The Full Day Kindergarten classes at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School in Hanmer got a great surprise on a regular Wednesday afternoon. Cameron O’Daiskey, FDK French Immersion student, brought her new goats to her class for her inquiry . Her fellow students were thrilled to touch and asked many questions about her new friends. How big will they get? Why is one brown and one black if they are siblings? What wonderful inquiry questions! The Kindergarten staff at St. Anne Catholic School strives to provide real world experiences to their early learners. By providing the students with these opportunities to learn, the students tap into their higher order thinking skills all while exploring the world around them.
Category: Topic
Learning Culture Through Technology at St. James
Students at St. James Catholic Elementary School utilize 21’st century technology in their daily native language lessons. 21’st century technology provides students with the digital tools, authentic learning experiences, and the opportunity to learn through differentiated instruction. Duncan McIntosh, the Native Language teacher feels that the use of technology really supports the students through engagement opportunities and appeals to their audio/visual learning styles. “Through the use of technology, we are able to connect the historical traditions of the Anishnawbek people using contemporary tools which is something the students can relate to,” McIntosh states. “Through the use of the macbook in the classroom, students are able to access programs such as google.docs, which means each student can contribute in a collaborative sense to class projects and performance tasks. These opportunities support our students being successful.”
The school credits their partnership with Atikameksheng Anishnawbek for recognizing the importance of technology in the classroom and supporting the needs of the students. Sudbury Catholic Superintendent and Aboriginal Lead Nicole Snow is appreciative of the collaborative relationship St. James has with the Atikameksheng community. “ As a school board, we recognize the importance of community involvement in the learning and support of student achievement and well-being, and are grateful for the mutual commitment of the school and the reserve.”
Harlem Ambassadors Deliver Messages of Confidence, B+ and Set Goals to High School Students
The Official Harlem Ambassadors athletes dribbled their way into the gym of Sudbury’s largest high school to show off their bag of basketball tricks and share their success stories on Monday, April 8th.
The athletes wanted the grades nine and ten students from St. Charles, Lo Ellen and Lasalle to know that they will have to overcome obstacles in life but they should do it with the confidence to say “no” to drugs and alcohol.
The adrenaline filled show was hosted by Sudbury’s Crimestoppers and featured personal stories from each Ambassador who was personally touched by drugs and alcohol addiction.
The Adventures of Sparky the Travelling Fire Dog
The students in the Grade 1 class at St. Bernadette Catholic French Immersion School have been participating in the Greater Sudbury Fire Services program called, “The Adventures of Sparky the Travelling Fire Dog”. This program began in 2012 with grade one classes and involves a visit to the classroom from a Public Safety Officer who drops off a package containing: one Sparky Stuffed Toy, One Scrap Book, One Tote Bag and 35 Safety Checklists. Each child is given an opportunity to take Sparky home and complete the fire safety checklist with the involvement of their family. Firefighters return to the classroom in the spring to review the scrapbooks, talk about firefighting, show off their gear and conduct a fire truck tour. This program covers, reading ,writing, art, community helpers, health, public speaking, family involvement not to mention adding a little excitement to the classroom routine! Also, the program will reduce the student’s chances of experiencing a fire and will also ensure that families will have early warning should a fire occur through thoroughly checking and addressing smoke alarm issues in the home.
St. Charles College Teacher’s Story Included in Book About Resilience
It takes a lot of courage to talk to those close to you about a life changing experience. It takes even more courage to share that story with the world. Patricia Demore, a Lifeskills teacher at St. Charles College has done just that. Included in a book by her former teacher’s college professor, Demore tells her story of growing up a sibling of a person with Down syndrome, and the profoundly positive experience as a result of this unique and wonderful relationship.
