On September 20th, a full days worth of events were planned to build spirit and community among grade nine students at St. Charles College. The annual spirit day allows students to feel a part of a team and engage in activities so that they can get to know one another.
David DiBrina, student council President says “grade nine can be an awkward year for students. They are trying to fit in and find their place here at St. Charles College. We believe that having fun and having friends to lean on takes the stress and anxiety out of the beginning of grade nine.”
There are more than two hundred grade nine students registered at St. Charles College this year.
Author: admin
St. Francis Students Supporting a Friend
Avery Houle and Emma Hickey, two Grade 4 students at St. Francis Catholic Elementary School took it upon themselves to try to lend a helping hand for a fellow student. These young ladies demonstrated Christian kindness and empathy through their actions to help Karissa Kruk, a student from St. Francis who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia this past summer. Avery and Emma, over the Labour Day weekend, sold lemonade for 50 cents a glass, for Karissa resulting in an outstanding $285.35 raised! They were helped by Emma’s grandparents, John and Denise Hickey, who gave them the idea. Congratulations to these two students for their hard work and caring. They plan to sell more lemonade in the very near future. Well done ladies!
As reported by: Emma Riley Grade 4
Healthy Start To School Year
Pius XII Catholic Elementary Grade 6 student, Abigail McDonald, gets off to a healthy start to the school year by bringing a salad for lunch. “I love salad, especially with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes”. Vice Principal, Tina Timpano states that “good food, daily physical activity and a healthy environment supports learning and growth that are vital to helping students reach their full potential. It is amazing to see the students making healthy choices on a daily basis.”
St. Anne Catholic School Welcomes New Angels
The first day of school is often a day that has students filled with excitement as they begin a new chapter in their lives. On September 4, 2012, St. Anne Catholic School in Hanmer welcomed its new students with brightly decorated halls, welcome messages on bulletin boards, prize displays for the upcoming fundraiser, and Catholic Virtue words that encourage all students to be leaders.
Three students from the Full Day Kindergarten program shared their excitement as they had time to interact with others and begin their inquiry-based learning. All of them were happy to share their feelings about the day. “I liked making new friends,” said Kaitlin Lacroix. “I liked going outside,” said Payton MacDonald. Caedene Troscinski, a student who is new to St. Anne Catholic School said, “I like meeting new friends because I’m new here.”
St. Anne Catholic School is a growing Catholic school community that strives to incorporate technology into student learning with MacBooks, iPads, and access to a school-wide wireless network.
Marymount Academy Celebrates School Spirit
As part of the school’s annual spirit week, students at Marymount Academy showed up for class dressed in their finest superhero garb on September 17, 2012. Each year, the Girls Athletic Association plans a week of events that helps build school spirit and allows the students to get to know each other on a more informal basis outside of the classroom. Some of this year’s activities include superhero day, pop culture day, western day, pyjama day and the cartoon spirit which involves team activities with the entire school at Delki Dozzi park. Lucie Cullen, Principal of Marymount Academy looks forward to spirit week every year. “It is such a great opportunity for the girls to get to know each other and really reinforces the unique and collegial element at Marymount Academy,” Cullen stated. “All of the activities and events really create a positive and welcoming environment, not only for those students new to the school, but for all of our students.”
St. David Catholic School Welcomes the “Outdoor Classroom”
Staff and students at St. David Catholic Elementary School continue to embrace the outdoor classroom concept. Last June, the primary and junior grade teachers and their students planted tomatoes, cucumbers, purple beans, squash, lettuce & nasturtium flowers in large planters around the school yard. During the warm summer months, the Better Beginnings Better Futures summer program took care of the garden boxes by weeding and watering the vegetables. This September, St. David School students were able to harvest tomatoes, cucumbers and nasturtiums from the garden boxes.
“The students were so excited to be able to make and eat a salad that they had grown themselves. The school purchased the lettuce to add to the student’s salad. We were also able to harvest broccoli, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes from the community garden at Victory Park. We worked in partnership with the community to help plant the Victory Park garden in the Donovan. Our students could not get enough of the vegetables that they had grown themselves. I am very proud of their initiative and their excitement and positive energy was contagious”, stated Terri Lynn Lepage, St. David School grade 3 teacher.
In other exciting ‘green’ news at St. David School, the grade 1 & 3 classes were able to harvest the worm casings from their vermicomposters and will be using that to fertilize the school garden boxes this fall! The school continues to compost as an entire school community including the Best Start Aboriginal HUB and Better Beginnings Better Futures After School Program. The school continues to work in partnership to reduce, reuse and recycle.
St. Andrew Starts New School Year with Mass
St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School celebrated the new school year with a celebration of the Eucharist in the school activity room. Father Sam from St. Andrew the Apostle Parish led the students in the celebration. The students were challenged to show respect for the earth, their classmates, for all people, young and old, of all races and abilities, and finally to show respect for themselves, by working hard and doing their best to build God’s kingdom on earth.
St. Charles Catholic School JK/SK Students Wonder, “Where is God?”
Kindergarten students at St. Charles Catholic School began to explore the Essential Question, “Where is God?”. They found Him in the trees, the flowers, the sky and in each other. Students discovered that God lives in our hearts, our thoughts and our friendships.
Marymount Academy Student Experiences a Summer of Science
This past summer, one Marymount Academy Student had the opportunity of a lifetime. Sandy Qiu, a grade 12 student, spent six weeks taking part in the elite Summer Immersion Program at the Deep River Science Academy in Deep River, Ontario. What started off as a suggestion from one of her friends, resulted in her participation an intensive co-op program focusing on hands on science. At this academy, exceptional high school students actively participate in research, perform experiments, as well as listen to guest lecturers on various science topics. The students also had the opportunity to participate in numerous recreational activities and meet like-minded students from across Canada. All of the successful participants in the program are awarded two high school co-op credits in acknowledgment of their hard work and dedication. Qiu’s project, titled, “Antimony Adsorption on Zirconium Hydroxide in Aqueous Solutions” was completed alongside a University tutor and Scientific Supervisor.
Deep River Science Academy Program Director, Danielle Martin was pleased to have Qiu as part of the science program. “Sandy Qiu was a wonderful addition to our program this summer,” Martin stated. “ She was an excellent ambassador of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and we hope that her attendance instils a sense of pride within your Board. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful student with us this summer.”
Qiu felt that it was an exceptional experience and was glad to have been chosen to take part in it. “It was great to be able to be a part of such a unique program,” Qiu stated. “I was so fortunate to be selected to be one of the participants and it was really an outstanding experience. It is definitely something I would like to continue with in the future.”