Sudbury Catholic District School Board
May 31, 2019

The Strength of Partnerships

Director's Corner

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.

Students work with community partners and Sudbury Catholic staff to create their hand drum.
Students use their hand drums for the first time following the birth and feasting ceremony.

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!

Cool Kids Lead has visited Holy Cross School for the past few years.
Students and staff participate in games and leadership opportunities.

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.

PEACE Programs students work on their artistic skills with the Art Gallery of Sudbury.

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. 

St. Benedict Students work on improving their physical literacy.

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.

ECE Domenic Vicedomini


ECE Samantha Theriault
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