Students who will be beginning their educational careers this coming September gathered recently at St. Bernadette Catholic School for an afternoon in the life of a JK student.
Parents and students experienced story time, explored letters and numbers, enjoyed healthy snacks, fashioned play dough creations and had their first bus ride.
After the session students left with a goody bag full of resources to stimulate their learning through play during the summer months while they wait for the first day of school in September.
Category: Schools
St. James Students Go “Bongo”
The grade 2 and 3 French Immersion class at St. James Catholic Elementary School enjoy the bongos, intended to help students develop a good sense of beat, how to play rhythm, as well as developing an understanding and appreciation of music. Teacher Mme Itotoz taught students techniques for producing a variety of tones and drum sounds and the students were proud of the use of patterns to create a class musical composition.
Empathy at St. Paul Catholic Elementary School
In keeping with this months virtue of Empathy, the St. Paul Catholic Elementary Students in Ms. Purawec’s 7/8 FI class collected money to purchase sandwich fixings and on Friday May 20th all the students worked together to prepare sandwiches and a small sweet to be delivered to the Elgin Street Mission. The students worked in an assembly line fashion as some buttered, some spread the mustard, some added the cheese and some added the meat. The last station was the group who added a small sweet and short message with each completed sandwich. We are very proud of our students and their generosity.
St. Francis Junior Kindergarten Students Venture to Science North
On Wednesday, May 18 the junior kindergarten students visited Science North. Students have been studying animals and what plants need to grow and survive. Students were able to share their knowledge and make connections with the presentations. Students observed insects which enjoy plants as a source of food. Cora the instructor pictured here from Science North, allowed students to see and touch a walking stick. The day concluded with a 3D IMAX film entitled, Born to be Wild which was enjoyed by all. Many thanks to the parent volunteers who helped make the day a success!
Immaculate Conception Students Lay Down the Cards
On Tuesday, May 17, 2011 Immaculate Conception School organized a Family Numeracy Hour. Parents and grandparents were invited to come play cards with their children. Not only was it fun, but parents and grandparents became involved in helping their children learn math while they engaged in “hands-on learning” with playing cards. JK and SK students practiced number recognition, primary students focused on adding card numbers together and junior students practiced their multiplication skills by playing a new version of High Card. All students received a deck of cards to bring home so that they can play exciting “math” card games with their parents. Parents have a very important role in helping their child practice math skills at home, and when it is disguised as a math game, students enjoy it so much more!
St. John’s Third Annual Relay for Life
As part of the school’s Catholic Education activities, St. John Elementary School held their third annual relay for life on May 6, 2011. Students, staff and invited guests started off their day in the gymnasium to listen to speakers from local cancer organizations talk about the positive impact the school’s relay has had on the community. As well, survivors connected to the school– be it parents, grandparents, friends etc, were introduced as honoured guests (donning yellow survivor t-shirts) and all were holding balloons with inspirational messages written on them. For the first part of the relay, the survivors and their family did their own few laps and the students stood in the middle of the loop and clapped and encouraged them shouting this year’s relay theme – “Fight Back!” At the end of the survivor’s loop, they released their balloons into the air taking with them, their hopes and wishes. The students then joined in and the relay officially began. After the walking portion was over, the entire school took part in a votive ceremony presided over by Father Sam D’Angelo. The grand total collected by St. John’s was an astounding $3437.94. “It is a day about celebrating courage and strength,” said Tricia Dowdall-Cerilli, principal of the school. “We remember those who have lost their battle and support the students and family left behind. It truly connects the school, parish and community as we stand united againstt cancer and whole-heartedly encourage those with the disease to Fight Back!”
St. Francis Students Learn from Sudbury Rising Stars
The students and staff at St. Francis Catholic Elementary School had the opportunity recently to watch a performance by the Sudbury Rising Stars. The Rising Stars is an organization that performs skits related to issues for seniors such as hazards, health issues, hearing issues, using walkers etc. The group has previously performed for adult groups including the Catholic Women’s League for the past three years, but their performance for the St. Francis students was their first time in front of children. Shirley Miles, coordinator of the group wanted the students to learn about these different issues that seniors face. As many of the students have grandparents and other seniors in their life, Miles explained that it is a great opportunity for them to have a better understanding of their potential problems and how to deal with them. Laurie Petryna, St. Francis Principal, felt it was a great way for their students to connect with all of the seniors in their life and to reinforce the importance of encouraging respectful relationships with them.
St. James School and Sunny Fournier team up for Haiti
St. James Catholic School kicked off its May virtue of Empathy with an inspirational presentation by the school custodian Sunny Fournier. Fournier visited Haiti after the devastating earthquakes and he shared a slideshow with the students depicting the struggles but also the hopes of Haitians as they try to rebuild. As a living testament to the virtue of empathy—(putting yourself in someone else’s shoes) a silver coin collection took place and in the usual generous ways St. James school donated the proceeds to “Mission Par La Foie” Orphanage.
Sunny Fournier continues to collect donations and support to help build “Mission Par La Foie”—an orphanage, school and medical clinic—three connected service buildings for the community of Gressier (Epic Centre). If anyone wishes to donate to this cause contact Sunny Fournier at St. James Catholic School or visit www.saveourhaiti.com.
School Works as a Team to Support Community
St. David School parent Council, along with parent and community volunteers support the Donovan and Flour Mill communities by hosting a “Community Closet” every month at St. David Catholic School. The volunteers collect gently used clothing, toys, books and home appliances throughout each month and then offer these items to community members, students and families in need. The volunteers include grade 8 students, parents and community members wanting to support their neighbours. The “community closet” will start again in September 2011, when the next school year begins. St. David parent Council, “thanks everyone for their generosity and support”. They “appreciate the donations and feel great that they were able to give back to their community”.