St. David Dragon Amelia Carter-Jenveau “Turns The Lights Off At Lunch” in an effort to save energy as part of Earth Hour. The Dragons have been working hard to save energy, water and reduce waste through many school wide initiatives including a school wide composting program, waste audits, lights off at lunch, and recycling activities.
St. David Students Take Part in 2012 Roots and Shoots Conference
As a part of a Teacher Learning and Leadership project funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education, teachers Jennifer Gran, Leann Laframboise and Christina Kilby have been leading an exciting project. Students from Grade 4/5 and Grade 8 at St. David school have been learning about technology, stewardship and engaging in environmental education in a hands on way. They have been taking their learning outside.
On Monday March 26, 2012, student ambassadors from the project had the privilege of presenting at the Roots and Shoots conference at Science North. Along with their teachers and elders from the project, the students shared their experiences of learning nature photography, visiting Vale’s greenhouse in Copper Cliff to see where they grow seedlings for re-greening and planting trees at Laurentian Conservation area in partnership with the Greater City of Sudbury. These students articulated their sense of ownership and expressed their excitement for the project as well as for the volunteers. The students were inspired by the many guest speakers who came to their school from environmental engineers, Native elders to a Science North scientist. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the project, besides going outside to learn was the relationships that they have developed with Joe Houle (Mrs. Laframboise’s Dad who helped with the nature photography) and Theresa Pelletier (Mrs. Gran’s mom who shared her love of nature on the nature walks).
All of the photography and video documentation of the project was done by the Grade 4/5 and Grade 8 students. The students have learned and enjoyed using iPads, MacBooks and digital cameras for these tasks.
As the students completed their presentations, they offered seedlings to other students and teachers and asked them to help make a positive change by planting trees. Their final message was to encourage students to “ask their teachers to take them outside” because they know first hand that this way of learning is engaging and memorable.
St. David Catholic School Parent Involvement Leads to Greater Student Success and Well Being
St. David Catholic School works diligently to involve parents and the community in the education of our youth. The school recognizes that student achievement increases when parents play an active role in their children’s education, and that “good schools become even better schools when parents and community members become involved”.
The grade 5/6 class at St. David worked with the staff at the Killarney Outdoor Education Center and with school parents and local Aboriginal Elders to allow the students to experience real life learning. Parents, community members, students and staff learned about traditional Aboriginal hunting and fishing practices, scientific states of matter and the food chain and it’s relationship to biodiversity — then they spent a day ice fishing. Although no actual fish were caught, parents were actively engaged in supporting their children’s success at school. Parents and students were motivated to learn as a team, each supporting each other in an active hands on learning experience.
St. David Catholic School Welcomes the Magic of "The Amazing Rene"
St. David Catholic School proudly welcomed the magic of “The Amazing Rene” aka Rene Lacourciere. The Amazing Rene captivated the attention of the students of St. David School with his unique style of slight of hand magic. During his magic show, The Amazing Rene integrated the importance of learning through reading and emphasized the valuable resources available at the Greater City of Sudbury Public Libraries.
The Amazing Rene has been performing magic throughout North America for the past 32 years and has preformed at such venues as Canada’s Wonderland and Santa’s Village in Bracebridge, Ontario. He is also a qualified teacher and is originally from the Sudbury area.
“Slight of hand magic allows me to connect with students and teachers and model the importance of effective oral communication” stated Rene. “They see how effective oral communication skills are important in real life situations and in career choices”.
St. David School students and staff enjoyed the interactive magic show, comedy act and hands on learning experience with The Amazing Rene.
Students at St. David School Welcome Messages of Anti-Bullying and Restorative Justice
Chad Solomon, local artist and author of the graphic novel series, “Rabbit and Bear Paws” presented a series of interactive workshops to the students of St. David School. The sessions were based in restorative justice and advocating for a bully free school environment. Chad Solomon is a member of the Henvey Inlet, First Nation. His grandfather Art Solomon, was a traditional healer and justice activist. Mr. Solomon told stories of his grandfather to the students, always with the hint of laughter and his life lessons learned.
The restorative justice sessions were interactive workshops using the puppets, “Rabbit”, “Bear Claw” and “Strawberry”. The students became the puppeteers and were able to discover how to resolve bullying using restorative justice practices. Mr. Solomon also worked with the intermediate students at St. David Catholic School to help them create a graphic novel page based on the Seven Grandfather Teachings of love, wisdom, respect, humility, truth, bravery, and honesty. Mr. Solomon encouraged students to recall their own personal experiences and use their imagination when creating stories. According to Tara Theriault, the school’s Child and Youth Worker, “It was a great day for the students of St. David School. They heard a message that promotes equality, understanding and respect. Mr. Solomon used humour as a tool when he worked with our students and they really enjoyed the day and walked away being inspired to make a difference”.
