WHY CHOOSE ST. GABRIEL?
In collaboration with families, Catholic schools teach the values of our faith and tradition, foster experiences of community and service, and provide educational excellence.
Faith & Tradition
Located in the heart of Canaryville at 4500 South Wallace Street, Saint Gabriel Catholic School is an elementary school steeped in a rich history in the City of Chicago. Since opening its doors in September, 1881, the school:
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Has provided a quality education for children from their preschool years through grade eight.
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Operated under the guidance of the Sisters of Mercy whose mission it was to weave Gospel values into education. This continued for over one hundred years.
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Continues to embrace the spirit of the Sisters and provides a first class, faith-based education for students.
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Graduates students who possess not only a solid scholastic footing, but a strong ethical and moral foundation as well.
Academic Excellence
Saint Gabriel Catholic School:
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Places high academic expectations and standards upon its students.
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Is dedicated to offering developmentally appropriate curriculums that speak to the needs of each child.
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Has small class sizes and caring educators that animate the school Mission and enable students to attain their academic potential.
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Offers comprehensive curricula that includes: Language Arts, Science, Mathematics, Physical Education, Religion, Social Science, Spanish and Fine Arts, which includes drama, art and music.
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Celebrates weekly school and monthly family mass.
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Provides all students access to a computer lab as well as to Internet services in their individual classrooms.
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Uses interactive whiteboards and/or other technology as teaching tools in the classroom.
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Graduates students that are sought after and accepted at many of the top ranking high schools in the Chicagoland area.
Enrichment
Saint Gabriel Catholic School believes in educating the whole child. It:
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Prepares students to be life-long learners with steadfast moral character.
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Fosters teamwork, respect and healthy competition through an outstanding athletic program which includes football, basketball, baseball, volleyball teams as well as cheerleading.
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Promotes non-athletic enrichment activities and a variety of clubs including, chess, crochet, music and drama.
Community
Saint Gabriel Catholic School continues to thrive because of:
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A nurturing faculty and staff
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Parents and guardians who partner with the school in supporting the Mission
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Its heritage. Many of our students come from 3rd, 4th and 5th generation Saint Gabriel families.
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The tradition and loyalty of the community.
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Its Alumni and their passionate commitment to its alma mater.
“The legacy of a Catholic education is more than the knowledge imparted to our students; it is the development of a deep and abiding sense of faith, the realization of the value of moral character and the inspiration of a life-long journey of learning.”
–Daniel Cardinal DiNardo
Saint Gabriel teachers are state certified and the curricula meet all state and archdiocesan standards. They welcome diversity in the classroom and are committed to providing a safe and friendly environment as well. Saint Gabriel Catholic School is accredited by both the Archdiocese of Chicago and the State of Illinois.
WHY CHOOSE ST. GABRIEL?
In collaboration with families, Catholic schools teach the values of our faith and tradition, foster experiences of community and service, and provide educational excellence.
Faith & Tradition
Located in the heart of Canaryville at 4500 South Wallace Street, Saint Gabriel Catholic School is an elementary school steeped in a rich history in the City of Chicago. Since opening its doors in September, 1881, the school:
-
Has provided a quality education for children from their preschool years through grade eight.
-
Operated under the guidance of the Sisters of Mercy whose mission it was to weave Gospel values into education. This continued for over one hundred years.
-
Continues to embrace the spirit of the Sisters and provides a first class, faith-based education for students.
-
Graduates students who possess not only a solid scholastic footing, but a strong ethical and moral foundation as well.
Academic Excellence
Saint Gabriel Catholic School:
-
Places high academic expectations and standards upon its students.
-
Is dedicated to offering developmentally appropriate curriculums that speak to the needs of each child.
-
Has small class sizes and caring educators that animate the school Mission and enable students to attain their academic potential.
-
Offers comprehensive curricula that includes: Language Arts, Science, Mathematics, Physical Education, Religion, Social Science, Spanish and Fine Arts, which includes drama, art and music.
-
Celebrates weekly school and monthly family mass.
-
Provides all students access to a computer lab as well as to Internet services in their individual classrooms.
-
Uses interactive whiteboards and/or other technology as teaching tools in the classroom.
-
Graduates students that are sought after and accepted at many of the top ranking high schools in the Chicagoland area.
Enrichment
Saint Gabriel Catholic School believes in educating the whole child. It:
-
Prepares students to be life-long learners with steadfast moral character.
-
Fosters teamwork, respect and healthy competition through an outstanding athletic program which includes football, basketball, baseball, volleyball teams as well as cheerleading.
