Sudbury Catholic District School Board

SCDSB Celebrates LDAS 2015 Teacher of the Year

On Tuesday, November 17, Sudbury Catholic Itinerant Resource Teacher. Tanya Marcotte was recognized as the Learning Disabilities Association of Sudbury 2015 teacher of the year at the SCDSB board meeting. L.D.A.S. Chair, Liz Brett-Dickie was on hand to present Marcotte with the award. Brett-Dickie explained that Marcotte was selected as she “consistently supports the needs of students with learning disabilities, and tirelessly works to ensure their success.” Marcotte’s co-workers nominated her for this award and felt that she was an excellent candidate. Brett-Dickie read aloud an excerpt from the nomination letter for Marcotte.

“Tanya has been working as a special education resource teacher for over 12 years. She embraces our Catholic faith and it’s seen throughout her work with special education students. Tanya lives by the belief of getting to know students (learning needs/preferences) and then responds through the opportunities provided in the classroom.

Tanya works tirelessly behind the scenes not only supporting students with Learning Disabilities but also supporting teaching staff. She provides them with proven strategies that assist students to become the best they can be.

Tanya also plays a key role in assisting the school board to organize its yearly summer camps. She is able to recommend specific students who would benefit from this intervention.”

Marcotte, accompanied by her husband and parents, was visibly moved by the award, and explained she was very honoured and humbled. “I can’t do what I do with out the teachers I work with – who challenge and inspire, my parents who instilled in me my strong work ethic, and my husband who puts up with my worries daily.”

St. Charles Elementary Students Pledge to Stop Bullying and Hang It Out to Dry!

During Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week (November 16-20), students at St. Charles have been engaged many activities to raise awareness around the topic of bullying.

Students in all three FDK classes, with help from their teacher, Ms. Posso, have taken a pledge to stop bullying! They have read books and talked about what bullying means and together made this pledge:

I am a kid againstt bullying! And I will…

– Speak up when I see bullying
– Reach out to others who are bullied
– Be a friend whenever I see bullying.

Students in Grades 2-8 have each created a pink shirt with a message about bullying on them, and these shirts have been strung up down the halls to show they are “Hanging Bullying Out to Dry”. On Wednesday November 18, there was a flourish of pink throughout the school as staff and students wore their pink shirts.

Other activities include a visit from Sergent Randy Hosken from the GSPS, a MADD presentation for students in grades 6-8 and students in grades 4-8 gave their input into our Safe School Survey called OurSchool (formerly Tell Them From Me). Also, Amanda Lantheir, a SCDSB child and youth worker continued to share with groups about the FRIENDS program and Kelso’s Choices, and students learned Chris D’Souza’s new song “I Want You to be Nice to Me”.

St. James Students Inspired to be Earth Rangers

Earth Rangers (Kids’ Conservation Organization) visited St. James Catholic Elementary School recently and delivered a dynamic, fun and interactive presentation featuring live Animal Ambassadors. The program uses science-based information to educate students about the importance of protecting biodiversity while highlighting different conservation initiatives across Canada. St. James students have been inspired to adopt sustainable behaviours and have been empowered to become directly involved in protecting animals and their habitats.

Regals Ready to Wrap the Town in Red

Students at Marymount Academy have been working extremely hard these past few weeks trying to prepare as many red scarves as possible. Several weeks ago, Réseau ACCESS Network contacted local secondary schools to see if they would assist in their “Bundle Up in Red” campaign. According to their press release, the “Bundle Up in Red” campaign “is an awareness promotion utilizing red scarves to capture the attention of Sudburians. Red scarves will be distributed throughout the city. They will be tied around lampposts throughout major city streets and will be attached to trees in both Memorial and Bell Park. Individuals are encouraged to take and wear the scarves which will be tagged with facts about HIV/AIDS.” This campaign is to support HIV Awareness Week which begins November 23rd. Several Marymount Academy students took up this challenge and have been working diligently to get as many scarves as possible in preparation for distribution and already have over 350 scarves ready to go. It is the hope that this campaign will get people thinking and talking about HIV and is a unique way to get this very important messaging out into the community. Scarves can be kept or passed along and any leftover scarves will be donated to shelters. According to Brenda Thompson, teacher at Marymount, her students were onboard right from the first request. “We immediately had students approach us and say they wanted to be a part of this campaign,” Thompson explained. “That is the culture at Marymount Academy. Our students all the way from grade 7-12 are strongly encouraged to get involved in our community, and know that is it very important to give back. The students recognized that this “Bundle Up in Red” campaign was something very relevant for today’s s

St. John Remembers

On Wednesday November 11th, St John Catholic Elementary School in Garson held a service commemorating members of the armed forces put on by the Grade 7/8 class. All students and staff attended the prayer service observing two minutes of silence to remember those who have fought for their freedom. All observed as students expressed a heartfelt gratitude to all those who have worked and fought courageously throughout our history, so that we might enjoy peace.

Honouring our Veterans in Killarney

Under a brilliant sun, with only the sound of the flapping Canadian flag in the background, students and staff from St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Killarney gathered around the town’s cenotaph on November 11, 2015 to remember those who have fought for their freedoms. Joined by Sudbury Catholic Superintendent Rossella Bagnato and several local residents, the students held their Remembrance Day prayer service, observed two minutes of silence, and ended the ceremony by singing O’Canada. “It is so very important that our students understand the sacrifices that were made by our veterans to ensure our freedom today, “ explained Monika Jost, principal. “We always want to ensure that future generations never take for granted what has been fought for in the past and the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us – our students know – we must always remember.”

St. David Catholic School; Lest We Forget

St. David Catholic Elementary School staff and students remembered the brave men and women who have given their lives for freedom around the world. Deacon Roland Muzzatti led the school in a prayer service celebrating the precious gift of peace. Deacon Muzzatti spoke about everyone’s responsibility for ensuring peace exists in our everyday lives. He engaged in a school wide conversation about peace and real world, kid friendly ways students can promote peace in their everyday lives. The school prayed for those families personally affected by war and those who have family members currently serving in the military. The students learned that they all have the power to be peacemakers in their lives and that they can be role models and leaders in their community.

Louis Mailloux, St. David School Core French teacher stated that, “Today’s celebration was a powerful remembrance of how important it is for people to be reflective and take time to honour those who have died for our freedom. Students need direct instruction on our history as nation and the sacrifices that have been made by previous generations. Deacon Muzzatti spoke eloquently about the importance of peace in our world and the importance of prayer to our community”.

St. John Remembers

On Wednesday November 11th, St John Catholic Elementary School in Garson held a service commemorating members of the armed forces put on by the Grade 7/8 class. All students and staff attended the prayer service observing two minutes of silence to remember those who have fought for their freedom. All observed as students expressed a heartfelt gratitude to all those who have worked and fought courageously throughout our history, so that we might enjoy peace.

“Dear Veteran” Letters Being Penned at St. Charles College

As part of a letter writing unit in Literacy studies, students in teacher Sarah Bock’s grade seven class at St. Charles College are writing war veterans. 

The students are writing the letters in an effort to show veterans why there are valued. The unit ties in nicely to the Remembrance Day theme. 

Bock says in the past, her students have written troops in combat but she thought it would be an interesting twist to write veterans who have served in the past. 

Once completed and assessed, the letters will be mailed out to veterans listed on the Veteran Affairs website through a campaign called “Postcards for Peace.”

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