Specials Spotlight

Third graders have been studying Jean-Michel Basquiat this past month. We observed Basquiat's work and use of primary and neutral colors. Then, we made collage papers using two techniques. They scribbled with crayons and then explored expressionist painting with tempra paint. Next, we discussed messages and themes in art. Each student chose a message that was important to them. Some of the messages included: Be You!, messages about their favorite sports, Be not afraid, Jesus loves you, St. Cecilia pride, God is Good, and more. We will finish these up this week.

This week in the library, we had an absolute blast diving into two hilarious new picture books that sparked big laughs and even bigger ideas!

First up, we explored Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson and Dan Santat. This clever book uses a funny mix of facts and absurd claims to present an exaggerated case against the trustworthiness of fish. It was the perfect, silly way to introduce a serious topic: media literacy and how information can be presented with bias! Students then used what they learned to create their own "Don't Trust _______" posters, blending real facts with exaggerated opinions.

Next, we chuckled our way through We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang. This wonderfully humorous story follows aliens who insist they are "definitely human," which led to a great conversation about the importance of kindness, acceptance, and building community when we welcome strangers. To wrap up, students brainstormed and drew their own fun interpretations of what aliens might look like if they landed on Earth.

Help Us Keep the Books Coming!

I love being able to introduce brand-new, exciting books to our students! If you'd like to help us grow our collection, please consider purchasing a book from our constantly updated Amazon Wish List. Your generosity directly impacts our students' learning and enjoyment!

Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/80ZLRMVG1PGP?ref_=wl_share

The 7th graders have begun learning how to form chords (using software instruments) and have been experimenting to see which combinations they like. They will soon be choosing chord progressions to go with texts from the Book of Psalms in order to create responsorial psalms for Mass. When finished, we will be using these responsorial psalms during our Masses.

This week the 5th grade students finished their marvelous creations! They have been studying, planning, and constructing their instruments for a long time. They were able to show off their results this past week. Here are some examples of their stellar work.

What a big week in Physical Education! 2nd through 5th graders have the opportunity to break personal records, or even school records on the PACER, Timed-Lap, and Push-Up Tests. Already this week there have been several personal records on the PACER Test and even more on the Timed-Lap Test. Students' hard work and persistence over the last seven weeks is paying off! Although we are celebrating individual achievements in class, pictures will be added next week of students who accomplished a new personal record.

Middle School students on Monday finished up their volleyball unit with very competitive sets. The communication, positivity, and effort have improved drastically throughout the unit. Middle School students on Friday will be starting our Pickleball unit. It’ll be a fun filled few weeks dinking, serving, and rallying with friendly competition.

PreK through 1st Grade students are currently working on jump rope. This week the focus is on establishing fundamentals. Next week, PreK through 5th Grade students will engage in long jump ropes and the following week short jump ropes. Jump roping is a great skill to incorporate cardiovascular endurance, rhythm, and coordination.

With the start of a new quarter, we are introducting some new skills. The first graders are getting and introduction to coding using the Bee Bots. These are cute little programmable robots that are used to teach the concept of programming using logic and sequencing. Using maps, the students will use their Bee Bots to go to a certain location. First, they will write their code on paper and then test it. They are off to a good start and will continue working on this next week.