Five grade 5-8 classes in the city had the opportunity to win a Discovery Mining tour April 30-May 4 through a poster contest for this year’s Sudbury Mining Week – and one of the winners was Thomas Crowther. Crowther, a grade 6 student at St. Raphael Elementary Catholic School was excited to have been chosen as a winner. His teacher, Kevin Krystia said that it was a hard choice selecting one poster to submit for his class, but ultimately it was Crowther’s that he thought would be the best submission. “The poster truly reflected the theme of Mining Week – Mining and technology for the next generation,” Kristia stated. “Thomas’s poster depicted mining in the past, present and in the future – showing mining on Mars. This was great as it not only related to the theme of Mining Week, Thomas was also able to connect to space and space exploration which is part of the grade 6 curriculum. ” Crowther was happy that his classmates also got to enjoy in his prize – a trip to Dynamic Earth for the entire class which took place on Friday, March 4th.
Month: May 2012
Marymount Academy’s Production of Annie Jr a Success!
Audiences at each of the shows of Annie Jr. at Marymount Academy walked away smiling and singing. During the week of April 23, 2012, Marymount students and staff worked tirelessly to put on this outstanding production. When asked what they thought after seeing the show, several Sudbury Catholic elementary students said “it was so awesome!” It was a huge undertaking, from set design, choreography, singing and lighting – the entire production was top notch and was truly a group effort. Congratulations to all the students and staff involved in the musical!
“Score!” – Sudbury Catholic Receives Significant Funding to Support Music Programming
The grade 8 students at St. Benedict donned their coats and waited by the door for the vehicle from St. John’s Music in Toronto to arrived jammed packed with goods. Getting ready to unload their order, their teacher, Leanne Urso, couldn’t stop herself from grinning – “Its like Christmas!” exclaimed Urso. Both Urso and St. Anne’s vice principal, Joanne Comisso applied for some funding back in June to support the board’s music programming. Successful in their grant application, both staff members received word that the Sudbury Catholic Board would be receiving $20,000 worth of musical instruments and other music paraphernalia from MusiCounts. MusiCounts is a music education charity associated with the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, working towards keeping music alive in schools across Canada. This specific grant, called the Band Aid grant, speaks to their mission of ensuring that children in Canada have access to comprehensive music programs through their schools, regardless of socio-economic circumstances. On Friday, September 30, MusiCounts held a press conference to announce this year’s recipients of these grants nationwide, with the help of Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies, as well as Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. A total of $600,000 was distributed to over 80 school communities across the country. Sudbury Catholic was the only recipient in Northeastern Ontario successful in their grant application.
Both Urso and Comisso conduct the elementary Sudbury Catholic concert band, which is comprised of grade 7 and 8 students from St. Anne, St. Raphael, Pius XII and St. Benedict. This band, which practices separately in their individual schools, come together on several occasions throughout the school year to perform as one. With the arrival of new instruments and music programming material, both Urso and Comisso were overjoyed with the success of their application. “We are both so passionate about music,” Comisso stated. “This arrival of instruments and materials is a huge, huge addition to our programming, and we are so fortunate.”
Barry MacDonald, Chair of the Board for Sudbury Catholic echoed Comisso’s comments. “ What an outstanding accomplishment for our Board. This substantial delivery of musical instruments etc., is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of our staff,” MacDonald stated. “The passion that drives our staff to offer our students more, directly impacts these students, and allows our staff to deliver above standard programming.”
Upcoming concert dates will be announced in the near future with the band performing in and around the city, with their brand new instruments.
Welcome to Kindergarten at St. Andrew
On May 2nd St. Andrew School welcomed several of the children registered for JK in September to an afternoon of activities to Welcome them to Kindergarten. The classroom teacher, her student teacher and several community partners ( Minnow Lake Nursery School, Children Treatment Centre, Best Start Hub, Sudbury Public Health Unit) organized various activities for the parents and children to participate in and to learn various ways to help prepare their child for kindergarten. The Principal Melody Henry spoke of the great partnership that the Sudbury Catholic School Board has with the Learning Partnership who provide bags filled with books, and colouring and cutting tools for home use.
Angel’s Help Feed Families
Recently, the grade 7 and 8 students at St Anne Catholic School in Hanmer had the opportunity to listen to guest speaker Tammy Durand, founder of ABC’s and Rice. Students were informed that education across the globe is not the same, especially in third world countries such as Cambodia. Throughout the presentation, Sudbury Catholic District School Board students learned that the needs of those in third world countries are much different than the needs of those in Canada. Education is not a right in Cambodia, but rather a privilege that not all children are lucky enough to obtain.
ABC’s and Rice is breaking the mould in Cambodia, through the selfless acts of Tammy Durand, and making education available to children in a special way. If families allow their children to attend school rather than work, the children will be given rice and other necessities to bring home to their families. ABC’s and Rice is hoping to break the cycle of poverty through education of Cambodia’s youth.
Approximately 130 students had the opportunity to hear Durand speak about the program that captured their attention throughout the one hour presentation. Tammy Durand explained to students that they can do anything that they set their minds too. What started as an adventure tour for her turned into a whole new chapter of charity work that has fulfilled her more than anything she has ever experienced.
In true Angel spirit, the St Anne students donated $175.00 to ABC’s and Rice. This money will go towards feeding approximately 9 families with rice for one month. “This was a great experience for our students at St.Anne school. Tammy and I went to elementary school together. She is a true inspiration. I wanted these students to understand that she was no different than them. She sat in similar classrooms that they are sitting in, although she decided to make a difference in the lives of others, ” said Jody O’Daiskey, grade 8 teacher at St Anne school.
Carli Meeks and Alyssa Menard are two of the students that had the opportunity to listen to Durand’s powerful presentation. “I though it was interesting that a girl from our area basically saved those children’s lives from the working conditions, lack of education and food deprivation,” said Carli Meeks, grade 8 student at St. Anne Catholic School. “If you put your mind to it, you can do anything,” said Alyssa Menard, another grade 8 student at St. Anne Catholic School. This was the message that echoed loud and clear throughout her discussions with St. Anne Students.
Tammy Durand is a former student of the Sudbury Catholic District school board. She now lives in Cambodia where she teaches, feeds, and organizes the programs for ABC’s and Rice.