On September 11, despite the day’s cold temperature, the rain held off for the students and staff from Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary, and they were able to get their new plants, trees and shrubs in the ground thanks to VETAC, Greater Sudbury’s Regreening Advisory Panel. As winners of this year’s “Ugliest School Yard Contest, the school received a cash donation form Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations as well as supplies from several local businesses, and expert advice to help transform their schoolyard into a greener space for the students. Several members of the Sudbury Horticultural society were on hand, as well as parent and grandparent volunteers, and community partners. All students came out to take part in the planting of the smaller plants and shrubs and were shown the proper methods of planting. Grade 3/4 teacher Tammy Rychlo was thrilled with the event as she had been working with her class for the last year creating the “Immaculate Conception Green Squad”. By applying for and receiving a speak up grant – Rychlo was able to create with her class and some volunteers raised garden beds and planted vegetables from seeds cultivated at first in their classroom. The students even took turns meeting once a week during the summer for “Watering Wednesdays” so that they could ensure that the veggies were growing well. The payoff was that many were able to bring home fresh healthy vegetables during the summer months.
With the school winning this contest – her students were able to tie in all that they had learned about being stewards of the earth and the positive impact of creating greener spaces all around.
School principal, Louisa Bianchin was thrilled with the event. “ We are very thankful to all the organizations involved in helping us beautify our schoolyard,” Bianchin stated. “Our students are so excited to see the transformation, and to be able to be a part of it is a wonderful learning opportunity for them!”
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St Charles Elementary Comes Together to Share Who They Are
Staff and students at St Charles Catholic Elementary School began the school year by reflecting on who they each are as individuals and what gifts and talents they bring to the school community. Everyone completed an “I am…” statement to share with the school.
Pictured are Jodie-Lee Clance and Emma Carpenter. Emma Carpenter, a grade 5 student explained, “doing this activity tells everyone about yourself and helps people get to know you. You can see that everyone is unique in their own way and this makes our school a special place!”
Register Your Child at Sudbury Catholic Schools
Haven’t registered your child yet?
Call the Sudbury Catholic District School Board at (705) 673-5620 to find out which Sudbury Catholic Elementary or Secondary School is right for you! All SCDSB schools are now open and staff is on hand and ready to answer questions and help you with your registration.
For a list of schools, click under our schools tab. We can’t wait to see you!
Sudbury Catholic Schools… Schools to Believe in!
Sudbury Student Services Consortium Information
Process for Student Transportation:
The Sudbury Student Services Consortium would like to advise the public that student transportation information is now ready! Parents and guardians need to call now at 705-521-1234 or visit their website at www.businfo.ca under the Parent Portal.
All parents and guardians who moved during the summer, changed their child’s school and/or modified their child’s babysitter, are required to contact the Sudbury Student Services Consortium as soon as possible to ensure children have bussing on the first day of school.
First Time Bus Rider Program:
Again this year, the Sudbury Student Services Consortium is offering the First Time Bus Rider Program in order to prepare Junior Kindergarten children to safely ride the school bus. Parents can register their children by visiting our website at www.businfo.ca, by email at trans@businfo.ca or by telephone at 705-521-1234. English sessions will take place at Collège Boréal August 22rd and 23rd.
Rock for Youth Event – Tuesday, August 12, 2014
On Tuesday, August 12, at the William Bell Gazebo at Bell Park, the Child and Family Centre’s youth engagement group – Youth Matter, will be hosting “Rock for Youth”. This event will be celebrating International Youth Day and youth mental health. The event will run from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
For more information, contact the Child and Family Centre at (705) 525-1008.
Putting the Fun in Summer Learning
Forty-five Grades 1 and 2 Sudbury Catholic Students had the opportunity to take part in some summer learning programs from July 2-18. Working out of St. David Catholic Elementary School, students were enroled in literacy, numeracy and aboriginal education programming. The literacy and numeracy components included games and activities with an emphasis on the fun of learning. The aboriginal component included learning about the Seven Grandfather Teachings, Metis history and culture, as well as traditional cooking lessons and culturally based activities. Also included in the programming, were Tae Kwon Do lessons each morning to start the day, with the Sudbury Catholic mental health nurse and black belt – Roland Dutrisac.
