Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Category: Parents/Parent Involvement

“Gangs and Youth. A Community Action Plan.”

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The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is proud to be a partner in the “Gangs and Youth. A Community Action Plan” initiative in conjunction with our fellow school boards and community agencies in Sudbury.

Representatives from the Board staff and Trustees participated in a “Gangs and Youth” Media Conference held at the Greater Sudbury Police Service to promote awareness around gang activity. The Board took this opportunity to reinforce the fact the Sudbury Catholic District School Board works hard to engage our students in our educational programs and extra-curricular activities. We believe that our school communities offer the best opportunities for our youth, thus enabling them to become positive members of society. Our Board supports and maintains positive school climates that enhance safety and focus on prevention and early intervention with opportunities for reconciliation, forgiveness and restoration of the community.

St. David Catholic Elementary School Celebrates Family Literacy Day with Community

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Students at St. David Catholic Elementary School celebrated Family LIteracy Day on January 27 with visits from many different special guests. Local celebrities and community partners joined the different classes and read together to celebrate the joy of reading. Some of the guests included Tony Ryma from CTV News, Constables Grant Dokis and Ryan MacKay, three Sudbury Wolves players, as well as board staff including Joan Yawney the Religious Education, Family Life and Faith Formation Consultant and Maurizio Visentin, Guidance Program Leader at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. The students also enjoyed visits from their own family members and different staff family relatives. The St. David’s community was thrilled with their special guests and look forward to future visits!

SCDSB Elementary Schools Host Successful J.K. Open Houses

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Staff at St. James Catholic Elementary School had music playing outside as the parents and potential new students approached the school. They were greeted at the door by the Principal Cara Soehner, Vice Principal Dan Stargratt and Superintendent Jean McHarg. St. James teachers had different stations set up for the children throughout the school as the parents sat down to begin filling out the registration forms. It was evident that quite a lot of hard work went into the planning of the J.K. open house evening and the parents who visited were quite excited to see the school in action. As well as visiting the J.K. classrooms and meeting their teachers, the children had their picture taken with the St. James’ mascot and even got the chance to hang out with the St. Ben’s mascot after receiving a school T-shirt from the fish pond. The new students were very busy visiting each station and it was evident by the laughter and squeals of delight that they were having a ball. Carter, one of the new J.K. registrants said it best when asked if he was having fun at the event. “Of course.” said Tyler, ” ’cause I’m fun!!!” Parents and potential students visited each of the SCDSB elementary schools on January 18, 2010. Many of the schools had different activities planned and worked very hard in preparation for the evening. As well, several of the board office academic services staff were also on hand at each school to help out where needed. Congratulations to all of our elementary schools and staff for a very successful J.K. open house night!

Pius XII Catholic Elementary School’s Early Learners Celebrate Family Literacy Day

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Students from Pius XII Elementary Catholic School’s J.K. and S.K. classes, as well as children from the Maple Tree Preschool and the Minnow Lake Best Start Hub were invited to celebrate Family Literacy Day in the school’s library on January 19, 2010. Aboriginal Artist and Storyteller William Morin engaged the children in animated stories and had them participate using actions and costumes. Parents were also invited to be a part of the celebration. After the story, the students went back to the classroom and made their own masks inspired by the day.

SCDSB on Board with Provincial Government’s Full Day Learning Plan for September 2010

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Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci held a press conference on January 12, 2010 to announce the provincial government’s funding of full day early learning in Ontario’s elementary schools beginning in September, 2010. “Creating an integrated day of learning and play will give children more opportunities for success,” said Bartolucci. “It’s a key part of the government’s plan to build a stronger school system and a well-educated workforce.” Bartolucci explained how it is a transformational moment in education as it gives four- and five-year-olds a stronger start in school and therefore a stronger start in life. Catherine McCullough, Director of Education also spoke at the press conference and announced the locations for the Sudbury Catholic Early Learning Schools which are St. Raphael Catholic Elementary, St. Anne Catholic Elementary and Pius XII Catholic Elementary. As well, McCullough reiterated the board’s previous announcement from December 2009, where the Sudbury Catholic Board, with full support from its trustees, will be funding full day Junior Kindergarten in all of its remaining elementary schools. “ Sudbury Catholic has led the province in its plan for full day J.K. implementation in the fall of 2010.” says McCullough. “Making this decision was simply the right thing to do for the children’s future, and that’s always our main consideration at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.” The Director has said that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and the board has already received many calls from parents who are also excited by the new full-day JK program and want to enrol their children. All of the Sudbury Catholic elementary schools are holding open houses on Monday, January 18th, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The open houses will give parents the opportunity to get a jump start on registration for their child.

