Archive for 'Humanities Notes'
Coach Cervenka – K – Eighth Grade Physical Education
Posted on November 29, 2011, by William Cervenka, under Physical Education.
PrintThe students did an awesome job on their volleyball tests, and I was proud of how well they did as a whole for their first PE sports test. During the down time between volleyball and basketball, the students have done fitness days to get them prepared for the fitness gram that will be administered at the end of January. The sport that we are working on and will continue to work on is basketball which is the next in season sport. As we had a volleyball season in PE, we will have our basketball season in PE as well which will be followed by a test over the basic rules. Once again there will be plenty of notice for the test and the review will be posted on my wiki-space page.
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Mrs. Kuterbach, M.Ed, K- Eighth Grade Music/Instructional Specialist
Posted on November 30, 2011, by Mary Kuterbach, under Music.
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DECEMBER 15, 2011 is fast approaching! The St. Elizabeth Christmas program is here at last. The students have been working very hard to present you with an evening of Christmas songs. All PK, kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students need to be in their homerooms by 6:30 PM on the night of the program. Eighth grade handbell choir, guitar students, and the Christmas Choir should report to the Chapel. Students are expected to wear their “Sunday best”. No blue jeans, T-shirts, or flip-flops please. Our performance will begin at 7:00 PM. The preparation and presentation of the Christmas program is a major part of each student’s grade for the second quarter. Please invite your families to join us for an enjoyable evening.
In preparation for their field trip to the House of Blues, the sixth grade has been exploring blues music. Our field trip went well and we learned how blues music has been influenced by American history. They will continue exploring the blues and begin writing our own blues song.
Seventh grade is continuing their studies of music theory focusing on the construction of a major scale. This will be followed by chords and then toward a development of a melody.
Our listening studies this year have included college football music, Marian music, and music for Veterans Day. We will be listening to selections from the Nutcracker in December.
During the month of January our music classes will concentrate on the musical element of expression in music by exploring program music, music that tells a story or paints a musical picture.
Thank you for your support of the fine arts programs at St. Elizabeth Catholic School.
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Mrs. Green – PK, K, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th Grade Art
Posted on November 30, 2011, by Michelle Green, under Art.
Print“The arts celebrate multiple perspectives.”
Lesson 3 in 10 Lessons the Arts Teach by the NAEA
We will be focusing on the art element, texture and the principle of design,variety with our next projects. Our artist of the month is Leonardo da Vinci. Hopefully your children have talked to you about him. He is one of my all time favorite artists.
PK just finished up their fall leaves. They each picked their own leaf from outside, drew the contour of the leaf, then colored it in with oil pastels and watercolor paint. They turned out beautiful. Traditional hand turkeys will be going home for Thanksgiving and we will be working on something special for Christmas.
Kinder has been learning about the primary and secondary colors. Some even already knew them. Thank you Mrs. Strunk, Mrs. Guerrero, and Ms. Lane!! We made a dot painting using the colors and learned how to properly mix colors. This was lots of FUN! Next we will be working on something special for Christmas.
1st grade is doing so well in art. They finished up there Van Gogh Sunflowers which turned out great and they just completed some of the cutest turkey’s I’ve ever seen. They will learn to weave in our next project as we learn about texture. Wish us luck!
2nd grade has finally finished their self-portraits. YEA!!! Next, we will be working on a tempera painting of winter trees. We will focus on the texture of the tree’s trunk.
4th grade was not able to get to their weaving project just yet because our other project took much longer than expected. However, it was well worth the wait because they are breathtaking. We took a little breather from such intense drawing with a fun project that included writing in cursive. We call this artwork, Name Aliens. They all wrote their names in cursive and then created an imaginary alien from the lines of their name. Here are a few that really turned out well. See if you can figure out whose they are. We will making something for Christmas and will finally get to our weaving project.
6th grade just finished up there folk art paintings. The boys painted with mud, really sand and the girls painted with glitter and colored sand. They had a lot of fun making these and I had a lot of fun teaching them. Our next project will be interdisciplinary and relate to something they are learning about right now in Social Studies, the Egyptians. We will be making death masks out of clay for the hens they are mummifying.
