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.
To raise awareness of the importance of open dialogue surrounding mental health, Sudbury Catholic District School Board invites students, staff, and community members to wear blue and white on Wednesday, January 25th, 2023. By wearing blue and white (symbolic colours for the Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign), our hope is for our Board community to unite and visually and emotionally show our support for mental health initiatives.
The Sudbury Catholic School community is encouraged to share their actions with our Board by tagging us on social media and sending pictures, captions, and highlights to info@sudburycatholicschools.ca
Bell Let’s Talk Day is an important event celebrated annually worldwide and is dedicated to raising awareness about mental health and breaking the silence around mental illness.
Sudbury Catholic recognizes the importance of mental health and well-being for our students. Mental health is a critical component of overall health and well-being, and it plays a vital role in the success of our students both in and out of the classroom.
We also acknowledge the importance of reducing the stigma around mental illness and encouraging open and honest conversations about mental health. The more we talk about mental health, the more we can help those struggling and support them in getting the help they need.
That is why we encourage all of our students, staff, and families to participate in Bell Let’s Talk Day activities. Whether it’s through social media, in-school events, or one-on-one conversations, every action counts in the fight against mental health stigma.
This year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign highlights ways we can all create meaningful change and take action by doing one or more of the following:
On January 25th, let’s continue to work together to create a safe and supportive environment for all our students. Let’s break the silence around mental health and support each other in promoting mental wellness.
To learn about the activities and events planned for Bell Let’s Talk Day, and view a variety of resources, check out our Bell Let’s Talk Day 2023 resource page.
November 20th, 2022 is the beginning of Ontario’s 9th annual Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week. This week allows school boards to focus the spotlight for one week on promoting safe schools and creating a positive learning environment.
Bullying prevention promotes the development of healthy relationships that involve respectful interactions between people, face-to-face and online. The goal is to help ensure that all students have healthy, safe, respectful and caring relationships with everyone in their lives.
Teachers, parents/guardians, and other adults support and act as role models for students by showing them how healthy relationships can work. Students’ positive relationships with other students depend on positive relationships with adults.
Students who have healthy relationships will be less likely to bully others, more likely to support students who are bullied and better able to reach their educational goals. Together, we are all invited to learn more about bullying by exploring reverent resources and participating in activities to identify and eradicate it.
Sudbury Catholic District School Board is excited to announce our upcoming virtual event “Transition to School,” designed to provide the support students need to take the next step in their learning journey!
From August 29-31st, students and families are invited to attend live, online presentations from various Sudbury Catholic teachers to help them prepare for a new chapter this fall. Each session will run twice throughout Aug 29-31. See below for session dates/times and click here to attend!
Kindergarten, Primary, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior teachers will cover essential topics during this event. By attending, you will learn what to expect as a new student, know what to do if you want to speak with a resource or guidance teacher, learn who the key people you should connect with and so much more! Sessions will also deliver simple strategies to help ease anxiety and teach essential organization skills to help support student success.
“Getting ready to take the next step in any learning journey can be scary. Whether it’s the first day of kindergarten or the first day of grade 12, the transition to a new grade level should be smooth and worry-free. Because every child’s journey is unique, each presentation will focus on how to help students in that grade level prepare for Sept, so they can reach their full potential at school.” – Jennifer Connelly, St. Francis Principal
Students and parents can join teachers live on Aug 29-31, to help them prepare for school in September. To join the event, click the button below!
STRESS! We all experience it.
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.
WHEN: WEDNESDAY JANUARY 19 AT 5:30 PM
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.
Bullying in all forms is considered a serious issue that affects student learning, sense of safety and overall well-being. Having respect and kindness towards one another is extremely important for our school board because a school should be a place where everyone feels included and everyone is welcome. By providing a safe learning environment, SCDSB can ensure student success and create responsible and compassionate leaders in learning and faith to help change the world for the better.
November 21 – 27, 2021 is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week. This week is designed to promote safe schools and positive learning environments and will encourage everyone to play their part in preventing bullying at school, online and in the community.
Yet one of the most important things to understand during these conversations of bullying, is that it’s not just something that happens at school or online – it also happens in your home and in your neighborhood as well as other places where children spend time. This week’s we ask everyone in our community (students, educators, staff, parents and guardians) to consider how they can play their part to prevent bullying wherever it might happen so that all children and people can learn and grow in safe, positive environments.
To help understand how you can play your part to stop bullying, please review the following resources provided by the Ministry of Education.
Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week is significant to note because it enables schools and community members to promote positive change in student learning, achievement, and well-being for a safer learning environment, which is essential to student success.
Everyone has a responsibility to stop bullying. This week is an opportunity to increase awareness of the available tools and resources that will encourage everyone to get involved with bullying prevention.
To assist in this effort, the Ministry of Education has provided themes that can be focused on each day during this week:
Providing a safe environment ensures student success. Bullying Awareness and Prevention week is about spreading kindness and gratitude and being aware of what’s happening around you. Are you being accepting and inclusive? Can you do something to help someone who is being bullied or could be a bully? The leaders of tomorrow will be impacted by the leaders of today. By acknowledging bullying’s impact and finding ways to stop it, you will help keep our community rooted in respect for all.
Bullying in all forms hinders children, teens, and all individuals from fully reaching their potential and discovering the path they want to take. Sudbury Catholic Schools continues to foster acceptance, unity, and kindness in projects and organizations that aim to fight bullying and invite everyone to do their part.
Canada’s Healthy Relationships Hub
PREVNet is a national research and knowledge mobilization hub that brings together researchers and national organizations to build research capacity, assess youth relationship problems including bullying and dating violence, and promote evidence-based programs and effective policies across Canada to address and reduce youth interpersonal violence and promote healthy relationships.
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a small nonprofit that invests our resources into making kindness the norm.
Their evidence-based Kindness in the Classroom® curriculum gives students the social and emotional skills needed to live more successful lives. Their workplace kindness calendar shows companies how easy it is to change workplace culture through simple kind gestures.
At St. David school, mental health matters! On Jan. 29th, 2020, students and staff came to together to celebrate Bell Let’s Talk Day by raising awareness around the mental health stigma. We encouraged students to discuss the stereotypes around mental health illness and to have meaningful conversations around supporting those who are suffering.
Michelle Gideon, our Child and Youth Worker talked to students about breaking the silence and those who are silenced with their own mental health challenges. Many of our students completed activities on why they are amazing and the importance around cultivating strong healthy relationships with their families and friends. Mrs. Toffoli’s class was inspired to put a short video together about why it is important to be a good listener, communicate our feelings and be kind to one another.
As part of Catholic Education Week, St. David Catholic Elementary School helped proclaim Children’s Mental Health Week alongside Child and Family Centre. The theme of this year’s week is getting back to nature. To demonstrate the importance of this, the group participated in Medicine Wheel teachings and completed a nature walk.
After hearing about the United Way and Sudbury Wolves partnership to support youth in our community, St. David School students had the opportunity to meet “Howler” from the Sudbury Wolves. St. David School would like to thank the Sudbury Wolves and United Way for partnering to support the youth in our community and allowing the school to be a small part of such a worthwhile, innovative initiative. “The students at St. David School love the Sudbury Wolves and when they attach themselves to supporting youth in our community it makes us all proud”, stated Maria Cimino, St. David School grade 1 teacher.
During the school visit, Sudbury Wolves tickets were given to kindergarten student Ava Demefroff and her family by Dario Zurich. Again thank you for your contribution to our community!
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.
