Kindergarten students at St. Charles Elementary School have been “attending” Camp Wanna-Learn-A-Lot (at school) recently where they have been pitching tents, roasting marshmallows, fishing, and paddling across imaginary lakes. The students are getting a head start to the summer with literacy and numeracy activities centred on camping and learning about the outdoors. Teacher Joseph Snofl says that “creating learning activities that are relevant to the students’ interests and experiences can help parents keep their children engaged in their learning during summer vacation. Such activities can, among other things, greatly help them in their overall growth as they continue to explore the world and enhance their imaginations.”
Category: Outdoor Education
St. David Students Take Part in 2012 Roots and Shoots Conference
As a part of a Teacher Learning and Leadership project funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education, teachers Jennifer Gran, Leann Laframboise and Christina Kilby have been leading an exciting project. Students from Grade 4/5 and Grade 8 at St. David school have been learning about technology, stewardship and engaging in environmental education in a hands on way. They have been taking their learning outside.
On Monday March 26, 2012, student ambassadors from the project had the privilege of presenting at the Roots and Shoots conference at Science North. Along with their teachers and elders from the project, the students shared their experiences of learning nature photography, visiting Vale’s greenhouse in Copper Cliff to see where they grow seedlings for re-greening and planting trees at Laurentian Conservation area in partnership with the Greater City of Sudbury. These students articulated their sense of ownership and expressed their excitement for the project as well as for the volunteers. The students were inspired by the many guest speakers who came to their school from environmental engineers, Native elders to a Science North scientist. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the project, besides going outside to learn was the relationships that they have developed with Joe Houle (Mrs. Laframboise’s Dad who helped with the nature photography) and Theresa Pelletier (Mrs. Gran’s mom who shared her love of nature on the nature walks).
All of the photography and video documentation of the project was done by the Grade 4/5 and Grade 8 students. The students have learned and enjoyed using iPads, MacBooks and digital cameras for these tasks.
As the students completed their presentations, they offered seedlings to other students and teachers and asked them to help make a positive change by planting trees. Their final message was to encourage students to “ask their teachers to take them outside” because they know first hand that this way of learning is engaging and memorable.
St. Anne Students Snowshoe Their Way Into The March Break
In like a lion, out like a lamb is the old saying to predict the unsettled weather that March can bring. With huge amounts of snow at the beginning of March, the students within teacher Lois Lambert’s Grade 1-2 classroom at St. Anne School wondered if there would be any snow left once they returned from their March Break. Deciding to take no chances, these students within the Sudbury Catholic System strapped on their snowshoes for their gym class. The children were able to walk the perimeter of the school yard which was quite a distance for these six and seven year olds. Some students fell and some students were wet, but in the end, a good time was had by all. Their classroom teacher, Mrs. Lois Lambert, stated, “I want the children to have a safe March Break and maybe inspire them to find other enjoyable activities to participate in while the weather is nice.” Spring may be just around the corner, but these children proved that winter fun can be very exciting!
St. David Catholic School Parent Involvement Leads to Greater Student Success and Well Being
St. David Catholic School works diligently to involve parents and the community in the education of our youth. The school recognizes that student achievement increases when parents play an active role in their children’s education, and that “good schools become even better schools when parents and community members become involved”.
The grade 5/6 class at St. David worked with the staff at the Killarney Outdoor Education Center and with school parents and local Aboriginal Elders to allow the students to experience real life learning. Parents, community members, students and staff learned about traditional Aboriginal hunting and fishing practices, scientific states of matter and the food chain and it’s relationship to biodiversity — then they spent a day ice fishing. Although no actual fish were caught, parents were actively engaged in supporting their children’s success at school. Parents and students were motivated to learn as a team, each supporting each other in an active hands on learning experience.
Local Educators Team Up to Provide Students with an Authentic, Educational, Northern Ontario Experience
Killarney Outdoor Education Instructor, Bradley Blackwell, and local grade 5/6 St. David Catholic School teacher, Leo McLaughlin, worked as a team to plan and co-ordinate an authentic Northern Ontario experience for Mr. McLaughlin’s grade 5/6 class – a full day ice fishing at Perch Lake. Both teachers, avid outdoorsmen, thought it important to offer students this curriculum based, beyond the indoor classroom learning experience. St. David Catholic School is located in the heart of Sudbury. The students are from the Donovan, Flour Mill and Louis Street areas.
According to Blackwell, “in planning this ice fishing field trip we based it on our teaching philosophy, which is that our students learn best by doing. They need the opportunity to discover the outdoors and be in nature. They feel better about themselves when they work as a team and see each other having fun while accomplishing a task. Before we went on our ice fishing excursion we covered such topics as outdoor ethics, ice and winter safety and environmental responsibility. We invited a local First Nation Elder to share the teachings of traditional harvesting and protection of animal species for the next generation. Mr. McLaughlin ensured the trip was connected to the Ontario curriculum by teaching about states of matter, fish biology, the food chain and biodiversity.”
