In September, Marymount Academy orchestrated a school-wide walk/fundraiser, which supported two remarkable organizations: Northern Ontario Families with Cancer (NOFCC) and the Terry Fox Foundation. Their dedication to these causes was further inspired by their fellow student Lily, currently undergoing a battle against leukemia at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. Lily’s story, which was shared with the school community, added a deeply personal touch to the event and fostered a sense of unity and camaraderie among Marymount’s school community.
Donations were raised throughout the week of Sept. 25 – 29th. On Thursday, October 26, the culmination of their efforts was marked with a cheque presentation. A sum of $1,250 was donated to Northern Ontario Families with Cancer (NOFCC), a testament to the school’s commitment to supporting families facing the challenges of cancer. In addition, a $100 contribution was made to the Terry Fox Foundation, underlining their commitment to the enduring legacy of Terry Fox’s courageous journey.
May 28 to June 3, 2023, is National AccessAbility Week!
National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) is an annual initiative that celebrates, promotes, and showcases the diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in our country, and highlights some of the important initiatives aimed at creating an accessible Canada. Since 2019, Easter Seals Ontario has recognized the Wednesday of National AccessAbility week as the Red Shirt Day of Action for AccessAbility and Inclusion. Everyone is encouraged to wear a red shirt to raise awareness for accessibility and disability inclusion and make a pledge to help remove physical, attitudinal, and systematic barriers in their schools, workplaces, and communities.
Red Shirt Day is an Easter Seals initiative and was first celebrated in 2019. The 2023 Red Shirt Day takes place on Wednesday, May 31. Sudbury Catholic District School Board (SCDSB) students and staff are encouraged to wear red on Red Shirt Day to promote messages of support for people and families living with disabilities.
About Red Shirt Day
Red Shirt Day of Action for AccessAbility and Inclusion is a day when people across Canada come together and wear red in schools, workplaces and spaces everywhere in order to create a visible display of solidarity: to show their support for persons and families of those who are living with disabilities, celebrate the achievements of people living with disabilities, and to pledge their commitment to help create a fully accessible and inclusive society that honours and values the contributions of people of all abilities in all aspects of life in Canada. Learn more!
Grade 10 Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S. student Julia Parenteau has been appointed as the newest Sudbury Catholic District School Board Student Trustee for the 2023-2025 terms. The appointment took place at the April 18, 2023 Board meeting. Julia will join fellow Student Trustee Catena Hayden beginning August 1, 2023.
Julia is a devoted leader both on her school’s Student Council and on the Student Senate. Seen as an active member of the community, Julia spends much of her time volunteering at her local church and serving as a member of the Saint Vincent de Paul Committee. She has also devoted time to serving food to veterans and their families and volunteering at various events for the Maison Sudbury Hospice.
Julia is strong advocate for student voice and believes it is a necessary for student development and growth. She hopes to bring more attention to mental health and well-being within schools and create resources to help students and school environments navigate appropriate solutions.
“I believe it’s important for students to be involved in their education because, with an absence of involvement, their lives and our school communities would lack growth. When a student is involved in their education, they ask questions and make a point to self-assess their progress and attitude towards school. It’s these kinds of students who not only better themselves but also their school environment because they set examples and show good habits that other students may feel they need to pick up on,” said Julia Parenteau.
“Julia is a passionate and dedicated individual. Her commitment to bettering our school system and helping her fellow students is inspring not only to her peers but to us as well. We look forward to working alongside her, as we continue to champion Student Voice at the Board table ,” said Michael Bellmore, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is gearing up for its annual week-long celebration of Catholic Education Week. This year’s theme is “Catholic Education: We are Many, We are One.” From May 1 to May 5, 2023, Sudbury Catholic Schools will join Catholic schools across the province to engage in a variety of activities and events that celebrate the unique identity and contributions of Catholic education.
The week will be divided into five sub-themes:
When we see
When we listen
When we reflect
When we learn
When we act
OCSTA Resources
The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) has developed and shared daily resources and lesson plans for classrooms to participate in. With the support of the OCSTA and the Catholic community, Catholic education in Ontario continues to thrive.
You can view the official Catholic Education Week song below:
Board-Wide Celebrations
Catholic Education Week is a special opportunity for the Catholic community in Sudbury to come together and celebrate the unique identity and contributions of Catholic education. From Toonies for Tuition Day to the Catholic Education Week Mass, there are a variety of activities and events that we have planned for this special week.
