SAINTS TODAY!

This newsletter highlights what students and staff have done during the first trimester at St. Therese Catholic School! We want to take this opportunity to recognize the outstanding contributions of our teachers, staff, and families who support our students every day.

Please take a moment to read through the newsletter and celebrate with us!

We are looking forward to an awesome second trimester!

As I reflect on all that our school community has experienced so far this year, my heart is full of gratitude and pride for our students, staff, and families. It has been a joyful and busy start to the school year, with students actively engaged in their learning, participating in extracurricular activities, and growing not only academically, but also in their faith and character.

This trimester has been a time of building strong foundations, rooted in faith and a love of learning. We have seen wonderful growth in our classrooms, from academic accomplishments to creative projects, and we are thankful for the many ways our students continue to use their God-given talents. We are truly blessed by our dedicated staff and the constant support of our families, which make our work possible.

As we look ahead, there is much to be excited about. Catholic Schools Week at the end of January will be a special time to celebrate who we are and the gift of Catholic education. We remain committed to nurturing a caring, faith-filled environment where every child is known, loved, and encouraged to grow.

Thank you for your continued prayers, support, and partnership. Together, with God’s guidance, we will continue to grow a strong and vibrant community where our students can learn, lead, and live their faith each day.

In 3K and 4K, we have had an amazing year so far! Our students have been learning our daily classroom routines and forming strong bonds within our classroom family. At this age, children learn best by doing, so we have enjoyed many hands-on games and activities to help us learn letters, letter sounds, and numbers. We are also practicing focusing on the carpet for longer periods of time—something that can be challenging at this age. To strengthen fine motor skills, we have been coloring, playing with playdough, and using small building materials. These activities help build hand strength needed for writing letters and numbers, drawing self-portraits, zipping coats, writing names, and beginning early word writing.

Our 3K and 4K students are a very social group who love making friends. Along with this, we are learning important social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and listening to the wants and needs of others. Students are practicing how to express their own needs in appropriate ways with both friends and teachers. Sometimes this requires reflection, modeling, and trying different ways to communicate. We are also learning patience—an important but difficult skill at this age—especially when waiting to talk, ask questions, or receive help while sharing one teacher with many eager peers.

Faith is an important part of our classroom as well. We have been learning about who God is and how much He loves us through stories, discussions, and hands-on projects. Students are learning that everything we have is a gift from God, given to us out of love. During December, we have focused on the Holy Family, the birth of Jesus, and why He was born. The students have been especially excited to retell the story of Jesus’ birth during center time through imaginative play.

Field trips and collaborative projects also play an important role in our learning. Each month, 3K and 4K join 5K to create art projects for the residents of Marquardt Manor, decorating their doors and spreading joy within our community. Through these activities, students learn the importance of helping and sharing with others, just as Jesus teaches us.

In September, 3K and 4K joined 5K for an apple-tasting activity, where students sampled different types of apples and apple products. Golden Delicious apples were the favorite, and while many were hesitant to try apple chips, most ended up enjoying them! In October, 4K joined 5K, first, and second grade for a trip to Ebert’s Pumpkin Patch. The weather was beautiful, and students learned how pumpkins grow, that they come in many colors, and that they can be smooth or bumpy. In November, we learned about the Pilgrims and Native Americans and discussed the importance of being thankful for all God has given us. We celebrated with a Thanksgiving Feast alongside 5K, enjoying turkey, cornbread, dried cranberries, pumpkin pie, and apple cider. Students chose whether to wear a Pilgrim hat or a Native American headband, making the experience extra special.

This week, we will once again join 5K to decorate Christmas cookies and watch The Star, a movie that tells the story of Jesus’ birth through the eyes of a donkey. Students will enjoy the story while learning about the challenges Mary faced and how she trusted and followed God.

We are so excited to see what the rest of the school year has in store for our 3K and 4K students!

Merry Christmas!

What a blessing to have one trimester of school in; the fall sure has flown by!

