The staff at St. Bernadette Catholic School were well prepared for ghosts and goblins that normally make an appearance on Hallowe’en. The teachers, or Bernadette Ghost Busters as they are also known, were able to capture two very scary ghosts (who surprizingly resembled the Principal, Diana Salvador and the Secretary, Shari Schroeder). The school is safe now and ready for students when they return to classes after an evening of trick or treating.
Category: Schools
Traffic Survey Fires Up Math Lesson
Teacher Nancy Perron’s grade 3 class at St Bernadette Catholic School recently completed a traffic survey on Auger Street in Sudbury. It was all part of a hands-on lesson in math. Students brainstormed possible makes, colours and types of vehicles they might see and then sorted them into categories. They then took their worksheets to the street. Despite the cold, every student captured their findings. When they returned to their classroom, they tallied their results. “Every student had the opportunity to interpret their data and represented their results in bar graphs,” said Mme Perron. “This survey provided an authentic learning experience and supported their learning of data management in a fun way.”
Water Walk at Holy Cross
On Friday, November 2, Holy Cross teacher Shanna Whalen’s Grade 3/4 class and teacher Eva Scola’s Grade 3 class, set off to obtain some understanding of how difficult it is for those living in Africa. They took with them their water bottles, one huge jug, and a jerry can, to collect water from the water filling station on Countryside. Both classes have been learning about the poor water conditions in Africa, and how children there need to walk for 2 hours and 10 000 steps to get water- dirty water. Upon arriving at our destination, Ms. Scola lead the students in a water prayer, a prayer for those who do not have the wonderful, clean water that we do, and usually take for granted. On the way back to the school, the students took turns carrying the heavy containers of water. The two classes have been introduced to Ryan’s Well, and have been given the task of educating the whole school about the water conditions in Africa and how we can make a difference. They want to make others realize that they can be kids and think about Africa too.
Holy Cross Celebrates Official Grand Opening
On Thursday, November 1, 2012, students, parents, staff, and community partners gathered at 2997 Algonquin Road for a joyous celebration. Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School held its official grand opening and all in attendance were thrilled with the morning’s events. Bishop Plouffe began the ceremony with an opening prayer, and several invited guests spoke to the wonderful celebration and school opening including M.P.P. Rick Bartolucci and Mayor Matichuk. The entire group was welcomed by the school principal Louise Franklin as well as Director of Education Catherine McCullough. As part of the celebration, the school choir performed and a slideshow was shown highlighting the building and students now occupying the school. After the official ribbon cutting, the guests were invited to a reception and tour of the school facility.
Barry MacDonald, Chair of the Board was on hand during the celebration and was delighted with the morning celebration. “This is truly an occasion of great significance as its completion has occurred through the hard work of many dedicated individuals and strong community partners. This outstanding school was created with the communities of Corpus Christi, St. Theresa and St. Christopher coming together as one, and building on positive relationships,” MacDonald stated. “This new school’s commitment to excellence embodies the true spirit of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board positively supporting our students, and providing an outstanding and exceptional learning environment. On behalf of the Sudbury Catholic Board of Trustees, I congratulate all involved in this project, and look forward to the years to come watching the future growth of the school, and its students.”
Halloween at St. Charles Elementary
The Hallowe’en spirit was alive at St. Charles in Chelmsford! Students started the morning off with a costume parade and student council members in grades 3-8 voted for the most creative costume. More fun filled activities took place throughout the day.
Stepping Into Grade 9 Night -St. Charles College – Nov. 7
St. Charles College will be hosting their Stepping into Grade 9.
This is an information session for parents and students focussed on the transition from elementary to secondary school.
Topics will include:
Course selection and pathways, graduation requirements and electives, academic services, resource and student success, athletics, extra-curricular and community.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
St. Charles College
1940 Hawthorne Drive
705-566-9605
www.scc.scdsb.edu.on.ca
Upcoming Event – Stepping Into Grade 9 – St. Benedict – Nov. 14
St. Benedicts will be hosting their Stepping into Grade 9 – An information session for parents and students
It is an informal evening of information, displays and discussions focussed on the transition from elementary to secondary school.
Topics include:
Course selectioin and pathways, graduation requirements and electives, academic services, resource and student success, athletics, extra-curricular and community
Wednesday, November 14, 2012 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm
St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
2993 Algonquin Road
705 523 9235
www.benedict.ca
Pumpkin Decorating at St. Bernadette
St. Bernadette Catholic School Grade 5 French Immersion student, Parker Farstad, and his mother proudly show off their scary creation. The parents of grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 students joined their children in class to decorate pumpkins for use this Halloween. Parker created a spooky spider pumpkin and his classmates were just as imaginative: there were haunted houses, mummies, ghosts and skeleton pumpkins. Happy Halloween!
St. David School Participates in “Take Me Outside Day”
‘Take Me Outside Day’ is a day to raise awareness about the importance of unplugging from daily technology and getting outside in nature. The “Take Me Outside” campaign was created by Colin Harris in 2011, after he spent nine months running from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia. Along the way, Colin Harris visited over 80 schools and spoke with students about the importance of spending more time outside rather than in front of a screen.
Colin’s final day of his cross Canada run was October 25th. To mark the day, more than 150 schools across Canada pledged to spend 45 minutes outside during class time. St. David Catholic School accepted this challenge and the students and staff spent time outdoors at their “new school” environment.
“At St. David, we believe in the importance of outdoor experiential learning for our students. We consider nature is an important element in our teaching practice. Our students learn to respect nature and take care of the environment they live in. Taking care of the natural environment is something that we embed in our daily lessons. Today we visited our new school location to witness the beauty that God has planted all around us,” stated Christina Vrbanic Kilby, St. David School grade 8 teacher.
Physical activity outside promotes good motor development and good mental health. Sunlight can boost vitamin D levels, which help form strong bones. Going outside in nature can give students a mental boost.
“Nature is fuel for the soul,” said Richard Ryan, author and professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. “Nature is something within which we flourish, so having it be more a part of our lives is critical, especially when we live and work in built environments.”
The students and staff of St. David School plan to visit the site of their new school during the year and will continue to explore and reap the benefits of outdoor education in their “backyard”.