The inclusion of Demore’s story is a result of a voluntary assignment with teacher Warnie Richardson who, several years ago, asked his students, if they were comfortable to share stories of risk and resilience that they had experienced. According to Richardson, “(I) have collected personal narratives from 111 individual students, all of whom have individually noted, both in person and in writing, a profound willingness to see exposed and share a significantly challenging and sometimes deeply disturbing period in their lives.“ Richardson explains that this book is definitely for older audiences, as some of the recounted experiences are deeply disturbing and extremely personal. Collected as part of his research, this book delves into the idea that “To arrive at the happy may also require that you expend a little emotional energy sorting through the sad.”
Three months before she began teacher’s college, Demore’s sister Christine passed away, and she felt that this would be a wonderful opportunity to share her story about the trials and tribulations of growing up with a sister with Down’s syndrome, and the impactful life lessons that her time with Christine had taught her.
Growing up with an older sister with a disability, Demore definitely had some challenges. As a young student, she had much more responsibility than the average sibling as she often had to help out with the care and support of Christine. As well, social situations were sometimes very different for her, for example never having taken a yellow school bus, Demore had to ride the handi-transit with her sister during her schooling in order to ensure that Christine was safely accompanied to school each day. This kind of experience, when young, sometimes led to feelings of resentment, pressure and guilt.
Christine definitely inspired Demore positively as she has chosen a career path that has her working directly with students with special needs at St. Charles College. According to Demore, growing up her parents continually told her that she, ”would be a better person for having had a sibling like Christine in (her) life, which proved to be very true.” Losing her so close to her start at teacher’s college, Demore knew that she wanted to share her story, and that it is “because of Christine’s direct impact on my life, I have grown up to be a passionate, service-minded adult who desperately wants to make a difference in the lives of others…”
Author Richardson let his former students know that his book entitled, “Silk Purses, Recast Dies, and Peripatetic Apples – Narratives of Risk and Resilience from within the Academy” was finally published and that their stories had been selected for inclusion. Demore was thrilled and honoured to have her story be a part of this collection of inspirational experiences and personal accounts. Even though growing up and living with a big sister with special needs wasn’t always “clear, unobstructed sailing”, Demore knew that Christine was truly her inspiration in life. Losing her just before teacher’s college, she knew she wanted to share her story despite her own emotional turmoil. Christine’s ability to face obstacles head on, and continue through her life with a positive attitude and continuous good nature has ultimately directed Demore down her chosen path in life. “ It is without doubt why I have chosen teaching as a career, and, more specifically, “special education” as my primary focus within that teaching career…. She will forever be my guardian angel and it is because of her that I now live each day to the fullest. I am thankful that Warnie allowed me the opportunity to share my story and celebrate my sister’s life with others.”
Cultural Learning at St. Charles Elementary
Aboriginal Support Worker, Joel Agowissa, shares with SKFI students at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School the medicines of the four directions. As a part of the Aboriginal Biinoojic Centres (ABC) program, students in Kindergarten and Grade 1 have met with Joel for 5 weeks to learn more about Aboriginal teachings. Students have enjoyed this program. Thanks Joel, for sharing your knowledge and passion for Aboriginal Education!
St. Francis Student Wins Poster Contest
Little did Meagan Ierino, a Grade 6 student at St. Francis Catholic Elementary School know, that five months ago when she entered her poster into the Royal Canadian Legion, Lockerby Branch’s, Remembrance Day Poster Contest, that her poster would win, not once, but three times; locally, divisionally, and now regionally! Art Moore was on hand from the Royal Canadian Legion, Lockerby Branch to award Meagan her medal and prize.
The Royal Canadian Legion conducts their Remembrance Day Poster Contest and Public Speaking Contest annually, and invites students from all Sudbury schools to participate.
St. Francis is very proud of Meagan.
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
The grade 4 students at St. Bernadette Catholic French Immersion School tried their hand at journalism by writing and creating their very own classroom newspaper. Entitled “Sabrecats en action”, the newspaper contains articles about various school events with direct quotes from first hand witnesses. Principal, Diana Salvador, said that ,”Students were enthused and engaged throughout this project. Students interviewed staff, peers, parents and community members and took their roles as reporters very seriously. The finished product is excellent!”
