The Principals and Senior Administration met at the Sudbury Diocesan Centre on Thursday, February 11, 2010 to celebrate their faith and share best practice. The group was very honoured to start their day with a Mass led by His Excellence Bishop Noel Simard. During the mass, the principals listened to the Bishop’s message of the importance of Catholic education. “ We have to be proactive in proclaiming and showing the importance of Catholic Education.” said the Bishop. “Catholic education will allow our students to become people full of compassion and this is our challenge – to be strong and unite in the celebration of our faith.” When speaking of the sacrifices the principals as leaders face, the Bishop asked the question is it all worth it? He answered his own question very simply but emphatically – “you bet!” The group was asked to act as pillars of strength in their own school communities and were given the task of taking their inspiration back to their staff and students to engage them in their renewal of their faith.
Month: February 2010
SCDSB Students Celebrate Dearness Conservation at Energy Fair
Approximately 600 students from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board visited Science North on February 11, 2010 to join together for the Dearness Conservation Energy Fair. All of the schools that participate in the Dearness Conservation program were invited to share best practice with each other and learn new ways to go green in their school communities. Each school was invited to speak to the different ways that they were taking care of the environment. Some of the different ways the schools shared their information was through displays, skits, scrapbooks and signs. Once they were done with their presentations, the students listened to Science North Staff Scientist Frank Mariotti speak about Sudbury and is development and environmental changes. The Sudbury Catholic District School Board applauds all of the efforts of our schools for their dedication to the preservation of our environment.
Snaps to St. Christopher’s Grade Three Poets
On February 11, 2010 the St. Christopher gym underwent an amazing transformation to become St. Christopher’s Poetry Cafe. Over the past four weeks, the Grade 3 students learned about various forms of poetry and had written several of their own poems. Their work was showcased at the poetry cafe in front of their classmates. As well, friends and family were also invited to listen to the creative works of literary art. After the students finished their performance, the audience was treated to hot chocolate and cookies. The students were very proud of their hard work and a great time was had by all!
One of the poems written by Grade 3 student Lucas Mrozewski
Lovable like a teddy bear,
Unique because God made me,
Crazy like my sister,
Awesome at school,
…so these are the things that make me spectacular!
Sudbury Catholic Schools Greener Thanks to Provincial Funding
Five Sudbury Catholic District Schools: Marymount Academy, St. Charles College, St. Benedict, St. Francis, and St. Raphael Catholic Schools are a lot “greener” today thanks to a McGuinty government investment of $272,284. The new funding for “Green School Projects in Sudbury” was announced at a media conference held this morning at College Notre Dame by Rick Bartolucci, M.P.P. Sudbury.
“Our government is committed to ensuring students in Sudbury have the best possible resources for learning,” said Bartolucci. “Today’s investment will save area school boards money while promoting a greener, more efficient approach to learning and living in our community”.
In August 2009, boards across the province were asked to submit applications identifying their interest in the “Green Schools Pilot Initiative.” The Sudbury Catholic District School Board participated in five multi-board project application submissions for five different green projects. In October 2009, the Ministry approved the pilot projects involving five of the Board’s schools and local businesses. The Board is working with green energy companies to pilot a variety of projects involving electric energy conservation, hybrid electric or thermal energy generation, sewage and water treatment, solar and thermal energy generation and conservation, and wind generation.
Barry MacDonald, Vice-Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board was on hand for this morning’s announcement and is very pleased with the funding from the province in support of the Green Schools Pilot Initiative. The $272,284 that we gratefully received from the province will allow our Board to pilot nine green installations using five new initiatives. These new and innovative technologies will not only support our plight to reduce our energy consumption and our commitment to reduce carbon emissions but will also provide test sites for renewable and sustainable power generation plants.
