Archive for March, 2010

From the Principal’s Desk

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Christina Clem, under Principal's Desk.

Be on the lookout for St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School’s new billboards on Hwy I-35 and in DeSoto and Duncanville.  Get out those St. Elizabeth yard signs to display in your front yards!!! Registration for the 2010-2011 school year is currently underway for both returning as well as new students. If your child will be continuing his or her education at St. Elizabeth School, please register as soon as possible to reserve a spot and to take advantage of the early registration fee through April 16^th. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns or need assistance. In addition, if you know of any family that might be interested in a quality Catholic education for their child, please direct them to our website at www.saintspride.com and encourage them to call the school office at 214-331-5139 ext. 21 to schedule an informational tour.

Many, many thanks to the entire St. Elizabeth School community for your beautiful display of prayers and support for both the Barrientos family and the Pottinger family during their time of loss. It has truly been touching to watch everyone pull together in times of need to reach out in love and concern for our fellow sisters and brothers. Please continue to keep these families in your prayers during this difficult time.

We wish to congratulate our 8^th graders who received the sacrament of Confirmation on February 14^th and our 2^nd graders who received the sacrament of First Reconciliation on February 27^th. Please keep these students in your prayers as they continue along their journey of Faith.

I’d like to recognize and thank our 8^th grade class, under the leadership of their Homeroom Representative, Maxine Feaster, for the tremendous success of this year’s World’s Finest Chocolate Sale. Through their leadership and EVERYONE’S tremendous participation, much needed funds were raised to help our school with this year’s operational expenses. Thanks to all for a job well done!

I would like to congratulate all of our athletes who have represented St. Elizabeth School so extremely well this year. Ryan Dooley and Orion Salters represented St. Elizabeth School in the DPL All Star Basketball Game. Our 8^th grade girls’ Varsity basketball team made it to the championship round and placed second in their division for the season. Our 8^th grade boys’ Varsity basketball team made a superb showing this year in the Division I League throughout the entire season, wrapping up in the second round of playoff games. WAY TO GO, SAINTS!!!!!

I wish to thank everyone who helped to make this year’s Catholic Schools Week the best ever! It was evident throughout the entire week that the theme was “St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School: Growing Hearts and Minds.” I appreciate so much the help of our faculty and staff to make the Open House and Family Recognition Spaghetti Dinner a great success. I also appreciate everyone’s team effort in making all of the week’s activities run so smoothly with special thanks to:

• Mrs. Belcher and Mrs. Kuterbach for coordinating the Opening Liturgy on Sunday
• Katy Barrilleaux for her tireless efforts in designing our new fabulous marketing brochure for the Open House
• the Grounds & Facilities Committee for the awesome work they did on Clean-Up Day to get our school ready for Open House
• Marybeth Jones and the FVO for organizing a very lovely Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
• Mrs. Connelly and DineRite for coordinating and sponsoring the Spaghetti dinner
• Mrs. Kuterbach for creating another awesome school video (check out the website)
• Mrs. Price for coordinating the school spelling bees
• Mrs. Robb for coordinating the Science Fair
• Mrs. Shelton and the fifth grade parents for coordinating the Science Night Dinner
• Coach Clack for coordinating the 8th Grade Volleyball Game
• and the many other individuals who stepped up to help whenever and wherever needed!

Our St. E. scholars were all truly outstanding in the Spelling and Science Fair competitions, and it was so rewarding to hear the cheers of students excited about their academic endeavors!

We would like to congratulate our spelling bee winners, Jeffery Cervenka, who represented St. Elizabeth School at the Diocesan Spelling Bee, along with Sydney Swayzer, first runner up! Jeffery placed 3^rd in the Diocesan Bee and went on to place 6th in the Dallas County Spelling Bee as well! Congratulations also to the winners of the Pri-Intermediate Spelling Bee, Giselle Rivera, first place, and runner up, Viviana Chapa!  Keep up the fantastic work!

During the CSW Recognition Assembly, the following individuals were recognized with an engraved paper weight for their outstanding contributions to St. Elizabeth School over the past year(s): Anna Burciaga, Diane Dooley, Jason Gentry, Andy Goza, Todd Salters, Dennis Vrana, and Vanessa Walker. The Volunteer of the Year awards

Congratulations and Kudos!!!!!!

2009-2010
TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Susan Johnson

2009-2010
VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR

Katy Barrilleaux

Phillip Davis-Hale (In Memoriam)

Mary Beth Jones

Susan Vrana

I would like to wish everyone a safe and relaxing Spring Break next week, March 15-19. School will resume on Monday, March 22.  As we prepare for the upcoming Holy Easter Season, let us continue to pray of one another and for the needs of our community.

God bless

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Important Dates – March and April

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Admin, under Events.

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From Beth Belcher, Director of School Religious Education

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Beth Belcher, under Religious Education.

