Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Category: Schools

St. Paul students learn about Down Syndrome

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November 1st to November 7th is National Down Syndrome Awareness week in Canada. Lisa Wright, grade 2/3 F.I. teacher at St. Paul school has been advocating for people with Down syndrome since her daughter Holly was born 15 years ago. What better way to bring awareness about Down syndrome than to involve children in sharing the message? The students used the classroom iPads to research important facts about Down syndrome that were then put into a presentation. On Thursday, November 6th, they visited the grades 5 to 8 classes, sharing the information they had learned. The students in the classrooms that were visited were so attentive and asked some very good questions following the presentation. They were left with a much better understanding of people with Down syndrome and now know not to underestimate their abilities.

Mme Wright is extremely proud of each of her students and believes they will continue to share their knowledge and will make a difference in the lives of people with Down syndrome from this day forward. To learn more about Down syndrome, please visit www.cdss.ca and / or www.dsas.ca.

Pumpkin Investigation

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Students in the grade 5/6 French Immersion class at St Bernadette Catholic School participated in a pumpkin math investigation on October 27th and 28th. Each group of 3 students chose a pumpkin and named it. They then collected quantitative data for their pumpkin, such as the circumference, number of creases and weight. After the students examined each group’s “pumpkin” data on a class chart, they were asked to predict which pumpkin would have the most seeds and explain their reasoning. Then the fun began! Students separated the pulp and the seeds of their pumpkins. They estimated the amount of seeds they removed. The students devised their own methods to keep track of the seeds they counted. such as tally charts, making groups of 10, etc… “It was interesting to see that the pumpkin that was the largest and weighed the most did not have the most seeds,” said grade 6 student, Savannah Crossthwaite.

St. Andrew staff and students visit Grotto

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On Wednesday October 22, to celebrate October the month of the Queen of the Rosary, the teaching staff and students of St. Andrew School boarded 3 buses and went to visit the Grotto of Lourdes on Van Horne Street. The grade 3/4, 4/5 and 5/6 classes led the students, teachers and parents in a Living Rosary near the fountain. Once the rosary was recited each group took some time to visit the beautiful statues from France that depict the Way of the Cross and also the beautiful replica of the Grotto of Lourdes. Pictured are some of the grade two students enjoying the Grotto of Lourdes Shrine.

Secondary Student Leaders Participate in Equity Workshops

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From October 21 to October 24, guest speakers from the Harmony Movement group held workshops for student leaders from all of our secondary schools to talk about diversity and equity in the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.

Biju Pappachan and Caitlin Wood led the 40 students through many activities and discussions about such topics as bullying, racism and sexism. The students were engaged as they examined issues surrounding stereotypes and prejudice and to hear about how many biased images bombard us regularly in the media.

“It’s changed my perspective on how to look at different people of different genders and races,” said St. Benedict student Laura Rinaldi.

The students gained a much deeper appreciation for the privileges that they enjoy in our society, whether it’s gender, socioeconomic status, culture or in other ways. It made them more empathetic toward those who don’t necessarily wake up with the same abilities. They were taught that with privilege comes the responsibility to make our world more equitable through examples of student leadership like the pink shirt day anti-bullying movement.

The students who attended the workshops now feel empowered to go back to their schools and work to make their peers more aware of some of the issues that were discussed.

St. Benedict student Breana Mastroianni said, “I really learned how to stand up and take a stand againstt discrimination.”

Superintendent of School Effectiveness, Rossella Bagnato, explained the importance of initiatives like this one. “We can’t predict the future but we can help shape it and a good place to start is with the students. The Harmony Movement and the equity workshop have provided us with a great starting point.”

Congratulations to these future leaders and we look forward to being a part of what you bring back to our schools.

LDAS Teacher of the Year

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On Oct 21, an outstanding SCDSB teacher was recognized by the Learning Disabilities Association of Sudbury as the 2014 Teacher of the Year.

Jodi Cunningham, a teacher at St Charles College, has been with the board since 1995 and has taught in a variety of settings but it is the last nine years as the resource teacher at St Charles where she has made the biggest impact. Jodi continually puts students and families first and goes above and beyond to make sure each student has a place at St Charles College.

At St Charles you can ask any student with needs who one of their first contacts was at St Charles and they would tell you Mrs. Cunningham. Jodi helps every student find their appropriate path with the right supports for them. In her role, Jodi shares difficult conversations with students and families, in a caring way, and will go that extra mile to help each student reach their potential. It only takes five minutes with Jodi to know that each and every student is special to her and she will do everything in her power to help them be successful.

At SCDSB we are proud to be have such dedicated teachers as Jodi Cunningham helping each and every student.

Congratulations Jodi Cunningham!

Start your engines!

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Start your engines! Students participated in the annual Remote Control car races on October 22nd at Bishop Alexander Carter. Students, staff and special guests raced the 1/10th scale racing machines on the student built track at the Bishop Carter R/C Speedway. As an added twist to this year’s Bishop Cup event, the Gators invited the R/C club from Franco Cité, located in Sturgeon Falls, to take part in the festivities.

It was an afternoon of high speed and high flying action as over 20 cars raced in 4 exciting classes. At stake were trophies and school pride. To keep track of the action, Bishop Carter set up a state-of-the-art electronic timing system. The system not only tells drivers when to go and stop, but it also keeps track of the number of laps, lap times, and fastest lap all while giving verbal cues to the drivers about their performance during the race.

Not only were students and teachers racing, but a special group of “All Stars” came out to try their hand at R/C racing. This group of star racers included, Bishop Carter’s Principal Mrs. Cassandra MacGregor, Joanne Benard Director of Education, Michael Bellmore Trustee, GRant and Skerri from Hot 93.5, Brad and Leanne from KICX, and Mr. Dan Turnbull from the Greater Sudbury Fire Service. Not only did the All Stars have fun, but they also gained a whole new respect for how difficult these little racers are to control.

Bishop Carter’s R/C club practices every Wednesday at the school. Many students have joined the club. Some students are racers. Some students are part of a tech crew, while others are part of the track crew. Some students serve as race marshals. There is a part for everyone who is interested in participating in this club.

Cardinal Can Total Crushed Once Again  

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St. Charles College and its feeder schools have collected more than 115 thousand cans to stock Sudbury Food Bank shelves during the winter months.  This exceeds the goal to collect 60 thousand cans that the student council set at the beginning of the week. 

Together with St. Raphael, St. Paul, St. Andrew, St. Bernadette, St. John, St. David and Pius, the Cards went door-to-door all over the city in pursuit of cans or cash. 

The schools also teamed up with Q92 and Kiss FM to promote what has become the largest single donation to the Sudbury Food Bank in its history.

SCC Principal Patty Mardero says, “I congratulate every Card and future who went door-to-door these last few weeks so that people in this city can eat.”

St. Anne students pay tribute to fallen soldier

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At 9:00am this morning, 135 students in grade 7 and 8 at St. Anne Catholic School in Hanmer came together to “Stand on Guard”. Students sang O Canada together to pay tribute to the fallen Canadian soldier, Nathan Cirillo.

The staff and students at St. Anne Catholic School also participated in a prayer of peace led by their principal Mr. Guy Mathieu. The students at St. Anne Catholic School recognize the importance of coming together as a community, and will continue to “Stand on Guard” during this difficult time in Canadian History.

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