Students from grades 7-9 attended the Pathways to Bilingual Success conference presented by Canadian Parents for French on October 3 and 4. The students completed workshops geared toward working on their French skills in an interactive and engaging session. Students networked with each other, as well as community partners and learned about the the benefits of bilingualism.
Category: Programs
Every Child Matters: Sudbury Catholic Schools Honours Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come. Orange Shirt Day recognizes the harm the residential school system did to children’s sense of self-esteem and well-being, and is an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board participated in Orange Shirt Day on October 1, 2018. Special shirts were made to commemorate this important day. The shirts were designed by Erika Poirier and Marja Frederiksen, grade 11 students from St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. The logo designed was used for t-shirts, banners and other promotional materials. Staff and students throughout the system participated by wearing these shirts or their favourite orange shirt as a reminder of the importance of this day.
SCC Staff and Students Welcome International Students with Open Arms!
Today was about welcoming and celebrating our international students in taking a big leap forward and stepping out of their comfort zone to meet new friends and build on their English speaking skills. Every Tuesday and Thursday during lunch, the English Café run by Mrs. Blackwell and Mrs. Sanowar is open not only for international and ELL Learners, but for our domestic students to have the opportunity to introduce themselves and make new friends.
Some of our 9 and 10 English students extended their warm wishes in writing the international students a personal message to welcome them to our SCC community and describe what it means to be a true “Cardinal”.
Mckenna Annett, a grade 9 student writes, “Hi! Welcome to St. Charles. We hope you have a good high school experience here. Remember once a card, always a card! We hope you enjoy sports teams and clubs to meet new people”.
The English Café is a social club that runs interactive cultural activities, games, and dance offs and plans upcoming educational trips to Toronto, Niagara Falls and Killarney throughout the year. This is an interactive space for students to feel comfortable, supported and accepted in sharing their cultural differences.
Our international students can give international experience to our own SCC students, expand our worldview, and learn the value of linguistic and cultural diversity. Our current student population demographics are changing and we are proud – this is significant and life changing for all, as we become a much more welcoming and inclusive society.
St. Charles College student Dana Lewis was crowned Miss Wikwemkoong
St. Charles College Student Dana Lewis was crowned Miss Wiikwemkoong during the Wiikwemkoong Cultural Festival in August. Dana, who is the goalie for the St. Charles College Girls Hockey team used her hockey skills in the talent portion of the pageant. She also won first place in the biography portion helping her to earn her Crown. Dana stated that she is very excited and honoured to represent her community at various events, celebrations and pow wows as Miss Wiikwemkoong. She was invited to speak about the missing and murdered Indigenous Women at the Sisters in Spirit Conference in October.
In Dana’s biography she wrote: “Giving back to the community is a big part of who I am. At a young age I was provided with the teachings and knowledge for sewing and over the past years I started teaching young girls ages 7-12 how to sew. I facilitate many workshops showing the youth how to make their own regalia, hand drum bags, ribbon skirts. By teaching these youth, I’m passing down my knowledge of our culture for the next generation. I believe that we should be encouraging our next generations to continue with these teachings so they can teach the next ones. This is who I am, a daughter, sister, auntie, teammate, role model, teacher. I believe that becoming a leader takes time, and that Miss Wiikwemikoong will provide me with the experience to one day be a strong leader for my community, my people, my nation.”
St. Charles College is proud and honoured to celebrate Dana’s triumph with her, her family and community.
Sudbury Catholic Schools Welcome 30 International Students!
We were proud to welcome 30 international students to our schools for the 2018-2019 school year! These students have arrived from the countries of China, Japan, Vietnam and Spain and will be studying in our secondary schools throughout the year. St. Benedict Secondary School has nine students registered, Marymount Academy has 11 and St. Charles College will host 10 International students throughout the year. The students and their host families were welcomed to Sudbury and Sudbury Catholic Schools during a barbecue which took place on September 6 at Marymount Academy.
We wish to thank all staff, teachers and host families that help support them throughout their educational journey with us!The success of the program is also a result of the many generous and supportive host families we have available. The board is always looking to recruit to fill the ever-growing community of host families at Canada Homestay Network. Interested families can contact them directly at hostinfo@canadahomestaynetwork.ca or 1-877441-4443 ext. 2176.
3, 2, 1 – these kids are ready for Kindergarten!
