St. Paul Catholic Elementary School

Sudbury Catholic School Students Raise $3350 for Habitat For Humanity!

Last month, over 300 Sudbury Catholic School students in Grades 4-6 used their critical thinking and innovation to submit entries in the forms of essays, stories, and poems on the topic of what HOME means to them as part of the Meaning of Home Contest sponsored by Chapman’s Ice Cream.

For every entry a student submitted, Chapman’s pledged to make a $10 donation on behalf of that student to Sudbury’s local Habitat for Humanity organization to help build safe and affordable homes for families in the Greater Sudbury community. 

With this contest, our students helped to build safe homes, but they also gained greater awareness surrounding the national issue of Canada’s housing crisis that so many families struggle with all over Canada. By working together to make a local difference, our students were able to see how they can contribute to building a just society for others and grow as leaders in learning and faith.

As a result of the hard work and efforts completed by staff, educators, and elementary students, Sudbury Catholic Schools collectively raised $3350 to be donated to the Local Habitat for Humanity Chapter by Chapman’s Ice Cream.

“It was exciting to provide our learners with a meaningful activity that supported them into becoming more advanced writers. These writing tasks not only challenged our students to make a difference in the world around them by thinking creatively about the topic —the meaning of home— it showed that by working together, a simple action can produce extraordinary results.” – Peter Prochilo, SCDSB Superintendent of School Effectiveness 

In addition to helping families in Greater Sudbury, the contest was an opportunity that helped students live out and apply the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations – important principles that support Catholic students in becoming more responsible citizens and collaborative contributors in the community. The success of the contest clearly demonstrated how Sudbury Catholic School students understand these expectations and how to apply them in their life and in their education.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board would like to thank all of our teachers and students for participating in this initiative. Collectively, our actions at Sudbury Catholic Schools resulted in a $3350 donation, but as a country we raised over $130,000 in corporate donations! Please refer to the Meaning of Home Thank You Letter! 

We invite you to check out some of the wonderful entries submitted by our students!

Sudbury Catholic School Entries

Grade 4 Christians Remote Learning School

Grade 6 Max V St. Paul Catholic Elementary School

When someone asks what HOME means to me one word comes to mind. LOVE. Home is where my mother and brother live with me.  What makes our home special is that my mother has worked so hard to design a new home that meets our needs.  From the day we hammered the SOLD sign in the ground till the day we moved in we visited it each and everyday to see its progress. When I am older, I want to be an architect, so I helped my mom design the house and worked with the blueprints. I even got to design my very own secret room downstairs. It was a ton of fun! 

My home is not a place. Home has feelings. Feeling like relaxation, comfort, happiness and love. Home is where my family comes to visit, eat and spend time together. A home is where I can build memories and since our home is new the possibilities are endless. I am excited.  

My home smells of fresh baking, homemade pasta sauce, a special candle or a fresh load of laundry.  When I enter the doors of my home I take a deep breath and smile.  

My home is a place where we can all wind down sit on the couch in front of our fireplace and talk about how our day was. My home is where I can be myself. If I want to listen to my Genesis vinyl full blast I can.

I am so lucky to have a caring home filled with LOVE.

Grade 4 Fiona Remote Learning School

Sudbury Catholic Schools Gather Together For A Virtual Ash Wednesday Service

Our Lenten journey began on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022, with Ash Wednesday! Sudbury Catholic District School Board honoured the start of this season with a morning prayer service. Our church tradition shares that on Ash Wednesday, we are invited to be marked with the sign of the cross on our foreheads. This symbolizes our understanding that we make mistakes and that we will take this time of Lent to grow in holiness, so we are prepared to celebrate Easter with great joy. Bishop Thomas Dowd also joined us and reinforced this message, reminding us that Lent is a time to make our hearts a worthy place for the Holy Spirit to live.

The day was also one where we joined in prayer for the situation in Ukraine. Pope Francis sent out an invitation for the world to join together for a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace. He asked that we especially pray for those suffering, be aware that we are all brothers and sisters, and implore God for an end to the war.

For those members of our community who were unable to attend our service yesterday, you can still participate by watching a virtual recording of our Ash Wednesday service. We’ll also continue joining together for prayer on Monday mornings. We invite you to view the following poster to see a schedule of our future virtual prayer services taking place throughout Lent.

