Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Category: St. David School

St. David School Welcomes SWST Initiative

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The St. David Catholic Elementary School Student Work Study Teacher initiative is a Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat research program that is based in a collaborative relationship between the classroom teacher and the student work study teacher. The SWS teacher focuses on the student classroom experience and the student’s ability to learn. This model of student support is responsive to student needs and supports classroom best practices.

St. David School’s SWST initiative focuses on understanding student learning in the classroom and building knowledge of the classroom experience. Megan Murphy, St. David School student work study teacher and vice principal states, “The SWST role allows me to co-learn with the teacher and students. By sitting with students and listening to them as they learn, it makes the students’ learning more visible. I am able to share this information with the teacher on a regular basis, and together we discuss effective strategies for student success. Together we all work to better support the students learning based directly on the students’ voice”.

“This year one of school improvement goals in mathematics is accountable talk. The SWST program helps us to develop our students as independent thinkers. It helps us to better inform our lessons and adapt to meet our students’ needs. The students also see the adults in the school working together, having fun learning and supporting each other. It makes for a great learning environment at St. David’s”, says grade 2/3 classroom teacher, Shelley Turner.

Elementary Food Drive Wraps Up, Just as the St. Charles College Drive Begins

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Students who attend St. Paul, St. John, St. David, St. Raphael, St. Andrew, Pius and St. Bernadette Catholic elementary schools have wrapped up their food drive collection efforts. Now the focus is on the students at St. Charles College.
Students from the seven schools spent last week going door-to-door to collect cans and other non-perishable food items to help the Sudbury Food Bank stock its shelves over the cold winter months.

Now the St. Charles College students begin their drive starting with their kick-off next Monday. Every year the high school teams up with Q92 and KISS 105.3 to Stuff a Bus full of food. The radio stations also broadcast live from the school parking lot during the week. The food is then transported to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse.

Student can collect a combination of canned foods and cash. Last year, they surpassed their goal by collecting more than 112 thousand cans.

The food drive began more than 25 years ago and its founder, former student Jim Szilva still takes part in the drive with his former high school.

Totals will be tabulated, with a wrap-up set for October 23rd.

They’re coming to a door near you!

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Students who attend St. Paul, St. John, St. David, St. Raphael, St. Andrew, Pius and St. Bernadette Catholic elementary schools are out in full force this week. Their mission is to collect cans for its food drive in collaboration with St. Charles College.

Students from the seven schools are going door-to-door to collect cans and other non-perishable food items to help the Sudbury Food Bank stock its shelves over the cold winter months.

Every year, the feeder schools team up with St. Charles College, Q92 and KISS 105.3 to Stuff a Bus full of food. The radio stations also broadcast live from the school parking lot during the week. The food is then transported to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse.

Student can collect a combination of canned foods and cash. Last year, they surpassed their goal by collecting more than 112 thousand cans.

The food drive began more than 25 years ago and its founder, former student Jim Szilva still takes part in the drive with his former high school.

Totals will be tabulated, with a wrap-up set for October 23rd.

St. David Catholic School Gladly Welcomes Full Day Kindergarten

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This September, St. David Catholic Elementary School implemented full-day junior and senior kindergarten. It is the fifth and final year of full-day kindergarten in schools across the province. “We are very excited to have the FDK program at St. David. It is a wonderful addition to our school community,” said Jennifer Gran, FDK teacher.

This new kindergarten program employs not only classroom teachers, but also early childhood educators. The teachers and the ECE’s work as a teaching team to support child development, behaviour and improved academic achievement. “Our goal is to give each child the best start possible in school. We work together with the community to build our student’s confidence and provide a solid foundation for their learning.” states Angela Ross, St. David School ECE.

The FDK program encourages children to learn through play and small group instruction. Learning through play and in small groups assists children in developing positive self regulation skills, age appropriate problem solving strategies and a general love of learning.

St. David Catholic School invites all FDK students and their families to meet their new teachers and early childhood educators at the school’s open house on September 30 at 4 pm.

St. David Celebrates Their Hubby Award with a Video

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St. David School is the proud recipient of the 2014 Edgar Burton Youth “Hubby” Award in
Education. This award is awarded to deserving individuals or organizations as a public
acknowledgment of their compassion, dedication, integrity and hard work for the people of
Greater Sudbury. The “Hubby” is a uniquely Sudbury Award. Award receivers are decided on criteria’s of giving, commitment, and belief in the people and City of Greater Sudbury.
The award is in memory of Hub Bray who was 60 when he died of cancer, leaving behind family and a city to mourn him. Hub Bray was a popular community leader and local lawyer who tended to avoid the limelight, but worked hard behind the scenes to improve
life in the city. He was president of the Sudbury Food Bank, which has organized the Annual Hubby Awards in his memory. The school created this video to celebrate their award and each other! Enjoy!

