This month, we highlight the value of partnerships. A good partnership is where both parties strive to reach a similar goal and are each positively impacted. Sudbury Catholic Schools are fortunate to have engaged partnerships with various organizations within our community, providing unique opportunities for both staff and students. These partnerships strengthen our ability to provide the best possible education for our students. We are indeed better together and as such we thank all of our partners for their contributions to our system.

Atikameksheng Anishnawbek Promotes Indigenous Teachings

Mr. Beaudry’s Anishinaabemowin language class at St. James School had the opportunity to create traditional hand drums. With support from Elders Frank and Julie Ozawagosh, the community of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, the Child and Family Centre, Better Beginnings Early On Aboriginal Hub as well as members of the Indigenous Education team, students and community members worked together to create hand drums made of deer hide and cedar. The materials donated by the Child and Family Centre supported St.James Catholic school in being able to participate in this learning opportunity. Students learned about respecting the animal and the trees that were harvested with the understanding that all living things should be honoured even when they are transformed into something new.

Hand drums are significant because their sound represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth. The beat also represents the sound of the heartbeat in the womb of our own mothers. So, the drum is a reminder that all things on Mother Earth are connected and sacred. Students and partners learned that because the drum is made of natural materials, it has a life and a spirit which is why it is important to have patience and good thoughts during the building.

After the completion of the drums, students gathered once again with community partners to birth and feast their drums. The drums were birthed through a traditional ceremony of tobacco offering, the cutting of the umbilical cord and a song led by Elders Frank and Julie, Natalie Lacasse from Laurentian University’s Indigenous Sharing and Learning Center, and Bev Malone from the Child and Family Centre. Once all the drums were birthed, they were then feasted with strawberries-also known as heart berries. The students and community members joined in singing a traditional  Welcome song, using their new drums to celebrate the new life of the drums. The ceremony ended with a shared feast of wild rice, corn, meatballs and strawberry water prepared by Hiawatha Catering. This wonderful learning opportunity would not have been possible without the support and commitment of our community partners. Chi-Miigwech.

Cool Kids Lead at Holy Cross School

As a school board, one of our strategic pathways is to advance leadership and learning for all. Cool Kids Leads is a partnership that does just that! Cool Kids Lead is an anti/bullying program facilitated by Laurentian University Campus Recreation. The goal of the program is to provide leadership and wellness development through interactive games to build student success, while fostering a bully free culture. Student athletes and concurrent education students serve as role models and qualified coaches for leadership, wellness and development skills.

Cool Kids Lead has visited many of our elementary schools over the past few years, including Holy Cross School! Staff and students at the school are passionate about exploring the teachings from the program every day.

“The Kindergarten students truly enjoyed playing various games with the Cool Kids Lead leaders. Their confidence truly grew with every visit. My students still talk about how much fun they had!” said Mme Merotto Kindergarten Physical Education Teacher.

Students also love when Cool Kids Lead comes to visit:

• “ I liked when we gave high 5’s.” Aria
• “I like playing with the parachute. Doing the waves was fun.” Harrison
• “They were showing good games.” Ethan
• “The big kids were kind.” Charlotte
• “It was fun because I saw them at Laurentian and I like seeing them at my school.” Charles

Thank you Cool Kids Lead and Laurentian University for your ongoing support to our schools!

Art Gallery helps PEACE students express their creative side!

The PEACE program at St. Albert Adult Learning Centre has created various community partnerships. One of the student’s favourite partnerships is with the Art Gallery of Sudbury. Sara from the Art Gallery visits the class bi-weekly with dynamic art projects ranging from spray painting to painting outdoor scenery live at Onaping Falls. Students find painting very relaxing and appreciate that they can earn credits via non-traditional experiential learning.

St. Benedict Students get active!

The grade 7 French Immersion class at St. Benedict has partnered with Active Sudbury and Laurentian University for a physical literacy mentorship program this year.

Active Sudbury aims to improve physical literacy in the city which includes play groups and school mentor programs.

Madame Salem, who is the grade 7 F.I. teacher says “the students have had the opportunity to work with experts in the field such as educators and Masters students to learn some fundamental skills such as running, hopping, overhand throwing, balancing and how to properly kick a ball with the use of fun materials like agility ladders.”

The students have all been assessed and now new skills are being taught as part of their physical education curriculum ensuring continued improvements. 

Get to know us!

Roots of Empathy is a classroom-based program, where infants are brought into a classroom on a regular basis over the course of a school year in order to allow the students to observe the infants’ development and emotions. Once a month a baby and their parent come and visit with Kindergarten classrooms.

There are 9 themes that classrooms concentrate on throughout the school year:

1. Meeting the baby
2. Crying
3. Caring and Planning
4. Emotions
5. Sleep
6. Safety
7. Communication
8. Who am I 
9. Goodbye and Good wishes

Two Early Childhood Educators have seen first hand the positive influence this partnership has had in their classrooms.

Samantha Theriault is an Early Childhood Educator at St. David School. Their Kindergarten classroom receives visits from baby Harper and her mom Ashley. Ms Theriault feels that the program has allowed the students to begin to learn about empathy.

“I think it is important to teach empathy at a young age. The children can see that others have feelings and emotions that need to be respected. The program has taught our students to be patient and to understand that everyone masters milestones when they are ready. ” she explained.

Domenic Vicedomini is an Early Childhood Educator at Holy Trinity School. He, too, feels that the Roots of Empathy program offers a unique experience for our early learners.

“By having the ‘Roots of Empathy’ program in our class, the students enjoy the baby visits and look forward to the many milestones the baby may reach over the course of the year.  The students are engaged and attentive listeners when the baby starts to crawl, roll, and eat new foods. It is important to have this program in the early years as it sets the foundation for a positive caring environment for all students.

With the sun shining and the grass beginning to show, Spring may finally be upon us!