Happy Lent!  I hope that everyone has had an opportunity to dive deeply into this season.  As you know, the sacrifices we make give courage and spiritual strength to those who will be coming into the Church this Easter season.  What a beautiful way to say, “Welcome!”

Congratulations are in order for both the 8^th graders, who celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, February 14, and the 2^nd graders who celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Saturday, March 6.  These students have prepared long and hard to receive the fullness that is Jesus Christ.  We are so proud of them!

Mark you calendars to join us at the school’s Friday Mass on March 26 at 8:00, as the 8^th graders depict the Passion of Jesus on that day.  They will also do the same at Palm Sunday 10am Mass on March 28.  This traditional depiction is always a moving tribute to the goodness of God as He sent his Son to proclaim the Kingdom and save us from our sins.  We hope that you will join us!

Easter is on Sunday, April 4, and as a reminder, all Easter egg hunts will take place on Tuesday, April 6.  We respect and honor the Lenten Season as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of the Lord.  Thank you in advance for your understanding and support of our Religious Education program.

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School Development

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Elizabeth Belew, under School Development.

We Need Your Help!! Pledges to this year’s drive are at an all time low!

Roof Fund – Total pledges and contributions as of February 2010 – $3,355 from 19 families – a mere 9% of our 219 families.

As I mentioned before, we have received several bids for our roof replacement and they range from $260,800 to $360,800. Currently, we have raised more than $38,000 for this task. We have one grant request to the Catholic Foundation pending and an additional request to another foundation in the works, but unfortunately, our request to the Dallas Foundation was not granted which is why your participation in the Roof Fund Drive is so vital! As we look to these outside donors for funding, it is important that we demonstrate our own commitment to the school by achieving 100% participation from the St. E community in the Roof Fund Drive. Think about what we could accomplish if every one of the 219 families at St. Elizabeth School participated at whatever level that was possible for each family.

We have our work cut out for us, but with your help, we can make it happen! You received a Roof Fund brochure and pledge card during the month of November.

It is not so much the amount on the returned pledge card as much as it is the pledge card itself. By sending in your pledge card — no matter what amount you pledge — you are sending us a tangible sign that tells us you believe in the mission of this school. It might be $250, $25 or even $2.50 – every gift is greatly appreciated. But what is so important — and so necessary — is to have the full participation of our parents, no matter what the financial level.

For your convenience, we now accept Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover Card via PayPal. Click the donate button in the right column of this page or visit the SaintsPride.com website at anytime and click the Donate button there.

Please prayerfully consider becoming a part of this very important project.

Thank you to the following families who have already made their donations or pledges, your generosity is greatly appreciated:  Anonymous Family, Belew Family, Benjamin Family, Burciaga Family, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, Dooley Family, Gentry Family, Hale Family, Laborde Family, Lucas Family, Luke Family/AT&T, Phillips Family, Rose Family, Salters Family, Swayzer Family, Vrana Family, Walkley Family, West Family, Yaquinto Family

If would like more information on the Roof Fund Drive or another pledge card, please call Elizabeth Belew at (214) 331-5139 ext 24 or email .

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Grocery Store Fundraiser

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Admin, under Fundraisers.

Did you know that Tom Thumb donates a portion of your purchases to St. Elizabeth School? Tom Thumb has community programs to donate 1% of every dollar you spend at their store back to St. Elizabeth School.

But, they do not donate to St. Elizabeth unless you sign up for their program and designate St. Elizabeth as your beneficiary.

To participate in:
Tom Thumb – St. Elizabeth’s number is #648. Turn in a completed application at your Tom Thumb store; they will give you a Reward Card, present that card to the cashier during your transaction. To change or verify the designated beneficiary of your current Reward Card, ask the cashier during your transaction.

The more people that designate St. Elizabeth as their beneficiary school the more dollars St. Elizabeth earns to help defray the costs of tuition.

Thank you for participating in this fundraiser.

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Box Tops for Education

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Monica Connelly, under Fundraisers.

St. Elizabeth can turn Box Tops for Education into cash to upgrade the Reading Counts program.  Just clip Box Tops coupons from hundreds of your favorite products and send them to your child’s homeroom.  A new campaign for Box Tops for Education is coming to St. Elizabeth.  New incentives and monthly goodies will be offered.

Mrs. Isabel Elias has graciously accepted the responsibility of collecting and counting Box Tops each month.  She will be looking for parents wanting a great cup of coffee and needing volunteer hours for “Clip & Coffee Mornings” to help clip, count and package Box Tops each month.

Anyone interested in helping please email Mrs. Connelly and I will forward the information to Mrs. Elias.

Remember: You can make a difference every time you buy groceries!

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Campbell Labels & General Mills

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Monica Connelly, under Fundraisers.

Don’t forget to send in your labels.  A box is in the front of the school for your children to drop off any labels.  Also a flyer will be sent out with all the labels that we can collect.

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Mrs. Strunk and Ms. Martinez – Pre-kindergarten

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Kathy Strunk, under Pre-kindergarten.

