St. Francis Catholic Elementary School staff and community partners participated in ‘Roc your Mocs’ campaign. The campaign is helping a resurgence of pride in North American Tribes. In support of this campaign, even ‘Baby Riley’, Roots of Empathy baby in the FDK class wore her mocassins during her monthly visit to the classroom.
Category: Programs
St. David “Rocs Their Mocs”
The staff and students at St. David Catholic School participated in the “Roc your Mocs” campaign, a fun way to celebrate their diversity and heritage. The “Roc you Mocs’ day started as a social movement in the United States, but has moved into Canada as a way to celebrate individual diversity and raise awareness for Indigenous peoples throughout the world. Cultural pride, comfortable footwear and a lot of fun were the themes of the day!
Don’t Be A Bully…Be a Good Sport at St. James
Staff and Students at St. James Catholic Elementary School wore their favorite sports jersey and pink to support good sportsmanship and anti-bullying. Daily announcements and prayers during Bully Awareness Week are centred around the message of being kind, patient, fair and just with one another.
SCDSB Embraces Equity and Inclusivity with D’Souza Presentations
“I want you to be nice to me…because I’m UNIQUE, I’m different from the rest…because I’m UNIQUE, and I deserve respect!” Simple yet powerful words are being sung by both students and staff at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board as all four secondary schools, several elementary schools, as well as all staff at the November 16th Professional Activity Day had the opportunity to listen to Equity and Inclusivity Activist Chris D’Souza perform his song “Unique” and listen to his impactful presentation.
D’Souza has taught at both elementary and secondary levels, and was the Equity and Diversity Officer for 5 years with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. Currently teaching part time with this board, D’Souza has conducted over 5000 Equity and Anti-Oppression workshops to educations, Law Enforcement, Community Services, Corrections Officers, Corporate Institutions, as well as thousands of students. He is also the founder of the Equity Summit Group, a collaborative of over 26 school board equity representatives in Ontario. D’Sousa is also the author of three books, which address common stereotypes and are being used in over 6000 schools, in over 7 countries.
With it being Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week (November 15-20), the timing was perfect with D’Sousa kicking off the week for all SCDSB staff at St. Charles College with his very powerful and engaging presentation. With guitar in hand, D’Souza read aloud his stories, and the songs got the groups out of their seats. The message was clear, equity and inclusivity is the only option, anything else is not tolerated. This same message was shared with Sudbury Catholic students at over 10 schools during his three-day visit. Jennifer Connelly, Assistive Technology teacher with the board, accompanied D’Souza to each of the venues, and was absolutely moved by the impact he had on his multiple audiences. “From our staff P.A. day, to the younger elementary students, to the older secondary students, Chris’s message of equity resonated with every single group.” Connelly stated. “ We are very fortunate as a board that we have a senior administration team that recognizes the importance of equity and inclusivity in our schools, and provide such tremendous opportunities like having Chris D’Souza present to students and staff. We know from a parent perspective and staff perspective, we are supporting safe and inclusive learning environments for their children, as well as for all staff.”
SCDSB Celebrates LDAS 2015 Teacher of the Year
On Tuesday, November 17, Sudbury Catholic Itinerant Resource Teacher. Tanya Marcotte was recognized as the Learning Disabilities Association of Sudbury 2015 teacher of the year at the SCDSB board meeting. L.D.A.S. Chair, Liz Brett-Dickie was on hand to present Marcotte with the award. Brett-Dickie explained that Marcotte was selected as she “consistently supports the needs of students with learning disabilities, and tirelessly works to ensure their success.” Marcotte’s co-workers nominated her for this award and felt that she was an excellent candidate. Brett-Dickie read aloud an excerpt from the nomination letter for Marcotte.
“Tanya has been working as a special education resource teacher for over 12 years. She embraces our Catholic faith and it’s seen throughout her work with special education students. Tanya lives by the belief of getting to know students (learning needs/preferences) and then responds through the opportunities provided in the classroom.
Tanya works tirelessly behind the scenes not only supporting students with Learning Disabilities but also supporting teaching staff. She provides them with proven strategies that assist students to become the best they can be.
