Earlier this week, Mme Winn and her grade 2/3 French Immersion Class at St. Charles elementary school in Chelmsford transformed their classroom into a Bistro café for a day to raise funds for cancer!
The ambiance, the desserts, the attire, and the decorations made it an authentic experience for the other French Immersion classes who came in as customers.
In this activity, students could speak in French in real-life situations and use their money calculation skills to find out the totals of each order. This made for an enjoyable, hands-on learning activity that each student valued. What a great way to practice speaking French and improve their numeracy skills!
At the end of the day, all proceeds from the café were donated to the Northern Ontario Families of Children with cancer, which in total fundraised 471,50 dollars.
By providing unique learning activities, students can have fun and enhance their knowledge of important subjects, allowing them to reach their full potential in a positive, nurturing environment. Please browse our photo gallery below to see this activity in action!
The students and staff at St. Benedict will walk for water in their upcoming Water Walk on Thursday, May 5th. This event will run all day and will commence at the school and continue onto the water pump station near Countryside Sports Complex.
As part of the day, students from every grade will take time to Walk for Water and elementary students from Holy Cross will be joining in on the walk in the afternoon.
In addition to the water walk, there will also be a WaterLution “Water Speaks” art exhibit in the school building all day to enhance student learning further. This event was organized on behalf of the Diversity Club of St. Benedict Catholic School with the help, guidance, and support from Indigenous Support Lead, Shannon Agowissa.
“We are looking forward to bringing our student and staff together and shining a light on the continued need for clean water in our communities. We are truly proud of the efforts of our Diversity Club and Shannon Agowissa, as they work together to deepen their understanding of issues by planning events such as this Water Walk and put their learning in action.” – St. Benedict Principal, Laura Kuzenko
On May 5th, it is also an awareness day for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People. In the MMIWG2S Final Report we note the Call for Justice:
“Calls for Educators:
11.1 We call upon all elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions and education authorities to educate and provide awareness to the public about missing and murdered. Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people, and about the issues and rootcauses of violence they experience. All curriculum development and programmingshould be done in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, especially Indigenous women,girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. Such education and awareness must include historicaland current truths about the genocide against Indigenous Peoples through state laws,policies, and colonial practices. It should include, but not be limited to, teaching Indigenous history, law, and practices from Indigenous perspectives and the use of TheirVoices Will Guide Us with children and youth.”
In honour of those Loved Ones Stolen, St. Benedict plans to play their part by joining Indigenous Women and their traditional roles of protecting the Water. On page 29 of Their Voices Will Guide Us, St. Benedict began foundational teaching of Indigenous Women’s roles, and specifically in protecting and speaking for the water and this event will allow them to continue this learning with action.
The Water Walk will shine a light on the continued need for clean water in our communities and to celebrate the unpolluted, fresh water left in our community while supporting the Indigenous Peoples of the area in the ceremony.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board was invited, along with other partners in education across the province, to take a stand on Thursday, March 10, 2022, as “#StandWithUkraine Blue and Yellow Day”. On this day, students and staff were encouraged to wear blue and yellow clothing and, where possible, donate a toonie to the “Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.”
We were grateful we could join together as a Board and take a united stance with our colleagues and students across the province by sharing our thoughts and prayers to all those affected by this ongoing tragedy. We began our day by coming together in a system-wide prayer for peace. Together, we prayed for those impacted by this invasion and for a quick resolution to the conflicts, destruction, and deaths being experienced by the people of Ukraine. We prayed for peace, and we prayed for God’s love to shine through and touch the hearts of everyone on this earth. We invite you to continue to pray with us by using our system-wide prayer.
In addition to participating in the province-wide blue and yellow day, Sudbury Catholic students, staff, and families have actively created ways to support and stand with Ukraine. Schools have hopped right in to provide support by developing fundraisers, participating in various awareness activities, inciting prayer, etc. We are proud to take this time to highlight a sample of some of the different types of actions completed by members of our community.
Secondary Highlights
St. Benedict
Students in the learning support program at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, created Ukrainian themed keychains. After completing their keychains, these gifts were hand-delivered to members of their community.