What I like about March is its kite weather!!

RELIGION

We will be practicing “The Passion Play” and reading New Testament stories. You should have been given your child’s character.

LANGUAGE ARTS

We are beginning a new unit “At the Farm”. We will learn new finger plays, songs and read books about farms. We are sounding out three letter words. We will be practicing writing letters on the white board. We will be making a book about baby animals and farm animals.

MATH

We will be weighing different objects. We will also be adding numbers 1 – 10. We will be subtracting numbers 1 -10. If I have one and I add one more it will make two; if I have two and I add one more it will be three etc. If I have ten and I take one away I will have nine, etc.

SCIENCE

We will be talking about plants.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We will learn about USA symbols.

IMPORTANT DATES

Spring Break March 15 to March 12, 2010

Passion Play – April 1, 2010

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Mrs. Guerrero and Mrs. Burns – Kindergarten

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Melissa Guerrero, under Kindergarten.

This is what we will be doing this month in Kindergarten:

Religion

We will complete our Stations of the Cross book and practice for our Stations of the Cross play.  Our play will be on April 1 at 9:30 a.m. in the cafeteria.  We will have a Last Supper meal in the class.

Language Arts

Our new unit will be Stick to It!  Helping children persist in situations in which the reward is not immediately apparent is one of the major tasks in Kindergarten. Perseverance is a common theme in our literature.  Characters who stick to it are usually rewarded, while characters in the story who give up suffer the consequences.  Our goals for this unit are to have children learn perseverance through listening to books, learn about the narrative, and create literary works.  We will continue to work on oral blending, segmentation, sight words, and introduce letters.

Math

This month, I will assess students on their math progress.  We will practice counting from 61 – 80 and identify numerals 61 – 80, practice measuring, divide groups in half, and solve addition and subtraction stories.

Social Studies

We will complete our unit on the 7 continents.  We will learn about South America, Australia, and Antarctica.  We will locate land and water on a map.

Science

We will learn about the 4 oceans.  We will also learn about the animals in our oceans!

Important Dates:

March 11           Snack Sale

March 15 – 19   Spring Break

March 25           Buck a Jean Day

April 1               Kindergarten Stations of the Cross play at 9:30 a.m.

Have a great month!

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Mrs. Fabian and Mrs. Patton – First Grade

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Betty Fabian, under First Grade.

It is almost the end of the 3^rd quarter.  The school year will be coming to an end before we know it.  Keep studying hard to keep those grades in the A’s and B’s.  The following is what we will be doing in our subject areas:

Math

Finish money and time.  Begin Measurement (length, height, perimeter, inches, feet, capacity – cups, pints, and quarts weight – pounds  centimeters, liters, kilograms, temperature, and seasons)

Social Studies

Unit 4 – Our Earth, Our Resources Kinds of Weather, Time Lines, Land and Water, Our Earth’s Resources, Farm History, Caring For Our Resources.

Religion

Continue our study of Lent, Stations of the Cross, Finish Unit 3 – Jesus Shows us He is Good.  Begin to study about Parables.   March 12^th 1A will host the Mass and on March 26^th 1B will host the Mass.

Guidance

Continue lessons from Second Step series about Empathy Training.

Health

Start with a quiz on Nutrition and  end with Basic First Aid.

Science

Will have a test on Zoology, and then will start a new unit on Parts of the Human Body.

English/Grammar

Review nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns.  We will start more capitalization, and punctuation.

Language Arts

Review the sounds of /oo/, /ow/, long o, /aw/, /au/, /n/ spelled kn, comparatives, /oi/ spelled oi & oy,  /r/ spelled wr,  and /f/ spelled ph.  We will complete all of our decodable books by the end of the month.  In class we will be reading from a book (Open Court) that will stay in the classroom.  The focus will be on comprehension for the rest of the year.  First grade students should be reading at least 50-60 words per minute by the end of the 3^rd quarter.  Keep reading at home every night.

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Mrs. Clack – Second Grade

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Bea Clack, under Second Grade.

Religion

Congratulations to all those who completed one of their milestones in the Catholic faith by making their first Reconciliation.  We will next move on to preparing for First Holy Communion.  During this time we will begin to learn about the Creed.  We will discuss what we mean when we recite this Weekly at Mass each Sunday.  We will discuss the Blessed Trinity, and our Lenten Promises that we have made.

Social Studies

Our little citizens will continue to sing out their hearts as we practice and prepare for our upcoming presentations of the United States of America program-  more information to follow.  During this month, the students will be studying the states.  We will practice our little jig that we will perform for the program.  Yeeeehaw!  We are going to do a little jig through the month of March!

Language Arts

We will continue to review Possessive Nouns and Possessive Pronouns.  This is a very hard concept sometimes but remember it always answers the questions “WHOSE”.  We will also continue to work on punctuation.  We are a work in progress and are continuing to practice by checking and editing our own work that we write.  This is what makes us better writers.  As we write daily paragraphs we are preparing for our 3^rd grade teachers.  Please remember, parents, that it is very important that your students are reading nightly at home.  Reading and writing goes hand in hand.  Please keep it up!  Your kids are doing a fantastic job!

