The students at St. Albert Learning Centre had the privilege of hosting an extraordinary event featuring Mr. Rick Osborne, a living testament to the power of transformation!
Growing up, Mr. Osborne faced a life consumed by darkness where addiction and criminal activities were his reality. However, he refused to let his past define him. “It’s not about where you start, but where you finish.” Mr. Osborne, against all odds, managed to rewrite the script of his life. Through sheer determination and the unwavering belief in his own potential, he embarked on a journey of self-discovery and transformation.
During his time in incarceration, a pivotal moment occurred, propelling Mr. Osborne to make a conscious decision to turn his life around. He discovered a passion for education and recognized the immense power of positive influences. This newfound purpose led him to establish Ozzy Garage—an organization dedicated to providing opportunities for those striving to break free from the cycles of crime and addiction.
Mr. Osborne stood before as a beacon of hope, a shining example of what is possible when we refuse to be defined by our pasts. His mission is to inspire our youth, empowering them to make informed choices and guiding them away from the perilous path of a criminal lifestyle.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Rick Osborne for sharing his remarkable story and inspiring us all with his journey of transformation. Thank you for reminding us that it’s never too late to change our path and embrace a future filled with hope and resilience.
May 28 to June 3, 2023, is National AccessAbility Week!
National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) is an annual initiative that celebrates, promotes, and showcases the diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in our country, and highlights some of the important initiatives aimed at creating an accessible Canada. Since 2019, Easter Seals Ontario has recognized the Wednesday of National AccessAbility week as the Red Shirt Day of Action for AccessAbility and Inclusion. Everyone is encouraged to wear a red shirt to raise awareness for accessibility and disability inclusion and make a pledge to help remove physical, attitudinal, and systematic barriers in their schools, workplaces, and communities.
Red Shirt Day is an Easter Seals initiative and was first celebrated in 2019. The 2023 Red Shirt Day takes place on Wednesday, May 31. Sudbury Catholic District School Board (SCDSB) students and staff are encouraged to wear red on Red Shirt Day to promote messages of support for people and families living with disabilities.
About Red Shirt Day
Red Shirt Day of Action for AccessAbility and Inclusion is a day when people across Canada come together and wear red in schools, workplaces and spaces everywhere in order to create a visible display of solidarity: to show their support for persons and families of those who are living with disabilities, celebrate the achievements of people living with disabilities, and to pledge their commitment to help create a fully accessible and inclusive society that honours and values the contributions of people of all abilities in all aspects of life in Canada. Learn more!
On day four of Catholic Education Week, students at St. Albert Learning Centre participated in a special Brain Buster Quiz show organized by the team at Let’s Talk Science.
Students tested their knowledge about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in a fun and engaging activity. Students learned new vocabulary such as “umami” all while earning points and having a great time!
At the end of the game, students were given the opportunity to ask questions to game host Nick Butt about his experience studying STEM. Nick is the Outreach Delivery Coordinator at Let’s Talk Science who studied physics at Memorial University of Newfoundland and then earned his masters degree in Educational Research specializing in Curriculum and Learning.
We would like to thank the team at Let’s Talk Science for organizing this event, sharing their passion about STEM but most importantly for celebrating Catholic education week with us!
Congratulations goes out to Fisher, Curtis and Kayla for earning the highest scores and winning gift cards!
St. Albert Learning Centre is thrilled to acknowledge that Kierra Cooper’s “Beauty and the Loneliness” artwork is featured at the Emergence Exhibition held at the Art Gallery of Sudbury. The event is a tribute to the artistic talent of Sudbury’s young people and is available for public viewing until May 7th.
Kathryn Kurt, PEACE program teacher shares her excitement; “ I am so proud as a teacher that we get to showcase Kierra’s talent! I am consistently seeing her create gorgeous pieces during art class and finally others get to see it as well! She is a beautiful indigenous artist with a bright future!”
Students in the PEACE program visited the art gallery to see the local talent and to celebrate Kierra’s accomplishment. The community at St. Albert Learning Centre would like to congratulate Kierra and encourage her to continue sharing and pursuing her artistic abilities.
Since 1992, St. Albert Learning Centre (SALC) in Sudbury has been providing learners with opportunities in an alternative setting. Programs aim to meet each individual’s needs while providing flexibility of time, which allows for greater success when compared to traditional classroom settings.
SALC is a unique, inclusive learning environment that offers a variety of programs to accommodate different needs and learning style. SALC prepares learners for their future goals in the workplace, post-secondary or an apprenticeship role.
At SALC, the programs and learning environment align with its mission, vision and values.
Mission:
We are committed to providing a Catholic, caring and supportive environment meeting learners where they are in their educational journey and helping them achieve their goals.
Vision:
We welcome all learners and provide flexible programs to meet the needs of diverse students and the community, as a whole.
Values:
We are committed to providing:
Real world experiences;
Flexible programming needs; and
A supportive environment.
As well, one-on-one counselling allows SALC to determine the fastest route to achieving educational and/or career goals.
SALC takes a two-fold approach to learning:
To identify and meet the academic needs of adults returning to school; and
To provide on-site and off-site community supports and services to manage the challenges of returning to school.
SALC is proud to have helped thousands of people graduate and enter post-secondary education or find meaningful employment. There are a few different options to consider including for those 18+.
One such option is the PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) Challenge for Credit and for Mature Students. This program allows adult students to use their life and work experience to earn credits towards an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
What makes the PLAR program unique is that it recognizes skills and/or experiences people have had in their lives and grants high school credits for these experiences. If you worked in an industry and have pay stubs or a letter from the employer indicating your role and job description, you may be able to obtain credits. Learners can also earn credits for being a parent and managing a household.
“St. Albert Learning Centre offers a wide variety of programming. From upgrading skills, to earning credits for a high school diploma, or getting you job ready in one of our specialized programs such as PSW or cleaner training program, we will help each learner achieve their goals,” says Principal Cassandra Tenbergen. “St. Albert offers a warm and welcoming environment, and we want each learner to achieve success, whatever success means to them. We will help people achieve their goals.”
Debra R. receives support through the Ontario Disability Support Program. Debra struggled with addiction and at age 15, dropped out of school. Now 50 years old, Debra would like to earn her Gr. 12 diploma in a year and secure a part-time job. “With the PLAR process, one-on-one assistance from my teacher and possible co-op placement, I will be able to achieve my goal!”
Maria R. is a retired entrepreneur who ran four local businesses over a span of 30 years. Without a formal education, she immigrated to Canada when she was 16 years old and worked full-time at a bakery and convenience store. After ten years of working, she decided to attend Cambrian College as a mature student, to complete a three-year degree and graduated with honours. She says, “I found out that through the PLAR process I could be granted equivalency credits for my college education and would only need to take one senior-level course to earn my secondary school diploma. I will be graduating in June 2023 with my Gr. 12 diploma!”
New eight-week certificate programs with on-the-job training: Cleaner, Retail Worker and Cook’s Helper; and
English as a Second Language (ESL) for credit courses – speaking, listening, reading and writing, to give students a well-rounded understanding of the English language.
One on one credit counselling for immigrants to support them in attaining their Ontario High School Diploma
Want to learn more? Visit the SALC website for more information or contact SALC today and get ready to start your journey – it’s never too late! Registration is now open. Onsite daycare services available.
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board is gearing up for its annual week-long celebration of Catholic Education Week. This year’s theme is “Catholic Education: We are Many, We are One.” From May 1 to May 5, 2023, Sudbury Catholic Schools will join Catholic schools across the province to engage in a variety of activities and events that celebrate the unique identity and contributions of Catholic education.
The week will be divided into five sub-themes:
When we see
When we listen
When we reflect
When we learn
When we act
OCSTA Resources
The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) has developed and shared daily resources and lesson plans for classrooms to participate in. With the support of the OCSTA and the Catholic community, Catholic education in Ontario continues to thrive.
You can view the official Catholic Education Week song below:
Board-Wide Celebrations
Catholic Education Week is a special opportunity for the Catholic community in Sudbury to come together and celebrate the unique identity and contributions of Catholic education. From Toonies for Tuition Day to the Catholic Education Week Mass, there are a variety of activities and events that we have planned for this special week.
Toonies for Tuition Day
On May 1st, schools are encouraged to dress up like a bee or wear yellow and black to participate in Toonies for Tuition Day. Staff and students are encouraged to bring a toonie to support Toonies for Tuition, which will be donated to the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association Endowment Fund for distribution to Catholic families in need.
Catholic Education Week Mass
A Catholic Education Week Mass will be held on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins, will be celebrating the Mass. Schools across the province are invited to participate virtually in this celebration of the Eucharist.
May 1-5th is also Children’s Mental Health Week. Members of the Mental Health team will be completing activities in schools to engage staff and students. Schools will also be encouraged to wear green on Thursday, May 4, to promote children’s mental health.
Skills Ontario Provincial Competitions
Thirteen secondary students from St. Charles College and two students from Bishop Alexander Carter will compete in the annual Skills Ontario Provincial Competitions at the Toronto Congress Centre from May 1-3.
PEACE program students were proud to be able to help Caruso Club – Società Caruso members celebrate their membership banquet on March 25th. Students personalized over 400 wooden spoons!
PEACE Pens has completed orders for many organizations including Workforce Planning Sudbury and Manitoulin, Old Rock Café, Lake City Reality, Caruso Club, Tony V’s, the Art Gallery of Sudbury, and Dominion Sewing Centre. The program provides students with hands-on learning opportunities using a variety of design technologies and business planning experience. All pens and other products in the PEACE shop are custom-made and created from start to finish by students in the program. Each item has its own unique style reflective of the creator. The project allow students to earn credits through the workshop co-op. Through the initiative, students develop their computer skills, design skills, business skills all in a safe and healthy work environment.
“Working on these projects lets me focus on doing hands on activities outside of my schoolwork. It has been really fun to create things like the spoons for the Caruso Club,” said student Pierce Langill.
“Learning how to properly and safely use the engraver has been a great experience. I really enjoy learning about the process of creating products and how to successfully run a business such as this one,” said student Emma Flear.
“The team at St. Albert Learning Centre is always looking for innovative ways to promote experiential learning opportunities and to expand our partnership with community partners. We thank our community partners for giving our students the various projects to keep them engaged in their learning!” said Christina Raso, Vice Principal of St. Albert Learning Centre.
Registration is now open for Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s (SCDSB) annual Carousel Event hosted by the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC)! Learn about different topics, network with others, and engage in great conversation.
When: Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School
Address: 2993 Algonquin Drive
Carousel topics will include:
Supporting Mental Health & Well Being, Cyber Safety, Building Resiliency, Homework Support, Special Education, Coding, Preparing Your Child for Post-Secondary, Literacy: Supporting Reading @ Home, and Learning About Secondary Programming. Click here to view our session descriptions!
Join our new 8-week certificate program and become a cleaner at St. Albert Learning Centre. This program is ideal for newcomers to Canada and perfect for those of varying academic skill sets. Clients on ODSP or OW may qualify for additional funds to cover course activity fee and transportation.
Classes will start on April 17, 2023. Come to the school, 504 St. Raphael Street to register.
On Friday March 3rd, St. Albert Learning Centre celebrated the 21st graduation commencement of the PSW program.
“Everyone here today is witness to this rite of passage, which serves to mark a milestone in your life, a career, a graduation and becoming a PSW”, stated Dawn-Marie Brunet, RN and teacher for the program.
In addition, students heard greetings from Mr Peter Prochilo, superintendent of school effectiveness and Ms. Cassandra Tenbergen, Principal of St. Albert Learning Centre.
Ms. Tenbergen addressed the graduates by reminding them that “providing assistance to someone in need doesn’t only improve their life, but it provides you with a sense of satisfaction, knowing you’ve helped someone lead the best life they can”.
Awards:
Highest Academic Average Theory: Miranda D
Highest Academic Average Placement: Miranda D and Lisa S (tie)
Estelle Scappatura Perseverance Award: Tyisa M
Attendance Award: Natalie C
Graduates of September 2023 Class:
Natalie C
Michael D
Miranda D
Ashley F
Dee Anna G
Tanika J
Pam J
Tysia M
Kayla M (also grade 12 graduate)
Lisa S
Students in the PSW program can earn up to 6 credits toward their Ontario Secondary School diploma with completion of the course. We are very pleased to have Kayla M also graduate with her grade 12 diploma!
We are so proud of the class of 2023! May the years ahead be characterized by empathy, compassion, objectivity and willingness to to take on challenges and opportunities. May their successes be many and their tribulations be few and far between.
Are you interested in learning more about our PSW program? Next cohort starts in September 2023. Join an information session at St. Albert Learning Centre to find out more:
