Our International Students were treated to a Sudbury Five game! They were joined by members of their host families, school staff and School Board staff as they watched the game, had fun dancing and a few lucky students even won some pizza!
It was a great way for the students to continue to build community and connection – and they sure had fun! View some of the photos below.
The Lunar New Year is a time for celebration and renewal, and it is an important cultural event for many around the world. This year, the Lunar New Year falls on January 22nd, 2023, and marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit.
In Chinese culture, the rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity, so it is regarded that 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope.
Many of our schools find unique ways to celebrate this holiday, and we look forward to seeing how they will incorporate the celebration of Lunar New Year into the classroom by teaching students about the holiday and its history through activities.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity and diversity, and celebrating Lunar New Year is one way to accomplish this. By celebrating Lunar New Year, we promote understanding and acceptance of different cultures, and foster a sense of community within our learning environments.
Wishing everyone a Happy Lunar New Year! May the Year of the Rabbit bring good luck, prosperity, and hope to all.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is proud to announce that 28 students have entered the International Education program for the 2022-2023 year; 21 students have arrived for the Fall Semester and seven new students will also be arriving in February 2023.
Countries of origin for current students include China, Hong Kong, Japan, Nigeria, Spain, and Vietnam. The Board will also be welcoming students in February from the countries of Bangladesh, China, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. The goal of the International Education program is to provide students with an authentic Canadian experience while they improve their English proficiency and prepare for success in an inclusive, caring, and innovative Catholic learning environment.
To date, students are registered at the following schools:
The students who have arrived and their host families were welcomed to Sudbury and the Board during a barbecue which took place on September 27, 2022, at Marymount Academy.
“Each year, we are fortunate to welcome students from all over the world into our school communities. This year, we are welcoming 28 exceptional students throughout the year,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Students will originate from 10 different countries! We look forward to connecting with these students throughout the year as they improve their English proficiency, make lifelong friends and experience everything our wonderful city has to offer! The success of our growing program is only possible through the caring and supportive approach offered by our amazing teachers and staff. We are very thankful for all that they do each day to make our program a success.”
“We are delighted to welcome new and returning students to the International Education program,” said Michael Bellmore, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “This year, we will be welcoming students from two new countries; Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In addition, our program continues to grow as more schools across the Board are welcoming students to their communities. The Board of Trustees is honoured to support a program geared toward diversity, connectivity, and inclusion.”
The success of the program is also a result of the many generous and supportive host families we have available. The board is always looking to recruit to fill the ever-growing community of host families at MLI Homestay. Interested families can contact Devon Crossgrove at dcrossgrove@mlihomestay.com or 705.507.8052. Being a host family is an amazing opportunity for our students and our families.
Education Trade Commissioner Peter Liao visited two Sudbury Catholic Schools during his visit to Sudbury on November 25, 2019. He spent the afternoon touring both Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School and St. Charles College, where he spoke with teachers and students about their experiences at the schools.
The visits provided an opportunity to visit with the Kindergarten students at Holy Trinity where he was able to observe their classroom and take part in classroom activities with the students. At St. Charles College, he was provided a tour of the school and spoke to staff and students about the many programs and opportunities made available to them through both the school and the Board.
“We were proud to welcome Peter Liao to our schools to see the many wonderful programs that Sudbury Catholic Schools have to offer,” said Director of Education Joanne Bénard. “Our staff and students eagerly welcomed him into their classrooms and were thrilled to speak with him about our schools and Board. We wish him well as he concludes his visit in Sudbury and look forward to continuing to work with Peter Liao in the future as we continue to build our International Education program.”
28 students will enter the international student program for the 2019-2020 school year at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board.Countries of origin include Cameroon, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Spain and Vietnam. Of these countries, Cameroon, Germany and Mexico are new to the program.
Of the current international students, St. Benedict Secondary School has 10 students registered, Marymount Academy has 10 and St. Charles College will host 8 International students throughout the year. The students and their host families were welcomed to Sudbury and Sudbury Catholic Schools during a barbecue which took place on September 26 at Marymount Academy.
“We are thrilled to welcome both new and returning students to the International Education program for the 2019-2020 school year,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of Education at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “This year, we are welcoming 28 students, originating from seven different countries. We look forward to the program growing year after year and truly enjoy seeing the students improve their English proficiency, make lifelong friends and experience our City! The success of our program is only possible through the caring and supportive approach offered by our amazing teachers and staff. We are very thankful for all that they have done to make our program a success.”