The five schools involved in the pilot projects with their respective companies are as follows:
| School | Project | Company |
| Marymount Academy | Electric Energy Conservation | Triacta Power Fifth Light Technology |
| St. Benedict Catholic SS | Electric Energy Conservation | Triacta Power |
| St. Charles College |
Electric Energy Conservation |
Triacta Power Conserval Engineering Inc. Brac Systems |
| St. Francis Catholic School | Ontario Educational Solar | Evergreen Power Solutions |
| St. Raphael Catholic School | Electric Energy Conservation Sewer and Water |
Triacta Power Brac Systems |
Two Thumbs Up for “The Nickel Stops Here”!
“The Nickel Stops Here” is a play written and produced by Marlene Lee, the Grade 6/7 teacher at St. Paul Catholic Elementary School.This musical/comedy is an original script and score that Lee wrote about the Greater Sudbury area. As someone who moved here from southern Ontario, Lee wanted to give her perspective on life in the North. The play includes the Grade 6/7 class playing the parts of the leads, the JK/K class as the black flies and the JK FI class as the blueberries. The story is about King Inco and Queen Nephawin who need their son, Moose, to take over the throne of the Kingdom of Sudbury. Moose only wants to hunt and fish. His sister, the Princess Laurentian, is eager and willing to put Sudbury on the map environmentally and to rule it. According to the kingdom’s constitution, however, she must be married to do so. Laurentian must battle the two princes from Espanola and Wahnapitae in a game of Jeopardy to see who wins the throne. The students have been working for months in preparation for their show and it is very evident that the hard work has paid off. The play deserves two very big thumbs up for the efforts of the students and Marlene Lee for their outstanding production!
Pius XII Holds First Annual Bluez Brothers Dinner and Show
Pius XII Catholic Elementary School held its first Bluez Brothers Dinner and Show on February 4, 2010. The stage and gym were set to amaze and entertain audiences. The Heroes Rock Band and the Restless Group Syndrome (RGS) Dance Band opened for the Bluez Brothers. All three bands had the audience grooving to the music. It was an awesome evening put together by many hands from Pius XII School. Funds raised from this benefit performance were collected for two worthy causes: the Haiti Relief and the Pius Ottawa Trip.
Elder Visits St. Benedict Students to Share Culture
On Thursday, January 11, 2010, students at St. Benedicts participated in a traditional smudging ceremony led by Elder Vince Pawis. Afterward, Mr. Pawis shared several traditional teachings such as the medicine wheel and clan names. The students learned how important it is to be respectful of others and of their connection to Mother Earth.
Assistant Deputy Minister of Early Learning Division Visits Sudbury Catholic District School Board
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board was pleased to have Jim Grieve, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Early Learning Division and Pam Musson, Director of Implementation of Early Learning visit some of its elementary schools to look at examples of Full Day Senior Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten classes as well as visit a Best Start Hub. Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board joined the visitors at St. Raphael and Pius XII Catholic Elementary Schools to see example of schools that have full day senior kindergarten as many other boards in the province have only half day kindergarten. With the full implementation of full day early learning and Junior Kindergarten in the fall of 2010, the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Early Learning Division and Director of Implementation of Early Learning visited both schools to better understand the organization and process of full day learning that Sudbury Catholic already has in place (S.K.). In partnership with the Best Start Hubs and (at Pius XII) Maple Tree Preschool, the Sudbury Catholic District School Board was able to highlight some great examples of how teachers and early childhood educators are already working together in the classroom to help students learn and grow.
Bishop Alexander CCSS – Building Bridges and School Spirit Together
Students at Bishop Alexander Carter faced a bridge building challenge this past week in their woodshop class. The students had been given the task of building model bridges and then the completed projects were subjected to weight tests. The rules allowed only for glue and wood 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch to be used. In the end the majority of the bridges were able to remain stable even with a weight of 300 lbs pulling down on them. Savanna Lamoureux, one of the woodshop students said that the day was a lot of fun and it was a great opportunity for the students to express their school spirit. “We really had a lot of fun.” said Lamoureux. “Not only building the bridges, but also destroying them after it was all done!”