Camden Babin and Julia Gardner, Grade 12 students at Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S, have been selected to participate in the 2021 National Youth Band of Canada. In order to be selected, they had to submit audition pieces and technical requirements that demonstrated their high level of skill.
The National Youth Band of Canada is a music education youth project offered by the Canadian Band Association. The selected members will meet virtually to practice together, conduct virtual performances and create recordings. The National Youth Band program will wrap up on May 3, 2021.
Both Camden and Julia have been playing musical instruments since elementary school. Camden currently plays the alto saxophone and Julia currently plays the tenor saxophone. They both enjoy the challenge and emotional connection that instrumental music has offered them and look forward to being able to collaborate and be a part of a virtual ensemble.
“I think it is important for students to see the benefits and rewards that come with embracing music and the arts while in school,” said Camden.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity and am excited to learn from other students who share the same passion. We are both so grateful to our mentors for their guidance throughout the audition process!” said Julia.
Julie Denomme, teacher at Bishop Alexander Carter, has served as a mentor for both students and encouraged them to audition for the program.
“Julia and Camden are two very dedicated students who spent a lot of time preparing for this audition. Their music education has been a big part of their secondary school years and I have no doubt that it has helped them build essential skills and will also prepare them for their future,” she said.
“We couldn’t be prouder of Julia and Camden. As a past secondary music teacher, I know the hard work, talent and dedication it takes to be selected by the Canadian Youth Band of Canada. The skill level they demonstrated in their audition material was so impressive and inspiring! We know they will represent Bishop with pride,” said Stephanie Venturi, Principal of Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School.
“Sudbury Catholic is proud to support music education and is pleased to offer instrumental music for all students beginning in Grade 7,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.
For more information about the National Youth Band of Canada, please go to: www.canadianband.org.
Category: Programs
Students Create Peace Plants!
“PEACE Plants” was developed by teacher Kathyrn Kurt as a response to a call out for experiential learning proposals.
The PEACE Plants Project started after Christmas once the grow lights and the planter box arrived. The students assembled wood pieces, connected cords and planned out the garden.The class purchased casters so they could move the gigantic garden box around the classroom. The dimensions of the garden box are 180 cm long, 80 cm wide and 80 cm high and it can hold a massive 390 litres of soil.
Students were engaged by watering, planting and tending to the veggies that have already surfaced. They’ve had to use their math skills when measuring out the bi-weekly dose of plant food. Students have been closely following the growth of each plant. This spring, they will be connecting virtually with a community gardener who will share their tricks of the trade and their garden inspirations.
The students are anxiously awaiting their order of more seeds like lettuce, beans, radishes, carrots, kale, cucumbers, peas, tomatoes, and various herbs. They are also experimenting with different colours of veggies and are excited to taste the difference between them. They will see whose seed grows the fastest and produces the most fruit.
Students are welcomed everyday by a plethora of plants, each with the promise of producing healthy food for their enjoyment. The PEACE classroom has been transformed into a place where students, staff and veggies alike are experiencing growth. Stay tuned for more PEACE Plants updates. They can’t wait to share them with you!
Join Our Virtual Learning Series!
The Parent Involvement Committee is very pleased to once again to support virtual learning sessions throughout the winter and spring.
Our next session is on March 10: MLI Homestay. Being a host family is a rewardingexperience! Join this session to understand how Homestay works herein Sudbury. This session will touch on the many benefits of becoming ahost family and the key requirements for hosting an internationalstudent. We will also discuss how things have been modified as we alllearn to live with Covid-19 in our midst.
All sessions will take place virtually through Zoom between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. These are excellent opportunities to learn about topics that are relevant to you.
Register HERE!
St. James Students Learn Through Snowshoe Adventures
Grade 2/3 FI students at St. James School thoroughly enjoyed their Snowshoe Inquiry that was been made possible through Sudbury Catholic Schools Experiential Learning Grant. One of the inquiries that has sparked the student’s enjoyment of the outdoors has involved the study of Northern Ontario birds. Thanks to a community partnership with Walden Home Hardware, the class also received bird seed to create a variety of different homemade feeders for the schoolyard. We are always grateful for the collaboration and support of our community partners.
Kindergarten Class at Pius XII School Wins School Grant with WWF-Canada!