7th grade just finished up their coil baskets. They look fantastic! Next we will create a stained glass themed piece of art using fabric and felt.
8th grade just finished their hand charcoal drawing. This was very difficult for some of them but they all turned out really good! We are working on watercolor leaves right now and will be drawing self-portraits next. Thank you for letting me borrow those photos.
A very special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Goza, Madison Goza’s (2A) parent’s, who donated supplies to the art room. I feel very blessed to be able to teach here at St. Elizabeth. If anyone has any OLD nuts, bolts, screws, or keys lying around I could use them for a new project.
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Mrs. Connelly – Third & Fifth Grade Art
Posted on November 30, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Art.
Print“Great art picks up where nature ends.” – Marc Chagall
All 3rd and 5th grade students have concluded their unit on Line, Color, Shape and Form. Students have completed Fall and Thanksgiving projects. Art classes used both balance and symmetry in their designs of Day-of-the-Dead skulls, Harvest trees, Thanksgiving grids, Fall leaves and turkeys. We have done a lot of painting using oil pastels, chalk pastels and watercolors. Students also learned how colors can depict different emotions. All projects utilized the elements of art we have previously studied and did an awesome job incorporating them into all our projects.
For December, students will put art basics they’ve learned to replicate work by other artists. Classes will be learning about artists. 3rd grade will study techniques and styles of Vincent Van Gogh and Marc Chagall. 5th grade will focus on Henri Matisse.
For the month of January, classes will be looking at movement in works of art. Each class will be showing movement in their work in different ways. Later in the month, classes will be making posters for Catholic School’s Week that is later in the month. Some of the posters will be entered into the Diocesan poster contest.
As the year comes to an end, I am thankful for many things, but most of all, for the opportunity to teach your children. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Mrs. Stepniewski – 4th – 8th Grade Computer
Posted on October 21, 2011, by Maureen Stepniewski, under Computer.
PrintPre-K3 students are visiting websites that reinforce their teachers’ lessons about shapes, numbers, the alphabet and colors.
Pre-K4 students are practicing letter and number order using various websites.
Kindergarten students continue to practice letter and number recognition.
First Grade students are learning Home Row keys on the QWERTY keyboard. They have finished the letters of the left hand and are beginning the right-hand keyboard letters.
Second Grade students are working on a Word document about the Hail Mary. They have learned “center” justification and how to add a border and picture to their document. We will continue work in typing through November.
Third Grade students are continuing their TypingMaster keyboard lessons and have been working on the “St. Isidore Prayer” in Word. They are also continuing math practice using the program Mathscore. The website for this program is http://elizabeth.tx.mathscore.com
Fourth Grade students have been working in Microsoft Excel. They have used the ‘average’ formula and have learned how to re-size columns and rows as well as add highlighting and graphics to cells. We will be using “batchgeo” to study the saints in November and map their native countries.
Fifth Grade students are working with Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 creating a presentation about the Holy Rosary in honor of the month of Mary. They are using the ribbon to add new slides, format backgrounds, select layouts and manipulate graphics and text. We will begin programing lessons using LOGO in November.
Sixth Grade students are continuing their Computer History Unit. They completed a question and answer series on early computing and have begun a PowerPoint about Computer Generations. They are also getting a glimpse of memory sizes from bit to yottabyte by adding a table to their final slide in this presentation. We will be studying pioneering men and women of computing through November.
Seventh Grade students completed their flowcharts (the programmer’s version of thinking maps) and will create a PowerPoint and Publisher brochure about the Mysteries of the Rosary.
Eighth Grade students have completed their autobiographical “High Profile” document which is posted in the hallway near Mrs. Clem’s office. They are now working on a ‘Business Project’. All work is completed in class.
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Mrs. Barrientos – Spanish
Posted on October 21, 2011, by Rosa Barrientos, under Spanish.
PrintSpanish – Mrs. Barrientos
¿Qué está pasando en Español? What is happening in Spanish?
PreK- 3 and 4: Learning through songs and body movements. We learn the ABC’s names and sounds of each letter, colors, numbers, and days of the week. We love to dance the chicken dance and chocolate song.
