Miss Cuda (grade 8 teacher) along with the Grade 7 and 8 students as St. James Catholic planted a native species garden at the front of the school. Financial support was received for this action project through the EcoLeague™ Program at Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF).
Commitment to Stewardship at St. James
During Catholic Education week the Grade 8 students at St. James Catholic school painted birdhouses as a demonstration of the Virtue of Stewardship. The students learned the importance of placing birdhouses around their home because they provide nesting sites for birds. Providing nesting sites helps preserve bird populations. Stewardship is the responsible management of God’s Earth and the simple act of hanging a birdhouse is living out this commitment.
Celebrating Safe Schools at St. James
Earlier this year, the St. James Safe Schools student council, named C3 (Catholic, Community and Culture) was awarded a Government of Ontario “Speak Up Grant” for their inclusive education campaign. In organizing activities, the C3 aims promote a positive school culture of mutual acceptance and inclusion.
A recent C3 campaign was an in-school Safe Schools Button Contest. All students were given the opportunity to design a button that reflects the safe, caring, inclusive environment at St. James Catholic School. Several members of the school community judged the button submissions and three student designs were published as button badges for every student in the school.
The three winners are Lidia Campagnaro (grade 4), Joshua Laronde (grade 4) and Christopher De Poli (SK).
Lidia Campagnaro’s explains that in her design “everyone is holding hands to show that at St. James we’re like a family and we treat each other respectfully”.
Joshua Laronde’s button is “meant to show that St. James school is welcoming to everyone”.
SK student Christopher De Poli’s button depicts a bear, the St. James mascot “because we are all St. James Bears”.
St. James Students Look Through Gods Eye
Using an ancient tradition originating from Mexico, the Grade 5/6 French Immersion class at St. James Catholic School wove yarn around two sticks glued in the shape of a cross to create a “Sikuli”–“God’s Eye”. This tradition of the Huicholl Indians of Mexico is based on the belief that the person that “God’s Eye” was created for, will be more knowledgeable to the ways of Jesus and wiser. According to the belief, the father creates a Sikuli (God’s Eye) for their newborn and continues to add a length of yarn to the Sikuli on the child’s birthday until the child is 5 years old.
St. James SK-FI Students Celebrate Their Love of Music
Students in the SK French Immersion program at St. James Catholic School celebrated their love of music with a Spring Sing-Along. As part of the school’s Catholic Education week, the children performed a number of French songs for their parents and grandparents. Afterwards, they had the chance to share in some refreshments with their families.
Superintendent Bagnato Congratulates St. James Winners
As part of a Safe Schools initiative students were given the opportunity to design a button that reflects the safe, caring, inclusive environment at St. James Catholic School. Several members of the school community judged the button submissions and three student designs were published as button badges for every student in the school.
Superintendent Rossella Bagnato personally visited St. James to congratulate the finalists.
Stewardship @ St. James School
During the month of April, Sudbury Catholic Schools celebrate the virtue of Stewardship. At St. James Catholic School students are promoting a variety of environmental friendly initiatives in hopes of reminding everyone that the Earth is a gift to us from God who has entrusted the planet to us.
The grade 8 students are promoting a unique opportunity for all students to become a steward of the Earth by launching a school version of EARTH HOUR. During EARTH HOUR all classrooms are encouraged to turn off their lights during the lunch hour. Students hope that this one initiative is mindful of our ongoing responsibility to take care of our planet. EARTH HOUR is just one of many environmental projects taking place at St. James.
Trustee Scappatura Congratulates St. James Student
As part of the Sudbury Catholic Board’s celebration of the International Day of La Francophonie, students in all schools across the board were involved in designing a button that reflected their perspective on celebrating and acknowledging the French language.
The first place winner in the Sudbury Catholic Board’s Francophone button contest was Roman Leblanc, a grade 8 French Immersion student at St. James School. Roman “designed the button to represent our French culture. The button includes the Canadian and Franco-Ontarien flags and the flags are surrounded by the international French colours”.
Roman’s button was distributed to students boardwide as part of Sudbury Catholic’s Franco-Fun celebration.
On hand during the festivities at St. James was school trustee Estelle Scappatura who congratulated Roman on his unique design for his button.
Franco-Fun Day at St. James School
Students, staff and community partners celebrated the International Day of La Francophonie on March 20th at St. James Catholic School. Gathered in the gymnasium everyone participated in DPA (Daily Physical Activity) by exercising, dancing and singing “en français” thanks to an electronic presentation created by French Immersion teacher Madame Rocca and her students.
St. James School Fun Family Faith Night
St. James Catholic School and St. Pius X Parish of Lively partnered to create an event that brought the school and the faith community together. The School Council led by Chairperson Jane Saal planned a “Fun Family Faith Night”.
The evening offered an opportunity to share in many faith-based activities and games geared to both students and their families and provided a forum to celebrate the virtues and values of our Catholic School. The school community was welcomed at the door by parish priest Father Terry Fournier and Deacon Pat Raymond. School Council chairperson Jane Saal stated that, “One priority for the St. James School Council is to augment the school’s spiritual atmosphere by facilitating family faith development and a family faith evening was a perfect occasion to implement our goal. This event provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen the home, school and parish connections at St. James School. The evening was extremely well received and well attended and judging from the feedback we will continue the tradition of a faith night again next year”.