St. Francis Catholic Elementary School Flames students in teacher Christine Boudreau’s Grade 1/2 French Immersion class were very excited to decorate pumpkins for Dynamic Earth’s “PumpkInferno”. PumpkInferno is an enchanting outdoor award-winning exhibit created by Upper Canada Village, featuring thousands of hand-carved pumpkins set against a glowing Sudbury back drop on the grounds of Dynamic Earth. Their pumpkins will be displayed along the walkway leading to Dynamic Earth from October 9th-30th. Visit sciencenorth.ca for further details.
Category: Arts
It’s All about the Music with Sudbury Catholic Schools and Newcap Radio
For the seventh year in a row, Newcap Radio presented the Sudbury Catholic District School Board with a generous donation of over $7,500 to enhance music programming in their schools. The cheque is a result of Newcap’s commitment to supporting music programming and education in Sudbury as part of an agreement between Newcap Radio and the CRTC. Through this agreement, the station helps foster youth musicianship in the area. “We are so grateful to Newcap for their ongoing support of our music programming in our schools,” Nicole Bédard, Superintendent for the Board stated. “This extra funding helps us enhance the programming in both our elementary and secondary panels – with the purchase and repair of instruments, the funding to support music field trips and concerts, and the purchase of new music programs. We want to thank Newcap for their partnership in music advocacy – recognizing the importance of engaging students through the arts at Sudbury Catholic”. The cheque presentation took place at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School in Hanmer. Newcap Director of Programming Rick Tompkins was on hand to present the cheque to Joanne Bénard, Director of Education, and St. Anne Vice Principal and music teacher JoAnne Comisso. Much to the students’ surprise, Hot 935 Morning Hot Tub Team G-Rant and Sherry K also came out to help present the cheque. The group visited the school’s music room, and then proceeded to take over the school’s intercom to announce an early recess to the entire school – much to the principal’s dismay.
To date, Newcap has donated over $40,000 to The Sudbury Catholic Board to support its students.
Grade 7-8 French Immersion Students At St. Charles College Explore Inclusive Education Outdoors
Grade 7-8 French Immersion students at St. Charles College take French, social studies, science, inclusive education and art outdoors. Students collected parts of nature, brought them inside and co-constructed success criteria around how everything that was collected can come together to form one. They were only allowed to pick up items that were not attached to the ground, hence that had already fallen on their own. Students decided to make an animal with everything that they had collected and together determined what that would look like and feel like. Each student had the chance to place one object at a time on the giant paper. One at a time, without moving the piece that the previous student placed on the page, the animal began to take shape. Students quickly saw how a variety of objects from different parts of nature came together to form one, just like our world. Students were then asked to sketch what they saw on the giant page. Even though, everyone was looking at the same thing, each picture was different as beauty and perception are in the eyes of the beholder. This lesson was based on the play Spirit Horse and was conducted in the French Language led by teacher Sabrina Rocca at St. Charles College.
Pictured are Colby (grade 8) and Kennedy (grade 7) from the French Immersion class at St. Charles College.
St. Charles College Presents: Expresso – Art Show and Concert – June 3, 2015
St. Charles College Presents: Aida
In the heart of ancient Egypt a love story blossoms between a couple of star crossed souls mates. Radames, an Egyptian warrior, falls in love with the slave girl Aida, who is in fact the strong-willed princess of Nubia. With a plot to kill the Pharaoh and Radames’ wedding to the Pharaoh’s daughter at hand, both he and Aida must choose between duty to their people or their own love. Their beautiful and heartfelt journey, fantastic music by Elton John, dancing, lavish costumes and set are sure to capture the hearts of audience members of all ages!! Call St. Charles College for more information – (705) 566-9605.
Experiencing Performance Art and the Written Word at MMA
“If you were an animal, what animal would you be?” This was the question that Tanya Neumeyer, a Toronto based poet posed to one of the English classes at Marymount Academy on April 17, 2015. Neumeyer, a published poet and workshop facilitator, was in town to perform at the (W)rites of Poetry event that night, but visited several of the English classes on April 16 and 17 to work with the students to help encourage their development of poetry and their creative process. The students had to immediately react to the question by acting out which animal best reflected their own personalities. Through these types of activities – performance art and written word, Neumyer encouraged the students to break down their own barriers and feel confident to perform in front of others. “It is always such a great experience for our students when Tanya comes to visit and work with them in small groups and classes,” Lucie Cullen, principal of Marymount Academy explained. “It is such a unique, positive experience that is hugely impactful on the students. It really helps give them a voice and expresses their own creativity.”
Marymount Academy Celebrates International Moment of Laughter Day – April 14th
Studies have shown that laughing not only lowers blood pressure and reduces stress hormone levels, it also improves cardiac health, boosts T cells, triggers endorphins, and is a fabulous ab workout! Best of all, laughter has been proven to increase our overall sense of well-being. So, the goal for the day at Marymount Academy on April 14, 2015 was to get people laughing!
The staff posted several hilarious visual jokes around the school, and told jokes between periods over the P.A. system.
At lunch, students who told the librarian a funny joke won a prize. Also, secondary students were invited to join the Improv Club for several “moments of improvised laughter” while elementary students were invited to vote for their funniest teacher.
The winner by a landslide was teacher Debra Michaud! She received a silly headband and a jar of candy along with the coveted Wand of Laughter. Teacher Colin Lapalme came in a distant 2nd and received a bag of leftover candy.
It was a “funderful” day at Marymount Academy. Laughter really is the best medicine.
Learning about Métis Culture at Sudbury Catholic Schools
The Grade 4 French Immersion students at St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School attended a Métis presentation Tuesday, April 14th at St. David Catholic Elementary school. The students enjoyed a presentation by Scott Carpenter, a Community Development Officer with the Metis Nation of Ontario, who shared stories about the Métis culture, and taught the students about different tools, toys and clothing used by the Métis people. The students enjoyed being able to feel the various furs and learn about what each tool was used for during the War of 1812. The students were especially excited to try out the games the Métis children enjoyed.
SCC Concert Choir Shining Bright like Diamonds Again
The concert choir at St. Charles College can safely say they are the top secondary school choir in the city. More than twenty-five SCC students performed at the 70th annual Kiwanis Festival in Sudbury this week to take home diamond standing yet again. Under the direction of teacher Ms. Shannon Coyle, this is the second year in a row that the choir has scored 90 or above – securing a diamond title for St. Charles College. The group performed All of Me by John Legend and the title song from Mama Mia. On Monday, April 13th at 7 p.m., the concert choir will be performing its rendition of Mamma Mia at the Kiwanis Festival final concert and awards ceremony at St.Andrews Place. There, they will receive the top secondary school choir award.