The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is gearing up for its annual week-long celebration of Catholic Education Week. This year’s theme is “Catholic Education: We are Many, We are One.” From May 1 to May 5, 2023, Sudbury Catholic Schools will join Catholic schools across the province to engage in a variety of activities and events that celebrate the unique identity and contributions of Catholic education.
The week will be divided into five sub-themes:
When we see
When we listen
When we reflect
When we learn
When we act
OCSTA Resources
The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) has developed and shared daily resources and lesson plans for classrooms to participate in. With the support of the OCSTA and the Catholic community, Catholic education in Ontario continues to thrive.
You can view the official Catholic Education Week song below:
Board-Wide Celebrations
Catholic Education Week is a special opportunity for the Catholic community in Sudbury to come together and celebrate the unique identity and contributions of Catholic education. From Toonies for Tuition Day to the Catholic Education Week Mass, there are a variety of activities and events that we have planned for this special week.
Toonies for Tuition Day
On May 1st, schools are encouraged to dress up like a bee or wear yellow and black to participate in Toonies for Tuition Day. Staff and students are encouraged to bring a toonie to support Toonies for Tuition, which will be donated to the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association Endowment Fund for distribution to Catholic families in need.
Catholic Education Week Mass
A Catholic Education Week Mass will be held on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins, will be celebrating the Mass. Schools across the province are invited to participate virtually in this celebration of the Eucharist.
May 1-5th is also Children’s Mental Health Week. Members of the Mental Health team will be completing activities in schools to engage staff and students. Schools will also be encouraged to wear green on Thursday, May 4, to promote children’s mental health.
Skills Ontario Provincial Competitions
Thirteen secondary students from St. Charles College and two students from Bishop Alexander Carter will compete in the annual Skills Ontario Provincial Competitions at the Toronto Congress Centre from May 1-3.
Registration is now open for Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s (SCDSB) annual Carousel Event hosted by the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC)! Learn about different topics, network with others, and engage in great conversation.
When: Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
Address: 2993 Algonquin Drive
Carousel topics will include:
Supporting Mental Health & Well Being, Cyber Safety, Building Resiliency, Homework Support, Special Education, Coding, Preparing Your Child for Post-Secondary, Literacy: Supporting Reading @ Home, and Learning About Secondary Programming. Click here to view our session descriptions!
16 student projects from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board were on display during the Sudbury Regional Science Fair on April 1, 2023. Subjects ranged from engineering and coding to environmental initiatives and electricity. The following student projects received awards:
St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
Olaterere Awosik, “Klean” The Automatic Cleaning Robot
Award: Honourable Mention – Junior Engineering
Constantinos Urso & Thomas Reich, EZ-Drain
Awards: Third Place – Junior Engineering and the Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science Engineering Award
Marymount Academy
Victoria Leigh, Indoor Air Quality
Awards: First Place – Junior Physical Sciences, Sanofi Biogenius Canada Award and Canada Wide Science Fair Winner
Maggie Polischuk, The Breakaway Steering Wheel
Awards: Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science Engineering Award, Students’ Choice Award and Canada Wide Science Fair Winner
Both Victoria Leigh and Maggie Polischuk will be moving on to the Canada Wide Science Fair which will take place in May 2023 in Edmonton.
“Everyone who participated put in so much effort towards the Regional Fair – winning these awards at the fair was so unexpected. Receiving an invitation to attend the national fair is very exciting and I am looking forward to attending,” said Victoria Leigh.
“For me it was more fun than work because I picked a topic that I enjoyed learning about. Meeting people that have the same interests as me has been amazing. I look forward to representing my school and the Board at the Canada wide Science Fair next month!” Maggie Polischuk.
In addition, St. Benedict C.S.S Science teacher Loretta Cuda received the Ambassador of Science Award. This award is given to someone who has contributed to science programming over the years by facilitating and encouraging teachers and students to participate in project-based learning opportunities, including annual science fairs.
“It is an honour to have been presented the Sudbury Regional Science Fair Ambassador of Science Award. I have been a member of the Sudbury Regional Science Fair for ten years as the Activities Chair and also a member of Teacher Resources. I have had the opportunity to attend four Canada Wide Science Fairs, which has taught me the importance of inquiry-based learning; something that I always implement into my classroom. I am a firm believer in allowing students to engage directly in their learning and explore the answers to their scientific inquiries through hands-on opportunities,” said Loretta Cuda.
Secondary student, Emily Levesque from St. Benedict CSS, has recently signed a commitment letter to join the Cambrian College soccer team, the Cambrian Golden Shield. This announcement was greeted with enthusiasm by Head Coach Evan Philips, who personally came to St. Benedict to welcome Emily to the team.
