Canadian icon Terry Fox continues to inspire the students at St. James Catholic School. Every student at St. James participated in the annual “Toonies for Terry” Walk and over $500 in donations were forwarded to the Terry Fox Foundation. Mrs. Denomme’s Grade 8 students added a mathematical dimension to their walk. After watching a video about Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope, Grade 8 class came up with the idea of running a combined distance of 26 miles. In the video, Terry Fox’s brother explains how Terry ran 12 miles every morning and 14 miles every afternoon (a marathon each day). The grade 8 students calculated the number of laps in the school yard that would be equivalent to a mile (208 laps). The Grade 8 class invited the intermediate students to be part of their marathon. In order to track the length of the marathon each intermediate student was given a handful of linking cubes. Every time a student ran past the bucket, he/she dropped in a cube. Collectively the intermediate students matched a day of running in Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope.

St. James Catholic School held an “Evening with the Stars” Open House to welcome new and familiar parents and students back to school. Each family participated in a scavenger hunt to locate photos of famous people hidden in each classroom. The scavenger hunt allowed parents to tour the entire school and introduce themselves to all staff as well as their child(ren)’s teacher. Families also had an opportunity to meet their school trustee Mrs. Estelle Scappatura, St. Pius X parish priest Father Terry Fournier, School Council Chair Mrs. Jane Saal, Atikameksheng Anishnawbek (Whitefish Lake First Nation) Education Officer Mrs. Kimberly Nootchtai and Community Partner Best Start Hub.

Whereas the school year is winding down, some students at St. James Catholic School can’t wait until September comes. All new JK students who have registered to start in September were invited to an open house at the school. The various stations of activity gave families an opportunity to connect with kindergarten teachers, school and board resource personnel, and staff from the Best Start Hub. Each student received a “Welcome to Kindergarten Bag” full of early learning resources to help children prepare for school in September. Anxious to begin school this September is Larkin Philipps receiving her Welcome to Kindergarten bag from vice principal Mrs. Corelli.

Lana Trudeau, Aboriginal support worker with the Sudbury Catholic School Board has the led the Pichi Ngamo Program (Robin Sing) at St. James Catholic School. The Pichi Ngamo program is a seven session Aboriginal focus lunch program, which builds cultural esteem and pride. The students involved in the project had the opportunity to create cultural crafts such as Medicine bags, handshakers, and beaded key chains. Also included in the Pichi Ngamo program, is the tradition of the Talking Stick. In this tradition the Talking Stick is passed around the circle and whoever is holding the stick can speak of any moment in their personal history. The Talking Stick is a symbol of respect for the thoughts and stories of all participants and what is said in the circle remains there.

St. James Catholic School in Lively hosted a family evening for its Aboriginal students and families at the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek (Whitefish Lake First Nation) Community Center. Approximately 120 students, parents, grandparents, relatives and St. James staff gathered to celebrate and spotlight the work and achievement of St. James’ Aboriginal students.
The evening began with a smudging ceremony by grandparents Julie and Frank Ozawagosh, followed by an opening song led by parent drummer Candace Ozawagosh. St. James principal Cara Soehner, Councillor John Vallely, Sudbury Catholic School Board Aboriginal Lead, Shelly Moore-Frappier and Catholic school trustee Estelle Scappatura all spoke of the importance of relationships and teamwork for the education of children.
The evening concluded with Ojibway Family Bingo where the students called the Bingo numbers in Anishinaabemowin. The closing song was provided by the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek drummers. The photo captures the community spirit present at the Family Night.

The grade 2 and 3 French Immersion class at St. James Catholic Elementary School enjoy the bongos, intended to help students develop a good sense of beat, how to play rhythm, as well as developing an understanding and appreciation of music. Teacher Mme Itotoz taught students techniques for producing a variety of tones and drum sounds and the students were proud of the use of patterns to create a class musical composition.

St. James Catholic School kicked off its May virtue of Empathy with an inspirational presentation by the school custodian Sunny Fournier. Fournier visited Haiti after the devastating earthquakes and he shared a slideshow with the students depicting the struggles but also the hopes of Haitians as they try to rebuild. As a living testament to the virtue of empathy—(putting yourself in someone else’s shoes) a silver coin collection took place and in the usual generous ways St. James school donated the proceeds to “Mission Par La Foie” Orphanage.

Sunny Fournier continues to collect donations and support to help build “Mission Par La Foie”—an orphanage, school and medical clinic—three connected service buildings for the community of Gressier (Epic Centre). If anyone wishes to donate to this cause contact Sunny Fournier at St. James Catholic School or visit www.saveourhaiti.com.

The grade 4 to 8 students at St. James Catholic School in Lively play organized goalball at lunch recess. A total of 27 teams participate in this game for the blind that is gaining in popularity around the world. The game was introduced to St. James school by Mr. Adriano Simonato, Specialist Teacher of the Blind and Partially Sighted.
The object of the game is to roll a rubber ball with bells inside past the opposing team. Each goalball team is made up of three players with each protecting their goal line. There is one center and two wings per team. The offensive team rolls the ball in an attempt to get the ball past the opposing three players. The defensive team listens for the approaching of the ball and attempts to prevent or block the ball from crossing the goal line. When a defending player gains possession, it is then his or her team’s turn to throw at the opposing team’s goal. The only time there is a stoppage of play is after a goal has been scored, or if the ball crosses a sideline. The ball is rolled back and forth with the offensive and defensive team alternating until time expires for the half. The game is played in two periods of 5 to 10 minutes each and the team with the most points wins. The game is played on a rectangular court, which is divided into two halves by a centre line. The goals, which are the same width as the court, are placed at each end.
There are three main rules associated with throwing the ball. First, a thrown ball must touch the floor of the court before passing over the highball (or centre) line. Secondly, a throw must take place within eight to ten seconds of coming under the control of the defending team. Passing can take place within that time. Thirdly, no player may take more than two consecutive throws for his team. A number of personal and team penalties maybe awarded for rule infractions. During the game, spectators must remain absolutely silent so that players can follow the direction of the ball. Spectators can applaud or cheer after a goal is scored and at the end of each half. Each player has to wear a blindfold regardless of the degree of visual impairment. Each player has the option to wear elbow pads, kneepads, hip pads and face protection. There are women’s and men’s teams with no variations in equipment or rules.
Too many people who are visually impaired or blind usually do not have many opportunities to be involved in team sports and physical activity. According to Simonato, “one of the great benefits of goalball is that it promotes teamwork and cooperation among participants. Also, because goalball can be played by individuals who are sighted and visually impaired together, it acts as a medium for breaking down barriers. As a result it helps promote awareness within the school community regarding what individuals who are visually impaired can do”.