Kindergarten is adjusting to many new routines both in and out of the classroom. Students are learning to play together, work in small groups, and engage in meaningful learning activities. Kindergarten is a time to learn to share, take turns, and play cooperatively together. It’s delightful to meet new friends and be in school!

Many kindergarteners are attending Mass for their first time. They are enjoying this special time to grow, learn, and practice their faith. Students are learning about Jesus and how He calls us to treat others with loving and giving hearts. Each morning we pray and give thanks for the many blessings God provides for us. Since Mary is our classroom saint, we celebrated her birthday with cupcakes and songs. God teaches us to be grateful, thankful, and joyful in all circumstances. Kindergarteners are excited to accept and express God’s love.

Our Superkids reading and writing program is an engaging experience for students. Children are eager to meet each character, sing their catchy rhyming songs and learn new letters and sounds.

Our days are also filled with math, science, social studies and religion. Students love playing interactive games on the smart board that enhance their learning experience.

This fall we learned about the life cycle of pumpkins. Many activities from sorting, counting, and tasting pumpkin products made learning about this delicious fall treat fun!

Of course, we can’t forget about art, music, and P.E! As we head into the Christmas season, the children will be busy learning about the story of the Nativity as we practice for our performance later in December.

Kindergarten is truly a child’s garden to grow, learn and blossom! The rest of the school year promises to be filled with joy, hope, laughter and fun!

What a wonderful time of learning we are having during the first trimester of first grade! The first graders are working hard to acquire new knowledge and grow in their faith.

Each day begins with prayer and learning about our faith. We are completing lessons in our Be My Disciples religion book. Homework is paperless when we complete chapter reviews on the internet and email the results to school. We are becoming acquainted with people in the Bible

as we read from the children’s Bible. Since October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, we spent time learning about the rosary and praying the rosary. We celebrated the feast day of our class patron, St. Francis of Assisi. We made paper statues and enjoyed animal crackers. In November we worked hard researching information on saints and creating dioramas. Each student gave a presentation about their saint.

Day by day we are developing our reading and writing skills. We completed the Superkids review unit and are now into the first grade curriculum. We are working on comprehension, spelling, grammar, and writing skills. Recently we were introduced to the “ed” endings that sound like (d) as in yelled, (t) as in jumped, and (ed) as in melted. Our longest writing piece was a three page personal narrative in book form.

Our math lessons involve learning different addition and subtraction strategies. We are learning about number bonds, ten frames, number lines, double facts, double facts plus one, and we have been exploring place value. We especially like using base ten blocks to make groups of tens and ones. Happy Numbers and IXL are two internet sites that enrich our math experience.

In social studies we learned about different kinds of maps, map symbols, and that the compass rose shows cardinal directions(north, south, east and west). In October we became acquainted with Columbus and constructed ships. In November we became acquainted with the Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and dressed like Pilgrims. We discovered that if it weren’t for Sarah Hale we might not be celebrating Thanksgiving. She wrote letters to presidents and politicians for over thirty years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Finally President Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.

We completed four chapters in our science book. We read about living and nonliving things, habitats, how plants and animals live, and life cycles. One fact that surprised us was that camels have fat and not water in their humps.

We have gone on two field trips. In October grades 4K-2 went to Eberts where we selected a pumpkin in the field, listened to the story The Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, and decorated a miniature pumpkin. In November grades 1-8 went to Holy Hill where we touched a case containing a relic of St. Therese of Lisieux and attended Mass. We are grateful God blessed us with cool sunny days for both trips.

As we begin our second trimester and a new church year, we pray that our year and yours will have many blessings.

What a privilege it has been to work with this group of students this trimester. It is such an awesome gift from God to be a part of this amazing community.

We have spent our time learning about how God has given us the Ten Commandments to help guide our life and yet he still gives us free will to create our own path with his guidance. We are now using the gift of the Ten Commandments to help us learn how to examine our conscience so that we can prepare ourselves for our first Reconciliation in January. Please pray for our second graders as we get closer to this sacrament.

