During May 2 – May 7, 2021, Sudbury Catholic Schools celebrated Catholic Education Week. Each year, we are very fortunate to be able to join the Catholic community across Ontario in a week-long celebration of the unique identity and distinctive contributions of Catholic education. Together we celebrate all that is best and most beautiful about the Catholic school system and to give thanks for the gift of a faith-filled education.

The theme for 2021 is ‘Nurturing Hope,’ which is so fitting considering that it is faith and hope that has provided us with the spiritual nourishment to weather the challenges we have all faced this year.

Throughout the week, we were thrilled to see our students and staff engaged in various activities, lessons and virtual events to celebrate and honour Catholic Education Week. We also shared activities with families and invited them to participate.

The five sub themes for this year were:

 Preparing the Earth 
Sowing Seeds of Gratitude 
Cultivating Relationships
Harvesting New Fruit 
Marvelling in Wonder

Certainly a highlight was the Mass celebrated by His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins on Wednesday, May 5. Across the province we joined together in prayer. We were all moved by his words: “See the Lord more clearly, Love the Lord more dearly, Follow the Lord more nearly”.

Other activities included:

• A Cyber Security Presentation geared toward staff, parents and guardians and was presented by cybersecurity expert Danny Pehar.

• Launching of Young Entrepreneur Contest. Students will create a business plan (as required by the Ontario government) and pitch their business idea for a chance to win a prize pack.
  
• Career Day:  Partnership with Skills Ontario which offered a variety of activities that promoted the skilled trades and technologies for K-12.

“People often comment that when they enter a Catholic school they feel a special presence. This does not come from the building or even the religious symbols that are an important witness to our faith. The presence comes from Christ who is proclaimed by word and example, and is evidenced in the way people care for one another — “see how they love one another.” Catholic schools witness to Christ and by doing so help to reveal Him to others.”  (Renewing the Promise p. 9). In this month’s blog we are sharing many examples of our faith lived out.

Preparing the Earth 

Our week began with a message from Bishop Thomas Dowd who reflected on the overall theme of Nurturing Hope:

https://vimeo.com/557196530

Holy Cross School began Catholic Education Week with their virtue assembly, allowing the entire school to gather virtually and honour both the monthly virtues and the start of Catholic Education Week! View the assembly below:

https://vimeo.com/557200936

St. James School worked with our Indigenous team to produce daily sub theme videos to share with students and families throughout Catholic Education week!

https://vimeo.com/557262123

Sowing Seeds of Gratitude 

As a demonstration of sowing seeds of gratitude, kindergarten students at St. Francis School each received and planted a yellow bean seed. The class discussed what gratitude means to them and will observe the growth of their plants throughout the Spring!

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Grade 5/6 students at St. Charles School in Chelmsford completed an activity reflecting on what they are grateful for and their symbols of hope for the future! This offered students an important lesson on what nurturing hope truly means.

Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S created visual prayers and messages of hope to share with students and families. For Sowing seeds of gratitude, the school focused on giving thanks to the front line health workers.

Cultivating Relationships 

To understand what cultivating relationships may look like, Grade 4/5 French Immersion students at Holy Trinity School were given the challenge of cooking a Malawian cultural dish. The students also watched “The Boy who Harnessed the Wind” and discussed the importance of nurturing hope for a better tomorrow (especially for those who may not be as fortunate as we are in Canada). Pictured here is student Simon who cooked the dish alongside his family. Simon shared that the dish was really easy and fun to make and that his family enjoyed participating in this challenge!

Grade 2/3 Pius XII students created “a garden of hope” cards for family members or neighbours who are alone – showing that while we may not be able to gather physically, we can still cultivate meaningful relationships.

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Mr. Pappin organized a liturgy for the entire St. Benedict school community. His message was incredibly meaningful for staff and students. Beautiful messages were also shared from Shannon Agowissa, Indigenous Support Worker.

Harvesting New Fruit

Immaculate Conception students reflected on the theme of Nurturing Hope by writing their own poems! Here are a few examples of their work:

Grade 7 English students at Marymount Academy have been working on creating children’s books that are inspired by Nurturing Hope and the five daily themes of Catholic Education week. Students have connected their learning and stories to the inspiring true story of William Kamkwamba, who wrote The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Below are a few examples of their completed books.

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Marvelling in Wonder 

St. David students had the opportunity to work with Skills Ontario to construct their own birdhouses. The activity was enjoyed by all as they learned valuable experiential learning skills and reflected on the sub theme of Marvelling in Wonder.

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Inspired by our Catholic Education Week theme of “Nurturing Hope,” Mrs. Whitman and Mrs. Thomson’s Kindergarten students at St. John School spent the week learning the prayer/song “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” They talked a lot about how God created everything (“all creatures great and small”) – including themselves! They then created beautiful self-portraits to demonstrate their learning!

To end Catholic Education week, Grade 9 Instrumental students at St. Charles College created posters demonstrating how they nurture hope through the sound of music!

Sudbury Catholic Schools #GetReal with Children’s Mental Week

In addition to Catholic Education Week, May 3 – 9 was also Children’s Mental Health week. The theme for this year’s Mental Health Week was #GetReal and focused on tuning into our feelings by naming them, and not numbing them.  The power of identifying what you are feeling and allowing yourself to sit with your emotions can lighten the load and help them to feel less intense.  Students learned that when we name our emotions, we give our feelings space, and allow ourselves permission to feel whatever we are feeling; the good, the bad and the ugly. 

