Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Category: Student Achievement

Sudbury Catholic Schools Stand With Ukraine!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board was invited, along with other partners in education across the province, to take a stand on Thursday, March 10, 2022, as “#StandWithUkraine Blue and Yellow Day”. On this day, students and staff were encouraged to wear blue and yellow clothing and, where possible, donate a toonie to the “Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.”

We were grateful we could join together as a Board and take a united stance with our colleagues and students across the province by sharing our thoughts and prayers to all those affected by this ongoing tragedy. We began our day by coming together in a system-wide prayer for peace. Together, we prayed for those impacted by this invasion and for a quick resolution to the conflicts, destruction, and deaths being experienced by the people of Ukraine. We prayed for peace, and we prayed for God’s love to shine through and touch the hearts of everyone on this earth. We invite you to continue to pray with us by using our system-wide prayer.

Prayer for Ukraine

In addition to participating in the province-wide blue and yellow day, Sudbury Catholic students, staff, and families have actively created ways to support and stand with Ukraine. Schools have hopped right in to provide support by developing fundraisers, participating in various awareness activities, inciting prayer, etc. We are proud to take this time to highlight a sample of some of the different types of actions completed by members of our community.

Secondary Highlights

St. Benedict

Students in the learning support program at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, created Ukrainian themed keychains. After completing their keychains, these gifts were hand-delivered to members of their community.

In addition to creating Ukrainian themed keychains, St. Benedict chose to #StandWithUkraine by hosting a blue and yellow dress-down day on March 9, 2022. On this day, they managed to raise $2600 to support Ukrainian Humanitarian Efforts. We want to provide a special shout-out to the student council who originally came up with the idea of this day and members of faculty, including Joanne Burke, James MacNeil and Megan McMillan, who helped organize this effort. Fantastic job, Bears!

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Marymount Academy 

MMA faculty wear blue and yellow in support of Ukraine!

MMA regals wore blue and yellow in solidarity with other Catholic schools across the province, and thanks to the donations, the school raised $500 as a school community. Classes also created blue and yellow cranes to show their support.

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Bishop Alexander Carter

In addition to having a dress-down day for students and staff at Bishop Alexander Carter, their school community raised donations by offering pizza concessions to help further their actions and raise even more proceeds to stand with Ukraine. All proceeds from these fundraising efforts will be donated to #HELPUKRAINENOW. 

St. Charles College 

Cardinals swapped their red uniform to participate in Thursday’s blue and yellow day. In addition to showing support through their clothing, students in Ms. Dzuirban’s class created a beautiful poster supporting the people of Ukraine!

Elementary Highlights

St. Paul

St. Paul Students take time to snap a shot during #StandWithUkraine Blue and Yellow Day!

St. Charles

St. Charles School in Chelmsford paused took a second to pause and show off their blue and yellow attire that demonstrates how they are standing in solidarity with those in Ukraine. Rams of all shapes and sizes were happy to support and make donations to support Ukraine in their school’s worthy cause. 

St. Francis 

Students and staff at St. Francis School had a Canada Day-themed spirit day. They thought it was imperative to highlight that they stand with Ukraine as Canadians and as St. Francis Flames. Together as a school community, they jointly raised $408 for the families of Ukraine.

St. John 

In addition to wearing blue and yellow in solidarity with other Catholic schools across the province, St. John School ran a “Popcorn for Peace” campaign from March 7 – March 10. With a goal in mind to raise $1000, their school community quickly jumped up, or should we say “popped up,” to meet the challenge. Offering popcorn sacks for a minimum donation of $2.00 per bag, their school community amazingly raised $1250 in just four days. The only thing that makes this news better is seeing so many smiling faces. Knowing this money is being donated to St. Mary’s Catholic Ukraine Church to help Ukrainian people makes us smile as well. Go, Jaguars, go!!

Students in St. John’s English FDK class created blue and yellow flags in honour of the people in Ukraine. They learned that different flags represent different places in the world and that right now, the Ukrainian flag is a symbol of people who need our prayers. 

Holy Trinity

Students at Holy Trinity showed their support for friends in Ukraine during Winter Fun Day on March 10. Ms. Skelly’s class made a fantastic sign in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. A donation jar was also created in blue and yellow, resulting in a $331 donation generously brought forward by various students, staff and parents at Holy Trinty. Good job Redbirds!