Math has us making sure that we are mastering skills we need to be successful for the rest of our lives. We are looking at mastery of math facts for addition and subtraction and adding multi digit numbers together. We are also learning different tricks to help us add these numbers together.

We are also working on our teamwork skills. It is important to know that we need to listen and work with each other. We are learning that communication, honesty, and understanding are important when working together.

Reading has us working on our listening, understanding different rules for sounding out words, and comprehension. We are working on reading out loud and focusing on our expression and speed. We are starting a new book to read in groups as well as our normal curriculum. There are so many adventures that we get to experience in our learning.

I love hearing the reasons that the students come up with for predictions and the why questions. I also love seeing pieces of their personality and heart as they work on different writing pieces.

Watching the thought process develop at this age level throughout our studies is so amazing, whether it be social studies, science, reading, math, or religion.

I am so blessed to be in our loving school community.

The first trimester of third grade has been full of learning, new challenges, and exciting adventures. At the beginning of the year, we got to know each other, learned the routine of our classroom, and how we will continue to grow our faith together.

In reading, we practice finding the setting of our stories, who are all the characters, and comprehend what we just read. We are currently exploring the classic novel, Charlotte's Web. In this novel, it captivates students with its timeless themes of friendship, loyalty, and courage. We can not wait to finish the story!

In math, we worked on addition and subtraction with larger numbers. We learned new strategies like using number lines, drawing models, and breaking apart numbers to make them easier to work with. We are going to be diving into learning multiplication, which will be a challenge, but it will become easier with practice.

Science has been the highlight of the trimester! It is full of hands-on activities. We got to grow our very own plants, experiment an “active” volcano, and make our own habitat dioramas. The students love to have meaningful discussions about our projects that help them connect scientific concepts to God’s amazing creation.

In social studies, we learned about communities, the United States, and how to use a map. We also talked about citizenship and how we can make our school a better place.

Throughout the trimester, we worked on being kind and respectful to each other. The first trimester has shown us how much we can continue to grow in our faith and academics when we try our very best.

I am so blessed to have these wonderful students for my very first year of teaching. I can not wait to see what the next trimester will bring!

The fourth grade class had a fantastic first trimester! They love learning about their faith, going to Mass, spending time with Jesus in Adoration, and listening to stories of the saints. They also enjoy learning about a different virtue each month. Their first units in religion class have focused on the goodness of God and that our conscience is God’s voice in our hearts. They enjoy listening to Bible stories each week, as well!

In reading class they have finished two novels. We always start the year with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Students enjoy listening to the never ending trials of Peter as he deals with his little brother, Fudge. (Some of them feel like they may be more like Fudge than like Peter!) Then we read Fish in a Tree, a novel about a girl who has struggled with reading for many years because she has dyslexia. This story offers us many lessons on the importance of perseverance and valuing friendship. As we read these novels, we use a variety of reading strategies to help the students become stronger, more confident readers.

In writing class the students started by reviewing how to write strong sentences. They then started working on writing personal narratives. After writing their first drafts, they have been working on revising their stories with strong leads, adding dialogue, including interesting details, and carefully choosing the words they’ll use to tell their stories. The students also do some creative writing each week. Another favorite project was writing about what would happen if they’d been trapped in a pumpkin!

In math class the fourth graders have reviewed topics like place value, addition, and subtraction. Then they practiced the multiplication and division strategies they first learned last year. That was helpful for them as they learned about fractions next, especially how to find equivalent fractions. They finished the trimester by learning how to multiply larger numbers by one-digit numbers. This puts together a variety of skills that they’ve already learned to accomplish a much more challenging task.

