Grade 2 students at St. John Catholic School recently made their math thinking visible during a Three Part Math Lesson. The lesson structure actively engaged students in their learning and allowed for the development of mathematics in their classroom community.
To get started students activated their prior knowledge by arranging various coins from least to greatest. Groups of students were then challenged to solve the following problem: Mrs. Roque has five coins in her pocket. Mrs. Smith has six coins in her pocket. Mrs. Roque has more money than Mrs. Smith but neither has more than 100 cents. How much money could each teacher have? Students were encouraged to use a variety of strategies to justify their solutions and communicate their thinking so that others would understand their answers. St. John Principal, Tricia Dowdall-Cerilli recognizes the importance of hands-on learning and sees value in having the students work with a variety of learning tools. “In order for students to really make that connection, we know that it is so important to have many learning options available for our students – as not every student learns in the same way,” Dowdall-Cerilli stated. “By providing these options, we are supporting the success of our learners.”
Author: admin
Celebrating the Spirit of Animals
St. Raphael students in Mrs. DeAngelis’ Life Skills class honoured the pets in their lives on Monday, May 2nd as part of their Catholic Education Week activities. The students have been studying animals all year and putting on a play for their parents was their culminating activity.
The students then worked with their parents and relatives to complete artwork to celebrate the animals in their world.
Thank you for the animals in our lives – like cats and dogs and goldfish – are wonderful pets whom we love. Some – like cows and sheep and chickens – provide us with food and clothing. Some work for us, some scare us, some love us, some entertain us and some amaze us, but they all enrich our lives. May we always love and protect them as Saint Francis of Assisi did. Amen
St. David JK Students Experience Unique Learning Opportunity
As part of the Math, Science, Language and Religious Education curriculum, the Junior Kindergarten students at St. David Catholic School got the unique experience of hatching their own chickens. Students learned about egg development and growth, watched videos, read stories, sang songs and made crafts all related to the chicks. When asked about the process, Junior Kindergarten teacher Lindsay Michel stated “The students were amazed and engaged in the whole experience. It was really a school wide event. My students have been teaching the older classes about the process; how the chicks grow and how to take care of them using words like ‘incubator’ and ‘humidity.’
The kindergarten class had been making daily announcements counting down the days and relating it to all areas of the curriculum. Michel credits the generosity of local farmers Tom and Leila Zazulak and Matt Peredery who donated everything to make the experience successful. When asked what she learned about the chicks, four year old Mya Giroux-Bryant responded, ‘We turn them and pray for them everyday. They live in the incubator for 21 days and they are called peeps until they hatch then they can play with us. After a while they go back to their farm with their mommy and daddy.’
Bears Participate at Mac Camp
The St. Benedict Bears football team recently had their starting offensive line participate at the McMaster University “Up Front Offensive Line Developmental Camp”. St. Benedict players Erick Lessard, Carter Long, Troy Kingsbury, Emilio Frometa, and Spencer Dailey, all took part in the event.
Bears Head Coach, Frank Rocca, also attended the camp as a guest coach. Rocca said the camp was a great experience for his troops. “To have your starting 5 attend a camp of this quality is tremendous. This group, which has 4 SDSSAA all stars, including lineman of the year, could be taking time off in the off season. Instead they choose to come down here and improve. That says a lot about our kids. There are plenty of drills and skills that they pick up, plus they are marketing themselves to play football after they are done at St. Benedict.”
One player that has broke new ground is towering offensive tackle Erick Lessard. Lessard was able to become the 1st player from Sudbury to crack the starting line up for the Greater Toronto Area all-star team. Lessard played well for team GTA againstt the Golden Horseshoe all star team, but cam short losing in the end by a score of 11-7. Lessard still came out a winner as he displayed his abilities againstt the best talent from southern Ontario, in front of coaches from all over the country.