This week appropriately coincides with the theme of Catholic Education Week: Nurturing Hope. While we are celebrating the unique identity and distinctive of Catholic education it is important to recognize that our faith is also an important part of the Sudbury Catholic Mental Health Plan’s proactive strategy. Faith brings a sense of community and teachings, when done in a supportive way, that assist incorporating healthy practices, for the mind, body and soul, which positively influences mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Throughout Children’s Mental health week, our Mental Health team provided schools, students and parents/guardians with various activities and resources.

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, please visit https://mentalhealthweek.ca

Throughout the month of April, we celebrate the virtue of stewardship. This month, we focused our role as stewards of the environment. How can we act responsibly as keepers of the beautiful world God has given us? Throughout each of our schools, we engage in many opportunities and take actions which lead to a positive impact on the environment. Through these actions we support students in acquiring the knowledge, skills, perspectives and practices to become active, engaged and responsible citizens.

At the Board level, our facilities and planning department works tirelessly throughout the year to find environmentally friendly alternatives and solutions that also benefit the overall health and well-being of staff and students! There is much evidence of our focus on environmental stewardship throughout our school board. Below are a wonderful examples:

Outdoor Classrooms
Outdoor classrooms and trails have given students the opportunity to make deep and meaningful connections to their learning and the natural world around them. We know outdoor learning is critical in supporting the whole child and promoting a holistic education that challenges students to be more self-aware and have an appreciation for all that is living. Through the outdoor classrooms, students are working on their team building, communication and collaborative skills while fostering lifelong love for the outdoors. Many of our schools have these dedicated spaces and we hope to continue to grow this initiative.

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Recycling and Composting
All schools participate in a recycling and composting program often involving students as a means of diverting waste and promoting environmental stewardship (though this is currently paused due to COVID-19). Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Board has promoted and encouraged schools to participate in healthy waste free lunches to join our efforts and reduce the waste we are bringing into our schools and buildings.

Capital Projects

As a Board, we have been very deliberate in ensuring that capital projects utilize energy efficient equipment and processes to minimize the use of resources. This includes:

• LED lighting conversions to ensure schools have the most efficient lighting system possible. This project is targeted for completion in 2021.
• Use of Energy Recovery Ventilators to ensure the most efficient operation/heat recovery of new ventilation systems.
• Use of high efficiency condensing boilers to ensure maximum reduction in the consumption of fuels.
• Use of variable frequency drives (VFD’s) to ensure efficient operation of large motors.
• Improve the R value of building envelopes specifically the insulation value in roof assemblies and R value of windows.

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Efficient and green initiatives
All schools and buildings use a web-based building control system to efficiently manage and monitor building heating, ventilation and lighting systems. This includes managing building schedules and use of set-back temperatures to minimize utilization of fuels and electricity. Staff also utilize certified green cleaning products and processes to minimize the use of chemicals hazardous to the environment and people and to minimize waste. Environmental controls and management processes are in place to ensure that when designated substances are identified and removed that all safety protocols including proper disposal are adhered to.

St. Benedict Students learn to garden

As part of programming at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, students are exploring the many health and wellness benefits of gardening and taking care of plants. A variety of nutritious foods, including lettuce, tomatoes and herbs have been harvested already by the students. Future plans include having a plant sale later in the Spring as well as providing plants and assistance to a nearby community garden. Students have been enjoying learning about the process of planting and look forward to continuing the project in May!

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Marymount Students Design French Posters to Demonstrate Their Commitment to Mother Earth!

Core French students completed research projects to develop their own posters and show their commitment to the environment. Students researched various solutions at home and in the community and visually demonstrated their actions with creative designs and statements in French. Students also chose to enter their submissions to the Board wide Earth Day contest.

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St. David Students Make a Difference on Earth Day!

Mrs. Cimino’s grade 1 class had a great day celebrating Earth Day by creating their very own cross curricular art and science projects using only recyclable items from home. Students were learning about how to care for Mother Earth through their own actions and understanding how simple gestures, like picking up garbage around the neighbourhood could make a difference. Many students individually entered the Board wide Earth day contest as well as the whole class! Way to go Dragons! Prizes will be given at the school level to congratulate all students for their efforts in becoming better stewards of the earth. 

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Remote Learning Class Raises Money to Adopt Injured Animals

Melanie Jarrett’s Kindergarten/Grade 1 Remote Learning class raised $200 and adopted an injured porcupine and rabbit from the Procyon Wildlife Center! Students completed chores, picked up garbage and collected donations to raise the necessary funds. The class named the porcupine Sweetheart and the rabbit has been named Diamond. They will complete a virtual visit with their adopted new friends via a live web cam! Mrs. Jarrett is very proud of her students and their commitment to wildlife!

Sudbury Catholic Students Participate in Second Annual Board Wide Earth Day Contest!

Students Kindergarten to Grade 12 participated in the second annual Board wide Earth Day Contest. Students were encouraged to show their commitment to the environment by demonstrating how they were going to celebrate Earth Day. Examples of submissions included poems, stories, songs, comic strips, an art pieces using only recyclable items, environmental ads, and gardening. We received 136 entries from innovative students across the Board!

Here are our winners!

Kindergarten to Grade 3:

• Rylan Benoit, St. David School who created this life size structure using recyclable materials!

• Andrew Akero, St. David School, who created face masks from recyclable materials

Grade 4-6

• Mac Gorrie Martin, Remote Learning School who created the following news segment showcasing what is not safe to pour into drains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC_vjnvlOco

• Hannah Potvin, Remote Learning School who created her own bee and butterfly watering station

Grade 7 and 8

• Mali Jutila, Marymount Academy created the following Earth Day Poster

• Mya Massimiliano, Marymount Academy wrote the following poem

Thank you to everyone for caring for the earth and for being wonderful Stewards.

