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Sudbury Catholic Schools Celebrates Pink Shirt Day!

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February 23rd, 2022 was Pink Shirt Day, and we were pleased and excited to see our entire community eagerly participating!

Throughout the day, students, faculty, and staff at Sudbury Catholic Schools dressed in fabulous pink shirts, effectively showing their support and solidarity against the issue of bullying and the impact it has on our everyday lives. Below we provide a small a sample of some of the amazing pink shirts worn throughout the day!

Photo Gallery

Pius XII

St. Francis

St. Joseph

Holy Cross

St. John

Holy Trinity

St. David

What is Pink Shirt Day?

Bullying is a major issue and affects everyone from schools to the workplace, to even home life. But no one has enough power to stop it by themselves. On Pink Shirt Day, Sudbury Catholic Schools from Kindergarten all the way to Grade 12 work together to put a stop to bullying by coming together and wearing pink shirts.

Every year, on the last Wednesday of February, schools around the world observe Pink Shirt Day – an anti-bullying campaign that began in 2007 when a boy in Nova Scotia was bullied for wearing his favourite pink shirt to school. When he returned home from being teased, in a show of solidarity, two older students purposely wore pink shirts the following day. This act not only demonstrated the power and choice each of us has to help others, it was a conscious decision that allowed them to make a stand against bullying and in the process ignited an important campaign that continues to grow support every year.

How to think pink?

Pink is a colour that symbolizes everything bullying stands against. It’s bright, cheery, and warm. However, on this day it has become more than a colour – it has become a stronger and brighter message. A message that say’s that we refuse to let this issue continue! And while simply wearing a pink shirt might seem insignificant, such an action has the power to spark up conversations and bring awareness for people to take control of their lives and recognize what’s happening around them. Whether you have a pink shirt or not is asides from the point. The message of the day is the most important to remember. By working to be friendly, responsible, compassionate individuals, we ensure we all continue to think pink and grow into strong leaders in learning and faith.

Sudbury Catholic Students Enjoy A Virtual Story-Time With Howard Blinkov

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On January 27th, 2022, Sudbury Catholic Schools celebrated Family Literacy Day. 

Family Literacy Day takes place annually to raise awareness about the importance of reading and participating in literacy-related activities as a family. 

At the start of the day, Grades K-3 classes were invited to participate in a virtual story-time on Zoom with Howard Binkov, the author of the Howard B. Wigglebottom series. Ten classes and over 100 students joined virtually to read and answer questions about the book, “Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Mud and Rainbows.” 

Together we learned that sometimes life gives us a rainbow, and sometimes it gives us mud.

The characters, Howard and Ally, taught students a practical lesson on making the best of things and making the best of any situation. In the book, Howard learned that he couldn’t change a problem, so to help his friend Ally, who has been experiencing a hard time, he learns to understand to be there for her by listening, being a good friend and being happy. 

The story was an excellent opportunity for students to learn that though you may not be able to control a problem in life, you can still have control by how you feel about it. 

After the story, students were given a mini test and were asked some of the lessons they learned. Sudbury Catholic students from all our elementary schools gave excellent answers. 

One student said: “If you find something you can’t change, you can change your mind instead.” 

Another student said: “When you can’t change the world, you can change your mind.” 

Since 1999, thousands of schools, libraries, literacy organizations and other community groups have taken part in Family Literacy Day and for a good reason. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to developing and improving a child’s literacy skills. Utilizing these essential skills helps a child reach their full potential, at school, at home, and in life. We’re happy and grateful to authors that help us create wonderful experiences for students to improve their literacy as well as their understanding of the world around them.

To learn more about the activities Sudbury Catholic Schools participated in for Family Literacy Day, click here.

Photo Gallery

Sudbury Catholic School Students Send Valentine’s Day Greetings to Seniors Home 

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Students at Holy Cross and St. Benedict Secondary School in the southend of Greater Sudbury teamed up to make seniors smile this Valentine’s Day.

How? With a simple act of using creativity, imagination, and love, students handcrafted beautiful, heartfelt greeting cards to lift the spirits of residents at Finlandia Village, in the Hoivakoti Nursing Home located in Minnow Lake.  

After being created, the cards were hand delivered and distributed to residents at Finlandia on Monday, February 14th, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Upon receiving the messages, Finlandia extended their appreciation for the generous act and shared a huge thank you to students, staff, and volunteers for the coordination of the project.

“Thank you so much for all the awesome Valentine’s day cards. The students did a really great job, and the residents were smiling from ear to ear. They sure made Valentine’s day extra special for our folks!” – Jeanna de la Morandiere, Finlandia

Ben and Bradley from Madame Riutta’s French Immersion class at Holy cross display their Valentine cards.

