How we’re structured:

The Gilbertine Academy is intentionally small and is characterized by a homey but orderly environment. Classrooms are found at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, and at Cross Hall next to the Church. We have a gymnasium and are close to parks and trails. Our students are divided into two Houses (that encourage team work and a spirit of friendly competition) that span the different grades. Our Shared Responsibility Division (Holy House) is two-days a week in person activity and instruction for grades one to eight with some distance learning options. Our High School Division is four-days a week in person activity and instruction, with one day a week distance learning. 

The Gilbertine Academy: Holy House

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY ELEMENTARY GRADES 1–8

The Holy House Shared Responsibility Programme at The Gilbertine Academy for students in grades one to eight complements the vocational mission of homeschooling parents by providing academically challenging courses in a deeply committed Catholic community. Holy House provides a rigorous course of studies faithful to the doctrine and teaching of the Catholic Church, which enlighten and inform all areas of the curriculum. Understanding our faith and the ideas that shaped Western civilization allows our students to deepen their belief and expand their understanding of the world. We work to maintain an environment in which our students can learn both the joy of intellectual inquiry and the perseverance required for true study. Our curriculum is rooted in the classical tradition.

Class Divisions

Primary Division: Grades 1 & 2
Classes for The Gilbertine Academy’s youngest students aim to introduce students to the rich liturgical and academic rhythms which characterise our educational approach, to foster an awareness of history and a love of literature and learning in general, and to support parents in teaching basic literacy and numeracy skills. Primary students will be introduced to basic science, music and art concepts through age-appropriate adaptations of the skills and knowledge being taught in the older grade levels.
Primary students attend Morning Prayer, Mass, and Evening Prayer along with the older students, and focus on the same monthly virtue. They learn stories from the Bible and study the lives of the Saints throughout the liturgical year.
Our students listen to a variety of classic children’s literature as well as stories related to the historical time period being studied that year. Time for free reading as well as listening to read-alouds ensures that they have an exposure to a broad range of literature along with quality children’s picture books. Students work on reading and writing with the use of phonics readers, letter practice, copy-work, and grammar and writing activities. Calendar skills, counting, and other math skills form part of the daily schedule, though math is not formally taught as part of the Primary Division classes.
Primary students enjoy weekly art lessons related to the styles and techniques being studied by the older students and also participate in Schola Cantorum, singing and playing time-honoured children’s songs, games, and dances while learning the fundamentals of music literacy. Time is also provided for physical activity with daily PE class in the gymnasium or outside.
Science concepts and experiments that integrate with the learning taking place in the older grades occur on a weekly basis. History lessons and basic geography skills learned may be related to local, provincial or national history and community understanding or could be taken from texts such as The Story of Civilization and The Story of the World and supplemented with colouring pages and other activities. Latin is introduced using Song School Latin from Classical Academic Press.

Beginner Division: Grade 3 & 4 
The Beginner Division provides a transition period for students who are not yet reading and writing with the fluency necessary to accomplish the goals of the Junior Division, yet who have the maturity to begin engaging with the same classic literature and historical themes as the older students. Students in this division will build their spelling, printing/cursive, and pre-writing skills through direct instruction, literature studies, and guided narration work. 
Like the Primary students, all attend Morning Prayer, Mass, and Evening Prayer, and focus on the same monthly virtue. 
Beginner students also enjoy weekly art lessons and participate in Schola Cantorum. Time is also provided for physical activity with daily PE class in the gymnasium or outside.

Junior & Intermediate Divisions: Grade 5–8 
Students in the Junior (Grades 5–6) and Intermediate (Grades 7–8) divisions are expected to read and write fluently so they can explore, discuss, and respond to literature, history, and science texts with a high level of independent engagement. Junior and Intermediate students likewise may share some classes together and separate into smaller groups for other classes, depending on their experience and skill level in each subject. This allows for socialisation and friendships among students of varying ages, while providing for instruction tailored to individual students’ interests and abilities.