Tanya also plays a key role in assisting the school board to organize its yearly summer camps. She is able to recommend specific students who would benefit from this intervention.”
Marcotte, accompanied by her husband and parents, was visibly moved by the award, and explained she was very honoured and humbled. “I can’t do what I do with out the teachers I work with – who challenge and inspire, my parents who instilled in me my strong work ethic, and my husband who puts up with my worries daily.”
St. Charles Elementary Students Pledge to Stop Bullying and Hang It Out to Dry!
During Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week (November 16-20), students at St. Charles have been engaged many activities to raise awareness around the topic of bullying.
Students in all three FDK classes, with help from their teacher, Ms. Posso, have taken a pledge to stop bullying! They have read books and talked about what bullying means and together made this pledge:
I am a kid againstt bullying! And I will…
– Speak up when I see bullying
– Reach out to others who are bullied
– Be a friend whenever I see bullying.
Students in Grades 2-8 have each created a pink shirt with a message about bullying on them, and these shirts have been strung up down the halls to show they are “Hanging Bullying Out to Dry”. On Wednesday November 18, there was a flourish of pink throughout the school as staff and students wore their pink shirts.
Other activities include a visit from Sergent Randy Hosken from the GSPS, a MADD presentation for students in grades 6-8 and students in grades 4-8 gave their input into our Safe School Survey called OurSchool (formerly Tell Them From Me). Also, Amanda Lantheir, a SCDSB child and youth worker continued to share with groups about the FRIENDS program and Kelso’s Choices, and students learned Chris D’Souza’s new song “I Want You to be Nice to Me”.
St. James Students Inspired to be Earth Rangers
Earth Rangers (Kids’ Conservation Organization) visited St. James Catholic Elementary School recently and delivered a dynamic, fun and interactive presentation featuring live Animal Ambassadors. The program uses science-based information to educate students about the importance of protecting biodiversity while highlighting different conservation initiatives across Canada. St. James students have been inspired to adopt sustainable behaviours and have been empowered to become directly involved in protecting animals and their habitats.
Regals Ready to Wrap the Town in Red
Students at Marymount Academy have been working extremely hard these past few weeks trying to prepare as many red scarves as possible. Several weeks ago, Réseau ACCESS Network contacted local secondary schools to see if they would assist in their “Bundle Up in Red” campaign. According to their press release, the “Bundle Up in Red” campaign “is an awareness promotion utilizing red scarves to capture the attention of Sudburians. Red scarves will be distributed throughout the city. They will be tied around lampposts throughout major city streets and will be attached to trees in both Memorial and Bell Park. Individuals are encouraged to take and wear the scarves which will be tagged with facts about HIV/AIDS.” This campaign is to support HIV Awareness Week which begins November 23rd. Several Marymount Academy students took up this challenge and have been working diligently to get as many scarves as possible in preparation for distribution and already have over 350 scarves ready to go. It is the hope that this campaign will get people thinking and talking about HIV and is a unique way to get this very important messaging out into the community. Scarves can be kept or passed along and any leftover scarves will be donated to shelters. According to Brenda Thompson, teacher at Marymount, her students were onboard right from the first request. “We immediately had students approach us and say they wanted to be a part of this campaign,” Thompson explained. “That is the culture at Marymount Academy. Our students all the way from grade 7-12 are strongly encouraged to get involved in our community, and know that is it very important to give back. The students recognized that this “Bundle Up in Red” campaign was something very relevant for today’s s
Honouring our Veterans in Killarney
Under a brilliant sun, with only the sound of the flapping Canadian flag in the background, students and staff from St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Killarney gathered around the town’s cenotaph on November 11, 2015 to remember those who have fought for their freedoms. Joined by Sudbury Catholic Superintendent Rossella Bagnato and several local residents, the students held their Remembrance Day prayer service, observed two minutes of silence, and ended the ceremony by singing O’Canada. “It is so very important that our students understand the sacrifices that were made by our veterans to ensure our freedom today, “ explained Monika Jost, principal. “We always want to ensure that future generations never take for granted what has been fought for in the past and the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us – our students know – we must always remember.”