From Christina Clem, M.Ed. Principal

Posted on January 26, 2012, by Christina Clem, under Principal's Desk.

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“St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School:  Faith, Academics, Service”

Catholic Schools Week 2012-2013

It was great seeing all of our St. Elizabeth children again after the nice Christmas break!  Time continues to fly by,  and we will already be kicking off our 2012-2013 Catholic Schools Week on Sunday, January 29th, with an Opening Mass at 10 am!   It always means so much to us as a community of faith to celebrate Mass with our school families and students as well as with our parish community during this yearly event.  This will be followed by an Open House for Prospective Families in the School, to begin after Mass until 1:30 pm. Students who attend Mass at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, wearing their school uniform, this weekend (January 28 & 29)  will receive a Dress Down Day on Monday, January 30th.

This year’s Catholic Schools Week Calendar of Activities Events will appear later in this newsletter!  We look forward to our families joining us throughout this fun week as we celebrate Catholic education at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School!

Registration packets and information for the 2012-2013 school year will be going home on Monday, January 30th.  St. Elizabeth School will continue to offer Tuesday Tours for prospective families throughout the remainder of the school year as well as the Open House for prospective families on Sunday from 11:30 am-1:30 pm.  The most effective means for marketing all the wonderful things St. Elizabeth School has to offer is YOU, the parents, through “word of mouth!”  If you know of anyone seeking a quality faith-based education, please encourage them to either attend our Open House or to call the school office to schedule a tour and informational question/answer session with the principal.

On behalf of everyone here at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the following volunteers for going above and beyond the call of duty to help prepare our school for our Open House this past weekend:

• Monica Connelly
• Denise Christian
• Cassidy Christian
• Maurice Aguilar
• Hailey Hunt
• Lisa Hunt
• Terry Bradley
• Flor Barrientos
• Charles Swayzer
• Jacinto Reyes
• Julian Reyes
• Elia Martinez
• Cole Patin, Sr.
• Theresa Patin
• Cole Patin, Jr.
• Steven Thompson
• Mr. & Mrs. Gerardo Acosta
• Russell Jones
• Mr. Cervantes

The contributions of our many volunteers not only contribute to the greatness of our school but also to the community spirit!

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School

Catholic Schools Week Calendar of Events & Activities

January 29, 2012-February 3, 2012

“Faith, Academics, Service”

 Sunday, Jan. 29^th:  “Gathering in Community”

• Opening Liturgy @ 10 am
• Open House 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Monday, Jan. 30^th:  “Sock it To Me!” Day

• Prayer Service @ 9 am
• Crazy Sock Day!  All students may wear “crazy” socks!
• Begin “Coat, Blanket, and Sock Drive” to benefit the Marillac Center
• 3^rd & 4^th  Field Trip to the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, 9 am-2 pm
• Family Appreciation Spaghetti Dinner, beginning @ 6 pm
• Dress Down Day for those students who attend Mass wearing their St. E. school uniform on Sunday

Tuesday, Jan. 31^st:  “Twin” Day

• Dress as Twins
• Portable Universe Program Gr. PK3-2, throughout the day
• 3^rd & 4^th  Field Trip to “Body-ology”, 8:30 am-2 pm
• 5^th & 6^th Field Trip to Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, 9 am-2 pm
• Diocesan Religion Scholars Competition @  Prince of Peace, 10 am-12 pm

 Wednesday, Feb. 1^st:  “Go Green!” Day

• Dress Down in Green for Science Fair Day
• Pri-Intermediate Spelling Bee-morning, 8:30 am
• Science Fair-all day
• Booster Club Café, 4 pm-6 pm
• Science Fair Awards Ceremony, 6 pm

 Thursday, Feb. 2^nd:  “PBJ Jean” Day

• Buck-a-Jeans Day to Raise Money for PBJ’s to Feed the Homeless
• Sea World In-School Activity for Intermediate Grades, 1 pm
• 7^th & 8^th  Field Trip to the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, 9 am-2 pm

Friday, Feb. 3^rd:  “Recognition” Day

• Mass, 8 am
• Christian Witness Awards
• Awards Ceremony in Gym, 9:45 am
• Volunteers of the Year
• Honor Roll
• Religion Bee
• Spelling Bees
• CSW Art Poster Contest
• Science Fair
• Teacher of the Year
• Athletic Event in Gym, 11 am
• NOON DISMISSAL FOR STUDENTS
• Teacher Luncheon & Staff Development, 12:30 pm

 

 

 

 

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Important Dates-January & February 2012

Posted on January 26, 2012, by Christina Clem, under Uncategorized.

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• January 29     CSW Opening Liturgy, 10 am
• January 29     Open House for Prospective Famillies, 11:30 am-1:30 pm
• January 30     Prayer Service, 9 am
• January 30     3rd & 4th Grade Field Trip to Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, 9 am-2 pm
• January 30     Family Appreciation Spaghetti Dinner, 6 pm-7:30 pm
• January 30     Dress Down Day for Students who attend St. Elizabeth Parish for Mass in uniform
• January 31     Dallas Museum of Nature and Science “Portable Universe”, PK3-2nd grades in gym
• January 31     3rd & 4th Field Trip to “Body-ology”, 8:30 am-2 pm
• January 31     5th & 6th Grade Field Trip to Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, 9 am-2 pm
• January 31     Diocesan Middle School Religion Scholars Competition, Prince of Peace, 10 am
• February 1     Pri-Intermediate Spelling Bee, 8:30 am
• February 1     Science Fair, throughout the school day
• February 1     Science Fair Cafe sponsored by the St. E Booster Club, 4-6 pm
• February 1     Science Fair Awards Ceremony, 6 pm
• February 2     7th & 8th Grade Field Trip to Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, 9 am-2 pm
• February 2     Sea World In-School Field Trip, 3rd-5th Grades, 1 pm, in cafeteria
• February 3     CSW Children’s Liturgy & Christian Witness Awards, 8 am, in the church
• February 3     CSW Awards Ceremony, 9:45 am, in gym
• February 3     CSW Athletic Event, 11 am, in gym
• February 3     NOON DISMISSAL
• February 3     Teacher Appreciation Luncheon & Staff Development, 12:30-3 pm
• February 4     Confirmation Rehearsal & Retreat, 10 am-6 pm
• February 7     8th Grade Field Trip to BLHS Musical
• February 8     Diocesan Principals Meeting
• February 9     Faculty Staff Development, 3:30 pm, NO TUTORIALS
• February 11   Confirmation & Reception, 5 pm
• February 16   Eucharistic Minsiter Training for 8th Grade
• February 20   Presidents Day, NO SCHOOL
• February 22   Ash Wednesday, 8 am Mass
• February 23   Third Quarter Progress Reports
• February 23   Buck-a-Jeans Day & Snack Sale
• February 27-28  Diocesan Principals Lenten Retreat

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From Beth Belcher, MTS – Director of Religious Education

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Beth Belcher, under Religious Education.

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Welcome back to school after a wonderful Christmas vacation!  I hope that your time away from school was as blessed and fulfilling as mine was!

