On March 7, Staff and alumni from St. Charles College came together in support of YES Theatre’s latest musical production, Groundhog Day, a creative and dynamic show that is making its Canadian debut.

The production boasts strong storytelling, a talented vocal cast, and a special connection to the SCC community. Several current and former Cardinals are featured in the cast, including SCC teacher and actor Mr. Scruton, YES Creative Director alumni and actor Alessandro Costantini, alumni actor Max Cull, and retired SCC teacher and actor Mr. Sikora. (Mr. Sikora, Mr. Robeiro, and Max Cull were also recently featured in SCC’s Food Drive video!)

Also in attendance for the evening were SCC staff members Mr. Robeiro, Ms. Dagostino, Ms. Fraser, Ms. Boyd, Ms. Coyle, Mr. Kohut, and Mr. Van de Ligt, showing their support for the local arts community.

Moments like these exemplify the values embedded in the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations, encouraging students and staff to be Collaborative Contributors and Self-Directed, Responsible, Life-Long Learners.

SCC encourages all theatre enthusiasts to explore opportunities with YES Theatre, which frequently casts local talent. Aspiring performers can keep an eye out for future auditions by visiting YES Theatre’s website.

Bravo, Cardinals! 🎭

TRANSPORTATION CANCELLED, SCHOOLS REMAIN OPEN – SUDBURY, ESPANOLA, MASSEY AND MANITOULIN DISTRICTS (Thursday, March 6, 2025)

Due to the road conditions and in the interest of safety, all school related transportation services for English Catholic, English public, French Catholic and French public schools, operating in the districts of SUDBURY, ESPANOLA, MASSEY AND MANITOULIN, (this includes all areas such as St-Charles, Noëlville, Monetville, Markstay, Hagar, Warren, Wahnapitae, Coniston, Killarney, Whitefish, Whitefish River First Nations, Manitoulin Island, Onaping, Chelmsford, Capreol, Valley East, Garson, Chelmsford and Azilda) are cancelled today. All schools will remain open, however, NO transportation will be provided.

Parents who transport their children to school are reminded that they must pick their children up at the end of the school day.

All staff are expected to report to work.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is proud to announce the winners of its annual Board-Wide Science Fair. This year’s event showcased the ingenuity, dedication, and scientific curiosity of students across our schools.

The competition featured a diverse range of projects, with grade 7-8 students exploring topics from robotics and environmental science to chemistry and even engineering. Judges were impressed with the level of innovation and research displayed by all participants.

Top Science Fair Results:

• 1st Place: Simone Thompson (Marymount Academy) – Affordable Wheelchair Robotic Arm Prototype
• 2nd Place: Sophia Leigh (Marymount Academy) – Carbon Dioxide and Plants
• 3rd Place: Gabriela Gavidia & Mackenzie Gainer (St. James) – Quelle type de sol Est la Meilleur dans l’ensemble

Honorable Mentions:

Best Presentation:

• Mitchelle Alphonsus (Marymount Academy) – How does a Motor and Battery Power a Fan
• Sophia Leigh (Marymount Academy) – Carbon Dioxide and Plants

Most Creative:

• Simone Thompson (Marymount Academy) – Affordable Wheelchair Robotic Arm Prototype
• Braeden Farrow (Bishop Alexander Carter) – The Pucker Upper

In addition to the top winners, several outstanding students have earned the opportunity to represent the Sudbury Catholic District School Board at the upcoming regional science fair.

Students Advancing to Regionals:

• St. Benedict C.S.S.: Ethan Caetano, Braelyn Pigeon, Kendra Nebenionquit & Osaze Aibangbee, Autym Mrnka, Aeden Tumambing & Lochlan Maltby

• Marymount Academy: Merica Thompson, Isabel Heffer, Finley Boyles, Annakah Kruk & Kayleigh Crew, Vienna Smith & Adele Lamarche, Olivia Sawicz & Paisley Mahran, Norah Legrand-Podrucky, Vera Thompson & Kashvi Joshi, Simone Thompson, Sophia Leigh

• Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S.: Jacob Liddard & Calvin Marshall, Mia Jokhu & Elsa Rancourt, Kaitlyn Lewis & Makayla Rumley, Hailey Tousignant & Skylar Turgeon, Braeden Farrow

• St. James: Gabriela Gavidia & Mackenzie Gainer

“We are incredibly proud of all our students who participated in this year’s science fair,” said Natasha Folino, Superintendent of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Their passion for scientific exploration and innovation was truly inspiring, and we look forward to seeing our students shine at the regional level.”

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board congratulates all participants, teachers, and mentors for their hard work and dedication to fostering scientific curiosity and excellence. We wish our advancing students the best of luck at regionals!

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2025 Attendance Awareness Month Poster Contest for both the Secondary and Elementary categories! A huge thank you to all students who participated this year, and we’re excited to celebrate your creativity and commitment to the theme Be Present, Be POWERFUL!

Secondary Category:

1st Place: Moira Escandor (St. Benedict’s Secondary School)
2nd Place: Rena Flarity (St. Charles College)
3rd Place: Emily LeFave (St. Benedict’s Secondary School)

Elementary Category:

1st Place: Kassidy Esguerra (St. Charles College Elementary)
2nd Place: Mata Taranun (St. Benedict’s Elementary)
3rd Place: Maxwell Hawke (St. Charles College Elementary)

Passing the Torch 
We’d also like to take a moment to recognize last year’s first place winners who are passing the torch to this year’s champions:

• Samuel Chirsky (St. Charles College) – First Place, Secondary
• Vera Thompson (Marymount Academy) – First Place, Elementary

Thank you to Samuel and Vera for setting the bar high with your incredible artwork last year. We are excited to see this year’s winners continue the tradition of excellence!