Math

Our little leprechauns are going to be keeping their cauldron full of change at the end of this rainbow.  We will begin counting out change in small and large amounts of unknown amounts.  Pull out those piggy banks and play store at home.  We will begin the counting the second week of March.  Following Counting money amounts, we will be working on time, both analogue and digital.  It would be a great time after money to introduce the students to a watch that they might have or a clock at home.  These are the two most difficult concepts with 2^nd graders.  They should be practicing these at home as well as at least 5 minutes of math facts a night.  We are continuing to take the timed tests and those will come home as we take and review what score the children made.

Science

For the month of March, the students will finish up on Rocks and Minerals and begin to discuss Simple Machines.  This is still part of the physics piece of this program and we will begin moving quickly.  This is one of the best parts of the program, and the kids really seem to get pumped.  Question them about what they learned in science.  It is so cool!

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Ms. Bright and Mrs. Price – Third Grade

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Thelma Bright, under Third Grade.

February sure went past with a FLURRY of activity. We have worked so hard on our Student Treasure books and the students knocked themselves out with all their poetry writing.  The finished products are just beautiful and we’re sure you will be very pleased with them, too!

In Religion, the students have been learning about the miracles and parables of Jesus; we will begin to prepare for the Living Stations of the Cross which the third grade class will present just before Easter.  We will let you know the date so that you may plan to attend if you wish.

We finished our unit on multiplication in math and have now moved on to basic division (0 to 5).  After we finish basic division (just after Spring Break) we will return to multiplication.

In English, since we used so many of our grammar skills while writing our Poetry books, we will be doing some review work and testing over various concepts.  We will then be moving on with more writing of paragraphs and friendly letters.  To aid us in this PLEASE be sure that your child knows his/her full address (#, street, city, zip code) when they return from Spring Break.

In Reading we have just completed reading our class novel, Old Yeller. We watched the movie and did a comparison of the two genres, and done some intensive testing (comprehension/vocabulary) over the text.  We will be moving on to a book titled Henry Huggins: Try Our Large Economy Size by Beverly Cleary right after Spring Break.

The students have taken another Lexile test and overall the scores just keep going up!  Please encourage your child to keep reading; they should have read their next RC book by the week after the break, and the test should be taken by March 26.

In spelling we have covered the /j/ sound, plurals ending w/ -ies, homophones (words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and mean different things), and days of the week/time words.  After the break we will review these lessons and then focus on words ending with –ld/-ft and the /ar/ sound spelled –air/-are/-ear.

In Science we will be finishing our unit on Physics and we will review after Spring Break, and then move on to a unit on Meteorology.  In Social Studies, we have been discussing more about communities and their resources and after the break we will move on to a unit about communities of the past and present

As always, PLEASE continue to have your child practice their times tables nightly. Have them log on to Math Score as frequently as possible and also, SpellingCity.com for some spelling re-freshment and fun.

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Mrs. McClure – Fourth Grade

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Alexis McClure, under Uncategorized.

English

During the month of March we will continue to work in English with our Shurley Method labeling.   The students have come a long way.  We will continue to label as well as hit key areas in our class English book.  We are zipping through and the kids are loving every minute of it.  Remember English tutoring is at 3:00pm on Wednesdays.

Reading

We are currently reading the novel The Watson’s Go to Birmingham.  I have started keeping the students review questions in my classroom in individual folders so we do not misplace these papers when time comes to study for the test.  I have recorded these grades and the children have the chance to look the papers over before they are placed in their safety folders.  We should be completing this novel when we come back from break.  We will then watch the movie that goes along with the story we have read and will have an assignment that will follow this activity.  As always, I will send out a study guide when we complete the questions for the last chapter of the novel.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

BOOK REPORTS ARE DUE ON MARCH 26, 2010

Social Studies

We will be completing Chapter 8 which is discussing the Civil War and the end of Slavery in America.  We will begin our next chapter for the year which is the discussion of the Turn of the Century.  Here we will be discussing Oil, the Depression, Ranching and much more in Texas History.  We will have a test this Friday, March 12, over Chapter 8.

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Mrs. Schmitz – Fourth Grade

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Maria Schmitz, under Fourth Grade.

Religion

We have begun discussing in detail the 7^th commandment: Thou shall not steal and the 10^th commandment: Thou shall not covet your neighbor’s goods. We have discussed that stealing is not only taking what does not belong to you but also damaging things that belong to others as well because they no longer have what was damaged. We discussed the importance of replacing items that you may have damaged even if it is an accident. We are having discussions about respect for our own property and the belongings of others. We are also talking about being happy for others when they receive great rewards instead of being envious or jealous.