Catholic Schools Week is coming right up, January 29 – February 3.  The theme this year is Faith, Academics, Service.  We will open the week with 10am Mass on Sunday and have a prayer service on Monday morning at 9am.  It is really great to see Academics sandwiched in between the two important aspects of every good Christian, faith and service.  Here at St Elizabeth’s we put great emphasis on building our students with a living faith that can sustain the trials of everyday living.  They are learning to be a saint right where they are, in their lives as children.  This is a very valuable perspective for our students; to realize that faith is something we live, not just something we are tested on in class.  We also take the cue from our patroness, St Elizabeth of Hungary, whose church and hospital ruins I was privileged to visit on my recent trip to Marburg, Germany.  St Elizabeth put the poor and needy ahead of her own comforts and was desirous of doing the Will of God completely in her life; service was her way of contributing to the community and the Church.  We, too, promote service as a way of life and do a great job of instilling this concept in our students.  Please talk with your children about the service that they do, and let them know that we are the hands, feet and voice of Christ on earth.  We really do make the difference!

As we return to worship together as a community, we turn to the Church calendar to see that we have come again to Ordinary Time, the time that is counted between the Christmas season and the next great season of the Church, Lent.  Ordinary Time is a time to allow ourselves to rest in Christ and grow in his grace.  The Church color green represents this season and reminds us that growth in good and necessary.  We prepare ourselves in this holy season as one who is anticipating the experience of  nature in its finest moments.  It can be compared to a time when you, perhaps, have taken a nice long walk on a beautiful day and were aware enough of God in nature and you were transformed.  Ordinary Time is our time to open ourselves to God and ask for the grace of growth in Him and with our neighbor.  In this holy time of the year, before Ash Wednesday and the sacrifices of Lent, help your children to realize the beauty and majesty of God in your everyday life.  Whether it is the beauty of your children or talent that God has given them, or something that is delightful and remarkable in nature, God is here presenting us with His goodness in every way!

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Mrs. Belew – School Development

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Elizabeth Belew, under School Development.

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We are so excited about the iPad Project!  The Apple iPad is a great tool for learning and for research and students of all ages. The learning possibilities are limitless when an iPad is introduced to a classroom. Kids will learn new ways to express themselves in a multitude of ways.

Here’s a snapshot of the school’s plan for the iPad Project:

•  How the iPad will be used will be determined by their grade level.

The primary students will be using the iPads in centers in every  subject – math, science, music, art, reading – the possibilities are endless.  The students “play games” but are actually learning in the process, reinforcing the days’ lessons.

• Mrs. Guerrero had to make a schedule for the students so that they would not quibble over turns with the iPad.
• Compared to past classes, Mrs. Guerrero has found improvement in the students who may require extra help.

 

The upper grades will focus more on Project Based Learning, which is an instructional approach built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation. These activities are designed to answer a question or solve a problem and generally reflect the types of learning and work people do in the everyday world outside the classroom. Having the iPad available for these projects in the classroom will free up tech lab time for other students in addition to engaging students in activities that incorporate fun into the learning process.

 

• Project Based Learning teaches students 21st century skills as well as content. These skills include communication and presentation skills, organization and time management skills, research and inquiry skills, self-assessment and reflection skills, and group participation and leadership skills – all of which are useful, real world applications.

• Project Based Learning also allows students to reflect upon their own ideas and opinions, exercise voice and choice, and make decisions that affect project outcomes and the learning process in general.  In essence, the teacher becomes a facilitator; thereby allowing the students some freedom in the learning process and helping them realize that learning is fun.  They are not simply memorizing facts to recite and not retain.  It is our goal for these students to get hooked on learning, for learning’s sake.

• Laptop vs iPad.  In the world of education, the iPad has so many compelling pro’s over the laptop:

• It so easy to use, even our Primary students need little instruction in its operation.

• Portability – with its many applications it’s not just an iPad; it’s a…
• Globe
• Musical instrument
• Novel
• Flash cards
• Encyclopedia
• Much, much more!

• Efficient use of classroom time – the iPad fires up within seconds.           Classes do not have to wait for everything to load, saving valuable classroom instruction time as everyone will be on the same page almost instantly.

• The tactile nature of the iPad is another distinguishing factor in the iPad vs. laptop debate. For tactile-kinesthetic learners, an iPad can be more engaging than a laptop

• Software vs Apps – One of our largest hurdles with our desktop/laptop computers is having funds to purchase educational software.  To date, with our five iPads, we’ve downloaded 154 free educational apps and paid $4.99 for a Garage Band app.

• Microsoft has just come out with an app that allows the creation of spreadsheets, slide presentations and documents on the iPad!  The students will also always have access to the Tech Labs for any intensive projects that would involve those various programs.

This is just the tip of the iceberg – new apps and new ideas by teacher’s crop up every day.  There are countless resources available to teachers for the many uses of the iPad in the classroom.  Educators across the globe are very enthusiastic about sharing what they have learned with other teachers.  The possibilities are ENDLESS!

iPad Project Drive Update: Donations jumped at the end of December from $2,390 .00 to $6,260.00  from 15 St. E. families out of 216 (7%),  three St. E. Alumni families and three Employer with Matching Funds – THANK YOU!!  If you are new to the school or have not contributed in past drives, please consider becoming a part of this very worthwhile project.  Remember that your gift is 100% tax deductible and all gifts are appreciated – the only gift that is too small is no gift at all!

I am in the process of writing a grant to The Catholic Foundation for this project and we should be notified of the outcome sometime in March or April.  As I mentioned in a previous newsletter post, The Catholic Foundation traditionally funds about 55% or less of our requests, depending on the purpose.  Our grant request will be close to $100,000.00, meaning, if awarded, we will hopefully receive about $55,000.00, so your support is very important for this project to be successful!

Thank you to the following families who have already made their pledges and contributions. Your generosity is greatly appreciated: Anonymous Family, Acosta Family, Bank of America/Rosas, Barrilleaux Family, Belew Family, Borth Family, Goza Family, Henry Family, January Family, Kelleher Family, Macias Family, Prudential/Spillman, Reyes Family, Rosas Family, Spillman Family, Stansberry Family, Swayzer Family, Tiffany & Company/Macias, Ventura Family, Walkley Family

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Steven Thompson – Advisory Council

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Elizabeth Belew, under Advisory Council.

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The functions of the Advisory Council are to:

• Advise the Principal on School policies, programs, services, and strategic planning.

• Serve as an information resource for the School when requested.

• Conduct special studies and assignments as requested by the Pastor or Principal.

• Advise the Principal and Pastor on financial matters including assisting the Principal in development of the School’s annual operating budget; determining sources of funding for the annual operating budget, and establishing the annual tuition rates.

• Present the School to the public, to civic authorities, and to the Catholic community as a school imparting quality Catholic education in all aspects of living: spiritual, intellectual, cultural, physical, social, and civic.

• The Advisory council has an ongoing involvement with the strategic planning process for the school.

If you have questions about the advisory council or becoming involved, please contact me at estetrent@gmail.com.

Steven Thompson
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School
Advisory Council President

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Saint’s Finest Chocolate Sale

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Sandy Walkley, under Fundraisers.

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WORLD’S FINEST CHOCOLATE SALE FUNDRAISER

IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!

 The World’s Finest Chocolate Sale Fundraiser is one of our school’s major fundraisers.  The proceeds will go toward the school’s operating budget to meet expansion needs and to provide enhancements to our school’s educational programs.  It is important we all do our part to help meet this year’s goal.  Every student will benefit from your support!

