BUILDING CHARACTER
"The question is not - how much does the youth know when he is finished his education - but how much does he care? And about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet wet? And, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?"
-Charlotte Mason
At St. Timothy’s we educate the mind and challenge the body, and, equally important, we strive to shape the heart. We believe in developing character and teaching virtue. We desire to develop thinkers defined by who they are instead of workers defined by what they do. We also aspire to give them many opportunities to learn about and engage with the world and serve God in mind, body, and soul.
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TEACHING VIRTUE
Our students focus on a different virtue each month, such as diligence and patience. They are encouraged to live this out in their school work and interactions with both authority figures and fellow students. We also teach and expect an atmosphere of respect and courtesy. We nurture them in being attentive and then delight as we see them running to hold a door open for a visitor, listen quietly to instructions, or lend a helping hand to a classmate in need.
SERVICE
We believe that as Christians we are called to be offering our help to those in need in our community and beyond.
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SKIP-A-THON: Every spring the students participate in the school skip-a-thon in support of a group of orphans in Malawi. The students are motivated to gather pledges in advance, pray for the orphans by name, as well as work on their skipping skills in gym class, during recess, and after school. We regularly raise several thousand dollars for the orphans.
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OUTREACH TO SENIORS: St. Timothy's is delighted to visit different Seniors’ residences to help our students grow in holiness through service. Our students sing and recite poetry for them, as well as engage in fun activities. The wealth of wisdom our students encounter in these wonderful groups is invaluable to their growth into adulthood.
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FIELD TRIPS
Our students are able to enjoy interesting field trips throughout the year and take advantage of the wonderful opportunities offered in the Ottawa area. On Friday afternoons our students go to a local park for sports and games, and throughout the winter we enjoy affordable swimming lessons at local pools. These are some of the places we like to visit:
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Jack Pine Trail and Mud Lake
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Gatineau Park
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the Museum of Nature
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the National Art Gallery
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Centrepointe Theatre
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the National Arts Centre
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Quebec City with the Grades 7/8 class
HOUSE SYSTEM
All our students are divided into four different houses, named after trees that feature prominently in scripture: Cedar, Oak, Olive, and Palm. Each tree is associated with strong imagery and depicts positive characteristics of the people of God: from the magnificent, precious, and useful Cedars of Lebanon to the strength, beauty, peace, and productivity of the Olives; from the fortitude, endurance, and deep rootedness of the Oaks to the uprightness, flexibility, fruitfulness, and durability of the Palms.
A positive reward system is fostered for excellence in various fields from academics to arts, to sports or character, and provides teams for school-wide competitions. The appointing of House Captains allows older students a safe environment in which to learn leadership skills.
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Our students have enjoyed the competition and the weekly announcement of point tallies; more importantly, staff and parents have witnessed students more eager to memorize scripture and increased camaraderie between the grades.
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