According to Coach Philips, Emily has already started training with the team during the winter months. He expressed excitement about working with Emily over the summer to further develop her skills.
“Emily has already begun training with us during the winter. I am excited to work with her more over the summer as we continue her development into the OCAA and beyond.” – Evan Phillips, Head Coach, Cambrian Golden Shield.
The St. Benedict Bears family is immensely proud of Emily’s accomplishments, and they wish her nothing but success on her new journey. They are confident that her hard work and dedication to the sport will serve her well as she embarks on this exciting new chapter in her athletic career.
As Emily prepares to take the field as part of the Cambrian Golden Shield soccer team, she can be sure that she has the support and encouragement of her St. Benedict Bears family behind her every step of the way. Way to go, Emily!
Save the date for Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s (SCDSB) annual Carousel Event hosted by the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC)! Learn about different topics, network with others, and engage in great conversation.
When: Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
Address: 2993 Algonquin | Sudbury, ON | P3E 6K2
Carousel topics will include:
Supporting Mental Health & Well Being, Cyber Safety, Building Resiliency, Homework Support, Special Education, Coding, Preparing Your Child for Post-Secondary, Literacy: Supporting Reading @ Home, and Learning About Secondary Programming.
In preparation for our budget discussions, we invite our staff, parents/guardians, community partners and students to provide feedback regarding our programming and resources. Your feedback is important to us to ensure that we are representing your priorities as we engage in the budget process. We are asking that you identify areas that have been working well and your top priorities for the next school year. We are using ThoughtExchange so that everyone has a chance to share their perspectives and understand what’s most important to the group. These thoughts will help guide our discussions before we move ahead together.
Feel free to include as many thoughts as you like. Click the Participate button to share your thoughts and then rate at least 20-30 of the thoughts that others have shared. Your participation is confidential, so no one will know who shared or rated which thoughts. Please come back often until April 14 to rate new ideas.
High ratings tell us you strongly support the idea and low ratings tell us you strongly do not support the idea; both are important.
Quick Tips:
1. This exchange is confidential. Your thoughts will be shared, but not your identity.
2. Please be polite and respectful as you share and rate thoughts.
3. If you see a thought that is rude, hurtful or identifies a person or group, you can report it by clicking in the upper right corner of the thought.
4. You do not need to rate all thoughts in this exchange. It is appreciated and recommended that you rate about 30 thoughts over the time the exchange is open.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board held their annual Science Fair on February 28, 2023, at St. Charles College. The fair was open to Grade 7 and 8 students.
The winners of this year’s Science Fair were as follows:
First Place/Best in Fair
Indoor Air Quality, Victoria Leigh, Marymount Academy
Do Different Music genres effect reading? Lila Ricker, Marymount Academy
Second Place
La Chaleur Contre le sol, Mila Kidd and Ayla Falcioni, Marymount Academy
Third Place
Klean Machine, Olaterere Awosika, St. Benedict C.S.S
EZ-Drain, Thomas Reich and Costantinos Urso, St. Benedict C.S.S
Sèche mains germé, Leah Serre et Paytyn Farmer, Marymount Academy
La croissance des plantes, Samantha Chow, Marymount Academy
Reveillez-vous, Leah Diotte, Marymount Academy
Most Creative
Steer Clear: The Breakaway Steering Wheel, Maggie Polischuk, Marymount Academy
Lequel est moin sale? Aven Thompson, Marymount Academy
Lumière sans électricité: Ampoule bouteille solaire, Megan Leclair, Marymount Academy
Sont les masques nos ennemis? Abigail Debruyn, Marymount Academy
15 minutes de cardio, Kiana Smith et Fae Flanagan, Marymount Academy
Best Presentation
Can climate change ruin our ski hills for good? Annabelle Richardson et Isabella Palladino, Marymount Academy
Spherification, Lua Schiewek and Louisse Apilan, Marymount Academy
Tok Tok: Germes sur les portes… Mia Dufresne, Marymount Academy
All projects listed above will proceed to the Sudbury Regional Science Fair on April 1 and 2, 2023 at Laurentian University.
Louise Franklin, Superintendent of School Effectiveness with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board said that the Fair was a fantastic way to encourage students to participate in science-based activities on a large scale.