 

Top Seller Awards:

1^st Place:   Registration Fee (up to $350 value)*

2^nd Place:  Kindle Fire (Wi-Fi) or Nook Color (Wi-Fi)

3^rd Place:  iPod Touch 8G 4^th gen or Nintendo 3DS

4^th Place:  Kindle Touch (Wi-Fi) or Nook Simple (Wi-Fi)

5^th Place:  $75 Visa Gift Card

 

Each family will be responsible for 50 items (25 assorted chocolate bars & 25 boxes of chocolate covered almonds) = $100.00.  Chocolate will be sent home next week during Catholic Schools Week.

NEED MORE CHOCOLATE RIGHT AWAY?:  Any family who would like additional chocolate sent home with their student on the first day, please email Sandy Walkley at swalkley@saintspride.com or stop in at the school.
 

* Redeemable only at St. Elizabeth Catholic School for the 2012-2013 school year.  Full amount must be applied to one (1) student.  Cash will be awarded only to an 8^th grade student winner with no sibling(s) registering for the 2012-2013  school year.

 

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Box Tops for Education Contest

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Sandy Walkley, under Fundraisers.

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Box Tops Contest

DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 15TH!!

TOTALS SO FAR TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!!!

 

Great Prizes:

• 1^st Place Student $50.00 gift card
•  Homeroom of winning student   (Ice Cream Sundae Party)
• 2^nd Place Student $25.00 gift card
• 3^rd Place Student $15.00 gift card

Choice of gift cards includes:

Walmart, Target, Game Stop, Sonic, McDonald’s

 

 

Instructions and Rules:

• Bundle in groups of 50 Box Tops
• Label each bundle of 50 Box Tops with student’s name and homeroom.
• Bundles should be rubber banded, snack size zip locks, envelopes, etc.
• Check Expiration Dates: Yes they do check! Discard expired labels.
• Trim excess packaging away
• Turn into homeroom teacher’s collection box
• Deadline is Wednesday Feb 15th

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Miss Vercillo – Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Beth Vercillo, under Literacy.

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I want to thank all the parents who came to our first Parent Reading Workshop! The feedback was terrific! I will definitely be scheduling a second session soon!

The reading intervention classes are going well ,and we will be hosting a Take Flight Parent day on January 17th. If you are interested in seeing what this is all about please feel free to drop in.

Happy New Year and keep those kids reading!!!!!!

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Mrs. Porter – Pre KA

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Pamela Porter, under Pre-kindergarten.

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This is my FAVORITE time of the school year when everyone already knows one another, the little quirks have been ironed out, and the children already have a sense of what the expectations are in the classroom.  So now we can spread our wings and FLY!   We will be doing just that in the next few months.    Now that we have the basic skills to use the many classroom tools we need to accomplish our lessons, the students will start rolling all their prior knowledge and lessons into making things happen for them academically.

We will continue our trek through the alphabet sounds, move on to number recognition 5-10, introduce the vowel sounds, and begin talking about the various letters in our alphabet that come together to make unexpected sounds.  We will continue sorting by color, objects and begin to make 2 color patterns in Math.  The students will have daily activities that will teach them to recognize their name in print.  The Investigator Club is teaching us some good study skills ’investigate’ and look deeper into our world through the use of environmental sounds and clues, writing tools such as list, graphs, and picture cues when we need to find out something we do not already understand.   The characters will lead us through many fun activities of investigation helping to build an awareness of the very basics of discovery and learning as we try new things.

Of course this is all at an introductory level, however, research shows that students who have learned the letter sounds initially, even before the name of the letter, and can easily ‘manipulate’ the letters in the alphabet, will be stronger emergent readers.  With the help of the Open Court program and the Sadlier Investigator Club program, the students will be building a solid foundation of fundamentals to learning that will help them for many years to come.   That is my goal here in our Language Arts for the remaining school year, to help my students learn to manipulate the alphabet in fun and exciting ways!

Please stay tuned to our weekly classroom newsletter for details of each week and the plans I have for our classroom.   We are looking forward to the upcoming In-House Field trips that Mrs. Bowan has scheduled for us and appreciate your prompt response when we send requests for assistance from the home.   These programs and visitors are used as extended lessons to our classroom activities and are an important element to our curriculum.    Have a happy beginning to what is sure to be an AMAZING year for your preschooler!

 

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Mrs. Strunk – Pre-K B

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Kathy Strunk, under Pre-kindergarten.

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Happy New Year! We pray God blesses all of our families with health and happiness this year.

PreK B will be working very hard this month.

RELIGION

We will talk about the Epiphany and how the three kings came to visit baby Jesus.

We will be getting ready to go to church with the rest of the St. Elizabeth School Community.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This month we will finish our Community Helper Unit. We have been discussing Community Helpers, what they do, and what kind of equipment they may use. Open Court Series is now introducing the letters and sounds.

Our next unit will be “Things That Go”.

MATH

Numerals are what we are working with this month. We will also be doing some measuring and weighing.

IMPORTANT DATES:

January 16, 2012 – Vacation Day

January 26, 2012 – Buck-a-Jean, Snack Sale

January 29, 2012 – Start of Catholic Schools Week – More information coming

Open House

February 2012

February will bring lots of love!

Religion

In February we will be talking about the season of Lent. We will be discussing Baptism and reading New Testament Stories. We will also have a Passion Play that all of the parents will be invited to before Easter. I will be giving more information about that in the parent letters.

Language Arts

We will begin a new unit in our Investigator Club called Splash and Dig and a new unit in Open Court called Let’s Go.

Math

We will work on numbers 1 – 15. We will also be discussing things that float or sink. We will also work on addition and subtraction.

Important Dates:

February 3, 2012 – Noon Dismissal

February 14, 2012 – Exchange Valentine’s Card – more information later!

February 20, 2012 – Vacation Day

February 22, 2012 – First Day of Lent

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Mrs. Guerrero & Ms. Lane – Kindergarten

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Melissa Guerrero, under Kindergarten.

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Happy New Year!  This is what we will be doing for the next couple of weeks:

Religion – We are working on a book about the life of Jesus. We are reading the Bible and learning about Jesus’ life and the many miracles He performed.

Language Arts – Wind is the new unit we will learn about!  Our goals are to learn about the wind through books, pictures, discussion, and active experimentation. We will learn about informational prose and its difference from narrative. And finally, we will learn about informational writing and illustration. We will continue to work on letters, sounds, blending, segmenting, and fluency when reading. Decodable books are going home each evening. Please have your child read his/her decodable each night. This will build fluency!  We read “The Mitten,” and we had fun making milkshakes with our mittens. Below are some pictures of us making milkshakes, YUMMM!

 

Math – Our goals for this month are to continue to recognize numerals 1 – 60, order numerals on a number line, count by 5′s and 10′s, identify missing numeral on a number line, solve simple subtraction problems, discriminate between subtraction and addition stories, make AB, AABB, and ABC patterns, recognize and name hexagon.

Science – We have been learning about PETS. We will know how to identify and classify pets. We will learn how to identify how animals move, body coverings, and what animals need in order to live. The creature teacher will be visiting us in January! We can’t wait to see all of the animals!

