Saturday, January 25th marked the start of the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, Vietnamese Tết, or Chinese New Year. Over the course of the two-week long Lunar New Year celebration, many classrooms from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board learned about the traditions that accompany this celebration and made hongbao (red envelopes) with blessings written in simplified Chinese to gift to family and friends. The students also included chocolate gold coins in their red envelopes as well as other new year wishes for their intended recipients.
In addition to sharing their own cultural traditions and celebrations, students learned about the Chinese zodiac and the significance of the Rat, 2020’s zodiac animal. While the full moon on Saturday, February 8th will mark the end of the 2020 Lunar New Year, many students and teachers look forward to continuing to bring the rich histories and traditions from around the world into their classrooms.
Category: Programs
Travel the World While Earning Credit!
Travel the world, while earning a course credit! We are excited to offer secondary students an affordable, experiential learning program that enables students in Grade 8-10 to earn a credit while travelling to Ottawa, Montreal, New York City, and Toronto while earning Civics/Careers credits (Course Codes (CHV/GLC). This course has two components. The first component consists of an eLearning module from June 30th-July 10th, and July 21st-July27th. The second component consists of an 8 day trip that will take students to Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, and New York City from July 13th – July 30th.
Space is limited to 35 students and is available to students in regular and French immersion programming. The deadline to enrol is April 1st, 2020. Register now at the following link.
For more information contact Christina Raso, Experiential Learning Consultant at christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca, or your school’s Guidance Counselor.
Sudbury Catholic Schools Welcomes Four New International Students for Second Semester
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to welcome four new international students to our Secondary Schools for second semester.
St. Charles College has welcomed student Yuki from Japan, and St. Benedict has welcomed three students, Huy from Vietnam, Tomo from Japan and Zhou from China who will be completing a short-term shadow experience during the month of February.
“We are thrilled to welcome our new students to the international education program for the second semester, bringing the current number of students in our International Education program to 32 students throughout the 2019-2020 school year,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Each student has a unique background and an exciting story to tell. The students are continually seeing the benefits of learning from their Canadian classmates in an inclusive, innovative and hands-on learning environment.”
Bishop Alexander Carter’s new cultural room is officially open
The end of 2019 was the very beginning of this new initiative aimed at supporting youth and bringing awareness and knowledge around the indigenous culture at Bishop Alexander Carter. Robyn Lafortune, the school’s new Indigenous Support Worker was very pleased to join the school community.
This room has been named the “Sacred Room” and the hope is to create a safe place for students to work, talk, learn and connect with one another. The students will have the opportunity to help design the space and support with future mural projects within this space.
Moving forward students will be able to participate in a variety of different activities and teachings that will be facilitated in this space. Guest speakers will be invited to discuss their experiences and provide students with sacred teachings. On days where there are no planned activities this room becomes a safe space for students to drop in throughout the day either to work or talk with Robyn.
We are happy and pleased to welcome all students at Bishop Alexander Carter into this room to learn and share together!
Pius XII Celebrates Mass with Bishop Damphousse
Bishop Damphousse and Father Sam blessed the Pius School Community by celebrating Mass with them. Bishop Damphousse also visited all students in their classrooms. Thank you to staff and students for welcoming our special guests.
Sudbury Catholic Schools Place First and Second in OCSTA Short Video Contest
Huge congratulations goes out to St. Charles College for winning first place in the secondary category and St. David Catholic Elementary School for winning second place in the elementary category in this year’s OCSTA Short Video Contest!
We are so proud of our staff and students for their hard work in making these beautiful videos!
You can view the videos here:
St. Charles College: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqAF2HvDShE
St. David School: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62eXxCrN_cw
You’re Invited! Travel Opportunity for current Grade 8, 9 & 10 Students
Sudbury Catholic District School Board is excited to offer both an English and French Immersion Grade 10 Civics and Careers travel for credit course during the summer of 2020. This course has two components. The first component consists of an eLearning module during the first two weeks of July. The second component consists of an 8 day trip that will take students to Ottawa, Montreal, and New York City during the second two weeks of July. The travel portion of the course will be organized by EF Educational Tours. We are hosting an information night for parents/guardians who are interested in learning more about this exciting opportunity. Please join us!
Marymount Academy
The Gymnasium
February 5th 2020
7 PM
RSVP to the meeting at: www.eftours.ca/creditinfo
For more information contact:
Christina Raso, Adult Education & Experiential Learning Consultant at 705 673-5620 EXT 208
Peter Prochilo, Superintendent of School Effectiveness
705 673-5620 EXT 301
St. Charles College students and staff excited for the return of World Junior Champion and fellow Card
Students and staff at St. Charles College will have to wait a little longer to see fellow Cardinal Quinton Byfield and his gold medal from the World Junior Championships.
After accepting his gold medal, he left the Czech Republic and returned to his hometown of Newmarket. He will soon reunite with the Sudbury Wolves briefly before departing for the CHL Top Prospect game along with fellow St. Charles student Jack Thompson. This game showcases the top NHL Draft eligible talent from across the OHL, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League with hundreds of scouts in attendance.
Kristy Hebert, who teaches Byfield says: “It has been an unbelievable opportunity to have such a talented athlete in our school and community. Quinton has added so much to our programs, bringing a plethora of hockey knowledge and skill. As part of the Leadership class, he has mentored Mrs. Fowke’s Grade 1 students at Holy Trinity Elementary school as well as here at St. Charles College in our Life Skills program. He has made many connections to students and has been an outstanding role model; we couldn’t be more pleased for Quinton and his recent success at the World Juniors!”
The students at Holy Trinity are also eager for his return. It shared messages on social media wishing him luck at the World Junior Championships just before the holidays.
Byfield is not expected to return from the CHL Prospect game for at least another week.
St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School Receives Award from EQAO
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce that St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School has been recognized for its achievements by EQAO. They have been selected as a recipient of the 2018 Dr. Bette M. Stephenson Recognition of Achievement Award.
Each year, EQAO recognizes schools that support student achievement in Ontario and use EQAO data to develop action plans to increase student achievement over time. For the 2018 year, EQAO celebrated schools that supported student success in mathematics. As a recipient of this award, St. Benedict has fostered positive attitudes toward math over the last three school years.
By creating a culture of inquiry and collaboration, St. Benedict built a positive attitude toward mathematics, working with staff and students to expand math vocabulary, understand concepts from various points of view and evaluate student work in a team setting. All of these strategies have paved the way for growth for both staff and students.
“I am extremely proud of the hard work and efforts of our staff and students. We embarked on a math focus 7 years ago specifically with grades 7-9 on closing gaps. Through targeted teaching strategies and a belief that all students can learn, we are able to take student learning from where they are to where they need to be,” says Laura Kuzenko, Principal of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School.
“The Grade 7 and 8 math model has allowed me to see students flourish in math. I have seen students enter my classroom filled with anxiety and apprehension around math. These same students are thrilled with how they were able to complete the Grade 9 EQAO test with confidence.” Said Grade 8 Teacher Sarah Belle.
“We are so proud of St. Benedict and this accomplishment,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Staff and students have committed to improving both their academic successes and the culture of mathematics at their school. We are pleased that EQAO is choosing to recognize their on-going work. We extend our appreciation to our dedicated staff for their support, effective instruction and passion for teaching”