School History

St. Mary's School welcomes our families With Open Arms!  We first opened in 1999 as Okotoks' second Catholic Elementary School.   We are still as determined now as we were then to create an environment where all students feel loved, welcomed and excited to come to school. 

We offer a full elementary music program taught by specialized music teachers starting in Kindergarten and leading to an instrumental music program in Grade 6.   We offer French as a Second Language starting in Grade 4 -6 taught by specialists, as well we have specialists who teach Physical Education classes.  We have Fine Arts classes for Grades 3 – 6, we also offer many extra-curricular opportunities such as recess sports, volleyball/basketball teams, coding clubs, craft clubs, running clubs and so many more!

We permeate Catholic teachings throughout our day as we instill Christian values and teach the Truth of Christ. This includes morning prayer, whole-school religious celebrations, and daily discussions and modelling of God's love for each and everyone of us. The school staff maintains a close relationship with our Parish St. James Church (Okotoks) and St. Michael's Church (Black Diamond) through shared celebrations and open dialogue.  Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14. 

At St. Mary's School we aim to provide a high standard of academic education within a caring and nurturing Catholic environment. We encourage all members of our school community to express their faith in ways that are reflective of the modeling provided by our Lord Jesus and Saint Mary. The school staff maintains a close relationship with our Parish St. James Church and St. Michael's Church (Black Diamond) through shared celebrations and open dialogue.

At St. Mary's School we believe all students can achieve success, therefore we hold all students to high academic expectations. We honour God by doing our best each and every day.  We pride ourselves on the culture of literacy that we have cultivated.  We have rich literature in our classroom libraries and dedicated times to read and discuss our reading journey.  

St. Mary's School is made up of a community of dedicated and caring individuals.  Through the investment of time and effort of all of our stakeholders we have become the school we are.  We encourage all members of our community to communicate honestly and openly with each other. We continue to focus on strengthening our relationships to allow for all individuals to feel safe and welcomed in our school.

Mission Statement:

"We are followers of Jesus. We teach, we grow as a Catholic Family. By nurturing the whole child, confident, knowledgeable Disciples of Christ emerge"