Parents/Parent Involvement Archives - Page 11 of 17 - Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Donovan Community Welcomes Spring with Traditional Feast

Posted on March 27, 2012August 23, 2018 by admin

With a new season beginning, we must welcome it with open arms. Wednesday evening, March 21st, 2012, a traditional feast was in order for the Sudbury community to celebrate the beginning of spring. Performing the ceremony, was traditional elder Vince Pawis. Taking place in the gym of St. David Catholic Elementary School, several community members, families, students and staff were on hand to take part in this event. Cheryl Partridge, local aboriginal singer, opened the celebration with the welcoming song Biidagenh which means welcome, come in, in the local Ojibway language. The translation of the lyrics are “Welcome every nation, come in and sit down. Join us” – a fitting song to begin the evening’s event.
Pawis began with a prayer and smudge to spiritually cleanse all participants. He then explained the significance of the four directions in aboriginal culture, focusing on the Easter doorway as it signifies spring. “I am sitting in the Eastern doorway because the season that sits in the East is spring,” Pawis explained. “New life, newborns, marriages usually happen around this time.”
The gym was decorated with the colours of each direction, and after the explanation by Pawis, the group sat down for the “main event”. Traditional foods were served to the guests including fish, wildrice and strawberries. During the meal, Pawis also spoke to the group about the significance of each of the foods and their importance to Aboriginal culture. St. Charles College student Chayenne Oechsler was on hand for the Feast and felt it was successful event for the attending community. “I really enjoyed this evening with Vince,” stated Oechsler. “It was a really welcoming atmosphere, and it was great welcome spring together as well as learn more about Aboriginal culture.”

Submitted by St. Charles College co-op student, Cheyenne Oechsler.

St. James School “Fun Family Faith Night”

Posted on March 5, 2012August 23, 2018 by admin

St. James Catholic School and St. Pius X Parish of Lively partnered to create an event that brought the school and the faith community together. The School Council led by Chairperson Jane Saal planned a “Fun Family Faith Night”.

The evening offered an opportunity to share in many faith-based activities and games geared to both students and their families and provided a forum to celebrate the virtues and values of our Catholic School. The school community was welcomed at the door by parish priest Father Terry Fournier and Deacon Pat Raymond. School Council chairperson Jane Saal stated that, “One priority for the St. James School Council is to augment the school’s spiritual atmosphere by facilitating family faith development and a family faith evening was a perfect occasion to implement our goal. This event provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen the home, school and parish connections at St. James School. The evening was extremely well received and well attended and judging from the feedback we will continue the tradition of a faith night again next year”.

St. Mary finds 100 things to celebrate!

Posted on February 27, 2012August 23, 2018 by admin

On the 100th day of school St. Mary students, staff and families took part in an evening celebration. The school community sat down to a wonderful pasta dinner and then broke off into stations where numeracy and literacy games were lead by teachers and the principal. “It was really neat because everything was about the number 100. Even the books and writing activities were about the number 100,” said student Matthew Roy.

Parents were also invited to an information session in the library where they took part in group discussions about how to help their children with homework, how to engage their child in reading and the importance of parents in the education of their children. Parents left with 100 practical literacy tips and homework bags to use at home.

Later on this year parents will be participating in St. Mary’s “Families with a Kick Program.” Students will be kickboxing while parents will be invited to read articles and dialogue about how they can help their child improve in literacy and numeracy at home.

“John Hattie has suggested parents are important to the academic success of their children. Therefore, we need to provide our families with opportunities to network and share ideas with each other,” said principal Sherry Bortolotti.

Math is More than Numbers

Posted on February 6, 2012August 23, 2018 by admin

Parents of Grades 1-5 students at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School were invited to the school and experience math with their child using IXL, a math tool using technology. At St. Charles school, math concepts are approached from all angles, offering visual representations, word problems, interactive activities and more. Grade 4 teacher, Maria Petroski states that ‘with an abundance of math problems for every learning style, students can’t help but build lasting skills and confidence’.

