Wayne Rostad, Champlain 2020 lead, Laurie Doejiji and Vince Lamontaigne, Vice-President of Public Relations for the Heart Institute, came to Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School on Feb. 13^th, to video staff and students. The Heart Institute and Champlain 2020 members were present to celebrate and recognize Our Lady of Fatima’s commitment to a comprehensive approach to school-wide health. Our Lady of Fatima is viewed as one of many “champion schools” in the Champlain region as we strive to assist the Ottawa Heart Institute in promoting healthier children by the year 2020.

Students attending the day pictured left to right front: Katie McIntyre, Syndi L’Abbe, Nick Dawson, Erin Ryan. Back: Hayden Tripp, Jessica Daze, Katie Carry, Melanie Trahan, Kristin Glofcheski, Kelsie Hanniman, Julia McCuaig, and teacher supervisor, Nancy Brisson. Missing from photo: Braydon Massoud

Throughout this school year, the Student of St. Joseph’s School in Arnprior have been participating in fundraisers for the Free the Children organization (Penny Drive and the “Love is” buttons at Valentine’s Day) in addition to our regular good works in the community. As a school, we have earned the opportunity to send 12 students to the “We Day” celebration on April 29th. Students from grade 6—8 were given the opportunity to apply for one of the 12 spaces.  Students completed and essay explaining how they would live out the “Free the Children” mission when they returned from the We Day celebrations. Over 45 students applied. All successful applicants were placed in a random draw

Staff and students spent much of the past few months fundraising across Renfrew County in order to purchase much needed medical supplies for families in need in the DR.   Bringing much needed medical supplies was one part of the journey, but pitching in to help in any way they could was top priority. Students and staff painted houses alongside local families and spent time traveling where they were able to distribute their friendship kits, a small kit that includes many food staples that would help a family for a week or two.

Each night, students and staff took a little time aside by themselves to talk and reflect on the days work, travels and lessons they learned from their Dominican Republic hosts.

Sharing food and medical supplies not only helps those people in the DR that need it most, but it also helps those that deliver it.

Leader Rory Donohue, Lucas Mitchell ( BSCHS), Sonya Bergin ( SJHS) and EA Jackie Beaupre with a family who received a friendship Kit of food but was much more interested in a visit from Canadian friends who came all of this way to see them.

“Something about the Dominican Republic that will always be in my heart is the LOVE that they have. This overwhelming love that they sent home with us was the greatest gift. There are so many people that have NOTHING but the one thing that they do have is faith, happiness and hope.” Sonya Bergin ( SJHS)

The whole group with all of the medicine we brought down. On the lower left is nurse Sister Mercedes or Macho  who oversees the clinic. We gathered medical aid from local hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. Also pictured are our Physician’s Travel Packs full of lifesaving medicine.

“I went with the idea that I was going to help all of these people, which we did, but also, my life was changed forever! This journey has truly taught me to not take anything for granted.” Danielle McCluskey (BSCHS)

The group prepares to deliver the Friendship Kits to those most in need in the area of Yamasa. Each bag contains staple food items to help a family survive for a week or two.  For $20.00 Canadians can help feed a family.

“The people we saw were happy, not just because we brought them food, but because we acknowledged their existence.  We Canadians from so far away stopped to bring them a smile and a wave.”  Iain Reid (SJHS)

The group gathered each evening in the clinic to reflect on the day’s events. The prayers, readings and stories are designed to help the participants deal with the sometimes difficult situations they find as they travel around the area.

“In a land where we have so much, we have so little. The hope , faith, compassion, caring and understanding  that is to obvious the Dominican culture is so lacking here. The journey showed me that it is up to us to bring these things back into the light . Our journey, my journey isn’t over, it has just begun.” Mary McNulty ( SJHS)

At St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Arnprior, students, parents and community members celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a School Council Pancake Supper on February 12. “More than 350 people enjoyed pancakes, waffles, sausages and beans,” Principal Mary-Lise Rowat reported. “We were thrilled with the turnout and positive vibes.”

During the pancake supper, the school highlighted some of the math work students had done as part of a Math Collaborative Inquiry Learning project. “The gym walls were turned into a gallery of student math group work,” Principal Rowat said. “Activities ranged from graphing independent reading data in Grade 6 to solving complex problems involving fractions. The goal of this project is to enhance student-led, student-driven problem-solving from Grades 1 to 8.”

St. Joseph’s School also joined John XXIII students and staff to celebrate Ash Wednesday mass at St. John Chrysostom Parish, Rowat said.

