Students, staff and families continue to come together in prayer each month via Zoom and to celebrate those students who do an exceptional job of exhibiting our value of the month. “We are truly blessed to have Father Larry who continues to build positive relationships with our school community by visiting our school each week to meet with our students and to lead us in prayer each month at our monthly prayer service,” said Meghan Dopson, Acting Vice Principal.
Author: Carlee Vendramin
St. Charles Students Get Caught Being Safe
To help support students and encourage to make healthy and safe choices, St. Charles School has created the ‘Caught Being Safe’ campaign. Classes received tickets if they were caught wearing their masks safely and properly, being socially distanced inside or out in the school yard, and going above and beyond to keep the school safe. Classes are able to submit their tickets for a chance to win a pizza party.
The school hopes to continue the campaign throughout the year to celebrate student achievements!
Holy Cross School Complete Virtual Field Trips
Virtual field trips are a form of experiential learning. With the internet and technology, the barriers of time, cost and location have been removed making a wide variety of learning activities and experiences possible to students. Virtual field trips allow learners to engage with and to learn about authentic artifacts and to explore places important to their curriculum.
For instance, Ms. Reale’s science class at Holy Cross School is learning about the characteristics of living things and the growth and changes in animals. What better way to learn and engage students then a trip to the zoo? Dr. Zoolittle and Roberta the Zebra, shared interesting facts about some animal architects such as the black-headed weaver bird, the burrowing owl, the dung beetle, the meerkat and the beaver. Students traveled safely to the San Diego Zoo and even had time to meet and pet both Shiloh and Justeen, the zoo’s friendly beavers. Students also learned about leaf art and how to make no bake beaver dams for dessert!
If you would like assistance or more information about bringing virtual field trips to your class, contact Christina Raso, Experiential Learning consultant at: christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca.
Marymount Student received YMCA PEACE Medal!
Each year, YMCAs across Canada celebrate acts of peace by recognizing individuals and groups who, without any special resources, status, wealth or position, have demonstrated a commitment to building peace within their community or communities elsewhere in the world. During YMCA Peace Week, held during November, local peacemaker(s) receive special recognition and a medal at Peace Medal ceremonies across Canada.
This year, our very own, Milena Raso, a Grade 12 student at Marymount Academy, was awarded the YMCA PEACE Medal Recipient in the Youth Category.
Milena has been volunteering for 9 years and has been actively involved in raising funds for the Northern Cancer Foundation, Sudbury Hospice Care, Children’s Wish Foundation, Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer, Black Youth Helpline and Sudbury Alzheimer’s Society. Milena also founded the Stomach Cancer Fund, alongside her family and in memory of her father.
In March, when her Co-op placement was cancelled due to Covid-19 she came up with a creative idea to earn her credit. During the school closure period, Milena spent hundreds of hours making masks for the Sudbury community donating $5000 to NOFCC (Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer). In addition, with her fundraising efforts, she fully funded two nurse chairs for the Northeast Cancer Centre.
To date, she has raised more than $20 000 for local charities.
“Milena exemplifies the traits and characteristics that makes her the perfect recipient for this award. She is actively involved within the Sudbury community and consistently demonstrates and lives out our Catholic values. The Marymount community is extremely proud of Milena and all Regals, past and present, want to congratulate her on her accomplishment,” said Cassandra Trenbergen, Principal at Marymount Academy.
“We are all very proud of Milena’s accomplishment, she is most deserving of this recognition not only for her years of dedication but most importantly for her genuine spirit of generosity and care towards others,” said Peter Prochilo, Superintendent of School Effectiveness.
Our Experiential Learning Robotic Kits are Up and Running!
According to Stephen Hawking, “Whether you want to uncover the secret of the universe, or you want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to learn.”
Our Kindergarten to Grade 12 Experiential Learning Robotic kits are designed to introduce students to stem concepts and teach even our youngest children to code! Various classrooms teachers have signed out our robotic kits and our students are having fun learning!
Check out Mrs. Denomme’s Grade 6 class at St. James Catholic School who participated in a Bot Battle. They built and programmed LEGO EV3 robots and then participate in a one-on-one battle outside the classroom that was Zoomed into the classroom, where everyone could safely watch. Congratulations to the tournament champion, Chelsea.
We want to hear from all of our classes on how they are using the Experiential Learning Robotic Kits and engaging students so please send us photos and stories!
Bishop Alexander Carter Students Create Wooden Plaque
Mr. McKee and the students in the Open Doors program created a wooden plaque to represent the Board – displaying our mission, vision, values and our logo. The students, in particular Elliot Hamilton, Shelby Dupuis and Isaac Chandler crafted the plaque and presented it to Superintendent of School Effectiveness Peter Prochilo and Director of Education Joanne Bénard.
The wooden plaque is proudly displayed at the Catholic Education Centre in the main foyer. Thanks to our students for their hard work and creativity – we wish them continued success in the program!
Students Participate in Fort Building Challenge for Skills Ontario
Since March 2020, Skills Ontario has been encouraging students to participate in various competitions throughout the school year that promote the skilled trades. Sudbury Catholic students learning both in-class and remotely have been eagerly participating in the various challenges with remarkable results.
Challenge #14: Build a Fort:
Students were challenged to build a blanket-covered structure in their home using household items such as blankets, broomsticks, pillows and couch cushions! Students were to collect and take inventory of the fort materials around their home. Then, using the materials they collected, create a building design on paper and then build it! Challengers will be marked on their ability to use creative items for their structures, the details within their blueprint designs as well as on their overall structure. This challenge involves the following skills: planning, design, creativity, organization and fine-motor.
Pictured is St. Francis grade 4 student, Nolan Carpenter. Nolan’s fort is designed to include a skylight for natural lightning, a “chill zone” to read books and a sleep area for not only himself but for his two brothers! We encourage students to participate in these fun challenges at home. The next challenge starts November 16th and the deadline to enter is noon on November 30th! For more information, please click HERE!
St. David School Embraces Outdoor Learning
The staff and students at St. David have really embraced learning outdoors not only because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but they see how the mental, emotional and physical well-being of students is enhanced when spending time in natural settings. The outdoor classroom and trails have given the students the opportunity to make deep and meaningful connections to their learning and the natural world around them. This year the school has created trails and signage in the forest, which is their little oasis of natural wonder. St. David believes that outdoor learning is critical in supporting the whole child and promoting a holistic education that challenges students to be more self-aware and have a newfound appreciation for all that is living. Students are working on their team building, communication and collaborative skills while fostering lifelong love for the outdoors.
According to Ms. Royer, the grade 2/3 teacher, “Our classroom loves to be surrounded by nature, connecting closer to God. We are so blessed to have this space where we can calm our minds, body and spirit”.
St. Charles College Organizes Face Mask Fundraiser for Sudbury Food Bank
The canned food drive is synonymous with St. Charles College. Each year the staff, students, alumni and feeder schools collect cans and raise money in support of the Sudbury Food Bank.
The mission is to fill the shelves in preparation for the cold and dark winter months. The drive started in the mid 1980s but this year it all looked rather different.
Principal Aaron Barry says “students could not go door to door with Covid precautions. Our student council team under the leadership of Mrs. Demore, Mrs. Humphrey and Mrs. Montgomery opted to sell Cardinal face masks in support of the charity.”
The face masks were sold to students online to avoid cash transactions and were created in collaboration with local business Covergalls Workwear raising $4500 for the Sudbury Food Bank.
Normally the drive brings upwards of 100 000 food items to the food bank each year making it the largest single contributor to the food bank.
The school recognizes that the donation is much smaller this year given the circumstances and is urging people to remember the food banks this holiday season and beyond.