In addition to creating Ukrainian themed keychains, St. Benedict chose to #StandWithUkraine by hosting a blue and yellow dress-down day on March 9, 2022. On this day, they managed to raise $2600 to support Ukrainian Humanitarian Efforts. We want to provide a special shout-out to the student council who originally came up with the idea of this day and members of faculty, including Joanne Burke, James MacNeil and Megan McMillan, who helped organize this effort. Fantastic job, Bears!
MMA faculty wear blue and yellow in support of Ukraine!
MMA regals wore blue and yellow in solidarity with other Catholic schools across the province, and thanks to the donations, the school raised $500 as a school community. Classes also created blue and yellow cranes to show their support.
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Bishop Alexander Carter
In addition to having a dress-down day for students and staff at Bishop Alexander Carter, their school community raised donations by offering pizza concessions to help further their actions and raise even more proceeds to stand with Ukraine. All proceeds from these fundraising efforts will be donated to #HELPUKRAINENOW.
St. Charles College
Cardinals swapped their red uniform to participate in Thursday’s blue and yellow day. In addition to showing support through their clothing, students in Ms. Dzuirban’s class created a beautiful poster supporting the people of Ukraine!
Elementary Highlights
St. Paul
St. Paul Students take time to snap a shot during #StandWithUkraine Blue and Yellow Day!
St. Charles
St. Charles School in Chelmsford paused took a second to pause and show off their blue and yellow attire that demonstrates how they are standing in solidarity with those in Ukraine. Rams of all shapes and sizes were happy to support and make donations to support Ukraine in their school’s worthy cause.
St. Francis
Students and staff at St. Francis School had a Canada Day-themed spirit day. They thought it was imperative to highlight that they stand with Ukraine as Canadians and as St. Francis Flames. Together as a school community, they jointly raised $408 for the families of Ukraine.
St. John
In addition to wearing blue and yellow in solidarity with other Catholic schools across the province, St. John School ran a “Popcorn for Peace” campaign from March 7 – March 10. With a goal in mind to raise $1000, their school community quickly jumped up, or should we say “popped up,” to meet the challenge. Offering popcorn sacks for a minimum donation of $2.00 per bag, their school community amazingly raised $1250 in just four days. The only thing that makes this news better is seeing so many smiling faces. Knowing this money is being donated to St. Mary’s Catholic Ukraine Church to help Ukrainian people makes us smile as well. Go, Jaguars, go!!
Students in St. John’s English FDK class created blue and yellow flags in honour of the people in Ukraine. They learned that different flags represent different places in the world and that right now, the Ukrainian flag is a symbol of people who need our prayers.
Holy Trinity
Students at Holy Trinity showed their support for friends in Ukraine during Winter Fun Day on March 10. Ms. Skelly’s class made a fantastic sign in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. A donation jar was also created in blue and yellow, resulting in a $331 donation generously brought forward by various students, staff and parents at Holy Trinty. Good job Redbirds!
Holy Cross
Holy Cross has been very busy. Grade 6 students Abigail and Sara approached the school with what they could do to help. Putting their heads together, they decided that they would be able to help Ukraine by constructing and selling blue and yellow hand-made bracelets and pins for their school community. This amazing act not only provided a fun and visible way for the girls to raise money for donations, but it was also a beautiful concept that utilized their existing talents to help Holy Cross School stand in support with the people of Ukraine.
“I really wanted to help the people of Ukraine, and making pins and bracelets is one of the ways I knew I could help”. – Abigail Debruyn, Grade 6 student at Holy Cross
After countless hours of hard work, Abby and Sara’s beautiful bracelets and pins were up for grabs, and their fellow students were quick to swipe them. Both staff and students eagerly lined up in the front-hall entrance to make their donations. The girls also passed around the school at lunchtime to ensure everyone had an opportunity to donate and recieve a pin or bracelet. Thanks to the efforts of these extraordinary young leaders, Abby and Sarah were able to raise $2252.05 that will be donated to St. Mary’s parish, who will, in turn, donate the money to humanitarian efforts.
“I want to help in any way I can because it is the right thing to do”. – Sara Wolski, Grade 6 student at Holy Cross
In addition to Sara and Abby, students at the school continued to support the Ukraine campaign by baking and decorating cookies. The Ukrainian themed cookies were sold door to door and helped raise an additional $450. Holy Cross would like to thank everyone who took the time to generously donate their time, talents, and monetary funds to support Ukraine. Thanks to the efforts of many caring individuals, their community was able to stand with Ukraine during and promote peace. Students and staff plan to continue to stand with Ukraine by wearing their bracelets and pins as support.
