St. Bernadette students Sydney Cimino, Grade 5 and Shaeleigh Wisniewski, Grade 6 show off their colourful and intricate replica headdresses that they created at school with the aid of Winnie Pitawanakwat a Community Elder and Native Teachings Facilitator, and her husband, Bill. Through the Elders in the Schools Project, Winnie shared the teachings and traditions around the headdress with the students before they began the process of creating their own.
Category: Community
Cardinal Takes on Lead Role in Popular Production
Dante Falcioni, a grade 9 student at St. Charles College will be taking centre stage next week. Dante is the lead role in Cambrian Theatre’s Kid’s Curtain production of Footloose which gets underway December 8th.
Dante will play main character Ren. The high school student must move from Chicago to a small farming town and re-adjust to life at a new school. Dante says he can relate in some ways to the character as he is just entering his first year of high school and had to transition to a new school himself.
Dante has been involved in Cambrian Theatre productions for a number of years. His good friend and school mate Jenna Daypuk will also be joining him on stage as Rusty. Jenna says the two get involved in local theatre because “they learn a lot and have fun while doing it.”
The Footloose production goes until December 17th.
Bishop Teacher Supports Movember
Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School teacher Dave Fabiilli got into the Movember spirit and grew a mustache to support the cause. At the end of the month, he had raised a total of $1320.88. Congrats Dave!
St. Mark Students Earn Top Prizes in Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Day Contest
Students at St. Mark Catholic Elementary School participated in this year’s Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Day Literary and Poster Contest. This contest heightens student awareness of the sacrifices made by our veterans in various conflicts including our present day involvement in Afghanistan.
Two St. Mary students – Mathieu Sisk and Tyler Kotanko both won prizes in this year’s contest. Tyler placed first in the Junior Essay as well as second in the colour poster and second in the black and white poster contests. Mathieu placed first in the primary colour poster and third in the black and white poster contests. Both Tyler’s essay and Mathieu’s poster will advance to the Zone competition for further judging.
Samaritan Purse Collection at St. Francis
During the last few weeks, the students at St. Francis School have been collecting items for the Samaritan Purse Organization. Items collected are going to be boxed and wrapped and delivered to children in need throughout the world, during the Christmas season. The students are happy to make the lives of those less fortunate a little brigher during the season of giving. It does not stop there as they are continuing to help others during the season of Advent by collecting non perishable food items for the Inner City Home.
St. David School Creatively Encourages Parent Engagement
St. David Catholic School teachers, Terri Lynn Lepage and Eleanor Anderson, volunteer their after school time coordinating the “Roaring Runners Club” two days a week. “The school running club promotes the development healthy habits. and are trying to be innovative, engaging, and most importantly provide our students the opportunity for daily exercise. The club builds lifelong skills including self-confidence, self-discipline, self-respect, integrity and humility. As a member of a team working together for a common goal, the club also helps students improve in the areas of sportsmanship, teamwork, and respect for others”, states Lepage.
As the “Roaring Runners Club” approaches their first official event, the Salvation Army’s Santa Shuffle and Elf Walk this Saturday at 10 am, they decided to invite their parents, grandparents, and older brothers and sisters to attend their last practice before the race. Not only did student families participate in the practice, the teacher’s families also came out and participated in the event. “I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to have fun and laugh with my grandchild, learn about healthy choices and meet other families that attend the same school” states Theresa Spencer, school grandparent that attended the practice with her granddaughter. “These opportunities are what makes our school a great place to be. They are filled with laughter and learning for everyone”, said Eleanor Anderson grade 1/2 teacher at St. David School.
Bishop ACCSS Takes Part in International Stand up to Bullying Day
Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School has a Beyond The Hurt Team of students who address bullying issues within the school through presentations, announcements, and various other activities, such as International Stand Up To Bullying Day. On November 18, 2011, Bishop students either wore wore pink Stood Up t-shirts, or one of their own pink shirts in support of anti-bullying programs. The team presented to our grade 9 students and sold chocolate chip cookies to raise money for anti-bullying programs.
Sudbury Catholic Staff “Schooled” on Generation Y
For the November 21, Professional Activity day, all teachers, educational assistants, early childhood educators, principals and vice principals from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board gathered in the new auditorium at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School to listen to Dr. Karyn Gordon speak on Generation Y. Dr. Gordon, the resident expert on relationships for Cityline and Chatelaine magazine, and who is one of North America’s leading experts on families, spoke to the group about Generation Y – which is defined as anyone between the ages of 8 – 30. This generation, Gordon explained is very different from the generations before including Generation X, the Baby Boomers etc. This new generation, which is the richest in history – is also the most stressed, said Gordon. As well, they are the most technologically savvy, but also the saddest generation. “As teachers, it is key for the connection to be made with these students, by reaching out to them on their level and connecting to their culture,” Gordon stated. “Most importantly, it is up to you the teachers to model the behaviour of which you expect from your students, as it is your responsibility to be the best example of what you hope they will be.” This hands-on presentation had the Sudbury Catholic staff learning interesting facts about Generation Y, and the similarities and differences with the other generations. As well, Gordon offered several motivating strategies to support student learning and student engagement in the classroom. “We are so fortunate to have been able to offer this rich learning opportunity to our Sudbury Catholic teaching community,” Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the Board stated. “ Dr. Gordon’s presentation was inspirational, and so relevant in today’s school environments. We know that our teachers have walked away today with a greater, and richer understanding of our students, which in turn will allow for even more positive connections and stronger student engagement.”
Dr. Gordon also spoke about Generation Y to a crowd of over 200 parents and community partners on the evening of November 21 in the St. Benedict Auditorium.
St. John Students Stand Up Against Bullying and Wear Pink!
As a part of Bullying Awareness Week, and International STAND UP to Bullying Day, students at St. John wore pink! Pink day was a wrap up to a week of awareness activities, lessons and announcements all geared to help students advocate againstt bullying.