In this month’s blog we explore music and the essential role it plays in the education of our students. Through participation in the arts (dance, drama, media arts, visual arts and music) our students develop many important skills and attributes including creativity, self-awareness, team work and a sense of well-being that are essential to success. Dedicating a blog to celebrating the gift of music allows us to highlight the amazing talent in our schools and to THANK the educators who nurture, encourage and provide the opportunities that allow this talent to grow. We thank our staff for the hours of dedication that made these accomplishments possible!

Sudbury Catholic Schools Shine at Kiwanis Festival

The 74th Annual Kiwanis Festival took place from March 23 – April 5, 2019. Students participated in several categories including concert band, jazz ensembles and choirs. We are thrilled to see so many success stories come out of this year’s festival!

Marymount Concert Band Achieves Diamond

The Senior Concert Band at Marymount Academy was able to achieve a diamond result! The band also received a scholarship for having the highest mark of all senior bands at the Kiwanis festival and received an invitation to the recorded provincial level of Kiwanis.

The Concert Band is made up of 31 students from grades 8 to 12. The group competes at three festivals each year: the Northern Ontario Music Festival in March, Kiwanis Music Festival in April, and this year, the Atlantic Band Festival in Halifax, in May. Brittany Goldsborough, band instructor and music teacher, believes that music festivals offer more than simply a placement or result. Festivals also offer participants feedback which allows the band to continue to improve and grow together.

“A festival prompts a new learning cycle as the feedback is for both me, the conductor and the students, our musicians, on what we should work on to continue our development of musical expression. Of course, we are always excited to hear the result of our festivals, but what’s more important overall is that we are always growing and moving toward a higher standard of performance.”

Brittany also believes that music education is one of the best places our students can work on soft skill development.  Through music, students learn about improving skills such as: Leadership, confidence, collaboration, initiative, resiliency, discipline, work ethic, time management, self efficacy, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and self awareness.

In addition to the diamond achievement, Marymount Academy also won awards in the following categories:

• Secondary School Jazz Ensemble –SILVER
• Secondary School Brass – GOLD
• Secondary School Woodwind Duo – GOLD and SILVER
• Elementary School Concert Band – SILVER

St. Charles College sees gold in multiple categories!

St. Charles College was successful in several categories at this year’s festival:

• Percussion Ensemble – Gold
• Junior Concert Band – Silver
• Senior Guitar Ensemble – Gold
• Secondary Concert Choir – Gold
• Elementary Concert Choir – Gold
• Elementary Band – Gold

In addition to the wonderful results, Mrs. Demore’s Percussion Ensemble, Mr. Bubalo’s Guitar Ensemble and Ms. Coyle’s Choir received honorary music awards at this year’s Annual Kiwanis Awards Ceremony held on April 15.

Sudbury Catholic School Elementary Concert Band Achieves Gold

The Sudbury Catholic School Elementary Concert Band was also a recipient of a Gold ranking at this year’s Kiwanis festival! The Sudbury Catholic Elementary Band is currently made up of grade 7 and 8 students from St. Charles College and St. Benedict and is directed by Leanne Urso and Danielle Conti.  In addition to the Kiwanis Festival, the band will be joined by students from St. Anne, St. James, St. John and St. Charles in Chelmsford for a series of Spring Concerts at each school, as well as a performance at the Canada’s Wonderland Music Festival.

Full list of 2019 Stars of Excellence at the Kiwanis Music Festival

St. James Students connect through ukuleles

Mrs. Moores and Mr. Maloney are embracing music with their classes at St. James School. The two teachers at St James are teaching students how to play ukuleles. The school invested in a class set of instruments so that all students within the classes would be able to learn. The school also has a ukulele club so that other students have the chance to learn as well!

Pius XII Students Explore Instruments

Students in Grade 2/3 at Pius XII have been exploring the ways in which different instruments are used around the world. Each student investigated an instrument and then made it out of materials found at home! We think we have some great future musicians in this mix!

Get to know us!

Julia Burns and Emily Bona are two members of the Senior Concert Band at Marymount Academy that helped achieve a diamond ranking at Kiwanis. The girls are both in Grade 12 at Marymount.

Julia plays trombone in both the concert band the jazz band and also performed in two solo pieces at Kiwanis achieving gold. Emily plays the alto saxophone in both the concert and jazz band. Music, they say, has provided them with skill sets that positively influenced both their education and their personal mindsets.

“Being in band has allowed us to connect through music and learn to work together as a team. It is also is a great way to meet new people who share the same interests,” said Julia. Emily agreed. “It’s a great outlet for stress too. When my other schoolwork seems difficult and frustrating, I know I can come to band and feel better.”

The girls say that their success in recent years is due to the band acting as a team and putting the work in. They felt prepared and confident going into the competition season.

The bands wrap-up their year with the Halifax Atlantic Band Festival taking place in May. Good luck, Regals!

This month, we explore the topic of student voice. Student voice encourages our students to work together on projects, collaborate and present a vision for what they want to see at Sudbury Catholic Schools. Today I had the pleasure of spending the day engaged in conversations with student representatives at Bishop Alexander Carter. Students shared their thoughts on what they appreciate about their school and how it might be improved. Through very respectful conversations their ideas will help to inform our work at the school and system levels. I look forward to many more such visits over the next two months. As a system, we are proud to encourage and promote student voice and engage students as partners in learning.

St. James Student Council organizes Winter Carnival to encourage physical activity

The Student Council at St. James School recently organized a Winter Carnival for students and staff. The goal of the event was to promote outdoor physical activity. All students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 participated in the event. Grade 7 and 8 students ran the activities/games while Grade 6 students served as team leaders.

There are currently 12 students who sit on the St. James Student Council and they plan fun activities and games year round. What a fun and engaging way to promote student voice in the schoolyard, way to go Bears!

St. John Student Council work together to create change!

