Ontario Catholic Kindergarten Program
Ontario Catholic elementary schools strive to support high-quality faith-based learning while giving every child the opportunity to learn in the way that is best suited to the child’s individual strengths and needs, according to each child’s God-given gifts. The Catholic Kindergarten program is designed to help every child, created in the image of God, reach his or her full potential through a program of learning and faith development that is coherent, relevant, and age appropriate. It recognizes that, today and in the future, children need to be critically literate in order to synthesize information, make informed decisions, communicate effectively, and thrive in an ever-changing global community.
It is important for children to be connected to the curriculum, and to see themselves in what is taught, how it is taught, and how it applies to the world at large. The curriculum recognizes that the needs of learners are diverse and helps all learners develop the knowledge, skills, values and perspectives they need to become informed, productive, caring, responsible, discerning believers and active citizens in their own communities and in the world.
Elementary Religious Education Curriculum, Grades 1-8
Religious education seeks to develop not only knowledge and disciplinary skills but also to foster in students the attitudes and values that are part of faith and constitute the Catholic stance within the world.
Religious education helps our students to know Jesus and the Bible more deeply, and it provides them with opportunities to celebrate the faith, learn from the wisdom of the saints, and grow in understanding of Church teachings..
Elementary Religious Education expectations are organized into six strands. Within each strand, fundamental concepts are identified and, through a spiralling process, revisited each year through review and application to increase student knowledge and deepen understanding.
Six Strands of Religious Education
Family Life Education Curriculum, Grades 1-8
The Family Life Education curriculum celebrates a tradition of excellence that leads children to understand God’s calling in a life of presence, mercy and the sacred dignity of all persons.
Family Life Education addresses matters of deep meaning and practical relevance for how we are called to live our lives: issues relating to sexuality, marriage, physical and emotional well-being, the procreation and raising of children, the nature of the family and its place in human society and the Church.
In Ontario Catholic schools, Family Life Education is complementary to Religious Education, and has been divided into three distinct but related strands: Families: A Living Communion of Love, Families: Called to be in Relationship and Families: Created in Love, Wonderfully Made. These strands provide the organizational structure for the overall and specific curriculum expectations which are presented in a manner that scaffolds students’ learning as they journey through the developmental stages of their lives from grades 1 through 8.