Program co-ordinator and the Board’s Special Education consultant, Christina Raso was pleased with the student engagement at this year’s summer school programming. “We have been running these programs for a number of years now,” Raso explained. “and every year, the students are eager to get here and start as they really enjoy the play based activities and fun learning environments. The Tae Kwon Do component also really excites the students as they get to work off some energy first thing in the morning, and have a lot of fun learning the different moves involved.”
SCDSB New Director Joanne Bénard Receives National Award
In the very first week of her new job, Sudbury Catholic Director Joanne Bénard attended the Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA) national conference in Calgary from July 5-10 to receive an award. Bénard was selected as this year’s Ontario Catholic Supervisory Officer’ Association’s (OCSOA) recipient of the CASSA EXL Award. This award was launched in 2002 to recognize excellence among Superintendents and is sponsored by Xerox Canada Ltd. as well as CASSA. According to the CASSA website, “the EXL Award Program is based on three premises:
• It is important that the dedication and enthusiasm of administrators who guide children’s educational experiences be acknowledged. Recognition is a powerful instrument for building pride in accomplishment and continued determination to pursue excellence.
• The scope and quality of children’s educational experiences are determined primarily by the system’s leaders, who establish, through the important work of teachers and the support of school boards and caring parents, the character of a particular school system’s programs.
• Children’s attitudes toward learning and their perceptions of themselves as lifelong learners are established in their school years. Effective leadership, mentoring and modelling determine whether the school jurisdiction effectively creates this environment”
According to the Sudbury Catholic Board Chair, Jody Cameron, Bénard really fits the bill with this award, and the board is quite fortunate to have her join the Sudbury Catholic community as its next Director. “ Joanne truly exemplifies excellence, as we have seen through her past experience,” Cameron explained. “Having her recognized nationally for her dedication and service to students really speaks to the exemplary quality of service that Joanne delivers, and we are quite excited to have her join our team!”
Bénard was pleased to receive the award, as she was joined by her husband and daughter for the presentation. “It is a blessing and an honour to be recognized by my peers for doing what I love to do and that is working with others to improve outcomes for our youth. This award is certainly a highlight in my career and a great way to begin my new role with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.”
SCDSB Staff Share their Knowledge in Calgary
Sudbury Catholic District School Board Superintendent Rossella Bagnato and Assistive Technology Teacher Jennifer Connelly visited Calgary from July 3-5 for the national Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA) conference. The two were asked to present at the conference with this year’s theme being student engagement
The pair showcased their presentation entitled, “If you give a student a voice” which is a play off the children’s books- “If You Give a Moose a Muffin”, and “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie.” Bagnato and Connelly shared data from Sudbury Catholic that was collected through a “Tell Them From Me” survey which allowed students in a variety of grades to have a voice and express their concerns and issues while dealing with school and home life.
Through this data, staff was able to create a focus for student engagement and prioritize the needs of the students. Over 250 school system administrators attended the conference and were impressed with the Sudbury Catholic presentation. “Sharing best practice with others across the country is a great way to showcase the incredible work we are doing at our school board,” Bagnato explained. “We really put our students first with everything that we do at Sudbury Catholic, and we were very honoured to be asked to share our experiences. This was a great opportunity for us to let everyone know just how great our staff and students really are!”
See the book created to showcase our Sudbury Catholic student voice.
SCDSB Students Walk for Terry
Each year in Ontario, more than 4000 schools take part in the Terry Fox run to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation. Monies raised last year by the province’s schools was $7.2 million, an increase of $1 million from the previous year’s total. Several Sudbury Catholic schools took part in this national fundraiser and collected over $10,394.32 this past year, with an overall total of $57,515.51 collected to date. Board Chair, Jody Cameron expressed his gratitude to the students and staff at Sudbury Catholic for their generosity and dedication. “In Canada, everyone is familiar with the Terry Fox legacy, and I am very proud of our schools for their commitment to this great cause,” Cameron said. “Our students, staff, parents and school communities recognize the importance of this foundation, and will continue to support it with our great spirit and commitment.”