Kinder: We also enjoy the songs and much needed body movements, but we also concentrate on the ABC phonics. We work on mini-books that provide words that start with a specific letter and we repeat and learn the names of the pictures. We also concentrate on practicing writing the color names, clapping to break them into syllables, and more oral practice. We can also introduce ourselves with a greeting, our name, our age and a good bye. It is wonderful to hear them!
1st. grade: We have been working hard on mastering the colors and our most challenged calendar with the new concept of today, tomorrow, and yesterday. I have to say that after a little frustration, we loved it and wanted to keep solving the question of “If today is Lunes, what day will it be tomorrow?” We have also covered shapes, which will be part of our everyday review on basics as well as “today, tomorrow and yesterday.” We are now learning family names. The students are drawing their immediate families and writing their family names. It is nice to see their love for their families. We are concentrating on learning to read small words in Spanish.
2nd. Grade: They are learning about gender and the definite articles. We are mastering personal pronouns and will be reading and translating simple sentences using all kinds of verbs. I will reinforce the verbs, along with the meaning and conjugation, but our focus will remain on the personal pronouns. We will continue to study verbs and personal pronouns up until December.
3rd. Grade: 3rd. grade is working hard on mastering to read the calendar by asking and answering in complete sentences, all in Spanish. They are also mastering the concept of “today, tomorrow and yesterday.” We are also learning animal names and forming simple sentences using adjectives and some ar verbs from our conjugation charts in the back on the book.
4th. Grade: 4th grade is learning new vocabulary about school supplies and people in the school by asking and answering in complete sentences. They are also learning the difference between definite and indefinite articles, and reviewing the use of the verb tener (to have) to ask questions using school and classroom vocabulary. They are also mastering the rules to make nouns plural.
5th. Grade: 5th grade has been reviewing vocabulary, articles, nouns, rules to make nouns plural and sentence structure. We are now in lesson 5, which has to do with weather. Students are learning about seasons and the different kinds of weather. They will be using the verb GUSTAR (to like) and the correct conjugations as well as descriptive words to express what types of weather they like and what they do not like.
6th. Grade: 6th grade had some awesome family projects! Thank you parents for your support! In this lesson, we did not only master family names but also sentence structure, conjugating correctly, making the necessary changes for plurals and writing descriptive sentences. We will be spending some more time on describing and making sure that our nouns go hand in hand with our adjectives in gender, as well as in number.
7th Grade: This grade has been learning about the verb “To Be” (SER and ESTAR). We have finished the verb SER and will continue what we have started on the verb ESTAR. We will than focus on exercises in which we have to differentiate between which of the two to use. It is a little challenging but not impossible, so please make sure that your children are studying at least 10 minutes per day.
8th Grade: We had fun describing what things are around the outside of our homes by writing a paragraph about it using common prepositions. I am happy with the students’ compositions and their reading in Spanish. It is always reviewing time in Spanish when we come to something that needs to be reviewed. We will continue to write and translate as much as we can by using different verbs and learning new vocabulary.
During the month of November, we will be learning about “The Day of the Dead” in Hispanic countries by watching and reading documentaries and doing a variety of activities.
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Mrs. Green – PK, K, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th Grade Art
Posted on October 21, 2011, by Michelle Green, under Art.
Print“The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer. “
Lesson 2 in 10 Lessons the Arts Teach by the NAEA
We are moving right along learning about the elements of art and principles of design. This month we even learned about our first Artist of the Month, Vincent van Gogh. The students are doing very well, and I am so proud of them. I love that they are so interested in art!
PK 4 has been doing so well. We have covered our second art element shape and made a shape ice cream cone. We learned about colors and made a primary and secondary painting. We just started learning about form and they made their first sculpture, a clay snake. We will be making something spooky for Halloween and thankful for Thanksgiving.
Kindergarten has been working on shape and is creating a shape ice cream cone too. We will be moving on to form and color next. They will also be making something spooky for Halloween and thankful for Thanksgiving.
1st grade has been cranking out the artwork. I think I have more projects for 1st grade than any other grade. We finished up our Shape City and moved onto a Favorite Food Collage. We also learned about colors and created an abstract color painting. Now they are learning about Vincent van Gogh and are creating their version of his painting, 12 Sunflowers. They will be using oil pastels and watercolor to complete their painting.