St. John Catholic Elementary School has an active student council made up of students from Grade 4 to Grade 6. The group meets five to six times a year and works together to plan events and brainstorm ideas to further improve their school!

This year, the Council has worked together to plan candy gram fundraisers and cupcake day fundraisers in support of the SPCA, school dances and just this month organization a special Ash Wednesday celebration. The Council even got a chance to go through a formal election process with a mock election. As the weather warms up and the season changes to Spring, the group is now turning their attention to playground safety; they will brainstorm ideas as a group of how they can ensure students are safe and being active in the school yard.

This is what our students had to say when asked about the importance of student voice and the Student Council at St. John:

• “Student Council is a lot of fun, but it’s also a big responsibility!”
• “Student voice means that we’re able to give our opinion about certain issues and find a solution that fits everyone.”
• “I like being a student rep at my school.”

Great job St.John, we can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

St. Mark students showcase their crafting skills

St. Mark students are embracing student voice in a creative way! The students are currently working together with the help of parent volunteer Denise to create a quilt for their local Church. The quilt will then be auctioned off.

Funded through the social action grant Imagineaction, the students are also creating a second quilt to help fund their transportation to track and field events. Both projects encourage student voice and creativity!

Bishop Alexander Carter students give back to their sister school

Bishop Alexander Carter supports a sister school in Tanzania, East Africa. Students hold various events throughout the school year designed to raise money for the school and its community. It all began when Grade 12 students heard from a former St. Anne Student, Tracy Pepper who battled ovarian cancer at an early age (Grade 5).  This impacted her life greatly and when in her 30s, she set a goal of climbing Mount Kilimajaro. After her successful climb, she spent some time in Tanzania and fell in love with the people. She saw first hand the horrible conditions of the schools and noticed that children were not often able to attend school because of the cost.  Tracy started a non-for-profit organization to help children attend school.

Tracy spoke to Grade 12 students about her journey and her non-for-profit organization.  The students decided to adopt one of the schools and began working on events and fundraisers to raise funds and support for the school. The students started with a beans and rice campaign at Thanksgiving.  Five cents will feed three children beans and rice for the day.  Students have also organized a taco Tuesday lunch, bake sale and will be hosting a floor hockey tournament in April to raise money for the high school in Tanzania that is run through Tracy’s organization. It is so amazing to see what student voice has the power of doing!

International Students share their experiences in scholarship contest!

Three current International students participated in an activity about their experience in Canada and with Sudbury Catholic.

Zihao Wang, Grade 11 Student at St. Benedict from China has been in Sudbury for two years. In his video he spoke of how much he loves living in Sudbury and going to school at St. Benedict.  Last semester, he took Visual Arts with Mr. Timpano and really enjoyed the course.

Phillip Tran’s video featured vignettes about his host family, his life at Sudbury Catholic and he also spoke about loving nature and fresh air. Phillip also indicated that he asked his host parents if he could call them “mom and dad” because he feels so at home in their household.  Phillip joined St. Benedict this year from Vietnam.

Anh Nguyen from Marymount Academy also shared her video which described her positive experience at her school, with her host family and her love of being outdoors!

Anh Nguyen’s video

Zihao Wang’s Video

Phillip Tran’s Video

Marymount Charities Council gives back to MS Society

The Marymount Academy Charities Council is currently made up of 12 student members who organize fundraisers for both the global and local community. Each year, they select an organization that they want to focus their efforts on. Upon hearing that one of their own school community members had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), the students took action and organized events to raise funds for MS Society.

The students have worked together to create and sell branded crew neck sweatshirts and t-shirts. The group has also organized a penny table at Marymount’s upcoming craft table and is currently working on finalizing a buy-out for students to participate in. The council will finish their fundraising efforts with their annual canvassing event this Spring.

Amy Godin, Grade 12 student and President of the Charities Council at Marymount, feels that the Council serves a very important purpose when promoting student voice.

“I think that student voice means that it provides us with the opportunity to speak passionately about what matters most. The Charities Council is the perfect example of this. We serve on the Council because we want to give back to our community and we want to help others!”

SCC takes on New York at the Model United Nations Conference!

The students at St. Charles College celebrated God’s mystery through reflection and moral living when they debated with over 5000 students from around the world in New York City. Our very own youth assembled together to take on the role of a United Nation’s Delegate in order to help resolve International crisis and bring about peaceful solutions.

Under the leadership of Jaime Sauve, law teacher at St. Charles College, 23 students had the opportunity to participate in the world’s largest United Nation’s Conference, to discuss current global issues in a real world context. St. Charles College was one of only 8 Canadian schools who participated in this influential conference and the only Northern Ontario School.

Students were deliberate in their discussions and showed integrity in their ability to persuade others to make morally acceptable decisions. They were unwavering in their tenacity to make positive changes for the wellbeing of mankind. This experiential learning initiative has supported students in working on their various skills, which were displayed through critical thinking, compromise, negotiating, public speaking, writing, and research. 

Students also had the chance to meet with the Australian Ambassador and attend the opening ceremonies held at the United Nation’s Headquarters!  We are very proud of all our students who participated this year as it not only challenged students to take on a leadership role, but it also fostered global awareness and resiliency within students.

Get to know us!

Our Student Senate is made of student representatives from each of our four Secondary Schools. They are seen as the leaders within their school communities and work to amplify the voice of students, bringing it into the boardroom.

This year, Student Senate has organized many different events and initiatives to help support our community! They began their year by participating in our Faith PA day in October, presenting the importance of Renewing the Promise. They then organized a very successful coat drive in December, contributing over 150 coats to those in need. The group also gave back to their community by participating in a day at the soup kitchen, serving meals and building relationships with an important local organization. All of these events, they said, promote leadership, networking and above all, student voice.

“Student Senate is the ultimate example of student voice,” said Kira Gouchie, Student Trustee. “Each school is represented and the system allows students to have a platform at the Board level, something that is really important to all of us.”

