Sudbury Catholic District School Board

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SCDSB Celebrates Grand Opening of Best Start Hub at Pius XII Catholic School

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Children and families, child care agencies along with community and school staff joined Sudbury Catholic District School Board Trustees and Senior Administration and Board staff in celebrating the grand opening of the City of Greater Sudbury’s Best Start Hubs at an Open House held at Pius XII Catholic School recently.

The Best Start Program referred to as “Hubs” is a one-stop centre for families, bringing together kindergarten, childcare, parent-child programs, parenting supports and a wide range of specialized services. The Hubs are located in schools or other locations that are closely linked to schools. Best Start is an initiative of the Provincial Government but is directed at the local level by a Best Start Network which is made up of representatives from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, the City of Greater Sudbury, all four school boards, and the child care, family support, health and specialized children’s services sectors.
The Best Start Hubs incorporate services for families such as kindergarten, childcare and family supports, tot playgrounds, workshops for parents, dad and baby night as well as access to other services. Over time, more services such as selected Preschool Speech and Language and Health Services will be offered in the hubs. The goal of the Best Start Hub is to integrate all of these services so that they are all working together and providing families with seamless services.

The Pius XII Catholic School, Best Start Hub is one of twelve hubs located in the City of Greater Sudbury and surrounding area dedicated to serving the needs of children and families in the Minnow Lake and New Sudbury community.

Parents will also have the opportunity to become involved with Best Start Hubs as they develop and expand their programs. Advisory groups, made up of a minimum of 40 percent parents will decide how the Hubs will run, hours of operation, and the types of programs the Hub will be offering. Parents who wish to involved in the planning for Best Start at a broader level may put their name forward to sit on a Best Start Network as a parent representative or join a group of parents who meet occasionally to provide advice and input to the Best Start network on specific issues related to overall planning of Best Start.

For more information on Best Start Hubs, please call 311 to find a Best Start near you!

St. Mary Catholic School Kicks Off the New School Year With Open House

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St. Mary Catholic School in Capreol held its Open House for parents and students recently. Food and refreshments were provided courtesy of the St. Mary Catholic School Council. Parents and students were able to browse the Book Fair in the library, visit with the classroom teachers and enjoy hot dogs in the gym.

The Open House also included a display dealing with “Paint your Plate-Create a Masterpiece” along with information on Canada’s Food Guide by Denise Hyde, a Public Health Nurse from the Sudbury and District Health Unit. The school is also a participant in the Healthy Schools Healthy Kids program which afforded parents the opportunity to get first hand information from the Health Unit.

School SpiritWear was also available from United On-Site Printers who had a beautiful display up at the school all week.

St. Mary Catholic School would like to thank all the parent volunteers for their hard work in preparing for the Open House. The school also extends a warm felt thank you to Mr. Roland Muzzatti, Academic Superintendent of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board who was able to attend and spend time with the St. Mary Catholic School community.

SCDSB Students Continue to Improve on Provincial Test Scores

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The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has released the results of the Grades 3 and 6 reading, writing and mathematics assessments and the Grade 9 academic and applied mathematics tests written by Ontario students during the 2006–2007 school year.

Officials at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board are pleased with the results of their Grade 3 and 6 students with both grades demonstrating gains across the spectrum. With respect to all Grade 3 students that wrote the Provincial assessments, student scores improved by 5 percent in reading (from 51 percent to 56 percent), 5 percent in writing (from 49 percent to 53 percent) and 3 percent in mathematics (from 56 percent to 59 percent). The Board’s Grade 6 students also showed improvement in the reading component (from 66 percent to 68 percent) and math component (54 percent to 59 percent) while maintaining an average of 58 percent in writing.

The positive trend in EQAO results was also demonstrated by the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s Grade 9 students, scoring 76 percent in the academic math program
(5 percent above the Provincial average of 71 percent) and 56 percent in the applied program
(21 percent higher than the Provincial average of 35 percent).

