The Grade 5/6 class from St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School have been thoroughly engaged in hands-on learning with Oreos.

On Tuesday October 8th, they participated in the O.R.E.O. project, a scientific math-based inquiry project in which hundreds of schools across the country participated.

The excitement began as students hypothesized how many cookies they could stack. Students then tested their hypothesis as they stacked their Oreos. The highest stack of Oreos was 26. They continued their math learning by finding the mean, median and mode of the class.

The learning excitement will continue throughout the curriculum as they will graph their stacking, write stories and then finally get to make sculptures with the yummy cream filling.

Of course, teacher Chantal Therrien’s students admitted that the best part was snacking on the cookies when the project was complete!

The students in the Grade 1 class at St. Bernadette Catholic French Immersion School have been participating in the Greater Sudbury Fire Services program called, “The Adventures of Sparky the Travelling Fire Dog”. This program began in 2012 with grade one classes and involves a visit to the classroom from a Public Safety Officer who drops off a package containing: one Sparky Stuffed Toy, One Scrap Book, One Tote Bag and 35 Safety Checklists. Each child is given an opportunity to take Sparky home and complete the fire safety checklist with the involvement of their family. Firefighters return to the classroom in the spring to review the scrapbooks, talk about firefighting, show off their gear and conduct a fire truck tour. This program covers, reading ,writing, art, community helpers, health, public speaking, family involvement not to mention adding a little excitement to the classroom routine! Also, the program will reduce the student’s chances of experiencing a fire and will also ensure that families will have early warning should a fire occur through thoroughly checking and addressing smoke alarm issues in the home.

The grade 4 students at St. Bernadette Catholic French Immersion School tried their hand at journalism by writing and creating their very own classroom newspaper. Entitled “Sabrecats en action”, the newspaper contains articles about various school events with direct quotes from first hand witnesses. Principal, Diana Salvador, said that ,”Students were enthused and engaged throughout this project. Students interviewed staff, peers, parents and community members and took their roles as reporters very seriously. The finished product is excellent!”

The classroom teacher, Mlle Aubin stated, “The students enjoyed their time as a reporters. Watch out The Sudbury Star, these students are the next generation of journalists!

The Grades 4 and 5/6 classes at St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School celebrated Mardi Gras on Tuesday, February 12th. These French Immersion students discussed the history of the celebration, and its importance to their French Catholic culture. Students took part in the celebration by creating their very own Mardi Gras masks and partaking in a feast of homemade pancakes before beginning a fast for Lent.