The Student Senate will close out their year with another visit to the local soup kitchen and will help organize the Model UN conference being hosted at St. Charles College in May. Students from all four of our high schools will come together to discuss and find solutions to difficult International problems.

February is all about keeping our hearts healthy! We are focused on activities that improve our overall physical health and well-being. All year, our schools promote and encourage physical activity for both staff and students. Research supports that physical activity helps to improve academic achievement and does help us to reduce stress and anxiety. At Sudbury Catholic with the support of dedicated staff and coaches we are focused on helping all of our students create a lifelong habit of physical activity. We are proud that all of our schools offer a wide range of activities both intra-mural and extra-mural that encourage our students to be active.

Here are just a few examples of how our staff and students are keeping heart health top of mind!

Elementary Schools Prepare for the Great Outdoors!

Brad Blackwell, our Outdoor Education Project Leader has been working with schools all month to promote physical activity outdoors during the Winter months.

Mr.Blackwell has been teaching students about various wildlife found outdoors, as well as fun physical activities for students to participate in such as hiking and snowshoeing.

St. Charles Elementary freshens up their uniforms

The St. Charles Chelmsford community gave their athletic wear a re-fresh! Seeing that students could benefit from some new uniforms, the Catholic Parent Council and the school raised funds over the past few months! New uniforms were purchased for volleyball, basketball and the hockey teams. The students and staff were thrilled to show off new uniforms in the various games and tournaments taking place this winter! Go Rams!!!

Student Trustee gives her B.E.S.T at Bishop!

Bishop Alexander Carter is home to a unique program called B.E.S.T (Bishop Elite Sports Training Program). The program is designed to achieve greatness in academics, leadership and fitness and allows students to meet goals that will pave the way for a lifelong commitment to good health.

Kira Gouchie, our Student Trustee for the 2018-2019 school year, took part in the B.E.S.T program during the pilot year. The program provided her with courses and classes to help her expand her knowledge about the human body and physical fitness as a whole. The teachers and staff involved in the program have all been committed to the progress, and during the pilot acted as extra support for students as they improved both their fitness regime and academics!

Kira, who desires to work in the medical field one day, felt that the program was an excellent resource for her to learn about the human body, and improve her confidence and leadership skills within her school community!

“The BEST program provided me with the knowledge and confidence needed for my post-secondary endeavors. The encouragement to try new things and the confidence I gained from this extraordinary program allowed me to flourish in my academics in a nurturing environment, as well as properly maintain my physical and mental well-being. I would strongly encourage other students to participate within this life-changing program,” Kira Gouchie, Student Trustee.

St. Charles College students dance their way to health!

The dance team at St. Charles College is comprised of dancers ranging from grades 7-12. The team takes part in various dance events through the year, including: performances at the CTV Lion’s Telethon, annual school pep rallies, Christmas Arts Spectacular Concert, Sudbury Santa Claus Parade as well as community parishes.

The dance team is one of many teams at St. Charles College that promotes improved physical health! Dance team coach and teacher, Patricia Demore explains the health benefits: “Regular dance practice with my students has increased my students’ flexibility, range of motion, physical strength and stamina. Dance lessons also help to spark creativity in students and help them to develop an appreciation for the arts. Dance encourages our students to foster a more positive attitude and explore their own self-expression.”

Participating students on the dance team enjoy the experience because it improves their overall health in a fun an energizing way! They also love that everyone is included and provides an excellent outlet to de-stress!

Athletic Council at Marymount Academy provides inclusive environment for students

Marymount Academy has many clubs and councils for eager students to participate in. One of their biggest and most enthusiastic is the Athletics Council. The Council is made up of 18 students from grades 7-12.

Their responsibilities include organizing the annual Goals for Girls event, a floor hockey fundraiser which helps promote athletics, Spirit Days, their Winter Carnival event in which students can choose from various physical activities and their annual athletics banquet in the Spring.

Co-Presidents Cassidy Burton and Brady Martin feel that the council offers an inclusive and supportive environment for students to participate in. “Athletics are a huge part of our school! At Marymount, we’re used to being part of a team and we feel that the Athletics Council is another great way to get everyone involved in sports or physical activities without fear of judgement!”

Get to know us!

Two athletes from St.Benedict were recently featured in the Athletes of the Week feature in the Sudbury Star! Jordan Pincivero and Colleen Zilio are both Grade 12 students who currently play on the boys’ and girls’ hockey teams respectively.

Jordan has played on the hockey team for his entire high school career, even dating back to Grade 7! His coach, teacher James Eaton has coached Jordan since he came to St. Benedict. As a result, the two share an important coach-athlete dynamic which has brought them both much success!

“When you’re a coach, you see a different side of the students. The heart they have as athletes is something special to see. Jordan is a very skilled hockey player. He might be the smallest member of our team in stature, but he also has the greatest determination!” James Eaton, Coach.

“We have the same goal in mind. We are both on the same page and we know what needs to be done. There is a certain level of respect on both sides which is important as well,” Jordan Pincivero.

Colleen Zilio is a left wing on the girls’ hockey team. She has played hockey for all four years of high school. Teachers Christina Punkari and Adriano Simonato are in their first year of coaching Colleen. All enjoy the team environment and are proud of their hard work this season.

“Colleen is such a dedicated player. She’s knowledgeable, follows directions well, and she’s always willing to give it her best! She makes our job fun because she’s coach-able and enjoyable to be around,” Christina Punkari and Adriano Simonato explain.

In addition to hockey, Colleen plays football, basketball and soccer. She hopes to continue to play sports and be physically active long after she’s done school!

“I like sports because they keep me healthy and they give me a chance to make new friends and be social outside of class!” Colleen Zilio.

I can hardly believe 2019 is already here! January has been an opportunity to reflect on our goals for the year, adjust if necessary and to sharpen our focus.