“The Board of Trustees is always excited to see the new students enter the International Education program,” said Michael Bellmore, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “This year not only are we welcoming 28 students, but we are welcoming students from three new countries! We look forward to seeing the International program continue to grow each year and see the benefits to both the international students and our students, staff and schools allowing everyone to experience diverse cultures and realize how connected our world truly is.”
The success of the program is also a result of the many generous and supportive host families we have available. The board is always looking to recruit to fill the ever-growing community of host families at Canada Homestay Network. Interested families can contact them directly at hostinfo@canadahomestaynetwork.ca or 1-877441-4443 ext. 2176.
Secondary students from all four
secondary schools were able to participate in the first ever SCDSB Model UN
Conference hosted at St. Charles College. The event was an opportunity for
local and international students to come together and unpack an issue from an
international perspective.
Approximately 75 students participated
in this first-ever event! Students worked to find possible solutions within the
United Nations framework to resolve the global human trafficking crisis. The
event leveraged diversity and encouraged participants to develop global
citizenship skills!
Students were awarded in the following
categories:
Best Delegates: Liam Couisneau (St. Charles College) and Rosaria Nero (St. Benedict)
Honourable mentions: Madison Penrose (Bishop Alexander Carter) and Amy Godin (Marymount Academy)
Best international delegates: Ryan Dinh (St. Charles College) and Zihao Wang (St. Benedict)
Congratulations
to all participating students!
The Chinese New Year was fully embraced at St. Charles College on February 5th, 2019, where staff and students came together as a school community dressed in red to celebrate. The students received beautifully red wrapped mandarin oranges from the breakfast club, which symbolizes good luck and friendship in the Chinese culture.
A traditional lunch, which consisted of dumplings, pork rice, spring rolls and almond cookies was served to students in the English Café, a club for all international students. New Year festivities will continue during the month of February at lunch for students to participate and learn about various traditions of the Chinese culture. Workshops on calligraphy, dragon art and a friendly chopstick competition will be held in the learning commons. These workshops will be led by our international students and partners in the community like the YMCA and Laurentian University’s international student program.
St. Charles College students from three different clubs, the International English Café, Model United Nations Club and Student Council worked in collaboration in promoting and organizing their country booths to create such a successful annual food festival.
The international food fair was comprised of 25 countries from around the world that predominantly symbolized the cultural diversity that is most evident throughout the school. Countries like China, Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Greece, Italy and much more were represented with fine décor, music and home made food .
The importance of this event was to allow students and teachers to come together as a school community to promote an inclusive learning environment, while taking an interest in building cultural diversity within the school. The students gained a thorough understanding of the importance of multiculturalism through our community.
The event was held Thursday, November 15th, from 10:00-1:00pm; where over 700 students from grades 7-12 participated, enjoyed the delicious foods and learned about the various countries on display.
Student Senate brought together our school community with a special board game night at Café One! The night brought together 31 students from St. Benedict C.S.S, Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S, St. Charles College and Marymount Academy. Fun was had by all as students were able to play games, make new friends and even indulge in a few treats!
Today was about welcoming and celebrating our international students in taking a big leap forward and stepping out of their comfort zone to meet new friends and build on their English speaking skills. Every Tuesday and Thursday during lunch, the English Café run by Mrs. Blackwell and Mrs. Sanowar is open not only for international and ELL Learners, but for our domestic students to have the opportunity to introduce themselves and make new friends.
Some of our 9 and 10 English students extended their warm wishes in writing the international students a personal message to welcome them to our SCC community and describe what it means to be a true “Cardinal”.
Mckenna Annett, a grade 9 student writes, “Hi! Welcome to St. Charles. We hope you have a good high school experience here. Remember once a card, always a card! We hope you enjoy sports teams and clubs to meet new people”.
The English Café is a social club that runs interactive cultural activities, games, and dance offs and plans upcoming educational trips to Toronto, Niagara Falls and Killarney throughout the year. This is an interactive space for students to feel comfortable, supported and accepted in sharing their cultural differences.
Our international students can give international experience to our own SCC students, expand our worldview, and learn the value of linguistic and cultural diversity. Our current student population demographics are changing and we are proud – this is significant and life changing for all, as we become a much more welcoming and inclusive society.