Toonies for Tuition Day
On May 1st, schools are encouraged to dress up like a bee or wear yellow and black to participate in Toonies for Tuition Day. Staff and students are encouraged to bring a toonie to support Toonies for Tuition, which will be donated to the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association Endowment Fund for distribution to Catholic families in need.
Catholic Education Week Mass
A Catholic Education Week Mass will be held on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins, will be celebrating the Mass. Schools across the province are invited to participate virtually in this celebration of the Eucharist.
May 1-5th is also Children’s Mental Health Week. Members of the Mental Health team will be completing activities in schools to engage staff and students. Schools will also be encouraged to wear green on Thursday, May 4, to promote children’s mental health.
Skills Ontario Provincial Competitions
Thirteen secondary students from St. Charles College and two students from Bishop Alexander Carter will compete in the annual Skills Ontario Provincial Competitions at the Toronto Congress Centre from May 1-3.
Registration is now open for Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s (SCDSB) annual Carousel Event hosted by the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC)! Learn about different topics, network with others, and engage in great conversation.
When: Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
Address: 2993 Algonquin Drive
Carousel topics will include:
Supporting Mental Health & Well Being, Cyber Safety, Building Resiliency, Homework Support, Special Education, Coding, Preparing Your Child for Post-Secondary, Literacy: Supporting Reading @ Home, and Learning About Secondary Programming. Click here to view our session descriptions!
16 student projects from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board were on display during the Sudbury Regional Science Fair on April 1, 2023. Subjects ranged from engineering and coding to environmental initiatives and electricity. The following student projects received awards:
St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
Olaterere Awosik, “Klean” The Automatic Cleaning Robot
Award: Honourable Mention – Junior Engineering
Constantinos Urso & Thomas Reich, EZ-Drain
Awards: Third Place – Junior Engineering and the Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science Engineering Award
Marymount Academy
Victoria Leigh, Indoor Air Quality
Awards: First Place – Junior Physical Sciences, Sanofi Biogenius Canada Award and Canada Wide Science Fair Winner
Maggie Polischuk, The Breakaway Steering Wheel
Awards: Bharti School of Engineering and Computer Science Engineering Award, Students’ Choice Award and Canada Wide Science Fair Winner
Both Victoria Leigh and Maggie Polischuk will be moving on to the Canada Wide Science Fair which will take place in May 2023 in Edmonton.
“Everyone who participated put in so much effort towards the Regional Fair – winning these awards at the fair was so unexpected. Receiving an invitation to attend the national fair is very exciting and I am looking forward to attending,” said Victoria Leigh.
“For me it was more fun than work because I picked a topic that I enjoyed learning about. Meeting people that have the same interests as me has been amazing. I look forward to representing my school and the Board at the Canada wide Science Fair next month!” Maggie Polischuk.
In addition, St. Benedict C.S.S Science teacher Loretta Cuda received the Ambassador of Science Award. This award is given to someone who has contributed to science programming over the years by facilitating and encouraging teachers and students to participate in project-based learning opportunities, including annual science fairs.
“It is an honour to have been presented the Sudbury Regional Science Fair Ambassador of Science Award. I have been a member of the Sudbury Regional Science Fair for ten years as the Activities Chair and also a member of Teacher Resources. I have had the opportunity to attend four Canada Wide Science Fairs, which has taught me the importance of inquiry-based learning; something that I always implement into my classroom. I am a firm believer in allowing students to engage directly in their learning and explore the answers to their scientific inquiries through hands-on opportunities,” said Loretta Cuda.
Save the date for Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s (SCDSB) annual Carousel Event hosted by the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC)! Learn about different topics, network with others, and engage in great conversation.
When: Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
Address: 2993 Algonquin | Sudbury, ON | P3E 6K2
Carousel topics will include:
Supporting Mental Health & Well Being, Cyber Safety, Building Resiliency, Homework Support, Special Education, Coding, Preparing Your Child for Post-Secondary, Literacy: Supporting Reading @ Home, and Learning About Secondary Programming.
In preparation for our budget discussions, we invite our staff, parents/guardians, community partners and students to provide feedback regarding our programming and resources. Your feedback is important to us to ensure that we are representing your priorities as we engage in the budget process. We are asking that you identify areas that have been working well and your top priorities for the next school year. We are using ThoughtExchange so that everyone has a chance to share their perspectives and understand what’s most important to the group. These thoughts will help guide our discussions before we move ahead together.
