| February, 2012 |
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I cannot believe the school year is going by so quickly! Already we are into
the third quarter, the second half of the year. This is the time for students to renew
their commitment to studies and continue to push themselves. The seventh graders no longer have Art, but are taking Health from Mr. Myers during the old Art time slot. Drama has been added to their schedules on Tuesday afternoons after lunch. These changes are reflected in the new schedule each student has received. The uniform changes for Tuesday school masses have been a delight to see. The boys look very handsome in their dress shirts and ties, and the girls look more 'dressed up' in their skirts. The students have also reviewed the appropriate way to receive communion – clean hands, bow first, create an 'altar' with hands at chest level, and say 'Amen' loudly enough for the Eucharistic minister to hear. We want to reinforce the idea of the reverence with which we should receive the Body of Christ. Social Studies finds the seventh graders in Rome, studying the development of government and comparing it to the government in America. The web quests that are assigned are designed with higher-order thinking questions that will take more effort to answer. Sometimes it is a matter of piecing the information together rather than just looking for the answer in print. Future chapters include Africa, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. The eighth graders are focusing on the development of the government as we know it today. A secondary goal for this class is in the area of public speaking. Students will be presenting PowerPoints, posters, and short speeches to gain a level of comfort when speaking in front of an audience. The sixth graders are moving very quickly through the math chapters and are currently studying decimals. There is always activity in math, whether it is through team competitions, partner board work, or individual white board work. The class time flies! Continuing with the theme of how geography affects the growth of civilizations, the sixth graders are completing their study of the Indus Valley. Future chapters include World Religions and Government. All classes are off to a great start to the second half of the school year. I appreciate the opportunity to infuse our Catholic faith into all points of the day as we embrace the concept of 'Believing in the difference faith makes'. May the Holy Spirit guide us through the remainder of the school year to make it a happy and productive one. |
| Mrs. Whiteley |