The students spent the day at Perch Lake with parents, community volunteers and teachers and learned the most valuable lesson of all: “a Northern Ontario winter can be a beautiful, diverse, and inspiring classroom for all learners”.
St. Raphael Celebrates Family Literacy Day
On Friday January 27, Family Literacy Day, staff, students, and parents at St. Raphael School participated in a variety of literacy workshops. Each workshop was linked to the importance of being able to read by such presenters as Roger Nash, Sudbury Poet Laureate, Mark Gentili, Managing Editor of the Northern Life, Emily MacMillan, Nickel District Conservation Authority, and Darren MacDonald of the Sudbury Star. Pictured is Brad Blackwell from Killarney-Shebanoning Outdoor Education Centre whose presentation was entitled “If Trees Could Talk”.
Sudbury Catholic’s Third Annual Outdoor Adventure Race a Smashing Success!
Despite the rainy weather, it was a spectacular day for the third annual Sudbury Catholic Outdoor Adventure Race in Killarney on June 8, 2011. Students from all four of the Board’s secondary schools entered teams to take part in a four part outdoor race which included biking, canoeing, orienteering and a mystery challenge which involved a first aid rescue exercise. A total of fifteen teams with three students per team participated and, although rain-soaked for part of the race, managed to keep smiles on their faces throughout the entire challenge. The past two years has seen St. Charles College and then St. Benedict take home the coveted banner, and this year St. Charles managed to win back the first place spot. A team from St. Benedict won in terms of time, however, due to a small mistake in the orienteering section, they were given a 5 minute penalty which put the St. Charles team consisting of Adam McKibbon (Grade 12), Michael Wandziak (Grade 11) and Jonah Lynott (Grade 11) in first place. Awards were also given out for first place for a co-ed team as well as an all-girls team.
First Annual Winter Outdoor Adventure Race Showed SCDSB High School Students Made of the “Right Stuff”
It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day on Friday, March 5, 2010 when the high school students from the Sudbury Catholic Board arrived in Killarney for the first annual Winter Outdoor Adventure Race. Nine teams from St. Benedict, St. Charles College and Bishop Alexander Carter showed up at the Killarney Shebanoning Outdoor Environmental Education Centre (K.S.O.E.E.C.) ready to participate in the three part race consisting of a two kilometre run along a trail with a target shooting event (with hoops and snowballs), an orienteering exercise in the bush, as well as a controlled fire-burning activity in which the students had to bring a can of water to a full boil over their self-made fire. The teams were mostly in co-ed groups of three and had to stay together for all three legs of the race. In the end, when all of the points and penalties were tallied, a team from St. Benedict consisting of – Alex Catalano, Sebastian Diebel, Andrew Kendall, with a time of one hour, thirteen minutes and twenty-four seconds was the race champion. It was an absolutely amazing day for all of the students and staff who participated and because the day was such a huge success, the buzz for the next race, which is the Second Annual Spring Adventure Race, has already begun. This next race will be held on June 4, 2010 and will be open to teams from all four boards. Space is limited and teams will be registered on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information on the upcoming race, please contact Clara Steele at 673-5620 ext. 245.
Results, Times and Prizes
1st Place – Dog sledding with Chocpaw Expeditions – Alex Catalano, Sebastian Diebel, Andrew Kendall (1:13:24) – St. Benedict
2nd Place – ski passes/rentals to Horseshoe Resort – Erica Hallock, Scott Barbe, Nick Micelotta (1:15:52) – St. Charles College
3rd Place – T-Shirts from Friends of Killarney Park – Tyler Timony, Nathan Shawana, Brent Toulouse (1:16:30) – St. Charles College
4th Place – Michelle Bishop, Conner Hill, Kyle Donnelly (1:23:04) – Bishop Alexander Carter
5th Place – Jamie Hancock, Alina Tassone, Simon Diebel (1:25:06) – St. Benedict
6th Place – Drake Boivin, Pelype Sauve, Colin Grant, Brady Loche (1:29:43) – St. Charles College
7th Place – Chris Duke, James Howard, Brittany Zauzon (1:36:05) – St. Charles College
8th Place – Yvette Walpert, Zak Szdziak, Andrew St. Amore (1:58:09) – St. Charles College
9th Place – Jason Boudreau, Kyle Hughson, Thomas Lambert (2:07:31) – Bishop Alexander Carter
SCC Antioch Prayer Group Enjoy Retreat In Killarney
Participants from the St. Charles Antioch prayer group took in the beauty of God’s creation and the wonderful weather on February 20 and 21, 2010 in Killarney. The students are part of the team that will put on the next Antioch Weekend (April 16,17,18) at St. Charles College. While in Killarney, the students participated in team building and communication exercises over the course of the two day retreat/seminar. The splendour of the lighthouse scenery, the sacredness of St. Ambrose Church, and the serenity of the Aboriginal classroom provided perfect opportunities for prayer and reflection. St. Charles College would like to thank the people of Killarney for their friendliness, the parishioners of St. Ambrose Parish for welcoming them at Mass, and especially the Outdoor Education Co-ordinator Mike Lavin for taking care of all of their needs throughout their visit.