Category: Programs
Energy Conservation Top Priority with Sudbury Catholic Board
The first in a series of Dearness Conservation (DC) inservices for year six took place at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s Catholic Education Centre recently. Guest speaker for the afternoon session, Dougal McCreath, (standing) walked the Board’s new DC teachers through a PowerPoint presentation which dealt with the re-greening efforts of Inco from the early 1970’s to the present.
The half-day sessions provided an overview of the Dearness Conservation Program, the local Efficient Sudbury Campaign and an on-line overview of the newly developed SCDSB EcoCentre website, http://www.gresworld.com/sudbury_catholic
Dearness Conservation is a multi-year program designed for school boards to improve their energy use, water consumption and waste management practices. A cooperative team of students, teachers, principals and custodians work together with DC to help schools conserve resources and protect the environment.
Cool To Be Kind
Special guest artist-performer from Toronto, Errol Lee and his dancers entertained students at various Catholic Schools including St. Francis, St. David, St. Christopher, Pius XII, Immaculate Conception, St. James and St. Charles Elementary to bring out the message of Respect and Faith. An evening concert was held at Pius XII Catholic School.
Through the magic of song and dance, Errol brings forth the powerful message of anti-bullying, anti-racism and most importantly the curriculum component of the Catholic Graduate Expectations. Errol Lee performs music that is upbeat and positive in nature.
SCDSB Helps Launch New Coaching Program for Students with Learning Disabilities
The Learning Disabilities Association of Sudbury in partnership with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, the Greater Sudbury Public Library, the Rainbow District School Board, and Laurentian University School of Education launched the “Coaching Program for Students with Learning Disabilities” at Tom Davies Square, recently.
The program provides a “Personal Coach” for students who entered Grade 8 in September 2006, who have been identified with a learning disability and have an Individual Education Plan. These students are partnered with a “Personal Coach” from Laurentian University School of Education. The students receive 11/2 hours of coaching per week at the closest public library. The goal is to prepare these Grade 8 students for transition into high school. Forty students from both English School Boards will receive this coaching once per week until the end of March 2007.
SCDSB Presents Dearness Conservation Program, 1st. Inservice, Year 6
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board will be presenting the first In-service of Year 6 for new Dearness Conservation (DC)Teachers on Friday, October 13, 2006 from (8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.) and (12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.) at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s Catholic Education Centre, 165A D’Youville Street, Sudbury.
The day’s agenda will include an overview of the big picture regarding the global need to influence attitudes and behaviours on climate change, a report on the Efficient Sudbury Campaign, How To Take a Webinar, and an overview of the Dearness Conservation Program.
Dearness Conservation is a multi-year program designed for school boards to improve their energy use, water consumption and waste management practices. A co-operative team of students, teachers, principals and custodians work together with DC to help schools conserve resources and protect the environment.
Sudbury Lakers to Hold Basketball Clinic Sunday
The basketball season is about to heat up at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. Bantam age girls (b. 1993-1995) can take advantage of a great opportunity to hone their skills and gain a competitive edge by enroling in the Sudbury Lakers basketball clinic to be held Sunday September 17.
For more information visit www.sudburylakers.com.
Sudbury Catholic District School Board Encouraged by Recent Provincial Test Scores
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has released the results of the Grades 3 and 6 reading, writing and mathematics tests and the Grade 9 academic and applied mathematics tests written by Ontario students during the 2005–2006 school year.
Officials at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board are pleased with the results of their students with respect to the 2005-2006 Grade 3, 6 and 9 Provincial test results in reading, writing, and mathematics. From 2002 until 2006, the percentage of the Board’s Grade 3 and 6 students that have met or surpassed the provincial standards continues to increase. Grade 3 test results improved from 45% to 51% in reading, 47% to 49% in writing and 54% to 56% in math over the four-year period. The Grade 6 test results were equally impressive demonstrating gains from 61% to 66% in reading, 53% to 58% in writing and 52% to 54% in math.
The positive trend in EQAO results was also demonstrated by the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s Grade 9 students who wrote the Provincial math tests. Test scores indicate that the percentage of students that met or surpassed the provincial standard increased from 71% to 78% in the academic math and from 27% to 45% in the applied math from 2002 until 2006.
Paula Peroni, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is encouraged with the recent test results. “In the last four years our Board has witnessed an increase in the percentage of our Grade 3, 6 and 9 students who have met or surpassed the provincial standards in reading, writing and math,” states Peroni. “Numerous strategies have been put into place this year which we are confident will continue to yield positive results. The overall picture, which includes significant increases in our secondary schools is line with our strategic improvement plan. It is gratifying to see that we have firmly established an upward trend. We are cognizant of the overwhelming efforts of our secondary panel and the solid academic foundation at elementary level which produce these positive results.”
Zandra Zubac, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is equally optimistic with the latest data. “Recent test scores of our students writing the Grade 3, and 6 provincial tests indicate that we are moving along with the rest of the province with respect to the increasing number of students who scored at or above the provincial level,” states Zubac. “Our secondary school scores exceed the provincial average and we will continue to use our secondary schools as a model for best practices. The strategies that are working well in one school will be used in other schools to yield positive results. The Learning With Laptops program for Grade 9 math was introduced in the spring of 2005. As we enter year 3 of the program, we hope to see continued improvement.”
For detailed results, visit our EQAO section.
Free Family Concert
No More Pencils, No More Books, But Definitely a Laptop!
Representatives from Apple Canada joined the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s administrative team in presenting all of the Board’s Grade 7 and 8 teachers and vice-principals with a wireless MacBook laptop computer in its ‘Apple For The Teacher Day.’ The Board passed a motion last week to purchase eleven hundred laptop computers in a bold move to bring more technology into the classroom this September.
Zandra Zubac, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board stated in her opening address to the teachers that today marks an historic day not only for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board but for the educational process across the entire province. ‘Our Board is the very first Board in Ontario to give every grade 7 and 8 student a wireless computer,’ stated Zubac. ‘Through our partnership with Apple Canada we are championing new innovative and successful technological ways of delivering education to our students.’
Following the presentation of the wireless computers, consultants from Apple Canada conducted workshop sessions with the teachers, vice-principals and student leaders to help orient them with the new technology. “The teachers will be taking the wireless MacBook Laptop computers home for the summer to familiarize themselves with the new technology using the expertise they acquired in the workshops,” stated Bob Kennedy, Consultant for Apple Canada. “Today the teachers are learning how use the new equipment, but it is very evident that once they are comfortable with the new technology they will continue to be the leaders as they integrate this new technology into the science, literacy, numeracy, religion, french and other programs,” concluded Kennedy.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board first introduced the wireless technology into the classroom in 2003-2004 by piloting the “Learning with Laptops Program” to a wide range of students from kindergarten to grade 6. In 2004-05 the Board decided to expand the wireless laptop technology into all secondary schools with the new Learning With Laptops-One to One Grade 9 Math program using Apple wireless ibooks. The mathematics-based program allows students to conceptualize the abstracts of mathematics and continues to integrate technology into the classroom setting. The 2005-2006 school year saw the Board expand its wireless program again by extending the availability of wireless laptops to Special Education students under a CODE grant in an additional six schools. Today, under Phase 4, eleven hundred wireless laptops will be making their way into the hands of the board’s Grade 7 and 8 teachers and students for the fall of 2006.