The artwork from this year’s winners will be displayed throughout our schools and will be a key part of our ongoing Attendance Awareness campaign. Let’s keep encouraging each other to Be Present, Be POWERFUL! 🌟

A big THANK YOU to our dedicated attendance counsellors, Brad Pharand and Amanda Lanthier, for their hard work and dedication to organizing this annual initiative for our schools.

2025 Winning Posters

Due to the road conditions and in the interest of safety, all school related transportation services for English Catholic, English public, French Catholic and French public schools, operating in the districts of SUDBURY, ESPANOLA, MASSEY AND MANITOULIN, (this includes all areas such as St-Charles, Noëlville, Monetville, Markstay, Hagar, Warren, Wahnapitae, Coniston, Killarney, Whitefish, Whitefish River First Nations, Manitoulin Island, Onaping, Chelmsford, Capreol, Valley East, Garson, Chelmsford and Azilda) are cancelled today. All schools will remain open, however, NO transportation will be provided.

Parents who transport their children to school are reminded that they must pick their children up at the end of the school day.

All staff are expected to report to work.

The Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon (CSC Nouvelon), Rainbow District School Board (RDSB), Sudbury Catholic District School Board (SCDSB) and Conseil scolaire du Grand Nord have approved the School Year Calendar for 2025-2026.

The four school boards have worked together to produce a common calendar for many years, facilitating the co-ordination of services such as student transportation. Each board adopted the calendar following its own consultation process. The calendar will now be submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Education for final approval.

The 2025-2026 School Year Calendar will be the same for all English and French-language schools in Greater Sudbury, Espanola, Manitoulin Island and Sudbury East (including Warren, Markstay, Noëlville, St. Charles and Killarney).

The 2025-2026 school year for students will begin on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, following the Labour Day weekend. There will be no early dismissal. (Please note that Tuesday, September 2, 2025 is a professional activity day.)

In addition to the first day of school, the School Year Calendar includes the dates for the Christmas Break, the March Break, statutory holidays, secondary school examination days and professional activity days in 2025-2026.

Labour Day	September 1, 2025
First Day of School for Students	September 3, 2025
Thanksgiving	October 13, 2025
Christmas Break	December 22, 2025 to January 2, 2026
Family Day	February 16, 2026
Mid-Winter Break	March 16 to 20, 2026
Good Friday	April 3, 2026
Easter Monday	April 6, 2026
Victoria Day	May 18, 2026
Last Day of School for Students	June 26, 2026

Examination Days for Secondary Schools

1st Semester Exams	January 23 to 29, 2026 (5 days)
2nd Semester Exams	June 22 to 26, 2026 (5 days)

Professional Activity Days

Seven days for professional development activities will also be held during the 2025-2026 School Year, as follows:

• September 2, 2025
• September 26, 2025
• October 20, 2025
• November 28, 2025
• January 30, 2026
• February 27, 2026
• June 5, 2026

The Draft School Year Calendar for 2025-2026 is available on the school board website here.

School Year Calendar

St. Charles Catholic Elementary School is proud to celebrate the success of its Family Literacy Day Carousel, held last month in the school gymnasium. The event brought families together to enjoy interactive activities and foster a shared love of reading and storytelling.

Parents, guardians, and students engaged in a variety of literacy-themed stations, each designed to spark creativity and inspire a passion for reading:

• “Take a Crunch with Munsch”: Families shared apples while reading timeless Robert Munsch stories, making this station a crowd favorite.
• Chelmsford Library Read-Aloud: Attendees were captivated by engaging stories brought to life during a special read-aloud session.
• “Colour with Clifford”: Creativity was in full swing as students and families enjoyed colouring activities inspired by Clifford, the Big Red Dog.
• “Make Your Own Turtley (Franklin) Awesome Bookmark”: Families created personalized bookmarks, a keepsake to remind them of the importance of literacy.

“We are so pleased with the turnout and enthusiasm from both families and staff,” said principal Christine McCracken. “Family Literacy Day is a wonderful opportunity to connect with our community and celebrate the joy of reading together.”

“I love Family Literacy Day because it’s so much fun! Reading with my family is special, and I like that we get to spend time together and enjoy silly books. We read Fancy Nancy, and I even made a bookmark! I can’t wait to bring it home and read more with my family.” – Nora Hotson, St. Charles Student

“Family literacy is very important in our home, so attending this event together was a wonderful experience. It was great for our kids to see us excited about reading and to share that excitement with their teachers and peers in a family-oriented environment. Our favourite part was reading stories along the caterpillar wall and enjoying apples.” – Elyssia Demeter, Parent Council Chair for St. Charles Elementary School.

St. Charles Elementary is committed to fostering literacy and lifelong learning, and events like this are an important part of that mission. The school extends its heartfelt thanks to all participants and partners, including Chelmsford Library, for helping make the event such a success.

Thank you to everyone who joined our schools in celebrating the power of stories and the joy of learning together!