In social studies, the class started the year by focusing on the different regions of the United States. They learned the location of each state and things about each region. We’ll continue to learn about the states as the year progresses. Then we moved into our own “neighborhood”, the Great Lakes States. Our new social studies books this year focus on the history of these states told from a Catholic perspective. The class enjoyed learning about what the area was like before Europeans arrived. Then they learned about the French explorers and missionaries who came to our area centuries ago. Next on the list of topics was the Colonial Era, including the French and Indian War.

Miss Westenberg teaches the fourth grade science classes. The third graders have religion with Miss Boettcher. They have also learned about virtues. They have spent time learning about the early parts of Salvation History when we read the bible. The other units they have covered so far have focused on Jesus revealing the Trinity to us, as well as the Kingdom of God.

Soon, 2025 will be coming to an end. It seems like just yesterday we were beginning our first day of fifth grade! We are so happy to be back in school and settled into our routines. The first trimester of fifth grade has been both fun and challenging, and the students have shown that they are more than ready to rise to the challenge.

In language arts and reading, we have been focusing on the importance of the writing process and writing grammatically correct sentences. These skills help students expand their writing abilities and think creatively when forming strong, complete sentences. The class recently completed their “How-To” projects using Google Slides, and they did an outstanding job!

In math, students have been learning about place value, as well as multiplication and division concepts. We continue to build problem-solving skills and strategies, and we will soon begin concentrating on fractions.

During social studies, we have been learning about early settlers, different cultures, and the geography of the United States. In science, we have been studying life science and how living things survive in various environments around the world. Recently, the fifth graders created their own biomes using shoeboxes. They were incredibly creative and inventive in designing their projects.

Religion class has focused on our monthly virtues, specific parts of the Bible, and the different liturgical seasons. Throughout the year, students will also be learning several important prayers in our Catholic faith. In November, students in first through eighth grade had the opportunity to visit the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux at Holy Hill. This was a very special and blessed experience for everyone.

A new addition this year is D.A.R.E. class with Officer Stacy. She has been teaching students about the importance of staying drug-free and making positive choices. The class is currently working on their D.A.R.E. essays and will graduate from the program in December.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our school. It truly is a great day to be a Saint!
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us.

Sixth grade students have had a great first trimester filled with learning, discussion, and growth across subject areas. In social studies, students explored Greek mythology, learning about the heroes of ancient Greece. They read and discussed various myths, focusing on themes, characters, and how these stories helped explain the world to ancient civilizations.

Students also enjoyed reading the novel Restart by Gordon Korman. Through this story, they reflected on themes such as identity, choices, empathy, and second chances, leading to thoughtful class discussions and written responses.

In math, students worked hard building a strong foundation in key skills. They focused on number sense, problem-solving strategies, and mathematical reasoning. Students practiced applying math concepts to real-life situations while developing confidence in explaining their thinking and showing their work.

Overall, the first trimester has been a great start to the school year. The sixth graders have shown enthusiasm for learning, strengthened their academic skills, and continued to grow as responsible and respectful students. We look forward to all they will accomplish in the months ahead!

Science in the middle school setting is focused on different areas unlike the general science of elementary school. The middle school students (grades 6-8) have the opportunity to switch classrooms and visit different teachers throughout their day.

Sixth grade science is centered on the area of Earth science. The curriculum includes the interior earth, earth’s changing surface, weather and climate, and space. Currently the class is focused on plate tectonics after studying rocks, rock cycles, weathering, erosion, and deposition. Recently they created rocks out of airhead candies, are waiting for their eggshell geodes to form, and their petrified “rocks” (papertowels) to dry.

The seventh grade curriculum is life science and covers human biology, life processes, and animals. Students are working on creating a life sized paper skeleton and adding organs as they discover the workings of their bodies. They just added the respiratory system, Dissecting chicken wings gave them a hands-on experience to see muscles, tendons, and ligaments in action. Other dissections are planned in the future as the students continue their studies. They include cow eyes, worms, sea stars, crawfish, fish, and frogs. In the spring the students will travel to the Mackenzie Environmental Center for an overnight field trip to experience many areas of study in the natural world.

