Since March 2020, Skills Ontario has been encouraging students to participate in various competitions throughout the school year that promote the skilled trades. Sudbury Catholic students learning both in-class and remotely have been eagerly participating in the various challenges with remarkable results.
Challenge #14: Build a Fort:
Students were challenged to build a blanket-covered structure in their home using household items such as blankets, broomsticks, pillows and couch cushions! Students were to collect and take inventory of the fort materials around their home. Then, using the materials they collected, create a building design on paper and then build it! Challengers will be marked on their ability to use creative items for their structures, the details within their blueprint designs as well as on their overall structure. This challenge involves the following skills: planning, design, creativity, organization and fine-motor.
Pictured is St. Francis grade 4 student, Nolan Carpenter. Nolan’s fort is designed to include a skylight for natural lightning, a “chill zone” to read books and a sleep area for not only himself but for his two brothers! We encourage students to participate in these fun challenges at home. The next challenge starts November 16th and the deadline to enter is noon on November 30th! For more information, please click HERE!
The staff and students at St. David have really embraced learning outdoors not only because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but they see how the mental, emotional and physical well-being of students is enhanced when spending time in natural settings. The outdoor classroom and trails have given the students the opportunity to make deep and meaningful connections to their learning and the natural world around them. This year the school has created trails and signage in the forest, which is their little oasis of natural wonder. St. David believes that outdoor learning is critical in supporting the whole child and promoting a holistic education that challenges students to be more self-aware and have a newfound appreciation for all that is living. Students are working on their team building, communication and collaborative skills while fostering lifelong love for the outdoors.
According to Ms. Royer, the grade 2/3 teacher, “Our classroom loves to be surrounded by nature, connecting closer to God. We are so blessed to have this space where we can calm our minds, body and spirit”.
The canned food drive is synonymous with St. Charles College. Each year the staff, students, alumni and feeder schools collect cans and raise money in support of the Sudbury Food Bank.
The mission is to fill the shelves in preparation for the cold and dark winter months. The drive started in the mid 1980s but this year it all looked rather different.
Principal Aaron Barry says “students could not go door to door with Covid precautions. Our student council team under the leadership of Mrs. Demore, Mrs. Humphrey and Mrs. Montgomery opted to sell Cardinal face masks in support of the charity.”
The face masks were sold to students online to avoid cash transactions and were created in collaboration with local business Covergalls Workwear raising $4500 for the Sudbury Food Bank.
Normally the drive brings upwards of 100 000 food items to the food bank each year making it the largest single contributor to the food bank.
The school recognizes that the donation is much smaller this year given the circumstances and is urging people to remember the food banks this holiday season and beyond.
The Peace Program participated in a Veterans Affairs Canada initiative called Postcards for Peace. The goal of this initiative is to link today’s youth with veterans in a personal way and to help youth understand the significance of the sacrifices and achievements of Canada’s Veterans or Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members. The students at St. Albert Learning Centre created their own unique postcards, complete with an art piece as well as a personalized letter to a veteran in an Ontario long-term care facility. The class especially wanted to pay tribute to veterans who would normally be honoured in Remembrance Day Ceremonies, but who will have to stay isolated from such gatherings due the global pandemic. It is a simple gesture and a significant reminder that, although the world is changing, we can still recognize the selfless courage that brought us PEACE.
Launched in 1994 by The Learning Partnership, Take Our Kids to Work Day is an experiential learning opportunity for Grade 9 students across Canada offering them the chance to see the world of work firsthand, explore a variety of careers and sectors, and look at what skills are important to thrive in the world of work. The goal is to ignite students’ curiosity and open the door for them to see what is possible for their future.
On Wednesday, November 4, students, their parents, educators, and schools had access to both pre-recorded and live virtual content to create an exciting learning experience. Over 200 Sudbury Catholic Grade 9 students participated in the event facilitated by consultants Daniel Levecque and Christina Raso.
Dan Levecque led students through the 5 easy steps to “Creating Your Own Personal Brand” followed by Christina Raso teaching the importance of “Managing Your Online Reputation”. Students then listened to a message of hope and resilience hosted by Erin Latimer RBC Olympian. Watch the video at : Your Future Now: Take Our Kids to Work 2020
The day ended with, four live breakout sessions hosted by industry experts in the area of the skilled trades, innovation & entrepreneurship, healthcare and technology & finance.
As the weather gets cooler we turn our attention to the Advent season. We are looking for submissions for our annual Christmas card artwork contest. All students Kindergarten to Grade 12 are eligible to participate! Artwork should encompass our Catholic faith and help us to share in the joy of Christmas.