Our vision at Sudbury Catholic Schools is to create leaders in learning and faith and we begin that process as soon as students enter our buildings for the first time! In this blog we will explore the amazing learning that takes place in our Kindergarten classrooms every day. Working as partners, our teachers, early childhood educators and other support staff create the conditions where students can learn through exploration and play. It is upon this foundation that our students continue to grow and develop, mind, body and spirit.

In our Kindergarten program, the four “frames”, or broad areas of learning, are used to structure thinking about learning and assessment. The frames are:

Belonging and Contributing

Self-Regulation and Well-Being

Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours

Problem Solving and Innovating

Here is what that looks like in our classrooms!

Our Catholic Faith

Faith is infused throughout the Kindergarten program by honouring the liturgical year, learning about the Catholic virtues and values of the month and celebrating Catholic Education Week. An essential question is asked throughout the program: Where is God? Students find God in every aspect of life and are able to articulate this in a variety of ways such as through stories, songs, drawings and discussions.

Technology Integration
Our students and teachers participate in a variety of learning opportunities that involve technology and innovation, providing access to technology and digital tools of the 21st century. Technology integration also fosters global competencies including: critical thinking and problem solving; innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, learning to learn/self-aware and self-directed learning; collaboration; communication; and global citizenship. Various digital technologies have been embedded into our Kindergarten program. Examples include:

• MacBooks for staff and iPads for students
• Apple TV to project learning activities and games
• A variety of learning applications to use on the iPads including: self-regulation tools, Toy Theatre, Mathies, Reading games and more!

French Immersion
Early French Immersion begins in our Kindergarten program. Through French as a Second Language programs, students will communicate and interact with growing confidence in French, one of Canada’s official languages, while developing the knowledge, skills, and perspectives they need to participate fully as citizens in Canada and in the world.The French language is used in the classroom for most of the day (90% is taught and spoken in French and 10% is taught in English through religion).

Let’s explore some of our classrooms…

St. David Kindergarten Class Embraces the Outdoors

Karen Healy, kindergarten teacher at St. David school has enjoyed utilizing outdoor learning with students throughout the year. Using the outdoor space provided by the school, Karen and Early Childhood Educator Deanna Delamorandiere have incorporated large blocks of outdoor learning daily.  This has provided a unique opportunity to work on literacy and numeracy skills outside of the traditional classroom setting.  The students truly enjoy learning on the land and come alive when they are outside. Not only are they learning many different skills, but connecting with the land has also been very beneficial for their self-regulation and well-being. 

They have also been sharing regular updates with parents and guardians by uploading daily photos and videos to the SeeSaw App. At the end of the year, parents are able to download their child’s portfolio and have a record of pictures from their Kindergarten year!

“There is something special about being part of a student’s first experience with school.  The students grow so much over the course of two years and it is wonderful to be a witness to that and to support them in the beginning of their educational journey,” said Karen.

Remote Learning Teaching Team Creates An Environment of Inquiry Based Learning Online

Kelly Beaton (teacher) and Lindsay Lavallee (Early Childhood Educator) are teaching French Immersion Kindergarten remotely through the Remote Learning School. They believe that effective remote teaching resembles what teaching looks like in the classroom. It is centered around what students are curious about and what gets them excited. In their experience, an engaged student is going to make more of an effort to learn in order to satisfy their curiosity.

“It is such a privilege to be part of our students’ lives at the very beginning of their education, when they are full of wonder and open to discovering the amazing world around us,” said Kelly.

The class recently conducted a dinosaur inquiry where they built their programming around questions generated by the students. Through this, they were able to find ways to practice French oral language, reading, writing, math, physical activity, art and role play, all while conducting their scientific inquiry. As a culminating activity, students created their own dinosaur fossils by making salt dough, sculpting it into the shape of the bones, teeth and footprints they had learned about, then baking and painting their fossils. Later, they had a blast acting as junior paleontologists to excavate their creations, applying their new knowledge along the way (i.e. sorting teeth belonging to herbivores and carnivores).

“This school year has really challenged us to think outside the box, from lesson plans to engaging social connections via our remote classroom. I’m so proud of all our students and how well they’ve adapted to a non-traditional learning environment!” said Lindsay.

St. Paul School Embraces Team Atmosphere in Kindergarten Classes

The Kindergarten classes at St. Paul School embrace the team atmosphere and try to interact with each other as much as they can. They enjoy being able to bounce ideas off of each other and support each other throughout the school year.

This year, classes have been completing many virtual Science North field trips to provoke thinking and inquiries and apply that to their own learning environments. The teaching teams have also focused a great deal on zones of regulation to help identify feelings and have included Kelso’s Choice to support problem solving in their classrooms. They have also had students lead morning meetings so that all have an opportunity to shine!

Developing trusting, positive relationships with students and parents and guardians is so important. The teams continually find ways to be communicate with parents/guardians such as through communication books, displaying student work on social media channels and completing regular feedback forms and surveys.

Much like all of our teachers and educators, the teaching teams at St. Paul School enjoy and embrace all of the milestones and challenges that kindergarten brings!

“As educators, we embrace teaching the students to read and write. We love seeing them use strategies learned in class as they demonstrate growth in their learning and watching them use these skills as the year progresses.Their energy, enthusiasm and love of learning is contagious and inspires everyone around them!”

Remote Teaching Teams focused on self-regulation!

