Today, we celebrate Early Childhood Educators’ Day and recognize the incredible Early Childhood Educators who help shape the hearts and minds of our youngest learners.
When a child is old enough to begin school, it marks a special milestone for families – and an even bigger one for the students themselves. Our ECEs play a vital role in creating welcoming, nurturing, and engaging environments that spark curiosity and support the growth of every child. Through their care, creativity, and compassion, they lay the foundation for lifelong learning and faith-filled development.
What we don’t always see are the busy classrooms, the messes, and the less-than-perfect moments – but what we always see are the smiles, the dedication, and the passion our ECEs bring to their work each day.
On behalf of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, thank you for your dedication, kindness, and the joy you bring into our Kindergarten classrooms. Your work truly makes a difference.
During the third week of October, we recognize School Bus Safety Week and take time to thank our bus drivers and local transportation partners for their ongoing commitment to student safety.
School Bus Safety Info for Riders
Parents and guardians can help reinforce school bus safety by reminding children to keep a safe distance from the bus and to ensure that they and the driver can see each other at all times. Take a moment to review the bus safety tips and resources below with your family to help ensure a safe journey for you and your loved ones.
Wait in a safe place well back from the edge of the road – don’t play in ditches or on snow banks.
Stay out of the DANGER ZONE. If you can touch the bus, you’re too close. Use 10 giants steps to take you out of the DANGER ZONE, and make sure you and the bus driver can see each other.
Always cross the road in front of the bus, never behind.
Look all ways and wait for the driver to signal before you cross in front of a bus.
Walk at least 10 big steps from the front of the bus.
Enter or exit the bus in single file. Never push or shove.
Walk – never run – across the road.
NEVER stop to pick up anything that you may have dropped in the DANGER ZONE. Ask an adult or the bus driver to help.
At Sudbury Catholic District School Board, many of our students begin and end their school days with a bus ride. We all play a role in ensuring safe roads for school buses and the students they transport. If you’re a motorist, please play your part in keeping our students safe while riding the bus:
RED FLASHING LIGHTS = NO PASSING
When you see a stopped bus with red flashing lights, remember to stop. This signals that students might be crossing the road.
FLASHING OVERHEAD AMBER LIGHTS = BUS IS SLOWING DOWN
If you spot flashing amber lights, it means the bus is slowing down to make a stop. Slow down, prepare to stop, and watch for students crossing the road.
A piece of local history came full circle at St. Francis Catholic Elementary School when Ontario’s current Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Edith Dumont, visited the school and added her signature beside that of former Lieutenant Governor Pauline Mills McGibbon, who visited the school in 1975.
The discovery was made as part of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s (SCDSB) Hall Pass to History campaign, an initiative that highlights memorable moments and milestones throughout the Board’s history. While looking through archival materials, staff at St. Francis Catholic Elementary School uncovered an old visitor sign-in book from 1975 containing the signatures of Lieutenant Governor Pauline McGibbon, Ontario’s first female Lieutenant Governor, and Sudbury Mayor Joe Fabbro.
Nearly 50 years later, Lieutenant Governor Dumont’s visit created a remarkable link between past and present. Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre also took part in the event, signing his name beside the 1975 entry made by Mayor Fabbro.
During her visit, Lieutenant Governor Dumont toured classrooms, met with students and staff, and learned about the SCDSB’s Indigenous Education Program.
Through the guidance of Elders, Knowledge Carriers, and the Board’s dedicated Indigenous Support Team, the Indigenous Education Program provides all students with meaningful opportunities to learn about Indigenous peoples from both historical and contemporary perspectives. The Indigenous Support Workers at the school and across the Board work directly with students to promote cultural understanding, build connections, and support the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of every child.
The Honourable Edith Dumont also spoke with Kylie Simpson, a graduate of St. Francis who published her first thriller novel at the age of twelve, about her writing journey and plans for a sequel.
The visit marked a proud moment for students and staff at St. Francis Catholic Elementary School, provided a meaningful connection between generations, and served as a reminder of the school’s longstanding place in the community.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.
This Thanksgiving, we are filled with heartfelt gratitude for our incredible Sudbury Catholic community — our students, families staff, and parish partners who inspire us each day through their faith, kindness, and compassion. This Thanksgiving, may we continue to open our hearts in gratitude, show kindness to others, and share our blessings generously.
As we gather to celebrate this special holiday, we give thanks for the many blessings within our schools and communities. Prayer offers us a beautiful opportunity to express our Catholic faith and reflect on the gifts we’ve been given.
Please join us in a special Thanksgiving Prayer for our community as we wish you and your loved ones a holiday filled with joy, peace, and thankfulness.
Loving God,
As we gather in gratitude this Thanksgiving, we thank You for the many blessings You have placed in our lives and within our Sudbury Catholic School community.
We are grateful for our students and their bright spirits, for the dedication of our educators and staff, for the support of our families and parishes, and for the partnerships that strengthen our schools.
In this season of thankfulness, we remember those who are in need—those who may be facing challenges, loneliness, or hardship. May they feel Your love through the kindness and generosity of others.
Help us to carry a spirit of gratitude and service in all that we do, recognizing Your presence in our daily lives and in the people around us.
May this Thanksgiving fill our hearts with peace, joy, and a renewed sense of community and faith.
