Sudbury Catholic District School Board

POSITIVE LIVING SKILLS with Terry Orlick Ph.D – November 13, 2012

POSITIVE LIVING SKILLS with Terry Orlick Ph.D., presentation at St. Raphael School, Nov.13th, 6:30-7:30 pm
Promoting PEACEFUL SCHOOLS: Enjoy the ‘simple joys of life’

As part of Peaceful Schools and building healthy relationships, living a life of joy and happiness can be achieved when we learn to think positive and embrace the simple joys and happy highlights in our lives. This allows us to live life to our true potential.

Charlie Large, SK student at St. John, is holding a Spaghetti Toes CD and a Highlight clicker. These are tools that Terry Orlick PhD, has developed for children. St. John School will be introducing a special evening, with guest speaker, Terry Orlick, PhD. on Nov.13th, from 6:30-7:30 pm. at St. Raphael School. The evening session is meant for parents/guardian, educators, coaches, any adult who works with children.

The CD allows children to learn how to relax during stressful times in their lives whether at home or at school.

The highlight clicker is a great way to help children and youth feel happier, less stressed and more confident within themselves when they CLICK happy moments in their lives. The clicker keeps track of all the happy moments, such as being thankful for the sunshine, enjoying time with a friend, having fun in a game, learning at school etc….
Research demonstrates that Highlight Clickers helps children and adults of all ages become more positive, more relaxed, more joyful, and more focused on the good things in themselves, in others and the contexts they are in.

When you begin to look for, find, embrace and appreciate the simplest Highlight or simplest joys in every day, not only do you feel better, you also reduce the unnecessary stress, worry and negativity in your life.

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.

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

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

Canadian Youth Golf Alliance

Despite the snow falling on the ground, several Marymount Academy students were eager to hear about golf at Sudbury’s Idylwylde Golf and Country Club on Monday, October 29, 2012. The day’s events, however, were about so much more than golf. Ryan Cooney, Executive Director of the Canadian Youth Golf Alliance invited the group of students to learn all about the organization he founded just over a year ago – the Canadian Youth Golf Alliance. The mission of the Canadian Youth Golf Alliance is “to lessen the risk factors for Canada’s ‘At-Risk Youth’ communities by facilitating efficient and effective programs in the areas of Golf Participation, Youth Employment, and Education. Through these programs, the youth of the Canadian Youth Golf Alliance learn character building principles such as integrity, responsibility, dignity, honesty, gratitude, and leadership.”

Cooney, who attended St-Charles briefly and Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School for the majority of high school, is a graduate of St-Albert’s Adult Education School. Being a former at-risk student himself, he now works towards helping those who are in a similar position he once was. The former golf pro at Lively Golf & Country Club and the Timberwolf Golf Club, (who now holds a Master’s degree in Humanities), works with different community partners and various organizations to give students opportunities to better themselves through sport, business, and education. On days like the one organized at the Idylwylde Golf & Country Club, Cooney works closely with Brandon Beeson (the Northern Ontario Regional Director) and the Greater Sudbury Police Services to provide learning seminars, mentorship programs, and employability training for the students selected to be a part of the Day Event. The educational courses delivered by the CYGA and taught by Cooney are designed to allow the students to learn about themselves, others, their community, the larger community, and humanity as a whole. In addition to the programs, post-secondary scholarships and bursaries will be available to deserving members of the CYGA. In order to ensure all the programs and initiatives can be delivered, there is a dedicated fundraising team who believes in the CYGA’s vision and mission to support youth.

Dan Bartolucci, a teacher at Marymount Academy and the newly appointed Education Director for the C.Y.G.A. feels it is really a dynamic and very meaningful program. “I am inspired by how Ryan has turned his own life around and has committed to educating and assisting ‘at-risk’ youth. I truly believe that the C.Y.G.A. is going to be around for a long time to come and it is very exciting to be a small part of it – helping out the youth in our own community.”
For more information about the Canadian Youth Golf Alliance, please visit www.canadianyouthgolfalliance.com.

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”.

Career Day at St. Andrew

The Safe Schools Team and staff of St. Andrew School have planned monthly career presentations for their students to be held during this school year. The first presentation was by Mr. Steve Bailey and his apprentice Jason who are involved in the trades. Mr. Bailey spoke about all the different trades students can be part of once they complete highschool. Jason is a coop student who is very interested in the trades. Mr. Bailey and Jason answered student questions at the end of the presentation.

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