Last month, during education week, almost 1600 Sudbury Catholic students had a blast participating in a hands-on activity that promoted the skilled trade of carpentry.
After being provided carpentry tool kits to construct three different carpentry projects in their classrooms, students in grades 3-6 from various schools were all smiles as they built their skills in this unique hands-on learning opportunity. With the help of teachers, students assembled wooden binoculars, wooden wheelbarrows, and whiteboards with wooden easels and were happy to test their creations in the end. Overall, students had a great time and were excited to have the chance to learn more about the carpentry profession.
Check out our photo gallery below to view some of our outstanding elementary students using these carpentry kits in action!
The Importance of Learning Skilled Trades Early in School!
The skilled trades offer students a variety of rewarding and lucrative career opportunities. In fact, it is estimated that one in five new jobs in Ontario is expected to be in trades-related occupations. With an aging workforce, employers are looking for skilled tradespeople who can help build and maintain our province and provide essential services.
That is why getting tools into young hands early is the best way for students to see themselves and explore the idea of a trade-related occupation. We are excited to announce that the Sudbury Catholic District School Board has invested in purchasing brand new tool kits and are offering these full classroom sets for classes and students to borrow.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is proud to announce the recipients of this year’s Chairperson’s Award. All three individuals embody the Board’s mission, vision and values. They are passionate about Catholic education and demonstrate an unwavering commitment to student success.
St. Charles College Secondary Teacher, Jillian Ospina and SCDSB Chair, Michael Bellmore.
Jillian Ospina is a Teacher at St. Charles College who always strives to put students at the center of her work. Her dedication to innovation and learning is evident, and she always ensures she contributes her positive energy to the classroom and the larger school community. She goes above and beyond for students and staff who want to engage in technology learning and will encourage them share ideas to enhance projects and pedagogy. She empowers students to collaborate, inquire and develop their communication skills through IT and take risks as they learn from one another. She consistently looks for ways to enhance student learning by building a sense of initiative and ingenuity through different coding projects and digital content. She has also been instrumental in developing diverse platforms to provide both educators, students and parents support which was particularly important during the pandemic.
Ginny Long is a Teacher at St. David’s Elementary School. She has worked tirelessly to meet the needs of students and does this by modelling respect, compassion, empathy and humour every day. Her approach to student issues and situations is inspirational, and she forges relationships with all those around her through kindness and care, sprinkled with her contagious laughter. Ginny is a highly motivated educator known to support the development of the whole child. She ensures the importance of culture and identity, and Indigenous pedagogy are an integral part of her daily practice and achieves this by working with community partners. She is always ready to think outside of the box and provide opportunities for learning that meet the needs of her diverse classroom.
SCDSB Chair, Michael Bellmore and St. Davids Elementary Teacher, Ginny Long.
St. James Elementary Teacher, Graham Kent MacNeil and SCDSB Chair, Michael Bellmore.
Graham Kent MacNeil is an Intermediate Teacher at St. James Elementary School. Kent is a true leader in faith and a compassionate, steady, and selfless person for students and staff in times of difficulty. He looks for solutions to expand strategies for any students who is struggling and ensures his students feel like they are part of a family. He is self-driven and self-taught in technology and pioneered the use of Google Classroom, in addition to obtaining formal accreditation as a Google Educator. Kent also developed internal digital reporting, illustrating his initiative and ingenuity to embrace technology and make positive changes. Kent always has a smile and kind words and recognizes the good in everyone.
“We are honored to recognize three exceptional individuals who can only be described as difference makers and leaders within our inclusive Catholic learning community,” said Michael Bellmore, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Jillian, Ginny, and Graham are inspirational individuals and positively impact our community by representing what it means to be a leader in learning and faith. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are proud to recognize our 2022 recipients and thank them for both their continued service and unwavering commitment to Catholic education.”
This year’s award winners will be honoured formally during Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s 2022 Employee Recognition Night on May 26th, 2022. Help us celebrate our 2022 Chairperson Award Recipients as well as our Retirees and 25 Year employees by tuning into our celebration on YouTube!