Physical science is the topic for eighth grade. Already this year the students had fun creating balloon cars, marble runs, and Rube Goldberg machines while studying motion. Students were given the STEM challenge of creating a Pringle ring using their knowledge of friction. Students will continue with studying waves and light, physical and chemical changes, balancing equations, and the periodic table.

Blink once, and the first trimester is already behind us. For our small but mighty group of 8th graders, these past months have been packed with learning, leadership, and plenty of memorable moments in and out of the classroom.

One of our biggest highlights was reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The students dove into the world of Ponyboy, the Greasers, and the Socs, exploring themes of identity, loyalty, and what it truly means to “stay gold.” Students displayed their knowledge by completing body biographies for the characters. They ended the unit watching the movie adaptation, comparing and contrasting it to the book.

This trimester, the eighth graders had many service opportunities to live their faith through their actions. The students stepped up in meaningful ways at church through arranging flowers, reading at school Masses, learning to be sacristans, and updating the hymnals at St. Bernard Church. Whether it was these roles, helping younger students, or finding small ways to support those around them, each eighth grade student learned that leadership often begins with simple acts of kindness.

Our class is like a team—and this trimester, that team grew stronger. We faced challenges, celebrated successes, and learned how each person’s unique strengths contribute to our group. From group projects to quiet moments of reflection, the students showed resilience, empathy, and a growing sense of responsibility as they step closer to high school.

As we continue to learn and grow, we wish you a very happy 2026, full of God’s love and special blessings!

This trimester, students from Pre-K through 8th grade focused on preparing their hearts and artwork for the Advent season through projects that reflected both creativity and faith. One of our major efforts was the “Keep Christ in Christmas” poster contest, which encouraged students to reflect on the true meaning of the season and prepare for the coming of Christ.

Each class also helped decorate a 3-dimensional Nativity set for the Milford Hills fundraising event—bringing the Christmas story to life through color, texture, and imagination. In another beautiful project, our 7th graders designed and hung illuminated letters spelling out O Come, O Come, Emmanuel along the fence outside of the school, spreading the message of hope and anticipation to our greater community.

4th graders studied the illuminated lettering of the historic Book of Kells and created their own initials using similar techniques. Meanwhile, 8th graders developed their handwork and patience by sewing colorful bullseye hot pads—an involved project that included hand-cutting, machine sewing, hand stitching, and ironing.

Our youngest learners explored art through play: Kindergarteners rolled and stamped their names into playdough, strengthening fine motor skills and practicing name recognition in a hands-on way.

Throughout the trimester, students across all grades not only learned new artistic techniques but also built life skills—collaboration, focus, and perseverance—all while keeping Christ at the heart of their creative expression.

This trimester, we explored a wide variety of musical experiences. We began by continuing our learning about Rangoli and the Festival of Lights, a unit we started last year. Students watched how Rangoli designs are created on the floor using colored powder. The designs were beautiful, and the students truly enjoyed watching them come to life while listening to the calming music that often accompanies the process.

We also learned about marching bands and how performers create images on the field that coordinate with the music. We watched several Ohio State Marching Band halftime shows, and students quickly recognized the amount of practice and teamwork required to prepare for such impressive performances.

Throughout the trimester, we sang many seasonal songs, including songs about flowers, pumpkins, and gnomes. We also read and sang along with song tales such as The Napping House and Had a Little Rooster. To help practice keeping a steady beat, we played fun musical games, including “Pass the Pumpkin.”

In addition, we enjoyed a short dance unit where students learned the six-step, a hip-hop dance, and a Latin dance. We also explored some unusual instruments, such as the theremin, slide whistle, and musical “cats” from Japan. Students listened to examples of these instruments being played and were fascinated by their unique sounds.

We had a little dancing unit. We learned how to do the 6-step, a hip-hop dance, and a Latin dance. We also learned about some bizarre instruments such as the theremin, slide whistle, and musical "cats" from Japan. We heard examples of those instruments being played.