IXL Parent Lunch at St. Raphael Catholic Elementary School

Posted on January 30, 2012August 23, 2018 by admin

Parents joined Grade 2 and 3 students at St Raphael School on January 24th for math stations, including practice together using IXL, a web-based math tool that both classes have home and school access to, as part of an action research project this year. Students and parents engaged in math talk and shared a pizza lunch.

Community Bands Together to Celebrate the Season of Giving

Posted on December 16, 2011August 23, 2018 by admin

On the eve of December 14, over 100 Donovan area families gathered for a festive feast at St. David Catholic School. Better Beginnings, Better Futures hosted the event and provided all the trimmings for the evening. All families received a full Christmas meal, including turkey and ham. Inspector Bob Keetch, Constable Randy Hosken and Sargent Mark Brunette graciously served the meal. Children were entertained by Patches the Clown, the raffling of door prizes, and of course the jolly old man himself — Santa Claus. Santa Claus gave out surprise bags to each child and he also had outer wear for those children in need. “This was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the season as a community. The children were so excited to see Santa and the families seemed to appreciate the time and energy that went into the planning of the event”, stated Samantha Beaudry, Youth Engagement Officer for the Better Beginnings, Better Futures SmART Attack after school program at the school.

St. Paul’s Parent Engagement Night a Huge Success

Posted on December 16, 2011August 23, 2018 by admin

Studies show that parent engagement is important to the learning process. On the evening of December 9th, about one hundred students and parents filled the school gym for “popcorn and a movie night”. The evening was geared to parents and kindergarten to grade four students.

It was also an opportunity for parents to get comfortable with the school surroundings and enjoy an evening of entertainment with their kids — as well as other parents and kids.

The event was so well received that the School Council is already making plans for the next parent engagement night.

Celebrating St. Andrew

Posted on December 9, 2011August 23, 2018 by admin

Students and staff celebrated the feast of Saint Andrew Patron Saint on Nov.30th, an important date in the annual liturgical calendar, because it determines the date of the First Sunday of Advent. Saint Andrew is the patron saint fisherman of Scotland and Russia. Andrew, the first Apostle called by Jesus, was a fisherman and he was the brother of Simon Peter. A school and parish connection was made as parents, staff and students celebrated the event at St Andrew parish with a mass, and pizza lunch at the church. As well, a special painting was sketched of St Andrew the Patron Saint and was blessed by Father Sam.

A Love of Animals Really “Pays Off” For St. Anne Kindergarten Students

Posted on December 9, 2011August 23, 2018 by admin

The English Early Learning Students at St. Anne School in Hanmer are on a mission. They plan on helping out as much of Sudbury’s animal population as much as they can. Earlier in the fall, the young students from within the Sudbury Catholic School Board nicknamed themselves “The ABC’S”. (All Because of Caring Students). They brainstormed and came up with a fundraising idea to purchase items that could help out the communities injured or needy animals. Through the help of local businesses like Hanson Family Dentistry and Paula’s Canine Country Club, as well as contributions from family and friends, the students put their logo on small donation cans that ask for one penny. The cans were placed at the businesses by the student’s teacher, Cheryl MacRury. The students chose a penny because it was the only piece of money that most of them recognized. Although a penny doesn’t seem like much, the donations collected have really been “paying off”! Within the first two weeks and with the help of Mrs. Belanger’s English Grade 7 class, the older and younger students were able to count and roll out over 1300 pennies. If the fullness of the donation cans is any indication, the second round of collecting promises to be double that of the first. The students have chosen to make their first donation to the Wild At Heart Animal Refuge. Using counting charts, the penny values of items, and real life pictures of objects from the refuge’s list, the young Catholic students will choose which donations they can afford to purchase and present them to the Center as Christmas gifts for its injured wildlife. Who says little people can’t make a difference? Christmas for the English Kindergarten children at St. Anne School allows them to tell everyone that the “spirit of giving” feels great!