Kindergarten Teacher Holly Reilly and Early Childhood Educator Cindy-Lynn MacLennan have been heavily focused on self-regulation in their remote kindergarten class. Students have been focused on identifying emotions and coming up with strategies to help maintain focus and create a mindful focused brain. Students have loved learning about their brain and what it does for them through the MindsUp program. The program places a focus on the parts of the brain and its functions. Students have been able to share their knowledge and navigate their emotions to specific strategies which can be used to help bring them back to the colour green (Zones of Regulation).

“I am proud to be a kindergarten educator! I love that in kindergarten we always have so much to share or something we are wondering about,” said Cindy.

“I take pride in having experience as both an Early Childhood Educator and a teacher. I love being able to celebrate small victories and milestones with students in kindergarten. Through an online environment, we have embraced a new way of learning and slowly our students have helped create this same sense of community in a digital world. I love hearing students from different schools ask one another about their experiences even through a computer screen. Their resilience continues to shock and amaze me!” said Holly.

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All of our schools are staffed by caring and talented staff who are committed to creating the best possible learning environments for our students. To learn more about all of our innovative, welcoming and caring elementary schools view their websites HERE!

Still have questions about our Kindergarten programs? Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@sudburycatholicschools.ca

https://vimeo.com/529519615/45fcad5500

Advent is an exciting time of expectant waiting, a time for preparing our hearts and minds for the celebration of the coming of Christ at Christmas.  Throughout our schools and CEC, our students and staff have been engaged in Advent activities, prayerfully reflecting in relationship with God, one another, and the world around us.

As Catholic school communities, we are called to share this faith journey with our students. To wait with them and reflect as they light the candles of the Advent wreaths or hang ornaments on Jesse Trees. To work together with them as we engage in service projects, generously sharing the gifts we have been given, with those in need.  And always remembering our responsibility to share the light of Christ with the world.

Advent is always a special time.  We join together in our school communities sharing hope, faith, love and peace, the weekly themes of Advent.  With the challenges of the pandemic we have had to be creative, remaining physically distant, yet united in faith.  Across our board, in all our school communities, there are examples of the true meaning of Advent, Christmas and of giving back.  You have found truly creative ways to honour our faith traditions, as well as providing support to amazing organizations in our region that care for others, during this time of great need.  

On December 1st, the Board of Trustees unanimously re-elected Michael Bellmore as Chair and Ray Desjardins as Vice-Chair. Both bring strong leadership and an unwavering commitment to Catholic Education. We thank them and all of the trustees for their leadership, support and vision throughout 2020.

Three Students Selected as Winners in This Year’s Christmas Card Contest

As in past years, we invited all students, Kindergarten to Grade 12, to submit artwork for our annual Christmas cards. Students were very enthusiastic as we received 145 submissions! With so many wonderful art pieces to choose from, the selection process was challenging. We chose three designs this year from three schools. Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to all those who submitted!

Here are our winners:

Leah Lawrence, Grade 2 student at St. James School

Nico Selby, Grade 4 student at Pius XII School

Noah Rioux, Grade 9 student at St. Charles College

Remote Learning Students Create Advent Wreaths

Remote learning students in Ms. Noreen Pellatt’s class have been celebrating Advent by creating Advent wreaths. Each Monday, the class virtually lights a candle. They also follow along an interactive Advent calendar which is available to students through Google slides. Students have been enjoying being able to learn about Advent!

St. David Students Bring Some Holiday Cheer to Those in Need

Students in grade 5 at St. David School have worked to spread some Christmas cheer and funny jokes to long-term care and senior homes. The students wanted to make sure that seniors who are not able to see their families and friends this Christmas due to Covid-19 restrictions will be pleasantly surprised with a Christmas card and a handmade ornament. The students hope that their kind words and artwork will make someone’s Christmas a little brighter. 

St. Anne Angels Give Back to the Community

This year, St. Anne students are giving back throughout the Advent season! The school is working together to collect winter clothing for adults for the warming centre at the YMCA, as well as canned food items and monetary donations for the Sudbury Food Bank. The school is amazed at the level of dedication staff and students are showing to the campaigns and to giving back!

Marymount Students Continue to Support the Blue Door Kitchen with Advent Campaign

This year, the MC3 (Marymount Catholic Charities Council) has committed to supporting the Blue Door Soup Kitchen through a number of campaigns. Marymount has a long tradition of supporting the Blue Door soup kitchen, having sent volunteers there every other week for almost 10 years. As a result of the pandemic, their connection to the Blue Door Soup Kitchen has changed but not stopped. With increasing financial and social problems, the number of clients at the Soup Kitchen has increased dramatically in recent months. Marymount has committed to continue to support those in need right here in our community. They have run one fundraiser already (“Have a snack, Give a snack”), where students bought treats and made a donation to the Soup Kitchen. They are now running a Wellness Items campaign to collect goodies for Christmas and necessary wellness items (warm accessories, toiletries, etc.) to ensure that everyone has some light and merriness during this difficult time.

“In times like these, one of the most important parts of our lives is community. So, I am extremely proud to see the efforts put in by not only students but members of the community who have come together to help the Blue Door Soup Kitchen and our fellow community members in need,” said MC3 member Mekaela Raymond.

Advent is in Full Swing at St. Charles College

The grade 7/8 music students at St. Charles College have been learning to play the ukulele this fall and they are now incorporating Christmas carols in their repertoire.

Under the direction of Mrs. Urso, the students have been learning the festive staple “Jingle Bells” and now they are going with the Hawaiian classic “Mele Kalikimaka”.

The music is projected onto the Smartboard rather than the use of individual sheet music pages to keep things neat, clean and organized.

At the secondary level, Ms. Coyle’s music class has also been practicing carols on their percussion, wind and brass instruments.