Growth mindset has become a shared language in our schools for both ourselves and our students. The concept was first introduced by Dr. Dweck in 1988 and showed that a person’s mindset paves the way for the achievement of our goals. Essentially those who believe that their abilities can grow and develop are more likely to embrace challenges and persist despite failure. At Sudbury Catholic we have been encouraging mindfulness and growth mindset for our students and ourselves in our quest to achieving our goals. In this Blog I am very pleased to share some recent examples of our staff and students embracing a growth mindset, along with the application of mindfulness in helping to build resilience and self-regulation.

St. Anne students build resilience through mindfulness activities

St. Anne School’s grade 7 and 8 students are taking part in the 16 week Inhale/Exhale pilot program through Public Health Sudbury and Districts.  Students are learning about the importance of being aware of their thoughts, emotions and surrounding environment.  Recently, students learned about mindful breathing.  Students used finger traps to focus their breathing and relax their bodies allowing them to loosen the finger traps. 

“Our students have so many pressures. Mindfulness is an important concept for us all to learn and have the opportunity to practice, so when tough times come, we have the skills required to be resilient,” said Jody O’Daiskey, Gr. 8 Educator. 

Christian Meditation helps Holy Trinity students create positive self-regulation skills

Positive mindfulness is key at Holy Trinity School!  Being healthy encompasses not only our physical well-being but also our emotional and mental well-being.  It’s with this in mind that students and teacher Nancy Bellemare-Perron engage in daily guided Christian meditation.  Meditation allows students to use strategies that help develop positive self-regulation skills.  After the meditation sessions, students have made comments such as:

“I feel like God has spoken to me.”

“I was feeling a little bit of anxiety and now I feel calmer.”

Holy Cross students learn about the power of mindset

Students at Holy Cross have been participating in yoga and guided meditation through the stories of the 7 Habits for Happy Kids. Instructor Taryn Cothill retells the stories with students using yoga poses and reflection.  The students have enjoyed being able to learn about the power of meditation and apply the strategies they have learned to persevere in their work.

St. Charles Washrooms get a makeover!

Last Spring, the Catholic Parent Council members at St. Charles Elementary initiated a project to enhance grown mindset in the school! The group donated their time and artistic talent to paint growth mindset quotes on the washroom stall doors. The beautiful doors are now full of inspirational messages and the students love seeing the positive reminders! Way to go Rams!

St. Charles College embraces vertical learning environment

Teachers at St. Charles College have adopted a growth mindset as they apply the thinking classroom model to enhance student learning and develop communication and critical thinking skills. 

A thinking classroom is a classroom that is not only conducive to thinking but also occasions thinking, a space that is inhabited by thinking individuals as well as individuals thinking collectively, learning together, and constructing knowledge and understanding through activity and discussion.  This is  based on the research of Professor Peter Liljedahl from Simon Fraser University.

This model has proven to help students build confidence in their abilities, increase engagement, and improve overall results. 

Secondary Schools create positive and encouraging learning environment!

Our secondary students began their exams for the first semester at the end of January. To help encourage these students and promote general wellness, our secondary schools have incorporated animals and wildlife to engage students.

Both St. Benedict and Bishop Alexander Carter offered pet therapy for students as they approached their first semester exams. It has been scientifically proven that therapy dogs can help people who are depressed and have anxiety.

“The importance of a growth mindset is clearly visible in our schools. We know that learning is not static and that our brain grows when we make mistakes. Students and staff know that we can learn if we truly believe in ourselves and in our abilities.  Our brain’s elasticity allows us to grow in our knowledge and understanding. This belief truly sets us free to make mistakes and learn,” Nicole Bédard, Superintendent of Effectiveness at Sudbury Catholic Schools.
 

I can hardly believe that December is already here and that 2019 is just around the corner.  This year has been marked with many successes and much to celebrate. All of this has been possible because of our students, parents, trustees, community partners and our amazing dedicated staff.  At this time of the year it is important to give thanks for our many blessings.  I thank all of you for all that you do and for making Sudbury Catholic the amazing organization that it is.  During this season, we prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus.  We light our Advent wreath as a reminder that we are called to be light to the world in our words and in our actions.  As we move through these final days of preparing our hearts and our homes, I wish you all a very blessed Christmas season and peace and love throughout the year. 

This year’s Christmas Card Design Contest winners Chloe from Pius XII School and the students in the Communications Classroom at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. We have such talented students, it is always a difficult choice!

For the month of December, I wanted to focus on the strategic pathway of innovation. In each of our schools, our staff and students work diligently each day to find new ways to be innovative thinkers and learners.

Over the past several years, our Board has focused on incorporating coding and robotics into learning – teaching students how valuable and versatile the skills truly are. I am excited to share with you how our schools are helping to prepare our students with the 21st century competencies they will require to achieve success.

Brian Aspinall brings his coding knowledge to Sudbury Catholic Schools! 

During the week of November 26, author, teacher and coding expert Brian Aspinall facilitated several learning sessions with our schools! Brian focused on both beginner and more advanced coding programs including Scratch and Makey Makey. Students loved being able to work with the technology and explore their coding skills! We hope Brian visits Sudbury Catholic Schools again soon!

Sudbury Catholic Schools take over LEGO Tournament at Science North! 

Several elementary schools took part in the city-wide First LEGO League tournament at Science North on Saturday, December 1. The schools of Holy Cross, Holy Trinity, St. Anne and St. James represented Sudbury Catholic Schools well at the tournament! We thank the students, their dedicated coaches and community sponsors who have helped grow the program over the years. Congratulations on an amazing effort by all! 

Sudbury Catholic staff and students participate in the Hour of Code

The Hour of Code was celebrated during the week of December 3 – December 7. All week our staff and students worked together to complete coding activities during the #HourOfCode! The Hour of Code is an international event that occurs in December promoting coding in schools and accross school boards. Board staff and educators worked together to teach our students (and themselves) how easy and fun coding can be! 