-
Promotes non-athletic enrichment activities and a variety of clubs including, chess, crochet, music and drama.
Community
Saint Gabriel Catholic School continues to thrive because of:
-
A nurturing faculty and staff
-
Parents and guardians who partner with the school in supporting the Mission
-
Its heritage. Many of our students come from 3rd, 4th and 5th generation Saint Gabriel families.
-
The tradition and loyalty of the community.
-
Its Alumni and their passionate commitment to its alma mater.
“The legacy of a Catholic education is more than the knowledge imparted to our students; it is the development of a deep and abiding sense of faith, the realization of the value of moral character and the inspiration of a life-long journey of learning.”
–Daniel Cardinal DiNardo
Saint Gabriel teachers are state certified and the curricula meet all state and archdiocesan standards. They welcome diversity in the classroom and are committed to providing a safe and friendly environment as well. Saint Gabriel Catholic School is accredited by both the Archdiocese of Chicago and the State of Illinois.
SAFE ENVIRONMENT OFFICE FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Compliance
The Office for the Protection of Children and Youth is committed to protecting all of God’s children and providing a safe environment where children and young people can learn, thrive, and grow. The office oversees the training and background checks for all Archdiocesan clergy, employees, and volunteers. It also disseminates the Archdiocesan standards of behavior for individuals working with children and young people, provides safe environment training for children, young people and adults, and trains parish and school staff to monitor compliance with archdiocesan policies and the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Compliance Guidelines (English | Polish | Spanish) have been created outlining what is required of school and parish employees, school and parish volunteers, priests, deacons, seminarians, and pastoral center employees.
Criminal Background Screening
All employees must complete an online criminal background check for the Archdiocese of Chicago. [cite policy Book II, The People of God, Part I, Policy 603.2 LINK] All volunteers who work with children must complete an online criminal background check. [Policy Book II, The People of God, Part I, Policy 603.2] The Criminal Background Screening is an online application through eApps that must be filled out in its entirety and submitted during the work/volunteer application process. Criminal background checks conducted for other purposes cannot be accepted. No one can begin to work/volunteer until the background check is completed and approved. An access code is needed to complete this application and can be retrieved from the location where you work/volunteer. For any questions or concerns regarding this process please contact your primary site (parish or school).
A criminal background check will not be processed on a minor (under the age of 18 years old) who is hired or wishes to volunteer. Those 18 yrs. or younger should not be left alone with children. They must be supervised by an adult who is in full compliance.
Criminal Background Screening Online Application (eApps)
Fingerprinting
Illinois State Bill 143 was passed on May 20, 2007. It requires all school employees beginning July 1, 2007 of state recognized non-public schools to undergo fingerprinting based on criminal history record checks with the state police and FBI. The Archdiocese has arranged for Accurate Biometrics to take and process the fingerprints. An application must be completed and submitted at the time of fingerprinting. Regardless if you have been fingerprinted with another service or with another company or organization through Accurate Biometrics, you still must complete this process through Accurate Biometrics for the Archdiocese. This process must be completed within three business days of being hired. If you have any questions or concerns please call 312-534-5388 or email cperz@archchicago.org.
Code of Conduct
All employees and all volunteers who work with children must read and sign the Archdiocese of Chicago Code of Conduct and sign the Personal Acknowledgement Form prior to beginning employment or service in the Archdiocese of Chicago. This document explains the professional role that must be maintained when working with children and young people, the measures to aid in observance of protecting a safe environment, and practical conduct suggestions on what is and is not permissible. The signed personal Acknowledgement Form is to be kept in the personnel file or volunteer file at the place of employment/ministry. Click the following link in the language you prefer to download and print the form. This must be completed and submitted to the location you work/volunteer at the time of hire.
Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS) Form
The CANTS form is an authorization form giving the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) permission to conduct a search in their database to determine whether an individual has been a perpetrator of an indicated incident of child abuse and/or neglect or involved in a pending investigation, as well as gives consent for DCFS to release such information to the Archdiocese of Chicago. This form must be completed and submitted to the location you work/volunteer at the time of hire. A completed CANTS Form is to be submitted to DCFS annually.
Employees/Volunteers Under the Age of 18
All employees and volunteers under the age of 18 are to read and sign the Code of Conduct form. Those under the age of 18 should not be left alone with children and they must be supervised by someone who is in full compliance. Once this employee/volunteer turns 18 and is graduated from high school, they must complete Protecting God’s Children for Adults/Virtus training and complete a Criminal Background Check. Please call 312-534-5238 or email mflores@archchicago.org with any questions or concerns.