The Sudbury Regional Science Fair, which took place virtually during March 21st – April 3rd, 2022, is a meaningful learning experience where Sudbury’s four School Boards, can provide opportunities to students from Grades 7-12 to show case their knowledge in different areas of science. Sudbury Catholic District School Board was grateful to participate once again in the Regional Science Fair and allow our students to enjoy hands-on learning experiences by extending their discovery in biology, chemistry, technology, and other areas.
This year approximately 15 projects represented the Board in the Regional Science Fair. The number of project topics was diverse again this year, with exciting subjects ranging from “Theoretical Gravity Control”, “Hacking an Air-Gapped Computer”, Creating a “Self-Hitting Hammer,” and more. We want to thank our judges and educators for guiding our students and continually finding new opportunities for hands-on learning and growth.
MMA Student, Kate Bouchard – 2022 Best In Fair Winner!
Following the Fair, Sudbury Catholic Schools, students, and families were invited to attend a virtual celebration organized by the Sudbury Regional Science Fair on April 10th, 2022. This virtual celebration highlighted the winners of divisional awards, special awards and celebrated students’ achievements. At this celebration, we are pleased to announce that Sudbury Catholic students collected ten awards, including Best of Fair which was presented to Kate Bouchard, a student from Marymount Academy for her project, “Go With The Flow“. We are also thrilled to announce that in addition to Kate’s amazing project , 4 other projects submitted by SCDSB Students have also been selected to advance to the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) taking place on May 16th, 2022, in Moncton, New Brunswick.
The students and projects that will advance to the Canada Wide Science Fair include the following:
“Each year, our students present unique and creative science fair projects. This year was certainly no exception,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “We are very excited to see the number of participants continue to grow, and we are proud of our students who represented us incredibly well again. We thank our judges and our educators for guiding students and continually finding new opportunities for hands-on learning and growth. We wish the students who are moving on to the 2022 Canada-Wide Science Fair the best of luck!”
“Science Fair was so much fun, and I think it’s because I was passionate about my topic.” Says Best in Fair Winner and CWSF participant, Kate Bouchard. “I chose something that I was interested in and genuinely wanted to learn more about. It helped me be more engaged, and because I was interested in what I was learning, I felt like I could explain it better and put forth more effort in making it better. I am really looking forward to be a part of the CWSF in May!”
Some of MMA’s Regional Science Fair students stop and smile with their regional science fair medals! (Middle left Best in Fair Winner – Kate Bouchard)
Dylan Nelson, a Grade 8 student from St. Benedict, will also be attending the Canada Wide Science Fair with his unique project where he created a Self-Hitting Hammer. This idea was inspired by his passion for building things and from wanting to help his grandmother.
“I was trying to think of something inventive to do. I wanted to create something new, and I realized that I like building things, so I wanted to make a new type of hammer that would allow someone who cannot hammer a nail with a normal hammer still perform that task. My experience was fun because I spent time with grandpa, who helped me construct it, and I was able to make my project about making something that would help my grandma.”
Pictured is St. Benedict Student and Regional Science Fair Honouree Dylan accepting his award from the SCDSB Director of Education, Joanne Bénard and Principal of St. Benedict, Laura Kuzenko.
Overall, we are pleased to celebrate the contributions and participation of all our schools and students in this meaningful learning opportunity. We would like to end our post by congratulating all students, educators, and schools on their participation and effort in making the 2022 Science Fair a success! The ten project winners included projects from Marymount Academy, projects from St. Benedict and one project from St. Charles College.
Please visit the following link below to view all the wonderful projects brought forward by Sudbury Catholic Students this year.
The students and staff at St. Benedict will walk for water in their upcoming Water Walk on Thursday, May 5th. This event will run all day and will commence at the school and continue onto the water pump station near Countryside Sports Complex.
As part of the day, students from every grade will take time to Walk for Water and elementary students from Holy Cross will be joining in on the walk in the afternoon.
In addition to the water walk, there will also be a WaterLution “Water Speaks” art exhibit in the school building all day to enhance student learning further. This event was organized on behalf of the Diversity Club of St. Benedict Catholic School with the help, guidance, and support from Indigenous Support Lead, Shannon Agowissa.