Math

Wow! What about these students! We have just finished our unit on division and most of the students picked this up very easily. We are now focusing our attention on fractions. We have already learned about the GCF (greatest common factors) and putting fractions into lowest terms. We know that whatever we do to the top we must do to the bottom! Hopefully this background knowledge will help us as we learn to add and subtract fractions that have like and unlike denominators.

Science

We are finishing up our unit on Weather with a viewing of the movie Twister. Hopefully this will be an enjoyable treat. When we return from Spring break we will begin looking at layers of the Earth which will include topics such as earthquakes and volcanoes, rocks, minerals and fossils. We will probably have a project to go along with this unit.

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Mrs. Shelton – 5th Grade and 6th Grade

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Anne Shelton, under Fifth Grade, Sixth Grade.

Our 5^th graders are getting ready to go on a most wonderful adventure to The Pine’s Catholic Camp. We will be learning about Entomology, Orienteering, Archaeology, Forestry, Meteorology, and Limnology. We hope to master the high ropes, canoeing, and so much more!

The 5^th Graders are well into the American Revolution learning about Colonial America.

In Science the 6^th graders have adopted an atom and we are onto Molecules and Bonding.

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Ms. Vercillo – Fifth Grade

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Beth Vercillo, under Fifth Grade.

It is hard to believe that Spring Break is already here! We have so many wonderful things happening in fifth grade. The students are getting ready to head to the Pines. This will be a wonderful experience for them. I will not be able to make this trip, as I have to attend sessions for my last class at SMU, but my thoughts will be with them. We are getting ready to begin a play, “The Three Samurai Cats.” I will be asking for help with costumes and props, so please let me know if you can help. We will perform this at Young Author’s Day (May 14^th) as well as the Spring Art Show (May 15th). More details will be forthcoming.

The kids worked very hard on their Student Treasure Books; I can’t wait to see the hard cover finished products in May! Please be sure to continue checking the web site since we have so much going on. Also, be sure to keep checking your child’s planner so that you and your child develop a good routine for middle school. We continue to work very hard on behavior and I would like to thank Mr. Goza for his help in the classroom. Have a safe and fun holiday!

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Mrs. Belcher – Middle School Religion

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Beth Belcher, under Middle School Notes.

6^th Grade

We have spent a good deal of time on foundational information pertaining to the Old Testament.  We have studied the Patriarchs and have moved on to Moses and the Chosen People.  We have also looked at the highest holy days of our Church calendar and have talked about the Triduum.  We will celebrate a Seder Meal on Tuesday, March 31.  More information will follow as we get closer to this date.  After Easter, we will then move forward learning about the Ten Commandments.

7^th Grade

Our focus of parables has given us a greater understanding of Jesus and what God is calling us to:  to look through the words (of the story) to the wisdom of God.  We have discussed and dissected 14 different parables in class and the 7^th grade Parable Booklet is due Friday, March 12.  When we come back from Spring Break we will focus on the Miracles of Christ.

8^th Grade

We have just finished an in depth look at the Marks of the Church, the Jerusalem Cross, and we are now preparing for the Passion Play.  It is exciting to be working with your children on this beautiful tradition at St Elizabeth’s!  After Easter we will focus exclusively on Church History for the remainder of the school year.  Your students will be voting on their Charitable Giving Options this week and you will be receiving an email relating to that by Friday.

As always, should you have a question or constructive comments, please email me.  I will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Mrs. Powell – Middle School Social Studies

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Tai Powell, under Middle School Notes.

6^th Grade Social Studies

We will be studying Ch14-17.  Chapter 14 deals with Europe in the Middles Ages.  This chapter will introduce the students to life in Europe during the Middles Ages.  Chapter 15 will explore the sweeping cultural changes in Europe known as the Renaissance and the Reformation.  Chapter 16 will examine European exploration in Africa between the 1400’s and 1700’s.  Chapter 17 will examine European exploration in North America, South America, and Africa.

7^th Grade Social Studies

Unit 6:  The discovery of oil, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the Civil Rights movement all contributed to great changes in the political, social, and economic climate of Texas.  Chapter 16 describes the discovery of oil in Texas and the events that occurred during World War I and the 1920s.  Chapter 17 examines the effects of the Great Depression and World War II on Texas and its economy.  Chapter 18 discusses the economic and technological successes of 1950s and 1960s as well as important civil rights victories.  Chapter 19 explores the new, diversified economy of Texas, the emergence of cities, and the value of diversity in arts and culture.

8^th Grade Social Studies

The eighth grade class has been assigned a video project due Friday April 16^th.  This project consists of 4 chapters dealing with the time period of 1820-1860, (ch12-15).  They can use the Social Studies book, Internet, and other various resources to film a documentary.  In this documentary, they need to put key points from Ch12-15, which we will be reading and discussing in class.  They are ENCOURAGED to begin the project as soon as possible.  This project will take the place of 4 chapter tests in the book; it will be used as an assessment for these chapters.  In addition, the chapters include the Alamo and students may include the videos they did when they were in 7^th grade.