St. Benedict students take full advantage of unique coding room!

Students have the opportunity to use Ozobot’s, Ollie’s and Sphero’s every day at lunch in the coding room, located in the grade 7/8 wing at St. Benedict Catholic School.

The students can also work on coding and engineering using the Lego Mindstorm. The coding room is staffed at lunch and on nutrition break.

In addition to all the technology at their fingertips, the coding room also allows students the opportunity to develop team work and problem solving.

Bishop Alexander Carter Students gear up to race!

Mr. Facchini’s Grade 10 Technological Design course at Bishop Carter has begun constructing remote controlled cars, using cardboard for the frame and Arduino programmable circuit boards to control the motor, steering and radio communication. The car will receive the data and use it to control steering via servo and forward/backwards movement via motor.  Once the students have completed their cars, a race will be held in the gymnasium to put them to the test.  This project requires students to apply a variety of skills, including drafting in AutoCAD, prototyping, electrical wiring, and coding!

Get to know us!

This month, I am happy to introduce Jillian Ospina, our Technology Enabled Learning and Teaching Contact. She can often be found travelling classroom to classroom introducing students and educators to the world of coding and robotics. She believes that not only does coding help students develop critical thinking and analytical skills, it also provides the opportunity for students to become digital content creators instead of just digital consumers.

“Not many people can say they are lucky enough to be given the opportunity to learn about new educational technologies, philosophies and strategies and then see them in action through our staff and students in the classroom. I’m fortunate enough to be working for an innovative, forward thinking board that encourages teachers and students to use technology as the powerful learning tool it has become.” 

Our vision as a school board is Leaders in Learning and Faith. We embrace this vision fully, and work to nurture the mind, body and spirit of each and every student and staff member within our inclusive Catholic learning community. When we are able to lead by example, we create a positive domino effect, one that I am very proud to be a part of. I am very pleased to focus this blog on the work we have and continue to accomplish in enhancing out health and wellness as a system. 

To help us achieve our goals, a large system-wide project focused on health and wellness began in 2014.  We began our journey by conducting an employee survey in June of that year which identified culture as being the top priority.  With this information in hand, we established our Wellness Committee. The Wellness Committee’s current members include Heather Geverding, Pat Shewring, Chantal Rancourt, Lori Holden, Kim Taylor-Horeck, Melissa Anderson, Jean-Marc Joanisse, Mike O’Donnell, Laura Kuzenko,  Suzanne Dubien and myself. The committee meets regularly to find ways to promote staff health and wellness throughout the year. 

Since its inception in 2014, many activities promoting health and wellness focusing on the mind, body and spirit have taken place. These activities have included an annual system professional development day for all staff focused on supporting our faith and our health and wellness; an annual system-wide wellness day; workshops and training; efforts to recognize staff;  and revised policies and APGs focused on health & wellness.  

Last year, we held a system wide wellness day where staff and students at each of our school sites were encouraged to complete activities as a school community that promoted health and wellness.  They were encouraged to share these on their social media channels to encourage wellness as a way of life. Here are some examples of what our schools did during the 2018 wellness day!

We celebrate wellness as a system

During our Faith PA day last month, all of our staff participated in health & wellness activities. From yoga to painting, mindfulness activities to escape rooms, there were countless opportunities to choose from! All of the activities focused on developing a healthy, mind and spirit – essential to our success as a system.  

Health & Wellness in our schools is spreading 

Our schools are consistently promoting health & wellness as a community. Here is how they nurture the body, mind and spirit each and every day! 

St. Albert students ‘Dare 2 Dream’

Students in the PEACE program at St.Albert School recently embraced health & wellness with their trip to the Dare 2 Dream Alpaca Farm. This is the 2nd trip with the program. Students toured the farm and helped out with some farm chores. The day allowed students to get fresh winter air, learn about the importance of local farming and sourcing, and interacting and respecting the boundaries of unique animals.

Cool Kids Lead teaches St. Francis students about the power of emotions

Cool Kids Lead is an anti-bullying program hosted by Laurentian University. They travel to our elementary schools throughout the year to deliver powerful programs, tips and resources to help teach students the power of being a leader. This past month, the group visited St. Francis school to talk about anxiety. The group talked about different resources and tools to help manage anxiety in everyday situations. We love seeing Cool Kids Lead in our schools and can’t wait to hear about more exciting workshops with students! 

Room 180 provides a safe place for students at St. Charles College 

Room 180 was put in place to provide a safe non-judgemental space for students to come socialize, relax, get extra emotional support, as well as building healthy relationships. In this room Mrs. McIndoe (Mrs. M) focuses on helping students achieve personal goals and support them emotionally through difficult situations and everyday challenges. She runs different workshops based on student needs and requests such as anti- bullying, anxiety, time management, diversity, and peer mentoring. The room is designed to bring people together and allow students to be themselves free of judgement, it has a welcoming atmosphere that promotes relaxation. Room 180 is open to all students at any grade level. They do different activities such as potlucks, secret Santa, support a local family and painting projects around the school. We believe that this also helps students feel a sense of belonging and we are looking forward to all the benefits Mrs. McIndoe and this room bring to our school. 

Breakfast club at St. Benedict aims to keep bellies full so the focus can turn to strong academics 

Like in most of our schools, every morning at St. Benedict starts with apples, bananas, yogurt, bagels, cereal or cereal bars.

The sentiment is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it provides fuel after the overnight fast, hence the term “breakfast”.  As the site shakeupyourwakeup.com suggests, “without breakfast you are effectively running on empty, like trying to start the car with no petrol!”