“We are looking forward to bringing our student and staff together and shining a light on the continued need for clean water in our communities. We are truly proud of the efforts of our Diversity Club and Shannon Agowissa, as they work together to deepen their understanding of issues by planning events such as this Water Walk and put their learning in action.” – St. Benedict Principal, Laura Kuzenko
On May 5th, it is also an awareness day for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People. In the MMIWG2S Final Report we note the Call for Justice:
“Calls for Educators:
11.1 We call upon all elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions and education authorities to educate and provide awareness to the public about missing and murdered. Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people, and about the issues and rootcauses of violence they experience. All curriculum development and programmingshould be done in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, especially Indigenous women,girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. Such education and awareness must include historicaland current truths about the genocide against Indigenous Peoples through state laws,policies, and colonial practices. It should include, but not be limited to, teaching Indigenous history, law, and practices from Indigenous perspectives and the use of TheirVoices Will Guide Us with children and youth.”
In honour of those Loved Ones Stolen, St. Benedict plans to play their part by joining Indigenous Women and their traditional roles of protecting the Water. On page 29 of Their Voices Will Guide Us, St. Benedict began foundational teaching of Indigenous Women’s roles, and specifically in protecting and speaking for the water and this event will allow them to continue this learning with action.
The Water Walk will shine a light on the continued need for clean water in our communities and to celebrate the unpolluted, fresh water left in our community while supporting the Indigenous Peoples of the area in the ceremony.
Wyatt Jack, a senior kindergarten student at Holy Cross Elementary will cut off his long locks on May 1st, 2022. The five-year old’s hair will be donated to Angel Hair for Kids, an organization dedicated to building confidence and joy in children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments, alopecia, and other medical conditions.
In addition, Wyatt is raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society and will be donating specifically to liver cancer. Wyatt started his Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser with a goal of raising $1200 and if he met his goal, he would cut off 12 inches of his hair. In less than 24 hours, Wyatt met and exceeded his $1200 goal.
The idea for his compassionate gesture is very close to Wyatt’s heart. Wyatt’s two friends lost their father to liver cancer and Wyatt wanted to do his part to raise awareness and funds for the Cancer Society. Wyatt will be letting these two-family friends cut off his hair on May 1st.
Wyatt hopes his school community will rally behind him as he pushes past his goal and continues to raise awareness and funds to fight liver cancer.
Donations to Wyatt’s campaign can be made up until April 30th by visiting the website below.
Hannah Morningstar, a guest speaker and third year biology student speaks to more than 800 St. Benedict and Holy Cross students on Earth Day.
Last Friday, April 22nd, was Earth Day. On this occasion, the entire SCDSB community took time to appreciate the natural beauty surrounding us reflect on the way our planet provides for us. While we celebrate and honour the environment all year long, Earth Day was a special opportunity for students and staff to reflect on their actions and strengthen their commitment as stewards of the Earth.
More than 7 hundred St. Benedict’s students and another 100 Holy Cross students joined forces on Earth day to recognize the importance of water in their world.
Together, they wore blue and green to prepare for an upcoming water walk happening on Thursday, May 5th, 2022.
Guest Speaker Hannah Morningstar, a third year Biology student spoke about the significance of Nibi or water and the shortage of clean water in our world. She also spoke of the commitment of women to protect Nibi.
Elder Frank Ozawagosh led a water song on a water drum with 15 year old student Tiaraoluwa Esan.
The event was organized by Indigenous Support Worker Shannon Agowissa.
Pictured below is Elder Frank Ozawagosh and 15 year old student Tiaraoluwa Esan complete an honouring water song together on flute and water drum.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Catena Hayden as a Student Trustee for the 2022-2024 term. Catena is a Grade 10 student at Marymount Academy and joins her fellow Student Trustee Jack Gouchie. Together, they will bring forward student voice at the Board table.
