As part of a Safe Schools initiative students were given the opportunity to design a button that reflects the safe, caring, inclusive environment at St. James Catholic School. Several members of the school community judged the button submissions and three student designs were published as button badges for every student in the school.
Superintendent Rossella Bagnato personally visited St. James to congratulate the finalists.
Category: Schools
St. David Running Club Takes Part in the Sudbury Rocks Walk, Run, Race For Diabetes
As part of their ongoing commitment to fitness, St. David students participated in the 1K Strong Kids Fun Run at the recent Sudbury Rocks Walk, Run, Race For Diabetes. During education week the students collected pledges and raised approximately $100 dollars. The running club has not only been running but have also been reading once a week with community volunteers and reflecting on their running in their running journals as a way to promote literacy and physical fitness.
Showcase Portfolio and Family Dinner at St. Bernadette
Austin Desrochers, a grade 2 student at St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School proudly shared his showcase portfolio with his father during Catholic Education Week. The school held a Showcase Portfolio and Family Dinner evening on Wednesday, May 9th.
All the students from JK ~ 6 selected works from their portfolios to share with their family members.
Family Dinner with St. Bernadette Community
Over 200 members of the St. Bernadette Catholic school community gathered in the gym to enjoy a lovely meal together on Wednesday, May 9th. Stephanie Poirier , a grade 4 student at St. Bernadette, filled her dish with some lasagna and salad provided by the Caruso Club. Her parents are looking on in the background.
Learning About Life as a Writer at St. Benedict
During Catholic Education Week at St. Benedict, students were given the opportunity to listen to local author Sarah Lashbrook. She began by reading an excerpt from her book Where the Stream and Creek Collide, and after talked about her life as a writer. Lashbrook explained that she had been writing since she was 12, but was also inspired by two amazing high school English teachers. Students then learned how the concept for her book came from a nightmarish dream which led to her writing an outline, then realistic characters, and of course lots of research. Life as a writer isn’t easy. Lashbrook informed students she once had writer’s block for two months, that her book was edited four times, and therefore was written a total of five times before it was completed. During the Q&A session, grade 7 student Joshua Kroll asked, “Do you become attached to your characters?” Lashbrook responded, “I definitely do! I get right into them, and I’m sad when I’m done.” The recently published author advised students who want a career in writing to take drama courses to become a screenwriter, English courses if they want to be a journalist, and even history is a necessity for writers. Later, elementary teacher Sherry Trowbridge approached Lashbrook with an offer to return to St. Benedict to work with her intermediate students and write a class novel together. Her reply was an excited, “I’m in 100% for that!” Clearlly, those St. Ben’s students will be in for a treat when Sarah Lashbrook comes back to visit in the fall.
St. Andrew Hosts Hawaiian Day Bookfair
The parents of St. Andrew School are hosted a Scholastic Book Fair during Catholic Education Week. To kick start the week students were encouraged to get dressed in Hawaiian gear and the best dressed from each class won $10. of free books.
Mentoring Students and Making Memories
The Grade 1 students at St. Bernadette Catholic School partnered with teacher Paola Gutcher’s Parenting Class from nearby St. Charles College to create wonderful Memory Boxes. The Grade 1 students read the book, Lighthouse: A Story of Remembrance and the class decided to create memory boxes that would celebrate highlights of this past school year and all of the love and important memories in their lives. Pictured are St. Bernadette grade 1 student Christina Gregory and St. Charles College student Julia Furlotte working on the memory box together.
Sudbury Catholic Students Participate in a Water Walk
On Friday, May 4th, over 50 students from St James, St Benedict Catholic Secondary School, St Charles College and St David in collaboration with Atikameksheng Anishinawbek participated in a Water Walk. According to Anishinaabe traditions women are responsible for the stewardship of water. Anishinaabe Grandmother, Josephine Mandamin reminds us of our responsibility through her actions of walking around the Great Lakes in bringing awareness and protection for the water. Sudbury holds their own Water Walk annually around Lake Ramsey. This Water Walk is to honour the water and to bring awareness to how critical it is to do our part in protecting it. In May we celebrate Mother’s Day and it is the Month of Mary. Anishinaabe people refer to Mother Earth as Shkagamik Kwe and the full moon as Nookomis or Grandmother Moon. The next day Nookomis was reported at her fullest for the 2012 calendar. Julia Pegahmagabow, Atikameksheng Anishinawbek member, started the morning with teaching the group of mostly young women about their role as women and their responsibility to take care of themselves and the water. The group then started the 7km walk to the Traditional Grounds of the Atikameksheng Anishinawbek located on Whitefish Lake. On the shores of the lake we ended our ceremony and celebrated with a traditional feast. Participants left with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Paralympic Athlete Brings “Passion for Sport” to St. Charles College
Robbi Weldon started downhill skiing at the age of three. Many years later, she would compete on the international level as a Nordic skier and cyclist as a Paralympic athlete. Weldon of Thunder Bay has been in Sudbury the last few days, sharing her story and passion for sport. She visited St. Charles College to inspire the students in the Exercise Science class. Weldon also shared her dreams for the upcoming games in London, England.
Weldon was diagnosed with a genetic eye disease when she was a teenager in high school. The macular degeneration disease she was diagnosed with has not stopped her from living out her dreams. She’s 2011 Parapan Am Games 4-time Gold Medalist, 2011 World Champion Road Cyclist in the Time Trial and the 2010 World Champion in Road Racing.