Social Studies – We will learn about the planets in our solar system!  We will learn interesting facts about each planet and make a rocket book about what we have learned! We will learn how we are a part of the universe!

 

 

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Mrs. Patton & Ms. Meroni – First Grade

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Judy Patton, under First Grade.

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Happy New Year!!  What an eventful year 2011 was, and 2012 promises to be just as busy and productive.

January will be packed with activities.  We will have a day off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and begin the Catholic Schools Week with many fun projects and events.

Here is a brief monthly overview for the month of January.

Math – We will study the chapter on place value to 100.

Science – We will complete the unit on water with a unit test and begin the unit on magnets and electricity.  We will also participate in the Science Fair for Catholic Schools Week.  Each student will create a unique science fair project and present it to the entire 1st Grade!

Social Studies – We will study Unit 3 (Work, Work, Work).  We will also study about the life & significance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  and many of our presidents for President’s Day.

Health – Our topics this month will all be about healthy living and good habits.  This will include healthy food and exercise.

Religion – We will discuss Jesus as a child, how He began His work to spread the Good News, miracles He performed, and how we believe He is the savior of the world.

Language Arts – We will continue with our decodable readers and oral reading tests each Friday.  We will also start weekly Thursday practice Spelling tests and continue Friday regular spelling tests. During Catholic School Week, we will have a Primary Spelling Bee.  Don’t forget about completing the reading logs for each two week period.  We will also continue guided reading groups and will send home a new reader most Fridays.  In phonics, we will finish introducing and then review the long vowels.  In grammar, we will begin the study of contractions, adjectives, and homophones.  As always, we will work on oral blending, phonemic awareness, and phoneme segmentation.  Journal writing and traveling books will also be continued.

 

 

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Mrs. Jurik- Second Grade

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Linda Jurik, under Second Grade.

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Math:    The students will subtract two-digit numbers with and without regrouping.  They will subtract horizontally and vertically.  Students will also begin the unit on Geometry.

Spelling:  Students will spell words with oo, u_e, wh, sh, th, and ch.

Reading: The students have begun a reading unit on animals and camouflage.   They will continue to use the following reading strategies: asking questions, making connections, predicting, summarizing, and clarifying.  Students will begin to define vocabulary by using the glossary.

Science: Students will learn about force and work.  They will also learn about how to make work easier with simple machines.

Health: The students will continue to learn healthy habits and they will learn how to take care of their teeth.

English:  Students will do daily journal writing.  They will also write an expository paper.  They will continue coding sentences.  They will be introduced to prepositions in a sentence.

Social Studies:   Students will discuss American leaders  and their accomplishments. They will  discover how our country grew and create a time line.  They will also learn about how technology changed over the years.

Religion:  The children will be grateful for God’s loving mercy in giving us the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Students will begin to focus on the season of Lent.

 

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Mrs Schmitz -Third Grade

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Maria Schmitz, under Third Grade.

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Math

We will be finishing up our multiplication and division unit. Most of the students in the 3rd grade have done an awesome job of memorizing their multiplication facts. This will really help them in the future with math. Once we have finished multiplication and division, we will be focusing our attention on learning to read graphs and charts as well as reviewing time.

Science

We are finishing up our Chemistry Unit, and now it is time to focus on the Science Fair. All projects will be completed in class. Students will work everyday in class on their individual or group project. I am sure you will be proud of the work they accomplish.

Social Studies

Once we finish with our Science Fair projects, we will begin working on Social Studies again. We will learn about prominent African American citizens throughout history, We will also be learning about where communities are located and how the weather and climate impact the lives of people that live in different parts of the world.

Religion

Now that we have learned our Ten Commandments, we are now looking at each of them in detail. We are gaining an understanding of how we should live these commandments in our daily lives. We will also learn about the season of Lent.

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Mrs. Fabian – Third Grade

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Betty Fabian, under Third Grade.

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Welcome back from your holiday!  Hope everyone had a peaceful time off.

Now that we are all rested, it is time to get back to working.  The following is what we will be doing over the next month and into the next month of February.

Reading – Whole group reading of Stuart Little;  Then in February Mr. Popper’s Penguin (purchase by February 1);  Guided reading in small groups.

3rd QTR book report will be completed in class again.  Watch for flyer the first week of 3rd QTR.

Spelling – Sound of /s/, /j/, plurals, and homophones.

Creative Writing – working on Treasure Book poems

English – Finish Chapter 7, then start into Chapter 8 – direct object, verb-transitive and Pattern 2 sentences.

Tutoring will be changing 3rd QTR

Monday – at 7:20-7:50am

Wednesdays – at 3:30-4:00

I will pull the students  who need some extra help on Mondays and Wednesdays at lunch time.

 

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Mrs. McClure – Fourth Grade

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Alexis McClure, under Fourth Grade.

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I hope this month finds all of you falling “head-over-heels” in love with your family and loved ones all over again. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help assist you and/or your student.  Please continue to check the class website.  You can access it through the school website by clicking on my link.  There are many links and tabs that will help assist you and your student.  Please remember, homework is not an option, but a tool to help build in the concepts we have discussed in class.

English/Reading: We are currently working on the last few chapters of Bud, Not Buddy. We will finish this up in the next couple of weeks and begin working on our next novel, The Watson’s Go to Birmingham.   During the third quarter, fourth graders will also complete 2 IN CLASS book reports.  This will help ALL students stay on track meeting expectations within their homework, such as reading daily at home for 30 minutes.  The deadlines for the completed reading will be posted as soon as possible on the website.  These book reports will reflect skills that students should have mastered and help the students practice key concepts such as correct punctuation, complete sentences, capitalization rules, the importance of proof reading, and much more.

Math: We just recently began working with division.  We will continue to practice division skills during the lovely month of February as well as learning and using the check step to make sure we have answered the division problems correctly.  We will continue the “Weekly Check-Ups”.  This is very important and will connect what they children have learned from the beginning of the year as well as pull in the material that we have learned, practiced, and mastered during the week.  This is a great way to bring many different concepts into the long term memory.  It allows children to continue to practice mastered concepts as well as test new ones.  In addition to the “Weekly Check-up, the students will receive a “Mad Minute” test over multiplication facts on Fridays.  If your student is having difficulty with their multiplication facts, they are invited to the class website, where they can play games that are located on links listed on the math tab.

Social Studies: We have just recently finished discussing the first American Colony settled in Texas.  We will test over the Colonization.  We will watch The Alamo as a preview to help the children develop a idea of what we will be reading and discussing, followed by the reading and discussion of the fight at the Alamo and the other battles surrounding the independence of Texas from Mexico.

Science: We are currently working on our Science Fair projects.  Following this we will move back into the “Water Cycle”.  We will begin bringing home a lapbook for science as well.  Please note, this will help the students become better prepared for section material and vocabulary building.

Religion: We currently have finished discussing the 2^nd and 3^rd commandment in detail in class.  We will continue to discuss the Ten Commandments in detail in class.  The next lesson in line is about “Respect”.

 

 

 

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Mrs. Gilburt – Fifth Grade English/Language Arts

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Savannah Gilburt, under Fifth Grade.