Lent Poster

Schedule of SCDSB Prayer Services For Lent

Picture Gallery

Bishop Dowd Strengthens the Catholic Identity of Students During Visit to St. Paul School

Staff and students at St. Paul Catholic Elementary School were delighted and blessed to have the Most Rev. Thomas Dowd, Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, spend the day at their school.

During his tour, Bishop Dowd took the time to visit classrooms where students ranging from Kindergarten to Grade 6 excitedly had the opportunity to speak with him and ask many questions. Not only did Bishop Dowd answer their questions, but by sharing his knowledge and faith, the experience also served as a wonderful learning opportunity that strengthened their Catholic identity in the process.

These discussions included conversations on various topics students are currently studying in their religion classes. For example, discussions focused on Sacred Scripture, the Sacraments, Catholic prayers, the ministry of the Holy Father, and also the Diocese’s activities.

Students were especially interested in Bishop Dowd’s role as Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Saint Marie, asking many questions regarding his vestments. They learned that his crozier, also called pastoral staff, is his staff with a curved top that symbolizes the Good Shepherd. They also learned about his episcopal ring and how it represented the Bishop’s faithfulness to God and the Church.

The teachers and students at St. Paul School were super excited when Bishop Thomas Dowd visited them! One student proclaimed, “Wow! I can’t believe we just met the Bishop!”.

One teacher said: “It was very nice to have Bishop Dowd take time out of his busy schedule to come and spend time with our staff and students. They were so invested in his presentation and learned so much!”

With the constraints of the pandemic, schools have had limited visitors, making this visit even more special. “We were grateful and blessed to have had Bishop Dowd visit us and share his support, and we hope we can continue to create more opportunities like this in the future to help strengthen our faith and Catholic learning within the classroom.” Say’s Cara Soehner, Principal of St. Paul

Write & Make A Difference! The Meaning of Home Contest

Sudbury Catholic School Students in grades 4,5 & 6 can make a difference by getting involved in the Meaning of Home Contest sponsored by Chapman’s Ice Cream! 

About Contest

Deadline to Enter: February 18th, 2022

The Meaning of Home Contest is a unique and meaningful way to get children involved in creative writing and giving back to their community. By participating in this contest, Sudbury Catholic students will use their creative abilities and submit either an essay, story or poem on the topic of what HOME means to them.

Each contest entry will result in a $10 donation from Chapman’s to Habitat for Humanity to help build safe and affordable homes for families in the Sudbury community. In addition, this contest will also challenge students to think creatively about an important topic (i.e. the meaning of home) that directly impacts their lives and ultimately improves their writing skills!

Contest entries will be accepted from now until February 18th, 2022, so students and educators are encouraged to get started! 

Teachers have access to a Teacher Resource designed to help incorporate the contest straight into lesson plans. These can serve as standalone lessons or be used to augment existing lesson plans in areas such as language, creative writing, and community service!

Help us track! 

Sudbury Catholic Schools would like to track the total number of entries submitted by Sudbury Catholic students to see how a single action makes a collective difference, so please let us know if your class is participating by clicking the button below. Once the contest has ended, we’ll share the total donated amount so that students and families can celebrate with SCDSB!

Our Goal

Our hope is that the contest will be an activity that students will help them reflect on how they can live our Catholic Graduate Expectations. Together, their simple actions will provide funds to support our local community, as they contribute to building a just society.  With over 1300 students enrolled at Sudbury Catholic Schools in grade 4, 5, and 6 our collective contributions could result in as much as $13,000 being donated to our local Habitat for Humanity organization. 

In addition, the winner for each grade will be awarded a $30,000 grant for their local Habitat organization, with three runners-up per grade directing $10,000 to their local Habitat chapter. The contest has raised $1.7 million to date and, in 2021, it helped 46 local Habitats build more homes. Let’s work together to make a local difference! 

If you would like more information about this initiative or have any questions, please reach out to christina.raso@sudburycatholicschools.ca or joan.yawneymatz@sudburycatholicschools.ca  

Sudbury Catholic Schools Gather Together Virtually to Honour Ash Wednesday

Ashes from Ash Wednesday.

Our Lenten journey begins with Ash Wednesday! We gathered as a system virtually and explored the theme of Nurturing Hope. Throughout the webinar, students participated by completing various readings and prayers and a reflection on Lent was provided by Father Larry Rymes.

