On February 1st, the Sudbury and District Health Unit and St. John Catholic Elementary School came together to offer an informative and tasty evening for families called E.A.T. (Eat Healthy, Anaphylaxis Awareness and Take and Taste). The SDHU began the evening with a presentation on allergies and anaphylaxis awareness. Families then sampled a variety of tasty, nutritious and nut-free lunch items such as egg salad pitas, veggie wraps, snack mix, fennel salad and black bean brownies. Students and their families explored new fruits such as papaya, mango, star fruit and grapples. There were interactive games for the children and recipes for the parents!
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St. James Hosts JK Registration Night
Prospective JK students and their families enjoyed a variety of stations at the Kindergarten registration evening held on February 7th at St. James Catholic School in Lively. The up and coming JKers experienced a glimpse into school life by participating in a wide variety of activities; such as hands-on Smart Board activities, playing with gym equipment, and visiting and exploring the Kindergarten classrooms.
Students at St. David School Welcome Messages of Anti-Bullying and Restorative Justice
Chad Solomon, local artist and author of the graphic novel series, “Rabbit and Bear Paws” presented a series of interactive workshops to the students of St. David School. The sessions were based in restorative justice and advocating for a bully free school environment. Chad Solomon is a member of the Henvey Inlet, First Nation. His grandfather Art Solomon, was a traditional healer and justice activist. Mr. Solomon told stories of his grandfather to the students, always with the hint of laughter and his life lessons learned.
The restorative justice sessions were interactive workshops using the puppets, “Rabbit”, “Bear Claw” and “Strawberry”. The students became the puppeteers and were able to discover how to resolve bullying using restorative justice practices. Mr. Solomon also worked with the intermediate students at St. David Catholic School to help them create a graphic novel page based on the Seven Grandfather Teachings of love, wisdom, respect, humility, truth, bravery, and honesty. Mr. Solomon encouraged students to recall their own personal experiences and use their imagination when creating stories. According to Tara Theriault, the school’s Child and Youth Worker, “It was a great day for the students of St. David School. They heard a message that promotes equality, understanding and respect. Mr. Solomon used humour as a tool when he worked with our students and they really enjoyed the day and walked away being inspired to make a difference”.
Learning to Make Every Penny Count
Two teachers at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School decided to join forces. JK/SK teacher Cheryl MacRury and Grade 7 teacher Kathy Belanger decided they wanted to get their students involved in a community action project, and figured they would have more of an impact if they worked together. The teachers applied for a grant with the Canadian Teacher’s Federation and were successful, allowing them the opportunity to bring their project to life. Both classes decided that they wanted to help animals, specifically the Wild at Heart Animal Refuge. The two classes split the grant money and put it towards a different part of the project. The grade seven students decided to purchase digital cameras so that they could document their project and put together multimedia projects to showcase their progress. The JK/SK class decided that they would take some field trips to the shelter itself so that they could learn more about the animals they are hoping to help. In order to get their project started, the classes decided to visit local businesses and organizations in their community, and if allowed, leave donation cans in support of their project. All they were asking for were people’s pennies. Several businesses immediately jumped on board. After the first collection, they very quickly they realized that their penny collection was going to be a great teaching tool for their students. Every few weeks, the students gather together in one classroom and break off into groups of a few grade seven students and one JK/SK student. Each student is then given a pile of pennies that have been collected and the older students guide the younger student in counting out 50 “penny piles”. “Peer learning is such a great teaching tool for our students,” Belanger commented. “The older students become mentors for the young students and each look forward to our meetings as they enjoy learning from each other!” So far, the students have collected and counted over $70 in pennies over the last couple of months.
“Our students are not only learning numeracy, they are also learning literacy, technology, the importance of compassion, community and virtues.” Stated MacRury. The two classes will continue to meet on a regular basis to tally their collections right into June. The Grade 7 students will then have the opportunity to showcase their media presentations to the rest of the school. The group is hoping not only to donate funds to the shelter, but also donate much needed items like food and cleaning supplies.
“The dedication and hard work of our staff is second to none,” Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board stated. “These kinds of projects really engage our students, and allow them to see beyond the classroom. These are important life lessons that are a foundation for success in life.”
Reading with the Wolves
St. Paul the Apostle School welcomed four Sudbury Wolves on the morning of Wednesday Feb. 1. These four players visited the various classrooms and read hockey related books for the students. Pictured is Nathan Pancel with Madame Wright’s JK French Immersion Class. He shared the book “Just One Goal” written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko.
Math is More than Numbers
Parents of Grades 1-5 students at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School were invited to the school and experience math with their child using IXL, a math tool using technology. At St. Charles school, math concepts are approached from all angles, offering visual representations, word problems, interactive activities and more. Grade 4 teacher, Maria Petroski states that ‘with an abundance of math problems for every learning style, students can’t help but build lasting skills and confidence’.
St. Mary Students “Stand Up” for Family Literacy Day
On January 27th, 2012, St. Mary Catholic School Staff decided to host a “Stand Up Day.” “We wanted to make sure the students were learning an important message on Family Literacy Day ,”said Ms. Waern. “It is for this reason the teachers decided to work with an anti-bullying theme.”
Children travelled from station to station in the afternoon. At one station they listened to literature about bullying and then they participated in oral exercises. At another station, they listened to fairy tales such as Cinderella. The students were then asked to reflect on what they would do if they were being bullied and how they could change their behaviour if they were bullying others. The children were also asked to act out scenarios. Finally, in Ms. Waern’s class students listened to their teacher read books and then they were asked to group together to write poetry with an anti-bullying theme.
The day culminated in the library, where the children created their own “Stand Up” bracelets and “Self-esteem” cupcakes. “
The children were taught the words of Mother Teresa, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” “So how do we belong to each other?,” asked Ms. Brunneau. Her class responded by saying, “Make other people feel good about themselves, and you will feel good about you.”
This message sent by our junior students, sums up the learning of our children on Family Literacy Day. In addition, “The message brings truth and light to our Catholic vision and values ,” said principal Sherry Bortolotti.
St. Andrew Celebrates Family Literacy Day
For Family Literacy Day at St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School, Fire Chief Dan Stack and Public Safety Officer, Mitch Therriault read stories to the primary students. Police Officer Midena read stories to the junior students. Students enjoyed popcorn, and dressed in pyjamas for the day.
St. John Students Celebrate Literacy Day with a Twist
Primary students at St. John School celebrated World Literacy Day on Friday, January 27th with a Fairy Tale twist. Students enjoyed dressing as their favourite Fairy Tale character as they spent the morning engaged in literacy activities. At one station, students played Fairy Tale Trivia, answering questions about some of their beloved stories. Students also listened to and acted out Fairy Tales with their teachers.