Meagan Duhamel, world competitive figure skater and a strong Olympic hopeful for Vancouver 2010, is visiting St. James Catholic School in Lively, her former elementary school.
Along with her competitive highlights Meagan will share her story of perseverance and determination.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce the launch of its Killarney-Shebanoning Outdoor Environmental Education Centre, on Monday, June 15, 2009 at 6:30 p.m., 8 St. Paul Street, in the township of Killarney. The new Outdoor Environmental Education Centre is the latest addition in the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s commitment in promoting environmental awareness and educational opportunities in a natural environment.
The Outdoor Centre will seek to support and expand the environmental, educational, cultural and historical aspects of the town of Killarney, St. Joseph Catholic School and the whole of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board by establishing an outdoor centre in the heart of the community. The Board owns seven acres of property associated with St. Joseph Catholic School which will serve as the host site for the centre. The centre is only eight kilometres from one of the most prestigious parks in the world-Killarney Provincial Park that boasts an average annual visitation of 100,000 people.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is partnering with the Municipality of Killarney, Killarney Provincial Park, and the “Friends of Killarney Park’ to offer exciting, exhilarating and very diversified activities. All programming is based on the Ontario Ministry of Education school curriculum with the added bonus of the unique Killarney experience. At the elementary level the centre will offer the students the opportunity to learn about: authentic Aboriginal culture and teachings, ecological and environmental studies, sustainability of resource uses, healthy living, child and youth stewardship, values of faith, community studies and much more.
The ecological focus of the centre will extend across elementary through to secondary and even post-secondary learning and will focus on the latest innovative “green” technologies and practises. Secondary school opportunities will permit biology, geography and geology students to partake in practical field course experiences. This will blend the theory of the class room with the reality of the outdoors and better prepare them for making post-secondary and career choices.
Please join the Sudbury Catholic District School Board in celebrating the launch of its Killarney-Shebanoning Outdoor Environmental Education Centre on Monday, June 15, 2009 at 6:30 p.m., (8 St. Paul Street) in Killarney.
Sudbury Catholic District School Board will be hosting an Aboriginal Art show today from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Board’s Catholic Education Office located at 165A D’Youville Street.
There will be an Opportunity for the media to take pictures and do interviews with successful young elementary and secondary artists who use culture and spirituality in the creation of their artwork to transmit feelings, emotions and ideas of our world and our identity. Student hand drumming and Drumming with the grandfather drum will occur throughout the evening as well.
The Life Skills class at St. Charles College has been on a milk bag kick since March. They have been collecting and cutting the opaque, outer bags to create sleeping mats for adults and children in Third World countries. The mats create a buffer from dirt and bugs. It also diverts waste from the landfill.
The students cut the bags into strips and loop them to form balls of yarn. They are then crocheted into sleeping mats by a group of retired teachers in the Sudbury area.
It takes 250 bags to create one adult size mat. A child size mat requires 150 bags. With 1300 bags, the students have helped 5 adults or 9 children in other parts of the world.
Congratulations to Samantha Shewring, a Grade 11 student at Marymount Academy who was chosen as a member of the Minister’s Student Advisory Council. Samantha was one of sixty students chosen across Ontario. The council is about empowering the students to be more engaged in learning, to think big, speak up and take action to help other students across the Province.
On Friday, June 12, 2009 from 9:15-11:45, over 400 students, teachers and parents from the St. John Catholic School community will rally together to help raise funds by holding a Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life at our school.
The Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life involves participants who take turns walking, running or strolling around a track. Proceeds are used to fund cancer research and community services for people living with cancer and their families.
Elizabeth Urso, a grade 11 student at Marymount Academy and student trustee for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, attended the Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association (OSTA). She was one of approximately sixty student trustees representing 1.9 million public and Catholic students in the province of Ontario. Several guest speakers spoke at this conference, including the Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne.
During the executive council elections, Elizabeth was elected President of the English Catholic Board Council (ECBC). She is one of five voting members on OSTA’s executive council, and the first female president elected since the Board Council system was integrated into the OSTA’s constitution. This council works to represent the 1.9 million elementary and secondary students in the province of Ontario. The mission of OSTA is to improve education in consultation with the Ministry of Education, adult trustees, teachers, and stakeholders.
Elizabeth’s term as President of the English Catholic Board Council will commence August 1st, 2009. She will also continue to be the student trustee on the SCDSB for the 2009/2010 school year.