Catholic Education Centre Raises $1300 for the Edgar Burton Food Drive!

The Catholic Education Centre at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board has raised a total of $1300 in canned goods and monetary donations to support the Edgar Burton Food Drive. The donations will be given to the Sudbury Food Bank to help replenish their stock and support those who will utilize their services this Christmas.

The group originally had a goal of $600 but this was quickly surpassed during the two-week campaign!

Get to know us!

The Life skills students at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School truly embody what it means to be of service to others. The class has been focused on learning about the meaning of Advent and why it is important to give back to others at Christmas. The group has been putting together bags for the neonatal unit at the hospital to help support families. They have also been creating special wreaths to give to their own families. Through a business grant, the class is able to create and sell products such as candles. Students learn about how to create and run a business and maintain all aspects including the budget, product and sales.

“Our focus right now is on kindness, giving back and being a service to others. With the pandemic still at the top of mind, everyone needs a little extra cheer and I think it is important for the students to see that,” said Pam Colasimone classroom teacher.

Catholic Parent Council Assists in branding Mission, Vision and Values at Marymount Academy

Parent engagement remains an important asset to the Marymount Academy community this school year.  The school believes that when students feel that their parents/guardians are included in conversations relating to academics, school life or emotional/social well-being, it fosters a stronger sense of belonging at the school.

Marymount strives to continually include parents in discussions about school improvement planning, activities occurring within the school, social media posts and possible changes to the uniform policy. This year, during Catholic School Council meetings, parents were asked to provide feedback on what we can do to improve the life of a student at Marymount Academy. In consultation with parents, students and staff, the school proudly unveils their new Mission, Vision and Values.

Co-Chairs at St. Charles Elementary School Encourage Others to Get Involved!

Amanda Hayward and Julie Brazier are the current Co-Chairs for the Catholic School Council at St. Charles in Chelmsford. Both parents feel that it is important to be a part of their child’s Catholic School Council in order to stay connected to the school and act as an advocate for children and for their fellow parents.

Amanda originally got involved with the Catholic School Council because she wanted to better understand the school, administration and processes and understand how to better support her three children. Julie has seen first hand how valuable volunteering at schools can be and the positive impact it can have on families and on the school community as a whole.

“Parent involvement has improved the overall environment at St. Charles,” Julie explains. “There is a real sense of collaboration where you are able to bring ideas to your school that other parents may have shared or from things learned outside of school.”

The Catholic School Council has helped organize events such as pancake breakfasts, welcome to Kindergarten nights and movie nights. The Council has also used funds to help purchase new sport uniforms, sound systems and even completed a bathroom stall makeover a couple of years ago. In addition, Amanda and Julie both sit on the Parent Involvement Committee and attend conventions organized by OAPCE (The Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education) where they are able to learn from other parents and administration and bring back even more ideas to their school. Amanda encourages other parents to get involved with their Catholic School Council and make a difference!

“What I have learned is how much the school and teachers value your input as a parent. When you’re part of a Catholic School Council, you learn so much about your child’s school and you learn how to better support them and their goals. Your school is what you make of it and I enjoy being part of this team of difference makers,” she said.

Get to know us!

Shannon Morin and Paola Stefanuto serve as Chair and Vice Chair of the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC).

PICs are an important advisory body to the school board.They support student achievement and well-being by getting parents more involved in their children’s learning by:

• providing information and advice to the district school board on parent engagement and ways to communicate with parents
• developing ways the board could use to help more parents support their children’s learning at home and at school
• sharing information with and supporting the work of school councils.
  School councils focus on an individual school;

Shannon and Paola believe that by getting involved they are also motivating students to do better at school, encourage them to help out with in school activities like charity fundraisers or running in school programs like the healthy snack programs. Sudbury Catholic has a very active PIC and this year they are once again planning to provide online parent involvement sessions. Based on a parent survey sent in November, these sessions respond to the areas identified as important by our parents and will include Cyber safety, mental health and how to help your child in future career choices.

“All children need to learn how to read, do math and be successful in school, some children may have an easier time than others. The more we get involved the easier it is for those kids who struggle to find confidence in themselves,” Paola explains.

“I am involved with PIC because I want my children to see that you can make a difference by volunteering within our school communities. It’s great to be part of a collaborative team of leaders who also share that common goal!” Shannon says.

As we come to the end of October, we extend our thanks to our students, staff, and families for their continued support and commitment to keeping each other safe during these unprecedented times.

We continue to be thankful to our school communities. Our staff for showing creativity, resilience and innovation and our students for their hard work and dedication. This month, we are excited to share with you the amazing work taking place in our secondary classrooms. There are many examples of effective, innovative and engaging practices taking place throughout each of our schools and this blog highlights a few of those.

The following video provides a brief demonstration of what a secondary classroom set up might look like in our schools. Here we have Bishop Alexander Carter Teacher, Mr. Steve Facchini teaching a Math class. An excellent example of effective practice.

https://vimeo.com/472330080/7fda460001

Bishop Alexander Carter Teacher Incorporates Meditation and Kahoot to Engage Students

Lori Roy is a teacher at Bishop Alexander Carter. She has tried various practices to help engage her students learning in-class and remotely. She meditates with her students everyday and shares the meditation video with the remote students. Many students have expressed that the meditation has been very beneficial to their well-being. Students have also enjoyed the use of Kahoot where students in class and remotely can eagerly participate.

Lori also tries to take her students outside for a few minutes each class so that they are able to get some fresh air. Periodic breaks during class are very important to re-energize and help students maintain their focus.

