St. David Catholic School welcomed community partners into their school to support the planning of a local conference on Cultural Safety and how First Nation culture is shared and promoted. The Best Start Aboriginal Hub’s Agency Advisory Committee, which includes the Child and Family Centre, the Metis Nation of Ontario, Aboriginal People’s Alliance of Northern Ontario, N’Swakamok Native Friendship Centre and the Jubilee Aboriginal Daycare were all at the table to plan the November 20th interagency conference on Cultural Standards in Our Community. According to Jim Eshkawkogan, program manager, “We all have a responsibility to share the culture in the inclusive way it was intended.”
St. David Catholic School and the Aboriginal Best Start Hub have had a 7 year partnership supporting the needs of the community. It is through positive partnerships, with an emphasis on relationship building, that continues to be the foundation of student success and well-being both within the school and the community.
Author: admin
Grades 7 to 12 Cardinals Celebrate Mass All Together as One
The St. Charles College student body grew by more than two hundred this fall when grades 7 and 8 students were introduced into the campus mix.
On Thursday, September 17, 2015, students celebrated their first mass together in the gymnasium with Father Jim Ketzler of St. John the Evangelist in Garson presiding.
Under the direction of teacher Shannon Coyle, the new 7-12 choir helped to beautify the mass with their voices.
Students from the senior boys’ football team helped with the procession and the Prayers of the Faithful.
“Why Yes, it’s HAT DAY at St. David School!”
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This is a great time for schools and families to create awareness about pediatric cancers.
St. David Catholic Elementary School started its year off right with a fun-filled HAT DAY at the end of the first week of school. The students and staff wore crazy hats and ball caps during the school day to emotionally and financially support a former student battling synovial sarcoma cancer. Students donated funds for the privilege of wearing their hats during the school day. The school raised almost $400.00 to help provide support for the family. The school would like to publicly thank everyone who participated in this event!
Dylan Fay, a former St. David student, now a St. Charles College grade 8 student, was diagnosed this summer with synovial sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. His family spent most of the summer at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. This fall, Dylan will be going back and forth from Sick Kids to the Sudbury Cancer Center for treatment. During the month of September, St. David School will continue to support the Fay family through pray and fundraising efforts. “It is important that we support our school families in every way possible. We are asking for donations to support Dylan’s family during this time, but more importantly we are praying for his full recovery. We know every little bit counts and want to provide as much support as possible — in any form they need.” stated Lindsay Michel, kindergarten teacher at St. David School.
Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School and the New St. David Catholic Elementary School
Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School construction is on time and the school will be opening as scheduled, on September 8, 2015. The opening of the new St. David Catholic Elementary School has been delayed and it is anticipated that the school will be ready for occupancy late November/early December. Students enroled at St. David should report to the building located at 350 Jean St. on September 8, 2015. For more information, please contact the board at (705) 673-5620.
Summer School Learning at SCDSB
School’s out for summer? Not for almost 100 students with the Sudbury Catholic School Board. For three weeks these students are immersed in rich literacy, numeracy or aboriginal learning. It’s a proven fact that students, in the summer, lose some of the learning from the school year. These students will have less of a gap and with a much smaller class size and a ratio of about one educator for every five students the hands on learning never ends. From learning phonics to learning coding skills students are excited to keep learning in the summer even after an entire school year. ”As an educator, it is so rewarding when you hear students that are so excited to come back everyday!” said educator Lynsie Royer. Pictured are student Paa and camp councillor Nick Kennedy who are using robotics to practice their literacy skills. Camp Councillor Nick says he can’t believe how much fun learning can be. “When we are using the robots, Dash and Dot, in the classroom the students are having so much fun that they don’t even recognize that they are learning”
Technology at SCDSB Summer School
As most parents know children today can’t seem to go without their technology. Whether it’s playing on a gaming system or using a tablet. The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is using that interest in their summer program. Students were introduced to Dash and Dot as a new learning friend. Software is becoming a critical layer of all our lives. It is the language of our world. In the future, not knowing the language of computers will be as challenging as being illiterate or innumerate are today. Using these robots students are able to drag-and-drop programming language that snaps together like puzzle pieces. We start by sending simple commands and progress to creating more complex algorithms. The picture below shows Alexandra Gratton learning the first steps in using Dash.
Parent Involvement Key at SCDSB Summer School
Parental involvement is an important component of Sudbury Catholic’s Summer Learning Programs. The Summer Learning Programs ran from July 6-July 24. Every Tuesday morning, parents were invited to “Coffee Chats” and have the opportunity to sit in a variety of workshops such as, “Helping Your Child Succeed in School”, Understanding Your Child’s Learning Style” and “Advocacy & Self-Advocacy”.
Learning about First Nations Culture at Sudbury Catholic Summer School
Summer students of Sudbury Catholic School’s First Nations, Metis and Inuit Summer Literacy Camp were treated to a special presentation by Brandon Petahtegoose of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek. Brandon is a recent graduate of Indigenous Studies at Trent University and a grass dancer. Brandon shared stories and songs about the grass dance, different kinds of pow wow dancing and stories about the drum. He also shared some Anishnaabemowin (Ojibway language) teachings. The students enjoyed the interactive presentation and were invited to participate in the upcoming Pow Wow in Atikameksheng Anishnawbek on July 25-26th, along with their families.
Pictured are summer students Isabella Pandolfo, Logan Lariviere, Makayla Pitawanakwat and Lea Myre along with dancer Brandon Petahtegoose.
Youth Counsellors Working Hard at SCDSB Summer School
Youth counsellors working at Sudbury Catholic School’s summer camp were given many opportunities for professional development while at work.
One of these opportunities happened just today when the Sudbury District Health Unit provided a workshop on understanding the brain and the benefits of a growth mindset. In addition, they spoke about how the media influences body image, self-esteem and how to become a positive role model. And finally, students were taught about health and nutrition.
Pictured with the SCDSB’s counsellors are Paula Ross, dietitian for the Sudbury District Health unit, Loryssa Bilinkshi & Christina Ashawasegai Public Health Nurses for Sudbury District Health Unit who made smoothies using tofu for summer camp counsellors to taste.
A big thank you to the [ https://www.Facebook.com/SDHealthUnit ]Sudbury & District Health Unit.