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As a new year begins, we reflect on the previous one. Before Christmas break, the 5th grade worked together to present the Jesse Tree. The students did a fantastic job in showing everyone the true meaning of Christmas. Here are a few photos…

    

English

We will be applying our Shurley English when we start our research paper. The students will be given a topic and see what it’s like to research, make note cards, avoid plagiarism, and combine their thoughts to make a research paper. It will be interesting to see how the students can bring all of their previous knowledge of grammar and sentence structure together.

We will also be using our poetry talents to make our treasure books. There are so many creative writers in this class, and I could not think of any better way of showcasing them than in the treasure book.

Reading

We are wrapping up The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and will be moving on to Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. This is a touching and solemn novel about friendship during World War II in Nazi-occupied territory. Students will read about a story that is much different than their lives over here in 21st century Texas. This is still one of my favorite books from elementary school, and I cannot wait to share it with the students.

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Mrs. Fernandez – Fifth & Sixth Grade Math, Fifth Grade Science

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Elizabeth Belew, under Fifth Grade, Sixth Grade.

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Math:

5^th Grade - We are working on the world of fractions.  We are adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.

6^th Grade – We are working on fractions, ratios, proportions and percents.  We are using our new knowledge to price groceries and figure out sales tax.

Science:

In science we are working on our science fair experiments.  5^th grade is the first year we present our work to the judges for ribbons, so the competition is really heating up! In February we will be moving on to Earth Science and the changes to the Earth’s crust.  Excitement is building as we get closer to our trip to the Pines in May.

 

   

    

    

 

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Mrs. Feil – Fifth and Sixth Grade Social Studies

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Kristy Feil, under Middle School Notes.

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I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed start to a new year. I would like to thank all the families for all the thoughtful gifts I received
for Christmas. I was overwhelmed with all your generosity! Again thank you.

5th Grade:

We are beginning our studies of the 13 colonies which will then lead us to the American Revolution War….we will then welcome the new country of the United States of America! The students will learn about the 13 colonies, how they were divided into 3 groups; the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. We will learn how geography affected the economics of each area. The students will also learn how the influence of religion played a major role in the development of these colonies. We will read how freedom was so important to the colonists that they were willing to suffer through hardships for many years during their fight with Britain to gain their independence. We will learn about the people, places, and major battles that mostly impacted the American Revolution. We will see how the American Revolution affected United States history.

6th Grade:

We are studying Ancient Greece, the time period of 1700 B.C. – 500 A.D.  We will read and learn about the rise of Ancient Greece.  We will read about the democracy, philosophy, and arts during this period.  The students will learn how the Greeks honored their gods; they will have a project on Greek Gods and Goddesses which they will do at home (please look for more information to come soon).  We will study Athens, Sparta, and the spread of Greek culture.  We will read about the Persian Empire and the results of their invasion of Greece.  From here we will then begin our unit on Ancient Rome.

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Mrs. Belcher, MTS – Fifth – Eighth Grade Religion

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Beth Belcher, under Middle School Notes.

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Religion classes have been working very hard throughout the entire 1st semester and have accomplished a great deal!  Below is our focus for the next few weeks:

8th:  Faith Sharing #4 will practically be a thing of the past by the time you read this!!  I know that we are all excited about the end to these time consuming assignments.  Rest assured, however, that these assignments will help your child to be able to articulate their faith in God in a way that many of their contemporaries do not have.  We are moving on to the last bit of information before Confirmation, which will take place on Saturday, February 11, at the 5pm Mass.  Please be sure to have your student in the cafeteria no later than 4:15 on that day.  Pictures will be available to be taken.  More information on that soon.  The parish Confirmation retreat will be on Saturday, February 4.  More information will be forthcoming as more information is sent from the rectory.

8th grade will continue to study in our books about the Church, but we will add a timeline element which helps them to place important events and happenings in the Church and the world throughout history.  It is a very valuable timeline which they can take with them into high school.

 

7th: Our study of God and His Son, Jesus, in the New Testament will continue to take up our time.  We will review God’s Plan for Salvation, Moses, and the prophets in order to lead up to Jesus and how the Old Testament is being fulfilled in the New. We will begin to focus, then, on Palestine in the time of Jesus, making our huge paper maps as a precursor to the salt clay maps that are a tradition at St Elizabeth’s.

 

6th: Our study of the Old Testament continues as the sixth graders learn about Abraham, Moses, and the Ten Commandments.  We relate this to ourselves today and find that by following God completely, by listening for His call and asking for His help, we can grow to be the people God is calling us to be.

 

5th:  We continue our understanding of Creation with a focus on the angels.  Students will find that angels are pure spirits, a different ‘species’ than we are and, as such, are not what we become when we die.  God made us separately and lovingly.  We serve a purpose in life that angels don’t and vice versa.  We then will move to ourselves being made in God’s image and how Adam and Eve’s choices gave us Original Sin.  But God gave Baptism to wash away our sad inheritance from Adam and Eve.

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Mrs. Powell – Middle School Social Studies

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Tai Powell, under Middle School Notes.

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7A & B Social Studies

Welcome Back! The students did awesome on their Multimedia Projects over the Texas Revolution. Thank you all for helping the students with coordinating the projects.  They were really entertaining.  We have begun Unit 4. We will work on Unit 4  during the latter part of January and throughout February. In Unit 4, students will be studying about how Texas, after gaining independence from Mexico, establishes its own government before becoming part of the United States in 1845.  Statehood brought an increase in the population until disagreements over slavery led Texas to join the Confederacy.

8A & B Social Studies

I hope everyone had a wonderful break. From January until the middle of February, we will be working on Unit 3. The unit overview shows how as a young republic, the United States was immediately confronted with a wide range of responsibilities, problems, and opportunities in the late 1700s and early 1800s.  This unit examines the presidential administrations of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson.  It also discusses the major political, economic, and foreign policy issues that confronted the United States between 1789 and 1825. At the end of February we will be reading chapter 12.   Chapter 12 will discuss the Jacksonian Era, a new era in politics:  Jackson in the White House, and a new crisis, where Jackson supported states in their attempts to relocate Native Americans.

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Ms. Houston – Middle School Science

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Rhonda Houston, under Middle School Notes.

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Christmas break is behind us, and we move forward into a new year!

Students continue to prepare for the Science Fair on February 1st.   We are in need of volunteers! If you are interested please contact Mrs. Robb or Ms. Houston.

In addition to the Science Fair during Catholic Schools Week, middle school students will visit the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center at Cedar Hill.    Student will have the opportunity for hands-on learning in the natural word, reinforcing classroom concepts in an outdoor setting.  Check out the website to learn more, www.dogwoodcanyonaudubon.org.

6th Grade

The 6th grade class just concluded Earthquakes, and we began Volcanoes and plan to finish this topic this week.   For the rest of the month, we will study the Earth’s Changing Surface (Weathering & Soil Formation, Erosion & Deposition and Geologic Time).

 

7th Grade

Classification of animals and the Six Kingdoms was recently concluded.  We move into Bacteria and Viruses and will end the section with the story called Fever 1793 which is about the Yellow Fever outbreak during the summer of 1793.     This book will provide students the opportunity to read about an epidemic, building on the knowledge of bacteria and viruses previously learned.