St. David School and Better "B" Kids After School Program Make Composting a Regular Part of Their Day
St. David Catholic School students not only compost during their school day, but also continue the green initiative at the Better Beginnings After School Program. Originally, this composting initiative started in September 2010 by a small group of students and their teacher at St. David. Today, the students, staff and community members all work together to make composting a daily part of the school day.
The children learn about the value of composting in their classrooms and through Destination Conservation and Green initiative presentations. Food waste that is thrown out is trucked to the dump, and then incinerated, releasing toxic gasses into the atmosphere. By composting your waste you not only prevent this pollution, but create rich soil, which will be used at in the school’s community garden project.
“Composting is a topic that addresses a real-world issue and helps to instill a sense of environmental stewardship in our youth. It can be used for a wide range of scientific projects or experiments and can help students to see the interconnections between science and healthy lifestyle choices”, explains Terri Lynn Lepage, Destination Conservation lead teacher at St. David School.
St. David School Successfully Collaborates as a Interdisciplinary Team
St. David School staff collaboratively works as a team with support from school board personal, Jennifer Connelly, assistive technology teacher, on using assistive technology to support student achievement. The school teachers, principal, educational assistants, secretary and child and youth worker all attended an in-service on a new exciting computer program called Word Q. Word Q helps students develop confidence, improve productivity, increase self-esteem and foster a spirit of inclusion. The program assists by predicting words and providing speech feedback that allows students to hear their mistakes. “I appreciate its simplicity”, said Nancy Costanzi, resource teacher at St. David Catholic School and new WordQ expert.
St. David Enjoys "The Adventures of Sparky the Traveling Fire Dog"
Mitch Theriault, Public Safety Officer with the Greater Sudbury Fire Services visited St. David Catholic School to launch the pilot of a new fire prevention program called “The Adventures of Sparky the Traveling Fire Dog”. The program is geared to grade 1 classes. The students have the opportunity to take a stuffed animal, a talking Sparky doll home for one week. During this week, the children are asked to complete a fire safety checklist with their parents and add a page to Sparky’s journal that outlines his adventures in the homes of different families.
“This is a fun new way to get our safety messages into the homes of young children and families” said Theriault ” The entire family follows a checklist that asks them to do things like test their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, practice a fire escape drill, and make sure candles are in a safe place among other tips.”
McKena Houston in Mrs. Cimino’s grade 1 class stated that when she brought Sparky home, her and her mother started their adventure by reviewing the fire safety tips in the booklet. McKena was quoted as saying “Sparky is awesome!”
St. David School Creatively Encourages Parent Engagement
St. David Catholic School teachers, Terri Lynn Lepage and Eleanor Anderson, volunteer their after school time coordinating the “Roaring Runners Club” two days a week. “The school running club promotes the development healthy habits. and are trying to be innovative, engaging, and most importantly provide our students the opportunity for daily exercise. The club builds lifelong skills including self-confidence, self-discipline, self-respect, integrity and humility. As a member of a team working together for a common goal, the club also helps students improve in the areas of sportsmanship, teamwork, and respect for others”, states Lepage.
As the “Roaring Runners Club” approaches their first official event, the Salvation Army’s Santa Shuffle and Elf Walk this Saturday at 10 am, they decided to invite their parents, grandparents, and older brothers and sisters to attend their last practice before the race. Not only did student families participate in the practice, the teacher’s families also came out and participated in the event. “I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to have fun and laugh with my grandchild, learn about healthy choices and meet other families that attend the same school” states Theresa Spencer, school grandparent that attended the practice with her granddaughter. “These opportunities are what makes our school a great place to be. They are filled with laughter and learning for everyone”, said Eleanor Anderson grade 1/2 teacher at St. David School.
St. David JK Students Experience Unique Learning Opportunity
As part of the Math, Science, Language and Religious Education curriculum, the Junior Kindergarten students at St. David Catholic School got the unique experience of hatching their own chickens. Students learned about egg development and growth, watched videos, read stories, sang songs and made crafts all related to the chicks. When asked about the process, Junior Kindergarten teacher Lindsay Michel stated “The students were amazed and engaged in the whole experience. It was really a school wide event. My students have been teaching the older classes about the process; how the chicks grow and how to take care of them using words like ‘incubator’ and ‘humidity.’
The kindergarten class had been making daily announcements counting down the days and relating it to all areas of the curriculum. Michel credits the generosity of local farmers Tom and Leila Zazulak and Matt Peredery who donated everything to make the experience successful. When asked what she learned about the chicks, four year old Mya Giroux-Bryant responded, ‘We turn them and pray for them everyday. They live in the incubator for 21 days and they are called peeps until they hatch then they can play with us. After a while they go back to their farm with their mommy and daddy.’