Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Category: Student Wellness

K-12 Cyber Awareness Month

Posted on by Erin Kendall

To help Ontario school boards promote safer and more secure practices across their school communities when using digital technologies and the internet, The Educational Computing Network of Ontario (ECNO) has introduced a a campaign to promote cyber safety and encourage individuals to become better online cyber citizens.

The K-12 Cyber Awareness Month (CAM) campaign has been tailored for K-12 education and focuses on promoting cyber security, online safety and privacy in schools and the community. This campaign is an adaptation of October Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is often mentioned in the media.  

Campaign Resources

Each week in October, CAM will focus on a different theme related to cyber awareness. Please visit the ECNO website to access their complete toolkit.

ECNO Website

K-12 Cyber Awareness Calendar 2022-2023

Sudbury Catholic Schools Hosts Transition to School Event!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Sudbury Catholic wants to help families prepare for the next step of learning in a supportive program about transitioning to school!  

Sudbury Catholic District School Board is excited to announce our upcoming virtual event “Transition to School,” designed to provide the support students need to take the next step in their learning journey!

From August 29-31st, students and families are invited to attend live, online presentations from various Sudbury Catholic teachers to help them prepare for a new chapter this fall. Each session will run twice throughout Aug 29-31. See below for session dates/times and click here to attend!

Additional Event Information

Kindergarten, Primary, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior teachers will cover essential topics during this event. By attending, you will learn what to expect as a new student, know what to do if you want to speak with a resource or guidance teacher, learn who the key people you should connect with and so much more! Sessions will also deliver simple strategies to help ease anxiety and teach essential organization skills to help support student success. 

“Getting ready to take the next step in any learning journey can be scary. Whether it’s the first day of kindergarten or the first day of grade 12, the transition to a new grade level should be smooth and worry-free. Because every child’s journey is unique, each presentation will focus on how to help students in that grade level prepare for Sept, so they can reach their full potential at school.” – Jennifer Connelly, St. Francis Principal 

No sign up required!

Students and parents can join teachers live on Aug 29-31, to help them prepare for school in September. To join the event, click the button below!

JOIN THIS EVENT!

St. Benedict Students Wear Blue For World Autism Day!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

On April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day was celebrated around the world. Though this day took place on the weekend, we still saw schools take part. Last week the Learning Support Center students at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School organized a World Autism Day activity whereby students in the building signed colourful puzzle pieces.

These puzzle pieces are symbolic of Autism as it reminds people of how little is known about the disability. In 2018, the puzzle piece symbol was recently replaced with a set of circles, but today many students still identify with the puzzle insignia. 

In photo: Mrs. Mary Villeneuve, Amedeo Folino, William Speropoulos and Zander Zubal helped to celebrate the spectrum with the signatures of students and staff at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School.

In addition to signing puzzle pieces, students at the school were encouraged to wear as much blue as possible. In addition to being a beautiful colour, blue is also identified as the official colour for autism spectrum disorder awareness. By wearing blue, students and staff can support those with Autism and help bring further attention to the cause. 

Did you know that April is Autism Awareness month? 

Like a puzzle, wearing blue is just a tiny piece that makes up a larger puzzle of how we can all support. The United Nations established April as Autism Awareness month in 2008 to bring attention to the cause and help every child reach their full potential. Join us and learn more here. 

Holy Cross Students Brainstorm How to Lift Their Spirits for Bell Let’s Talk Day!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

For Bell Let’s Talk day, Holy Cross students from Madame Riutta’s class hold up their class mind map of ideas for staying positive and hopeful!


This week, lots of students have been brainstorming new and creative ways to lift themselves up when stuck in a negative rut. In addition to these wonderful mind maps, students have also made posters, videos and morning announcements on the topic! The idea is based on the book “How to Get Unstuck from the Negative Muck” by Lake Sullivan.


Stay tuned to CTV Northern News tonight as the teacher Mr. Clapperton and student Lia Gallo will be featured in story about Bell Let’s Talk day!

Holy Cross students reflect what has helped them be successful during remote learning

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Students at Holy Cross School in the South End missed being in-person at school, but rather than sit back these young leaders found creative ways to focus on the positive and stay connected to their friends and teachers! 

