St. David Catholic School, located in the Donovan / Floor Mill area of the city celebrated National Aboriginal Day with a school wide fun day. Caroline Mansourian, the school’s grade 7 teacher and her grade 7 class planned and organized fun educational events for all junior kindergarten – grade 8 students. The day started with the playing of O Canada in Ojibwe and then the Ojibwe morning prayer. Events included face painting, water events and co-operative games stressing team work and leadership building skills.
National Aboriginal Day in Canada is held on June 21 annually to celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures, and achievements of our nation’s Aboriginal peoples. Canada recognizes three distinct Aboriginal groups – First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. June 21 was chosen for National Aboriginal Day because it was on or near the Summer Solstice. For generations, Aboriginal peoples hosted cultural celebrations on this day.
Verna Hardwick, St. David School Native Language teacher stated, ” this is a day to celebrate all races and the interconnectedness of all peoples. We shared the traditional teachings and celebrated the inclusive teachings of the medicine wheel.”
Grade 1 student, Sebastian Trudeau said, “I liked our special activities today, especially the games that had water. I am very excited to have a special lunch with my class. After lunch I am going to Bell Park with my mom to attend the festivities that The Native Friendship Center is hosting.” All students at St. David School were treated to a special lunch compliments of Joseph Mansourian and “Over the Atlantic”. Sebastian says “thank you. It was a fun day”.
St.David Catholic Elementary School's Summer Safe Day
St.David Catholic Elementary School had its Summer Safety BBQ on Friday, June 14, 2013. This was put on by the Holy Trinity Men’s Club and SOAR (Steelworkers Organization for Active Retirees). All the students were treated to hamburgers, hotdogs, drinks and cake some of which was sponsored by Arctic Glacier (Lecoupe Ice), Dumas Independent Grocers and Sunbeam Meats. The students also got to visit with representatives from Gobbo Towing and The Greater City of Sudbury Fire Department, EMS and Police Services. Students learned about how to be safe this summer. SK students exclaimed, “This was the best day of our lives!” They had so much fun sitting in a police car, walking through an ambulance and seeing the inside of a fire truck. Some lucky students even got to operate parts of a tow truck!
Butterfly Release at St. David Catholic Elementary School
The grade two class at St.David Catholic Elementary School raised Monarch butterflies in the their classroom this spring. They successfully nurtured the insects from chrysalis to butterflies over the past few weeks. On June 13th, 2013, Jennifer Babin-Fenske from EarthCare Sudbury came to join the class in releasing the butterflies. The grade two science teacher, Mrs.Shannon Meyer, stated “It was a great project that allowed us to review key science concepts and relate them to real life.” All students were excited about the experience of releasing the butterflies. “It was fun to see the butterflies landing on students. If they stood still, the butterflies would land on them. That was my favourite part of the day.” Logan Stewart-Cristo, grade two student at St.David Catholic School
An Egg-Citing Opportunity for Junior Kindergarten Students at St. David
The St. David Catholic Elementary School junior kindergarten classroom has been filled with anticipation and excitement over the last couple of weeks. Lindsay Michel, the school’s junior kindergarten teacher, partnered with Matt Peredy of Willow Lane Farms in Hanmer, Ontario to hatch chickens in the classroom.
Michel’s aim was to provide a thrilling educational experience for her young inner city students and wanted them to experience the joy of life while learning to build empathy for other forms of life. The students watched eggs hatch and new born chicks emerging from their shells. In total, the junior kindergarten classroom welcomed 14 new additions – baby chicks- to their class.
The St. David junior kindergarten program meets the needs of young inquisitive learners by providing them with the opportunity to participate in hands on, child centred, inquiry based learning. It is through positive community partnerships and a relationship building focus that the school creates an environment that supports student engagement and real world learning experiences.
Special thanks and the school’s appreciation go to Willow Lane Farms in Hanmer who graciously donated the incubator and eggs – Thank you Matt Peredy!