Just in time for Thanksgiving Weekend, students at St. Anne School took part in a hands-on learning experience with the school’s Indigenous Support Worker, Ms. Carissa. They explored traditional fall harvesting and celebrated the gifts of the land, giving thanks to Mother Earth. 🌽
Through this activity, students learned about gratitude, community, and caring for others. They even created beautiful beaded corn to honour the harvest, connect with Indigenous culture, and explore practices that respect the natural world. Miigwetch to Ms. Carissa for sharing your knowledge and guiding this special experience!
Across the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, our schools are embracing Thanksgiving with kindness, gratitude, and a spirit of community. Check out more stories from our schools celebrating this season of thanks on social media.
Students in the Hospitality and Tourism program at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School recently hosted their annual Friendsgiving event, where they prepared and served a full Thanksgiving meal for clients from the March of Dimes. We are pleased to share that once again, this event was a resounding success!
Thank you to all students and staff who took part in the event, and to Hospitality and Tourism teacher Mike Sipos for organizing this meaningful endeavour for another year.
March of Dimes Canada is a national charity dedicated to championing equity, empowering ability, and creating real change that helps people with disabilities in Sudbury and across the country unlock the richness of their lives.
This annual tradition provides St. Benedict students with a hands-on opportunity to showcase their culinary skills, foster community connections, and celebrate Thanksgiving with a spirit of gratitude. The event allowed students and guests to come together over a shared meal , strengthening relationships and spreading joy during the Thanksgiving season.
St. Benedict School Shared:
“We are thrilled to provide our students with real-world experiences in hospitality while connecting with members of our community. Friendsgiving is about more than food—it’s about gratitude, collaboration, and celebrating the bonds that make our community strong.”
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board would like to extend its thanks to the March of Dimes organization for partnering with our students and supporting meaningful opportunities that highlight both community service and student learning.
Today, on International Teachers’ Day, we celebrate the incredible role teachers play in our organization. Every day, our teachers help students explore new ideas, develop skills, and discover their passions; constantly shaping the young minds of tomorrow.
Being able to teach is a special gift. It takes a kindhearted and dedicated individual to not only share knowledge, but to inspire confidence, nurture curiosity, and encourage growth. Teachers light the spark that leads students to dream big and work hard to achieve their goals.
In the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, our teachers have an additional and very special calling. Catholic teachers are not only educators, but also faith leaders, community builders, and moral role models within our schools and the broader Catholic community. They are called to integrate faith into all aspects of learning, not just in religion class, but across every subject and every interaction. They serve as witnesses to Gospel values such as compassion, forgiveness, integrity, and service, helping students grow in both their knowledge and their personal relationship with God.
When you see an engineer, a nurse, a talented musician, a skilled electrician, or any professional who has found their calling, remember that a teacher was there at the beginning of that journey. Behind every success story, there is a teacher who believed, supported, and guided along the way.
On behalf of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, thank you to all of our teachers. Your passion, dedication, and care are shaping not just students, but the future.
In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, St. Anne school community came together in a meaningful and heartfelt way to honour the children, families, and communities affected by residential schools.
Leading up to this important day, Ms. Carissa, the school’s Indigenous Support Worker, guided students and staff through learning and reflection rooted in the spirit of truth and reconciliation. Through the sharing of Phyllis’s books and videos, they learned about the significance of Orange Shirt Day and engaged in thoughtful conversations around how we can demonstrate reconciliation and move forward together in unity.
As part of our learning journey, students created promise/ prayer ties using the four sacred colours of the Medicine Wheel—each one carrying a message of hope and a promise for reconciliation: Yellow–We promise tolisten and learn, Red–We promise tobe kind and care for each other,Black– We promiseto showrespect to all people and cultures, White–We promise toremember the children in our hearts and share the truth.
On the day of our event, the school first gathered as a community to reflect on the 7 Grandfather Teachings—Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth. They focused especially on Respect, our monthly virtue, recognizing it as the root of truth and reconciliation. Together, they explored how respect is not only one of the teachings, but one that connects and supports all the others.
Together, they walked in reflection, carrying these promises and prayers in our hearts. At the end of their walk, we placed our prayer ties on a specially created banner that will be displayed in our school as a daily reminder of our ongoing commitment to reconciliation.
This banner serves as a symbol of hope, action, and remembrance—a daily visual reminder that Every Child Matters / Chaque Enfant Compte / Gichi-apiitendaagoziwag Akina Abinoonjiiyag and our schools’ commitment to truth and reconciliation. We also created reflective artwork for our school display for this day.
Today, we join together to celebrate National Custodial Appreciation Day and recognize the exceptional contributions of our dedicated Custodial Team. This includes staff members such as custodians, assistant custodians, cleaners, BSTs, and maintenance staff.
It is no secret that these skilled professionals tackle some of the biggest and most physically demanding jobs in our school and office buildings, all in all ensuring safe, welcoming, and healthy environments where students can learn and staff can work with confidence. From meticulously maintained classrooms and hallways to spotless gyms, parking areas, and school grounds, their work touches every corner of our community. As we move through our school year, we do so with confidence, knowing that the educational experiences taking place each day are happening in spaces shaped by their strength, commitment, and exceptional attention to detail.
On behalf of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, we extend our sincere gratitude to all members of our custodial team. Your ongoing care and dedication ensure the safety and well-being of our entire community and continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of everyone at Sudbury Catholic Schools. Thank you for all that you do.