Future kindergarten students successfully completed the program during the week of Aug. 20 – 24, 2018!
The week-long program helped introduce children entering kindergarten to the school and allowed them to work on school readiness skills. The program also allowed parents to gain greater understanding about what Sudbury Catholic Schools offer as they support their child in the exciting transition to schools.
Learning Program at Sudbury Catholic Schools continue to benefit students during summer months!
Students at Sudbury Catholic Schools completed another year of summer learning last month! 95 students between Kindergarten and Grade 5 completed the three-week Summer Learning Program at St. Francis School from July 9 to July 27.
The students were divided into six classrooms, and included a numeracy and literacy session as well as a literacy and indigenous education session. Along with the six classroom teachers, there were also 12 robotics literacy tutors and eight Focus on Youth Camp counsellors present, providing a full educational team to provide rich learning opportunities for participating students.
Students were able to use the latest in technology to enhance their learning. Students learned the basics of robotics and practised their numeracy skills by using Ozo Bots, Dash bots, and other coding activities. Students worked on their literacy skills through a reading computer program called Lexia. New this year, the group also completed a Lego challenge design which was a great success.
As in past years, each morning began with a 30-minute session of Taekwondo, which helped to energize students and build confidence so that they were ready to learn. To encourage parent involvement, coffee chats were held each Wednesday covering topics ranging from tips to a successful school year and the ABCs of mental health.
The Board is thrilled with student participation in this year’s Summer Learning Program.
“It always amazes me to see what our youngest learners are able to achieve with the right opportunities, tools and support,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Students participating in this year’s camp were able to keep the learning going over the summer, participate in something new and have fun while doing it! The growth and results that come out of the program are a testament to the wonderful staff that help to make this camp such as success each and every year!”
The Summer Learning Program is a Ministry funded program which aims to continue literacy and numeracy learning for students in the summer months in fun and engaging ways.
Sudbury Catholic Schools celebrate first two graduates from the International Education program!
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is proud to announce that the International Education program will be celebrating its first two graduates for the 2017-2018 school year!
Loc Tran, an 18-year-old, international student from Vietnam became the first international graduate of St. Charles College this year. During his 10-month stay, Loc visited many places across the province such as Killarney, Toronto, Ottawa and Niagara Falls. He stated that he was very lucky to have the opportunity to have friendly teachers as well as a host family that cared for him and wanted him to obtain as many new experiences as possible. Loc stated that he made many international friends from various Sudbury Catholic Schools. He feels that this is an opportunity of a lifetime that others should embark on. In September, Loc will be studying Electrical Engineering Technology in London.
Khoa Pham from Vietnam began his journey with Sudbury Catholic Schools in February 2016 at St. Benedict School. Throughout his three semesters at St. Benedict, he has really enjoyed learning about science, especially physics because of its hands-on learning environment. Khoa’s highlights include completing an Outdoor Education canoe trip in the French River area, and camping with his host family. He has really enjoyed his experience at St. Benedict, where he has created lifetime friendships with his classmates. He loved the supportive atmosphere that the teachers and staff at St. Benedict provided and enjoyed being able to explore Sudbury. Khoa will be returning in the Fall to St, Benedict to complete a semester before attending Seneca College for the Computer Support Technician program.
“We are so proud of our two new graduates,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Both Loc and Khoa have grown to love St. Charles College and St. Benedict and the community of Sudbury as a whole. Their experiences with our schools, their teachers and their fellow classmates have helped prepare them for their next journey. We wish them luck in the Fall, we know they will both achieve great things!”
The International Education program at Sudbury Catholic Schools welcomed 18 students throughout the 2017-2018 school year and will welcome 29 for the 2018-2019 school year.
St. Benedict students win Board t-shirt design contest!
Congratulations to Erika Poirier and Marja Frederiksen of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School for their beautiful t-shirt design in honour of Orange Shirt Day which will take place in October.
Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and
communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations
of children to come. According to orangeshirtday.org, “The annual Orange Shirt …
opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools. It is an
opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools
and the legacy they have left behind. A discussion all Canadians can tune into and
create bridges with each other for reconciliation. A day for survivors to be reaffirmed
that they matter, and so do those that have been affected. Every Child Matters, even
if they are an adult, from now on.”
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board will be honouring Orange Shirt day on
October 1st, 2018 of the upcoming school year.