Holy Cross

Holy Cross has been very busy. Grade 6 students Abigail and Sara approached the school with what they could do to help. Putting their heads together, they decided that they would be able to help Ukraine by constructing and selling blue and yellow hand-made bracelets and pins for their school community. This amazing act not only provided a fun and visible way for the girls to raise money for donations, but it was also a beautiful concept that utilized their existing talents to help Holy Cross School stand in support with the people of Ukraine. 

“I really wanted to help the people of Ukraine, and making pins and bracelets is one of the ways I knew I could help”. – Abigail Debruyn, Grade 6 student at Holy Cross

After countless hours of hard work, Abby and Sara’s beautiful bracelets and pins were up for grabs, and their fellow students were quick to swipe them. Both staff and students eagerly lined up in the front-hall entrance to make their donations. The girls also passed around the school at lunchtime to ensure everyone had an opportunity to donate and recieve a pin or bracelet. Thanks to the efforts of these extraordinary young leaders, Abby and Sarah were able to raise $2252.05 that will be donated to St. Mary’s parish, who will, in turn, donate the money to humanitarian efforts. 

“I want to help in any way I can because it is the right thing to do”. – Sara Wolski, Grade 6 student at Holy Cross

In addition to Sara and Abby, students at the school continued to support the Ukraine campaign by baking and decorating cookies. The Ukrainian themed cookies were sold door to door and helped raise an additional $450. Holy Cross would like to thank everyone who took the time to generously donate their time, talents, and monetary funds to support Ukraine. Thanks to the efforts of many caring individuals, their community was able to stand with Ukraine during and promote peace. Students and staff plan to continue to stand with Ukraine by wearing their bracelets and pins as support.

We all have a responsibility for peace!

At Sudbury Catholic District School Board, we follow and promote the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations. The Ontario Catholic School Graduate is a responsible citizen who gives witness to Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life. This involves acting morally and legally as a person formed in Catholic traditions, witnessing Catholic social teaching by promoting equality, democracy, and solidarity for a just, peaceful and compassionate society, and respecting and affirming the diversity and interdependence of the world’s peoples and cultures.

There have been countless examples of how different communities exhibit this expectation and stand with the people of Ukraine during this time of need. It is our sincere hope that by highlighting some examples of how our schools have supported Ukraine, we can continue to work together as responsible citizens on this earth and inspire others to stand in solidarity to end the violence and suffering for the people of Ukraine.

Upon its completion, St. Charles College students proudly showed off their Stand With Ukraine poster.

Sudbury Catholic School Students Raise $3350 for Habitat For Humanity!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Last month, over 300 Sudbury Catholic School students in Grades 4-6 used their critical thinking and innovation to submit entries in the forms of essays, stories, and poems on the topic of what HOME means to them as part of the Meaning of Home Contest sponsored by Chapman’s Ice Cream.

For every entry a student submitted, Chapman’s pledged to make a $10 donation on behalf of that student to Sudbury’s local Habitat for Humanity organization to help build safe and affordable homes for families in the Greater Sudbury community. 

With this contest, our students helped to build safe homes, but they also gained greater awareness surrounding the national issue of Canada’s housing crisis that so many families struggle with all over Canada. By working together to make a local difference, our students were able to see how they can contribute to building a just society for others and grow as leaders in learning and faith.

As a result of the hard work and efforts completed by staff, educators, and elementary students, Sudbury Catholic Schools collectively raised $3350 to be donated to the Local Habitat for Humanity Chapter by Chapman’s Ice Cream.

“It was exciting to provide our learners with a meaningful activity that supported them into becoming more advanced writers. These writing tasks not only challenged our students to make a difference in the world around them by thinking creatively about the topic —the meaning of home— it showed that by working together, a simple action can produce extraordinary results.” – Peter Prochilo, SCDSB Superintendent of School Effectiveness 

In addition to helping families in Greater Sudbury, the contest was an opportunity that helped students live out and apply the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations – important principles that support Catholic students in becoming more responsible citizens and collaborative contributors in the community. The success of the contest clearly demonstrated how Sudbury Catholic School students understand these expectations and how to apply them in their life and in their education.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board would like to thank all of our teachers and students for participating in this initiative. Collectively, our actions at Sudbury Catholic Schools resulted in a $3350 donation, but as a country we raised over $130,000 in corporate donations! Please refer to the Meaning of Home Thank You Letter! 