Last week, our school community came together to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas during our annual Christmas program, Come, True Light. Students worked hard to prepare and did a wonderful job sharing the story of Jesus’ birth through song, narration, and performance. Their joy, confidence, and enthusiasm were evident as they took the stage, reminding us all of the hope and love that Christmas brings.

We are so proud of our students for their dedication and effort, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to our teachers, staff, and volunteers who helped make the program such a success. It was a beautiful and meaningful way to prepare our hearts for the Christmas season.

Physical education is an important class at WCS. We know that physical education plays a critical role in helping children establish healthy habits from a young age. These classes teach students not only how to play games but also how to value the importance of staying active, sportsmanship, and taking care of their bodies.

Physical education classes always begin with student led warm-up exercises. Doing this allows the students to show leadership while getting ready for class time.

In this trimester, our units have included football, soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Younger students have used the parachute, hula hoops, and scooters recently.

Students in grades four through eight run the mile three times during the school year. My hope in having the kids run the mile three times is to see what improvements they made from each run. I would love to see running and exercise become a lifelong habit for these kids.

The top three female mile runners were Lainey Schliewe, Hannah Roberts, and Katie Mudler. The top three male mile runners were Leo Getz, Emmet Williams and Tyler Kruesel.

Watertown Catholic Athletics just finished the coed volleyball season. The A league team which consisted of students from seventh and eighth grade had a great season. They finished third at the league tournament at the beginning of the month. We would like to thank Laci Cummings, Jenny DaWalt, Kari Kaufmann, Stacy Schroeder for coaching the teams this season. An assembly recognizing the athletes will be held at St. Henry at a later date.

Basketball practice has begun with games starting in January. This year we only have two teams. We have a boys 5th and 6th grade team, and a boys 7th and 8th grade team.

St. Therese Catholic School Athletic Board is always looking for members. New members are always welcome.

Watertown Catholic School student council is busy planning the school year. Meetings are held at least once a month traditionally with two representatives from each class. At these meetings ideas are discussed for spirit theme days and service projects. Since the beginning of the school year the students have been able to dress up for numerous themed days. Packers Day, Red, White, and

Blue Day (Veterans Day), Camouflage/Blaze Orange Day, Halloween Costume Day, and Gosling Day have already been held. Classes with at least 75% participation receive a spirit point and the class with the most points at the end of the year receives a special treat. Currently first and eighth grade are in the lead with the most points.

December is a busy month. Plaid Day and Dress Like A Christmas Tree will prepare us for a very busy last week of school before Christmas break. Theme days the week before break will be Jingle Bell Rock (wear bells), Long Winter’s Nap (cozy pj, slipper, and stuffed animal day), Santa’s Little Helpers (dress the part), and Let’s Build a Snowman (wear scarves, hats, gloves). Ugly Sweater/Christmas Sweater Day will be celebrated the day before break. All participants will receive a sweet surprise.

Students planned for Red Ribbon Week which is an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug and violence prevention awareness campaign observed annually in October in the United States. All classrooms voted on the red ribbon that was worn during the week. The Student Council held a

very successful “Socktober” campaign in October with 137 pairs of socks donated and a “Happy Birthday Jesus” collection for the food pantry was held in November that collected enough supplies to make 40 bags filled with cake mix, frosting, candles, napkins, and plates for birthday treat. Dessert items will be collected in December for our monthly service project for the food pantry. Monthly the classes also create door decorations for the nursing home.

School Office Hours:

The school office will have set hours of 7:40 am to 3:30 pm each week, except for Wednesdays since it's our early release day. The office is open from 7:40 am to 2:30 pm that day.

Phone Numbers:

School Office: 920-261-2586

Parish Office: 920-261-7273

Emails:

• Sherry Harms, principal: sharms@watertowncatholic.org
• School Secretary: secretarysth@watertowncatholic.org

Address:

St. Therese School

300 E. Cady Street

Watertown, WI 53094