St. Benedict students have been busy in Ms Dumont’s creative writing class after being inspired by Dr. Roger Nash’s poetry workshop at the school last April. Grade 12 student Emma Erikson said “his performance of a poem about a cricket was intriguing”. During a return visit to St. Ben’s this week, students performed a dramatic presentation of their own poetry for Dr. Nash. After each student’s enactment, Dr. Nash gave helpful suggestions such as including gestures, or props and people in their delivery. He stated he “enjoys working with young people, and that it is always good for students to experience poetry beyond the usual study of literature”.

Students in the St. Raphael Early Learning Kindergarten class participated in a very timely writing and drawing exercise. The students have been thinking about what makes their fathers so special in preparation for Father’s Day.

Student responses varied from “my dad takes me to the movies” to “my pops plays outside with me”.

St. Mary students had a first hand glimpse into the celebrations surrounding the recent Royal Wedding of Will and Kate when letters and pictures from their Pen Pals in England arrived. For the past two years, letters, gifts and even school apparel have been exchanged with St. Nicholas Church of England Primary School in Rayleigh, England (a distance of fifty-one kilometres from London, and a distance of 5646 kilometres from Capreol).

Last school year a link was made with Mrs. Lorna Pigman, Headteacher at St. Nicholas. Student letters were soon exchanged. Information about our Pen Pals was displayed on a central bulletin board so that all could read about our new friends. It was interesting to see that both schools have the same school colours, blue and gold.

This last set of letters included information about the Royal Wedding. The school had a street party in the playground. Students all brought food and were able to play party games. Everyone wore the colours of red, white and blue on the national holiday. St. Mary students will soon be writing about the end of year activities and their summer plans.

On Wednesday, May 18, 2011 it was all hands on deck at the Catholic Education Centre. For the second year in a row, the Sudbury Catholic District School Board celebrated Baby Day. Any staff who had a baby(ies) or grandbaby within the last year, was invited in for a celebration luncheon to reconnect with staff as well as celebrate the expansion of their families with their coworkers. The new moms, dads, and grandparents were presented with giftbags and had their name put in for draws. After introductions and prayer, the guests were treated to a full luncheon while other Board staff took care of the babies and allowed the parents and grandparents some restful time. “It is such a great way to celebrate as a Catholic community and build staff relationships,” stated Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the Board. “ There is no greater miracle than new life and we encourage our staff and their babies to celebrate with us especially on this day as it brings co-workers together and lets them know that we appreciate them.” The babies’ photos were taken in a graduation cap and gown and were celebrated as the graduating class of 2028. Based on all the positive feedback, staff involved in the organization and planning of the day has already begun to plan for next year’s event!

On Wednesday May 4, Sudbury Catholic Schools presented a “Music Extravaganza” for students, parents and community at Marymount Academy. This event, organized by Sudbury Catholic teachers Leanne Urso, JoAnne Comisso and Brittany Goldsborough, was held during Catholic Education Week as a celebration of music education. Students from St. Francis, St. Raphael, Pius XII, St. Anne, Marymount Academy, St. Charles College and St. Benedict gathered together to showcase all their hard work and talent. There were several award-winning bands performing, fresh from competition at the Northern Ontario Music Festival and the Kiwanis Music Festival, as well as the cast of St. Charles’ production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. The night was such a great success that plans are already underway to make it an annual event!

Spring is an exciting time for kindergarten students.  It is an opportunity for them to look for signs of spring.  This month,  the Early Learning Kindergarten students at St. Raphael School were learning about the life cycle of these butterflies.  They even made one in art class.  The students learned that monarch butterflies begin to arrive in Canada at the end of May.  The bulk of them arrive in June.

The Spirit of God was alive at St. Christopher School during Catholic Education Week. Teachers and students took part in several activities that reflected the theme, “Celebrating the Spirit.” One of the highlights of the week was a presentation by the entire school to family and friends, which included songs, poems, cards and a video presentation. On Friday, the school created a beautiful depiction of a living Rosary. The activity began with all of our students circling the gym – the lights were turned off. As they prayed each part of the Rosary, candles were lit, and, ultimately the entire gym was illuminated in a representation of the Rosary. It was a glorious sight!

A special thank you to all staff and students for making Catholic Education Week a great success.

As part of their Catholic Education Week activities, students from St. Benedict’s outdoor education program hit the water on Silver Lake early to practice some of their canoing skills on May 5, 2011. In order to prepare for their four day canoe trip later in the month, the St. Ben’s students manned their canoes and worked on their paddling techniques around the lake. Eighteen students will be traveling to Kukagami Lake for their four day trip and Outdoor Education teacher Pat Morris makes sure that each student is confident in their abilities before they leave embark on their excursion. Morris explained how the outdoor education program at St. Benedict really allows students to connect to the outdoor world, and the students learn to become cognizant of their impact on the environment through this program. “ When we are working on our outdoor ed. skills, we look at what we bring to the space and what we leave behind,” Morris stated. “Even when we come to Silver Lake to practice, we do a garbage clean up of the launch site before we hit the water, and make sure that when we leave, the space is exactly as it should be – nothing left behind – this way our students develop a deep respect for our earth.” Catherine McCullough visited the students as they practiced canoeing and spoke to the strength of the program at St. Benedict and its impact on the school and community. “These students really understand the importance of being stewards of the earth,” McCullough said. “This program really develops our students as leaders in the environment, and it is a connection that they bring to the community and beyond.”

Students in Mrs. Low’s grade one class coloured and constructed a map of Canada as part of their Catholic Education Week activities.
 
Many students had parents and grandparents on hand to assist with the decorating.
 
Students also entertained the crowd with a class concert comprised of their hit songs from music class such as “Baby Bumblebee” and “On Top of Spaghetti”.