Pius XII Catholic Elementary School

Honouring Reconciliation: Sudbury Catholic Schools Participate in Orange Shirt Day

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.

Students at Pius XII Catholic school raise over $4000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation

Pius XII Catholic School would like to thank all the family members, staff members and community partners who supported Pius XII students in collecting funds to support the Heart & Stroke Foundation. We raised over $4000.00 to help fight heart disease and stroke.

The JUMP Rope for Heart event is a fantastic way to work together as a community to support those in need as well as have fun promoting healthy living with our students.

The sky is the limit for canned food collecting at St. Charles College

Since the mid eighties, St. Charles College student council has been organizing a fall food drive in support of the Sudbury Food Bank. Every year it just gets better and better.

The students were given the task of collecting sixty thousand cans this year. Teacher leaders Paola Gutscher and Bev Belanger were happy to report that the students smashed their goal with raising more than 126 thousand cans. Year after year, it has become the largest single donation to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse.

The leadership students cannot do this alone. It is supported by all the 7-12 students at St. Charles College along with feeder schools — Holy Trinity, St. Paul, St. John, St. David and Pius.

The wrap-up event today highlighted the accomplishments of the students but also the staff had to hold up its end of the bargain complete with staff pie in the face showdowns, shaved heads, dyed heads and waxed legs.

Principal Patty Mardero says it is also important to recognize the citizens of Sudbury who graciously donated to the drive when the students knocked upon their doors. The food collected over the course of the last week was delivered to the Sudbury Food Bank warehouse today. Mardero says “This visit to the warehouse to unload is critical in helping students see the fruits of their labour as they lift each box of canned food and fill the shelves of the warehouse”.

Buddy Bench at Pius XII

The staff and students at Pius XII school are very excited to introduce ‘The Buddy Bench’! The Buddy Bench is the latest addition to our school yard in an effort to promote inclusion. If a student is feeling like they have nobody to play with, or their best friend isn’t at school one day and they are in need of a buddy, they simply can sit at the Buddy Bench; other students will see someone sitting alone at the bench and they will go over to keep that student company, talk with him or her, or invite the buddy to play. Our Pius Penguins are a kind and compassionate school family. The Buddy Bench is one more way that we live out our vision of ‘Everyone Succeeds, Everyone Counts!’

The Buddy Bench was hand-crafted by Educational Assistant Derek Zaher.

Pius XII School Celebrates Catholic Education Week through the Living Rosary

To celebrate May – the month of Mary, students at Pius XII School have been praying to Mary and learning about her many gifts. With the help of Holy Redeemer Parish volunteer, Jocelyne Bene, Pius XII School students took part in a living rosary during Catholic Education week. The grade six students lined up inside the school gymnasium in the shape of a rosary and led the school community in prayer. “It is always nice to celebrate together – students, staff, parents, and our parish community. The living rosary made our faith come alive and allowed students to feel the presence of Mary during this interactive celebration,” said grade six teacher, Caroline Mansourian.

PIus XII Walk-A-Thon Supports NEO Kids

The students and staff of Pius XII Catholic Elementary School, alongside staff and volunteers from Holy Redeemer Parish couldn’t have asked for better weather on November 3, 2015 as they all took part in the Pius Walk-a-Thon for NEO Kids. Jocelyne Bene from Holy Redeemer had approached the school a while back to see if they could partner up to support this local initiative. “The motto for Holy Redeemer Parish is Walk the Talk,” explained Bene. “This saying became more meaningful to them as they became the hands and feet of Jesus for other children in our community.” Students from grades 3-6 at Pius, including students from the Care and Development class arrived at the church at 9:45 a.m., and after a brief rundown of the day and prayer, the students began their two-hour trek around the church grounds under brilliant sunshine. Funds were collected through pledged donations and a total of over $1600.00 was raised to support the NEO Kids initiative.
“We have a really great relationship with Holy Redeemer Parish,” explained Laurie Zahra, principal of the school. “We are so proud of our students and staff for taking part in this most important initiative, and we also want to recognize and thank our parish partner for allowing us to join them in supporting NEO Kids.”

Cards Do It – Largest Single Donation to the Sudbury Food Bank for a Five Day Drive

The goal was to raise 60 thousand cans in five days. The result was astounding. Students and staff, along with the support of its feeder schools and the community raised 125, 452 cans to line the shelves of the food bank heading into the holiday season.

The breakdown is twenty thousand dollars in cash collected and 25, 000 cans. Students will spend the day assisting with the transport of the food to the food bank warehouse.

The St. Charles College food drive started thirty years ago and has been a yearly tradition with its feeder schools – St. David’s, Holy Trinity, Pius XII, St. John and St. Paul schools.

Principal Patty Mardero says “in thirty years this is the largest donation to date. The students really upped the ante for next year.”

Pius XII Staff Supporting Students Through Outdoor Art

With a focus on the importance of having fun at school, the staff at Pius XII Catholic Elementary School decided to make the school yard more appealing to students. Staff put their artistic and creative skills to the test and painted the cement slabs, large rocks, and wooden ramps with dynamic colours and themes. While playing in the yard students can read positive messages promoting peace and cooperation. They can imagine themselves in a game of Minecraft or stand on a turtle’s back and go for a ride! The staff and students at Pius XII are definitely having fun!

Cards ‘can’ do it! 

Members of the St. Charles College Student Council are selling tees in the main foyer of the school this week to support the Sudbury Food Bank.  The t-shirts which are retailing for twenty dollars go to supporting the school’s annual food drive.   That means the sale of one shirt equates to 100 cans to line the shelves at the food bank.

The blue shirts were designed by students in teacher Beverly Belanger’s leadership class.  Student Jordan Sutton designed the image on the front of the shirt while Tyler Michaud came up with this year’s slogan:  “Cards ‘can’ do it! 60, 000.”

The goal for this year’s food drive is to collect sixty thousand cans and they are doing it with the support of feeder schools – St. David’s, Holy Trinity, Pius XII, St. John and St. Paul schools. 

The food drive is an annual tradition dating back to almost thirty years ago.

St. Charles Cards on Annual Mission to Fill Sudbury Food Bank Shelves

This week, students at St. Charles began visits to feeder schools to get students amped up and motivated about this year’s food drive.

The goal is to raise 60, 000 cans for the Sudbury Food Bank, along with support from its feeder schools – St. David’s, Holy Trinity, Pius XII, St. John and St. Paul schools. 

The food drive began almost thirty years ago with the student council at the time initiating the drive.  Founder, Jim Szilva continues to help the school each year with the annual mission.  The school is also supported by Kiss 105.3 and Q host Melanie Dahl on the airways.

In the past, donations from St.Charles College each fall have made for the largest single donation in Sudbury Food Bank history.

The drive wraps up on October 27th when final results will be tabulated and unveiled at the assembly.

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