St. David Catholic School, located in the Donovan / Floor Mill area of the city celebrated National Aboriginal Day with a school wide fun day. Caroline Mansourian, the school’s grade 7 teacher and her grade 7 class planned and organized fun educational events for all junior kindergarten – grade 8 students. The day started with the playing of O Canada in Ojibwe and then the Ojibwe morning prayer. Events included face painting, water events and co-operative games stressing team work and leadership building skills.
National Aboriginal Day in Canada is held on June 21 annually to celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures, and achievements of our nation’s Aboriginal peoples. Canada recognizes three distinct Aboriginal groups – First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. June 21 was chosen for National Aboriginal Day because it was on or near the Summer Solstice. For generations, Aboriginal peoples hosted cultural celebrations on this day.
Verna Hardwick, St. David School Native Language teacher stated, ” this is a day to celebrate all races and the interconnectedness of all peoples. We shared the traditional teachings and celebrated the inclusive teachings of the medicine wheel.”
Grade 1 student, Sebastian Trudeau said, “I liked our special activities today, especially the games that had water. I am very excited to have a special lunch with my class. After lunch I am going to Bell Park with my mom to attend the festivities that The Native Friendship Center is hosting.” All students at St. David School were treated to a special lunch compliments of Joseph Mansourian and “Over the Atlantic”. Sebastian says “thank you. It was a fun day”.
St.David Catholic Elementary School's Summer Safe Day
St.David Catholic Elementary School had its Summer Safety BBQ on Friday, June 14, 2013. This was put on by the Holy Trinity Men’s Club and SOAR (Steelworkers Organization for Active Retirees). All the students were treated to hamburgers, hotdogs, drinks and cake some of which was sponsored by Arctic Glacier (Lecoupe Ice), Dumas Independent Grocers and Sunbeam Meats. The students also got to visit with representatives from Gobbo Towing and The Greater City of Sudbury Fire Department, EMS and Police Services. Students learned about how to be safe this summer. SK students exclaimed, “This was the best day of our lives!” They had so much fun sitting in a police car, walking through an ambulance and seeing the inside of a fire truck. Some lucky students even got to operate parts of a tow truck!
Butterfly Release at St. David Catholic Elementary School
The grade two class at St.David Catholic Elementary School raised Monarch butterflies in the their classroom this spring. They successfully nurtured the insects from chrysalis to butterflies over the past few weeks. On June 13th, 2013, Jennifer Babin-Fenske from EarthCare Sudbury came to join the class in releasing the butterflies. The grade two science teacher, Mrs.Shannon Meyer, stated “It was a great project that allowed us to review key science concepts and relate them to real life.” All students were excited about the experience of releasing the butterflies. “It was fun to see the butterflies landing on students. If they stood still, the butterflies would land on them. That was my favourite part of the day.” Logan Stewart-Cristo, grade two student at St.David Catholic School
An Egg-Citing Opportunity for Junior Kindergarten Students at St. David
The St. David Catholic Elementary School junior kindergarten classroom has been filled with anticipation and excitement over the last couple of weeks. Lindsay Michel, the school’s junior kindergarten teacher, partnered with Matt Peredy of Willow Lane Farms in Hanmer, Ontario to hatch chickens in the classroom.
Michel’s aim was to provide a thrilling educational experience for her young inner city students and wanted them to experience the joy of life while learning to build empathy for other forms of life. The students watched eggs hatch and new born chicks emerging from their shells. In total, the junior kindergarten classroom welcomed 14 new additions – baby chicks- to their class.
The St. David junior kindergarten program meets the needs of young inquisitive learners by providing them with the opportunity to participate in hands on, child centred, inquiry based learning. It is through positive community partnerships and a relationship building focus that the school creates an environment that supports student engagement and real world learning experiences.
Special thanks and the school’s appreciation go to Willow Lane Farms in Hanmer who graciously donated the incubator and eggs – Thank you Matt Peredy!
St. David School Celebrates Police Week with Local Greater Sudbury Police Officers
This year National Police Week is celebrated across Canada from May 12-18. National Police Week allows police services from across Canada to answer the public’s questions and develop proactive relationships. It allows the public an opportunity to “get to know” their local police officers.
The Greater Sudbury Police planned many special community activities for this week and one of them was attending St. David Catholic School to have breakfast with the students. The police officers were able to take the time to answer student questions, discuss summer safety tips and eat a healthy, delicious breakfast together.
“The officers enjoyed themselves tremendously . St David students gave them a very warm reception. It is important for the children to see the police officers in a different light than what is portrayed on TV or portrayed by others as being reactive. Our motto is “Our Community – Our Commitment” and we are part of this community. We live in this community and these are our children and we are committed”, stated special Constable Denise Fraser.
“This is a great way to start our day. We had a good breakfast and we learned how to make good decisions when we get to high school”, stated grade a 8 student when speaking of her breakfast with Constable Grant Dokis.