2nd grade just finished their Kuna Molas. They really turned out great. Now they are learning about self-portraits’. They will be using shape and color to create their own self- portraits. These self-portraits will be a mixed media composition, consisting of pencil, oil pastel, and watercolor.
4th grade is learning about the famous American women painter, Georgia O’Keefe. They will be using the art elements, shape and color, to create an O’Keefe inspired chalk pastel drawing. Here are a few that have already finished. We will move into textile art next with a weaving project.
6th grade has been making piñatas. We are donating these to a new booth for the Halloween carnival. The students not only learned how to make piñatas, but they also learned about the history of the piñata, which is very interesting. We will be moving into folk art next and creating our own piece of folk art. Towards the middle of November, 6th grade will go on a field trip to The House of Blues, which houses and extensive collection of folk art.
7th grade has been learning about form and value. They just completed their Charcoal Still-life. Some of these were absolutely beautiful. They will move onto sculpture next and make a functional reed basket.
8th grade has been learning about form, value, and color. They just completed their monochromatic squash painting. This involved a lot of color mixing and blending. It was definitely an exercise in trial and error for them. We will be moving into a Day of the Dead project as well as silk screening.
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Mrs. Connelly – 3rd & 5th Grade Art
Posted on October 21, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Art.
Print“Sometimes I have resisted painting something that seemed to me so ordinary, hardly worth doing. But when I do it and it’s done, it’s different from what other people see. It’s ordinary to me, but not to you.” Georgia O’Keefe
Art classes are moving right along learning the Elements of Art. We have completed LINE, COLOR and beginning SHAPE and TEXTURE. Although our main focus was color (primary, secondary, warm/cool/complementary) many other elements were incorporated e.g. students experimented with how color can suggest certain emotions.
October Fun
3rd Grade – Fall and Halloween projects. Students will start using paint.
5th Grade – Fall Harvest Tree. Students will start using watercolor paint.
November
Classes study perspective, the art of Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse and will have several projects to complete using these themes.
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Mrs. Kuterbach- Music
Posted on October 21, 2011, by Mary Kuterbach, under Music.
PrintMark your calendars! IMPORTANT!!! The annual St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School Christmas Program will be December 15, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. This is a very important part of the music program here at St. Elizabeth. It provides your children with the opportunity to present their hard work in a live performance and is an essential element of the music curriculum. Further information will follow in future newsletters. Information can also be found on my web page that can be accessed through the St. Elizabeth website www.saintspride.com or by going to http://stemusic.wikispaces.com/
Acoustic Guitar classes started on October 18th. Anyone who is still interested should contact me for information or check the St E Music wiki. All students should check the calendar on the St E Music wiki for dates, times and any changes that may occur.
Amid the scary songs for Halloween, the music classes, kindergarten through the fifth grade, have been working on the Christmas program music. Our eighth grade has already been hard at work on their handbell pieces and will present these also at the Christmas program. Even though the sixth and seventh grade classes are not a part of the program they still have an opportunity to be involved. Any middle school student (6th-8th) who is interested may join a Christmas Choir. This group will provide musical interludes throughout the program. We will practice once a week at 7:30 am, rotating the days each week. Practice will begin on Monday, October 24th at 7:30 am. Please see the music calendar on the St E Music wiki for future dates.
As always, please come and join us at Mass every Friday. Our student cantors are wonderful song leaders and play an important part of our liturgies.
Thank you for your continued support of the fine arts programs at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School.
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Mrs. Connelly – Library
Posted on October 21, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Library.
PrintLibrary activities and events for October are:
- Birthday Book Club – celebrate your child’s birthday by donating a book to the library. Enjoy a cupcake, a balloon, picture taking and fun. September and October birthdays celebration and book presentations will be held Monday October 31 in the library 8:00am-8:20am.
- Teen Read Week – October 16-21 – Picture It @ Your Library
- October 17 – Library Read-a-Thon – students in grades 3-8 are invited to the library from 3:30-5:00 for the annual read-a-thon. Students may bring a pillow, slippers, snacks, and of course, a book. Those who participate will be awarded a reading certificate and ribbon.
