At St. Francis Catholic Elementary School, the students and staff have embraced this year’s theme “Growing Together in Faith” in a very creative way. To bring the school community together as one, teachers Christina Bedoya and Lise Malette took all of the student photos and designed a “growing tree of life” which included a picture of every single student and staff member, including teachers, EAs ECEs, the custodian, administrators and the parish priest, Father Larry – all are all part of the tree. The arrangement was created to match the poster for Catholic Education Week. School vice-principal Krista Sarmatiuk was very proud of their creation. “What a wonderful tribute to our school and our faith,” Sarmatiuk stated. “This tree of life represents us as a school, and as part of the Catholic family – it is a wonderful embodiment of us as the St. Francis community – rooted in our faith!”
Category: Arts
Holy Cross Students Take Music Monday Global!
Students from Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School teacher Ginette Toivonen’s grade 4/5 FI class have taken Music Monday global! The Holy Cross class has been blogging with students from Buenos Aires, Argentina over the last few months and on Monday, May 8th they sang along with them via Skype. The song “Is Somebody Singing” collaboratively written by Ed Robertson and Chris Hadfield is being shared with the world in hopes of uniting everyone through their love of music. Students in both countries feel very strongly about the importance of music education in their schools. Music Monday is an annual event that brings together thousands of students, musicians, parents and community members across the country to celebrate the gift of music in our lives, on the same day at the same time.
St. David Student Receives Surprise Gift
Christine Sola, local Sudbury business woman visited St. David Catholic Elementary School. Sola who is associated with the production of the movie “The Fighting Man” which is being filmed locally, dropped by the school to talk to students. During her visit, she gifted an autographed photo of Kim Coates, who is a Canadian actor who plays Tig Trager on the popular television show, Sons of Anarchy. St. David grade six student, Darrian Boucher, who is a big fan of the show, was the proud recipient of the autographed photo. When receiving the photo, Boucher replied, “Tig is one of my favourite characters on the series Sons of Anarchy!”
Marymount Academy Presents – Sleeping Beauty
Elementary students from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board were treated to Marymount Academy’s rendition of Sleeping Beauty – which ran from April 23 – 26. Under the direction of teacher Jolanta Tourville, with the assistance of teachers Anna White and Cathy Fairgrieve, and former student Jessica Pugliese, the students at Marymount Academy put on a stellar performance of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty for all audiences.
Music Alive at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School
Recently, students at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School in Hanmer had the opportunity to learn from, and experience the music of, local country star Larry Berrio. Mr. Berrio was invited to the school by grade 8 student Christine Chartrand, who is interested in pursuing a career in country music. She contacted Mr. Berrio through his Facebook page and asked him if you could come and speak to the students at St. Anne Catholic School in hopes of meeting Mr. Berrio personally. Larry Berrio was more than a little accommodating. He was completely open to speaking to approximately 150 students in grades 7 and 8, and quickly responded and set up a time to visit the Valley East school.
Students listened attentively to the dynamic musician as he spoke to them about the music industry. His message was clear that regardless of musical talents, everyone has the ability to become a part of the industry if they have the interest. “This presentation from Larry Berrio was an important life lesson. His message was clear that any student can be whom they choose with determination and hard work,” said Jody O’Daiskey, a teacher at St. Anne Catholic School.
Mr. Berrio explained that there are sponsors and grants available for musicians, especially those who are new to the industry. This has given Christine Chartrand even more wind under her wings. She is excited to continue her pursuit and keep her dreams alive of becoming a well known musician.
Special Guest Brings Music and Sunshine to the Students of St. Andrew
On a very cold January 17, 2013, Sudbury Gospel singer Amy St. John brought her talent and her guitar to St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School to spread some of God’s sunshine and warmth with the staff and students. Amy led the children in several songs. Some of the songs enjoyed were Jesus Loves the Little Children, Jesus Loves me, This Little Light of Mine and many more. Amy’s faith shone forth in her smiles and music and was thoroughly enjoyed by all present.
The Nativity Story Comes to Life at St. Anne Catholic School
On Wednesday, December 19th, the St. Anne Catholic Elementary School community came together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Students from the Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) to Grade 8 participated in the celebration of Jesus’ birthday through prayer and dramatization. Students from teacher Jody O’Daiskey’s combined 7/8 class used their voices to tell the story while students from teacher Alice Desormeaux’s FDK class provided the dramatization. “I think the FDK students did a terrific job playing out the scenes and they deserve a big thank you,” said Isaac Oliveira, a Grade 8 student at the school.
The FDK students were very pleased with their accomplishments and were happy to display the biggest gift at Christmas: Jesus. “I felt like I was floating up in the sky. I think everybody did well in the play, especially all of my friends,” said FDK student Cameron, the star of Bethlehem. “I felt good about being Joseph. I was glad to play the part, and I wasn’t nervous,” said Anthony Bertrand, a student in FDK.
The St. Anne Catholic School junior choir, let by Ms. Bruneau and Ms. Nickelchuk filled the gymnasium with their gift of music, as did Madame Hayes’ FDK class who sang Happy Birthday Jesus. The true meaning of Christmas came to life for all the students and staff at the school.
A Creative Halloween at St. James
On October 31st, all students from St. James Catholic Elementary School participated in different Halloween activities. There were many different costumes throughout the school but Avery Blanchard, a grade four student used the metaphor “a fork in the road” to create her unique costume.
Hands On Learning with Shakespeare
Students in Marymount Academy teacher Allison Cameron’s grade 9 English class had a unique lesson on Shakespeare recently. In order for the students to become more engaged with this unit of study, Cameron had each of her students create a mask reflecting their book study on Romeo and Juliet. As part of this lesson, students brought in different sorts of crafts and decorations that would be used to create unique masks. “When you give students the opportunity for hands on learning, they are much more likely to connect to the lesson,” Cameron stated. “The students have fun and get to be totally creative, all the while they are really learning on a deeper level. It is a great way to engage the student and make the lessons come alive!”