Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Category: Technology

Students at St.Anne Prepare to Compete in Skills Ontario’s Junk Draw Races!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Last week, a call out was made to all grades 2-6 at St Anne students to see if they were interested in participating in the first-ever Skills Ontario’s Junk Drawer Races!  Over 100 students attended the first planning meeting. Due to the overwhelming response, the school has organized their own tournament with local winners advancing to the regional competition.

Each challenge nicely aligns with the grade specific science curriculum expectations. This is an excellent opportunity to integrate the curriculum while giving our students fun and engaging hands-on learning experiences. 

There is still time to register your class, the deadline is:

November 16th at 4:00pm.

We are hoping to have representation from each of our schools and will provide a small budget for the extras that might be required for our students to participate.  In addition, Dan and myself will be available to present the challenges with the specific details to individual classes or to a group of classes via Zoom.

If you require further information or support with this initiative please contact  daniel.levecque@sudburycatholicschools.ca or christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca

Students Learn about the DNA of Fingerprints!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Weekly STEM Club Grades 4-6

Session #2

Mrs. Bradley’s grade 5 & 6 class at Immaculate Conception School participated in this week’s STEM club activity. Students were excited to learn the science of fingerprints by Let’s Talk Science’s Outreach Coordinator Nick and special guest Hannah (a master’s student in biochemistry).

The students took part in a hands-on activity where they learned how to collect fingerprints. They also gained an understanding of the patterns in fingerprints and why fingerprinting is so valuable!

For specific details about this hands-on activity, refer to: How Can I Take Fingerprints? To watch the recording of this lesson in either French and English Click Here. 

STEM Club is ideal for busy educators, whether teaching face to face or remotely! There is still time to Register Your Class for fun and interactive STEM activities intended for Grade 4-6 students! Each week, Let’s Talk Science, features a different hands-on activity using minimal, easy-to-find materials. Students will also have the chance to learn from and ask questions to inspire STEM role models. 

An English activity is offered two times per week (Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m. ET & Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. ET), and a French activity is offered once a week (Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. ET).

The second cohort starts November 2nd, and the third on January 27th, 2022.

For more information, visit: Join the Let’s Talk Science STEM club or contact christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca if you would like more details about participating in this activity.

Pictured are students from Immaculate Conception School having fun in this hands-on activity!

Let’s Talk Science – STEM Storytime Grades K-3

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Register now for weekly STEM Storytime series on Tuesdays at 1pm ET in English! Each week a Let’s Talk Science Outreach student will read a storybook followed by a hands-on activity.  

If you cannot make it to a live session, feel free to register and you will be sent a link to the recording afterwards. 

Last week, Grade 1 & 2 students in Ms. Reale’s class at Holy Cross listened to Laura Dricoll’s book, “Javier’s Hummingbird” and then completed a hands-on science activity about bird feeders!

You can find upcoming listings on the events section of the Let’s Talk Science website: https://letstalkscience.ca/events?type=storytime.

If you require more information about this initiative please contact:

christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca

Free Skills Ontario Summer Camps To Be Offered to Grade 7-9 Students

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Skills Ontario has officially opened registration for its July virtual workshops so students can explore skilled trades and tech-related workshops, demonstrations, virtual tours and presentations that pique their interest.

Sessions will run from July 5 to 30 and there is no fee to participate. Another session is set to run in August, with sign-up opening June 21. The virtual workshops are being held in place of summer camps.

Virtual workshops are open to all ages however are typically suited to Grades 7, 8 and 9. Each event’s individual registration page provides details regarding difficulty level and required skills and some sessions include a free hands-on kit that will be shipped to registered participants.

For more information, please visit: Skills Ontario’s Summer Camps

University of Waterloo Engineering Science Qube Mobile Makerspace Teach St. David Students about Gravity, Friction & Materials Science!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Students in the grade 1 & 2 class at St. David had special visitors from University of Waterloo, Engineering Science Qube Mobile Makerspace program. Students explored the physics of the sliding sport of luge while learning about gravity, friction, and materials science along the way. The university provided STEM kits at no charge and students were asked to think about designing, building, and testing safer sporting apparatus in an engaging presentation called “Newton’s Slip n’ Slide.

Teachers can find more details about the Grade 1- 12 program at ESQube Workshops.

For more information about this initiative, contact:

christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca

St. David Students Take the Podium in Province Wide Contest!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

The #SkillsAnywhereChallenge series is a fun way for Ontarian students of all ages to develop their skills and explore the skilled trades and technologies! On the first Monday of every month, Skills Ontario launches a new challenge that test students’ skills in creativity and planning. In the month of April, St. David students combined the fun of the challenge to create a school wide Wacky Hair Day Contest. Students from K-6 showed their creativity and talent with 3 students placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the provincial wide contest!

1st place: Jessica Pawson

2nd place: Jayla Emmanuel

3rd place: Elizabeth Akanmu

Jessica Pawson
Jayla Emmanuel
Elizabeth Akanmu

Sudbury Catholic Students Strike Gold at Skills Ontario Competition!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Two Sudbury Catholic District School Board students are bringing home gold medals in the 2021 Skills Ontario Competition! Veronica Zulich, student at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, achieved gold in the category of cooking while Isaac Chandler, student at Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School, achieved gold in CNC Woodworking. Both students are enrolled in Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) programs at their schools (Hospitality/Tourism and Green Industries, respectively). The Skills Ontario Competition is Canada’s largest skilled trades competition, and traditionally hosts over 2,400 students each May in Etobicoke. This year, the competition took place virtually. A total of seven Sudbury Catholic students competed in the event either presenting live or by submitting their projects to a panel of judges.