John XXIII school celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a pancake snack, which Principal Heidi Fraser said “was put on by our hard-working School Council. Our gym was transformed into a restaurant where the students were able to eat their delicious treat while chatting with friends.”

The Ash Wednesday mass was celebrated by Father John Burchat. “He reminded us that during Lent everyone is called to give, fast and pray,” Principal Fraser said. “Our annual Lenten journey at John XXIII includes raising money for our sister school in Antonci, in the Dominican Republic,” Fraser added. “We believe Lent is a perfect opportunity to practise almsgiving and share with those less fortunate than ourselves. This year we will be collecting our change to purchase shelves for the school. Last year we helped purchase a computer for the school. The only one they have!”

Meanwhile at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Calabogie, Principal Jody Weller reported that students collected 173 food items for their annual Christmas food drive for the local food bank. “That was a very robust contribution,” Principal Weller said. As an incentive, the staff agreed to be “pied” in the face, Weller added. “As a school community, we set target increments of 100. With this collection, three lucky students were selected to ‘pie’ Miss Cunningham, our Grade 2, 3 and 4 teacher!”

St. Joseph’s School in Arnprior has been raising funds for the Free the Children initiative to help improve living conditions for children in developing countries, Principal Rowat said. “We collected pennies throughout the first two weeks of February and ended up donating 10 full bags of pennies to the cause. This equals clean drinking water for life for 10 people.”

The students also held a fundraising event on Valentine’s Day, Rowat reported. “As part of our year-long theme of loving unconditionally, we sold ‘Love is’ buttons. Slogans included: Love is growing; Love is here; Love is pure; Love is cure,” she said. All proceeds go to the Free the Children project. A group of students also will attend the “We Day” conference in Gatineau on April 29 as part of their Free the Children participation, Rowat added.

Mathematics has been a main academic focus at St. Joseph’s in Calabogie, Principal Weller said. “St. Joe’s is one of seven schools in the RCCDSB that have been selected to have math coaches. Lynn Denault, Coordinator of Curriculum for RCCDSB, has been working with students and staff on various mathematical strategies and inquiry skills,” Weller explained. “I feel the process has helped to deepen our awareness and use of mathematical problem-solving skills and increased the use of accountable ‘math-talk’ in the classroom.”

St. Joseph’s has purchased iPads and an Apple TV (a digital media receiver for audiovisual content), Principal Weller said. “At the start of the school year, our staff discussed how the iPads could be included in our classroom instruction. A common objective is that they very easily are able to capture concrete evidence of student thinking and can readily engage them in their own learning process. As a team we are encouraging our students to see and use the iPads as creative tools.”

The Calabogie school also hosted a literacy café in February, Principal Weller reported. “The gymnasium was beautifully decorated with a display of student artwork to create a poetic and warm setting. The evening showcased students as they presented and performed their favourite literary pieces, either individually or in groups,” she said. “Students wore their ‘Sunday best,’ and served light refreshments and tasty sweets to parents and friends. The purpose of the event was to highlight our efforts in reading, writing, and public speaking—all with particular focus on fluency, vocabulary, accuracy, and comprehension,” she explained.

Meanwhile Principal Fraser said that John XXIII continues to have high academic expectations. “The staff and students are proud of our accomplishments with respect to our latest ranking in the Fraser Institute Report. It is quite an achievement to be ranked number one in the province.”John XXIII got top marks in the Grade 3 and Grade 6 EQAO assessments for the 2011–2012 school year.

Principal Fraser says the arts also are an important part of the school’s instruction. In March, Alvaro De Minaya will be giving creative music workshops that focus on Latin percussion instruments, she said, and the school will hold its “Love of Art” show in April. “Local artisan Lesley McMann comes into the school to work with all classes to create various artworks that comply with grade level curricular expectations and are then put on display like a real art show for our school community.” Fraser explained.

February 25, 2013

For further information, please contact:

Michele Arbour, Director of Education

Renfrew County Catholic District School Board

499 Pembroke Street West

Pembroke, ON  K8A 5P1

Phone: 613-735-1031 or 1-800-267-019l

The Canada-wide Trees of Knowledge competition is sponsored by Majesta, the maker of paper towels and tissue, “to generate inspiring, creative ideas where students can learn outside the traditional classroom.” Other sponsors are the Ontario Forestry Association’s Focus on Forests and Tree Canada, which promotes environmental stewardship and forestry education.

To earn a place in the top 10, Our Lady of Sorrows submitted a plan to beautify all aspects of its school yard to make it an “outdoor classroom,” including benches, play structures, plants and trees. The proposal, which was spearheaded by Grade 6 teacher Mark Sokolski, also described how the outdoor classroom would be used and maintained. Principal Brown says the proposal included jobs for students in each grade to care for the outdoor classroom, “such as Grade 1 students planting seeds, and the Grade 6 class weeding and raking.”