 

8th Grade

We finished the Human Body Quest project, allowing students to make a presentation about a provided body system to their peers.   The class is presently in the second book, Animals, starting with simple animals such as sponges, cnidarians (jellyfish) and worms.   We are learning how  they live in their environments and how symmetry applies to their body forms .  Our next topic is Mollusk, Arthropods,  and Reptiles.

 

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Mrs. Robb – 7th & 8th Grade Math/Assistant Principal

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Rachel Robb, under Middle School Notes.

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Reminders: Math Score should be completed every week.  Students have from Monday – Sunday at midnight to complete.  For the month of January students need to have 30 minutes of actively engaged time in order to receive credit.

Students should work on fractions for the month of January.

Tutoring takes place on Mondays and Wednesdays.  If you need help at any other time please contact me.

7th Grade Math

Students are currently studying using proportion and percents.  Next, we will cover geometry.  Students are working very hard to become proficient in the area of fractions.  In order to keep improving their skills they need to work solely on fractions for math score.

7th Grade Honors

Students are learning the Pythagorean theorem and square roots.  They will have a short test over these two concepts the week of January 17th.  Next, they will study applications of proportions and percents.

8th Grade Pre-Algebra

Students had some difficulty with fractions so we are going back to basics for a review of fractions.  We will spend the next few days reviewing the operations of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.  This is a critical skill, and all students need to have mastery over this topic before we move on.  Once we have reviewed fractions, the students will review square roots and then the Pythagorean theorem.  Next, they will cover proportions and percents.

8th Grade Algebra

The algebra class is progressing well.  They are currently studying functions and graphs. Next, they will study linear equations and their graphs.

 

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Ms. Johnson–Middle School MLA

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Susan Johnson, under Middle School Notes.

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6^th Grade Regular English—Sixth grade regular has just started a unit on adverbs.  This will include: how to identify, time, place, manner, degree, affirmation, negation, comparison (regular and irregular), and special cases of adverbs.  The test is scheduled for February 9.  We will then begin the major research paper. Look for the letter to come home on January 31 giving all the important information.  A list of topics will also go home the same day.  Spelling for the remainder of January through February includes lessons 21, 22, 23, and 25.

6^th Grade Honors English—This class has completed a unit on adverbs, and the test was January 19.  We are now beginning a unit on prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.  This includes phrases, special conditions, coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and interjections.  The test is scheduled for February 9. We will then begin the major research paper. Look for the letter to come home on January 31, giving all the important information.  A list of topics will also go home the same day.  Spelling for the remainder of January through February includes lessons 21, 22, 23, and 25.

7^th Grade Regular English—We are finishing the rough draft of the research paper.  The typed copy to turnitin.com is due February 8 and the typed copy to Ms. Johnson is due February 9.  We will then begin a unit on verbs which will include action, linking, helping, agreement (compound and plural), participles, infinitives, regular/irregular verbs, the six tenses, conjugation, and troublesome verbs.  Spelling for the remainder of January through February includes lessons 22, 23, 25, and 26.

7^th Grade Honors English– We are finishing the rough draft of the research paper.  The typed copy to turnitin.com is due February 8, and the typed copy to Ms. Johnson is due February 9.  We will then finish the unit on adverbs, but the test will be only a daily grade.  The unit on verbs will include action, transitive, intransitive, linking, helping, and the principal parts (regular and irregular). Spelling for the remainder of January through February includes lessons 22, 23, 25, and 26.

8^th Grade Regular English—The class is well into the unit on adjectives which will include modifiers, pronouns as adjectives, clauses, comparison (regular and irregular), logical comparison, and troublesome adjectives.  The test is scheduled for February 7. Spelling for the remainder of January through February includes lessons 20, 21, 22, and 23.

8^th Grade Honors English—We are concluding the unit on adjectives which includes proper, compound, possessive, demonstrative, indefinite, comparison (clear and unclear), clauses, and illogical adjectives.  The test is scheduled for February 7.  The next long unit, verbs, will include action, transitive, intransitive, linking, helping, participles, participial phrases, gerunds, infinitives, infinitive phrases, the six tenses (present, past, future, present participle, past participle, future participle), conjugating, and active/passive voice. Spelling for the remainder of January through February includes lessons 20, 21, 22, and 23.

 

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Mrs. Borth – Middle School Literature

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Jennifer Borth, under Middle School Notes.

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6th grade – We are currenty finishing Ten Little Indians, such a wonderful little thriller!  The next novel that we will read is One Handed Catch. Students will need to purchase this novel; I do not have a class set.

7th grade – We are currently reading Feathers and will begin a short story unit within the next month.

8th grade – Honors just finished reading The Crucible and will be reading short stories in class. Academics are finishing reading Murder on the Orient Express. Please check the middle school website for test dates.

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Mrs. Barrientos – Spanish

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Rosa Barrientos, under Spanish.

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PreK-3:  This quarter we will be concentrating on body parts and clothing, learning new songs to help us identify body parts.  We will continue to practice our basics of ABC’s,  phonics, vowels, numbers, days of the week, and colors.

PreK-4: We are doing great on our basics and sounding out small words in Spanish from our mini phonic books. We have started the body parts unit

1^st:  We have started this quarter with new vocabulary of all the nouns that make up a house.  This will be broken down into each room in the house and the furniture or appliances that it contains. Students are sounding out each word and reading.   It is awesome!

2^nd: We have started on the clothing unit.  We will be dressing up dolls and cowboys, as we name each clothing article.  I will combine the item of clothing with identifying the article for each noun.

3^rd. We did great on our first quiz on clothing.  We will be building small sentences with each clothing word.   We will identify the articles, nouns and adjectives.

4^th. Lesson 3 covers reading a calendar and naming all the places that we visit, emphasizing questions and answering in complete sentence.  Students will also be using today, tomorrow, this week and next week.  We will also learn about the preposition “TO” and the verb (to go) in the present. We are learning much grammar in this chapter, so please make sure your child studies what we cover in class!

5^th. It seems that 5A will be missing Spanish since they will be attending the dance class at that time.  5B will be moving on to lesson 7 which has to do with the verb TENER (to have) and feelings.  We will be asking  and answering each other in complete sentences.  We will be conjugating the verb with all the pronouns.  We will also learn about the difference of USTED and TU in Spanish as well as identifying who has what using the verb TENER. I will also combine body parts with the verb tener.

6^th. During this quarter we will learn about AR, ER and IR verbs and its conjugations in the present and all regular verbs.   We will also be identifying and writing negative and affirmative sentences, using personal names instead of personal pronouns to conjugate.  Most important, they will be expanding their vocabulary, reading and translating as we read.

7^th. We have drill through AR, ER and IR verbs, so it is time to concentrate on some irregular verbs. Lesson 14 offers us the verb HACER (To do or make), weather expressions and seasons. We will be using the verb hacer to express the weather in each season.  We will be asking questions and answering in complete sentence. We will be conjugating the verb, hacer, in the present tense.

8^th. This quarter we will be concentrating on irregular verbs, learning the conjugations and applying them correctly with our vocabulary.  Our new vocabulary will include clothes, body parts, countries, nationalities, languages, and animals.  We will also learn about the demonstrative adjectives and more possessive adjectives.

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Mrs. Stepniewski – Pre K through Eighth Grade Computer

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Maureen Stepniewski, under Computer.

