Father Sam, new parish priest at St Andrew the Apostle, is making connections with St. Andrew school. Father Sam visits to the school every second week, and is a welcome guest for all students as he meets the students in all classrooms from JK-GR.6 and revitalizes student’s Catholic faith through dialogue and discussion. On Wednesday, Oct. 5th, students will walk to church and attend mass where they will bring along photos of their pets for a special blessing since they will be celebrating the feast of St. Francis of Assisi known as the patron saint of animals.
Category: Topic
Sharing Best Practice and Honouring Culture
Visitors from the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board were in town on Wednesday, September 29 to learn more about the inclusion of aboriginal culture within the school system. Dufferin-Peel CDSB’s Director of Education John Kostoff, Superintendent Clara Pitoscia and General Manager of Communication and Media Relations, Bruce Campbell visited with administration from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board to discuss the inclusion of aboriginal culture into the teaching and learning practices at the Sudbury Catholic Board. The group visited three of the Sudbury Catholic schools including St. Charles College, St. David Catholic Elementary School and St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. At each of the sites, the principals, teachers and students spoke about the importance of the presence of aboriginal culture physically in the learning spaces, as well as embedded in their curriculum and teaching.”At Sudbury Catholic, we are so privileged to have key people in place in our organization who are passionate about honouring aboriginal culture in our educational community,” Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic Board stated. “We always welcome the opportunity to share what we continue to learn, with other Boards across the province.”
St. Charles College on Par with Golf
Congratulations to the St. Charles College boy’s golf team who won the Sudbury District Secondary Schools Athletic Associations (SDSSAA) golf tournament September 22 led by Stephen Gonko who also finished second in individual play at the tourney. The win qualified the boys for NOSSA play. At NOSSA the boys played extremely well with Ryan Lafreniere shooting 73 followed by Stephen Gonko with a score of 74. They placed both first and second in individual play. The team itself then had to play an extra hole breaking a tie with Franco-Cite from Sturgeon Falls. In the playoff, Ryan Lafreniere drove the green and two putted for birdie. The team proceeded to take the team competition thus qualifying them for OFSAA October 11-13 to be held in Belleville. Members of the golf team are: Stephen Gonko, Ryan Lafreniere, Joel Charlebois, Evan Purcell and Stan McGillis.
Marymount Students Learn to “Take a Stand”
On Tuesday, September 27, all grade 7 and 8 students at Marymount Academy were given a message- “Stand up for yourself!” As simple as it seems, this message was delivered with a powerful presentation. Through the efforts of Constable Victor Leroux, School and Police Liaison, Crime Prevention Officer Denise Fraser, and Vice Principal Lori Holden, the grade 7 and 8 students learned the harsh realities of bullying – from the perspectives of the bully and the victim. Whether it is called bullying, harassment, assault etc, the girls learned that it all starts with intent. As long intent can be proven, the students are now of an age where there are much harsher consequences for these crimes. “This is why it is so important to stand up for yourselves.” Denise Fraser stated when speaking to the students. She went on to inform the students that there is always someone to turn to when you feel bullied – whether it be a parent, relative, friend, teacher – talking to someone you trust is the first step in getting help -and by doing this – you are taking a stand. On the flip side, Fraser spoke to the different actions that would be considered bullying, as in each bullying situation, there is always intent, repeat of actions and the wanting of power. “Through the use of words, (verbal, written or electronic) and actions, the act of bullying,” Fraser said, “is a crime that you can be charged with now at your age.” As well, the girls learned that standing aside and doing nothing when witnessing bullying is also a huge part of the problem.
Lori Holden knew that this presentation was one that her students needed to hear. “We always want to encourage respectful relationships and equity and inclusivity at Marymount Academy,” Holden stated. “This presentation informs our students of the consequences of bullying, and allows them to focus on making the right decisions and positive choices in their lives.”
Popular Actor and Former St. Raphael Student Visits School
“Get tooned… be tooned… Stay tooned!” These were the words that echoed the halls of St. Raphael Catholic Elementary School on Thursday, September 22 as actor/producer, and former student Christian Potenza visited the school’s Grade 8 students. Known for his voice roles in the popular Teletoon cartoons Total Drama Island (Chris McLean), 6Teen (Jude Lizowski), Sidekick (Trevor Troublemyer), as well as the toothbrush in the popular Listerine commercials, the school was thrilled to be visited by such a talented and energetic speaker.