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Mrs. Robb – Middle School Science

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Rachel Robb, under Middle School Notes.

Science Articles are due March 24, 2010.  The optional bonus article is due March 24, 2010.  Science Binders are due Tuesday, March 23, 2010.

7^th Grade Science

We are reading Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Students are learning new vocabulary, answering study guide questions as well as learning about the spread of yellow fever in the 1790’s.  Students will do a variety of activities while reading the novel.

8^th Grade Science

Students are currently studying Fishes, Amphibians and Reptiles.  Next they will study birds and mammals.  This unit of study on animals will end with a comparative dissection activity in which lab groups will dissect 9 specimens.  This will take place the last week of March or the first week of April.

Sea World Trip information:  please send in your payments for the 8^th grade trip to Sea World, May 4 – 7, 2010.  The cost of the trip is $450 per student which includes the fee for the bus.  8^th grade students will be given the opportunity to sell Little Caesar’s pizza kits in order to earn money toward their trip.  Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

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Mr. Dettmer – Middle School Math

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Ted Dettmer, under Middle School Notes.

Sixth grade will finish all operations with fractions. Seventh grade will continue working with percents. One Algebra class will be working on systems of equations. The other Algebra class will begin linear equations.

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Ms. Johnson – Middle School English and Literature

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Susan Johnson, under Middle School Notes.

6^th Grade English

We are working very hard on the research paper.  Some of the due dates are:  sources (March 9), bibliography cards (March 10), thesis statement (March 11), typed outline (March 23).  Typing the outline is the only assignment that must be done at home; it will be written at school.  Spelling for March will include lessons 27, 28, and 29.

6^th Grade Literature

We have begun our Revolutionary War journey with Johnny Tremain.  This will include comprehension questions as well as some more difficult vocabulary.  We will go over the summary of each chapter in class. In addition, the students will have a stanza of a poem to memorize by March 24 as well as a poster due by March 30.

8^th Grade English

We are continuing with our very long unit on verbs.  This will include principle parts (regular and irregular), six tenses, progressive form, active and passive voice, agreement, gerunds, and infinitives.  The test is scheduled for March 23.  We will then begin a study of adverbs which will include modifying verbs, adjectives, and adverbs; clauses; and elliptical clauses.   Spelling for March will include lessons 26, 27, and 28.

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Mrs. Borth – Middle School Literature and English

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Jennifer Borth, under Middle School Notes.

See my class calendar on my website.

7^th Grade

Students were assigned an extra credit assignment in February for ELA. This assignment will be due March 12^th. Since this is right before Spring Break, I will be unable to accept any late projects. We are currently studying adverbs and will have our Adverb Test on March 23^rd.  The next unit we will cover in ELA will be adjectives.

We have finished reading TheWesting Game, and students were given a choice of three essays to complete. These will be competed during class time. Students will turn in a rough draft March 12^th and a final copy will be due March 29^th. Please continue to check my website for important test and project due dates.

8^th Grade

We have just finished reading A Raisin in the Sun and have turned in rough drafts of our essay. We will read the short story “A Monkey’s Paw” and then begin our Holocaust unit. Students will be assigned specific topics of the Holocaust in which they will be producing lessons and teaching the class. This will take us several weeks to research and deliver lessons. Students will work in groups and will be given specific instructions the upcoming weeks. Please continue to check my website for important test and project due dates.

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Mrs. Connelly – Library

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Monica Connelly, under Library.

March promises to be another busy month in the library.  Among the many activities, students will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Women’s History Month.  Students celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday with Green Eggs and Ham and Seussville learning activities featuring all of Dr. Seuss’ wonderful books.  In observance of Women’s History month, library students will research a famous “Woman who made a difference”. 2^nd and 3^rd grade students will begin keeping a reading diary in the library.  Kinder and 1^st grade students will check out books to take home this month.

Although February was a short month, the library was quite busy.  Besides checking out library books for Reading Counts and AR tests, circulation was lively with students checking out books for reading pleasure as well.  Activities included Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and Black History Month.

As always, the library welcomes donated books in good condition.  We are especially in need of Reading Counts and Accelerated Reading books when your students are finished reading the book.  If you and your student can help, please consider donating to the library.

Mark your calendars in April for another exciting Scholastic Book Fair.  Look for promotional flyers announcing this year’s theme and all the other thrilling plans underway.  Volunteers will again be needed.  If interested, please contact Debbie Gleason at 972.217.2807 or Monica Connelly.

Have a wonderful, fun-filled and restful Spring Break!

Teen Tech Week

The library is once again hosting Teen Tech Week, March 29-31 sponsored by the American Library Association.  This year’s theme is “Get Connected @ Your Library.”  Teen Tech Week is a national initiative aimed at students, teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults.  The purpose is to ensure that students are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through the library, such as databases, audio books, DVDs, and video games. Week-long fun activities are planned: video contests, Solitaire, Dewey Decimal Bingo, type-off contest, Pinball Contest, and scratch projects. Prizes, ribbons and certificates will be awarded at the closing of the week, Wednesday March 31, with an ice cream social.