We look forward to coming together through virtual services during each week of Lent.

We Welcome Submissions to Our Annual Christmas Card Artwork Contest

Nativity Scene

As the weather gets cooler we turn our attention to the Advent season. We are looking for submissions for our annual Christmas card artwork contest. All students Kindergarten to Grade 12 are eligible to participate! Artwork should encompass our Catholic faith and help us to share in the joy of Christmas.

Artwork can be landscape or portrait and can be created in any medium (such as a drawing, painting etc). Submissions can be addressed and sent to the Board office at:

Attention: Christmas Card Contest
165A D’Youville street
Sudbury, Ontario
P3C 5E7

OR e-mailed to info@sudburycatholicschools.ca in a JPG/PNG or PDF format.

All submissions (whether in hard copy or e-mailed) should have the following information included in addition to the artwork:

  • Student first and last name
  • Grade
  • School

Artwork must be submitted by November 20, 2020 at 4 p.m. to be considered for the contest. The Board will choose one elementary design and one secondary design to be featured on our annual Christmas cards which are mailed to our Board Trustees, school administration and community partners. The winning entries will also receive a package of Christmas cards featuring their artwork!

Sudbury Catholic Schools Help Make Winters a Little Warmer!

Members of student senate stand with their coats.

The Student Senate at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board has helped make winter a little warmer for our community! Throughout the month of October, the Student Senate spearheaded a campaign to collect gently used winter coats in all sizes. The Senate, which is comprised of 15 secondary students, also encouraged other schools to participate in this initiative.

Together, Sudbury Catholic Schools collected 574 coats and winter accessories, surpassing last year’s number of 200 coats and winter accessories. Working with Derek Cashmore of Cooper Equipment Rentals, the coats will be donated to those in need throughout the Greater Sudbury community.

“The Student Senate are seen as leaders and innovators not only in their schools but across the Sudbury Catholic District School Board,” said Amanda Barry, Teacher Facilitator of the Student Senate. “They are truly difference makers and I am honoured to work alongside them year after year.”

“It was amazing to see our schools all come together and support such a wonderful cause,” said Ryan Scarpellini, Student Trustee and member of the Student Senate. “We are excited to continue to grow the campaign year after year and continue to make a difference in our community.”

Honouring Reconciliation: Sudbury Catholic Schools Participate in Orange Shirt Day

A group of girls wear their orange shirts and stand in a line.

Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come. Orange Shirt Day recognizes the harm the residential school system did to children’s sense of self-esteem and well-being, and is an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board participated in Orange Shirt Day on September 30, 2019. Staff and students throughout the system participated by wearing these shirts or their favourite orange shirt as a reminder of the importance of this day.

The sky is the limit for canned food collecting at St. Charles College

Since the mid eighties, St. Charles College student council has been organizing a fall food drive in support of the Sudbury Food Bank. Every year it just gets better and better.

The students were given the task of collecting sixty thousand cans this year. Teacher leaders Paola Gutscher and Bev Belanger were happy to report that the students smashed their goal with raising more than 126 thousand cans. Year after year, it has become the largest single donation to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse.

The leadership students cannot do this alone. It is supported by all the 7-12 students at St. Charles College along with feeder schools — Holy Trinity, St. Paul, St. John, St. David and Pius.

The wrap-up event today highlighted the accomplishments of the students but also the staff had to hold up its end of the bargain complete with staff pie in the face showdowns, shaved heads, dyed heads and waxed legs.

Principal Patty Mardero says it is also important to recognize the citizens of Sudbury who graciously donated to the drive when the students knocked upon their doors. The food collected over the course of the last week was delivered to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse today. Mardero says “This visit to the warehouse to unload is critical in helping students see the fruits of their labour as they lift each box of canned food and fill the shelves of the warehouse”.

Feeding the hungry

As part of the Catholic Education Week celebrations at St. Paul School, Mme Lawrence’s grade 5-6 French Immersion class assisted those who are less fortunate by making over 160 handmade sandwiches for the Elgin Street Mission. By helping those in need, the students showed a great example of stewardship and servant leadership. Mme Lawrence is very proud of her students who collectively completed their classroom mission to make their community a better place. The Elgin Street Mission served their handmade sandwiches that evening.

E-mail Copied to Clipboard