome students and families of all faiths. Our curriculum incorporates religion courses pertaining to our Catholic faith, along with other faith traditions and world religions. Values and virtues are interwoven throughout the curriculum.
- You do not need to be Catholic to attend a Catholic School.
Before and After Care
- The Ministry of Education supports an integrated early years and child care system in which school board and child care professionals work in partnership to provide seamless, high-quality programs for children throughout the day.
- At Thunder Bay Catholic, 11 of our elementary schools offer Before and After Care in the school.
- These programs help to provide a seamless and integrated culture where well-being is valued and children experience a strong sense of belonging, engagement and freedom to express their ideas.
- Learn more about before and after care, here.
Second Step
- To make the big transition to elementary school, kids need to learn new skills, such as how to control impulses, stay focused, and follow rules.
- The research-based Second Step program helps teachers give students the skills and confidence they need to adjust to a full day of learning.
- Kids are captivated by the colourful Second Step lesson cards, interactive songs, games, and especially beloved puppets who encourage children’s participation and Be-Calm Bunny helps kindergartners wait for their turn to speak.
- Second Step Kindergarten lessons begin with skills for learning and the Listening Rules, which set the stage for future academic success and later lessons in identifying feelings, managing strong emotions, solving problems, and getting along with others.
- Activities, Brain Builder games, and partner work keep children engaged and help them practice their skills.
Zones of Regulation
- Zones of Regulation is a framework for teaching student’s strategies for emotional and sensory self-management.
- The Zones approach uses four colours and visuals to help students identify how they are feeling in the moment given their emotions and level of alertness, as well as guide them to strategies to support regulation.
- By understanding how to notice their body’s signals, detect triggers, read the social context and consider how their behaviour impacts those around them, students learn improved emotional control, sensory regulation, self-awareness, and problem-solving abilities.
Special Education
- We are a school Board that encourages active learning through methods that stimulate and are inclusive of all children regardless of their ability.
- The Kindergarten program is flexible programming which allows educators to facilitate learning for all.
- Children learn in their own way and come to us with their unique skills and abilities and we meet the child where they are.
- If your child has special needs, physical, medical, social or developmental, we need to start the process of gathering the information about your child’s needs as soon as possible. This will ensure a smooth and successful entry to school.
Deep Learning
- We want to help your child develop skills and competencies to better prepare them for careers that might not even exist today.
- Over the past few years, our school board has entered into a global partnership with New Pedagogies for Deep Learning.
- We seek to empower all of our students to build character, be critical thinkers, be creative, be collaborative, be effective communicators, be citizens of the world.
- Our educators are striving to be activators of learning who design real-life learning experiences that build on learner strengths and needs, create new knowledge, and help all students identify their talents, purpose and passion.
- Learn more about Deep Learning, here.
Play/Inquiry Based Learning
- Educators will ask questions and challenge the children’s thinking. When possible, providing large blocks of uninterrupted play, which facilitates the social, physical and cognitive growth of our students.
- Through play, children learn to make choices, try new things, arrange and build with materials, use new vocabulary and share new discoveries.
- Educators will intentionally provide the direction of the learning, based on their observations of your child’s interests.
Equity and Inclusivity
- Students and their caregivers do not have to be Catholic in order to register.
- At Thunder Bay Catholic, we respect the uniqueness of our students, staff and their families, and value every person as a child of God, perfectly made, just as they are.
- We are committed to an equitable education system that upholds and reflects the principles of inclusive education, which permeates all policies, programs, practices, and operations.