We invite you to check out some of the wonderful entries submitted by our students!

Sudbury Catholic School Entries

Grade 4 Christians Remote Learning School

Grade 6 Max V St. Paul Catholic Elementary School

When someone asks what HOME means to me one word comes to mind. LOVE. Home is where my mother and brother live with me.  What makes our home special is that my mother has worked so hard to design a new home that meets our needs.  From the day we hammered the SOLD sign in the ground till the day we moved in we visited it each and everyday to see its progress. When I am older, I want to be an architect, so I helped my mom design the house and worked with the blueprints. I even got to design my very own secret room downstairs. It was a ton of fun! 

My home is not a place. Home has feelings. Feeling like relaxation, comfort, happiness and love. Home is where my family comes to visit, eat and spend time together. A home is where I can build memories and since our home is new the possibilities are endless. I am excited.  

My home smells of fresh baking, homemade pasta sauce, a special candle or a fresh load of laundry.  When I enter the doors of my home I take a deep breath and smile.  

My home is a place where we can all wind down sit on the couch in front of our fireplace and talk about how our day was. My home is where I can be myself. If I want to listen to my Genesis vinyl full blast I can.

I am so lucky to have a caring home filled with LOVE.

Grade 4 Fiona Remote Learning School

Holy Cross Student Will Donate Hair to Cancer Centre

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Next week, a Sudbury Catholic District School Board student will generously donate a piece of themselves to help patients in a worthy cause.

Pictured: Jackson Jost-Noob

Jackson Jost-Noob is a fourth-grade student and fearless 10-year-old at Holy Cross Elementary School in the south end of Greater Sudbury. Before Feb. 19th, 2022, his hairdresser will cut off a total of 12 inches of his long, golden hair to then be donated to the Cancer Centre to help patients fighting cancer.

By cutting off his long hair in multiple ponytails, he will definitely be looking like a brand-new student, but his family, teachers and friends say they will all know him to be the same, warm-hearted child eager to help others any way he can.

Although Jackson says he feels a little apprehensive about losing so much hair, he feels really good knowing that it is going towards helping someone on their journey of fighting cancer.

His mother, Monika Jost, said she initially got the idea from a male student in high school who did the same thing and donated his hair years ago. Then when COVID happened, she presented the idea to him.

“I think we all remember that time when everyone was running around with a signature COVID-19 haircut,” jokes Monika. “When COVID happened, and Jackson could not get haircuts, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to do something.”

Jackson hopes that his actions will inspire other people to do the same and rock a new signature look. “I hope other kids will consider growing their hair and donating it because it is a good thing to do.”

“We are very proud of him,” says Monika. “What he is doing is beautiful. We’re excited that we are able to have this positive experience and believe it can encourage other children his age about the powerful act of doing something for someone else out of the goodness of your heart.”

Jackson expressed that he is already considering growing out his hair again and donating it once more. We are so touched by this amazing act of kindness from one of our young leaders.

Please stay tuned for pictures of Jackson’s hair cut happening next week!

Bishop Alexander Carter Students Advance to Championship Rounds in the Skills Ontario’s Junk Drawer Races!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Grades 2-12 students across the province were invited to participate in the first-ever Skills Ontario’s Junk Drawer Races!  In this program, students had fun while exploring various challenges to build their skills and explore different pathways.

This morning the winners of the Regional round of the competition were announced on Skills Ontario’s  YouTube channel.

We are excited to report that a team of BAC grade 7 students placed 2nd in the Air Glider Challenge and three teams of BAC grade 8 students placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the hydraulic crane challenge.

These teams will be competing in the Provincial Championship round and will have until February 16th to review their existing blueprints, potentially modify their designs to meet the provincial challenge and construction requirements while explaining their modifications and submit their new submissions.  Provincial Submissions will be evaluated by industry volunteers, and the top three teams will be awarded prizes by Skills Ontario. Winning teams will be notified by March 10th . 

