October 2019 - St. David Catholic Elementary School

Sudbury Catholic Students Cast their Vote!

Posted on October 21, 2019 by admin

A group of students stand in line by the election booth.

14 schools within the Sudbury Catholic District School Board have registered with the Student Vote Canada program running parallel with the Federal Election. Based on the percentage of schools registered, the Board is in the top 10% of all School Boards within Canada. Student Vote Canada is a program open to all elementary and secondary schools nationwide. Schools may offer Student Vote to a single class or to the entirety of the student body. Students engage in activities surrounding government and the electoral process and are provided necessary tools to stage a mock election in their school during the Federal Election process.

Joanne Bénard, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased with the enthusiasm that the schools have shown toward promoting student voice.

“Student voice is a top priority within our Board,” she explained. “Student Vote Canada is an excellent opportunity for our students to not only understand the electoral process, but to also practice research and analytical skills and participate in a formal election scenario. We are proud to partner with Student Vote Canada and offer these tools for our students.”
“St Charles College has been involved in Student Vote for many years. We have participated at the federal level as well as the provincial and municipal levels,” explained Rick Emond, teacher at S. Charles College. “The program has had a positive impact on students both academically and in their personal lives. I often receive many messages from former students telling me that because of the program they have voted.”

St. David School Receives Visit from Laurentian and the National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education

Posted on October 21, 2019 by admin

St. David School received visits from Laurentian University this past week! The National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education (NCCIE) promotes Indigenous education they feel is innovative, exciting and worth celebrating. Their mission and vision is to connect parents, educators and students to their “grassroots”, which will advance the planning and success of Indigenous education. Laurentian professor and NCCIE regional lead, Kevin Fitzmaurice, was at St. David to interview staff, elders and students about their experiences in schooling and what they think of St. David from an academic, social and spiritual point of view. Videographer, Brandon Gray is filming a documentary on the school to highlight the integration of Indigenous culture and curriculum. According to Gray and Fitzmaurice, “St. David is an Indigenous Education success story”, which they would like to share in film to help support educators and academics across Canada.
One of our community Elder’s Vince was at the school erecting our very own Teepee with Mr. Mailloux’s grade 3/4 class. What a great experiential learning experience it was for them to embrace with their peers and teacher.

Learning Math in our Outdoor Classroom a St. David School

Posted on October 7, 2019 by admin

$Two girls lay next to a stick used for measurement.$

Ms. Lepage’s outdoor classroom at St. David’s learn how measuring is an important practical skill, that is frequently used to carry out real life activities such as creating their very own metre sticks in the forest!
Students created their metre sticks by estimating objects they found in the forest using various measurement benchmarks (e.g. their arm span, the width of their finger tip, the width of their hand, with their fingers stretched. Students learned that 1m is equivalent to 100 cm. They are looking forward to estimating, measuring and recording the measurements of various items the next time they take their learning outdoors.

Teaching students measurement skills doesn’t have to revolve around textbooks or solving problems on paper. Our students learn more by doing rather than listening or reading and making it apart of their daily routine. You can pique your child’s interest by engaging them with measuring real objects, making measurement a part of their adventure outdoors this winter!

St. David Students Practice Respect in a Creative Way!

Posted on October 2, 2019 by admin

Students and their teacher stand proudle with their rainbow cupcakes.

Mrs. Royer’s class at St. David School is trying a new way to work as a team and promote respect in her classroom. Each time the entire class receives a compliment for good behaviour from another teacher or staff member, they receive a letter of the alphabet that will eventually spell a classroom reward. Last week they worked feverishly and spelled the word CUPCAKES, which allowed to make their very own rainbow cupcakes together.

This cross curricular math lesson allowed some students to crack their very first egg as well at put their measuring skills to good use.