SCDSB Results Over Time
Percentage of Students Meeting the Provincial Standard (Levels 3 and 4):

 
Reading
Writing
Mathematics
2002-2003
 2006-2007 2002-2003 2006-2007 2002-2003 2006-2007
Grade 3 45% 56% 47% 53% 54% 59%
Grade 6 61% 68% 53% 58% 52% 59%
 
Mathematics
  
Grade 9
Academics
Applied
  2002-2003 2006-2007 2002-2003 2006-2007
71%
76%
27%
56%

(Source EQAO website, www.eqao.com)

Media ReleasePaula Peroni, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is encouraged with the recent test results. “In the last five years our Board has witnessed an increase in the percentage of our Grade 3, 6 and 9 students who have met or surpassed the provincial standards in reading, writing and math,” states Peroni. “Numerous strategies have been put into place this year which we are confident will continue to yield positive results. The overall picture, which includes significant increases in our secondary schools is in line with our strategic improvement plan.”

Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is equally optimistic with the latest data. “Recent test scores of our students writing the
Grade 3 and 6 provincial tests indicate that we are on an upward trend,” states McCullough. “Our secondary school scores exceed the provincial average and we will continue to use our secondary schools as a model for best practices. The strategies that are working well in one school will be used in other schools to yield positive results. The Learning With Laptops program for Grade 9 math was introduced in the spring of 2005. As we enter year 3 of the program, with our new MacBooks we hope to see continued improvement.”

Nickel Belt Candidates to Visit Immaculate Conception Catholic School

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With the Provincial election quickly approaching, Immaculate Conception Catholic School, Grade 5 students are learning how the voting process is carried out and how to make informed decisions. By taking part in the Student-Vote program, students are given the opportunity for critical thinking and thoughtful discussion-essential in a democracy. The goal of the Student Vote program is to teach young Canadians to develop a habit of civic participation.

“At Immaculate Conception, we hope that the greatest lesson for our students is that they will learn that citizenship is a responsibility,” states Carmela Pitman, the school’s Vice-Principal. On Thursday, September 27, the three political candidates for Nickel Belt: Liberal Party, Ron Dupuis; NDP Party, France Gelinas; and Green Party, Fred Twilley will be visiting Ms. Pawlowski Grade 5 class to speak to the students. The class has been preparing for the event by reading local newspapers and researching numerous resources so that they can become better informed and play an active role in the debate.

Students will focus on issues such as health care, education, and the environment. The week prior to the official election day, the school will be holding a Student Vote. Immaculate Conception will receive riding specific ballots for the Sudbury-Nickel Belt area. A polling station with a ballot box will be set up in the library and the Grade 5 class will have their chance to vote. Students will take on the role of poll clerks by assisting at the polling station and ensuring that the student class lists will act as the list of electors. The results will be tabulated and called into the Student Vote Returning Office. Results are broadcast on partnering television networks and published in newspapers the following day.

For more information, please contact, Carmela Pitman, Vice-Principal,
Immaculate Conception Catholic School, ph: 897-4483

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School to Celebrate International Peace Day

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St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School will be celebrating International Peace Day on Friday, September 21, 2007 at the school by highlighting peace in our lives at school, at home and in our world.

During announcements throughout the week, St. Paul Catholic School students have shared information with the student body regarding a famous peacemaker. In all classrooms teachers have dedicated time to talking about how peace begins in each person’s heart, and how each student can do things to bring peace into their world, either at school, at home or in their neighbourhood.

On Friday, September 21, 2007, one student from each class will read his or her peace pledge on the announcements. In addition, students will gather in the gym in a moment of silence to pray before embarking upon the school’s walk-a-thon.

The school will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the fundraiser to Development and Peace to help promote peace in Third World nations.

Marymount Academy Welcomes Students and Staff Back to School

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Catherine McCullough, the new Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School stopped by Marymount Academy to chat with students, parents, teachers and staff at a BBQ held at the school to kick off the start to a new school year.

The BBQ and Open House afforded new students the opportunity to meet their teachers and tour the school while returning students caught up on summer activities and became reacquainted with their friends. The first day of class for the SCDSB’s elementary and secondary students begins on Wednesday, September 5 as Tuesday is a Professional Development Day for teachers.