We wish our students the best of luck and thank Skills Ontario, industry partners, the Government of Ontario and Bombardier for giving our students a unique experiential learning opportunity.

St. David Class Wins National Student Video Contest

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Grade 4 students at St. David Catholic Elementary School were thrilled to discover their September video submission was honoured as a national winner in the 2021 Take Me Outside Student Video Contest.  

The Take Me Outside Student Video Contest is a national competition aiming to get students outside by encouraging them to submit their best, self-made video, featuring how they like to spend their time exploring the outdoors in Canada. 

With a tight deadline of Sept. 17th and less than two weeks back at school, Mrs. Toffoli’s class were up for the challenge and placed second nationwide in the class category. In reward for their tremendous work, the class received gift cards from MEC to help get them outside even more!

“I am so proud of my classmates and my teacher because we won second place in Canada.” Edrea, Gr. 4 Student

“I am so happy that we got second place. Our hard work paid off.” Diymtrius, Gr. 4 Student

Mrs. Toffoli and her teaching assistant Brandon Antonioni ensured students had the support and resources to inspire the creativity needed to create the video and follow the rules. 

“When I first heard about the contest, I knew right away St. David School had the perfect backyard. We have such amazing trails and a great outdoor classroom that showcases Canada’s beauty. The students worked hard on this contest and came up with some brilliant reasons why learning from and on the land is important to them.” Stephanie Toffoli, Gr. 4 Teacher 

“At St. David School, we continue to work to enhance our teaching pedagogy to ensure that we include not only Indigenous theory and knowledge in our lessons but also ways of being. An important part of Truth and Reconciliation is learning on the land and acknowledging the teachings around us in nature. We thank our Indigenous community partners and Elders that continue to support our learning on the land, as well as thank wonderful organizations such as “Take Me Outside” for the encouragement they offer to all schools to take that step outside and enhance our learning.” Dawn-Marie Wemigwans, Principal

The winning video can be found at: St. David Catholic Elementary School’s Take Us Outside Video.

For more information about St. David Catholic Elementary School, please visit, www.st-david.sudburycatholicschools.ca

Beards Bakery Brings Holy Cross Student’s Donut Design to Life!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Meet Nate, the Donut Designer!

When he is not inventing a new donut called “The Magnolia” at Beards Bakery, he is a busy Grade 3 student in Mrs. Whalen’s Grade 3/4 class at Holy Cross School.

Pictured: Holy Cross Student and Donut Designer, Nate proudly shows off his “Magnolia” donuts outside Beards Bakery

Why did Nate create a donut, and what does this have to do with school? Well, it all started with an idea and a little persuasion.

This past school year, Mrs. Whalen taught Nate and his classmates about the author’s purpose, which involves concentrating on convincing others and practicing persuasion through persuasive writing.

To help students understand persuasion, Mrs. Whalen had an idea to get each student to design a donut with the goal that once their creation was complete, they had to convince their other classmates why their donut design was the best. This would put their writing skills to the test and make them ponder how they could best convince and persuade their classmates using the skills they had learned from their lessons.

To make this persuasive writing activity a reality, Mrs. Whalen reached out to Beards Bakery, located on Kathleen Street, at the end of August to see if the owner would be interested in helping out.

Pictured: Beards Bakery’s Magnolia Donuts

Jess, Beards Bakery owner, quickly and enthusiastically agreed, and the plan was set in motion!

Under Mrs. Whalen’s instruction, students illustrated and labelled their donuts and then wrote a paragraph to persuade their audience (classmates) to believe that their donut design was the best. Following this, students presented their donut designs, and each student voted for their favourite. The activity was extra exciting because Beards agreed to serve the winning donut at their storefront on Nov. 6th.

Fast forward to this November. Students then worked on designing a donut using nothing but their imagination and a toppings list provided by Beards.

The students all did a fabulous job using their words and illustrations to persuade the class. Nate was crowned the ultimate donut designer and was excited to have Beards Bakery bring his winning donut, “The Magnolia,” to life. What made the occasion more fun was his brother’s 10th Birthday fell on Nov. 6th and was celebrated with a specially designed Beards donut.

Nate’s family ordered many donuts to share with their friends and family. The rest of the class also had the option to visit Beards to purchase a donut on the day. A HUGE thanks to Beards Bakery for embracing this idea and helping us out. ‘Donut’ forget that you’re fantastic!