In an innovative way that allowed them to unite and connect with their school community from afar, Holy Cross School asked their students, with their guardian’s permission, to submit pictures and share incites on what got them through the latest stint of online learning at home. 

Bradley Wolski, in grade two, expressed that he enjoyed being cozy in his room while drumming and making noise during music class. He also enjoyed taking Dewey the dog for a walk at recess time. What a good idea! 

Preeya Mulligan-Graton says, “what helps me learn online is knowing that all my friends are learning with me. We are all in it together.” 

Tishe Esan says what keeps her going is “a comfy and quiet place where she can concentrate when learning at home.”

Overall, students thoroughly enjoyed speaking about their personal experiences on how they have been learning online. 

Although many students are looking forward to returning to in-class learning in the near future, this opportunity provided an integrative experience where students could discover how other individuals in their exact position kept positive.

A total of 24 students submitted their stories and pictures. As a special reward for inspiring and uplifting their school as young role models, these students received their very own Cub toque to help them keep on the schoolyard upon their return. Great work, Cubs! 

  • Tishe
  • Preeya
  • Bradley

Join Us For Our Webinar – Coping With Stress!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

STRESS! We all experience it. 

That’s why Sudbury Catholic Schools is pleased to invite you to register for our upcoming wellness webinar in January. At this webinar, two outstanding guest presenters will tackle this topic and provide coping strategies for dealing with stress. 

WHEN: WEDNESDAY JANUARY 19 AT 5:30 PM

Register Here

More Information: 

Alina Rukkila MSW, RSW and Jessie Jones CYW will lead us through an engaging session on dealing with the different types of stress and provide helpful strategies and tips we can incorporate to help us manage it when it happens. 

We all know that not all types of stress are bad. Good types of stress can help you focus, ensure you meet your daily challenges, and encourage you to reach specific goals you have for yourself. However, it’s essential to understand the difference between good and harmful types of stress. Over time, a continued strain on the body put on from stress can get the best of you. It’s paramount to identify the causes of daily stress and manage the intensity of these feelings. By knowing healthy coping strategies, we can enjoy life and learn happily.  

Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week 2021

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Bullying in all forms is considered a serious issue that affects student learning, sense of safety and overall well-being. Having respect and kindness towards one another is extremely important for our school board because a school should be a place where everyone feels included and everyone is welcome. By providing a safe learning environment, SCDSB can ensure student success and create responsible and compassionate leaders in learning and faith to help change the world for the better.

November 21 – 27, 2021 is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week. This week is designed to promote safe schools and positive learning environments and will encourage everyone to play their part in preventing bullying at school, online and in the community.

Yet one of the most important things to understand during these conversations of bullying, is that it’s not just something that happens at school or online – it also happens in your home and in your neighborhood as well as other places where children spend time. This week we ask everyone in our community (students, educators, staff, parents and guardians) to consider how they can play their part to prevent bullying wherever it might happen so that all children and people can learn and grow in safe, positive environments.

To help understand how you can play your part to stop bullying, please review the following resources provided by the Ministry of Education.

Resource Downloads

Information for Parents/Guardians
School Board Guide

Why Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week Matters

Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week is significant to note because it enables schools and community members to promote positive change in student learning, achievement, and well-being for a safer learning environment, which is essential to student success.

Everyone has a responsibility to stop bullying. This week is an opportunity to increase awareness of the available tools and resources that will encourage everyone to get involved with bullying prevention.

To assist in this effort, the Ministry of Education has provided themes that can be focused on each day during this week:

  • Bullying and Cyberbullying: Raising Awareness
  • Engaging the Whole School
  • Engaging Students
  • Engaging Parents, Guardians or Caregivers
  • Educator/School Staff Resources
Explore Themes

What is the Take Away?

Providing a safe environment ensures student success. Bullying Awareness and Prevention week is about spreading kindness and gratitude and being aware of what’s happening around you. Are you being accepting and inclusive? Can you do something to help someone who is being bullied or could be a bully? The leaders of tomorrow will be impacted by the leaders of today. By acknowledging bullying’s impact and finding ways to stop it, you will help keep our community rooted in respect for all.