Potenza, who attended St. Raphael for Grades 3 – 5, contacted principal Vicki McGuire to see if he could stop by and speak to some of the classes. In town for Cinefest to promote a film entitled Moon Point, (in which he acted and helped produce), he hoped to go back and visit the school, and get the chance to talk to some of the students about his different work experiences and making good choices in life. Starting the day helping McGuire with the school’s announcements, the excitement level increased dramatically as the students instantly recognized Potenza’s very distinct cartoon voices. Immediately following this, the Grade 8’s joined their guest in the gym. His positive message was clear as Potenza spoke to the Grade 8’s about finding their passion, and working hard towards achieving their goals. He also reminisced with the students about several Sudbury landmarks he remembered – including Adanac Ski Hill, and Cortina Restaurant. Accompanying Potenza was the film’s Director Sean Cisterna and lead actor Nick McKinlay. At the end of the presentation, Potenza encouraged the students to “read more books… so you can watch more cartoons!” Swarmed by students, Potenza high-fived and shook many hands as he left to attend his film’s screening at Silver City. The school’s principal Vicki McGuire was excited that the students responded so positively to their special guest. “It was a joy to see the Grade 8’s so excited to listen to Christian,” McGuire said. “We are very fortunate to have had this opportunity, and are delighted that our students really connected to his message. We are hopeful he will come back and speak with our students in the future!”
Healthy Start to School at St. Charles Elementary
Brianna Lachance, Grade 6 student at St.Charles Elementary School in Chelmsford gets off to a healthy start to the school year by sampling her fresh fruit and yogurt. St.Charles Elementary school works in partnership with the Human League and Better Beginnings Better Futures so that students have fresh snacks during the week. “It is a great energy boost for the students,” stated Sandra Heibert- St. Denis, principal of the school. “The snacks help the students remain focused on learning, and allow them to keep their concentration in class, so we are thrilled that both the Human League and Better Beginnings and Better Futures support us in this way.”
“Welcome Back and Happy Birthday!”
Welcome back to classes! Students and families gathered in the gym at St. Bernadette Catholic school to celebrate the start of another school year with, Father Sam D’Angelo of St. Andrew the Apostle Church. Grace Olive in Grade 1 presented Father Sam with a birthday cake as he was also celebrating his birthday. Principal, Diana Salvador, stated that “Coming together as a school community on a monthly basis to share our faith, is a unique opportunity that we have here at Sudbury Catholic Schools.”
St. Anne Students Promote Sun Safety Over Summer Holidays
The Grade 7 and 8 French Immersion students at St. Anne Catholic School in Hanmer modelled their sunhats in an effort to promote awareness of the adverse affects of sun exposure. Working with their health teacher, Mrs. Desmarais, the students discussed the very serious issue of sun safety. With the upcoming holidays, students of all ages will be involved in outdoor activities both at home and for leisure. Students agreed that in general, young people aren’t concerned with the health risks of tanning, which includes the most dangerous type of skin cancer, melanoma. The use of sunscreen, hats and protective clothing againstt too much sun are rules everyone needs to concern themselves with. Mrs. Desmarais, a teacher within the Sudbury Catholic Board, stated, “Students are aware of the dangers of the sun and they know how to protect themselves from it. But because they’re young the dangers seem distant to them and it’s difficult to get them to put their knowledge into practise.”
As well as taking precautions while in the sun, the students also discussed the effects of artificial sunlight. In spite of warnings and education the use of tanning beds continues to increase. These St. Anne angels know that an ounce of prevention today is a step in the right direction for the future!
St. Charles Elementary Students Perform at St. Gabriel’s Villa
Several St. Gabriel’s Villa residents gathered together on June 28 to take in a performance by the Grade 2/3 students from St. Charles Catholic Elementary School. Under the guidance of teacher Michelle Robinson, the students had been working tirelessly for the past three months on their “Music and Dance from Communities Around the World “ concert. The students took the residents on a virtual airplane journey through a multi-media presentation and through slides, and video, gave a description of each “destination” before each act. The dancing and music was then reflective of the country they had a stopover in. Some of the places that were “visited” included South Africa, Cuba, New Zealand, Greece, China and the Siksika First Nation Reserve in Canada. The final act of the show was a spectacular Hula dance reflecting Hawaiian culture, performed by the students’ teacher. According to Robinson, “the goal of the concert, was not only to create a culminating task that would integrate Social Studies, Music and Dance, but also to create a memorable and authentic experience for the children.” The residents showed their appreciation for the students’ performance with enthusiastic applause and huge smiles for the kids. Sandra St. Denis, Principal of the school, expressed her gratitude for “Miss Robinson’s dedication to student learning and her amazing creativity.” The class was rewarded for a job well done with juice and cookies after the performance, and were invited to visit them again in the new school year.