Artwork can be landscape or portrait and can be created in any medium (such as a drawing, painting etc). Submissions can be addressed and sent to the Board office at:
All submissions (whether in hard copy or e-mailed) should have the following information included in addition to the artwork:
Student first and last name
Grade
School
Artwork must be submitted by November 20, 2020 at 4 p.m. to be considered for the contest. The Board will choose one elementary design and one secondary design to be featured on our annual Christmas cards which are mailed to our Board Trustees, school administration and community partners. The winning entries will also receive a package of Christmas cards featuring their artwork!
At St. David School, the students, in partnership with local community leaders, have the opportunity to learn on the land. Part of “learning on the land” involves learning about traditional medicines and the appropriate harvesting of these medicines to ensure that a rich plant ecological community continues to grow each year.
This fall, with the leadership of Mr. Will Morin, the school’s Ojibwe Language students harvested sage that was planted by a previous Ojibwe Language class. Sage, along with sweetgrass, cedar and tobacco, is one of the four sacred medicines in Anishnawbek culture. It is used in prayers and ceremonies.
The students of St. David Catholic School harvested and dried the sage and will be soon bundling it as to prepare it for use in smudging and ceremonies.
According to Mrs. Dawn Fielding, the Ojibwe Language teacher, “One of the most meaningful things that we can do for our students is connect them to the land. Our school community is privileged to be nestled in nature and have access to wonderful traditional people to support new learning for our students on the land.”
On Tuesday October 27th between 4:30pm-7:30Pm students across Ontario participated in the #SkillsAtHome Live Series. At each session, students are led virtually by Skills Ontario staff to develop their talents and explore various potential career paths.
Last night Owen Carpenter, grade 6 student at St. Francis participated in the 3D printing session. Students were taught how to use Tinkercad a free, online 3D modeling program that runs in a web browser and is known for its simplicity and ease of use.
At the end of the 3 hour session, Owen created his very own unique 3D model which will be shipped to him at no cost all thanks to Skills Ontario!
Students are encouraged to join the next sessions:
November 2. 6:00-7:30 pm Let’s Make Cupcakes
November 5 12:30 pm-TBA Ice Cream Making
November 12. 4:00 pm-5:30 PM Indigenous Dreamcatcher
Skills Ontario is encouraging students to participate in various competitions throughout the school year. Sudbury Catholic students learning both in-class and remotely have been eagerly participating in the various challenges with remarkable results.
International Day of the Girl Virtual Activity Series The International Day of the Girl (October 11th) was established by the United Nations in 2012 and is recognized as a day to acknowledge girls and their rights, education and opportunities. This year’s theme was “My voice, our equal future”.
Students at Marymount Academy were fortunate to have participated in the Skills Ontario’s International Day of the Girl Virtual Activity Series.
Construction Sector- Iron Worker- Marshmallow Towers
In 2009, the 859 ft tall, Aqua skyscraper was designed by Jeanne Gang and built in Chicago becoming the tallest building in the world. In this challenge, students were asked to design and build the tallest free-standing tower using toothpicks and marshmallows. Grade 7 students, Maili Jutila and Lylah Jebreen placed first with their design!
“Girls can be great leaders in the Iron Work & Construction sector. We kept building until we got it right! Girls can do anything they set their mind to,” they said.
Paper Dresses 1920’s Style
Coco Chanel revolutionized the fashion industry in the 1920’s by designing and marketing casual outfits that were both elegant and comfortable to wear, a sharp contrast to the bulky corsets and petticoats that were popular at the time. Her designs helped give the 1920’s their iconic and distinct style and her fashion house is still producing stylish and unique clothes to this day. Skills Ontario challenged students to follow in the footsteps of Coco and design and create a dress in the 1920’s style! Students were asked to use specific items as ‘fabric’ and only glue, staples, hole punch & yarn/string to ‘sew’. Milena Raso placed third in the Service Sector’s Paper Dress 1920’s Style challenge.
“Doing the fashion design contest has helped me expand my knowledge of sewing and working with different materials! I am used to working with fabrics and durable materials. While I was working on my paper dress, I had to remind myself to be careful as my material was very delicate. I followed a 1920s flapper dress theme and it helped me learn about a different time era and focus on specific details from that era,” she explained.
“We are always excited to promote experiential learning initiatives as a fun way of engaging and encouraging our youth to consider the pathways in the skilled trades and technologies,” said Peter Prochilo, Superintendent of School Effectiveness.
“It’s exciting to witness our students continuing to excel in these challenges. It’s amazing to see the level of enthusiasm they put into their submissions,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education. “We value our partnership with Skills Ontario which provides our students with hands-on learning opportunities and look forward to continuing to work with them throughout the school year to promote our students with engaging and meaningful learning opportunities.”