- October 19 – NJHS Book and Bake Sale – buy books and baked goodies in the cafeteria 3:00-4:15. Reasonable prices – 50 cents and under.
- October is Mystery Month – trick or treat in the library – students’ good behavior is rewarded with a library treat October 24-31.
Library activities and events for November are:
- November 1 – All Saints Day – biographies of saints will be featured
- November 2 – Dia de los Muertos
- November 4 – Parent-Teacher Conferences – the Humanities teachers will meet in the library
- November 11 – Veterans Day
- November 24 – Thanksgiving Day
- November 28 – Birthday Book Club honors November birthdays.
- ALL Month – preparations underway for the Fall Book Fair ( December 2-9). Activities such as daily door prizes, raffles, contests, guessing games, and book scavenger hunts promise fun for all. The fair is a great opportunity for the library to add to its collection, to grant teacher’s classroom book wishes and serves as a fundraiser for our school and library. This is a wonderful opportunity for children, families, and teachers to come together.
If anyone is interested in helping achieve our goals in the library whether weekly or with the upcoming Book Fair in December, and, if you have some free time and love working with children and books, come on in and volunteer. You can contact me via my email address mconnelly@saintspride.com The Children would like to have you!!!
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Coach Cervenka – K – 8th Grade Physical Education
Posted on October 21, 2011, by William Cervenka, under Physical Education.
PrintWe have been working very hard on our volleyball skills, and all of the students have improved so much since they first touched a volleyball. I am pleased to see the students having a lot of fun while learning the game of volleyball. The students have been on teams chosen by two captains. They have been competing against each other to see which teams get the most tallies, which I am keeping up with on a board in the gym so the students can see the updated standings. We are closing our PE volleyball season with a written test over the game and rules of volleyball.
We are starting up the fitness once again for the fitness gram. There will be a pre-test coming up before Christmas break. The students will work on all the exercises according to the fitness gram test as well as other fitness exercises to get everyone in great shape and health. We are also incorporating many of the exercises that the cross country team works on as well for their meets.
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Mrs. Barrientos – Spanish
Posted on September 19, 2011, by Rosa Barrientos, under Spanish.
PrintBienvenidos! Welcome to another year of fun learning at St. Elizabeth Catholic School.
Pre K – 3rd. grade have been concentrating on greetings and goodbyes as well as practicing our cultural dance which we performed at the Church’s Jamaica on Sat. Sept. 17 at 6:16 p.m. This was a fun way of introducing a bit of the Hispanic culture with dances, food and fun! Thanks for coming to support the Guadalupanas in this event.
4th grade: We are concentrating on formal introductions and reviewing our past lessons, so that we are able to make connections with past learned material and that which is new to come.
5th grade: We will continue to review until we are able to retrieve the information. It just takes re-enforcement and practice. We will be using the same text and workbook as last year.
6th grade: We did a quick review, and we will be moving a little slow to give the students some time to catch their breath with all the new information and routines. We have done our first lesson together in our new books.
7th grade: We are still reviewing but doing beautifully. We will be looking at specific verbs, one at a time with the correct conjugation and using in combination with other verbs.
8th grade: is taking a three to four sentence dictation in Spanish and translating it into English every time they come to Spanish. I have been very satisfied with their work. We had a really fast review, and it seems like the students have retained the information and with flying colors. We are now ready to pick up where we left off last year and hopefully move faster to our second book.
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Mrs. Stepniewski – 4th – 8th Grade Computer
Posted on September 19, 2011, by Maureen Stepniewski, under Computer.
PrintAll Classes have been learning and reviewing procedures for the computer lab.
2nd through 8th grade students have been taking a reading lexile using the Scholastic Program, SRI.
Pre-K3 students began classes in the lab this month and have been listening to alphabet songs.
Pre-K4 students are progressing rapidly in mouse usage and order of the alphabet by using various educational websites.
Kindergarten students have been reviewing mouse usage while practicing letter, recognition.
First Grade students are learning Home Row keys on the QWERTY keyboard.
