If you were asked “which person in your life is most Jesus-like”, who would you pick? Last March students from several schools within the Sudbury Catholic District School Board participated in the “You Shall Be My Witnesses” Poster contest hosted by the Vocation Promotion Committee of The Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie. The best Poster was created by Larissa Roque who was a Grade 6 student at St. Joseph School in Killarney at the time but is now attending St. Francis School in Sudbury. All of the participants were able to find individuals in their lives who are trying to live the Gospel message of love. The Sisters look forward to hosting the 2004 Essay and Poster contests beginning in January. Congratulations Larissa!

“This is my mom. She helps me when I’m sick and helps me with my homework. She has shown me God through her caring.” -Larissa Roque

Theresa Spencer, Curriculum Coordinator for the SCDSB, gathers with Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers twice monthly to practice new strategies for mathematics instruction. These strategies allow students to develop important math skills with a solid understanding of concepts. The learning activities improve the teachers’ effectiveness by planning around “big ideas” rather than isolated skills. The focus of this workshop centred around the value of literature connections, use of math manipulatives, and making home connections. “This is just the beginning,” says Spencer, “This professional development has huge implications on the excellence of instructional decisions being made in the classroom.”

Aline Easton, Supervisor, Chartwells School of Dining at St. Charles College proudly
displays the Eat Smart! award presented to the ladies in the cafeteria
by the Sudbury & District Health Unit. The Eat Smart! School Cafeteria
program was adopted by St. Charles College to encourage healthy food choices and
safe food handling. Data shows that in Canada, approximately one million people
become ill from food borne disease annually and research completed by the National
Institute of Canada indicates that food poisoning is the top food concern of Canadians.
According to Easton, “The original Eat Smart Restaurant Program has become
recognized throughout Ontario and with the addition of our Eat Smart School Cafeteria
we are able to provide the same program to our students and younger members of
the community. Establishing healthy eating habits in childhood and adolescence
helps to ensure normal growth and development. Today we know that nutrition is
crucial in the prevention of many conditions that effect health in both the short
and long term.”

Nutritional statistics that favour the adoption of the Eat Smart Program include

• Nearly 40% of youth ages 12 to 19 years have less than 4 servings of
  fruit and vegetables per day
• From 1989 to 1998 the proportion of students who eat fruit and
  vegetables daily has declined
• From grade 6 to grade 12 the percentage of students drinking caffeinated
  soft drinks daily has increased from 47% to over 60%
• 9 out of 10 teenagers consume a diet too high in fat
• 8 out of 10 teens do not get enough calories from carbohydrates
• snacks consumed are high in fat and low in nutrients
• 14% of boys and 12% of girls ages 7 to 13 are obese
• between grade 6 and grade 10, the percentage of females dieting to lose
  weight increases from 28% to 50%

The Eat Smart! program was designed to promote restaurants that go
the extra mile to provide a healthy menu and eating environment. Any restaurant
in Sudbury designated as an Eat Smart! restaurant offers a minimum
level of healthy choices on the menu, 100% smoke-free seating and a history
of good food safety practices. Eat Smart! is endorsed by the Canadian
Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. For more information
on the program, or to obtain a list of local restaurants participating in the
program visit the Sudbury & District Health Unit’s Health Services information page and select Eat Smart in the ‘Search by Subject’ box.

The Honourable Minister of Education, Gerard Kennedy (second from right), was in Sudbury recently to speak to board officials and trustees representing the four provincial school boards. The one-day regional training seminar held at the Howard Johnson Hotel was hosted by the Ministry of Education for newly elected and returning school board trustees. The purpose of the seminar was to provide information on the working relationship between school boards and the Ministry. The seminar also provided trustees with an overview on governance, curriculum, labour relations, and funding formula for school boards. The Honourable Minister took time from his busy schedule to visit St.Theresa Catholic School on Walford Road while in Sudbury. Appearing with Minister Kennedy in the above photo are; (L-R) Margaret Ashcroft, School Principal, Mark Simeoni, St. Theresa Catholic School Council Chair, Kelly Fenton, Catholic School Council Secretary, Brenda Stankiewicz, Vice-Chair and Rossella Bagatto, Superintendent of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.