“Our Science Fair offers students the opportunity to participate in a formal judging process alongside their peers. With an emphasis on innovation and scientific inquiry, the Science Fair allows students to develop projects through critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. A great deal of time and commitment went into these projects and all students should be extremely proud of their efforts. We would like to thank the members of the Science Fair Committee, Chris Polischuk, Martha Facchini, and Loretta Cuda, for their dedication to providing such opportunities for students at Sudbury Catholic. We are excited to see what the selected students will accomplish at the Regional Science Fair,” she said.
Our International Students were treated to a Sudbury Five game! They were joined by members of their host families, school staff and School Board staff as they watched the game, had fun dancing and a few lucky students even won some pizza!
It was a great way for the students to continue to build community and connection – and they sure had fun! View some of the photos below.
On Tuesday, February 21st, Sudbury Catholic District School Board celebrated Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, as a way to prepare for the start of Lent. Shrove Tuesday is traditionally a time for repentance, forgiveness, and reflection in the Catholic faith, and is marked by the consumption of pancakes made with rich ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar.
By celebrating Shrove Tuesday, Sudbury Catholic Schools help students understand the spiritual significance of the Lenten season and encourage them to reflect on their own faith and actions.
In celebration of this day, Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to share some highlights from the celebrations that took place at various schools. We would like to thank all our volunteers for their help in and out of the kitchen. Your generosity and kindness have made this day even more special for our Sudbury Catholic community. We are grateful for your support and for helping us celebrate this important tradition.
School Highlights
St. Joseph
What’s better than pancakes? Pancakes with a cause! On Pancake Tuesday, St. Joseph school opened its doors for a community-wide Shrove Tuesday feast. Attendees enjoyed fluffy pancakes, sizzling sausages, and a topping station where they could create their own stack.
But this wasn’t just any pancake breakfast. St. Joseph school also took this opportunity to give back to the community by raising donations for the Northern Ontario Families of Children With Cancer. This incredible organization supports families who are dealing with the challenging realities of childhood cancer, providing them with vital resources and support during this difficult time. The event was a huge success, with attendees not only enjoying a delicious meal but also coming together to support a cause that is close to our hearts.
Pius XII
On the joyous occasion of Shrove Tuesday, Pius XII Catholic School was filled with the delicious aroma of freshly made pancakes, thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers. Individuals from the Knights of Columbus, Sudbury Catholic Schools, and Holy Redeemer Church all joined forces to prepare a scrumptious breakfast for students and staff alike. Pius XII Catholic School is grateful for the generosity and kindness of these volunteers, who embody the spirit of community and fellowship that makes the school so special.
Holy Trinity
The warm and welcoming atmosphere of Holy Trinity’s Kindergarten classroom was made even more special by the efforts of early childhood educators who gave their time and energy to create a memorable Shrove Tuesday experience for all. Mme. Jessica, Mme. Angele, Mrs. Yasko, Mr. Vicedomini, and Ms. Casey put their flipping skills to the test and treated Kindergarten students with their very own pancake party.
Marymount Academy
Marymount Academy students celebrated Shrove Tuesday at their school with a hearty pancake breakfast. In addition to indulging in stacks of pancakes, the students learned about the spiritual significance of this special day in the Christian calendar. The breakfast was made possible thanks to the culinary expertise of staff, including Mrs. Shewring, Ms. Coluzzi, Ms. Tenbergen, and many others, who ensured that the pancakes were piping hot and ready for the students when they arrived. Overall, it was a fun and educational event that left everyone feeling satisfied and enriched.
St. Benedict C.S.S
In the Southend of Sudbury, students and staff at St. Benedict kicked off the week in grand style with a delicious pancake feast in honour of Shrove Tuesday! This feast was made possible thanks to the outstanding efforts from staff volunteers at the school. Mr. Pappin, and Mr. Sipos went above and beyond to make enough pancakes to feed the whole Bear family!
St. David
St. David Catholic Elementary School always finds creative ways to make every occasion special and Shrove Tuesday was no exception. The staff at St. David went above and beyond to create a mouthwatering pancake breakfast that left the entire school of Dragons grinning from ear to ear! The school’s dedication to creating fun and memorable experiences for its students is a testament to its commitment to fostering a positive and supportive learning environment.
Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception Catholic School students celebrated Shrove Tuesday in true style with stacks upon stacks of pancakes. The breakfast spread was the perfect way to kick off the Lenten season, a six-week period leading up to Easter. As the school community gathered to celebrate this joyous occasion, they were reminded of the importance of sharing in each other’s joy and coming together in times of celebration. Immaculate Conception Catholic School is proud to carry on this delicious tradition year after year, and looks forward to many more pancake-filled Shrove Tuesdays to come!