“Our goal is to help students see the importance of environmental stewardship, which is one element of the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board’s vision,” Brown says. “We hope they become a big part of this, taking on a leadership role in promoting an environmentally responsible lifestyle.” The project offers another benefit, Brown says. “It also provides us with a unique opportunity to enhance relationships among home, school, parish and the extended community.”

The school could win the top prize if it receives the most votes on Majesta’s website in the coming weeks, says Principal Brown. But students need to prepare a two-minute video and a promotional campaign to get as many people as possible to vote. Plans include letters home to parents, posters, a media advisory day at the school, radio spots, a Facebook page and other social media promotions with links to the voting page, as well as a voting station at the school and other public venues.

Competitors include two schools from British Columbia, two from Alberta, one from Saskatchewan, one from Quebec, one from New Brunswick and two others from Ontario. They all are guaranteed a prize. The first prize is $20,000 and 10th place will receive $1,000. There is also a $3,000 prize for the most creative outreach program.

Online voting begins on March 18 at www.majesta.ca and continues for six weeks. Anyone in the community can vote, but you must have and use one valid email address. You are encouraged to vote once each day.

For further information, please contact:

Michele Arbour, Director of Education

Renfrew County Catholic District School Board

499 Pembroke Street West

Pembroke, ON  K8A 5P1

Phone: 613-735-1031 or 1-800-267-019l

School penny drives save lives, build student awareness

Owen and Noah work on the Free the Children Penny Drive

The humble penny is working miracles for needy people around the world, thanks to students in the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board.

Three RCCDSB schools have signed up with Free the Children, an international charity and educational partner that works to help children around the world reach their full potential. The organization was founded in 1995 by 12-year-old Craig Kielburger of Thornhill, Ont. Today more than 1.7 million young people from 45 countries around the world are involved in education and development programs ranging from clean drinking water to health care and building schools.

At St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Arnprior, for instance, students have been raising funds for the Nationwide Penny Drop-off Week. In just two weeks, students filled 10 bags of pennies. Each bag containing $25 in pennies can provide clean drinking water for one person for a lifetime. Grade 5 students Owen Matthews and Noah Whyte led the school’s Penny Drop-Off campaign as part of the Rotary Club’s Who Is Nobody? program. The program requires students to take action in their community by donating time or money, or by raising awareness, for a cause.

“Our students worked hard on the project and they really enjoyed it,” says Mary-Lise Rowat, the Principal at St. Joseph’s. On February 5, Grade 7 students Liam Reitz, Hayden Tripp and Adam Shean helped Rowat take the coins to the Royal Bank, a corporate sponsor of the campaign.

The school is also planning to sell “Love is” buttons and cards in another Free the Children campaign for Valentine’s Day, says Rowat. Some students from St. Joseph’s will also attend National We Day at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau on April 29, a full-day educational event sponsored by Free the Children that promotes social action and community building by young people.

St. John Bosco Catholic School in Barry’s Bay is also raising pennies for Free the Children. “We’re collecting pennies throughout Lent,” says Principal Marie Finnerty. “Our goal is $500. That would provide clean drinking water for 20 people for life.”  At a school-wide assembly, Finnerty reminded students of how much they miss having access to water when the power goes out in their rural area. “I then asked the kids what they think it would be like NEVER to have access to clean water.” Finnerty explains that teachers use lessons from Free the Children’s website, freethechildren.com, to create awareness of children’s needs around the world and to show students the difference they can make with mere pennies.

“We are tying this penny drive into our theme that we must ‘love unconditionally,’ ” Finnerty says, “and that, in the words of Mother Teresa, ‘we can do small things with great love.’ ” Grade 1 and 2 teacher Ingrid Coulas contributed homemade scarves to the cause, with proceeds going to the initiative, Finnerty adds.

St. John Bosco also has tickets to the National We Day on April 29 in Gatineau. Some students from Grades 6, 7 and 8 will attend, along with staff members. “The students will need to make a commitment to come back from the event with a promise to create change in the world,” she adds. “They will be expected to help lead our future social justice initiatives.”

Another school involved in raising funds for Free the Children is St. Mary’s Catholic School in Deep River. The school collected more than $750 in pennies at its Christmas concert by asking family and friends to pay admission with their pockets full of change. Since then, students have continued to collect pennies.