The Benedict Bears breakfast club is run out of the foods’ classroom in the secondary panel and the cafeteria for those students in grades 7 and 8. It’s led by Chaplain, Rob Pappin, along with Educational Assistant Christina Punkari.  They purchase and prep the food each morning with a little help and input from students along the way. Each day at St. Benedict, about half the students in the building tap into the breakfast club program.  The club is thankful for the financial support of Better Beginnings, Better Futures.

Pappin says “it just makes sense to ensure the students have an opportunity to have a solid first meal of the day so they can focus their energy on their academics”.   More than that, it is also a gathering place for students to share breakfast, and talk about school and other activities outside of school.  The social dimension is an important aspect of the club. 

Bullying Prevention and Inclusivity Week

November 19 – 13 marked Bullying Prevention and Inclusivity Week in Canada. Our schools each participated in a variety of activities – here are just a few examples!

During the month of October, we focus on the virtue of Faith. It is a time to ask ourselves how we live out our faith each day in our lives. It is also a time to give thanks for the many blessings that we have. We began the month with Thanksgiving, and we ended our month with the annual Faith PA day, where we gathered as a system to celebrate our faith and learn ways in which we can nurture our Mind, Body and Spirit.

Every Child Matters

Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come. Orange Shirt Day recognizes the harm the residential school system did to children’s sense of self-esteem and well-being, and is an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters.

There are so many wonderful stories to share from our schools this month! Take a look at the many ways in which our system embraces faith each and every day. 

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board participated in Orange Shirt Day on October 1, 2018. Special shirts were made to commemorate this important day. The shirts were designed by Erika Poirier and Marja Frederiksen, grade 11 students from St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School.  The logo designed was used for t-shirts, banners and other promotional materials. Staff and students throughout the system participated by wearing these shirts or their favourite orange shirt as a reminder of the importance of this day. 

Giving Thanks – Sudbury Catholic Schools celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to spend time with those who matter most, and to be grateful for everything that we have. Our schools honoured Thanksgiving by participating in liturgical celebrations, community fundraisers and other gatherings!

Giving back to our community

Many of our schools participate in fundraisers in October to give back to the community. Here are just a few examples of what our staff and students accomplished this month!

Bishop Alexander Carter raises ‘Rice and Beans’ for students in Tanzania

To help their sister school in Tanzania, students began a rice and bean campaign. The partnership was created by a St. Anne School graduate and has been positively received by staff and students in the BAC community. Each 5 cents raised can feed 3 students for a day at their sister school. So far, the school has managed to raise $280. This will help feed 600 children for a month. Way to go Gators!

St. Charles College hosts another successful canned food drive!

St. Charles College’s annual food drive brought in 133,000 food items for the Sudbury Food Bank this year. This food drive helps feed our community and helps students learn how to be leaders. It teaches them the value of hard work and allows them to empathize with others who are less fortunate. The students spent their evenings and weekend at various grocery stores bagging groceries and collecting cans. Other students went door-to-door to collect.

Feeder schools, Holy Trinity, St. Paul, St. John, Pius XII, St. Francis, and St. David also played a big role in collecting cans. They support the food drive every year and they are a huge part of its success.

Learning about Faith in the classroom

St. Mark students learn about the Rosary

Students at St. Mark school are learning about the Rosary! Mary Love, a community member comes to their classroom once a month and explains the rosary and the meaning of each bead to students. Students have loved the lessons and working with Mary Love!

“It’s fun and I like to read the Mysteries!” Calvin, a student at St. Mark.

Pius XII Students prepare for their First Communion

To help prepare students for their First Communion in the Spring, staff from Holy Redeemer Parish come to Pius XII School! Through this initiative, students will learn about First Communion and reconciliation with their classmates at school, allowing them to learn and grow together! In their first session, students learned about what reconciliation is, how God shows his love for us and the importance of forgiveness! Working with our parish partners and teaching staff is a blessing that we are very grateful for. Our students are excited to continue the lessons throughout the year!

Sudbury Catholic Schools come together to celebrate faith and wellness

All Sudbury Catholic District School Board staff gathered together on October 26 for the annual Faith PA day celebration! The day started with a Mass led by Bishop Marcel Damphousse. A Choir made up of SCDSB staff also joined in, providing us with many wonderful songs to complete our Eucharistic celebration. Following the Mass, Dr. Ian Manion, provided a thought-provoking and powerful presentation about the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

The afternoon consisted of breakout-sessions for all staff focused on the mind, body and spirit. Sessions ranged from yoga and physical fitness activities, sports games, mental health and wellbeing talks!

We thank all staff who attended the day and fully embraced the theme of wellness, and all those who helped organize the events and activities! This was a great day of learning for all.

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Thank you for all that you do!

October is also an important month to thank our staff for all the hard work that they do each day. We were honoured to celebrate three different awareness days this month!

Get to know us!

This month, we are happy to highlight Bishop Marcel Damphousse. He was first ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Boniface on June 28, 1991, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed Bishop Damphousse as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. His role as a bishop is to sanctify, teach and govern not only the Catholics but all the people that live in the territory of what is called the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie (which covers 265 000 square kilometers). The Bishop strongly believes that Catholic schools play an important role within the mission of the Church. Schools and Parishes must work together to ensure students and their families are provided with all the academic, pastoral and spiritual needs they need. We thank Bishop Damphousse for his support and leadership.

“Catholic education is a benefit not only for students but for the whole of society because I believe we build a better world with people who live according to Gospel values.” Bishop Marcel Damphousse.

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year! We look forward to another year of learning surrounded by amazing staff and students. Our value this month is respect. When we respect others, we see goodness in them, just as God created them to be. Let us continue to work together to create a positive, supportive and safe environment that nurtures mutual respect and cooperation between individuals.

The summer certainly has flown by, and we have many successful stories to share. Our school facilities look amazing thanks to our wonderful custodial and maintenance staff who take great care in ensuring that our facilities are clean and safe as we welcome students, staff and families to a new school year. Our educators have also started the new school year off with some important professional development sessions further demonstrating our commitment to being leaders in learning and faith. The 2018-2019 school year is off to a great start. As always it is an absolute blessing to be part of the Sudbury Catholic School Board Community.

