Students in the grade 5/6 French Immersion class at St Bernadette Catholic School participated in a pumpkin math investigation on October 27th and 28th. Each group of 3 students chose a pumpkin and named it. They then collected quantitative data for their pumpkin, such as the circumference, number of creases and weight. After the students examined each group’s “pumpkin” data on a class chart, they were asked to predict which pumpkin would have the most seeds and explain their reasoning. Then the fun began! Students separated the pulp and the seeds of their pumpkins. They estimated the amount of seeds they removed. The students devised their own methods to keep track of the seeds they counted. such as tally charts, making groups of 10, etc… “It was interesting to see that the pumpkin that was the largest and weighed the most did not have the most seeds,” said grade 6 student, Savannah Crossthwaite.
Month: October 2014
LDAS Teacher of the Year
On Oct 21, an outstanding SCDSB teacher was recognized by the Learning Disabilities Association of Sudbury as the 2014 Teacher of the Year.
Jodi Cunningham, a teacher at St Charles College, has been with the board since 1995 and has taught in a variety of settings but it is the last nine years as the resource teacher at St Charles where she has made the biggest impact. Jodi continually puts students and families first and goes above and beyond to make sure each student has a place at St Charles College.
At St Charles you can ask any student with needs who one of their first contacts was at St Charles and they would tell you Mrs. Cunningham. Jodi helps every student find their appropriate path with the right supports for them. In her role, Jodi shares difficult conversations with students and families, in a caring way, and will go that extra mile to help each student reach their potential. It only takes five minutes with Jodi to know that each and every student is special to her and she will do everything in her power to help them be successful.
At SCDSB we are proud to be have such dedicated teachers as Jodi Cunningham helping each and every student.
Congratulations Jodi Cunningham!
Secondary Student Leaders Participate in Equity Workshops
From October 21 to October 24, guest speakers from the Harmony Movement group held workshops for student leaders from all of our secondary schools to talk about diversity and equity in the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.
Biju Pappachan and Caitlin Wood led the 40 students through many activities and discussions about such topics as bullying, racism and sexism. The students were engaged as they examined issues surrounding stereotypes and prejudice and to hear about how many biased images bombard us regularly in the media.
“It’s changed my perspective on how to look at different people of different genders and races,” said St. Benedict student Laura Rinaldi.
The students gained a much deeper appreciation for the privileges that they enjoy in our society, whether it’s gender, socioeconomic status, culture or in other ways. It made them more empathetic toward those who don’t necessarily wake up with the same abilities. They were taught that with privilege comes the responsibility to make our world more equitable through examples of student leadership like the pink shirt day anti-bullying movement.
The students who attended the workshops now feel empowered to go back to their schools and work to make their peers more aware of some of the issues that were discussed.
St. Benedict student Breana Mastroianni said, “I really learned how to stand up and take a stand againstt discrimination.”
Superintendent of School Effectiveness, Rossella Bagnato, explained the importance of initiatives like this one. “We can’t predict the future but we can help shape it and a good place to start is with the students. The Harmony Movement and the equity workshop have provided us with a great starting point.”
Congratulations to these future leaders and we look forward to being a part of what you bring back to our schools.
St. Andrew staff and students visit Grotto
On Wednesday October 22, to celebrate October the month of the Queen of the Rosary, the teaching staff and students of St. Andrew School boarded 3 buses and went to visit the Grotto of Lourdes on Van Horne Street. The grade 3/4, 4/5 and 5/6 classes led the students, teachers and parents in a Living Rosary near the fountain. Once the rosary was recited each group took some time to visit the beautiful statues from France that depict the Way of the Cross and also the beautiful replica of the Grotto of Lourdes. Pictured are some of the grade two students enjoying the Grotto of Lourdes Shrine.
Cardinal Can Total Crushed Once Again
St. Charles College and its feeder schools have collected more than 115 thousand cans to stock Sudbury Food Bank shelves during the winter months. This exceeds the goal to collect 60 thousand cans that the student council set at the beginning of the week.
Together with St. Raphael, St. Paul, St. Andrew, St. Bernadette, St. John, St. David and Pius, the Cards went door-to-door all over the city in pursuit of cans or cash.
The schools also teamed up with Q92 and Kiss FM to promote what has become the largest single donation to the Sudbury Food Bank in its history.
SCC Principal Patty Mardero says, “I congratulate every Card and future who went door-to-door these last few weeks so that people in this city can eat.”
Start your engines!
Start your engines! Students participated in the annual Remote Control car races on October 22nd at Bishop Alexander Carter. Students, staff and special guests raced the 1/10th scale racing machines on the student built track at the Bishop Carter R/C Speedway. As an added twist to this year’s Bishop Cup event, the Gators invited the R/C club from Franco Cité, located in Sturgeon Falls, to take part in the festivities.
It was an afternoon of high speed and high flying action as over 20 cars raced in 4 exciting classes. At stake were trophies and school pride. To keep track of the action, Bishop Carter set up a state-of-the-art electronic timing system. The system not only tells drivers when to go and stop, but it also keeps track of the number of laps, lap times, and fastest lap all while giving verbal cues to the drivers about their performance during the race.
Not only were students and teachers racing, but a special group of “All Stars” came out to try their hand at R/C racing. This group of star racers included, Bishop Carter’s Principal Mrs. Cassandra MacGregor, Joanne Benard Director of Education, Michael Bellmore Trustee, GRant and Skerri from Hot 93.5, Brad and Leanne from KICX, and Mr. Dan Turnbull from the Greater Sudbury Fire Service. Not only did the All Stars have fun, but they also gained a whole new respect for how difficult these little racers are to control.
Bishop Carter’s R/C club practices every Wednesday at the school. Many students have joined the club. Some students are racers. Some students are part of a tech crew, while others are part of the track crew. Some students serve as race marshals. There is a part for everyone who is interested in participating in this club.
Giving ‘BAC’ to the Community
The staff and students held their annual Memorial Walk in September. Part of the mandate is to give ‘BAC’ to the community. This year the school chose to donate parts of the proceeds from the walk to KICX for Kids charity.
St. Anne students pay tribute to fallen soldier
At 9:00am this morning, 135 students in grade 7 and 8 at St. Anne Catholic School in Hanmer came together to “Stand on Guard”. Students sang O Canada together to pay tribute to the fallen Canadian soldier, Nathan Cirillo.
The staff and students at St. Anne Catholic School also participated in a prayer of peace led by their principal Mr. Guy Mathieu. The students at St. Anne Catholic School recognize the importance of coming together as a community, and will continue to “Stand on Guard” during this difficult time in Canadian History.
Rallying the Can Collecting Troops
Tomorrow, St. Charles College along with its feeder schools will know if they have crushed their can collecting goal. The school set out to collect 60 thousand cans in support of the Sudbury Food Bank this season as part of its annual collection blitz.
The high school is working in partnership with St. Paul, St. John, St. Bernadette, Pius, St. David, St. Raphael, St. Andrew Catholic Elementary schools. Student can collect a combination of canned foods and cash. Last year, they surpassed their goal by collecting more than 112 thousand cans.
The food drive began more than 25 years ago and its founder, former student Jim Szilva still takes part in the drive with his former high school. The school also teams up with Q92 and KISS 105.3 to Stuff a Bus full of food. The radio stations also broadcasted live from the school parking lot on the bus all week.
Tomorrow morning, the collection totals will be revealed and the food will then be transported to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse.