St. Joseph welcomes sister school St. David in Non-Fiction Literacy

The students of St. David (in Sudbury’s Donovan Area) and St. Joseph (Killarney) gathered together this October to develop a sense of community. Both schools share a Principal, Dawn Wemigwans, but much of their daily school lives are worlds apart.

Some of the students from St. David boarded a bus and made the trip into the small rural community to participate in a variety of activities with the K-6 students from St. Joseph. The day began with introductions and a walk-a-thon to raise money for Breast Cancer Research. The 12 students of St. Joseph’s gladly paraded their guests around the town, and shared local heritage and historical sites, including a stop at St. Bonaventure Church. The children were accompanied by teachers, parents, and a few Elders who shared their knowledge with the students. Much of the days events were captured with digital cameras, and will be used at a later date to develop brochures about the town of Killarney.

St. Joseph school not only welcomed St. David students but also the community at large, as everyone shared in a homemade soup and sandwich lunch. Children and adults alike enjoyed conversing over a warm bowl of soup, and developed new friendships. These connections will be continued over the course of the year, through email and skype.

The day ended with all the children gathering in the one classroom to create giant maps of Killarney. Even the youngest children were happy to participate, as they were the “‘experts” on their town. This activity fit nicely into the curriculum for both schools, as they work together to develop reading skills in a variety of non-fiction forms. Before the students of St. David returned home they extended the invitation for the children of St. Joseph to visit them for a day, and further develop their learning and friendships.

DID YOU KNOW?
80% of our reading in our adult life is non-fiction based (internet, phone book, menus, maps etc), yet many students do not realize that this is reading.

St. David and St. Joseph School goal is to make the students aware that reading non-fiction is just as valuable of reading fiction.