Pius XII Catholic School, Grade 5 class celebrate National Tree Day on September 26th. The students in the Gr.5 class lead the school in ‘Dearness Conservation’ initiatives that support, promote and foster stewardship fo the earth and the wise use of resources; such as recycling, reusing and reducing. Classroom teacher, Amanda Schiafone says that “National Tree Day is a day when everybody can appreciate the great benefits that trees provide us – clean air, wildlife habitat, reducing energy demand and connecting with all of nature around us.”
Category: Topic
Costco Donates Backpacks to Students at St. James School
St. James students Paige, Torance and Ava celebrated their first day of school with new backpacks. These backpacks were graciously donated by Costco Wholesale, Sudbury.
St. David Catholic School Celebrates National Tree Day by Visiting Proposed New School Site
September 26, 2012 marks the third National Tree Day in Canada. National Tree Day is a celebration for all Canadians to appreciate the great benefits that trees provide us – clean air, reducing energy demand, wildlife habitat and connecting with nature. National Tree Day is the celebration of trees and forests in all neighbourhoods across Canada. As part of National Tree Day, the grade 3 and 4/5 classes from St. David Catholic School, in the Donovan, took their classrooms outdoors to visit the proposed site of their new school to observe trees in the area. Students were able to identify and describe the various trees that they saw incorporating language and science into their outdoor activities. The outdoor lessons focused on how the natural environment functions and how as human beings we can live in balance with nature as long as we remain committed to responsible behaviours and actions that protect our local ecosystems.
Hair Cut for Cancer Event at Immaculate Conception
On Monday, September 24th, 2012 Louisa Bianchin, principal of Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary School kicked off the Student of the Month assembly with something special. Grade four student, Dennica Hallett, had her hair cut in front of the whole school in order to donate it to make wigs for people who have lost their hair as a result of cancer treatments. Brenda Morrow, Dennica’s aunt was the hair stylist on hand who prepared and cut her hair for donation.
“It takes approximately 12 donations of unprocessed hair and costs about $1,200.00 to craft a single hand-sewn wig for a child” (http://www.cancer.ca-Cuts for Cancer Fundraiser).
Bianchin expressed her gratitude to Dennica in front of the school community. “We are so proud of Dennica’s kindness and compassion for others; the staff and students at Immaculate Conception School would like to support Dennica and have raised additional revenue for the Canadian Cancer Society. As of today, we have raised $700 to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society”
Patricia Clizia from Canadian Cancer Society was on hand to accept the donation from the school. Clizia echoed Bianchin’s comments, and thanked both Dennica as well as the other students for their generosity. “We are so pleased that our young students at Immaculate Conception School are reaching out to others and “Joining together in the fight againstt cancer”.
S.C.C. Student Braces for Event of a Lifetime – WE Day 2012
WE Day is an annual event that encourages student leadership, and it brings empowered youth together to show them they are not alone in their journey to impact local and global change. A student from St. Charles College is lucky enough to be attending one of the WE Days held in Toronto, at the Air Canada Centre. David DiBrina, president of the St. Charles College student council, as well as student trustee for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, has been selected to be one of the 20,000 students from across Ontario to have the privilege to be a part of the monumentous event. Speakers will include the likes Al Gore, Nelly Furtado, Hedley, and many more celebrities. This televised event is taking place on Friday, September 29th, 2012, and will be streamed live online. As a representative of the Sudbury Catholic Board, DiBrina will be tweeting live throughout the event on the Sudbury Catholic Twitter account and can be followed @ SCDSB throughout the day. When asked about his expectations of the event prior to his departure, DiBrina stated, “ I am sure that I will leave Toronto with a wealth of knowledge that I can bring back and share with my peers, as well as a renewed passion and increased confidence to make positive changes locally, as well as globally!”