Protecting God’s Children for Adults™/Virtus Training
Protecting God’s Children for Adults is training conducted by certified facilitators on the prevention of child sexual abuse. The training makes participants aware of the signs of child sexual abuse, the methods and means by which offenders commit abuse, and five easy steps one can use to prevent child sexual abuse. Two videos are the centerpiece of the training: A Time to Protect God’s Children™ and A Plan to Protect God’s Children™. The facilitators incorporate Archdiocesan policies and procedures into the training defining child sexual abuse, addressing the reporting of child sexual abuse, the screening and selection of employees and volunteers. “The Virtus training program implements safety mechanisms that send a message to all abusers and potential abusers: Child Abuse is not tolerated. Children are vigilantly protected. Victims are listened to, heard, and shielded from further abuse. And offenders are identified and punished.” – Virtus Website
All employees and all volunteers who work with children and young people must fulfill this compliance requirement. [Book II The People of God, Part I, Policy 603.3] Anyone employed two months or longer who has not attended Protecting God’s Children cannot continue to work or volunteer in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Participants must be present for the entire training session to receive credit for attendance.
All Archdiocese employees and all volunteers who work with children create and maintain an online account with Virtus when they register online to take the training. After attending Protecting God’s Children for Adults training (must attend within 60 days of being hired) submit the certificate of attendance to the location you work/volunteer at, and continue the monthly ongoing education through online training bulletins posted to their online account.
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If you have never taken training: Click here to find and preregister for an upcoming training session and create a new account.
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If you have already taken training for the Archdiocese of Chicago: Log in to your account at www.virtusonline.organd make sure it is approved, activated, and updated with your current location, role/title, and personal information.
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If you have taken this training in another diocese: Contact the diocese you took the training in and confirm that you have established an approved and active account with them. Then contact Virtus at 888-847-8870 to have your account transferred to the Archdiocese of Chicago and updated with your current location, role/title, and personal information.
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If you have already created an account, preregistered for a training session, did not make that session, and need to transfer your account to a different training session: Click here to view upcoming sessions, and be sure to use your existing account to transfer to another session. If you are unable to transfer your account to another session email the date and location you would like to attend training along with your Virtus user id to cperz@archchicago.org.
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If you have already attended a training session but never created a Virtus account online go to www.virtusonline.org and create a new account. Be sure to choose the training session you attended from the drop-down box when asked. When completed, contact us to have your account approved/activated at 312.534.5206 or at cperz@archchicago.org.
Mandated Reporter Training
In keeping with archdiocesan policy [Book II The People of God, Part I, Policy 603.6], the Office for the Protection of Children & Youth continues to offer Mandated Reporter training to all Archdiocesan employees and volunteers who are mandated by state law and archdiocesan policy to report suspected child abuse and neglect. This training provides adults with the knowledge of how to recognize and report child abuse and neglect. State law recognizes the following groups as Mandated Reporters: school personnel, medical personnel, social service and mental health personnel, law enforcement personnel, coroner/medical examiner personnel, child care personnel, and clergy. Further, in keeping with archdiocesan policies, catechists, youth ministers, coaches, and pastoral center employees who work directly with children are also to attend this training. Seminarians must complete this while at the seminary. The training is offered to deacons during their formation. All clergy must attend Mandated Reporter Training. Training must be completed within 60 days of hire. This training is available in two forms: live and online.
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Live Training: Available in English, Spanish, and Polish. To properly accommodate participants and to ensure all proper credit is given, registration must be received at least 5 days prior to the scheduled training. Seating is limited. Sessions will begin on time and late arrivals will not be admitted. Due to the subject matter, no minors under the age of 18 will be permitted to attend. To register please contact Regina Robinson at 312-534-5254 or email rrobinson@archchicago.org.
English Training
Spanish Training -
Online Training: The Office for the Protection of Children and Youth has partnered with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to use their existing online training: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Training for Mandated Reporters. At this time, this online training is only available in English. Persons planning to take the online training need to be prepared for the following: To spend at least 60 minutes to complete the training (you cannot exit and return). The computer used for the training must be connected to a printer that will print the certificate at the completion of the training. Only computer generated certificate will be accepted by locations. The computer used for training must be equipped with speakers or headsets to allow you to hear the audio. Employees must have their employee ID number, which can be found on a paycheck stub. Click here to access online training.