We all have a responsibility for peace!
At Sudbury Catholic District School Board, we follow and promote the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations. The Ontario Catholic School Graduate is a responsible citizen who gives witness to Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life. This involves acting morally and legally as a person formed in Catholic traditions, witnessing Catholic social teaching by promoting equality, democracy, and solidarity for a just, peaceful and compassionate society, and respecting and affirming the diversity and interdependence of the world’s peoples and cultures.
There have been countless examples of how different communities exhibit this expectation and stand with the people of Ukraine during this time of need. It is our sincere hope that by highlighting some examples of how our schools have supported Ukraine, we can continue to work together as responsible citizens on this earth and inspire others to stand in solidarity to end the violence and suffering for the people of Ukraine.
Upon its completion, St. Charles College students proudly showed off their Stand With Ukraine poster.
Staff and students at St. Paul Catholic Elementary School were delighted and blessed to have the Most Rev. Thomas Dowd, Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, spend the day at their school.
During his tour, Bishop Dowd took the time to visit classrooms where students ranging from Kindergarten to Grade 6 excitedly had the opportunity to speak with him and ask many questions. Not only did Bishop Dowd answer their questions, but by sharing his knowledge and faith, the experience also served as a wonderful learning opportunity that strengthened their Catholic identity in the process.
These discussions included conversations on various topics students are currently studying in their religion classes. For example, discussions focused on Sacred Scripture, the Sacraments, Catholic prayers, the ministry of the Holy Father, and also the Diocese’s activities.
Students were especially interested in Bishop Dowd’s role as Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Saint Marie, asking many questions regarding his vestments. They learned that his crozier, also called pastoral staff, is his staff with a curved top that symbolizes the Good Shepherd. They also learned about his episcopal ring and how it represented the Bishop’s faithfulness to God and the Church.
The teachers and students at St. Paul School were super excited when Bishop Thomas Dowd visited them! One student proclaimed, “Wow! I can’t believe we just met the Bishop!”.
One teacher said: “It was very nice to have Bishop Dowd take time out of his busy schedule to come and spend time with our staff and students. They were so invested in his presentation and learned so much!”
With the constraints of the pandemic, schools have had limited visitors, making this visit even more special. “We were grateful and blessed to have had Bishop Dowd visit us and share his support, and we hope we can continue to create more opportunities like this in the future to help strengthen our faith and Catholic learning within the classroom.” Say’s Cara Soehner, Principal of St. Paul
That’s why Sudbury Catholic Schools is pleased to invite you to register for our upcoming wellness webinar in January. At this webinar, two outstanding guest presenters will tackle this topic and provide coping strategies for dealing with stress.
Alina Rukkila MSW, RSW and Jessie Jones CYW will lead us through an engaging session on dealing with the different types of stress and provide helpful strategies and tips we can incorporate to help us manage it when it happens.
We all know that not all types of stress are bad. Good types of stress can help you focus, ensure you meet your daily challenges, and encourage you to reach specific goals you have for yourself. However, it’s essential to understand the difference between good and harmful types of stress. Over time, a continued strain on the body put on from stress can get the best of you. It’s paramount to identify the causes of daily stress and manage the intensity of these feelings. By knowing healthy coping strategies, we can enjoy life and learn happily.
Ms. Reale’s Grade 1 & 2 students at Holy Cross School had fun learning about the solar system! Students listened to the story, “There’s No Place Like Space” during story time. Following, as a class, the students imagined living in space and created rules that they would need to follow to keep safe.
Here are some of their rules for living in space:
Stay together as a group.
Always be kind.
Always put your space gear away when not being used.
Don’t talk to aliens!
Always wear your space safety belt.
Be helpful.
Students then picked the rule they felt was the most important and designed their very own postcard that will be sent into space. These postcards will be returned and upon return, each postcard will get stamped with an official “Flown to Space” stamp.
Club for the Future will send the postcards into low Earth orbit on the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket. Watch the New Shepard Rocket launch and land with thousands of postcards.