Feel free to include as many thoughts as you like. Click the Participate button to share your thoughts and then rate at least 20-30 of the thoughts that others have shared. Your participation is confidential, so no one will know who shared or rated which thoughts. Please come back often until April 14 to rate new ideas.
High ratings tell us you strongly support the idea and low ratings tell us you strongly do not support the idea; both are important.
Quick Tips:
1. This exchange is confidential. Your thoughts will be shared, but not your identity.
2. Please be polite and respectful as you share and rate thoughts.
3. If you see a thought that is rude, hurtful or identifies a person or group, you can report it by clicking in the upper right corner of the thought.
4. You do not need to rate all thoughts in this exchange. It is appreciated and recommended that you rate about 30 thoughts over the time the exchange is open.
Morgan Sheppard, Grade 12 student at Marymount Academy has received the Outstanding Youth Award which was presented to her at the Committee Of Youth Officers of Ontario (COYO) Conference on February 24, 2023.
The Outstanding Youth Award is given to those aged 12-25 for their outstanding interaction with youth in their community. This recipient makes a positive difference in their community through advocacy and actionable work focused on youth issues. The award is given out annually at the COYO Conference in Niagara Falls.
Morgan has been involved with Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID) both at the local and provincial level for two years. Currently she is the only member of OSAID in Sudbury who is part of the youth advisory team for Ontario. She is incredibly passionate about the cause and supporting her local community. In addition to her work with OSAID, Morgan is also a member of the Student Senate at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and is heavily involved in various charity events and fundraisers at Marymount Academy.
Morgan is proud of the work she has accomplished and is thrilled to be a recipient of this year’s Outstanding Youth Award.
“I am incredibly honoured to have received the Outstanding Youth Award at the 2023 COYO Conference and would like to extend my thanks to the Committee of Youth Officers as well as Matt Evans and everyone else on the OSAID team!” she exclaimed.
“Morgan is very passionate about supporting this organization and its cause – and sending the important message to her fellow youth that driving impaired, high or distracted can have a serious impact on their future,” said Cassandra Tenbergen, Principal of Marymount Academy.
For more information about the Committee of Youth Officers of Ontario and the Outstanding Youth Award, please visit https://coyo.on.ca.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board held their annual Science Fair on February 28, 2023, at St. Charles College. The fair was open to Grade 7 and 8 students.
The winners of this year’s Science Fair were as follows:
First Place/Best in Fair
Indoor Air Quality, Victoria Leigh, Marymount Academy
Do Different Music genres effect reading? Lila Ricker, Marymount Academy
Second Place
La Chaleur Contre le sol, Mila Kidd and Ayla Falcioni, Marymount Academy
Third Place
Klean Machine, Olaterere Awosika, St. Benedict C.S.S
EZ-Drain, Thomas Reich and Costantinos Urso, St. Benedict C.S.S
Sèche mains germé, Leah Serre et Paytyn Farmer, Marymount Academy
La croissance des plantes, Samantha Chow, Marymount Academy
Reveillez-vous, Leah Diotte, Marymount Academy
Most Creative
Steer Clear: The Breakaway Steering Wheel, Maggie Polischuk, Marymount Academy
Lequel est moin sale? Aven Thompson, Marymount Academy
Lumière sans électricité: Ampoule bouteille solaire, Megan Leclair, Marymount AcademySont les masques nos ennemis? Abigail Debruyn, Marymount Academy
15 minutes de cardio, Kiana Smith et Fae Flanagan, Marymount Academy
Best Presentation
Can climate change ruin our ski hills for good? Annabelle Richardson et Isabella Palladino, Marymount Academy
Spherification, Lua Schiewek and Louisse Apilan, Marymount Academy
Tok Tok: Germes sur les portes… Mia Dufresne, Marymount Academy
All projects listed above will proceed to the Sudbury Regional Science Fair on April 1 and 2, 2023 at Laurentian University.
Louise Franklin, Superintendent of School Effectiveness with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board said that the Fair was a fantastic way to encourage students to participate in science-based activities on a large scale.
“Our Science Fair offers students the opportunity to participate in a formal judging process alongside their peers. With an emphasis on innovation and scientific inquiry, the Science Fair allows students to develop projects through critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. A great deal of time and commitment went into these projects and all students should be extremely proud of their efforts. We would like to thank the members of the Science Fair Committee, Chris Polischuk, Martha Facchini, and Loretta Cuda, for their dedication to providing such opportunities for students at Sudbury Catholic. We are excited to see what the selected students will accomplish at the Regional Science Fair,” she said.
