As part of their Catholic Education Week activities, students from St. Benedict’s outdoor education program hit the water on Silver Lake early to practice some of their canoing skills on May 5, 2011. In order to prepare for their four day canoe trip later in the month, the St. Ben’s students manned their canoes and worked on their paddling techniques around the lake. Eighteen students will be traveling to Kukagami Lake for their four day trip and Outdoor Education teacher Pat Morris makes sure that each student is confident in their abilities before they leave embark on their excursion. Morris explained how the outdoor education program at St. Benedict really allows students to connect to the outdoor world, and the students learn to become cognizant of their impact on the environment through this program. “ When we are working on our outdoor ed. skills, we look at what we bring to the space and what we leave behind,” Morris stated. “Even when we come to Silver Lake to practice, we do a garbage clean up of the launch site before we hit the water, and make sure that when we leave, the space is exactly as it should be – nothing left behind – this way our students develop a deep respect for our earth.” Catherine McCullough visited the students as they practiced canoeing and spoke to the strength of the program at St. Benedict and its impact on the school and community. “These students really understand the importance of being stewards of the earth,” McCullough said. “This program really develops our students as leaders in the environment, and it is a connection that they bring to the community and beyond.”
Author: admin
St. Anne Students Beat to The Drum of the First Nations
“A culture of respectful relationships.” That is what the Gr.5/6 English and French Immersion students at St. Anne school believe in. They showed this during the past week by being part of a Sudbury Catholic School Board presentation with Aboriginal Elder Vince Pawis, Mr. Pawis exposed the students to the rich history, culture and perspectives of First Nation people through his explanations of the Medicine Wheel and other symbols such as the drum. The students listened while developing an increased awareness and appreciation of traditional teachings. They learned about respecting the beauty and history found within the Aboriginal culture. Gr. 5 French Immersion student Valerie Gour was honoured to hold the drum passed around during the presentation. The Sudbury Catholic Board believes in the building of community through the implementation of First Nation, Metis, and Inuit education.
Transitions – St. Michael and St. Francis
New friends Bayly Burns from St. Francis and Mackenzie Coggins from St. Michael worked together on a peace quilt during Catholic Education Week. The lesson used the book Somewhere Today – a Book about Peace. Students in grades 1 to 6 from both schools got together as a part of the transition plan to prepare students from St. Michael’s to join those from St. Francis, as St. Michael’s is closing in June and students will be attending St. Francis in the fall.
Students will also be getting together to watch a play at St. Francis called “Goldilocks and the Three Canadian Bears” on May 16th.
Local School Overflows with Parents’ Support
The parents of St. David Catholic School flooded the school during a recent student led conference and showcase portfolio morning. The staff prepared a quiet area in the school for parents and students to conference about student success using student showcase portfolios, but was flooded with so many parents, grandparents, neighbours and even babysitters that they had to empty 3 other classrooms and use these spaces for additional conference areas. The school staff was delighted with the unexpected family turnout, but did have to make some quick adjustments for sheer numbers.
“Student led conferencing is when you have students conduct formal conferences with their parents or guests to display their school work as well as discuss their learning, educational goals and strategies for meeting those goals. Student led conferencing puts students at the heart of the process so that they have the opportunity to tell the story of their own achievement and successes. These conferences offer an authentic outside audience necessary for portfolios to be serious, real world tasks and they bring parents into the assessment process”, explained school literacy coach, Jennifer Gran. Dawn Wemigwans, school principal stated, “We most definitely plan to do this again. It was a great success for our school. Our students and their parents were visibly proud of each other and of course we were too.”
Tea Party at St. Paul
Catholic Education Week at St. Paul School ended with a tea party for the Mothers and Grandmothers of Mme. Gautheir’s SK FI class. The students entertained their guests,
shared treats together and each presented their Mother with an individually authored storybook and flower. As a special treat, the grade 8 core french class, under the guidance of Mme. Lavalle, made special hats during the week with the little ones and to conclude the tea party all modelled their hats and recited a poem en francaise.
A Tasty Lesson for St. Andrew Students
Dave Harding from “Nanas Kettle Corn” provided the students with a fun and informative demonstration on popcorn. He uses an authentic big open kettle, kernels popped in Canola oil and quickly pops the ‘mushroom shaped’ sweet and salty popcorn. The popcorn is nut free, gluten free, dairy free, trans fat tree, and guilt free which is perfect as a school fundraiser.Students enjoyed a sample taste and then purchased bags of popcorn for $2.00 each.
Celebrating our Nation – Strong and Free!
Students in Mrs. Low’s grade one class coloured and constructed a map of Canada as part of their Catholic Education Week activities.
Many students had parents and grandparents on hand to assist with the decorating.
Students also entertained the crowd with a class concert comprised of their hit songs from music class such as “Baby Bumblebee” and “On Top of Spaghetti”.
St. Albert Participates in Spring Clean Up
Staff and students at St. Albert Adult Learning Centre did their part to keep their community clean. They participated in a spring clean up of area streets around the school. They received supplies and support from the city and in the end, picked up over 20 bags of garbage from around the neighbourhood.
St. Anne Angels Do Their Part
The grade 8 students at St. Anne School did their part on Monday, May 2nd when they participated in a school yard and community clean up. St. Anne Angels went out into the community to leave ditches and neighbouring properties litter free. Bailey Laforest, Ericka Blouin, and Nick Cranley were 3 of the 63 students in attendance that day. This day marked the beginning of the Sudbury Catholic Board’s Education week and highlighted Monday’s theme of hospitality. “I think it is important for us to help out in the community and to set an example for the younger students at our school,” said student Nick Cranley. The staff and students of St. Anne School in Hanmer were very appreciative of the efforts made by the grade 8 pupils. Way to go Angels!