TRANSPORTATION CANCELLED MORNING ONLY, SCHOOLS REMAIN OPEN – SUDBURY, ESPANOLA, MASSEY AND MANITOULIN DISTRICTS
BUSSES WILL BE DOING THEIR AFTERNOON RUNS ONLY
Due to the extreme cold and in the interest of safety, all school related transportation services for English Catholic, English public, French Catholic and French public schools, operating in the districts of SUDBURY, ESPANOLA, MASSEY AND MANITOULIN, (this includes all areas such as St-Charles, Noëlville, Monetville, Markstay, Hagar, Warren, Wahnapitae, Coniston, Killarney, Whitefish, Whitefish River First Nations, Manitoulin Island, Onaping, Chelmsford, Capreol, Valley East, Garson, Chelmsford and Azilda) are cancelled this morning. All schools will remain open, however, only afternoon transportation will be running.
Parents who transport their children to school are reminded that buses will pick them up at the end of the school day. Also, we remind parents to verify the website for ALL DAY cancellations due to school bus drivers’ absences.
Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being at Sudbury Catholic January 24-28, 2022
It’s Bell Let’s Talk Day on Wednesday, January 26 and Sudbury Catholic is joining the conversation all week long to raise awareness and encourage discussions about mental health.
One in five Canadians will experience a mental health illness at some point in their life, and most will be cautious about talking about it or reaching out for help. For anyone living with a mental illness, stigma is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome. In fact, it is why two-thirds of people do not seek help. Bell Let’s Talk Day reminds us that talking is the best way to start breaking down the barriers associated with mental illness and accessing mental health support.
COVID-19 is affecting every aspect of our lives including a profound impact on our mental health and wellbeing. The pandemic has magnified historically deep-rooted economic, social, and racial inequities that continue to disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, LGBTQQI2S+ and students living with special needs, in addition to other vulnerable and marginalized communities. We need to be flexible, creative, compassionate, and culturally responsive to support the realities and lived experiences these students and their families face. From helping people to recognize stressors to being there for someone, all these actions support mental health and strengthen our school communities during this challenging time.
During the week of January 24 to 28, educators are encouraged to intentionally pause and take some time to have classroom discussions about mental health and well-being.
Over 650 students from grades 4-6 participated in a special Brain Buster Quiz Show organized by Let’s Talk Science solely for Sudbury Catholic students.
Students tested their knowledge about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in a fun and engaging activity.
During the 45 minute session, multi choice questions in a variety of categories such as careers, inventions, public, multidisciplinary, sprint and general were selected. Students learned new vocabulary such as crepuscular, felidae, canidae, mustelidae and so much more all while having fun!
Students were also given the opportunity to ask questions to special guests Gaëlle and Nick about their experiences studying in STEM. Both university graduates, Gaëlle studied engineering while Nick studied physics. Both educators have a passion for teaching and sharing their knowledge about STEM to students across the country.
We would like to thank the team at Let’s Talk Science for organizing this event for our students.
Please check out other upcoming Let’s Talk Science’s Virtual Events:
Let’s Talk Science STEM Club (Grades 4-6)
Join us with your class for fun and interactive STEM activities starting on January 27th! Each week features a different hands-on activity using minimal, easy-to-find materials. Students will also have the chance to learn from and ask questions to inspiring STEM role models. STEM Club is ideal for busy educators and caregivers, no matter what their learning environment looks like! Register for STEM Club here.
Let’s Talk Science Challenge (Grades 6-8)
The Let’s Talk Science Challenge is a competition that takes place each year for students in Grade 6-8 across Canada. It includes a question and answer competition and an engineering challenge.
Preparation for the competition is important. Students will work in teams or individually to learn STEM concepts provided in a handbook prior to the competition. There will also be practice quizzes and design and build challenges available weekly throughout the Play & Learn weekly activities portion.
Sudbury Catholic Schools is pleased to celebrate Family Literacy Day with ABC Life Literacy Canada’s National Family!
What Is Family Literacy Day?
Family Literacy Day takes place every January 27th to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. Since 1999, thousands of schools, libraries, literacy organizations and other community groups have taken part in the initiative. ABC creates free learning and promotional resources for anyone that wants to get involved. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development, improving a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well.
Howard Binkow, from Sarasota Florida, is the author of the Howard B. Wigglebottom series. Mr. Binkow will launch our celebration with a read aloud and give Sudbury Catholic students a question and answer period.
Teachers are encouraged to have students join this live session where together they will learn how to make PlayDough with flour, salt, water and food colouring. Teachers can extend the activity into another art lesson and/or invite families to join Barbara Reid’s live demonstration later in the day.