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Mrs. Barrientos – Spanish

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Rosa Barrientos, under Spanish.

Dear families of St. Elizabeth, thank you for all of your love, support, prayers and understanding in our such deep pain, and please keep praying for us.

All the grades are learning the names of body parts, and the expectations vary with every grade.

Pre-K:  We have been working hard mastering some Spanish basics mainly through songs and body movements.  They are little busy bodies that love to learn and that is great!  They have learned a variety of songs that name body parts.

Kinder:  Our phonics are coming along just beautifully and we love singing “Aturi-ta” to learn the body parts’ names.

1^st Grade:  Wow! In addition to our basics, we have been learning about gender and the articles in Spanish (EL, LA, LOS, LAS).  We are sounding out and clapping to break into syllables to be able to read.

2^nd Grade:  We are busy bees learning how to say time.  We know how to say time to the exact hour and will move on to “time after” and “time until.”

3^rd Grade:  We are concentrating on detailed face parts and will put it together with the verb “to have” in constructing sentences.

4^th Grade:  We have been writing sentences with a body part, the verbs “tener” or “gustar,” an indefinite article, and an adjective. Students will have an oral test on naming their face body parts before Spring Break.

5^th Grade:  We are writing sentences with a body part, the verb “tener”, an article, and an adjective.

6^th Grade:  We are learning many body parts as well as the verb “tener” and the present progressive of some verbs; and, writing sentences with each body part and the verb “to have” (tener) with using correct grammar and sentence structure.

7^th Grade:  We are learning many body parts as well as the verb “tener” and the present progressive of some verbs; and, writing sentences with each body part and the verb “to have” (tener), using correct grammar and sentence structure.

8^th Grade:  We are learning many body parts as well as the verb “tener” and the present progressive of some verbs; and, writing sentences with each body part and the verb “to have” (tener), using correct grammar and sentence structure.

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Art Department

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Monica Connelly, under Art.

Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.

~ Camille Pissarro

What an exciting month we have had in Art!  The Dallas Museum of Art’s Go Van Gogh Program has been very successful.  4th grade students enjoyed Art of the Lone Star State, 3rd grade enjoyed Art of Africa, and 6B boys enjoyed Lights, Camera, Action!  All Go Van Gogh programs feature hands-on activities that provide opportunities for individual creative expression.

Pre-k & Kindergarten

We will be making a card with Saint Patrick leaves and water colors for the month of March.  We will also be working on Robots made out of shapes.

3rd & 4th Grade

During the months of January and February, students looked at movement in works of art.  The focus: Impressionism.  Students were presented with a brief history of the Impressionism art movement, focusing on capturing the overall impression of a scene through effects produced by using light and color in various ways.  Students studied Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Camille Pisarro, Alfred Sisley, Claude Monet, Eduoard Manet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Paul Cezanne.  Impressionism will evolve into Post-Impressionism with artists such Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin.

Beginning in March, students will study Henri Matisse, Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso.  Students will examine their paintings, their works of art.  Students will study why these artists were inventive and perfect in the many different aspects of their art.  Lesson overview will focus on shapes and structures, shapes and spaces, and drawing people who pose.

1st, 2nd, 5th , 6th, 7th, and 8th Grades

In Art the 1^st and 2^nd graders are busy mastering “Line Abstract Drawing” and “Watercolor Seascapes.”

The 5th and 6th graders are learning about surrealist artists who are well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images.

The 7th and 8th graders are learning about one of the most prolific artist ever, Pablo Picasso. We are studying and will be drawing one of his contributions to the art world, cubism. Cubism is the idea of looking at something from different angles. We will be working with oil pastels.

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Mrs. Connelly – Pre-k Computer

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Monica Connelly, under Pre-kindergarten.

Computer students in grades PK-3^rd are having a fantastic year so far.  I am constantly amazed at what St. E’s kids can do.

PK and Kindergarten students have mastered the proper use of the mouse. 1st grade students can log on and off the Internet typing program, Dance Mat Typing, and have progressed to levels 2 and 3.  Students have improved their hand placement on the keyboards and exhibit proper computer posture.  Please have your student practice keyboarding over the Spring Break.

2^nd grade students are composing stories to match made-up zoo animals (switchzoo.com), and will then print their stories.  3^rd grade students are learning Power Point.  They will be working on a 7 slide Power Point show to be presented in May.

Thanks for your continued support of our Technology program here at St. Elizabeth.

Enjoy Spring Break!

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Mrs. Stepniewski – 4th – 8th Grade Computer

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Maureen Stepniewski, under Computer.

Our 8th Grade is finishing their Building-a-Computer Project by dismantling computers and re-assembling them.

7th Grade is working on a Pre-K MovieMaker/PowerPoint presentation as well as brochures about gaming systems and the States.