Smudging Ceremony For New School Site

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On Tuesday, June 10, the entire St. David Catholic Elementary School joined their community partners at the location for the new school’s site. Just off of Frood Road, between the Spectrum and CTV buildings, approximately 250 students and staff joined Sudbury Catholic board staff as well as other community organizations to smudge the new site with elder Vince Pawis. Dawn Wemigwans, principal of the school welcomed all the students, staff and guests, and after a prayer by student Czesh Malik, the group listened to student singers/drummers while Pawis smudged the site to bring good feelings to the space. Wemigwans explained to the group that, “today we are smudging the space for our new school. We are doing this to clear any negative energy and bring only good thoughts and prayers into the building of our new school.”
Michael Bellmore, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees also addressed the crowd during the ceremony. “It is very exciting for us to be part of such a unique building opportunity that embraces the natural space around it, and incorporates nature as a focus in its design,” Bellmore stated. “We are so pleased that the architects’ design for the school is so forward thinking – having both nature and culture taking centre stage, and allowing for a distinct and remarkable space for our students.”
The new school is scheduled to be open in September, 2015, and will be a Full Day Kindergarten to Grade 6 elementary school.

Art Club Blossoming at St. David School

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The teachers and staff at St. David Catholic Elementary School appreciate that good education is based in holistic instruction. Art develops the whole brain. Art strengthens focus and increases attention, develops hand – eye co-ordination, requires practice and strategic thinking and involves interacting with the material world through different tools and mediums. Art builds self esteem, increases motivation and can strengthen our relationship with the environment.

Mrs. Elissa Zuliani, the school’s primary prep teacher offers her time each week after school for those students interested in expanding their knowledge of visual arts. The St. David School Art Club is offered every Wednesday from 3 – 4 pm. Participating students work with various mediums (paint, oil pastels, marker, etc.) and learn about famous artists and their styles. All students bring their artwork home at the end of the program in a portfolio after it is showcased in the school. Healthy after school snacks and drinks are provided to all student participants each week. To date, the students have learned about Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinski, and various Inuit artists.
According to Mrs. Zuliani, “Art is good for the soul and anyone can paint. This is our motto. We welcome all grade 2 and 3 students at all levels of ability and celebrate each other’s talents”.

Spring Chicks are Back at St. David School

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The St. David Catholic Elementary School junior kindergarten classroom has been filled with anticipation and excitement over the last couple of weeks. Lindsay Michel, the school’s junior kindergarten teacher organized the hatching of chickens in her classroom.

Mrs. Michel’s aim was to provide a thrilling educational experience for her young inner city students. St. David School is located in the Donovan area of the city. Mrs. Michel wanted her students to experience the joy of life while learning to build empathy for other forms of life. The students watched patiently as their eggs hatched and new born chicks emerged from their shells.

The St. David junior kindergarten program meets the needs of young inquisitive learners by providing them with the opportunity to participate in hands on, child centred, inquiry based learning. It is through a relationship building focus that the school creates an environment that supports student engagement and real world learning experiences.

“Welcome to Kindergarten” at St. David School

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The Welcome to Kindergarten Program at St. David Catholic School was held on Wednesday May 21 in the school’s gymnasium. The program was designed for families and their children who will be entering kindergarten in September 2014. Families and children attended mini literacy and numeracy workshops with their new teachers. All families received early literacy resources as part of the “Welcome to Kindergarten Program” and learned strategies for using these resources at home with their children.

St. David School kindergarten teachers and the school principal were very excited to meet their new students. The teachers explained the school’s new full day kindergarten program. In September 2014, kindergarten students will participate in structured play-based learning. As students play, they learn about the world and how it works. They will learn social skills as well as academic skills. All children will have nutrition breaks and opportunities for small group and independent learning. The new kindergarten program capitalizes on student’s natural curiosity and their desire to make sense of their environment. Mrs. Michel, one of the school’s kindergarten teachers said, “through exploration, imagination and inquiry our hope is that our new students will be excited about their learning”.

The Aboriginal Best Start HUB, Better Beginnings, Better Futures After School Program and the Sudbury Health Unit all ran stations during the afternoon session. The Aboriginal Best Start HUB will be running a “School Readiness Program“ starting on June 9, 2014. All students interested in participating in this program are asked to call 705-688-1941and ask for Eileen or Tiffany. Space is limited in this program, so any interested participants are encouraged to call as soon as possible.

“St. David School is proud to host such a welcoming, diverse afternoon for families and new kindergarten students. We hope the hope the community enjoyed it as much as we did” stated school principal, Dawn Wemigwans.

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