Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Category: Enrichment

Students Create their own Cryptography Wheel!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

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 to Register 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 third cohort starts on January 27th 2022. For more information visit: Join the Let’s Talk Science STEM club or contact christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca if you would like more details about participating in this activity.

Thank You For An Amazing PA Day!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

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.

St. Charles Kindergarteners Send Letters To Canadian Soldiers and Learn About the Royal Canadian Air Force

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

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.

Picture Gallery

Students Create Their Own Space Probe Lander!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Stem Class #3 

Students create their Own Space Probe Lander!

Nicholas Butt, Outreach Coordinator for Let’s Talk Science, lead a group of grades 4-6 students at St. Anne, St. Charles, St. John, Holy Trinity, and Immaculate Conception in both a minds on and hands-on activity about Space Probes. Students learned about the three types of Space Probes: orbiter, interplanetary and the lander. Then, from recycled materials students created their very own Space Probe Lander.

Mrs. Bradley, Grade 5 & 6 Teacher at Immaculate Conception School stated “Students enjoyed exploring ways to stabilize their space probes to be sure they didn’t fall over when hitting the ground.  The engagement and sharing of ideas with each other was amazing!”

To watch the recording of this lesson in either French and English Click Here. 

STEM Club is ideal for busy educators, whether teaching face to face or remotely! There is still time to Register 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 inspire 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 second cohort starts November 2nd, and the third on January 27th, 2022.

For more information, visit: Join the Let’s Talk Science STEM club or contact christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca if you would like more details about participating in this activity.

St. James Students Participate in Live Inspirational Talk with Dr. Jane Goodall

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Students in Mr. MacNeill’s grade 7 & 8 class signed up for the annual Take Me Outside for Learning Challenge. The challenge is a commitment to ongoing outdoor learning throughout the school year.  Mr. MacNeill, his students and 700 000 other students across Canada made the commitment to learning outside at least one day per week.

This year marked the 11th annual Take Me Outside to Learn Day and in partnership with Canada’s Non-profit Outdoor Learning Store and MEC, they hosted a full week of speakers, activities and events that not only engaged students but deepened their connections with Indigenous perspectives, strengthened their health and well-being with outdoor learning, and increased their knowledge on climate change and the environment. 

On Thursday October 21st, Mr. MacNeill’s class along with seven hundred classes across the country were excited to participate in a live inspirational talk and Q&A with Dr. Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada. Dr. Goodall spoke about growing up without television and social media and how she spent most of her time outdoors. She stressed the importance of living in harmony with nature as it improves our mental well-being.

The Jane Goodall Institute explained the opportunity for students to participate in their Roots & Shoots funding program. Roots & Shoots focuses on Jane Goodall’s inspirational message of hope, reminding participants that every individual is important and every individual can make a difference. Through a unique 4-step program, educators lead youth from inspiration; to mapping their community for sustainability issues for people, animals and the environment; to taking action to solve those issues; and then celebrating the impact they have made. Through this journey, youth are engaged to take action on sustainability issues and become compassionate leaders.

We can’t wait to hear about the action project ideas that Mr. MacNeill’s class will discuss next week!


For more information about this initiative please visit Roots and Shoots or for additional support in filling out an application contact: christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca

Students in Mr. MacNeill’s grade 7 & 8 class listen to Jane Goodall speak as part of the 2021 Take Me Outside for Learning Challenge!

Students Learn about the DNA of Fingerprints!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Weekly STEM Club Grades 4-6

Session #2

Mrs. Bradley’s grade 5 & 6 class at Immaculate Conception School participated in this week’s STEM club activity. Students were excited to learn the science of fingerprints by Let’s Talk Science’s Outreach Coordinator Nick and special guest Hannah (a master’s student in biochemistry).

The students took part in a hands-on activity where they learned how to collect fingerprints. They also gained an understanding of the patterns in fingerprints and why fingerprinting is so valuable!

For specific details about this hands-on activity, refer to: How Can I Take Fingerprints? To watch the recording of this lesson in either French and English Click Here. 

STEM Club is ideal for busy educators, whether teaching face to face or remotely! There is still time to Register 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 inspire 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 second cohort starts November 2nd, and the third on January 27th, 2022.

For more information, visit: Join the Let’s Talk Science STEM club or contact christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca if you would like more details about participating in this activity.

Pictured are students from Immaculate Conception School having fun in this hands-on activity!

SCDSB Celebrates International Day of the Girl with a Series of Online Events by Skills Ontario

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

The International Day of the Girl was established by the United Nations in 2012 and is recognized as a day to acknowledge girls and their rights, education, and opportunities.

Skills Ontario offered a series of online events and challenges to celebrate this special occasion from October 4th-11th.

Students at Marymount Academy seized the opportunity to learn about women in the trades and participated in the following challenges put on by Skills Ontario:

  • Industrial Sector Welding (i.e. Popsicle Stick Playgrounds)
  • Service Sector (i.e. Paper Dresses)
  • Construction Sector (i.e. Marshmallow Towers)

The week ended with a virtual conference, For Girls, By Girls! dedicated to empowering girls through relatable and engaging content. For Girls, By Girls provided viewers with the opportunity to hear from girls in elementary and senior elementary to discuss their perspectives of how they perceive the skilled trades and technologies. Keynote speaker Kyara Cabrera Fong, Auto Body Technician Apprentice and Panel Leader Courtney Chard, Pipe Welder led the conference. 

Pictured are the creations from Mrs. Rinaldi’s grade 7 class.

COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream – Education Related Projects

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board would like to acknowledge that schools in SCDSB have received COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream – Education Related Projects (CVRIS-EDU) as part of Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).

The CVRIS-EDU funding is a federal and provincial program designed to help school boards promote occupant health and safety, improve facility conditions (e.g. optimize air quality), enhance physical distancing and facilitate distance learning.

In total, the CVRIS-EDU projects will support up to $656M in projects in school boards across Ontario. We are grateful for the support of both our federal and provincial partners in supporting our ongoing efforts to ensure safe and supportive learning environments for our students, staff and community.

Eligible expenditures under the program are those that will be incurred by school boards between February 2021 and December 31, 2021, and have been approved by the federal government.  

The funds we received are being used to facilitate Ventilation Upgrades at the following schools: 

  • St. Francis
  • St. John
  • St. Anne
  • St. Albert
  • St. Charles (elementary)
  • Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S

To learn more about the Fund, please visit

Learn more about this initiative

This project is funded in part by the Government of Ontario
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada

SCDSB Students Soar at Canada Wide Science Fair

Posted on by admin

SCDSB regional science fair winners spent 8 days in Windsor competing at the Canada Wide Science Fair, accompanied by teachers Loretta Cuda and Melissa Talevi recently. They competed againstt 463 students from across Canada.
Marymount students Hailey Mackenzie and Dayna Rachkowski won the Resource Award for developing a better way to use natural resources that provide sustainable sources of food, products or prosperity for their project titled “Aquaponics”
Marymount students Alex Millar and Marika Moskalyk won an Excellence Award – Silver Medal for their project titled “Green Gold: Phytoremediation of the Long Lake Gold Mine”.
St. James student Marina Leblanc won an Excellence Award – Bronze Medal for her project titled “Cold Feet”.

Picture: l-r
Marika Moskalyk, Alex Millar, Marina Leblanc, (teacher)Loretta Cuda, (teacher) Melissa Talevi, Dayna Rachkowski, Hailey Mackenzie

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