During the month of February, St. David School students and staff celebrate the value of compassion. Students learn that compassion is the ability not only to empathize with another person but also to act on their behalf. On PINK Shirt Day, students and staff wore pink shirts to demonstrate their commitment to building friendship skills, acting with kindness and acknowledging their commitment to the acceptance of all peoples.
With the support of teachers, support staff, families and community partners, St. David students continue to learn the importance of dedicating themselves to creating a respectful and caring St. David School community.
SCC student to be the face of the North American Indigenous Games
Grade 10 student Hannah Morningstar is about to be the “face of Naig”. NAIG is the North American Indigenous Games and she will be featured on posters and banners to promote the event in Toronto this summer.
Hannah will be in Toronto tomorrow to see the pictures taken last year as part of a news conference for the games. She has participated in the games in 2014 as a track and field athlete. This time, she is hoping to qualify for track or volleyball. The tryouts are taking place right now.
This semester, Hannah is taking Indigenous Studies. She beams with pride when talking about representing her country and culture. “This is such an honour” she says.
The games being held in July will bring more than four thousand athletes to Toronto.
Christmas feast celebrated at St. David Catholic School
Each Christmas season, St. David Catholic School teachers and staff members host an annual Christmas Feast for the students in the school. Everyone enjoys a full turkey meal with all the trimmings and wonderful Christmas cheer.
“This is my favourite day of the year,” stated Terri Lynn Lepage, St. David School grade 3 teacher, “everyone enjoys the meal, but even more importantly we all enjoy each others company.”
St. David School would like to take this opportunity to thank all community partners and special community members who have donated so generously to the students of St. David School over the school year, especially during this Christmas season.
Math Games are Alive and Well at St. David School
St. David School hosted a Christmas Math Morning for students and their families to encourage Growth Mindset, specifically in math acquisition. One of the school’s main focuses this year is continued emphasis on promoting a greater collaboration between educators, students and their families. St. David School works closely with families because when there is a trusting, respectful relationship between the home and school, students have a better chance of being successful academically, socially and emotionally.
During the math morning, all parents and family members played fun, educational math games at school the with their children, then were given a Math Bag to take home. The Math Bag was filled with dice, cards and math game instructions as well as other simple math tools that they were encouraged to use at home to support their children build confidence in math.
St. David School runs the Santa Shuffle
The students and staff of St. David Catholic School once again participated in the Salvation Army’s Santa Shuffle and Elf Run. The students and school staff raised funds to support the run. The event assists the Salvation Army support families in need during the Christmas season and throughout the year. All pledges raised for the Santa Shuffle and Elf Run help people in our community who struggle to make ends meet. St. David School raised $634.65 for the Salvation Army.
“The Santa Shuffle is a fantastic way to support those in need during the Christmas season as well as have fun promoting healthy living with our students. Our grade 3 teacher, Terri Lynn Lepage, and other staff members organize an after school running / reading club for the months leading up to the event as a way to train and promote good health through exercise. We are appreciative of all the support and encouragement of our families – and want to thank them for their generous donations. Merry Christmas!” states Lindsay Michel, St. David School FDK teacher.
St. David students learn "What Counts, What Matters, What is Important, When we Solve a Math Problem Completely"
The grade 5/6 class at St. David Catholic School learned what counts, what matters, what is important, when we solve a math problem completely. The students were involved in co-developing success criteria for problem solving in a lesson modelled by renewed, interactive educational speaker and author, Sandra Herbst.
The students and Ms. Herbst developed the criteria, while the Board’s principals and vice principals observed the lesson. The lesson included modelling, peer conversation, higher level questioning and the organization and sharing of student ideas to co-construct success criteria. The lesson was an opportunity for not only student learning, but also staff learning. The staff involved attended a pre-lesson professional development session, then attended a de-breifing after the demonstration lesson. Ms. Herbst spent the week working with Sudbury Catholic Schools teachers, principals, vice principals and students from a variety of Sudbury Catholic elementary and secondary schools.
Pink Shirt Campaign at St. David School
As part of the St. David School and Sudbury Police Services shared commitment for the well being and safety of our children, Krystle Beausoleil, the Police Youth Safety Coordinator attended St. David School. She delivered the message that is takes ‘courage to stand’ up against those who try to bully and hurt others. Her message focused on positive action and standing up for each other. Her message also focused on treating one other with respect and dignity, allas part of the ‘Pink Shirt Campaign’.
All students at St. David School will be standing together against bullying and will be signing the Sudbury Regional Police Services “Pink Shirt” to demonstrate our commitment to “stand up” together.
Bishop Damphousse Blesses Newly Constructed School in the Donovan
Bishop Marcel Damphousse of the Diocese of Sault Ste Marie blessed the new St. David Catholic Elementary School, it’s students, staff and community during the school’s first mass of the year.
Students, parents, staff and members from Christ the King’s CWL and Men’s Club packed the school gymnasium to celebrate the first official school mass of the year. During the ceremony, the Bishop said the homily and blessed the students, parents and classroom crucifixes. He also went class to class to speak with students about their new school and the importance of having God in their lives.
The mass started with the sound of the drum and a light smudge to bring good feelings to the school and all who enter. Special thanks to community member, Lisa Cywink for her drumming and Elder, Ethel Fraser for the smudge.
St. David School Students Plant 50 Evergreen Trees on New School Site
The staff and students of St. David Catholic School would like to publicly acknowledge Mr. Louis Belanger and the staff from Yallowega Belanger Salach Architecture for the donation of 50 evergreen trees for the new school site.
The staff at Yallowega Belanger Salach Architecture spent a morning preparing the soil for new trees and assisting the students in re-greening the new St. David School surroundings. The school would also like to thank school board trustees, Ray Desjardins and Nancy Deni for assisting the students in the tree planting activity.
Planting day started with heavy clouds and light rain. Once all trees were planted, a huge rainstorm ensued. The trees were naturally watered, the students, staff and community members were still dry and everyone felt wonderful about their contribution to the new school environment! The school’s next environmental project will be the creation of “Woodworking Club”, who will be building raised garden beds for the upcoming spring’s planting season — thank you Mr. Mailloux!
The sky is the limit for canned food collecting at St. Charles College
Since the mid eighties, St. Charles College student council has been organizing a fall food drive in support of the Sudbury Food Bank. Every year it just gets better and better.
The students were given the task of collecting sixty thousand cans this year. Teacher leaders Paola Gutscher and Bev Belanger were happy to report that the students smashed their goal with raising more than 126 thousand cans. Year after year, it has become the largest single donation to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse.
The leadership students cannot do this alone. It is supported by all the 7-12 students at St. Charles College along with feeder schools — Holy Trinity, St. Paul, St. John, St. David and Pius.
The wrap-up event today highlighted the accomplishments of the students but also the staff had to hold up its end of the bargain complete with staff pie in the face showdowns, shaved heads, dyed heads and waxed legs.
Principal Patty Mardero says it is also important to recognize the citizens of Sudbury who graciously donated to the drive when the students knocked upon their doors. The food collected over the course of the last week was delivered to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse today. Mardero says “This visit to the warehouse to unload is critical in helping students see the fruits of their labour as they lift each box of canned food and fill the shelves of the warehouse”.