St. Raphael Student Supports S.C.C. Annual Food Drive Challenge
Sara Perry, Grade 3 student from St. Raphael School, poses with the 27 non-perishable food items she collected all by herself to kickoff the Annual Food Drive with St. Charles College. Sara says “I collected them from some of the people on my street for the Sudbury Food Bank”. Students from St. Charles College visited the elementary school on September 21 to get the students excited about this industrious challenge. The goal this year is to collect 60,000 food items, in order for Mr. Jim Silva to be let out of the bus he will be on for a week. The St. Raphael Royals are ready and eager to help with the challenge!
“We Stand Up to Bullying at St. David Catholic School”
September 28 is International STAND UP to Bullying Day. To date more than 3100 schools and workplaces representing more than a million people have taken part in this celebration. St. David Catholic School celebrated STAND UP TO BULLYING day by asking all students and staff to wear pink. School staff reinforced that bullying can be verbal, social, physical or can happen on the internet. Students were reminded that if they witness any bullying in the school yard, it is important that they report it to their teacher or school staff immediately. Teachers reinforced how to protect yourself from being bullied and how to support friends who are victims of bullies. “Wearing pink today represents our school message to all bullies: We are standing up as a community againstt bullying –so we are wearing our pink shirts with pride and confidence recognizing that each of us has the power to make a difference”, stated Mrs. Jennifer Gran, St. David School grade 4/5 teacher.
“Peace and Respect” at St. John
The entire student body at St. John Catholic Elementary was treated to a live, interactive performance on Wednesday, September 19th, 2012. Musical entertainer, Errol Lee performed for the primary, junior and intermediate students to spread his message of peace and respect. Entitled “Building Positive Relationships” this interactive muliti-media performance had the students, singing, dancing, signing to Lee’s songs about the importance of respect and peace for themselves and others. Phrases like “the pathway to peace is respect”, “behaviour is a choice”, and “if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem” were repeated by the students as Lee encouraged them, through song, to like themselves and understand the significance of these words. Accompanied by a skilled breakdancer, Lee’s performance engaged the students and had them completely involved with the movement and lyrics. Carmela Pitman, princpal of St. John was thrilled to have Lee perform for the school. “Students respond well to music – especially when it incorporates such a strong and positive message,” Pitman said. “We have had Errol at many of the Sudbury Catholic Schools for several years because the students thoroughly enjoy his music and most especially his positive message.” Lee feels that what sets him apart from other performers is that he believes “positivity is for people what water and sunshine are to flowers. It nurtures, it enriches, it feeds, it generates growth.” As well as the morning performances, Lee also held workshops about respect, positivity and peace for students in the afternoon.
Marymount Academy Student Experiences a Summer of Science
This past summer, one Marymount Academy Student had the opportunity of a lifetime. Sandy Qiu, a grade 12 student, spent six weeks taking part in the elite Summer Immersion Program at the Deep River Science Academy in Deep River, Ontario. What started off as a suggestion from one of her friends, resulted in her participation an intensive co-op program focusing on hands on science. At this academy, exceptional high school students actively participate in research, perform experiments, as well as listen to guest lecturers on various science topics. The students also had the opportunity to participate in numerous recreational activities and meet like-minded students from across Canada. All of the successful participants in the program are awarded two high school co-op credits in acknowledgment of their hard work and dedication. Qiu’s project, titled, “Antimony Adsorption on Zirconium Hydroxide in Aqueous Solutions” was completed alongside a University tutor and Scientific Supervisor.
Deep River Science Academy Program Director, Danielle Martin was pleased to have Qiu as part of the science program. “Sandy Qiu was a wonderful addition to our program this summer,” Martin stated. “ She was an excellent ambassador of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and we hope that her attendance instils a sense of pride within your Board. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful student with us this summer.”
Qiu felt that it was an exceptional experience and was glad to have been chosen to take part in it. “It was great to be able to be a part of such a unique program,” Qiu stated. “I was so fortunate to be selected to be one of the participants and it was really an outstanding experience. It is definitely something I would like to continue with in the future.”