St. James Catholic Elementary School
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Sudbury Catholic District School Board Lowers Flags in Honour of BC Residential School Victims

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Graphic

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board joins communities across Canada in honouring and praying for the 215 Indigenous children whose bodies were discovered on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Tk-emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation territory. 

To honour their lives, flags at all SCDSB schools and board buildings will be lowered for nine days (May 31-June 8) – a total of 215 hours to represent each of the 215 children. As a sign of our collective mourning, the Board will also be participating in the National moment of silence at 2:15 p.m. today as we honour and acknowledge the children who never returned home.

“Today, we honour the lives of the 215 Indigenous children who will not be coming home. It is a heartbreaking tragedy and while there are no words to truly express the deep mourning those impacted are experiencing, we humbly offer our prayers that they and their families will find healing. We also acknowledge the pain and trauma this brings to all Indigenous peoples across the country, and we recognize the need for ongoing truth and reconciliation. May God continue to watch over the 215 souls and their families,” said Michael Bellmore, Chair of the Board of the Trustees for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.

“All Sudbury Catholic District School Boards schools and facilities are standing in solidarity with communities across Canada in honouring the 215 Indigenous children. While it is indeed an unspeakable tragedy, we send continued prayers and healing to all those affected and to the Indigenous communities in the Sudbury area and across the country. We have lowered all flags for 215 hours and will join the National moment of silence at 2:15 p.m. As a system, we are also wearing orange shirts on Wednesday, June 2 and will unite in a collective prayer service as a reminder that every child matters,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.

St. James Students Learn Through Snowshoe Adventures

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Students in their snowshoes.

Grade 2/3 FI students at St. James School thoroughly enjoyed their Snowshoe Inquiry that was been made possible through Sudbury Catholic Schools Experiential Learning Grant. One of the inquiries that has sparked the student’s enjoyment of the outdoors has involved the study of Northern Ontario birds. Thanks to a community partnership with Walden Home Hardware, the class also received bird seed to create a variety of different homemade feeders for the schoolyard. We are always grateful for the collaboration and support of our community partners.

Every Child Matters: Sudbury Catholic Schools Honours Orange Shirt Day

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Logo drawing

Staff and students throughout the Sudbury Catholic District School Board joined hundreds of others across Canada by participating in Orange Shirt Day on Wednesday, September 30, 2020.

By wearing orange shirts, we recognize the harm the residential school system did to children’s sense of self-esteem and well-being and it serves as a symbol of our commitment to reconciliation. Since it began in 2013, the phrase “Every Child Matters” has been used as part of the movement to recognize the value of every child and for communities to come together.

“The Sudbury Catholic District School Board firmly believes that every child matters and as such we will continue to honour Orange Shirt Day year after year,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education. “We are committed to Truth and Reconciliation and we strive to find opportunities for our staff and students to come together in support of intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.”

Honouring Reconciliation: Sudbury Catholic Schools Participate in Orange Shirt Day

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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.

Sudbury Catholic Schools Embrace Summer Learning!

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Two students work on their addition by playing a card game.

Students at Sudbury Catholic Schools completed another year of summer learning this month! 60 students from Kindergarten to Grade 3 completed the three-week Summer Learning Program at St. David School from July 8 – July 26, 2019.

Students participated in a literacy and numeracy program, which supported students in improving their skills at their own pace. The program also featured various activities centered around Indigenous culture. The program was led by both classroom teachers and camp counsellors, providing a full educational team to participating students. Through the online tool and app Lexia, teachers and counsellors were able to provide a visual experience for both the literacy and numeracy components, and students are able to continue to access their account from home throughout the summer.

As in past years, each morning began with a physical activity which helped to energize students and build confidence so that they were ready to learn. This year, the group participated in Zumba sessions provided by Zumba Vibe.

The Board is thrilled with student participation in this year’s Summer Learning Program.

“The work and effort that goes into making the summer learning program a success each year is truly inspiring,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “With the right tools, support and amazing staff, participating students were able to improve their skills and enjoy the experience along the way!”

The Summer Learning Program is a Ministry funded program which aims to promote literacy and numeracy learning for students during the summer months in fun and engaging ways.

A student completes a reading level on Lexia on his iPad
A student is all smiles as she completes a shape building activity with elastics.