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Pre-K and Kindergarten students continue working on basic skills using educational websites such as starfall, sheppard software, julia’s rainbow, abcya, and kidport,  to name a few.

First Grade students are working on their typing skills while studying spelling words in spellingcity and in Microsoft Word.

Second Grade students are practicing typing and math using different websites.  One example is ‘fruitshoot’ addition through sheppardsoftware.

Third Grade students created a times table in Excel using simple formulas.  They have begun their difficult unit involving covers over the keyboards.  The program “TypingMaster” used in school is designed to allow students to view the screen, which indicates finger placement, in order to avoid excessive ‘keyboard checking’.  This method promotes accurate and speedy typing.

Fourth Grade students are continuing their earlier studies using the covered keyboard method.  Students are encouraged to view the screen (which indicates finger placement) rather than constantly checking the keyboard for letter placement.  It is a challenging study, but many students have already mastered the skill.

Fifth Grade has detoured from the regular computer curriculum to work on Science Fair graphs and charts in Excel and Word.  As long as students have their ‘data’, beautiful charts and graphs can be easily created.  Fifth grade is also practicing typing using covered keyboards.

Sixth Grade students have been working on Men and Women of Computing as part of their Computer History unit.  They are also practicing typing with covered keyboards.

Seventh Grade students have begun their Access Database Unit by creating fields and entering statistics for their favorite sports teams.

Eighth Grade students have completed their Excel employee and inventory spreadsheet assignments.  They are working in Publisher to create a business newsletter and in Word to “draw” a company check.

 

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Mrs. Connelly – Library

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Monica Connelly, under Library.

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Happy New Year, and welcome back to all!   I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas.  Many thanks for all the wonderful gifts, cards, and well wishes during the holidays.   Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity.

Thanks to all volunteers and shoppers who made our December Book Fair such a huge success.

Our school library will be very busy this month preparing for Catholic Schools Week. New books, including 100 newly purchased books from the recent Book Fair, are being processed and will be placed on the shelves this month for our students’ reading pleasure.

With the Science Fair coming up, students are reminded that the library is an excellent source for student’s research, including internet access for student use before school, during recess, and after school.  Please encourage your student to make use of the library’s numerous books, reference materials and project ideas for students to use when setting up their science projects.

February is a short month but extremely busy.  The library celebrates Groundhog Day, President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Black History Month.  Library activities will revolve around fairy tales, legends, fables, and tall tales.  February, also known as Library Lovers Book Month, will feature the book display “Ice Cream for Books”. Students will add one ice cream scoop for each book read, creating the largest ice cream cone.

Students in Kindergarten and 1st grade will take their library books home to read.  They will share their reading experience with other students in their class during library time.  2nd & 3rd grade students will study fairy tales, legends, fables, and tall tales.  4th & 5th grade students will keep a reading log when we start reading Ramona’s World by Beverly Cleary and Hoot by Carl Hiaason together in the library.

Coming Soon:   Six Flags and Weekly Reader are once again pleased to offer the Read-to-Succeed Six Hour Reading Program for 2011-12. The goal of the program is to support efforts to educate students and to inspire kids to read on their own.  The reward for participating students is a free admission ticket to any Six Flags Park. This a great opportunity to earn a free student Six Flags ticket – 6 hours of recreational reading is the only requirement. More information, including reading logs and Program important dates to remember will follow in the Thursday folders.

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Mrs. Green – PK, K, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th Grade Art

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Michelle Green, under Art.

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“The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity.”

Lesson 4 in 10 Lessons the Arts Teach by the NAEA

We are continuing to learn and create in the art room.  All of the classes will participate in the Catholic School’s Week Poster Contest during the last few weeks of January.  Then in February we will move onto something special for Valentines.  We are studying the art element, space, and the principle of design, emphasis.  Our artist of the month for February is Frida Kahlo.

PK is moving right along in art.  They have been working on winter trees, snowflakes, and snowmen.  We will be working on their scissors skills with our next project, Valentines.

Kindergarten just learned about printmaking and created some of the most beautiful leaf prints.  They also made some of the cutest trees.  They will be learning about 3 dimensional artwork next as we create something special for Valentines.

             

1st grade became professional embroiderers. I am so proud of them! We are learning to draw snowmen now and will be working with foil next to create something special for Valentines day.

2nd grade just finished up the most beautiful stained glass crosses.  They are currently working on a leaf collage.  We were not able to get to our birch trees so we will be working on those next.

     

4th grade has finally finished their pot holders!  YEA!!!  We will be learning about sculptures next and will create one of our own.

6th grade just finished up their death masks.  The boys worked with clay while the girls worked with copper foil.  They both turned out fabulous.

     

7th grade learned how to sew and completed their textile art project.  It took quite a while and we had some pricked fingers but everyone survived and their artwork looks amazing.  They will be making abstract sculptures next.

     

8th grade just completed the hardest project of the year, their self portrait.  I’m sure they are all tired of drawing now so we will move onto 3D artwork.

    

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Mrs. Connelly – 3rd & 5th Grade Art

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Monica Connelly, under Art.

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“A sculpture is just a painting cut up and stood up somewhere”.  Frank Stella

Many thanks for all the wonderful gifts, cards and well wishes during the holidays.  Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity.

Art classes have completed a study of Impressionism.  The students produced some awesome watercolor paintings in the style of Henri Matisse and Vincent Van Gogh. Paintings are hanging in the downstairs art gallery.

For the month of January, art classes will be making posters for Catholic School’s Week.  The posters will be judged in the Catholic Schools Week Art Poster Contest.  The winning art will be announced during the Awards Assembly on the Friday of Catholic Schools Week.  The posters will also be displayed in the school cafeteria during the Family Appreciation Spaghetti Dinner on Monday, January 30th.

Upcoming art projects: 3^rd & 5^th grade students will get a chance to work with clay, offering students the opportunity to be messy.

 

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Coach Cervenka – K – Eighth Grade Physical Education

Posted on January 27, 2012, by William Cervenka, under Physical Education.

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All the students have done wonderfully coming back from the Christmas break and showing that they have stayed in shape. The first few weeks we did fitness exercises getting into shape as well as practiced for the fitness gram. Basketball season has started with the DPL.   And as we did with volleyball, we are having our own PE basketball season. It has been going very well, and the students are enjoying being on teams and learning the game of basketball.

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Mary Kuterbach, Music

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Mary Kuterbach, under Music.

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Congratulations to our students for a beautiful Christmas presentation! A job well done! Thank you to our parents for your support of the performing arts. It is so important that our students have the opportunity to share their talents through a live performance. I would also like to thank everyone for your generous Christmas gifts, and I hope everyone had a relaxing winter break.

The St. Elizabeth Ensemble that sang the beautiful carols at the Christmas program, will be cantoring the Catholic Schools Week Mass at 10 a.m. on Sunday, January 29th.  These young ladies have been an enormous help to our students with the new mass parts.

Our return to classes in January finds the music class discussing music that tells a story or paints a picture. We have heard a musical sleigh ride and a story about a dog that has an adventure at a store. We will discover ballads and perhaps create our own sound story. February brings games and folk dances and a look at jazz. The 4th grade has a special field trip coming up to the opera! Be on the lookout for more information.