Catena is an active community member at Marymount Academy. Since 2018, Catena has been a member of the Student Administrative Council (SAC) and enjoys collaborating with her peers and teachers to organize spirit days and fundraisers to enhance the educational experience for all. She is passionate about helping others and wants to make a difference in her community by inspiring students to get involved in intiatives that deepen their learning and demonstrate service to others. This past year, Catena joined the Sudbury Catholic Student Senate to connect with fellow secondary students in SCDSB’s four secondary schools to help promote campaigns such as Toonies for Tuition, Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving, and the Can Tab Drive. Catena is eager to represent the voice of students at the board table.
In addition to being a devoted student and committed to academic excellence, she is also proud to be in the French Immersion Program and appreciates diverse cultures. Upon her secondary graduation, she aspires to become an aerospace engineer and will start completing the Architecture and Engineering Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) offered through Marymount Academy in the Fall 2022.
While away from school, Catena practices her faith as an active member of her Catholic Community at Our Lady of Hope Parish. In addition, Catena volunteers her time to help causes, like the fundraiser for Ukraine at Immaculate Conception.
“I am honoured that I was selected to serve as Student Trustee for the next two years. I am excited to use this opportunity to grow as a leader, share my ideas, and help represent students from all Sudbury Catholic schools at the Board table.” – Catena Hayden, Student Trustee.
“Sudbury Catholic District School Board welcomes Catena Haden as our second Student Trustee,” said Michael Bellmore, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Catena is an exceptional student and has demonstrated an impressive commitment to her school and community. We have great faith she will make all voices heard and look forward to her many contributions throughout her term at the Board table.“
Three Social Justice students from Cambrian College created and coordinated a FREE program called Stand Up for Social Justice. This program brings their passion and knowledge on the subject of social justice to our students by creating awareness and discussions in the hopes of inspiring change.
The Stand Up for Social Justice program provides students with the tools to start their own social change conversation by engaging in interactive and educational activities and discussions. In the three workshops, students will be presented with social justice concepts and answer questions about the possibilities of potential career paths through college education.
The Stand Up for Social Justice program is currently being delivered as an after school virtual club for grades 5 & 6 students. Our first session was held on Monday April 11th and the topic was “Food Insecurity”. Using a variety of activities, students developed a basic understanding of how food affects our day-to-day lives (i.e. our physical, emotional and mental health as well as our development). In addition, students learned why nutritious meals are important and the benefits of homemade vs store-bought/take-out. Finally, our students had the opportunity to use their math and problem solving skills while working with a budget.
We would like to thank Cambrian College for their continued partnership and look forward to the next sessions!
Pictured is Cambrian College student Taylor presenting the first workshop.
MLI Homestay is eager to meet new, enthusiastic families to host international high school students in September 2022. Get insight on the benefits of being a host family and how to become one by joining MLI Homestay and Sudbury Catholic Schools onTuesday, April 12 at 7:00 PM for a live info night on Zoom. At this virtual event, Peter Prochilo from SCDSB and Cheryl Lee from MLI Homestay will come together to host a live chat that will allow you to ask questions and learn more about the benefits of being a host family from the comfort of your own home!
If you have a spare room, it may be the perfect opportunity to experience a different culture right in your own home. Sign up now!
When: April 12, 2022, 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board Parent Involvement Committee is excited to announce the next session for our Virtual Engagement Series for Parents & Educators. Please see the attached poster to learn more about our upcoming sessions.
Upcoming Session: Focus On Numeracy (Kindergarten to Grade 6)
Join us next week on Wednesday, April 13th, from 6-7 pm on Zoom for our next session, “Focus on Numeracy!” During this session, Dr. David Costello will explain how you can support numeracy at home and help your children recognize and understand the role of mathematics in the world around them.
Dr. Costello is a professional learning facilitator who focuses on mathematics instruction and learning. Working in various roles centred on numeracy education, he has the expertise, charisma, and advice you can count on to support numeracy learning in your household! Attend his session and discover new tips, tricks, and strategies to help students dynamically learn and build their critical thinking skills. Sign up and see how problem-solving can be as easy as 1, 2, and 3! Registration is required to attend this event. Register now to reserve your spot and receive the zoom link!