Congratulations to Mrs. Beaton and her Kindergarten class for their grant proposal being accepted by WWF-Canada! Pius XII School has been awarded one of WWF-Canada’s Go Wild School Grants. This Spring, the school will work towards transforming their courtyard into an outdoor learning space where the Pius community can connect with nature and nurture Indigenous teachings!
Stay tuned to hear more about how the Kindergarten class is helping nature thrive with #WWFGoWild!
Sudbury Catholic Schools Gather Together Virtually to Honour Ash Wednesday
Our Lenten journey begins with Ash Wednesday! We gathered as a system virtually and explored the theme of Nurturing Hope. Throughout the webinar, students participated by completing various readings and prayers and a reflection on Lent was provided by Father Larry Rymes.
We look forward to coming together through virtual services during each week of Lent.
Happy New Year to Our Friends in China and Vietnam!
Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the most important festival in China and a major event in other Asian countries. Chinese Lunar New Year 2021 falls on Friday, February 12th and is celebrated for 16 days! Happy New Year!
Tet Nguyen Dan or Tet is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year marking the arrival of spring based on the Lunar calendar, a lunisolar calendar. The name Tet Nguyen Dan is Sino-Vietnamese for Feast of the very First Morning.
Tet takes place from the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tet by cooking special holiday foods and cleaning their house. There are a lot of customs practiced during Tet such as visiting a person’s house on the first day of the new year (xông nhà), ancestral worship, wishing New Year’s greetings, giving lucky money to children and elderly people and opening a shop.
PEACE Students Place 1st in the Regional Paper Glider Plane Virtual Competition
Skills Ontario offers a variety of opportunities for students to demonstrate creativity, skills, and knowledge of the skilled trades.
Grade 7-12 students were asked to design and build a glider plane made of household items. Their submissions included detailed blueprints, photographs, and lists demonstrating their effective use of materials and safety practices. The final task was to create a video. The test was to see how long the glider could stay in the air.
The PEACE Team from St. Albert Education Centre placed 1st in the Skills Ontario Regional competition!
Bradley Larabie-Parsons, Captain of the team, was so excited to hear the news! When asked how many trials it took to get to the winner and he said, “Too many to count.”
Kathryn Kurt teacher of the PEACE program states, “I feel so grateful for incentives like this glider competition, that cover the curriculum, make learning engaging and support a creative classroom environment. But mostly, I’m so excited to see the students in our program get the credit they deserve for the hard work they do every day!
View the Skills Ontario Paper Glider Competition: Regional Winners Announcement Ceremony that was shared on January 21.
The team will now be advancing to the championship round to compete against medalists from all regions at the secondary level. Good luck to everyone!
Winners will be announced on March 11th!
Five Sudbury Catholic Students Place Provincially in #SkillsAtHome Challenges
Skills Ontario and Edge Factor initiated 17 challenges for students in Ontario to explore the skilled trades and technology through a series of contests on Twitter. The challenges began in March 2020 and wrapped up in January 2021. Sudbury Catholic students, Kindergarten to Grade 12, eagerly participated throughout the series with incredible results. Overall, the Board is proud to have five students place provincially:
• Sofia Brine, Grade 1 student at St. John Catholic Elementary School, placed third in the #SkillsAtHome Challenge: Wacky Hair Challenge.
• Maili Jutila and Lylah Jebreen, Grade 7 students at Marymount Academy, placed first in the #SkillsAtHome Challenge: Construction Sector- Iron Worker- Tallest Marshmallow Towers.
• Milena Raso, Grade 12 student at Marymount Academy, placed third in the #SkillsAtHome Challenge: Service Sector’s Paper Dress 1920’s Style challenge.
• Owen Carpenter, Grade 6 student at St. Francis School, placed third in the #SkillsAtHome Challenge – Build a Fort.
• Brady Howard, Grade 12 student at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, placed first in the #SkillsAtHome Challenge: Cake Decorating.
“It is with great pride that the Board congratulates our five provincially recognized winners who participated in the Skills Ontario Challenges that took place between March 2020 and this January,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education. “Their innovation and creativity is inspiring! We thank our dedicated educators as well as our families for guiding and continually supporting opportunities to challenge and engage our students .”
“The efforts and accomplishments made by our participating students are a testament to the enthusiasm and collaboration that our staff and students display year-round,” said Superintendent of School Effectiveness, Peter Prochilo. “Skills Ontario has been a great partner in supporting the exploration of the trades pathways and it is these opportunities that broaden horizons for our youth.”