We are very pleased to present the Director of Education’s Annual Report for the 2021-2022 school year.
We thank our Board of Trustees, Senior Administration, staff, students, families, volunteers, community partners, and our parishes for their continued support and commitment to Sudbury Catholic. Together we are providing a caring, progressive, high quality Catholic school system that is nurturing our students – mind, body, and spirit.
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.
A group of very fortunate students in grades 3, 4 and 5 at St. David Catholic Elementary School received a belated Christmas gift this January. The students were surprised with a special visit from members of the Sudbury Wolves, members of the Sudbury Regional Police and Gord Ewin. The members of the Sudbury Wolves included captain Danny Desrochers as well as defenceman Conor Cummins.
During the presentation, Danny and Connor provided students with valuable knowledge about: hard work and training, preventing bullying, as well as a personal perspective of the life of an OHL player. At the end of the presentation, St. David’s students were thrilled to have the opportunity to personally meet Danny Desrochers and Conor Cummins as well as get their autographs.
Sudbury Catholic District School Board elementary students were invited to cheer on their local Laurentian University Voyageurs hockey team during one of their season games. Students from St. Francis, Holy Cross, St. David, Holy Trinity, and St. Benedict packed the arena as they cheered on the Voyageurs as they won a victory over Nipissing 3-2 in a shootout.
St. David Catholic Elementary School continues to offer grades 3 – 5 students Tae Kwon Do lessons every Monday for an hour at lunch. The program focus remains the 5 tenets that Tae Kwon Do practitioners live their lives by:
Courtesy
Integrity
Perseverance
Self Control
Indomitable Spirit
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s CCAC Health Nurse, Roland Dutrisac, uses Tae Kwon Do as an effective strategy to encourage students to live healthy lives through physical activity as well as learn such important skills as: focus, concentration, discipline, self control and perseverance. The Tae Kwon Do program also stresses the importance of confidence and how to deal with conflict in a proactive manner.
Next year, the school will move from its original location on Jean Street to a brand new home at 459 Frood Road. The program has seen such success that it will continue to be offered at the new location. The school hopes all returning students and new registrants will continue to take advantage of this inter disciplinary opportunity. The school would also like to take this time to thank Mr. Roland Dutrisac for his wonderful contribution to the St. David School community!
On April 24, St. David Catholic School hosted a “Wellness Day” focusing on supporting students to lead healthy, well-balanced lives. The morning kicked off with motivational student-created videos, acknowledgement of community partners and introductions to the day’s wellness workshops. The grade 4-8 student participants were divided into groups and attended two out of six sessions of their choosing. All students participants were given the opportunity to choose which sessions they wanted to attend.
The day consisted of various healthy habit-forming activities and coping strategy workshops which included yoga, outdoor education team building, “What’s your Spark”, tae kwon do, dance, and healthy cooking options. The school hosted presenters from a number of community agencies within the city including the Sudbury District Health Unit, Better Beginnings-Better Futures, Killarney Outdoor Education Centre and several wonderful student teachers from Laurentian University.
Katie-Ann McLean, grade 8 student at St. David School, described the day as “an opportunity to learn how to relax your mind, body and spirit” .
St. David Catholic School accessed a community grant from Breakfast Club of Canada to host this special day. “For over twenty years, Breakfast Club of Canada has been nourishing children’s potential by making sure as many of them as possible have access to a healthy morning meal before school, in an environment that allows their self esteem to grow and flourish”. Thank you Breakfast Club of Canada, and Better Beginnings-Better Futures for all that you do for St. David Catholic Elementary School, and so many other schools.
The St. David Catholic Elementary School Roaring Runners cooking club is anxiously awaiting the beginning of the spring running season. While they wait for the snow to melt they are learning more about fuelling their bodies with healthy foods. As they wait for the seasons to change, the students participate in an after school cooking club. The students learn how to prepare a variety of healthy meals, learn about nutrition and enjoy the meals that they make together. This week students were hard at work making oatmeal muffin cups and banana French toast kabobs.
According to Ontario Ministry of Education “schools play an important role in teaching students healthy eating habits and reinforcing those lessons through school practices. Research shows that good health is a prerequisite for good learning. The government passed the Healthy Food for Healthy Schools Act in April 2008.”
As a staff, St. David School works in partnership with Better Beginnings Better Futures, Breakfast Clubs of Canada and Holy Trinity Men’s Club to create an “environment where the healthiest choices are the easiest choices for students to make”. The school provides opportunities that reinforces the knowledge and attitudes regarding healthy eating developed through the Ontario curriculum.
As part of their ongoing commitment to fitness, St. David students participated in the 1K Strong Kids Fun Run at the recent Sudbury Rocks Walk, Run, Race For Diabetes. During education week the students collected pledges and raised approximately $100 dollars. The running club has not only been running but have also been reading once a week with community volunteers and reflecting on their running in their running journals as a way to promote literacy and physical fitness.
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.
