Pius XII Catholic Elementary students participated recently in a ‘Pinky Pledge’ as part of their anti-bullying week events. Pius has linked up with Secret Deodorant with an anti-bullying campaign ‘Mean Stinks’. Girls made a pinky promise to be a ‘Drama Free School’. Students pledged that they will be kind, symbolized by wearing blue polish on their pinky fingers. Pius XII school has many activities and events lined up for 2 weeks to celebrate Bullying Prevention.
Month: November 2012
Pius XII Students and Wolves talk about Goals
Grade 4/5 students at Pius XII Catholic Elementary School welcomed Sudbury Wolves players Justin Sefton, Nathan Pancel and assistant coach John Young into their classroom. The students were very excited to have Wolves players in the class to talk about and reinforce the importance of setting goals, responsibility, team work and getting an education.
Peace Tree at St. Francis
On Friday, November 16th all students at St. Francis School participated in a Peace Tree activity. This activity was the culmination of Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week, and focused on Mahatma Ghandi’s message “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”. After reading the book “The Tree” by Dana Lyons, classes talked about respect for the environment and how disruptive disrespect can be to the peace of a forest or wetland. They then made connections between this story and how disrespect disrupts peace in our school. Symbols of different cultures and faiths from around the world were provided to every class and students turned these symbols into ornaments for a Peace Tree, situated in the lobby of the school. The tree is now covered with ornaments, many of which also have messages about how they will promote peace in their school, home, local community and the world.
The Key to Stop Bullying is Friendship at St. Charles Elementary
The students in Mrs. Harris’ grade 1/2 class at St. Charles Elementary are learning all about friendship rules and how to stop bullying! They have read the books Friendship and Our Friendship Rules and have made keys about how to be a good friend and not a bully.
The students have been learning about bullying and how to prevent bullying in preparation for Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week – November 18 – 24, 2012.
Trent Cull Visits St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School
The School Improvement Plan for St. Andrew School under Catholic Care and Concern states that every month visitors from the community will be invited to the school to speak to the students about career opportunities and the importance of staying in school. This month Mr. Trent Cull, father of Wyatt and Gabe and coach of the Sudbury Wolves, visited our school to share his dreams with our students. Mr. Cull told the students that you have to work hard, stay in school and always dream”big”. The students were very interested in his hockey career…where he played, where he coached, what does coaching entail and “What’s up with the Wolves?” Pictured are Mr. Cull with his sons Wyatt and Gabe and Shrisha a new student to our school and our country.
St. Anne Angels Learn about “Being Brave”
Remembrance Day takes on a special meaning in the Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) French Immersion class at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School in Hanmer. Student Cameron O’Daiskey holds her great-grandfather’s medal. “He got them by being brave in WWII,” said Cameron O’Daiskey.
The class read various books about poppies and veterans. Their favourite book was Proud as a Peacock by Jane Barclay. They also used the iPADs in the classroom in order to research the medals and their meaning. This inquiry led the class to wonder how they could earn medals and make “the world a better place.”
St. Raphael Students Stand Up to Bullying
The Grade 7’s students at St. Raphael Catholic Elementary School wrote public service announcement about Standing Up To Bullying to support anti-bullying in the school. Both classes participated in wearing pink on the day they shared the PSAs with each other. One of the students, Gabriella Alves stated, “It was fun to dress in pink for a cause. The bullying PSAs told stories about our classmates, from the victim’s perspective, and were very powerful.” Well done Grade 7 students. You should be proud of your efforts of standing up to bullying!
Shoes, Shoes and more Shoes!
Box after box, bag after bag, over 1500 pairs of shoes lined the hallway ready to be sorted. As part of a social justice initiative last year, the students and staff at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board collected a multitude of shoes to donate to other students and people in need in the community. The “Sudbury Catholic Shoe-Drop” was an initiative that was launched in May of 2012 as part of Catholic Education Week and continued until the end of June. To connect with this initiative, the SCDSB also asked Catholic trustees from across the nation visiting Sudbury for the Canadian Catholic Schools’ Trustee Association A.G.M. in June to support this cause. Many came with bags full of brand new shoes that were donated from their local community shoes stores. As well, students and staff from the Conseil scolaire de district catholique du Nouvel-Ontario also stepped up to the plate and sent over numerous boxes from their own shoe drives. It has taken a few months to get the shoes all to one location and preliminarily sorted, and now the task at hand is a doing a more comprehensive inventory of the shoes. Christina Kilby, the grade 8 teacher at St. David Catholic Elementary School volunteered her class to be in charge of sorting all of the shoes by size to make it easier for donation. “I knew that this activity would be a great opportunity to connect to this month’s virtue of justice,” Kilby stated. “Working with my students to service the needs of others definitely speaks to this virtue, and allows my class to be able to connect to their faith through empathy and compassion.” Once organized, the shoes will be sent to those who might need some warm and dry footwear in the Greater City of Sudbury through various charities and outlets. Barry MacDonald, Chair of the Board for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board was thrilled with the response to the call for new and gently used shoes. “What an outstanding success this has been to support those in need in our community,” MacDonald stated. “Especially as we are gearing up for the Christmas season, as well as cold and wet winter weather, this considerable donation is a true reflection of the generous and compassionate spirit of the Sudbury Catholic DSB family, as well as its partners both in the community and across the nation!”
NET Some Faith for St. Anne Angels
On November 5, 2012, Grade 8 students at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School in Hanmer participated in a NET retreat (National Evangelization Team). NET members, comprised of a group of young people who challenge young Catholics to embrace Christ, shared Jesus’ gospel message in a dynamic format. They brought their message to life through songs, skits, small group discussions, and prayer. “It was a lot of fun. I liked talking in groups and getting to know my classmates on a deeper level,” said Crystal Therrien, a student who attended the retreat.
Students embraced the day by taking part in all activities. Some were compelled to read the Bible while others opted to pray the rosary. This quiet time allowed students to reflect in prayer and even brought some to tears. “It gave me time to speak to God about some of the choices I have made. I also prayed for world peace,” said Jacob Lesenke, a student at the school. To end the day, students quietly entered the church and prayed silently with their team leader. Lunch was provided courtesy of The Caruso Club.