During Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week students at St Bernadette school “got to know their apples” by touching them, throwing them and rolling them around. They were then asked to describe their apples. Students described their apples as bruised, dented, marked up, big and small. After a few minutes, the apples were collected, peeled and dropped into a basket. Children were then asked to find their apple within the pile. Remarkably, most children couldn’t find their apples. “They all looked the same!” students exclaimed. This activity allowed students to discover that, just like the apples, on the outside people, too, come in different sizes and shapes. But, underneath the outer layer, just like the apples, people are all the same. We have the same hopes and fears and dreams.
Category: Community
Students Remember War Veterans
Students from St. Francis Catholic Elementary School in grades 3 and 4 eagerly wrote postcards to war veterans for Remembrance Day. The postcards were provided by Veteran Affairs Canada. The class put their friendly letter writing skills to use in order to compose a thoughtful message. Students in teacher Graziella Visentin’s class annually write postcards to thank veterans for being brave and courageous in order to protect us. The grade 3 and 4 students acknowledged the veterans’ efforts and their gratitude for the freedom we so much enjoy today. This year the postcards were sent to war veterans residing in Ottawa, Ontario.
Christmas Food Drive at Marymount Academy
Every year Marymount Academy holds a Christmas food drive to help stock the shelves of the Sudbury Food Bank for the holiday season. Last year the school paired up with “kids helping kids” which was started by Edgar Burton and is the biggest food drive in the city. We raised and incredible amount of cans, over 13 thousand cans. They were told in September that they raised the most cans out of all the schools participating with “kids helping kids”. MMA was then rewarded with “the handing over of the official Vancouver Olympic torch” from last years winner, Lively District School. A group of students went to the mall on Nov 15th, and several tv and newspaper reporters were there including Mel from the radio who talked about how Edgar Burton ran with the torch in Sudbury during the Olympics. He then bought the torch for $500.00 and decided to donate it to the schools who raised the most cans. Marymount Academy now gets to keep the torch for one year
As well, on Monday Nov, 19th, our Marymount Catholic Charities council was asked to visit with the Mayor, her staff, Frank Elsner (the chair of the Sudbury Food Bank), several food bank volunteers, as well as Edgar Burton’s daughter and of course the media for the official signing of the Proclamation. Several MC3 members sat with the Mayor as she explained the process of the signing of an official Proclamation. The girls were thrilled to sit with the Mayor and to be congratulated for their efforts to help the less fortunate in our community. They told her how they just learned about the steps of a Proclamation in their Civics class at school. (they got to see it in action).
The girls were very impressed at being part of history, they were very proud of their efforts and vowed to continue helping our community.
St. Anne/Q92/TD Bank Toy Caravan a Huge Success!
On November 23, 2012, members of the St. Anne Catholic Elementary School community in Hanmer demonstrated their generosity when Terri and Mel broadcast their morning show live on location for the Q92/TD Toy Caravan. The school was bustling with Christmas spirit as students, staff, and parents brought in numerous toys and monetary donations.
This is the second year that St. Anne Catholic School brings the Q92/TD Toy Caravan to the folks in the Valley and Capreol. “It is fun! We are not only helping ourselves become better people, but we are also helping others who are less fortunate have a merry Christmas,” said Brayden Kraemer, a student at the school. Student also enjoyed listening to their very own teachers, Jen Bruneau and Dante Merigioli, participate in “Battle of the Sexes.” Mr. Merigioli secured the win for the boys. Students were excited about this victory, which meant no homework for two days.
Everyone gathered in the library to enjoy baked goods and orange juice generously donated by Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, as well as coffee and treats from Tim Hortons.
“This month, we are celebrating the Catholic virtue of Justice, and when we look at this through the lens of social justice, this Toy Drive is a prime example of what our students are able to do to help others in need,” said Guy Mathieu, principal.
St. Paul Presents…A Night of Television Premieres: Family Math and Literacy Night
On the evening of Wednesday, November 14, 2012 St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Elementary School welcomed approximately 60 guests which included students in Grades 3 to 6 and their families for a night of learning and family fun! Families had the opportunity to participate in four different stations; Are You Smarter than a Smartboard?, Star Tech: The Next Generation, How I Met Your Math Teacher and The Amazing Game. Each station had either a math or literacy focus and demonstrated the importance of technology and how it is integrated in all areas of the curriculum. A great time was had by all!
An Evening with Dr. Karyn Gordon – Free Event
Date: Monday, November 26, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: St. Benedict Auditorium
On November 26 2012, Sudbury Catholic Schools invites all parents to St Benedict’s Catholic Secondary School at 7pm to hear Dr Karyn’s message to:
• understand the faces of youth self-esteem and how it impacts their decision making.
• engage in powerful communication strategies to ‘bridge the gap’ and encourage your child to open up.
• inspire your child to accept responsibility, building their confidence and reducing your anxiety.
The event is free to the public and all are welcome!
“Operation Christmas Child” in Full Swing at St. Andrew
Staff and students from St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School have taken on the Operation Christmas Child Project as a Social Justice project during the month of November. On the website of Operation Christmas Child it says:”Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desparate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the message of God’s unconditional love. Every gift-filled shoe box is given unconditionally regardless of religion, gender or race.” We are very proud of the generosity of the staff, the students and many of their families for all of their support for this project.
“I know I am a small person, but why do you need to make me feel smaller?
A special pre-screening of a bullying documentary took place today at St. Charles College on November 21, 2012 for one thousand students.
The movie Bully was featured at Cinefest in September. It is not being released in American theatres until May 30th, 2013.
Teachers involved in student council and the school leadership class contacted the film company about showcasing the film to the student body before its release to the public and they agreed.
The director of the film, Lee Hirsch was bullied as a child and follows the stories of two families dealing with the deaths of their children who were victims of bullying and took their own lives.
Students at St. Charles College also heard a first hand account from a senior student who was a victim of ethnic bullying in the past.
Justin Trac bravely shared his story of bullying and urged others to stand-up for what is right and just to make other people’s high school experiences that much better.
He said the powerful question that he used when he finally stood up this bully: “I know I am a small person, but why do you need to make me feel smaller?”
Each student in the audience also received a wristband with the slogan “delete” the drama.
Provincial Take a Kid to Work Day
Grade nine students in the province of Ontario participated in Take a Kid to Work day on November 7, 2012. At St. Charles College, over one hundred students were on site at job locations around the city. A number of students took on positions in healthcare, education as well as the retail and industrial sectors.
It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for grade nine students to learn about a career opportunity that interests them and illustrates the importance of education, skills development and training.
The day is organized by “The Learning Partnership”, a non-for-profit organization.