Parents and students, always remember to check out my wikispace that can be accessed through www.saintspride.com  or follow this link for the St E Music wiki. Here you can find the music calendar and links to some great music sites. The school altar server schedule can be found here also. As always, please come and join us at Mass every Friday. Our student cantors are wonderful song leaders, and our guitar players are superb!   Thank you for your continued support of the fine arts program at St. Elizabeth.

 

 

 

 

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NJHS

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Monica Connelly, under NJHS.

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First, we would like to congratulate the newest members who were accepted into the NJHS this year: Johanna Alvarado. Josef Barrilleaux, Oscar Gurrola, Alex Leal, and Manon Williams. Members are chosen based on academics, leadership abilities, behavior, and community service.  Congratulations again!

In December, NJHS members acted as St. Nicholas’s helpers and delivered goodies into the shoes of our students, faculty and staff.

Keep an eye out for NJHS works of service as the group picks up trash on the school campus and serves as ambassadors during Catholic Schools Week.  Members are also gearing up for Valentine’s Day Carnation Sales. Be on the lookout for information on our most popular fundraiser!!

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Tech/Lego/Robotics Club

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Maureen Stepniewski, under Technology Club.

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Tech Club members teamed up with Environmental Club for a festive Christmas pizza party and recycled-ornament contest.  Participants were: Amaia Murphy (KA), Blaine Wells (3B), Cassidy Christian (KA), Cole Hawkins(4A), Elizabeth Stratton (5B), Grant Barksdale(4A), and Madison Goza (2A).

Our next Tech/Lego/Robotics Club meeting will be the second Wednesday in February, the 8th,  from 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. in the Upstairs Lab.

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Cub Scout Pack 788

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Scouts, under Scouts.

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Cub Scout Pack 788 has been busy during the winter months!  Before the Christmas Break, Cub Scouts assisted various classes at St. Elizabeth of Hungary by assembling care packages and gifts for the residents of the St. Joseph’s Nursing Home.   The Cub Scouts also made Peanut Butter Bird Feeders to help our feathered friends during the winter months.   The December Pack meeting was also “POPular” with our Scouts as the top Popcorn Sellers (those with over $750.00 in sales) were given the opportunity to throw a pie in the face of Justin Burns, Pack 788′s Popcorn Kernel!  Many thanks to both Mr. and Mrs. Burns for their efforts in this year’s successful popcorn sale!

January will be just a busy and fun-filled.  The Cub Scouts met on January 7th to begin building their pinewood derby cars.  The actual 2012 Pinewood Derby Race is Sunday, January 22nd from 1-5 p.m. in the St. Elizabeth of Hungary School Cafeteria.  Prizes will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in the Pack, the individual Dens, and a special award given out by the Cubmaster for the most creative car.  The Pack 1st place winner will be representing Pack 788 at the Mustang District Pinewood Derby later this Spring.  Anyone interested in Cub Scouts is encouraged to attend the Pinewood Derby races to see what Cub Scouting is all about.

Upcoming dates:

January 28th, Community Service Project – Trash Pick-Up for Open House

February 26th, Blue and Gold Awards Banquet

 

 

 

 

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Saints Booster Club

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Admin, under Booster Club.

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New Custom Basketball Uniforms

The Booster Club is investing in custom basketball uniforms for all of our athletes. Jerseys will be provided to all athletes and returned at the end of the season. The matching shorts will be purchased by the athletes to keep. The new uniforms are not yet ready as the sublimation process takes longer than typical uniforms, but a photo of the design is below.

The jerseys will be used by our basketball players for years to come. Our goal is to decrease the financial investment for all to participate in Saints athletics. The Booster Club hopes to be able to migrate all sports over to this type of borrowed jersey program over the next several years. This is made possible by all the fundraising efforts of the Booster Club as well as several corporate donations. Thanks to everyone who supports the Booster Club and helps make Saints Athletics possible.

Basketball Season

The basketball season is underway, and that means yummy concessions!  This is a major fundraising effort for the Booster Club each year, so we encourage everyone to come enjoy some Saints Athletics and a hot dog, nachos, Frito Pie, chips, candy, popcorn, etc. Be sure to ask for your Frito Pie to be made “the MJ way.” You’ll have to come to the concession stand to get the full story on that!

You will find our teams’ game schedules on the Dallas Parochial League website. This year we have teams playing 6th grade girls D2, 8th grade girls D2, 6th grade boys D2 and 7th grade boys D2. You’ll find schedules on the Saints Athletics Website Calendar. Oftentimes we play games on Saturdays and Sundays. Some come on out and support your school athletes. Go Saints!

We also need volunteers to help work the concession stand. It is a fun way to support Saints Athletics and to get in some volunteer hours. You can see our concession schedule online. Sign up online to work or email Katy Barrilleaux.

Science Fair Concessions

The Science Fair is coming on Wednesday, February 1, and the Booster Club will be selling food that night. We need volunteers to help so please email Katy Barrilleaux if you can help.

Booster Club Meetings

All Booster Club members and those interested in learning more about the Booster Club are invited to attend our monthly meetings. They are typically held on the first Wednesday of the month in the Catapult Learning Room at 6:30pm. Our February meeting has been moved to Wednesday, February 8th to not conflict with the Science Fair. Please come check it out, and find out what’s happening with Saints Athletics. You will find our meeting dates on the Booster Club calendar online.

Calling All Coaches

Attention coaches, the athletics department is still looking for a few coaches for the Spring season. If you are interested in coaching track, baseball, or softball, please contact Coach Daryle Good as soon as possible.

Baseball, Softball, and Track

Saints Baseball, Softball, and Track are right around the corner. Look for registration forms in your Thursday folder very soon. We are also organizing a pre-season free clinic for interested athletes so watch your email and get ready to dust off your glove!

Saints Athletics Jersey Day, Scholarship Breakfast, and Pep Rally

Booster Club members, mark your calendar now for our next Booster Club member Jersey Day!  It will be held on Thursday, March 22. Booster members may wear their favorite team jersey, whether from a St. Elizabeth team, college, pro, or other team. Just follow the rules for a dress down day with your jersey. We also will hold our Booster Club Scholarship Breakfast that morning before school to raise funds for our annual Saints Athletics Scholarship. So plan to get to school a little early that morning to enjoy some breakfast. The fun day will culminate with a Pep Rally in the gym to celebrate our winter athletes who participated in basketball.

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Environmental Club

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Melissa Guerrero, under Environmental Club.

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Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 7, from 3:30 – 4:00 in Mrs. Fabian’s room.

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• Welcome Saints

  

  Welcome to the parents' online newsletter for St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School. Published monthly from September to June, this is the place to read all the updates from our teachers, school administrators, and organizations.

• Mission Statement

  Our mission at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School is to serve God through our ministry of educational excellence and to develop the spiritual lives of our youth within the framework of the Gospel and the tradition of the Catholic Church.

• Philosophy

  Our fundamental task is the education of the whole child, combining learning with faith, Catholic doctrines and moral teachings. We strive to instill in our students a lifelong commitment to learning, to Christian values and citizenship, and like our patroness, to community service. We are dedicated to achieving these goals within a supportive and diverse Christian community and to living our faith daily with the understanding that education is a process that never ends.