6th Grade continues its unit on the History of Computing learning about men and women important to technology.  They are also working on Scratch programming projects in anticipation of our upcoming Teen Tech Week Contest.

4th and 5th Grade students are working in Typingmaster, Mathscore, PowerPoint and LOGO.  We are creating a “What am I?” game using PowerPoint. Custom animation effects will make this project fun and challenging.

The school will hold its 3rd Annual Teen Tech Week the last week in March.  There will be contests and prizes for Pinball, Typing, and Scratch Programming.  Prizes will be awarded Wednesday of that week.  More information will be posted throughout the school and in the Thursday folder.

The school has two Watchguard fireboxes in good working order that we would like to sell. The licenses are not included.  If anyone is interested, please contact mstepniewski@stelizabethofh.org

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Mrs. Kuterbach – Music

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Mary Kuterbach, under Music.

As we closed out February and began March, our liturgical music reflects the Lenten readings. When our students attend stations, we include the Latin singing of “O Salutaris” and “Tantum Ergo.” By doing this, all students are learning an important part of our church music.

The 7th grade will begin preparing to attend a performance of the opera “Madame Butterfly.” The 8th grade will be viewing a performance of the musical “Curtains” presented by students at Bishop Lynch.

The intermediate and primary classes have been doing folk and square dances. We can do-si-do and swing our partners!

As always, be sure to join us each Friday for our student masses. Our student cantors work hard to lead us in song and do a wonderful job.

Thank you for your continued support of the fine arts programs at St. Elizabeth.

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Mr. Clack – Physical Education

Posted on March 11, 2010, by William Cervenka, under Physical Education.

We will finish up basketball shortly after returning from spring break and begin fitness. This will focus on overall physical fitness, utilizing stretching, exercises, as well as a fitness evaluation for the 6th – 8th grades.

Please remind your students (grades 4-8) to bring their clothes for class; points are deducted each time they do not dress out. The PE uniform consists of any black or blue shorts and any St. Elizabeth t-shirt.

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Athletic Booster Club

Posted on March 11, 2010, by William Cervenka, under Booster Club.

Basketball season has ended and we are fast approaching the start of baseball, softball and track. The JV track season will begin on March 27^th and the Varsity track season will begin on April 24^th. We expect the baseball/softball season to begin on March 28^th but may be pushed back a few days depending on when schedules are released.

We look forward to a great spring sporst seasons and hope to see everyone out supporting our athletes. GO SAINTS!!!

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Grounds and Facilities

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Admin, under Grounds & Facilities.

We could not accomplish as much without the tireless efforts of our Grounds & Facilities team of volunteers!  Just to let you know what they’ve been doing lately:

Many, many thanks to these volunteers who did a fabulous job getting our school ready for this year’s Open House!

• Russell Jones
• Josh Choate
• Bishop Dunne H.S. students, Cody Mills and Lindsey Bolden
• 7^th grade St. E students, Lily Connally and Ramses Valdez
• 6^th grade St. E. student, Alexandria Rose, and her mom, Sonya Rose, and dad, Gregory Rose
• Steven Thompson
• Sheri Edelmann
• Don Gamble
• Honorio Barrientos
• 2^nd grade St. E student, Giselle Rivera, and her mom, Rachel Willingham
• Sandy Walkley
• Jorge Rodriguez and friends

A VERY SPECIAL heartfelt THANK YOU to these volunteers who spent countless hours cutting & stacking tree branches and limbs after the February 12^th seven-inch snowfall!

• Russell Jones-Saturday
• Ian Senkel-Saturday
• John & Ruth West-Sunday

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National Junior Honor Society

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Monica Connelly, under NJHS.

NJHS would like to thank students, parents, and teachers for buying Valentine’s Day carnations.   Over 900 red, pink, and white carnations were sold and delivered this year.

Now that we have entered the 3^rd quarter, we are quickly approaching the time to determine eligibility for next year’s NJHS.  At the end of this quarter, any student who has an overall GPA of 92 or higher in their core classes and no behavioral issues will be eligible.

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Cub Scout News

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Admin, under Cub Scouts.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Cub Scout Pack 788 wishes to thank you for your support of the “Scouting for Food” initiative.  This year, through your support, we were able to collect 1,400 food items for those in our local communities.  We appreciate your support by helping those in need.

Joshua & Dana Choate, Cubmasters Pack 788

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Environmental Club

Posted on March 11, 2010, by Kathy Strunk, under Environmental Club.

The Environmental Club will meet March 9 and March 30 from 3:30-4:00 p.m. in Mrs. Strunk’s Pre-K room.

Did you know that gadgets shouldn’t go in landfills? They can leak lead and mercury into soil and ground water.

We will be having a collection drive for the following items: cell phones, batteries, ink cartridges, and light bulbs. The contest will begin Monday, March 22 and end April 22, Earth Day.

The class with the most items will earn an ice cream party!

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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.