Second Grade students have been diligently practicing home row and the “Drill” keys: azaq sxsw dcde fvfr gbgt hnhy jmju k,ki l.lo ;/;p
Third Grade students have been reviewing home row keys in anticipation of their first TypingMaster keyboard lessons. They are also beginning math practice using the program Mathscore. More information about this program will follow.
Fourth Grade students have been reviewing correct fingering on the keyboard while using TypingMaster. They are beginning lessons in Microsoft Word 2010 and practicing math facts in Mathscore.
Fifth Grade students are working with Microsoft Word 2010 and will be exploring graphic manipulation and formatting. They have completed a technology assessment online. They have been practicing math skills in Mathscore.
Sixth Grade students have begun their Computer History Unit. They are also working with Microsoft Word 2010 and will be exploring graphic manipulation and formatting. They have completed a technology assessment online and have been practicing math skills in Mathscore.
Seventh Grade students are continuing algorithm and flowchart lessons as well reviewing ASCII and binary code. They are working in Word 2010 and will shortly begin their unit in Microsoft Access Database using data from a PowerPoint presentation created last year in sixth grade.
Eighth Grade students have nearly completed their autobiographical “High Profile” document which will be posted shortly. They will begin the “Building a Computer” project which will review word processing, spreadsheet, database, desktop publishing and web design using Office 2010.
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Mrs. Green – PK, K, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th Grade Art
Posted on September 15, 2011, by Michelle Green, under Art.
Print“The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative relationships.”
Lesson 1 in 10 Lessons the Arts Teach by the NAEA
We are already learning, exploring, and creating in the art room. We are staring out at the very beginning with the art element, Line. We will move onto Shape and Form next. I am trying to introduce as many mediums as possible to the students. The more we experiment the better we will become with our materials.
PK 4 & Kinder have created all sorts of artwork. They have been drawing, coloring, and painting lines. Pk has completed 3 pieces of art and Kinder has completed 2. We have just begun learning about our second art element, Shape. We will be reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and making our own using painted circles. Please practice cutting and gluing with your children. Remember, “dot, dot, not a lot!”
1st grade has been working on two pieces of artwork using lines. One is hanging in the hallway outside their classrooms. Go take a look if you get a chance. Below is their abstract line coloring. I love how colorful they turned out to be. We are moving onto shape next and will be creating a Shape City Collage.
2nd grade has completed a line watercolor resist painting. Their next project will focus on shape as we learn about the Kuna Indians from Panama and one of their art forms, Molas.
4th grade has been creating an abstract line and shape design. This artwork will be a mix media composition using pencil, oil pastel, and watercolor. We are still in the process of completing this artwork but here is a little sneak peek of how their progressing.
6th & 7th just finished their Zentangle hand designs. They look so good. I am so proud of these students!
8th has also been working on a Zentangle design, but with circles which is a much more difficult process that requires concentration and precision.
I want to thank all the families who volunteered to help with the Arts Fest this year. I would also like to thank Monica McCalister who donated supplies to the art room.
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Mrs. Connelly – 3rd & 5th Grade Art
Posted on September 19, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Art.
PrintWelcome!
Artists of the month:
Wassily Kandinsky “Everything starts from a dot” and Paul Klee “A line is a dot that went for a walk.”
St. Elizabeth of HungaryCatholicSchool’s art program offers students the opportunity to understand, interpret and appreciate the visual arts and to explore their creative potential through hands-on art projects. The art program’s emphasis is on exploration and manipulation of art materials along with an exposure to a new visual language, perceptions, materials and the world of art and artists. 3rd and 5th grade students will view and discuss various works of art from different time periods and cultures.
As students learn to recognize, discuss and work with art, they will build a foundation for making judgments about its form, content, technique and purpose. Discussion, critical analysis and observation of art will provide a basis for understanding, supporting and enjoying the visual arts – now and throughout their lives.
3rd & 5th GRADE ART: classes will be learning the 7 Elements of Art. In the first quarter, art classes will review line, color, and shape. We will begin with LINE. Art would not be art without line, sometimes known as “a moving point.” It is absolutely essential as a concept to depicting objects and symbols and defining shapes. All students are learning about the many different kinds of lines to create abstract designs. Featured artists are Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, and Paul Klee.