SCDSB Teacher Receives Best Practice Award

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Rosanna Battigelli, a teacher at St. James Catholic School in Lively, has been awarded a Best Practice Award from the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) for an essay she wrote highlighting her teaching experiences dealing with loss, grief and healing, and the support systems she developed within the classroom and school setting. She also received a Best Practice Award in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

Rosanna’s writing has been published in a number of Canadian anthologies. In August 2006, she was awarded an Ontario Arts Council “Writer’s Works in Progress” Grant for her second novel. Out of 116 applicants, 14 writers were each awarded $12,000.

Rosanna plans to spend her summer relaxing, reading, researching and writing.

SCDSB Celebrates Technology

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The Sudbury Catholic District School Board celebrated its first technology session by dedicating an entire evening to showcasing the authentic works of the Board’s Grade 7 and 8 students with respect to its brand new “1 to 1 learning with laptops program” at
St. Charles College recently. Students, parents, teachers, and staff along with SCDSB Trustees and Senior Administration were treated to a host of high tech presentations in the form of movies, podcasts, interpretations of creative poetry, and historical events.

Lisa Samuels, Curriculum Coordinator for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s Laptop program stated in her opening remarks to the audience that even though the Sudbury Catholic District School Board was the first and only board in Ontario to take on such an innovative project and faced numerous challenges, the students responded quite admirably and succeeded beyond the Board’s expectations. “When we started this journey in September, I don’t think any of us knew where this path would take us,” stated Samuels. “We had no road map as no other board in Ontario has implemented a 1 to 1 laptop program system wide. Like the voyageurs who explored what was to become Canada, we set out into unfamiliar territory to learn how to effectively use the technology. Our goals were simple: increase student engagement, increase student achievement, provide every student with access to digital resources, and provide our students with learning experiences that are inquiry based in nature and foster what are called 21st century skills.”

The Board’s laptop program provided its students with an opportunity to explore the Ontario curriculum differently by allowing them to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. The project also afforded the students a great deal of flexibility in demonstrating their creative and innovative talents while working collaboratively as team. To assist and support the project, the Board sought the services and expertise of Apple Canada and its access to skilled educators who have been working with the laptop program for more than 15 years.

The evening showcased the authentic work from 5 schools, 8 teachers, and 200 students who were engaged with the Board’s laptop program over the last year which included, multimedia poetry interpretations, mini documentaries on the opening of the west, a video diary of a science experiment, and public service announcements about the choices facing teenagers today.

Sudbury Catholic District School Board Chair, Paula Peroni is quite proud of the efforts of her students and the initial results of Board’s laptop program. “Laptops have become a tool to learn with and not solely a tool to learn from,” states Peroni. “Over the last several years the Board has committed itself to the expansion of the wireless laptop program into our Grade 7 and 8 curriculum. In June 2006, our Board purchased eleven hundred wireless laptop computers for every grade 7 and 8 student in our system. The wireless laptop program has had a dramatic impact on student learning and student achievement. This evening has been dedicated to showcasing the creative talents of the Board’s students as they embrace the technology they will be using in their upcoming careers.”

SCDSB Proud Partner in “Books for Ethiopia” Campaign

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Some 20,000 educational books no longer being used in area schools are being shipped to Ethiopia this summer thanks to the generous support of local donors.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board in partnership with the Rainbow District School Board and numerous individuals in the Sudbury Community have donated excellent used educational materials for the Books for Reading program. The books are being sent to a brand-new school of 250 children in Ethiopia with very few resources. Thanks to the generosity of the two English school boards and through the support of local Sudbury businesses and volunteers these badly needed books will be in the hands of the students over the next two weeks.

CVRD Inco donated $5,000 to help cover the costs of shipping the books. The Rainbow Local of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) contributed $600 toward the project and Taylor Beange Doors and Frames provided space to store the books and also donated $800 toward the shipping costs.

“Thanks to the generous contribution of many participants, this literacy project will assist in breaking the cycle of poverty for many children for generations to come,” said Guy Campeau, Director for The Mission of Tears, Northern Ontario region. “We are most grateful to the schools who donated their surplus books for this program. We are also grateful to CVRD Inco, ETFO and Taylor Beange Doors and Frames for their collective contributions.”
To date, local schools have provided in excess of 80,000 surplus books to third world countries. The books include teacher resource guides that have since been updated by the Ministry of Education.

The Books for Reading program is spearheaded by the Northern Ontario region of The Mission of TEARS.

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