To help engage parents and guardians, Lori has added them to the Google Classroom where she is able to send updates and other important information.

“I was having trouble forming bonds in the first week but having a little informal chat time, a meditation or a fun engaging game has helped us become a closer community,” she said.

St. Benedict Teachers and Students Collaborate to Create an Inclusive Learning Environment

To properly adhere to the physical distancing requirements, teachers have had to rethink their pedagogy at a time when physical collaboration among students is not possible. In order to do this, many creative educators have worked to leverage digital collaboration tools to facilitate synchronous learning.

“Building community and getting remote students to participate when they are anxious or shy has certainly been a challenge,” says Amanda Barry, a secondary teacher currently teaching senior social science and English at St. Benedict. “My students and I are experimenting with a lot of tools and strategies. They don’t always work perfectly, but when they do, we get a glimpse of what hybrid learning has the potential to be,” she said.

Amanda has worked to get remote learners to collaborate with in-class learners through the use of shared Google platform features like Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Jamboard for both group work assignments and collaborative writing during lessons. Students have even worked together in their hybrid groups to present slides by taking turns sharing their screens through Google Meet and speaking to the class both from home and from within the classroom. According to Amanda, students have even shared their screens and phoned into the class on speakerphone to display and explain their slideshows when experiencing mic issues. “It sometimes amazes me to see how resourceful and flexible we’ve all become throughout this process and we’re definitely having some fun with it too!” she said.

At the start of each lesson, distance learning students are expected to join a class Google Meet posted by their teacher each day in their Google Classroom. Amanda says that she shares her screen to display her lesson while students ask questions and participate in class discussions using the chat. She also recommends having a willing in-class student join the meet to act as the chat moderator to read and alert her to incoming questions and discussion contributions she might miss while she is teaching.

“It’s far from perfect, but we’re all trying our best to make it work.”

Amanda has also invited virtual guests to speak to her classes. Last month, Dominic Beaudry, SCDSB’s FMNI Language Facilitator, joined the class Google Meet to provide some Indigenous perspective on human development and stages of life growth. In-class and remote learners joined the Meet to ask Mr. Beaudry questions while he presented from his classroom at St. James School in Lively.

Amanda has been known to quote (and have her English class write in response to) Winston Churchill’s words as he worked to form the United Nations after WWII: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”

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Just Another Science Experiment for Science Lead at St. Charles College

Cara Whalen has been balancing remote learning simultaneously with in-class learning for more than a month and a half now with her grade 12 college and university Chemistry classes at St. Charles College.

The move hasn’t been an easy transition but she is making the best of it using her laptop to screenshare her SMART board and an iPad camera to share video, both over Google Meet.

While Cara agrees the transition took hard work and was time consuming, the learning has led to a number of positive outcomes such as a paperless classroom, and improved work submission. “I like that the online environment keeps track of all their assignments which has led to greater student organization,” she said.

Students in class and online receive the same instruction during lessons, and for the most part complete the same activities and assignments regardless of their learning modality. Cara says: “Chemistry is very much about doing, and while remote learners cannot access all of the lab equipment available at school, I try as much as I can to show them reaction demonstrations as they happen, or provide virtual simulations of labs to fill the gap.” To demonstrate their understanding of molecular bonding and shapes, students at home and in class both built 3D models out of foam balls to help them visualize the shapes the molecules take.

As far as the remote students specifically, Whalen says “The synchronous model allows remote learners to be a part of real-time teaching. They can ask and answer questions along with the rest of the class, watch reaction demonstrations as they happen, and feel a part of the in-person class experience as much as possible.”

Marymount Academy Students Get Creative with Virtual Classes

Mrs. Jolanta Tourville is getting creative with her parenting class at Marymount. She has created the baby shower assignment to engage both in-class and remote students. Students had to create a baby shower invitation, a decoration, and a COVID friendly game for the upcoming event. 

Jolanta believes it is incredibly important to create a sense of community even if some learners are not physically in the same classroom. During her lessons, she tries to develop a trusting relationship with each student. She takes the time to establish that trust regardless of whether they are studying in-class or remotely. Students need to know that their teachers really care about them as individuals and have their best academic and social interests at heart.

“I solicit feedback from students regularly to find out how they are experiencing their online learning. The remote students were so excited to participate in all the baby shower activities and were engaged throughout the whole process,” she said.

Trying to optimize social interaction and checking for understanding throughout the process is also very important. Jolanta ensures she allows opportunities for students to interact with one another, share ideas and work to solve a problem. Jolanta enjoys working alongside her fellow teachers to see what they are doing to assist their own learners.

“It is so nice to work alongside my colleagues where we bounce ideas off of each other. We talk about what is working with the remote platform and what is not working, especially when it comes to assessment” said Mrs. Tourville.  “Now, more then ever, it is important to share ideas as well as our success stories and even failures.”

Get to Know Us

Our Student Senate for the 2020-2021 school year consists of 15 students from our four secondary schools.

Overall, members of the Student Senate believe that their school communities are adapting to the new mode of learning. Through the hybrid -synchronous learning model, students feel they are benefiting from the flexibility and accessibility that the technology offers and enjoy viewing the curriculum at the touch of their fingers. Many students also feel that they are able to be more independent and build important skills needed to be successful in post-secondary studies and beyond. Members of the Student Senate are not only busy with their studies but they are also working together to build community within their schools.