Bullying in all forms hinders children, teens, and all individuals from fully reaching their potential and discovering the path they want to take. Sudbury Catholic Schools continues to foster acceptance, unity, and kindness in projects and organizations that aim to fight bullying and invite everyone to do their part.

Resources to Support

PREVNet

Website
Tip Sheets

Canada’s Healthy Relationships Hub

PREVNet is a national research and knowledge mobilization hub that brings together researchers and national organizations to build research capacity, assess youth relationship problems including bullying and dating violence, and promote evidence-based programs and effective policies across Canada to address and reduce youth interpersonal violence and promote healthy relationships.

Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

Website
World Kindness Day

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a small nonprofit that invests resources into making kindness the norm.

Their evidence-based Kindness in the Classroom® curriculum gives students the social and emotional skills needed to live more successful lives. Their workplace kindness calendar shows companies how easy it is to change workplace culture through simple kind gestures.

St. James Students Participate in Live Inspirational Talk with Dr. Jane Goodall

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

Students in Mr. MacNeill’s grade 7 & 8 class signed up for the annual Take Me Outside for Learning Challenge. The challenge is a commitment to ongoing outdoor learning throughout the school year.  Mr. MacNeill, his students and 700 000 other students across Canada made the commitment to learning outside at least one day per week.

This year marked the 11th annual Take Me Outside to Learn Day and in partnership with Canada’s Non-profit Outdoor Learning Store and MEC, they hosted a full week of speakers, activities and events that not only engaged students but deepened their connections with Indigenous perspectives, strengthened their health and well-being with outdoor learning, and increased their knowledge on climate change and the environment. 

On Thursday October 21st, Mr. MacNeill’s class along with seven hundred classes across the country were excited to participate in a live inspirational talk and Q&A with Dr. Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada. Dr. Goodall spoke about growing up without television and social media and how she spent most of her time outdoors. She stressed the importance of living in harmony with nature as it improves our mental well-being.

The Jane Goodall Institute explained the opportunity for students to participate in their Roots & Shoots funding program. Roots & Shoots focuses on Jane Goodall’s inspirational message of hope, reminding participants that every individual is important and every individual can make a difference. Through a unique 4-step program, educators lead youth from inspiration; to mapping their community for sustainability issues for people, animals and the environment; to taking action to solve those issues; and then celebrating the impact they have made. Through this journey, youth are engaged to take action on sustainability issues and become compassionate leaders.

We can’t wait to hear about the action project ideas that Mr. MacNeill’s class will discuss next week!


For more information about this initiative please visit Roots and Shoots or for additional support in filling out an application contact: christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca

Students in Mr. MacNeill’s grade 7 & 8 class listen to Jane Goodall speak as part of the 2021 Take Me Outside for Learning Challenge!

International Students & Host Families Participated in Pizza and Kahoot Games Night!

Posted on by Carlee Vendramin

International students & their host families enjoyed an evening of food and fun! Each family received a DIY pizza kit. Together, students and their families kneaded the fresh dough and personalized their pizza with their favourite toppings. After supper, international students from all of our secondary schools joined in via Zoom to learn about the history of pizza and to play a Kahoot trivia game about Sudbury!  We were ecstatic to discover that our students, although they haven’t been in Sudbury very long, were quite knowledgeable about our city!  We look forward to planning more fun nights with our students and families!

  • Pictured is Lo, a grade 11 student at Marymount Academy from Japan, with her host family members Bella and Tracey.
  • Pictured is Irene, a grade 11 student at St Benedict Catholic secondary student from Spain with her host sisters Emma and Audrey.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board offers international students an opportunity to achieve a competitive academic advantage while shaping students to be the leaders of tomorrow. Students receive exceptional math, science, social science, and language instruction in first-rate, innovative labs and school facilities. Administrators, teachers, support staff, and students are committed to creating a safe and welcoming school environment to help international students feel at home in our school communities. Extracurricular highlights include championship-winning sports teams, dynamic school clubs and student committees, and outdoor adventure opportunities.

For more information about our international education program, including program options and details regarding the application process, please visit the international education website at Come to Study Interested in becoming a host family for our students? Visit the following Link 

Pictured are international students from all of our secondary schools coming together to learn about the history of pizza and play a Kahoot trivia game about Sudbury!

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