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December Class Activities
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Ms. Washburn and Pre-Kindergarten
In Pre-K, the students have been completing holiday activities. We discussed the season of winter and made winter trees using various art materials. We read the story, The Gingerbread Man. The students sequenced gingerbread men from smallest to largest and matched numerals to amounts using holiday stickers and buttons. The students could listen to the The Gingerbread Man story at our listening center. During this season of Advent, the children made advent wreaths and learned why we celebrate Christmas. Our prayer table contains religious material focusing on the preparation of Jesus’ birth.
Ms. Tomasulo and Kindergarten
The Kindergarten students are learninglearned how to "peer edit". They wrote letters to God thanking him for the wonderful gift of Jesus. Each child had a chance to edit a friend’s paper. In Language Arts they learned about nouns and verbs and reviewed basic sight words to help them form sentences. We read about communities, community helpers and ways that we travel around using different vehicles. We read about "Christmas Around the World" and the children learned how customs and traditions are celebrated in other countries. The children brought in toysfor the organization called "Toys for Tots”. The children attached a letter on each gift to send to the needy children.
Ms. Sattler and First Grade
The First Grade just finished a unit on animals. The students were excited about finding information on their favorite animal and reporting it to the class. They learned about animal habitats, what they need to survive, and how animals protect themselves from predators.
We are beginning a new unit on singing and dancing. We will learn about the different ways people sing and dance. Each student will have an opportunity to choose a country and write a report explaining the different types of song and dance in that country.
In Religion we are learning about Advent and the special meaning of waiting for the coming of Jesus. We learned what each candle and color symbolize on the Advent wreath. They are learning about the importance of Christmas and how special this celebration is a time to be thankful, joyful, and loving.
From the First Grade we wish everyone a Happy and Healthy Christmas Season. May Santa be good to all!!!!
Mrs. Hund and Second Grade
The Second Grade is preparing to present The Nativity Play at our upcoming Christmas Concert on December 18th. We are working hard and learning all about the story of the birth of Jesus. We made beautiful Advent Wreaths which we have on our big bulletin board in our classroom. Each week we light another candle on our wreaths. We will take them home and share them with our families. We made candles to hang on our School Christmas Tree, to remind everyone that Jesus is the Light of the World and he shines through our words and actions. We talked about what we can do during Advent to let others see Jesus' light shining in us.
In connection with our studies of the First Thanksgiving, we learned about immigrants. We interviewed an immigrant and wrote a report all about our interviews. We are also studying animals and just finished researching a person who works with animals. We completed a Research Report on the animal worker of our choice. We have reports on Veterinarians, Zoo Keepers, Animal Trainers, Circus Workers, Aquarium Workers, and many more.
We are sharpening up those Basic Math Addition & Subtraction Facts, because we're moving on, learning to add two digit numbers with regrouping (we used to call that carrying!). In Science, we have been studying plants. We looked at the inside and outside of seeds using magnifying glasses. We recorded our observations by drawing and labeling what we saw. We also planted seeds and watched how they grew. First we gave them sun and water, then we saw some roots growing downward, next we saw a bud pop up, and now our plants are growing up, up and away. We have to take them home to replant them in a bigger container!
We love going to our Computer Lab each week! We have been working on some great websites to strengthen our Grammar Skills in nouns, verbs, and now plural nouns. As you can see, we are very busy bees in Grade 2!
Ms. Nixon and Third Grade
In Religion the third grade students wrote a paragraph about what three things they plan on doing this Advent season. They also learned about Juan Diego and created a class cloak with Mary’s picture on it. In Math - Survey Says! The students learned how to take a survey and create bar, line and pictographs. In Science the students created a beautiful four staged life cycle of a butterfly including labels, pictures and diagrams. In Social Studies they are learning about inventors and soon will be creating their own inventions. Who knows, maybe one day they will be patented!
Mrs. Guttman and Fourth Grade
The fourth grade just completed a Social Studies group projects on the New York colony. Each group chose their project from a given list. These ranged from creating a play to constructing a longhouse. They worked hard on preparing for the school's Advent liturgy. In the computer lab they created Power Point presentations based on their personal narratives. They presented them using the Smart Board.
Mr. Hamilton and Grade 5
In Social Studies the seventh graders worked on technology presentations dealing with the colonial period. They will present their reports on power point using the Smart Board. These reports compared the technology during the colonial period to the technology of today.
The fifth grade students researched different types of farming methods used in the Southwestern Native American cultures.
Mrs. Berical and Grade 6
The Sixth Grade has begun an author study of books by Gary Paulsen. Three of his novels are being read, discussed, and compared within Literature Circles. The unit will conclude with the students sharing comparisons of characters, setting, plot, and theme on a Power Point presentation. The sixth grade class has also been responsible for cleaning and organizing St. Margaret’s food pantry as a service project. We hope to replenish items during the month of February and will be seeking donations at that time.
Ms. Peterson and Grade 7-1
The science lab is filled with cells, cells, and more cells! The sixth and seventh graders just finished a unit of the structure and functions of plant and animal cells. The sixth graders created cells out of craft materials, corn syrup and plastic bags. It was a messy project, but they sure had a great time! The seventh graders created cells out of craft materials, homemade play dough, and paper plates. Not only were these cells well done - they were accurate too! The fifth graders are currently in the middle of a lab on transpiration. The students had to follow directions and set up the lab all by themselves. They did a wonderful job! The eighth grade science class is currently studying minerals and recently created a mystery mineral lab. In this lab the students had to figure out what minerals they had by completing a series of tests on the minerals. We look forward to the science fair in January!
Ms. Scott and Grade 7-2
In our literature classes we are wrapping up one literature circle with a “Did You Know” project. The students were encouraged to reflect their real thoughts on the books in their reviews and not what they think the teacher might expect to read. One seventh grade class just started reading historical novels, and the groups are soon to complete time-traveler projects. The students in Grade 7-2 will be sending Christmas messages to our veterans. We have also decided to join a campaign to petition the president-elect to do something about the situation in Darfur. We used the Internet to research the devastation in that area of the Sudan.
Ms. Fitzgerald and Eighth Grade
The 5th Math class has started a unit on fractions. They are learning about different ways to represent fractions/mixed numbers and have played various games, like Bingo and Math Relay, to test their knowledge. Some 7th graders have volunteered their time to help tutor the 5th grade students every Thursday after school. Special thanks to: Cora Coughlan, Kelly Feeney, Jacqueline Lacovara, Shannon Kelly, Timmy Daly, Aidan Judge, and Nicole Feeney.
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