St. Benedict Student Becomes Newest Addition to the Provincial EQAO Student Engagement Committee

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Meet Myra Mead! 

Your newest member of our provincial EQAO Student Engagement committee. WOW! 

We want to congratulate Myra who was selected out of 250+ students to be on this very important committee to promote student voice and find ideas/ strategies that will help our school community become more inclusive. Myra and the 34 other students that were selected in Ontario, carry on a role of leadership in their schools by attending regular zoom meetings and have wholesome discussions around equity and student needs. Well done Myra, we are extremely thrilled to celebrate your accomplishment, while starting our grade 11’s off in the OSSLT testing this week.

Pictured St. Benedict C.S.S Student Myra Mead

SCDSB Celebrates International Day of the Girl with a Series of Online Events by Skills Ontario

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

The International Day of the Girl was established by the United Nations in 2012 and is recognized as a day to acknowledge girls and their rights, education, and opportunities.

Skills Ontario offered a series of online events and challenges to celebrate this special occasion from October 4th-11th.

Students at Marymount Academy seized the opportunity to learn about women in the trades and participated in the following challenges put on by Skills Ontario:

  • Industrial Sector Welding (i.e. Popsicle Stick Playgrounds)
  • Service Sector (i.e. Paper Dresses)
  • Construction Sector (i.e. Marshmallow Towers)

The week ended with a virtual conference, For Girls, By Girls! dedicated to empowering girls through relatable and engaging content. For Girls, By Girls provided viewers with the opportunity to hear from girls in elementary and senior elementary to discuss their perspectives of how they perceive the skilled trades and technologies. Keynote speaker Kyara Cabrera Fong, Auto Body Technician Apprentice and Panel Leader Courtney Chard, Pipe Welder led the conference. 

Pictured are the creations from Mrs. Rinaldi’s grade 7 class.

St. David School Wins Grand Prize as a “National School of the Future”!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

On June 25th, 2021, St. David School was named a grand prize winner in the National Schools of the Future competition presented by MindShare Learning.

MindShare Learning is Canada’s leading EdTech strategy consulting, news, and professional learning events company. It specializes in providing strategic solutions to learning and technology providers in the K-12, higher ed and lifelong learning space, to support student success.

Last spring, our very own St. David School completed a video submission that showcased various remote learning activities and events that were completed with staff and students.

Based on their amazing video submission, St. David school placed third overall in Canada, and first overall in Ontario. For their work and creativity the school was awarded a prize pack estimated at $10,000 which was personally delivered earlier this month by MindShare Learning’s Founder and President, Robert Martellacci.

Prizes included…

  • Online Platform Access to Nelson Edwin
  • Collaboration Station from Dell Technologies (includes Dell Latitude 5420 Notebook, Alienware Keyboard, Mouse, and Mouse Pad)
  • Gaming Backpack for Teachers (includes Yeti Mugs, Wireless Keyboard, Wireless Mouse, EDU Headset, and HD Webcam)
  • Smith Systems Steelcase Furniture (2 Soft Rockers, 2 Oodle Stool)
  • And More!

Robert Martellacci, Founder and President of MindShare Learning came in person to congratulate students and deliver the prizes. “What I was so impressed with is the passion that the teachers had in supporting students and creating a community. St. David stood out to me for the enthusiasm shown by both students and teachers to create an environment that is dedicated to enhancing modern learning. We had a judges panel that viewed all video submissions. The imagination and creative thinking that engaged kids at St. David exceeded the expectations we had. The leadership here is something to be shared nationally and the inspiration of our contest is really about getting beyond pockets of innovation and sharing best practices and successes that inspire others across the country on how to be better and how to help kids learn better. That is why we selected St. David’s as third overall Canada and number one in Ontario.” Says Mr. Martellacci

The school community would like to thank Christina Raso (our temporary grade ½ teacher and the Board’s Experiential Lead Consultant) for supporting the school in promoting experiential learning. Experiential learning opportunities are directly connected to our student’s engagement. When students are engaged, they are happy and excited to learn,” stated Dawn Wemigwans, St. David School principal.

Pictured are students and staff a long with MindShare Learning President!

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