For 65 years, St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School has been a cornerstone of faith, community, and academic excellence in Aurora, Ontario. Join us in celebrating our rich history and vibrant future.
Current students, families, alumni, and the wider Aurora community are all warmly invited to celebrate 65 years of St. Joseph! Come share stories, tour the decade rooms, and help us blow out the candles on Thursday, October 22, 2026, from 5:00–8:00 PM at the school.
Cheese or pepperoni · Orders close Oct 15 · Current St. Joseph families order via School‑Day (account required); everyone else can reserve slices and pay cash at the Bash.
Founded in 1961 on Glass Drive, St. Joseph Aurora has fostered a safe, inclusive, and collaborative Catholic learning environment for generations of families. In partnership with Our Lady of Grace Parish, we guide students to grow academically and spiritually.
From our early days serving a small local parish community to our modern French Immersion programs, the Jaguar spirit of faith, leadership, and learning continues to shine bright.
A quick look at our legacy of growth in the Aurora community.
Witness the journey of our school campus from its founding decade to today.
Then · 1960s
Now · Today
The original Glass Drive building facade during the founding years of St. Joseph.
Our beautiful main entrance welcoming French Immersion and elementary students today.
Watch our neighbourhood grow up around the school in this aerial photo time-lapse.
Time-lapse courtesy of the Aurora Historical Society & yorkmaps.ca
Look for the Let’s Birthday crew in bright neon T-shirts — they’re running the games, shows and treat stations.
Stroll the corridors — each door represents a decade with memorabilia, photos, and a host, in rooms 141, 143, 148, 154, 156 and 163.
Classic hits and birthday tunes spinning in the Gym throughout the entire evening.
Capture your memories in the Foyer — prints feature a custom 65th Birthday logo template to take home.
Pre-order pizza, then enjoy popcorn, birthday cake, and gelato fresh from the Cocoa 40 cart in the Library.
Pre-order pizza — $1.50/slice Cheese or pepperoni. Orders close Oct 15. Current St. Joseph families order through School‑Day; everyone else can reserve and pay cash at the Bash.Help create a lasting piece of St. Joseph history in our community collaborative art activity inside the School Chapel.
Hands-on games for kids of all ages, run by the Let’s Birthday crew.
A bubble show from Let’s Birthday, running continuously alongside the games.
A paper show from Let’s Birthday, running continuously alongside the games.
Balloon creations made to order by the Let’s Birthday team.
Fresh cotton candy from the Let’s Birthday crew.
Cool down with a snow cone from the Let’s Birthday crew.
Doors Open on Glass Drive
Relive the founding years of St. Joseph (1961) with historical class photos, early memorabilia, and records of the very first Jaguar classrooms.
Class photo 5:45 – 6:00 PM
A Decade of Growth
Explore the physical expansion of our school and neighbourhood, early parish integrations, and class photos showing SJA student life in the 1970s.
Class photo 6:00 – 6:15 PM
Silver Jubilee Celebrations
Highlighting SJA's 25th anniversary (1986), building additions, the new library opening, and sports memorabilia from the 80s.
Class photo 6:15 – 6:30 PM
Modernizing the Jaguar Spirit
Diving into the 90s with curriculum developments, computing introductions, drama productions, and class photo galleries.
Class photo 6:30 – 6:45 PM
A New Millennium
Celebrating the turn of the century, the introduction of French Immersion programs, eco-school projects, and regional athletic successes.
Class photo 6:45 – 7:00 PM
Golden Jubilee & Beyond
Relive the massive 50th Anniversary (2011) celebrations, the time capsule burial, and our modern digital and outdoor classroom developments.
Class photo 7:00 – 7:15 PM
Keep scrolling — the decades roll by sideways.
St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School officially opens on Glass Drive, beginning a long tradition of faith-based academic excellence in Aurora. Michael Edgar MacNeil serves as the school's first principal.
St. Joseph's in the 1967–68 school year, with Mr. L. J. Tadman as principal. From the yearbook, courtesy of Mary Murrell (Rudakas), Class of ’71.
Our dedicated educators pose outside the school as SJA builds a strong reputation for academic success and deep family values.
SJA celebrates 25 years with major building upgrades, new classrooms, an expanded library, and a community reunion.
A milestone celebration marking 50 years of Catholic education — archives compiled, class photos gathered, and a time capsule buried. Neil MacNeil stands at the display of past staff mounted outside the library — the first principal's portrait among them.
Celebrating 65 years! We host our grand Birthday Bash on October 22nd, launch our SJA 65 Spirit Wear collection, and invite the whole community to share their wishes.
Show your school pride with our exclusive, limited-edition 65th Birthday spirit wear collection — tees, polos, sweatshirts, hoodies, toques and caps, from $17.