St. Andrew School Community Proudly Supports Student Success

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The parents from St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School generously dedicated their evening hours once every two months to work at Bingo One and earned extra funds to support student success for their children. Some of the wonderful things they have done are to support an amazing up to date library, stock the classroom libraries, grassed the soccer field, supplied trees for the field, purchased a summer shade structure and funded many extra curricular field trips to support the arts and athletics in the school. A warm thank you goes out to the parents on behalf of the St. Andrew Catholic School community!

A Sharing of Culture and Support for St. Joseph and St. David

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Students from St. Joseph and St. David’s Catholic Elementary Schools joined together for the day at St. David’s schools to build links between the two communities. The students’ teachers, Irene Dembek from St. Joseph and Christina Kilby from St. David’s brought their classes together as part of their multi-school project to build knowledge and understanding of the history and traditions found in Aboriginal culture. It is their hope that their project would begin building supportive relationships for Aboriginal students and illicit parent involvement in order to assist students in their embracing of their cultural background. Will Morin, a local artist and story teller was invited in to the school to share his stories and his expertise in Aboriginal culture with both the Aboriginal students as well as the general student population.

Sudbury Catholic Board Decides to Build Holy Cross Catholic School, JK to Grade 6

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The Sudbury Catholic District School Board unanimously voted to make its newest high-tech green school a Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 elementary school. The Board’s Trustees made the decision at the December 15, 2009 Board meeting.

The trustees decided the new Holy Cross Catholic School in Sudbury’s south end would be a separate Dual Track JK to Grade 6 School, located near St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. The new school will also include an early-learning daycare facility and a 4,000 square foot gymnasium.

“Holy Cross is going to be a fantastic new school,” says Board Chair Jody Cameron, “It will be high-tech, offering the latest in educational technology – while being an intimate, safe and personable environment for children ranging from our new full-day junior kindergarten program to Grade 6. It’s an exciting time.”

Meantime, the Catholic Board also decided it will offer Grade 7 to 12 programming next door at the existing St. Benedict’s Catholic Secondary School. This will include the construction of new classrooms and a third gymnasium. The renovations will also include a new “cafetorium” (which is a combination of a cafeteria and auditorium) to serve both the elementary and secondary students. It could seat as many as 500 people for concerts, plays, presentations, guest speakers, and other special events.

“These two projects are exciting for students, parents, and teachers in our Catholic schools,” says Board Director, Catherine McCullough, “It’s a great decision which will continue to enhance our community partnerships. These students who already benefit from programs like our nationally-recognized laptop learning program will now have even more educational tools at their fingertips to help them have a balanced educational experience and go on to succeed in life.”

The Board Trustees made the decision after extensive consultation with the school communities impacted. The new Holy Cross Catholic School will open in September 2011. The new and improved St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School will also be ready for the fall of 2011. Both projects combined are projected to cost $16.2-million with $11.7-million coming from the provincial government – while the Board has agreed to contribute $4.5-million.

Sudbury Catholic Board Names New High-Tech, Green Elementary School

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There was a celebratory as Trustees with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board voted to name Sudbury’s new elementary school. In the end, trustees selected the name “Holy Cross Catholic School.”

“The name ‘Holy Cross’ has significant meaning,” says Board Chair, Jody Cameron, “The four points of the cross represents the coming-together of four existing school communities into one new, learning community where our children will learn and make lifelong friends. This is a very exciting time for the Board and the expansion of Catholic Education in Sudbury’s south end.”

The decision comes after extensive consultation with students, teachers and parents from Corpus Christi, St. Christopher, St. Michael and St. Theresa schools — as well as St. Francis. The Board also got input from the local Parishes and community partners.

The new school will serve elementary students in the city’s south end and will be located on the St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School site. Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is equally pleased with the decision of the new school’s name.

McCullough emphasized, “Holy Cross Catholic School will have lower energy and utility costs than traditionally built schools, and the money saved can go back into the classrooms. That means more money to expand on programs such as our already-established, nationally-recognized Learning with Laptops program as well as full-day junior kindergarten which the Board announced just last month.”

“The naming of this new state-of-the-art school is only the beginning of the many new steps that our Board will be taking in creating this educational village in the city’s south end,” stated Board Chair Cameron, “The next step is to complete the architectural final plans for the design of the new school and get shovels in the ground.”

The Board will decide on the site plan for Holy Cross at next Tuesday’s regular Board meeting. The school will open in September 2011.

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