“The student council is really running our Free the Children campaign,” says Principal Cheryl St-Élier. “The hope is that ideas will flow from the students. Then we’ll help them, as facilitators. Since the school year began, we have focused on the actual expression of Mother Teresa’s thinking in everyday life. Now the students are putting her thinking about the ‘small things’ they can do into practice.”

Principal St-Élier says that after a workshop with Free the Children on Friday, Feb. 8, the students will plan fundraising and learning activities throughout Lent. “The story of Craig Kielburger is so inspiring for our Grade 7s. They’re the same age as he was when he started. Our focus is on water—water conservation, on how water is precious but also heavy, on how water has a role to play in whether a child goes to school or not.”

Michele Arbour, RCCDSB’s Director of Education, said the students’ activities reflect the Board’s mission to teach the principles of social justice and unconditional love. “In these and many other fundraising activities,” she explains, “our students demonstrate their love for others around the world and their dedication to justice and freedom for all. We are very proud of what they are achieving.”

February 14, 2013

For further information, please contact:

Michele Arbour, Director of Education

Renfrew County Catholic District School Board

499 Pembroke Street West

Pembroke, ON  K8A 5P1

Phone: 613-735-1031 or 1-800-267-019l

Skating, broomball and music make learning fun for Eganville-area students

Ice skating and broomball are just some of the fun activities that have kept students busy in the Eganville area of the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board during January.

The outdoor ice rink at St. Michael’s Catholic School in Douglas was up and running for students to skate at lunch hour and play boot hockey at recess, Principal John Freemark reports. “We finally concluded our fall sports schedule, which was held up by the snow days in December,” Principal Freemark adds. “Our Grades 3 to 5 and Grades 6 to 8 intramural volleyball champions also were crowned in January. Next on the agenda are intramural basketball and our annual hockey game with Our Lady of Grace Catholic School in Westmeath.”

St. Michael’s Grade 8 students have started the high school orienteering process with some trips to St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in Renfrew, Freemark says. They visited the Hockey Academy as well as regular classes. They also attended a concert by the St. Joseph’s Jazz Band and Blues Guys.

During the week of January 21, St. Michael’s celebrated Anti-Bullying Week. The Student Council held a door decorating contest to educate students about bullying and prevention. Students also performed skits about bullying and how to deal with bullying situations. St. Maria Faustina’s “Prayer to be Merciful” was included in the program as part of the anti-bullying theme.

A series of presentations included topics such as cyber bullying by Janice Sawbridge, the Community Services Officer for the Ontario Provincial Police; “Developing Resiliency in Students” by Tom Sidney, youth worker at Bishop Smith Catholic High School; and “What is Bullying and Restorative Practices” by Cheryl Spotswood, retired RCCDSB Safe Schools Coordinator. The anti-bullying theme will be further highlighted at a parents’ evening, presented by the School Council on January 31, which will also include several speakers.

At St. James Catholic School in Eganville, Principal Elizabeth Burchat reports that Native Language students had an opportunity in January to lead the Board’s Leadership Team in Native prayer with songs and drumming.

Another big event for the school was the Killaloe Winter Carnival Broomball Tournament run by the OPP on January 31, Principal Burchat says. Two St. James broomball teams, which are supervised by teacher Shelley Tigges and Native liaison counsellor Jessica Levesque, competed in the tournament.

Several indoor activities also have been keeping students busy during the frigid days of January. Members of the school’s chess team have been spending their lunch hours sharpening their skills with the help of parent and student volunteers. The school’s two Kiwanis Music Festival Choirs have been filling the halls with music during indoor recesses. The choirs have rolled the piano out of the busy gym into the hall for their practices.

Meanwhile, teachers and other staff have been busy, too, with their monthly meetings of the Math Study Groups, Literacy Planning and Adult Faith Formation, Principal Burchat reports.

January 28, 2013
For further information, please contact:
Michele Arbour, Director of Education
Renfrew County Catholic District School Board
499 Pembroke Street West
Pembroke, ON K8A 5P1
Phone: 613-735-1031 or 1-800-267-019l

The plan is to implement extended French from Junior Kindergarten until Grade Three (one grade each year). Once the Extended French Program is fully implemented from Junior Kindergarten to Grade Three, a review will take place to examine the success of this Pilot Program.

The  Kindergarten Teachers and Early Childhood Educators will have the opportunity to visit other schools in the school board that currently offer a similar Extended French Program to gather best practices as they begin to plan for the launch of this new initiative in September 2013.

Our Lady of Lourdes will be sharing more details of this enrichment program when they host an Extended French Program Parent Information meeting in early May.

For more information about this program please contact Our Lady of Lourdes School.