The week of November 15-19 marked Bullying Awareness Prevention Week. Students at St. Charles Elementary in Chelmsford recognized this important week by participating in a variety of activities including creating skits, songs and posters, all focusing on bullying awareness and prevention. Students in Ms. Harasymowicz’s grade 8 class chose to recognize this important issue by creating and wearing t-shirts displaying a wide variety of anti bullying messages and slogans. This also tied in perfectly with the theme of Justice, which was the virtue of the month for November.
Category: Programs
Sudbury Hosts Bolivian Students
Ten students from Bolivia are in Sudbury until the end of January on an exchange program through an organization called Canada World Youth. Ranging in age from sixteen to twenty-six, the students arrived in Canada on November 1 and Sudbury on November 3 and are taking part in St. Albert’s Adult Learning Centre’s English as a Second Language Program to better adapt their communication skills while in the city. The school was contacted by the organization to see if they would be willing to accept the students into their E.S.L. class and the staff at St. Albert readily agreed.
The students are living with host families and, as well as school, also do volunteer work in the community three times a week. Their volunteer work allows them to learn about themselves and their new community, increases their involvement in local and global issues and give them tools to contribute to the well-being of the city as well as taking them back with them when they return home. Some of the volunteer locations for these students include Habitat for Humanity, Eat Local, the Friendship Centre and the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth (SACY).
Mai Hellak, the ESL teacher at St. Albert was thrilled to learn of the students’ arrival in her class. “I have been teaching ESL with the Catholic Board since 1996 and it is always so much fun,” Hellak said. “When you have students learning English as a second language, you are teaching at multiple levels and it makes for a lot of hard work but it is very rewarding. I also have another teacher named Claire Kamber who volunteers in the classroom and helps with the workload tremendously.”
Cassandra MacGregor, Principal of St. Albert was also excited to learn about the Bolivian students taking part in classes at their school. “We are delighted to have these students here as it allows us to learn about their culture while we are supporting their learning – and it also promotes diversity in our community.”
Exchange student, Cecilia Montalvan is the Bolivian co-ordinator and said that the group is really happy with the weather here so far as it is very hot in Bolivia and they can’t wait for snow. As well, even though they have been in Sudbury only a short time, they are thoroughly enjoying themselves, their host families, and are looking forward to exploring the city. “We have planned group activities every Wednesday afternoon,” Montalvan said. “ This is the time that we get together and take part in a more organized events and we are really looking forward to all of the different opportunities open to us.”
MMA Bringing Music to the Community
Recently, the Senior Brass Ensemble performed a short set at the Knights of Columbus fundraiser for struggling families in Sudbury. Cindy Coleman, Emma Kyle, Jessica Pugliese and Cassie Apolloni did a great job with their performance. It was a great evening with dinner and beautiful music. Hooray for music in the community!
Angels/Flames Junio Co-ed Volleyball Tournament Results
The Angels/Flames Junior Co-ed Volleyball tournament took place November 6th at St. Francis. St. Francis were the champs, with Corpus coming in second, St. Mary’s third and St. Theresa fourth.
Turning Points at Sudbury Catholic
Students, parents, teachers and invited guests gathered at the Sudbury Catholic District Board office on October 28, 2010 to take part in the SCDSB’s first annual Turning Points Essay Contest Awards ceremony. This essay contest is an initiative which stems from the Learning Partnership which is an organization that champions a strong public education system to deliver innovative programs, credible research, policy initiatives, executive leadership and public engagement across Canada. Turning Points is a character development and literacy program that allows students to reflect on their fundamental values and, through a process of self-reflection and dialogue, write a narrative essay about a significant event, or turning point in their lives. The Board was approach last year about piloting the program and SCDSB administration felt that it was a good fit for Sudbury Catholic students as it ties in well with faith-based curriculum and the monthly virtues that each school celebrates.
Students from Marymount Academy and St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School in Grades 9 to 12 took part in this contest and their essays were then submitted to students at York University for the first tier of judging. Second tier judging occurred back at board level and then all names and winning essays were submitted back to Turning Points for publication. Students who wrote winning essays were awarded plaques, a copy of the publication, as well as monetary awards at Thursday night’s celebration.
At the awards ceremony, the students were honoured for their efforts and several students had the opportunity to read their essays allowed. The audience was visibly moved by these emotional accounts and several of the teachers involved spoke of the courage and strength of their students to be able to write such heart-felt accounts of their experiences. Jody Cameron, SCDSB Board Chair congratulated the students for their outstanding efforts and encouraged them to continue on their journey of self-discovery and emotional and spiritual growth.
English Teachers from all four Sudbury Catholic Secondary Schools participated in the Turning Points inservice on October 29 to prepare for their second semester’s English classes and Catherine McCullough, Director of Education expressed her delight that the program is now expanding. “I am thrilled that the pilot program met with such success at two of our secondary schools and know that expanding to all four will only mean that even more of our students will be able to participate in such a unique and rewarding writing initiative.”
