Thank you for celebrating St. Joseph’s 65th birthday with us. To every student, family, friend, and neighbour who joined us — you made this milestone one to remember.
Relive the celebration with Bash Night Photos, now on your dashboard. Check back often as more photos come in — and add your own! Videos will follow shortly.
View Bash Night Photos
A special thank-you to the alumni who came back to St. Joseph. Seeing familiar faces, sharing stories, and reconnecting across the decades made our 65th Birthday Bash so special. You will always be part of this school’s story.
To our students and families, past and present staff, volunteers, organizers, and everyone who helped bring the celebration to life: thank you for your time, care, and Jaguar spirit.
Celebrated together on October 22, 2026 · St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School, Aurora
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
Our Birthday Bash has ended, but the memories are just beginning. Browse the original program from our celebration below.
Stroll the corridors — each door represents a decade with memorabilia, photos, and a host, in rooms 141, 148, 154, 156, 163 and 204.
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.
Pick up your pre-ordered pizza, then enjoy popcorn, birthday cake, and gelato fresh from the Cocoa 40 cart in the Library.
Pizza pre-orders closed on October 19. Reserved on this site? Bring cash ($1.50 a slice).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.
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.
Silver Jubilee Celebrations
Highlighting SJA's 25th anniversary (1986), building additions, the new library opening, and sports memorabilia from the 80s.
Modernizing the Jaguar Spirit
Diving into the 90s with curriculum developments, computing introductions, drama productions, and class photo galleries.
A New Millennium
Celebrating the turn of the century, the introduction of French Immersion programs, eco-school projects, and regional athletic successes.
Golden Jubilee & Beyond
Relive the massive 50th Anniversary (2011) celebrations, the time capsule burial, and our modern digital and outdoor classroom developments.
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.
On October 22, students, families, staff, alumni, and neighbours came together to celebrate 65 years of St. Joseph. Thank you for being part of this chapter. Relive the evening in Bash Night Photos, also available on your dashboard.
Show your school pride with our exclusive, limited-edition 65th Birthday spirit wear collection — tees, polos, sweatshirts, hoodies, toques and caps, from $17.