To protect the health and safety of residents, the ongoing pandemic has forced long-term care homes to restrict visitors, and in doing so, many seniors have been challenged in living in isolation for almost two years.

Laura Kuzenko is the Principal of St. Benedict Secondary School. “This is another example of students showing care and concern for others and embodying the virtue of compassion,” she says.   

Sudbury Catholic Schools strives to teach children what it means to live virtuously and give them an opportunity to experience those virtues through their education. The virtues of the month program is created to empower the entire community of students, staff, and volunteers to live out their highest values everyday.

To help this process along, each month we bring our attention to focus on a new virtue so students can learn the meaning of it, and have time to practice it in action. As the virtue of the month for February is compassion, it is with great joy we see our students practicing and understanding the root of what this virtue really means.

In addition to making cards for seniors, all three of St. Benedict’s Learning Support Centre classes worked hard to make Valentine’s Day cards Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). VAC invites Canadian schools, individuals and organizations to make Valentines for Vets and then distributes the valentines to Veterans in long-term care facilities across the country by February 14.

The Meaning of Home Contest Countdown

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Contest EndsCountdown

Only a short amount of time is left for Grades 4-6 students to submit their poems, essays, and stories about the meaning of home. We strongly urge applicable applicants to please take the time to get involved in this meaningful opportunity for writing!

WIN FREE ICE CREAM!

All participants at SCDSB will receive FREE ICE CREAM if we reach our goal to submit 1000 entries by Friday, Feb 18th! 

With every entry $10 is donated from Chapman’s Ice Cream to the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Sudbury to help build safe and affordable homes for families in Sudbury. If we get 1000 entries, we can donate $10,000!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP! 

Holy Cross Student Will Donate Hair to Cancer Centre

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Next week, a Sudbury Catholic District School Board student will generously donate a piece of themselves to help patients in a worthy cause.

Pictured: Jackson Jost-Noob

Jackson Jost-Noob is a fourth-grade student and fearless 10-year-old at Holy Cross Elementary School in the south end of Greater Sudbury. Before Feb. 19th, 2022, his hairdresser will cut off a total of 12 inches of his long, golden hair to then be donated to the Cancer Centre to help patients fighting cancer.

By cutting off his long hair in multiple ponytails, he will definitely be looking like a brand-new student, but his family, teachers and friends say they will all know him to be the same, warm-hearted child eager to help others any way he can.

Although Jackson says he feels a little apprehensive about losing so much hair, he feels really good knowing that it is going towards helping someone on their journey of fighting cancer.

His mother, Monika Jost, said she initially got the idea from a male student in high school who did the same thing and donated his hair years ago. Then when COVID happened, she presented the idea to him.

“I think we all remember that time when everyone was running around with a signature COVID-19 haircut,” jokes Monika. “When COVID happened, and Jackson could not get haircuts, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to do something.”

Jackson hopes that his actions will inspire other people to do the same and rock a new signature look. “I hope other kids will consider growing their hair and donating it because it is a good thing to do.”

“We are very proud of him,” says Monika. “What he is doing is beautiful. We’re excited that we are able to have this positive experience and believe it can encourage other children his age about the powerful act of doing something for someone else out of the goodness of your heart.”

Jackson expressed that he is already considering growing out his hair again and donating it once more. We are so touched by this amazing act of kindness from one of our young leaders.

Please stay tuned for pictures of Jackson’s hair cut happening next week!

TRANSPORTATION CANCELLED – SUDBURY, ESPANOLA & MASSEY DISTRICTS

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SCHOOL PURPOSE TRANSPORTATION IS CANCELLED, SCHOOLS REMAIN OPEN In SUDBURY, MASSEY AND ESPANOLA DISTRICTS

BUSSES ARE RUNNING ON MANITOULIN ISLAND

Due to the poor road conditions and in the interest of safety, all school related transportation services for English Catholic, English public, French Catholic and French public schools, operating in the districts of SUDBURY, ESPANOLA  AND MASSEY (this includes all areas such as St-Charles, Noëlville, Monetville, Markstay, Hagar, Warren, Wahnapitae, Coniston, Killarney, Whitefish, Whitefish River First Nations, Onaping, Chelmsford, Capreol, Valley East, Garson, Chelmsford and Azilda) are cancelled today. All schools will remain open, however, NO transportation will be provided.

Parents who transport their children to school are reminded that they must pick their children up at the end of the school day.