Celebrate Family Literacy Day 2022 with Honorary Chair Barbara Reid
GRADES: K-Grades 6
WHEN: JAN. 27TH AT 4:30PM
Barbara Reid will be doing a demonstration on how to use clay/play dough to create a picture. She will share unique techniques that students can use to make different things. The event will end with a Q&A.
REGISTER: To register, please click here. Spaces are limited, so be sure to register as soon as possible to secure your spot.
Please be aware that the Sudbury Student Services Consortium is encountering a higher than normal rate of absences for bus drivers due to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.
Each morning they will post daily cancellations on our website, parents are reminded to verify the cancellations by visiting www.businfo.ca. Please be advised that parents will not be receiving telephone calls or emails.
Join Sudbury Catholic Schools at our upcoming Elementary/Secondary Open Houses!
Sudbury Catholic Schools are excited to be hosting Virtual Open Houses, starting January 12th! We encourage students to come experience our education, ask questions, and learn about the exciting opportunities available at Sudbury Catholic Schools!
*Please Note: You may be required to register beforehand to attend a live event. Go to the individual school website to learn more and sign up!
Students and their families from St. David Catholic Elementary School were invited to join Skills Ontario’s Winterfest Celebration. Last night, families had a fun evening of learning how to make Hot Chocolate Balls led by Skills Ontario expert and Summer Camp Program Manager Kayla Bezarie.
Families learned the technique of tempering chocolate while trying out the skills of a Patisserie or Pastry Chef.
Students also learned the virtue of patience and the rule that if at first you don’t succeed, try again!
A parent, Amanda Tyson said, “We enjoyed making the hot chocolate bombs! Although we need some more practice, we still had fun!”
“Oh what fun we had tonight with this project. Thanks to Skills Ontario Winterfest for a new challenge. We had some failures but managed to complete 6. Look forward to trying more during the holidays.”stated Taryn Gorrie, another parent.
That’s why Sudbury Catholic Schools is pleased to invite you to register for our upcoming wellness webinar in January. At this webinar, two outstanding guest presenters will tackle this topic and provide coping strategies for dealing with stress.
Alina Rukkila MSW, RSW and Jessie Jones CYW will lead us through an engaging session on dealing with the different types of stress and provide helpful strategies and tips we can incorporate to help us manage it when it happens.
We all know that not all types of stress are bad. Good types of stress can help you focus, ensure you meet your daily challenges, and encourage you to reach specific goals you have for yourself. However, it’s essential to understand the difference between good and harmful types of stress. Over time, a continued strain on the body put on from stress can get the best of you. It’s paramount to identify the causes of daily stress and manage the intensity of these feelings. By knowing healthy coping strategies, we can enjoy life and learn happily.
Grade 4 students at St. David Catholic Elementary School were thrilled to discover their September video submission was honoured as a national winner in the 2021 Take Me Outside Student Video Contest.
The Take Me Outside Student Video Contest is a national competition aiming to get students outside by encouraging them to submit their best, self-made video, featuring how they like to spend their time exploring the outdoors in Canada.
With a tight deadline of Sept. 17th and less than two weeks back at school, Mrs. Toffoli’s class were up for the challenge and placed second nationwide in the class category. In reward for their tremendous work, the class received gift cards from MEC to help get them outside even more!
“I am so proud of my classmates and my teacher because we won second place in Canada.” Edrea, Gr. 4 Student
“I am so happy that we got second place. Our hard work paid off.” Diymtrius, Gr. 4 Student
Mrs. Toffoli and her teaching assistant Brandon Antonioni ensured students had the support and resources to inspire the creativity needed to create the video and follow the rules.
“When I first heard about the contest, I knew right away St. David School had the perfect backyard. We have such amazing trails and a great outdoor classroom that showcases Canada’s beauty. The students worked hard on this contest and came up with some brilliant reasons why learning from and on the land is important to them.” Stephanie Toffoli, Gr. 4 Teacher
“At St. David School, we continue to work to enhance our teaching pedagogy to ensure that we include not only Indigenous theory and knowledge in our lessons but also ways of being. An important part of Truth and Reconciliation is learning on the land and acknowledging the teachings around us in nature. We thank our Indigenous community partners and Elders that continue to support our learning on the land, as well as thank wonderful organizations such as “Take Me Outside” for the encouragement they offer to all schools to take that step outside and enhance our learning.” Dawn-Marie Wemigwans, Principal
In honour of Computer Science Education Week (Dec 6-12), each day, we will put a special spotlight on 1 amazing staff member whose expertise within the fascinating world of IT and computer science deserve to be celebrated!
Learn more about Computer Science Education Week by checking out the #csedweek website.
