Students from St. Francis Catholic Elementary School in grade 2 and 3 eagerly wrote postcards to war veterans for Remembrance Day. The postcards were provided by Veteran Affairs Canada. The class put their friendly letter writing skills to use in order to compose a thoughtful message. Students in teacher Graziella Visentin’s class annually write postcards to thank veterans for being brave and courageous in order to protect others. The grade 2 and 3 students acknowledged the veterans’ efforts and their gratitude for the freedom we so much enjoy today. This year the postcards were sent to war veterans residing in Ottawa, Ontario.
Grade 2 and 3 students pictured above, participated in a Remembrance Day Service with their classmates and members of the Royal Canadian Legion. Students read an acrostic poem entitled, REMEMBER, after the laying of wreaths during the service.
Category: Schools
“Our Dreams Matter Too” At St. James
For the second year in a row St. James Catholic School has been recognized for its participation in the ‘ Our Dreams Matter Too’ campaign. This campaign was originally created by Shannen Koostachin, youth education advocate from the Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario. Her dream was for safe and comfy schools and culturally based education for First Nations children and youth. First Nations schools receive less funding per student than Provincial and Territorial schools, and zero dollars for things like libraries, computers, languages or extracurricular activities. Shannen advocated to try to convince the Federal government to give First Nations children a proper education before tragically passing away at the age of 15 years old in 2010.
St. James Students Connecting Globally
The Grade 7 and 8 students at St. James Catholic Elementary School have prepared care packages for an orphanage in Kenya this past month. Mary Crowder from the Rehena In Step Ministry came to pick up the goods and thanked the students for their generosity. Students also wrote letters and are hoping to Skype with them later on this year.
Exploring Careers and Beyond At Marymount Academy
Marymount Academy students had the opportunity on Friday, November 8 to look into their futures. Over 22 different presentations were set up for the students – all by women in successful careers willing to share their stories. Brenda Thompson, head of guidance for the school set up this career day to showcase a variety of careers to inspire the students. The students could sign up for four of the 22 different presentations including a firefighter, a physiotherapist and a carpenter. What was really great for the students was that several of the presenters were also graduates of Marymount Academy and they shared their journeys from their Marymount days down the path to their present careers.
“With a school made up of all female students, we know it is important to inspire the girls and help them recognize their unlimited potential,” explained Thompson. “Our students do very well academically, and we know that it is key to showcase a multitude of career options for them to help them achieve their own successes.”
Remembrance Day at Holy Cross
The students from Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School teachers Mme Thiessen’s FDK French Immersion class and Mme Toivonen’s grade 4/5 French Immersion collaborated to present a Remembrance Day celebration on November 11 Mme Fleury and Ms Beaton’s FDK classes presented a tribute of Remembrance as well. Each class in the school also prepared a wreath or cross of remembrance that will be displayed at the entrance of the school for the rest of the month. Students honoured all of our Canadian soldiers who fought for freedom with a moment of silence and a moving video tribute. The gathering was a wonderful way to give thanks to our troops and their families.
School Liaison Officer Inspires Marymount Students
Students in Marymount Academy teacher Allison Cameron’s English classes had the opportunity to talk to their school liaison officer Hally Willmot on November 5. Cameron thought it would be a great connection for the students to talk to a strong female role model, but also to get inspiration about following one’s dreams. Willmot, a police officer with the Greater Sudbury Police Services for the last 17 years is also a published author. Willmot enjoys talking to secondary school students to show them that the police are definitely approachable and not “just a uniform”. Willmot shared with the students about her life growing up and moving around a lot. Because of the moving, she took comfort in reading and writing creatively and, as a result, is now a published author with her second book being launched very shortly. Willmot shared her experiences – both positive and negative about the people who did and didn’t support her through this writing process, and shared the lesson of believing in yourself and the importance of following your dreams. Cameron was excited for her students to listen and talk to Willmot during her classes. “I think the students were really interested to see a police officer who is also an author, and not a true crime or murder mystery author either, but a fantasy fiction author – not what most people would expect of a police officer,” explained Cameron. “It is a great lesson for my students to understand that there is more to all of us than meets the eye, and it is-also important to meet people in our very own community that can serve as inspiration and role models for our young women at MMA.”
Postcards for Peace
The Grade 2 students at Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School sent their Postcards for Peace to veterans to thank them for having served in the past wars. The students recognized that many of Canada’s service men and women continue today, to leave their families and friends, in order to bring peace to many countries around the world. The children discussed how they are all peacekeepers here in Canada. They learned that they can all help with “peacekeeping missions” by respecting and helping each other in the school playgrounds, at home, and in their neighbourhoods. One of the biggest lessons learned is that It’s so important to learn from the past.
Today we “bring God’s peace into the world”
St. Charles College and St. Bernadette students came together in song on November 11 for a special Remembrance Day faith celebration. The presentation was pulled together by Drama teacher Diandra Zafiiris.
It featured a medley of recognizeable songs such as “One” by U2, “21 Guns” by Green Day and “Meant to Live” by Switchfoot.
An eagle’s staff was also used as part of the memorable presentation to honour the fallen.
In photo: Vesna Kelsey on piano, Paighton Mills, Sean Lynott and Jenna Daypuk singing, John Bronicheski and guitar teacher Mr. Teddy Bubalo on guitar.
St. Francis Students Connecting Globally Through Reading
Students in teacher Lyanne Marion’s grade 5/6 French Immersion class at St. Francis Catholic Elementary School have been involved in the 2013 Global Read Aloud. Students have been listening to their teacher read “Out Of My Mind” by Sharon Draper, and have connected with classes from around the world, such as California, Brazil and India, through Twitter, Kidblog and Edmodo. This global project allows one book to connect the world!
Student also have iPad minis for a six week period, and are creating book trailers and Inclusion slideshows to share with the school community.