All staff are expected to report to work.

Write & Make A Difference! The Meaning of Home Contest

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Sudbury Catholic School Students in grades 4,5 & 6 can make a difference by getting involved in the Meaning of Home Contest sponsored by Chapman’s Ice Cream! 

About Contest

Deadline to Enter: February 18th, 2022

Contest Website
Contest Entry Details
Teacher Resource

The Meaning of Home Contest is a unique and meaningful way to get children involved in creative writing and giving back to their community. By participating in this contest, Sudbury Catholic students will use their creative abilities and submit either an essay, story or poem on the topic of what HOME means to them.

Each contest entry will result in a $10 donation from Chapman’s to Habitat for Humanity to help build safe and affordable homes for families in the Sudbury community. In addition, this contest will also challenge students to think creatively about an important topic (i.e. the meaning of home) that directly impacts their lives and ultimately improves their writing skills!

Contest entries will be accepted from now until February 18th, 2022, so students and educators are encouraged to get started! 

Teachers have access to a Teacher Resource designed to help incorporate the contest straight into lesson plans. These can serve as standalone lessons or be used to augment existing lesson plans in areas such as language, creative writing, and community service!

Help us track! 

Sudbury Catholic Schools would like to track the total number of entries submitted by Sudbury Catholic students to see how a single action makes a collective difference, so please let us know if your class is participating by clicking the button below. Once the contest has ended, we’ll share the total donated amount so that students and families can celebrate with SCDSB!

CLICK HERE TO CONFIRM PARTICIPATION

Our Goal

Our hope is that the contest will be an activity that students will help them reflect on how they can live our Catholic Graduate Expectations. Together, their simple actions will provide funds to support our local community, as they contribute to building a just society.  With over 1300 students enrolled at Sudbury Catholic Schools in grade 4, 5, and 6 our collective contributions could result in as much as $13,000 being donated to our local Habitat for Humanity organization. 

In addition, the winner for each grade will be awarded a $30,000 grant for their local Habitat organization, with three runners-up per grade directing $10,000 to their local Habitat chapter. The contest has raised $1.7 million to date and, in 2021, it helped 46 local Habitats build more homes. Let’s work together to make a local difference! 

If you would like more information about this initiative or have any questions, please reach out to christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca or joan.yawneymatz@sudburycatholicschools.ca  

Sudbury Catholic Schools Celebrate Family Literacy Day 2022

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On January 27th, 2022, Sudbury Catholic Schools celebrated Family Literacy Day. 

Family Literacy Day takes place annually to raise awareness about the importance of reading and participating in literacy-related activities as a family. 

Since 1999, thousands of schools, libraries, literacy organizations and other community groups have taken part in Family Literacy Day and for a good reason. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to developing and improving a child’s literacy skills. Utilizing these essential skills helps a child reach their full potential, at school, at home, and in life. 

Learning in the Great Outdoors

This year for Family Literacy Day, the theme focused on the blessings of spending time in nature and was titled – Learning in the Great Outdoors. This subject supplied a way for families to exercise their bodies and minds by participating in various outdoor literacy activities. 

For instance, during the week, Grade 5 students from Pius XII celebrated Family Literacy Day by embarking on the natural beauty of Northern Ontario and completing a Nature Scavenger Hunt with their families. Together they discovered some amazing and unique parts of nature.

At St. Joseph, students took their time learning all about outdoor winter sports such as skating, skiing, hockey, and more. Following their learning, they then had the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with snowshoes. What a fun day! 

In addition to spending time outside and learning about nature, other classes celebrated the day by participating in a range of activities. Some examples include: 

  • Holy Cross students in Ms. Jewell and Ms. Abbott’s class settled down for storytime, nestling in and enjoying a good book. 
  • Grades 1 and 2 students at Pius XII had the opportunity to read by the firelight during a cozy reading session with flashlights and a virtual fireplace.
  • St. Anne students and educators took time to dress up as each of their favourite book characters. Later students also spent time in the library reading some new books they received thanks to the community’s donations. 

At the start of the day, Grades K-3 classes were invited to a virtual story-time with Howard Blinkov, the author of the Howard B. Wigglebottom series. Ten classes and over 100 students joined virtually to read “Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Mud and Rainbows.” Later in the day, families and classes were invited to join ABC Life Literacy’s national celebration. Author and illustrator Barbara Reid demonstrated how to use clay to create a picture.

Overall, it truly was a fantastic day for our students, educators and families. Please scroll through our picture gallery to see a visual sample of the many activities enjoyed by our Sudbury Catholic family.

Picture Gallery

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