The Student Council at St. Benedict has moved to a digital approach, allowing them to meet online through MS Teams. Rosaria Nero, Student Trustee and Student Council President for St. Benedict has enjoyed the more collaborative nature of these meetings and looks forward to watching her fellow students come together. The group is looking forward to planning future spirit days and sharing acts of kindness to help honour support staff and their hard working bus drivers. Students are also enjoying working with their guidance teachers who are ensuring crucial information such as university information and application dates are sent to students through the Remind App and Google Classroom.

“This is a new learning experience for everyone and the support from our school and the school board has been truly overwhelming. Together, we are working to be part of a change that will revolutionize the way students learn.” Said Rosaria Nero, Student Trustee.

Below shows an example of what Google Classroom looks like for a Grade 12 student at St. Benedict School.

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Bishop Alexander Carter students have been thoroughly impressed with their teachers’ approach to classroom learning. They feel that their teachers have done a great job at supporting both remote learning and in-class learners and ensuring that everyone gets the extra help they need.

An in-class grade 11 student Mikayla Riddle stated, “I like going to school every day because there is face to face interaction with other people and I feel more engaged in the conversation.”

Students participating in the BEST program have enjoyed the opportunities their school made possible including completing classes outside, introducing power yoga and inviting guest speakers. Students hope to work together to organize school initiatives during the year that abide by proper health and safety protocols.

Students at St. Charles College would normally be hosting their biggest fundraiser of the Fall, their Canned Food Drive in support of the Sudbury Food Bank. Students and staff were passionate about finding an alternative way to support the cause and started a mask campaign where students and staff can purchase their own Cards themed mask for $20. While the school adjusts to new routines, students and staff are hopeful that they will continue to find new ways to bring the school community together such as virtual pep rallies.

Students at Marymount Academy have not let the changes to their school and classrooms deter them from giving back to their community. Unable to support the Blue Door Kitchen in traditional ways, students are working together to plan safe fundraisers that all students can participate in such as their virtual movie night fundraiser and their Buy A Snack Give a Snack fundraiser. Vanessa Ferrucci, a student at Marymount Academy, says students are also excited about the launch of the school’s brand new app. This platform allows students and parents to get daily updates on things happening within the school along with reminders to pay for dress-down days and various other events. Vanessa says that it’s important to also include remote learning students in their plans.

“The app is a great example of how anyone can feel connected to the school, whether they are learning in-class or remotely. We are trying to come up with more ways we can involve the remote students as our fundraising campaigns continue throughout the year,” she said.

Below are some snap shots inside the new Marymount App!

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While this year has not been without its challenges, Student Senate members all agreed that they look forward to the remainder of the school year and to the new opportunities ahead.

We extend a warm welcome to all of our students, staff and parents/guardians as we begin the 2020-2021 school year. It is certainly a unique time for us all. Over the summer, our team has been hard at work planning for the safe and welcoming return of our students.  Whether our students have chosen face to face or remote learning, our staff continues to provide an engaging and innovative learning environment where our students can learn and grow.

The reopening of our schools, following the closure last March has required a team approach and it is important to recognize the amazing contributions of all our staff and our Board of Trustees in making this happen.  From our custodial staff that have had to respond to the new demands for cleaning and our secretaries that are very adeptly fielding questions and concerns, our school administrators for their leadership and positive outlook, our support staff for their continued focus on supporting our students, the IT Dept for doing their very best to ensure that our students and staff have what they need, working into the evenings to get devices into the hands of our students, to our education staff both face to face and online for welcoming students and prioritizing their mental health, well-being and their academic needs.  To all of you who are now involved in remote learning, thank you so very much  for embracing this new opportunity, to our central office staff for all of your ongoing support, to the Senior Team who always advocates for our staff and students and who show such care and concern for their work and for this system, to our Board of Trustees for their ongoing vision and support and to all of our students and parents/guardians for their patience and their commitment to Sudbury Catholic. Thank you EVERYONE!  You really have made this start up a success. 

It is important to celebrate all of the amazing practices taking place in our schools and we are pleased to highlight some of these practices in this month’s blog.

Welcoming Students Back to Our Classrooms!

Throughout the Board, our schools eagerly welcomed students and staff back into physical and remote classrooms this month. There is a true sense of community present in each of our schools as everyone works together to keep each other safe and healthy this school year.

Many schools showcased videos and photos in advance of the first day of school to show students the various health and safety protocols in place:

St. Anne School shared photos on their social media to show students, parents and staff how classrooms are set up and how hallways are divided to ensure proper physical distancing.

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Holy Cross School Welcome Back Video!

Julie Denomme, teacher at Bishop Alexander Carter, teaches her secondary class with students both in-class and remote. She says that Google Classroom allows the opportunity for students to be more independent as they watch the videos posted and can quickly review the provided feedback. Student engagement is high in this rich learning environment. We thank Ms. Denomme for her creativity and for embracing this new way teaching and learning.

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Sudbury Catholic’s Remote Learning School: Trailblazers in Education

The Remote Learning School operates as an online school where elementary students (Kindergarten to Grade 8) who have chosen the remote model join other classmates from across the system in a virtual classroom. Educators work out of a home school where they deliver synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities for students.

“The Remote Learning School offers students, as well as staff, many unique opportunities during such an uncertain time,” said Megan Murphy, Principal of the Remote Learning School. “With students being able to learn remotely, they are learning from all over Greater Sudbury – offering a unique opportunity to meet and make friends with those they may not have been able to interact with otherwise. Teachers are creating engaging learning communities, as they learn to navigate and adapt to this new model of teaching and learning. Together, we will uncover new territory, try new things and adjust to student needs as the year progresses.”

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Get to Know Us!

Guy Mathieu, Principal at Immaculate Conception School said that it was ‘all hands on deck’ during the first week of school but that staff were certainly up to the challenge!