Thanks to a partnership between Let’s Talk Science and Club for the Future, Canadian students are invited to design a postcard that will be sent into orbit. Now is the chance for students to own something that has been to space and back. There is no deadline for this project, the earlier you submit your postcards, the earlier they will return.There are many ways you can use this activity with your students. It can be a fun craft or mindfulness activity that also sparks reflection and creativity. If you would like to have a grade appropriate lesson presented to your class can contact christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca
Students in Ms. Holly Swain’s Grade 4 class at St. Charles Elementary School created their own cryptography wheel and became cryptographers solving mystery messages all afternoon!
Nicholas Butt, Outreach Coordinator for Let’s Talk Science and special guest Morgan, first year Master’s Student in Neuroscience at University of British Columbia led the students in this week’s STEM activity. Students gained an understanding about the history of cryptography and how ancient Greeks were known to have ciphers over 2000 years ago. Students also learned that computer science uses cryptography to secure information and communication techniques using algorithms to transform messages in ways that are hard to decipher.
There is still time toRegister Your Class for fun and interactive STEM activities intended for Grade 4-6 students! Each week, Let’s Talk Science, features a different hands-on activity using minimal, easy-to-find materials. Students will also have the chance to learn from and ask questions to inspiring STEM role models.
An English activity is offered two times per week (Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m. ET & Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. ET), and a French activity is offered once a week (Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. ET).
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board would like to thank all our community partners, staff, and keynote speakers who helped make our Nov. 19th PA Day a tremendous success.
The abundance of knowledge accumulated throughout the day has been enormous. Today’s resources show a strong future for efforts to grow our schools and help students and staff in our community by enhancing the educational experiences that strengthen the ways we can help all our learners understand and grow into responsible leaders.
We sincerely appreciate all the hard work of our community partners, who took time out of their busy schedules to talk with our board and be extraordinary virtual visitors by introducing new concepts and programs to teachers and staff.
Pictured is Sam Demma – one of the inspiring guests who helped make this PA Day amazing.
Special thanks to…
Pearson
Let’s Talk Science
Compass
Monsieur Steve
Sam Demma
Children’s Treatment Centre
Canadian Mental Health Association
Empower Reading Program – SickKids
Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF)
Ontario Ministry of Education
Cooperation Council of Ontario
Unlearn – Unlearning Streaming
Edge Factor
Mersive Solstice Software
Skills Ontario
Mind UP
Investors Group
Jane Goodall Foundation
Pear Deck
Thank you for supporting our school community and bestowing your tools and experience to support Sudbury Catholic Schools.
In addition, many of our incredible staff attended these comprehensive presentations throughout this Friday and even provided wisdom by preparing engaging presentations that tackled many topics that opened the door for continued growth and learning at SCDSB. We thank all our fantastic staff for their diligent preparation and planning that provided a triumphant PA Day for everyone at Sudbury Catholic District School Board.
Sudbury, ON – On November 9th, 2021, St. Charles Catholic Elementary School students in Mme Lamond and Mme Jorstad’s class participated in a Zoom lesson highlighting Remembrance Day which allowed them to send letters to Canadian soldiers.
With help from special guest Captain Amirault of the Royal Canadian Air Force Station in Nova Scotia, the class was also led in an exercise that helped our kindergarten students learn about the Royal Canadian Air Force and become more educated about the meaning of Remembrance Day.
Pictured: Captain Amirault of the Royal Canadian Air Force
During the visit, the class was able to ask questions about helicopters and Captain Amirault showed his uniform.
Upon completing this exercise, students then wrote their letters that will be distributed to Canadian soldiers. Students were happy to showcase their letters in a picture taken with Captain Amirault.
“We love creating engaging opportunities that foster strength in student understanding of Remembrance Day. We’re grateful to Captain Amirault for providing these students with a fantastic experience that will help empower their learning on themes like compassion and respect that are important to address every day.” – Angela Polischuk, Principal.
“Recognizing Remembrance Day in schools and remembering those who fought and continue to fight for our freedom is extremely important at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. Learning stems from the experiences we provide to help our children understand the world. We are very pleased to nurture partnerships with the community and beyond to enhance our student experience.” – Joanne Bénard, Director of Education.