Our community is a better, safer place because of these police officers. St. David School was proud to welcome them into their school community and is grateful for all they do to support Sudbury in being a great city to live in.
St. David School would like to thank: Special Constable Denise Fraser, Special Constable Cheryl Kenelly, Staff Sergeant Robin Tiplady, Constable Bert Lepalme, Constable Grant Dokis, Sergeant Carl Hoeg, A. Sergeant Randy Hosken, Constable Joann Russell, Constable Angela Sirkka, and Anna Barsanti for all they do to make a difference in our community!
St. David School Rocks!
Cold temperatures, rain, sleet and snow did not stop St. David’s Roaring Runners from participating in Sunday’s “Sudbury Rocks- Race, Run or Walk for Diabetes”. St. David Catholic School students have been training for the past couple of months for this race. Through their after school running club, they learned about healthy food choices, how to prepare healthy meals and snacks, the importance of daily physical activities to a healthy lifestyle and how to pace yourself when running in a race. They learned about diabetes and raised money for the charity at school. Local community volunteers ran with the students in the 1 km Sudbury Rocks Race because their teacher and coach, Terri Lynn Lepage, was herself running the half marathon.
“It was a wonderful experience for our students and all of us adult volunteers. It was cold and wet, but we had a great time. Once they started to run, we did not hear a single complaint about the weather. I think this experience has become a great memory for our students and I think there is a very good chance we’ll be back next year!” stated St. David Catholic School Principal, Dawn Wemigwans.
St. David Student Receives Surprise Gift
Christine Sola, local Sudbury business woman visited St. David Catholic Elementary School. Sola who is associated with the production of the movie “The Fighting Man” which is being filmed locally, dropped by the school to talk to students. During her visit, she gifted an autographed photo of Kim Coates, who is a Canadian actor who plays Tig Trager on the popular television show, Sons of Anarchy. St. David grade six student, Darrian Boucher, who is a big fan of the show, was the proud recipient of the autographed photo. When receiving the photo, Boucher replied, “Tig is one of my favourite characters on the series Sons of Anarchy!”
St. David School Hosts Healthy Food Summit
The students and staff at St. David Catholic Elementary School hosted a full day Healthy Foods Summit at the beginning of April. The day consisted of guest speakers from the community facilitating “hands-on healthy foods” workshops. All classes, JK – grade 8, had the opportunity to visit three healthy foods workshops during the day. The topics ranged from: healthy choices using culturally based foods, healthy choices with after school snacks, how to pack a healthy lunch, Eat Local, and healthy desert choices. The school also partnered with the Sudbury Health Unit and offered workshops in proper handwashing techniques and student led leadership workshops.
The St. David School student leadership team co-planned the sessions with the mentorship of Janet Spergel, Community Health Care Nurse for the Sudbury Health Unit. Students were engaged in all sessions. Staff, students and families from St. David Catholic Elementary School all walked away with a better understanding of the importance of healthy food choices, their availability in the community and how to prepare them as meals and snacks.
St. David School Celebrates Earth Day!
On April 22, 2013 the students in Mrs. Cimino’s grade 1 class participated in hands on educational Earth Day activities. During the activity centres, the students made Earth Day necklaces as a reminder to keep our earth clean and healthy. They read the book “The Lorax” and discussed what can happen if we do not take responsibility for the care of our planet.
St. David Catholic Elementary School students participate in a school wide recycling program, composting program and vermi composting program.
Next Friday, the grade one students and their fellow St. David classmates will be participating in the community clean up along Jean Street, Frood Road and Dupont Street. “The students had a wonderful day learning about the importance of maintaining a healthy environment while having fun and participating in activities that engaged their minds and kept them physically active. As a class, we have really focused on healthy living and environmentally friendly actions. The students continue to be committed to caring for their environment and making choices that improve and support the positive development of their community”, states Maria Cimino, grade 1 teacher at St. David School.
St. David School is now Idle Free
On Earth Day 2013, the students and staff of St. David Catholic School launched an “Idle-Free Campaign” in partnership with the Earth Care Sudbury. An idle free school is one where all non-moving vehicles on school property do not have their engines running. Parents waiting for their children will keep their engines off. Studies by Health Canada and community health departments show a direct, significant link between air pollution and respiratory health. When a vehicle is idling it releases more carbon dioxide than when it is moving.
St. David School, with support from Jennifer Babin-Fenske, Earth Care Sudbury, thought it appropriate to launch the Idle -Free Campaign on April 22 – Earth Day. The school’s student led Green Team discussed the importance of having an idle free area by their school as well as other earth day campaigns active in the school community. According to grade 3 student, Alyssa Gasper, “the pollution from cars affect the plants and animals and our health in negative ways”.
Megan Murphy, school vice principal assisted the students in posting Idle-Free signs and banners throughout the school. “Our students are genuinely concerned and active in caring for our environment not only on Earth Day, but throughout the year. Our students are passionate about educating their peers and family members about the importance of being environmentally conscious.”