The Ontario Student Trustees Association will be moving into its tenth year in September, and hopes to continue to improve education for the 1.9 million students of Ontario.
Trustees for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board voted in favour of closing four south end schools (St. Christopher, St. Theresa, Corpus Christi, and St. Michael Catholic Schools) at the May 26th Board meeting held at Tom Davies Square.
The motion to close the four schools, three of which are PTR Schools (Prohibitive to Repair),allows the Board to apply for Ministry funding to renovate St. Francis Catholic School and to build a new state of the art 550 pupil “Green” dual track (JK to Grade 8) school with a Multi-Media Technology Plaza in the City’s South End.
Students from Corpus Christi and St. Michael Catholic Schools will be consolidated into St. Francis Catholic School (JK to Grade 6)
while students from St. Christopher, St. Theresa and all of the Grade 7 and 8 students from St. Francis and St. David Elementary Schools will be consolidated into the new “green school” on the St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School site. Trustees also voted in favour of renovating St. David Catholic School with regular JK to Grade 6 programming to include further community partnerships aimed at the expansion of the current programming with a holistic service model.
With respect to the North/West Planning area, Trustees passed a motion to consolidate St. Mary Elementary School Grade 7 and 8 students and programming into St. Anne Elementary School commencing September 2009.
In her presentation to Trustees, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, Catherine McCullough stated that after the Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) had completed its work and made its recommendations, it was incumbent upon her to provide a vision for the Board in both programming and capital expenditures. These recommendations recognized that the decision before Trustees revolved around the future of providing quality education and quality facilities for all of Sudbury’s Catholic students.
With respect to the South/Central Planning area, McCullough reiterated the following major points concerning the Director’s recommendations before the motions were considered by Trustees:
• The recommendations maintained the integrity of the accommodation review process. The supporting rationale provided by the Accommodation Review Committee guided the decision making process.
• JK to Grade 12 on the one site at St. Benedict CSS permits increased opportunities for professional development, teacher collaboration and staff specialization
• JK to Grade 12 on the one site at St. Benedict CSS creates more opportunities for cooperative education, peer tutoring, “fast tracking,” interventions for at risk and disengaged students, and seamless transition for French Immersion students wishing
regular programming
• Two large elementary schools (St. Francis and St. Benedict) with dual track programming are beneficial to the Board as it provides parents and students with more options
• A renovated St. David School would enhance partnerships with First Nations communities within the Board’s jurisdiction.
• The recommendations implement the Ministry of Education’s direction that effective programming must be viewed as a continuum that minimizes the number of times a student would transition as he or she progresses from JK to Grade 12. In fact, the JK to Grade 12
single campus concept would be unique to the South/Central community.
• A state of the art Green School will be fuly compliant with the Ontario Disabilities Act(ODA) with enhanced programming such as music, drama, theatre, technology, day care,be fore and after programs, and superior sports facility.
• The larger population of Grade 7 and 8 students and the proximity of the secondary school creates an opportunity for program enhancements
• Access to specialized facilities (technology areas, cafeteria, double-gym, sports programs and fields)
• Expansion of program offerings and flexible spaces to meet changing program needs
• Expansion of resources in classrooms and optimal learning opportunities for all students
• Interaction with a larger community learners
• Larger blocks of uninterrupted teaching time
• Expansion of co-curricular activities for all students
• Potential of enhanced partnerships with the City of Greater Sudbury
The Multi Media Resource Centre would provide equipment for students to have a more hands on style of interaction encouraging new learning opportunities. This Centre would enable the Board to provide both elementary and secondary students with 21st Century skills and learning opportunities directed toward all career pathways.
“The creation of a new “green school” and the renovations to St. Francis and St. David Catholic Schools will enhance educational programs within these facilities which will provide the students under our care with a Catholic education that is of the highest quality possible,” stated McCullough.
On the evening of May 14, 2009 the Sudbury Regional Historica Awards were announced at Laurentian University. 158 projects were judged with students from Sudbury Catholic taking many top prizes.
The Historica Fairs Program encourages students to explore Canadian heritage in a dynamic, hands-on learning environment. Students use the medium of their choice to tell stories about Canadian heroes, legends, milestones, and achievements – and present the results of their research at a public exhibition.
On June 10th four Sudbury Catholic Schools students will be travelling to the Provincial Fair in Ottawa where they can expect to learn more about Canada’s rich history.
Sudbury Catholic Schools is proud to announce our winners. We’re pleased to share a slideshow of winners announced that evening.