The classroom teacher, Mlle Aubin stated, “The students enjoyed their time as a reporters. Watch out The Sudbury Star, these students are the next generation of journalists!
St. Albert and ICAN Making a Positive Difference in Health Care Through Partnership
The ICAN Independence Centre and Network in Sudbury is a community- based non-profit organization that provides services, resources and support for people with disabilities. St. Albert Adult Learning Centre is a school in the Sudbury Catholic District School Board that offers adult and continuing education programs with the purpose of preparing individuals to succeed in today’s workplace through a variety of programs and initiatives. One of the programs that St. Albert offers is a Personal Support Worker (PSW) program. While these two organizations differ greatly in their mandate, they do share a common theme – a quest to seek and train people who are enthusiastic and compassionate, and who are motivated to work in the PSW field.
In a recent interview, Chief Executive Officer for ICAN, Marie Leon, explained that with a growing population of seniors, there is a greater need for qualified PSWs, particularly those who are committed to providing quality care for their clients. The challenge is to recruit motivated candidates and retain them within the organization. She explained that when demands for a profession are high, so are turnover rates.
St. Albert’s PSW program is in its third year and 24 spots are available for each intake (every six months). Students must pass an aptitude test and a formal interview before gaining admission to the Program. ICAN is one of the facilities that accepted PSW students to do the practical portion of the, so a positive partnership between the two organizations already existed. In the Fall, both ICAN and St. Albert entered into formal discussions to take their partnership one step further. In an an effort to recruit and retain strong PSWs, an agreement was reached whereby ICAN would sponsor up to six students. ICAN supports each student by paying their registration fee of $1,500, and by providing a weekly stipend to support the student financially during their program. Once the student finishes the theory portion of the course, they are hired immediately as a casual employee. In return, the student must commit to working for ICAN for two years in order to fulfill their obligation of the agreement.
According to the school’s principal, Karl Dreger,it is a win-win for both parties. “ICAN is a progressive organization which offers its employees a competitive wage and a comprehensive benefit package.” “There is a comprehensive interview process for these six coveted spots,” Dreger explained. “Not only is the student candidate interviewed to gain admittance into the PSW program, but select students who we believe would be good candidates for the ICAN program are interviewed again by the ICAN staff.
One of the students who was given this opportunity, Amy Winn, gushed about her experience at St. Albert, as well as her upcoming career placement with ICAN. “I have been a career waitress for 15 years,” Winn explained. “I heard about the St. Albert PSW program through word of mouth, and decided it was worth looking into. I had been out of school for 15 years and all I could remember about school was that I struggled to stay awake. This program at St. Albert is anything but boring – the teacher is absolutely incredible – she is very knowledgeable and every day teaches us something interesting and exciting. This school is the perfect setting for learning as there are no distractions like in a regular school. I am excited about this opportunity, and feel very lucky to have been chosen to be a part of this incredible partnership with ICAN.” Principal Karl Dreger echoed Winn’s sentiments about the teacher and the school. “We are so fortunate to have Dawn-Marie Brunet as the program lead for this course. Not only is she a certified teacher, but she is also a certified Registered Nurse (R.N.) with many years of experience. Someone with this type of experience is very hard to come by. The students really respond well to her teaching, and the end result is a group of PSW’s who are inspired to make a positive difference in our community. This is a really great example of the outstanding and supportive environment at St. Albert. These days, we must seek and forge partnerships outside of the education sector to keep our programs strong and viable. A synergistic relationship such as this is a wonderful model that we are very proud of”
For more information on the PSW program, the partnership with ICAN or other St. Albert programs, please call the school at (705)673-3031 or visit their website at:
[ http://www.st-albert.sudburycatholicschools.ca ]www.st-albert.sudburycatholicschools.ca