Staff and students at St. James school came together in celebration of Holy Thursday.
Holy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of Holy Communion prior to his arrest and crucifixion. It also commemorates His institution of the priesthood. The holy day falls on the Thursday before Easter and is part of Holy Week.
Our International Students were treated to a Sudbury Five game! They were joined by members of their host families, school staff and School Board staff as they watched the game, had fun dancing and a few lucky students even won some pizza!
It was a great way for the students to continue to build community and connection – and they sure had fun! View some of the photos below.
December 18 marks the fourth Sunday of Advent for 2022. Together, we all await the birth of a baby boy, the light of the world, coming to transform us, so that we can transform the world. The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on December 8th. The first 24 days of December fall during the liturgical season of Advent and are represented by the colour purple. During Advent it is fitting that we celebrate the virtue of patience, for we recognize that we are patiently awaiting Jesus’ coming.
Advent Prayer
Dear Lord,
Send down Your Spirit to guide me during Advent this year. May the Holy Spirit help me journey closer to You and lift me up when I feel down and led me when I feel lost. I may stumble at times, but I know my ultimate journey is to draw closer to You and build Your kingdom here on earth–a kingdom that Jesus’s birth, life and death helped secure.
Amen.
Candle
The Fourth Sunday of Advent represents the Angel’s candle and symbolizes peace.
Advent Resources
December 4 marks the second Sunday of Advent for 2022. Together, we all await the birth of a baby boy, the light of the world, coming to transform us, so that we can transform the world. The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on December 8th. The first 24 days of December fall during the liturgical season of Advent and are represented by the colour purple. During Advent it is fitting that we celebrate the virtue of patience, for we recognize that we are patiently awaiting Jesus’ coming.
Advent Prayer
Dear Lord,
Send down Your Spirit to guide me during Advent this year. May the Holy Spirit help me journey closer to You and lift me up when I feel down and led me when I feel lost. I may stumble at times, but I know my ultimate journey is to draw closer to You and build Your kingdom here on earth–a kingdom that Jesus’s birth, life and death helped secure.
Amen.
Candle
The first Sunday of Advent represents the Candle of Bethlehem symbolizes Faith and Love.
Advent Resources
November 27 marks the first Sunday of Advent for 2022. Together, we all await the birth of a baby boy, the light of the world, coming to transform us, so that we can transform the world. The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on December 8th. The first 24 days of December fall during the liturgical season of Advent and are represented by the colour purple. During Advent it is fitting that we celebrate the virtue of patience, for we recognize that we are patiently awaiting Jesus’ coming.
Advent Prayer
Dear Lord,
Send down Your Spirit to guide me during Advent this year. May the Holy Spirit help me journey closer to You and lift me up when I feel down and led me when I feel lost. I may stumble at times, but I know my ultimate journey is to draw closer to You and build Your kingdom here on earth–a kingdom that Jesus’s birth, life and death helped secure.
Amen.
Candle
The first Sunday of Advent represents the Candle of Prophecy and symbolizes Hope.
Advent Resources
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board held its Inaugural meeting on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
At the meeting, Michael Bellmore was re-elected Board Chair and Raymond Desjardins was re-elected Vice-Chair of the Board.
“I am proud to serve as Board Chair,” said Michael Bellmore, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “I would like to thank my fellow Trustees for entrusting me with this role. I look forward to working with my fellow Trustees, the Director of Education, and the Sudbury Catholic District School Board community, as we fulfill our mission of nurturing and developing the minds, bodies, and spirits of all students within our Catholic community. I am delighted to continue to support the excellent work taking place in our schools and to continue to advance a strong and vibrant Catholic education system.”
“I thank my fellow Trustees for electing me as Vice Chair,” said Ray Desjardins, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Working with such talented and dedicated Trustees and staff over these past twelve years has made my role much easier. I was raised in a Catholic home and attended Catholic schools throughout my childhood. I’ve been in Catholic Education as educator and Trustee for over 50 years – Catholic Education is in my DNA. I will enjoy the next four years.”
The Inaugural Meeting also began the new term for Trustees Jody Cameron, Shirley McKnight, and Stefano Presenza. Both Shirley and Stefano are new to the Board of Trustees, having been elected to their positions as a result of the recent election.
The meeting began with a mass which was officiated by Father Rex Lumine. Board meetings take place on the third Tuesday of each month during the school year at 6 p.m. and are open to the public.
St. David School will be joining 40 other schools across the country in the Canadian Playful Schools Network (CPSN) for the 2022-2023 school year.
Since play fosters curiosity, creativity, imagination, self-confidence, and physical, social, and cognitive skills, the CPSN is a hub for sharing experiences and for learning. As a member, St. David School will have the opportunity to learn with and from educators engaged in learning through play from seven provinces (BC, SK, ON, QC, NB, NS, NL). The secondary objective is to build human and virtual connections to support and sustain play-based practices in schools across Canada. All school teams will be supported by researchers at the University of Ottawa’s CPSN, as well as national and international experts in the field of education.
This innovative educational initiative is a national network of schools dedicated to deepening and broadening play-based pedagogies across four modes: green (outdoor-focused), screen (digital), machine (building and making for a purpose), and everything in between, which speaks to the fundamental importance of place, identity, language, and culture.
Together, the network will develop new understandings of what learning through play means in Canadian classrooms and champion the way play is integrated into the daily experience of schooling in the middle years to support the well-being, engagement, and learning of students and educators.
“St. David School believes in providing opportunities for our students to learn on the land. We engage in outdoor learning as a pedagogical approach to enrich learning, enhance school engagement, and improve student health and well-being. Through the CPSN, we intend to extend the learning environment beyond the desk and four walls and use the outdoor space as part of our regular teaching practice,” said Dawn Wemigwans, Principal at St. David School.
About the Network
Funded through a grant from the LEGO Foundation, and headed by University of Ottawa researchers, the CPSN is a newly established network of publicly-funded schools from across Canada that leverage learning through play in grades 4 to 8 to improve engagement and well-being for students traditionally marginalised by systems of schooling.
For more information, please contact Josée Lebel (playjouer@uottawa.ca) or visit www.playjouer.ca.
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St. Francis School welcomed Bishop Thomas Dowd and Father Chad Franklin to their community on October 26, 2022. While there, they visited several classrooms, toured the school and talked with staff and students.
Students asked Bishop Dowd questions, sang him songs and showed him the different projects they are working on! Some favourite student questions included:
Bishop Dowd and Father Chad thoroughly enjoyed their visit with the school and look forward to catching up with the staff and students soon!
