Welcome to St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic Elementary School
At the turn of the 20th century, beautiful Waterdown, Ontario had no Catholic elementary school. In 1927, Catholic students attended class at the convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame. As enrolment at Notre Dame increased, a new Catholic school was proposed, and in 1951 a three-room Catholic School was opened and blessed as St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School. As the population of Waterdown grew, additions were added to St. Thomas in 1963, 1968, and 1984. After years of continuous student growth, a new modernized Catholic school was needed in the area, and on November 30th, 2012, after 13 months of construction, students and staff at St. Thomas the Apostle elementary officially moved into their new home on Skinner Road in Waterdown. We are a Catholic community
It is with great excitement that I continue to serve you as Principal of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Elementary School for the 2023-2024 school year.
In the Gospel of John, St. Thomas plays a particularly distinct part. Thomas is often condemned for his past lack of belief, but Thomas was equally courageous, willing to stand by Jesus in dangerous times. He also relentlessly sought the Truth. Like an inquisitive child, he constantly asked questions. And, his wonderful profession, “My Lord and my God,” is the clearest declaration of Jesus’ divinity in Holy Scripture. Thomas is celebrated for his uniqueness and his Faith.
Like Thomas, the uniqueness in each and every child is celebrated at our school. We are dedicated to help each student become an expert learner. We will work diligently to remove barriers so that ALL students can learn, by providing each student with the tools and strategies needed to excel. I truly believe that success is not measured by how students learn, but rather by what students learn.
The Mission of the St. Thomas School Community is to “strive to live by an exemplary model of Lead, Learn, Love, and Leave a Legacy which is best exemplified by Jesus’ example. The Catholicity of our school finds its legitimacy and authenticity in its Christ-centeredness. Together, we foster academic excellence by providing opportunities for all individuals to meet their fullest potential by building a supportive and nurturing environment” We are committed to the success of our Mission Statement and celebrate the blending of the collaborative roles within our school community. All community members are challenged to Lead, Learn, Love and Leave a Legacy on an ongoing basis.
Our goal is to model the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations in order to help our students become responsible citizens, caring family members, lifelong learners, effective communicators, collaborative contributors and reflective, critical thinkers who develop and always demonstrate their God given potential.
At St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Elementary School, learning is contagious and goes beyond the confines of the classroom. Through self-reflection on our faith, life experiences as well as professional development, we will work in partnership with our Parish to make this a fantastic year of learning and growing! We are also a proud feeder school to St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School and also work in partner ship to create a supportive "bridge" and easy transition from grade eight to grade nine.
On behalf of our Vice-Principal; Mrs. Sheahan and all of the staff, at STTH, I'd like to welcome you. I look forward to continue working in partnership, with all of our students, staff, parents/guardians, parish, and community together to ensure that our school continues to be a welcoming, inclusive, friendly and safe place, that all started in 1951, “built” with Faith and Love under the umbrella of The Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board.
May the Love of Christ allow us to show Love to others.
God Bless!
Mr. Kevin S. Camilleri
Principal, H.W.C.D.S.B.