To celebrate the Year of Mercy, the Sudbury Catholic District School Board ‘Door of Mercy’, created by SCDSB staff has been “traveling” throughout the system and is on display at our schools and some parishes. Launched in December at St. David Catholic Elementary School, the door is pictured here at St. Alexander Parish with St. Charles Catholic Elementary School Principal David Soehner and SCDSB Trustee Ray Desjardins.
Category: St. Charles School
St. Charles Elementary Math Buddies
Students at St. Charles Elementary tried a new way to solve math problems recently. As a part of the school goals, students in all grades got together for Math Buddies.
Principal David Soehner explained that “as one of the SIPSA (school improvement plan for student achievement) goals for this year, St. Charles Elementary teachers identified that they wanted to focus learning in mathematics around the math processes of communication and problem solving. To improve how students communicate in mathematics, a problem solving template was developed to guide students through answering all the parts of a question. The concept of ‘math buddies’ was created, where older students get together with younger students to work through a math problem every week, using the template and math manipulatives”.
Students in the older grades helped their younger buddies identify what they already know from the question, what they still need to know, how they are going to represent it in pictures and an equation as well as formulating the response in a sentence. Student Achievement Officer, Michelle Walton, with the Ministry of Education explained that “It was great to see how the older students really had the younger students work through the math problem”.
Brent Peplinski, a grade 7/8 teacher at the school said that his students also benefitted from the buddies by sharing in the younger students enthusiasm to do math, and his students came back all smiles!
“We are going to measure the results of Math Buddies using a pre and post task at the end of a 9 week cycle. We expect that students will improve in their ability to problem solve and communicate in mathematics.” explained Soehner.
St. Charles Elementary Math Buddies
Students at St. Charles Elementary tried a new way to solve math problems recently. As a part of the school goals, students in all grades got together for Math Buddies.
Principal David Soehner explained that “as one of the SIPSA (school improvement plan for student achievement) goals for this year, St. Charles Elementary teachers identified that they wanted to focus learning in mathematics around the math processes of communication and problem solving. To improve how students communicate in mathematics, a problem solving template was developed to guide students through answering all the parts of a question. The concept of ‘math buddies’ was created, where older students get together with younger students to work through a math problem every week, using the template and math manipulatives”.
Students in the older grades helped their younger buddies identify what they already know from the question, what they still need to know, how they are going to represent it in pictures and an equation as well as formulating the response in a sentence. Student Achievement Officer, Michelle Walton, with the Ministry of Education explained that “It was great to see how the older students really had the younger students work through the math problem”.
Brent Peplinski, a grade 7/8 teacher at the school said that his students also benefitted from the buddies by sharing in the younger students enthusiasm to do math, and his students came back all smiles!
“We are going to measure the results of Math Buddies using a pre and post task at the end of a 9 week cycle. We expect that students will improve in their ability to problem solve and communicate in mathematics.” explained Soehner.
Christmas is Giving at St. Charles Elementary
With Christmas just around the corner, families at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School came together to generously support people in their community who are less fortunate. Donations of canned goods were collected over the 3 weeks of Advent to support the local food bank, Friendship House. Last year, the school collected 3014 cans and the goal this year was to beat that number by 1 can. With true school spirit, RAMS collected 3200 cans!! Way to Go RAMS!
St. Charles Elementary Students Warming Hearts, Hands and Toes at Christmas!
Showing true RAM spirit, students at St. Charles Catholic Elementary outdid themselves again! Under the direction of teachers Holly-Anne Swain and Emily Maxwell, the Sock and Mitt Crew, made up of Intermediate students, created posters and announcements to encourage students to bring in new socks and mitts to be donated to the Salvation Army. The crew collected over 800 pairs of socks and mitts to be donated to the Salvation Army this Christmas.
Way to go RAMS!
St. Charles Elementary Students Pledge to Stop Bullying and Hang It Out to Dry!
During Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week (November 16-20), students at St. Charles have been engaged many activities to raise awareness around the topic of bullying.
Students in all three FDK classes, with help from their teacher, Ms. Posso, have taken a pledge to stop bullying! They have read books and talked about what bullying means and together made this pledge:
I am a kid againstt bullying! And I will…
– Speak up when I see bullying
– Reach out to others who are bullied
– Be a friend whenever I see bullying.
Students in Grades 2-8 have each created a pink shirt with a message about bullying on them, and these shirts have been strung up down the halls to show they are “Hanging Bullying Out to Dry”. On Wednesday November 18, there was a flourish of pink throughout the school as staff and students wore their pink shirts.
Other activities include a visit from Sergent Randy Hosken from the GSPS, a MADD presentation for students in grades 6-8 and students in grades 4-8 gave their input into our Safe School Survey called OurSchool (formerly Tell Them From Me). Also, Amanda Lantheir, a SCDSB child and youth worker continued to share with groups about the FRIENDS program and Kelso’s Choices, and students learned Chris D’Souza’s new song “I Want You to be Nice to Me”.
Pies for Rice at St. Charles Elementary
Staff and students at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School have been on a mission to raise money for a good cause. On October 16th, students attended a presentation by Tammy Pomroy, a former Sudbury resident who now lives in Cambodia. The presentation was about a school that Mrs. Pomroy founded called ABCs and Rice. This school is a reverse tuition school where some of the poorest students in the area are not able to attend because they must stay at home to help earn money. At ABCs and Rice, students get paid in rice at the end of each month for their attendance.
Students and staff were moved by the presentation and chose to do a fundraiser to help the students at ABCs and Rice out. Students and staff had a hat day, and brought in donations of a toonie to wear a hat in class. The staff decided to set a goal of $600, and if the school met that goal, Ms. Neuts, an EA would get a pie thrown in her face. Then Ms. Swain joined in and raised the goal to $1000 and she would get pied as well. Next, Mr. Peplinski agreed for $1100 and finally, Mr. Belanger for $1200. Vice Principal Laura Stirrett said she was very proud of how staff and students joined together to support ABCs and Rice, and a big part of that success was due to the enthusiasm of staff in helping us reach those goals along with the generosity of the families at St. Charles Elementary. In all, showing true RAM spirit, staff and students raised over $1400 for ABCs and RIce!!
Mrs. Pomroy was excited to get the news, stating that “With a donation of $1400, St. Charles Elementary has sponsored every child in the school to have rice for the next 2 months!”
Way to go RAMS!
For more information about ABCs and Rice, please go to: www.abcrice.org
Staff and Students at St. Charles Elementary Celebrate Jays Day
The St. Charles Catholic Elementary School RAMS showed their spirit as they cheered on the Jays! As the Toronto Blue Jays entered game 5 of the division series on Wednesday, October 14th, staff and students wore their Jays gear for a Jays Day. Since this is the first time in 22 years a Canadian team has won in the MLB playoffs, Jays fever is spreading!
“It was great to see the school’s support as they came together to cheer for the Toronto Blue Jays” says principal Dave Soehner. “Now that the Jays have won game 5 and have moved on to the American League finals againstt Kansas City, our support for the Jays will continue! Stay tuned for more school spirit throughout the playoffs.”
O-K, O-K. Blue Jays! Blue Jays! Let’s-Play-Ball!
June 2015 OAPCE Newsletter
As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting our Sudbury Catholic parents, the SCDSB would like to provide a link to the latest newsletter from The Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education (OAPCE).
This month’s newsletter comes in three parts: