The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is
pleased to welcome four new international students to our Secondary Schools for
second semester.

St. Charles College has welcomed student Yuki from
Japan, and St. Benedict has welcomed three students, Huy from Vietnam, Tomo
from Japan and Zhou from China who will be completing a short-term shadow
experience during the month of February.

“We are thrilled to welcome our new students to the
international education program for the second semester, bringing the current
number of students in our International Education program to 32 students
throughout the 2019-2020 school year,” said Joanne Bénard, Director of
Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. “Each student has a
unique background and an exciting story to tell. The students are continually
seeing the benefits of learning from their Canadian classmates in an inclusive,
innovative and hands-on learning environment.”  

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.”

14 students aged 9-11 traveled from Hangzhou, Changyang Primary School in China to spend a week with students from Holy Trinity School. The students are also joined by four teachers and support staff member.

The students will stay with students from Holy Trinity School and their families throughout the week. The students will engage in a variety of activities geared toward education about the Canadian culture and Greater Sudbury. Examples of these activities include Master Chef Canada – Redbirds edition, celebrating National Chinese Day, day trip to Leisure Farms and nature hikes.

This will be the first short-term experience for Holy Trinity School.

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.

14 students aged 9-11 and 2 teachers from Hangzhou Green Town School in Hangzhou, China have arrived in Canada to stay with students from Holy Cross School during a short-term visit. The students will stay with host students and their families until October 2, 2019.

This is the second time Green Town School has visited Holy Cross School, first visiting in Fall 2018. The group will be both attending classes with the students and partaking in many activities within the City of Greater Sudbury. These will include visits to Science North, Killarney Sudbury Arena to watch the Sudbury Wolves and much more.

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!

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The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased to congratulate Xingyu Chen and Yixuan Zhang, two of its International students from China who are graduating this year and have received acceptance offers from Laurentian University as well as $40,000 each in bursaries. This is a tremendous opportunity for our students and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments. It is also a testament to the high quality education we offer and a great example of the outstanding opportunities that exist for our international students.

Congratulations Xingyu Chen and Yixuan Zhang, your hardwork has certainly paid off!

We wish to congratulate Anh Nguyen, Phillip Tran and Zihao Wang who won a video contest which involved creating a video in regards to their experience in Canada and with Sudbury Catholic and their host family.  

Anh, Phillip and Zihao won a $500 scholarship to put towards next year’s tuition.  They received their scholarships from Superintendent Mr. Papineau.

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.

The Chinese new year began as a day to pray to the Gods for spring harvest and good planting and while there is no spring weather yet here in Sudbury, the celebrations were in full force. Students were encouraged to dress down and wear red clothing. 

Mrs. Church also put on a Chinese new year celebration in her classroom complete with all the fixings which included food, a portrait wall and loot bags complete with chocolate coins for good luck.