Seven St. John Catholic elementary students were recognized by school staff and their peers at an assembly held at the school to celebrate Halloween and to award the boys with special certificates for their good Samaritan behaviour.

Stacie Rinehardt (witch’s costume), a resident of Garson, had her car broken into and thieves made off with her wallet, credit cards, purse, cell phone and some very treasured personal items. While playing near Junction Creek, which runs behind the school, the students discovered the lost items and brought them to the attention of the school’s Principal, Ms. Louisa Bianchin (first from left), who immediately contacted Stacie Rinehardt to make arrangements to have the stolen items returned to her.

To show her appreciation for the students good deeds Mrs. Rinehardt presented the students with passes to Silver City Theatres at the special assembly. The seven good Samaritans appearing left to right in the above photo are; Kyle Cahill, Peter Pesce, Christopher Brady, Alessandro Costantini, Tyler Lalonde, Derek Romain and Spencer Brydges.

Parents and students are invited to participate in Transitions, an information evening designed to help students and parents make key decisions in the transition from elementary to high school and from high school to college and university. This free information session will take place at Sudbury Secondary School’s Sheridan Auditorium, Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board, the Rainbow District School Board and Cambrian College have partnered with Collège Boréal and Laurentian University to present Transitions. Current secondary school curriculum requires that students make educational choices as early as grade seven and eight and then again in grades 10 to 12.

It is important to know what choices are available so that your children have as many educational and career opportunities as possible. With the different streams in high school designed for apprenticeships, college and university, it’s important to know what choices are available to your children as they enter high school, enter post-secondary education or the workforce. A representative from each organization will be there to present information critical to the various transitions in the educational system and to answer your questions.

For more information, please contact Regan Corelli at (705) 673-5620 ext. 373 or David Brazeau at (705) 674-3171 ext. 217.

Rich Griffin, EZ Rock announcer interviewed Michel Grandmont, Special Assignment Teacher, OYAP/COOP Coordinator for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and Sharon Murdoch, Executive Director, Training and Adjustment Board, (Sudbury and Manitoulin) “live on-air” at the Fall 2003 Home Show held at the Sudbury Arena recently. The Sudbury Catholic Board via the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) participated in Sudbury’s recent Home Show along with students from St. Charles College by helping to construct a 6’X 8’ ice hut (on skis) complete with insulation, vinyl siding and a wood stove. OYAP is a partnership Program involving the Sudbury Catholic and Rainbow District School Boards, le conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario, le conseil scolaire du district du Grand-Nord, Cambrian College, College Boreal and the Sudbury-Manitoulin Training and Advisory Board. OYAP students and staff were on site at the Home Show to display the ice hut to the public and to promote their program to the community. The ice hut was raffled off free off charge at the end of three-day home show.

Over 650 Grade 7 students from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board attended the Injury Prevention Wellness Day activities at Science North recently. Teachers, parents and students participated in a number of sessions that dealt with Injury Prevention, Substance Abuse and Abuse Prevention. The event was sponsored by the Sudbury and District Health Unit in conjunction with the Greater Sudbury Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police, Greater Sudbury Emergency Medical Services, Northern Youth Services, and the Northeast Mental Health Centre .

“These sessions are not only entertaining and enlightening but also meet the curriculum needs for road and motorized vehicle safety with respect to; the correct use of car restraints and airbags, bicycle injury prevention, helmet safety equipment, as well as the consequences of impaired driving and riding with an impaired driver,” stated Janet Spergel, a public health nurse at the Sudbury & District Health Unit.“In addition, students that attended this event will leave with a better understanding of how to prevent injuries and how to make smart choices when it comes to resisting peer pressure to use drugs and alcohol,”continued Spergel.

According to the 2001 Ontario Drug Use Survey, over 31.9 per cent of students in grades 7 to 13 reported being a passenger in a car driven by an impaired driver. Other statistics from Safe Kids Canada indicate that about 500 children under the age of 15 are hospitalized each year for head injuries from cycling alone. As well as taking part in workshops, safety sessions and inter-active demonstrations, students were treated to a high energy presentation on Injury Prevention by keynote speaker, Dr. Gary Bota, past Medical Director Emergency Department and Trauma Program at St. Joseph’s Health Centre.