The school produced a warm ‘Welcome Back’ video which was shared widely on the school’s social media showing eager staff and educators welcoming students back. Communication with parents is key, Guy explains.

“We welcome and value feedback from parents; we use this data to inform our practice and improve the experience the students receive at our school. As we move forward, each parent will receive a weekly personalized e-mail called ‘5 Things You Need to Know this Week’. Information changes very quickly, parents are extremely busy, and we believe that a short message that highlights the 5 most important things to know each week will help promote key messages so parents can support their children at school!” he says.

Guy believes that students and staff have adjusted remarkably well to the changes and that students have shown great resiliency in the face of the ‘new normal.’

Here are some examples of parent feedback the school has received so far:

• “Thank you to you and your team of teachers for all your efforts/preparations to make today as warm and normal as possible.”
  
• “We are fully confident in your school and the boards efforts to adjust to the new Covid world. Thanks for all your work over the nice summer days to get the school set up for 2020/21.”
  
• “You are doing a fantastic job with the distancing and keeping our children safe with the rules set in place. I was a little worried about how everything was going to go this year, but my daughter is happy, and everything is going well. I just wanted to say thank you for a great return to school.”
  
• “Thank you for your hard work and dedication during these uncertain times. Our family would like to extend our appreciation to all of you!”

Laura Kuzenko Principal of St. Benedict School applauds her staff who have all worked hard to ensure that proper protocols and procedures are followed.

In lieu of grade level assemblies which normally take place at the beginning of the school year, Laura and her Vice Principals spoke to each class to welcome students back and ensure they were comfortable with the new health and safety measures. Through social media, the school has also communicated several reminders and changes to students and parents on a regular basis.

Recognizing the challenges of wearing masks all day, St. Benedict staff have initiated a “mask break” to give students a few minutes in the middle of each period to relax from wearing the mask and enjoy fresh air while maintaining physical distancing.

The school had an opportunity to complete a virtual September Liturgy through Zoom so that all students were able to participate (regardless if they were a face-to-face learner or a distance learner).

“I have to give credit to my staff for truly going above and beyond to promote health and safety while also ensuring that St.Benedict remains a welcoming and friendly learning environment for all,” she explains.

Emma Carpenter is a Grade 11 student at Bishop Alexander Carter and is participating in remote learning this year. Emma has truly enjoyed the online learning experiences so far and the unique opportunities it provides. While learning remotely, Emma is able to attend regular classes virtually while also completing assignments and projects at her own pace. Emma is thankful for her teachers and the guidance and support they have shown throughout the process.

“My teachers have been awesome! They have provided all of the necessary resources and supports and I know if I’m having trouble with something that I can always reach out to them,” she explains.

Emma’s mother, Jennifer, has also been very impressed with the remote learning and the support given to her daughter. She feels confident that Emma is receiving the education she needs and is happy to receive communication from teachers when needed. While not tech savvy herself, Jennifer is enjoying learning alongside Emma.

“I am grateful to the teachers and the school for the approach they have taken to remote learning. I also feel that I am learning alongside Emma as we navigate the new platforms and technology together. It’s been a really amazing opportunity for our whole family to get involved in!”

As the 2019-2020 School Year comes to a close, we take the time to reflect on the many accomplishments achieved by our staff and students. It was certainly a memorable school year as we continued to focus on our values of faith, respect, community, innovation and learning. Student voice continued to be a focus, as evidenced by our Student Senate which organized several events, including a coat drive and a fundraiser to support the Australian bushfire relief. In living out the value of innovation we saw our Grade 4 teachers and students participate in the CS First Coding Program by Google which provided tremendous learning opportunities and engagement for our students and staff.

During March, COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic which resulted in the closure of our schools. Our Board quickly responded by developing the Learn@Home program. Though not without its challenges, I am so proud of each and every staff member that was involved in deploying necessary technology to families, creating learning platforms and resources and continually finding ways to support our families and students during these difficult times. My gratitude also goes out to our Trustees, Senior Team, school administration and all of our staff and students for working together as we all navigated these challenging times. As I look back at all that was accomplished and at how quickly we were able to adapt we can all be very proud of our resilience, creativity and our openness to trying new things.

In preparing this blog, we asked our schools to share a highlight of this past year. Below is just a glimpse of the wonderful events and activities that took place at Sudbury Catholic Schools.

Highlights From Our Schools

Highlights From the Board

Each year, the Catholic community of Ontario engages in a week-long celebration of the unique identity and distinctive contributions of Catholic education. This year’s celebration is titled, “Catholic Education: Igniting Hope” and was celebrated the week of May 3 – May 8.

This year’s theme, Catholic Education Week: Igniting Hope, is timely as the pandemic calls us to adjust to new routines and to adapt to changes in many aspects of our lives. Despite the school closure, our creative educators and staff organized activities to be completed virtually which allowed us to celebrate as a school board community. Schools focused on lesson plans and daily activities that reflected the five sub themes and engaged both students and families throughout the week. Please see below examples of how our schools chose to celebrate Catholic Education Week and ignited hope throughout the community!

Messages of Hope From Our Community

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ahKvnucK8&feature=youtu.be

https://vimeo.com/420285048

Our Hope in Christ

https://www.facebook.com/St.JosephKillarney/videos/250135756184355/

The Hope Within Us

The Hope Among Us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11ok_lAATrI&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1p8KPBarIoM5WjmpO6d5CjOHkzZ0Q1D0crP1tzFcstkvNJXjdlP3k918I

Hope For The World

A Future Full Of Hope

https://vimeo.com/419016367