Participating Sudbury Catholic students also included:

  • Brady Van Druenen & Sean Nguyen (St. Charles College – TV/Video)
  • Kyle Nyereyumhuka (St. Charles College – Graphic Design Presentation)
  • Kyra Coutain (St. Charles College – Photography)
  • Rory Lavallee (St. Charles College – Graphic Design Studio Production)

“We are very thrilled with the results of this competition! We are so impressed by the resiliency and determination of all our student competitors, especially considering the year they have endured with last minute schedule changes and change of events,” said Dan Levecque, OYAP and SHSM coordinator for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.

“Congratulations to all of our participating students and especially to our gold medal winners! These achievements are a testament to the hours of hard work and determination from our students and their mentors. We would like to acknowledge teacher mentors Kirk McKee, Mike Sipos and Christina Thompson, as well as community partner Mark Gregorini (Verdicchio Ristorante), for continually supporting our students in exploring and pursuing careers in the Skilled Trades. We would also like to thank and acknowledge Cambrian College for their continued partnership and support,” said Peter Prochilo, Superintendent of School Effectiveness for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.

“We are so incredibly proud of our students, our educators and their mentors for their achievements in this year’s Skills Ontario competition,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Their accomplishments are a clear indicator of the effort they each put into their projects and the time they spent preparing for this competition. Through our partnership with Skills Ontario, we value the hands-on learning opportunities focused on skilled trades, pathways and career building that we are able to provide our students. We are also grateful to our educators and community partners for their dedication and mentorship to our students. Congratulations to all Sudbury Catholic students who participated and especially to Veronica and Isaac for their gold medal placements. We wish Veronica good luck on her next stage of competition; we know you will represent Sudbury Catholic with pride!”  

Veronica Zulich will compete in the Skills Canada National Competition on May 28th which will also be held virtually.

Veronica in her chef uniform
Isaac in his Cambrian College shirt
One of Veronica's cooked dishes
Isaac's woodworking piece

13 Science Fair Projects to Advance to the Virtual 2021 Regional Science Fair

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

13 projects from Sudbury Catholic Schools will advance to the Virtual 2021 Regional Science Fair. The Sudbury Catholic District School Board held a board wide virtual science fair where projects were judged and scored. Project topics included ‘What foods produce the most biogas”, “The Best Acoustical Set-Up” and “Sturdy Guard – Creating a More Secure Skate Guard.”

The top three Board Science Fair projects are as follows:

• Third Place: Mary Leigh (Marymount Academy) – The Best Acoustical Set-Up
• Second Place: Malachi Slack (Remote Learning School) – Dans Quelle Mesure les Désinfectants Fonctionnent-ils?
• First Place/Best in Fair: Cameron O’Daiskey (St. Anne School) – Snuffed Out

“Each year, our students present unique and creative science fair projects, and this year was certainly no exception. Though this year’s science fair looked a bit different, students were able to participate by showcasing their projects, experiments and visual evidence in an online forum,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “We thank our judges as well as our educators for guiding students and continually finding new opportunities for hands-on learning and growth. We wish participating students good luck in the Virtual 2021 Regional Science Fair!”

Please visit the following link to view all of the Sudbury Catholic science fair projects: LINK. Judging for the Virtual 2021 Regional Science Fair will take place throughout April and the official awards ceremony will be held on April 18, 2021.

First Place/Best in Fair: Cameron O’Daiskey (St. Anne School) – Snuffed Out
Second Place: Malachi Slack (Remote Learning School) – Dans Quelle Mesure les Désinfectants Fonctionnent-ils?
Third Place: Mary Leigh (Marymount Academy) – The Best Acoustical Set-Up

Skills Ontario International Women’s Day Conference 2021

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

On Monday, March 8th over 100 Marymount Students joined Skills Ontario’s virtual conference in celebration of International Women’s Day 2021! This event was dedicated to empowering women through relatable and engaging conversations. This year, International Women’s Day’s official theme was: Choose to Challenge.

“A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day. We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge.” (IWD 2021)

Students heard how tradeswomen are shattering stigmas and stereotypes surrounding sexism, working in a male-dominated industry, being an inspiring female entrepreneur, maintaining work-life balance, and more. The Skills Ontario International Women’s Day Conference 2021 provided viewers with the opportunity to listen and to engage with women working in skilled trades and technologies. Women who are exploring and entering these careers were able to hear firsthand from women in the industry on their experiences and advice.

Students listened to encouraging messages from highly respected and influential leaders and tradespeople, including former Regal Tessa Gooden, (class of 2009) now a music producer and sing/songwriter, the Honourable Jill Dunlop, Associate Minister of Children’s and Women’s Issues, Jill Timushka, welding instructor/inspector and Hilary Noack, Owner of Ink & Iron an all-female auto body shop.

The conference ended with Principal Cassandra Tenbergen addressing her students. “Today I encourage all girls to reflect on and honour powerful women in their life and who inspires them, as they become our strong, future leaders of tomorrow.”

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