Chief Valerie Richer visits St. James Native Second Languages Classroom

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Chief Valerie Richer visited Mr. Beaudry’s Native Second Language classroom at St. James recently and shared the history of Atikmeksheng with all the students.  Chief Richer is a practicing lawyer and discussed some of the economic initiatives that her community will be planning in the near future.  She was happy to meet with all the students and encouraged them to learn the Ojibwe language.  She said that some of our stories need to be shared in our language.  The students provided her with some gifts following the presentation.  

Native Language students participate in Remembrance Day Celebrations at Atikmeksheng First Nation

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Native Language students at St. James were invited to Atikmeksheng First Nation on Thursday November 8, 2018 to take part in the Remembrance Day Community Celebrations. The students sang O’ Canada and recited In Flanders Fields during the ceremony. Two students Hope and Jacob were asked to bring in the Community First Nations Youth Wreath. The ceremony was followed by a brief social and a community feast. The students had a great time learning about history, culture and ceremony.

Learning Culture Through Technology at St. James

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Students at St. James Catholic Elementary School utilize 21’st century technology in their daily native language lessons. 21’st century technology provides students with the digital tools, authentic learning experiences, and the opportunity to learn through differentiated instruction. Duncan McIntosh, the Native Language teacher feels that the use of technology really supports the students through engagement opportunities and appeals to their audio/visual learning styles. “Through the use of technology, we are able to connect the historical traditions of the Anishnawbek people using contemporary tools which is something the students can relate to,” McIntosh states. “Through the use of the macbook in the classroom, students are able to access programs such as google.docs, which means each student can contribute in a collaborative sense to class projects and performance tasks. These opportunities support our students being successful.”
The school credits their partnership with Atikameksheng Anishnawbek for recognizing the importance of technology in the classroom and supporting the needs of the students. Sudbury Catholic Superintendent and Aboriginal Lead Nicole Snow is appreciative of the collaborative relationship St. James has with the Atikameksheng community. “ As a school board, we recognize the importance of community involvement in the learning and support of student achievement and well-being, and are grateful for the mutual commitment of the school and the reserve.”

“Our Dreams Matter Too” to St. James Students

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St. James Catholic Elementary School was recently recognized for its participation in “Our Dreams Matter Too” – a walk for culturally based equity for First Nation children. The walk is organized to say now is the time for First Nation and non- Aboriginal children to work together to ensure all children in Canada receive equitable, culturally based services that help them succeed and feel proud of who they are. The project began as a result of the school’s vice principal, Dan Stargratt introducing the Grade 7/8 FI class to “Shannen’s Dream” which is a student and youth focused campaign designed to raise awareness about inequitable funding for First Nations children, and encourages supporters to write letters to their Member of Parliament, to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, and to the Prime Minister of Canada. The students then brainstormed and came up with the idea of getting involved with the “Our Dreams Matter Too” initiative by having all Grade 4- 8 students at St. James write letters to the Prime Minister to look at federal school funding. This past June, the St. James students presented their letters to Member of Parliament Glenn Thibeault to bring to Ottawa. This past October, the students were sent a certificate of appreciation from the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada for their participation in the initiative. The students are Chris White, Katrina Cayen and Enara Iturregui.

Sudbury Catholic Celebrates Birth at St. James

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St James Catholic Elementary Catholic School hosted a Drum Birthing ceremony on Tuesday, December 13th. Students from grades three to six watched as their peers awakened their drums through the guidance of Verna Hardwick, Ojibwe Language Teacher. In September, students had the opportunity to attend a three day retreat at the Killarney Shebanoning Outdoor Environmental Education Centre and participated in everything from scraping the hide to stretching it and preparing their rings. Drum Maker, Clyde Migwans, instructed students on the process and art of drum making. Students walked away with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the hard work that goes into making traditional hand drums and gained valuable lessons in patience, stewardship and respect.

In the spirit of the season of Advent, it was appropriate that the students were able to celebrate the birth of the drums. Much like Christmas they shared in celebration with berries, corn soup and wild rice.

Drum makers hailed from St James, St David and St Benedict Catholic Secondary School and were proud to extend the invitation to share in the experience with the St James School Community and Atikameksheng Anishinawbek.

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