Sudbury Catholic Supports the Gift of Life
During National Organ Donation Week, staff at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board showed their support by purchasing t-shirts with the logo – Life Life then Give Life. The t-shirts are available for $10 at all of the Board’s four secondary schools and are being sold to raise awareness about the importance of the Gift of Life.
Music Monday at St. Paul
At one pm on, May 2nd, the students and staff of St. Paul the Apostle School celebrated Music Monday by singing with hundreds of Canadian schools across the country. The school choir sang “All Things Bright and Beautiful” and the Catholic Education Week Theme song entitled “Celebrating the Spirit”. It was noted by several of the community entering the school to vote for the federal election “How wonderful to see and hear children singing at school.”
St. John Students Get Hooked On Voting
Grade 4-6 students at St. John School in Garson recently participated in a “Student Vote” program sponsored by Elections Canada which gave them the opportunity to experience the democratic process firsthand as well as practice the habits of informed and engaged citizenship. April 28th, 2011 was our designated “Student Vote” day and students took on the roles of Deputy Returning Officers, Poll Clerks and voters parallelling the adult electoral process. The exercise of a mock election proved to be a very empowering process and students are eagerly awaiting the election results both at the school and federal level.
Take Something Ordinary, and Make it Extraordinary!
St. Benedict students’ attention was captured by Greater City of Sudbury’s Poet Laureate, Dr. Roger Nash, during his poetry workshop with senior English classes. He told them they can write about anything, and by doing so, keep a special memory alive. Dr. Nash demonstrated this fact by reading his poems about the family cat Genghis, and another about his childhood memory of his grandmother’s passion for playing piano; so vigorously it seemed to take flight. Roger Nash intrigued students with his explanations for the impetus behind his poems, which in turn inspired students to write their own poetry. His final advice was that through poetry one can, “take something ordinary, and make it extraordinary”.
Unique Intramural Sport at St. James Schools
The grade 4 to 8 students at St. James Catholic School in Lively play organized goalball at lunch recess. A total of 27 teams participate in this game for the blind that is gaining in popularity around the world. The game was introduced to St. James school by Mr. Adriano Simonato, Specialist Teacher of the Blind and Partially Sighted.
The object of the game is to roll a rubber ball with bells inside past the opposing team. Each goalball team is made up of three players with each protecting their goal line. There is one center and two wings per team. The offensive team rolls the ball in an attempt to get the ball past the opposing three players. The defensive team listens for the approaching of the ball and attempts to prevent or block the ball from crossing the goal line. When a defending player gains possession, it is then his or her team’s turn to throw at the opposing team’s goal. The only time there is a stoppage of play is after a goal has been scored, or if the ball crosses a sideline. The ball is rolled back and forth with the offensive and defensive team alternating until time expires for the half. The game is played in two periods of 5 to 10 minutes each and the team with the most points wins. The game is played on a rectangular court, which is divided into two halves by a centre line. The goals, which are the same width as the court, are placed at each end.
There are three main rules associated with throwing the ball. First, a thrown ball must touch the floor of the court before passing over the highball (or centre) line. Secondly, a throw must take place within eight to ten seconds of coming under the control of the defending team. Passing can take place within that time. Thirdly, no player may take more than two consecutive throws for his team. A number of personal and team penalties maybe awarded for rule infractions. During the game, spectators must remain absolutely silent so that players can follow the direction of the ball. Spectators can applaud or cheer after a goal is scored and at the end of each half. Each player has to wear a blindfold regardless of the degree of visual impairment. Each player has the option to wear elbow pads, kneepads, hip pads and face protection. There are women’s and men’s teams with no variations in equipment or rules.
Too many people who are visually impaired or blind usually do not have many opportunities to be involved in team sports and physical activity. According to Simonato, “one of the great benefits of goalball is that it promotes teamwork and cooperation among participants. Also, because goalball can be played by individuals who are sighted and visually impaired together, it acts as a medium for breaking down barriers. As a result it helps promote awareness within the school community regarding what individuals who are visually impaired can do”.