Winning Essays included:
Grade 9/10 Awards
3rd place: Corissa VandeWeghe, Four Kisses
2nd place: Kalya Richardson, Another Person’s Mistakes
1st place: Jorden Barberio, Stripping the Blue Chair
Grade 11/12 Awards
3rd place: Alexandria Tsimiklis, A Final Goodbye
2nd place: Shelby Eyre, A Subtle Charisma
1st place: Jennifer Roy, An Unforgettable Encounter
Marymount Attends “Guts and Glory”
On Friday, October 22nd, members of the Marymount Academy Girls’ Athletic Association and various athletes from different grade levels attended the 4th Annual “Guts & Glory” fundraiser luncheon put on by SportLink Sudbury. This year’s event featured two local athletes – Alannah Maclean, an OFSAA gold medallist in Nordic skiing and Mike Coughlin, a triathlete who now calls Sudbury home. The keynote speaker was Ken Derrett who is the current VP of Marketing for the San Diego Chargers from the National Football League. At the luncheon, the girls listened to courageous stories about all of the hard work and dedication it takes to become an elite athlete. Mr. Derrett focused his energy on outlying an important “toolkit” to persevere in athletics. He spoke about the importance of education and staying current with what is going on in the world. Furthermore, he added that “having respect for all of the people who surround you on a consistent basis, will help greatly in guiding your athletic journey, whatever it may be.” The Marymount Athletic Association and the students & staff who attended would like to extend a sincere thanks to Faiella Financial for generously donating the tickets to once again attend this great event.
St. David Catholic School Partners with Aboriginal Best Start Hub to Celebrate Community
St. David Catholic School and Better Beginnings, Better Futures Aboriginal Best Start Hub proudly partnered Wednesday evening to welcome their community for a free community dinner and celebration. Families gathered for corn soup and bannock as well as fruit and homemade desserts. School Board personnel and Best Start Hub employees worked together to teach all family members how to make a rattle craft. Entertainment was provided by the grade 8 students of the school and community volunteers worked to set up and prepare for the evening. All children in attendance received gift bags from Better Beginnings filled with toys and school tools. “It was a wonderful celebration and showcase of what community can do when we all work together. St. David School is very proud to be a part of such a community based, fun, opportunity for learning and laughing with our local families”, said Tina Timpano, vice principal of St. David School. Lana Trudeau, the Aboriginal Support Worker for SCDSB stated, “We are off to a fantastic start and look forward to many more celebrations similar to this in our future partnership with Better Beginnings. Everyone had a great time, laughed a lot and filled their bellies. We appreciate Better Beginnings and everything they offer the community”.
St. Charles College Scores Big in Golf
St. Charles College won the city golf championships for team play in recent weeks finishing one stroke ahead of St. Benedict. John Maley finished second in individual play with a score of 73. For NOSSA, the boys finished a close second to North Bay. For individual play at NOSSA, Stephen Gonko finished tied for third with a score of 73 followed closely by Evan Purcell and John Maley. The Cards displayed outstanding shot making but came up just short to qualifying for OFSSAA. Team members were John Maley, Stehen Gonko, Even Purcell, Ryan Purcell and Brady Reilly.
Sudbury Catholic Teacher Named Elementary Teacher of the Year
“It is still surreal to me…I keep expecting a phone call saying there has been some sort of mistake and they have picked someone else.” Early Learning French Immersion Teacher Alice Desormeaux still cannot believe that she has been selected to be the recipient of the 2010 OTIP Teaching Award in the category of Elementary Teacher. The Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF), in partnership with the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP), honours educators each year whose commitment, creativity and energy result in a superior experience for students. This initiative began in 1991 and over the years the honourees have covered a wide range of disciplines, teaching methods, age groups and geographical locations. Up to four awards are given annually to outstanding teachers in the categories of elementary, secondary, francophone and beginning teachers.
Desormeaux, who is just starting her twenty-first year of teaching with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board has been at St. Anne’s Catholic Elementary School since the beginning of her career. The bulk of her teaching has been in the Primary division and this year she is teaching in the school's Early Learning French Immersion classroom. “To be recognized by my peers, as well as provincially, it is a true honour,” Desormeaux stated. “With this honour, also comes a huge responsibility in that I know I have to always make sure that I am living up to this expectation.” According to her colleagues, she is more than up for that task. As several of her co-workers nominated her for this award, they also had to submit testimonials as to why they thought she was deserving. Jody Odaiskey, also a teacher at St. Anne's knew that Alice was the perfect fit for this award. “Alice has a gift that makes her approachable in every way,” Odaiskey said. “She has impacted more lives than I think she is aware of as she always treats all students with the utmost respect and always finds their shining qualities.”
Lucie Cullen, Principal of Marymount Academy had the opportunity to work with Desormeaux as her principal at St. Anne's several years ago and also feels that she is deserving of this award. “I have known Alice for over 20 years, as a colleague, friend, and fellow parishioner. Her positive attitude, her love of children, her passion for student success, her dedication to literacy and numeracy initiatives and her insatiable hunger for personal and professional growth are reflected in the outstanding quality of her work as a teacher.” Cullen said.
Over twenty different submissions from co-workers and parents were sent on Desormeaux's behalf and it is clearly evident that she is truly deserving of this award. On St. Anne's website, it speaks to the school providing a safe haven for children, instilling a sense of pride and respect for themselves, others, and for their environment, where students are continuously encouraged to strive to achieve their own personal potential in every aspect of their spiritual, academic, social and physical growth. Alice Desormeaux does just that each and every day with all students and staff that come into her life.
Catherine McCullough, Director of Education expressed her joy regarding Desormeaux’s win. “On behalf of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, I would like to congratulate Alice on this tremendous accomplishment and it is with great pride that we call her a Sudbury Catholic teacher, and consider her an integral member of the Sudbury Catholic family.”
Desormeaux travelled to Toronto for the awards ceremony on Thursday, September 30 at which time they bestowed her with the award as well as presented a documentary that was filmed by TV Ontario reflecting a day with Desormeaux in the classroom. The Toronto Star has also done an interview with Desormeaux along with the other recipients that will be a part of their weekend edition story on the awards.