If you sit down with the students in the English Early Learning Kindergarten Program at St. Anne School and ask them why they feel like the very first settlers at Thanksgiving, they can tell you why. They feel they’ve lived it! In part, they actually have!

Through inquiry, these youngest students within the Catholic Board tried to discover all that they could about the season of fall. Fall is a time of rest for Mother Nature and a time of harvest for people and many of the animals. The students took a trip to a local garden where they actually had a chance to see what happens to plants when they are ripe. Even though some of the students were familiar with gardens, many were not. Who knew that cheese didn’t come from the garden or that so many potatoes could come from one plant?

After “harvesting” carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, and celery, the students returned to school where they began talking about the celebration of Thanksgiving. It was no surprise that they started making connections between the first Settlers and Aboriginal Peoples celebrating their harvest with the traditional holiday they were getting ready to celebrate with their families. The students decided to relive the first Thanksgiving. They wrote and sent home their own invitations, peeled and cooked their garden vegetables, dressed in a type of Thanksgiving costume, and sat down with their parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends to enjoy their own Thanksgiving. All week one English E.L.K.P student, Mae Lin Zoldy, spoke of “being so excited for the class celebration”. She and her classmates weren’t disappointed! With good food such as carrots, potatoes, and turkey on the menu and the great company of their families, these children got a realistic experience of Thanksgiving. Can these St. Anne School English students understand the meaning of Thanksgiving? You bet they can! From harvest to feast, this Thanksgiving was a connection they will never forget!

Nothing says school spirit like the students at St. Anne School in Hanmer! Early each September, the school joins forces with OnSite Sports Wear to allow students to purchase t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts with the school’s name, the school’s angel mascot, and extra stencils which the children themselves can choose. The promotion helps students to “display, not just say” how proud they are to be attending their valley school within the Sudbury Catholic System. Allowing the children to also pick their stencils and decide where they want to place them on their shirts helps each item of clothing to have that personal touch. After all, St. Anne School is a family of students and teachers, where each student is recognized for the individuality they bring to the group. Each child helps to make our school setting a better place! Way to go Angels!

St. Anne Catholic School in Hanmer is known as the “home of the angels”. During the past week, St. Anne School welcomed its newest little angels. First year students within the Early Learning Kindergarten Program began their staggered enrolment into the program bright and early Monday morning. According to their parents, Jody O’Daiskey, Andre Bertrand, and Melanie Anzil, their children have been excited, anxious and ready to go! In fact, they were so anxious that Anthony and Celyna wanted to join older siblings who began their school year on September 6th.

Early Learning Kindergarten teachers along with Early Childhood Educators within the English and French Immersion program were outside meeting parents and busses and greeting their new students on their first official day of school. Both staff and
students within this Sudbury Catholic school recognize and consider their newest friends as nothing short of angellic. What a great way to start the school year. Welcome little angels!

“Welcome, bienvenue, youkoso!” These were the International greetings that family members heard when they came to visit their children within Mme Proulx and Mme Dutrisac’s Gr. 1/2 and Gr.3 French Immersion classes at St. Anne School in Hanmer. The primary students recognize different cultures daily within the dual-track Catholic Board School, so studying cultures in different countries around the world just seemed like an extension of their everyday routines. The children had worked on individual projects for the country of their choice. A final culminating activity was the presentation and sharing of an International meal. The children sent invitations to their families.

On the day of the meal, parents, grandparents and even some younger brothers and sisters joined in the festivities. They were greeted by students dressed in authentic kimonos (brought over from Japan by a relative of Mme Proulx) as well as a pathway of flags from foreign locations around the world. The primary children sang songs in English, French, and Japanese to their guests. After the singing, both students and their families enjoyed a variety of foods representing the different countries. When asked about the afternoon, Gr. 2 student, Alexandra Tremblay said, “It felt good to present to our families. They were happy for us because we had done a really good job with our projects. Our parents were glad to come to school.”

Judging by the small amount of leftovers, the projects, singing, the costumes and the food were all big hits! These French Immersion students really know how to make guests at their school feel welcome in any language. Way to go Angels!

From left to right, Gr. 1 students Alexis Marshall, Hailey M’Aughey, Lincoln McCourt, and Alexandra Tremblay get ready to greet family at St. Anne School in Hanmer. The students are dressed in authentic kimonos as part of an International Day celebration that highlighted their efforts in learning about countries around the world.

Victoria Dawson, a Gr.1 student at St. Anne School, hopes that her efforts will reward her with a few gold nuggets. After spending the day at Dynamic Earth with her classmates participating in many mining activities, including a trip underground, Victoria tried her hand at one of the earliest forms of searching for minerals, panning for gold. When asked what she might do if she actually found gold, this young student within the Sudbury Catholic Board said, ” First I would show it to my teacher and friends, then I would take it home and give it to my mom for her birthday.” The primary and some junior students at St. Anne School in Hanmer enjoyed their visit to one of Sudbury’s most famous tourist attractions and learning center. It gave them a good opportunity to learn about mining in the past. Comments such as,”My poppa, my dad, or my mom works in the mine,” helped the children to make connections with the jobs many of their parents and grandparents participate in on a daily basis. A great learning day was had by all!