Learning Program at Sudbury Catholic Schools continue to benefit students during summer months!

Ninety-five students between Kindergarten and Grade 5 completed the three-week Summer Learning Program at St. Francis School from July 9 to July 27.

The students were divided into six classrooms, and included a numeracy and literacy session as well as a literacy and indigenous education session. Along with the six classroom teachers, there were also 12 robotics literacy tutors and eight Focus on Youth Camp counsellors present, providing a full educational team to provide rich learning opportunities for participating students.

Students were able to use the latest in technology to enhance their learning. Students learned the basics of robotics and practiced their numeracy skills by using Ozo Bots, Dash bots, and other coding activities. Students worked on their literacy skills through a reading computer program called Lexia. New this year, the group also completed a Lego challenge design which was a great success. What a great way to learn, great job campers!

Sudbury Catholic Schools Welcome 30 International Students

Our International Student program is certainly flourishing! Over the summer, 56 international students completed the three-week summer camp program. It was an excellent opportunity for the participating students to improve their English proficiency skills in an engaging learning environment. The camp also allowed students to participate in a variety of activities including leadership building, Indigenous drumming and hiking.

We are also very proud to welcome 30 international students to our International Student program for the 2018-2019 school year. The students arrived from the countries of China, Japan, Spain and Vietnam and are attending St. Benedict Secondary, Marymount Academy and St. Charles College. The students and their host families were greeted by school and board administration in a welcome barbecue which took place on September 6 at Marymount Academy.

Holy Cross School will also be hosting international students this month. Forteen students and two teachers from Hangzhou Green Town are visiting the school for three weeks from September 16 to October 5, 2018. A sister school agreement is also in development with Bishop Alexander Carter Secondary School, with a trip for students being planned for February.

We are always looking to add to our community of host families with Canada Homestay Network. If you or someone you know is interested in hosting a student on a long-term or on a temporary basis, please contact them at hostinfo@canadahomestaynetwork.ca or 1-877441-4443 ext. 2176.

School Readiness Program helps our future students succeed!

Future Kindergarten students successfully completed the School Readiness program during the week of August 20 to August 24 at Holy Trinity School, St. Francis School, St. James school and St. Charles School in Chelmsford.

The week-long program helped introduce children entering Kindergarten to the school and provided them with opportunities to further develop school readiness skills. The program also allowed parents to gain greater understanding about what Sudbury Catholic Schools offer as they support their child in the exciting transition to our schools! We look forward to supporting our new learners on their educational journey this year and beyond.

Educators at Sudbury Catholic Schools gather together for network learning sessions!

The Network Learning sessions were created to bring K-8 educators together in same-grade groups at the beginning of the school year for a full day of learning focused on our “Achieving Excellence” chart. Each day, our educators deepened their understanding of effective learning environments. We learned more about assessment practices with a focus on learning goals, success criteria and descriptive feedback. We explored pedagogy and instructional strategies, with updates related to Health and Fully Alive, Religious Education, Social Studies, and Mathematics. We also looked closely at 5 literacy strategies that work best. Participants learned more about the services available through Special Education and key aspects of the Individual Education Plan (IEP).

All participants were able to spend time in self-directed learning, exploring carousels created by Learning Support Services (LSS) with information related to nurturing and developing the mind, body and spirit of our students. With topics including mental health, attendance, Indigenous education, assistive technology, Autism Spectrum Disorders, ELL and more, participants were able to meet members of the LSS team, inquire about supports and gather information that would support their instructional practice and set the foundation for success.

Sudbury Catholic Teachers put their math skills to the test!

This school year, secondary math teachers, Principals, and Vice Principals are learning about Building Thinking Classrooms with Dr. Peter Liljedahl, a professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C. Dr. Liljedahl is the recent recipient of the Cmolik Prize for Enhancement of Public Education in B.C. and the Margaret Sinclair Memorial Award for Innovation and Excellence in Mathematics Education.

Many secondary classrooms have been renovated to facilitate this innovative approach, and other classrooms are using a variety of surfaces to enable students to learn through this research-based method. In our thinking classrooms, last year and this fall, students have provided positive feedback around these practices, indicating that they find this style of learning both engaging and helpful.

SCDSB secondary math teams are looking forward to two more sessions with Dr. Liljedahl in late October and again in early December!

Summer 2018 Renovations

As indicated above a special thank you is extended to our custodial and maintenance staff for ensuring the highest quality service for our schools. This summer our team was hard at work once again helping to support the continued revitalization of our schools to ensure the best possible, modern learning environments for our students. Below are some of this summer’s major classroom finishes and school renovations.

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Photo 1: St. Charles College Gym Floor Replacement. Go Cards Go!
Photo 2 -3: Classroom and Furniture renovations at Pius XII
Photo: 4-5: Immaculate Conception has seen a whole school refresh over the past couple of years, including this past summer.
Photo 6-7: Marymount Academy main lobby, hallways and classroom renovations

Get to know us!

“People think that we inspire students when in fact they inspire us” Tessa Jewell, Teacher at Holy Cross School.

As our new school year begins for students, it also marks a new beginning for teachers. Tessa Jewell began her new position as Intensive Support Facilitator at Holy Cross School. She has worked at St Charles College in the 7/8 wing and St. Benedict where she taught math and science. She also took part in the STEM club, where she helped coach students to win the Clean Air Sudbury living wall contest at Science North last Spring. Tessa loves the supportive and encouraging learning environment that our schools provides, especially in their focus of 21st Century skill learning. She loves teaching and learning alongside her colleagues and students. She is looking forward to continuing to develop skills through professional development, working with students and colleagues and to contributing to the school’s social media platforms.