We will then move on to Color and a study of Henri Matisse. We will study his use of color as well as positive and negative space. Students will learn about primary and secondary color; warm, cool, and neutral colors; as well as value and intensity.
I am happy to be here with your children again this year. Thanks for your support and have a great month!
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Mrs. Connelly – Library
Posted on September 19, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Library.
PrintWelcome!
A new school year always brings excitement to the library. The first two weeks were spent welcoming all students, getting to know new students and presenting library procedures.
Once again the library will be open before school 7:30-7:50, during recess and after school 3:30-4:00 for student use. There are 8 computers with internet access, as well as access to the Dallas Public Library Periodicals for research and the Dallas Morning Newspaper. Students may take AR and Reading Counts tests on library computers, and research science articles.
During the month of September, library class activities will include checking out books, storytelling, learning how books are placed on library shelves, identifying authors, illustrators, publishers, title and copyright dates, and how to distinguish between fiction, biography, and non-fiction books.
September is:
- Library Card Sign-up Month
- September 6 – Read a Book Day
- Hispanic Heritage Month
Welcome back to returning and new library volunteers, who come and volunteer every week in the library: Amy Solis, Pilar Dominguez, Euranie Williams, and Norma Gurrola. The library is a success because of these wonderful, dedicated volunteers. If anyone is interested in helping achieve our goals in the library, have some free time, and love working with children and books, come on in and volunteer. If reading to children is your talent, we could use you as well. It’s a fun way to earn volunteer hours. Contact me at mconnelly@saintspride.com if you are interested.
Through the generosity of the Goza family and Georgine Guerrero, the library has added many new books to its collection.
Many fun-filled activities and events are planned for this Fall:
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Mrs. Kuterbach – K – 8th Grade Music/Instructional Specialist
Posted on September 19, 2011, by Mary Kuterbach, under Humanities Notes, Music.
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Welcome back to another musical year at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School. The year began with a review of the parts of the musical staff for the intermediate and middle school students by using Jim Solomon’s Conga Town to read rhythms and rhymes. Focusing on steady beat, the primary students are working with similar rhythms and rhymes using Jim Solomon’s D.R.U.M. book. Eighth graders worked through a handbell hunt to prepare them for playing the handbells.
Mark your calendars- Students in pre-K through fifth grade will be working on music for the Christmas program, scheduled for December 15, 2011. Also performing will be the eighth grade handbell choirs. The middle school students will be given the opportunity to join a Christmas Choir. Watch for more information.
To keep with the football season, all music classes have been listening to college football fight songs. We have discussed marching bands and their role in supporting their teams. So far we have heard songs from the University of Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies. The University of North Texas and Oklahoma State University are up next.
Be sure to join us on Fridays at our student hosted Mass. Each week we will have cantors from different homeroom classes. Our student singers and musicians do a wonderful job. Thank you for your continuing support of the arts programs here at St. Elizabeth.
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Coach Cervenka – K – 8th Grade Physical Education
Posted on September 19, 2011, by William Cervenka, under Physical Education.
PrintWELCOME BACK to another great school year! And to the new families who have joined us this year, we welcome you to the St. Elizabeth’s School Community!!!
We are looking this year to incorporate ways to get the students familiar with the different sports that our school offers by playing them in gym class and having our own PE seasons along with the DPL when they offer sports.
Currently we are working on fitness concepts and getting our bodies healthy. The fitness gram will be given to grades 2nd-8th at the end of the month. We are working on volleyball and going over the rules and techniques to play the game with all the gym classes.
We are looking forward to a great and healthy year! Go Saints!!!
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Mrs. Connelly-Library
Posted on May 27, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Library.
PrintIt is unbelievable how fast the school year “whizzed by” and as it draws to a close, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to our many library supporters, St. Elizabeth organizations, students, and parents. I would especially like to thank Book Fair volunteers who contributed so much energy, endless work and invaluable time. This library school year was a success because of great teamwork and constant support; everyone working together for the good of the library.
Debbie Gleason – Thanks for the memories! All of us here at St. Elizabeth, especially me and the library, will miss seeing your smiling face. If you are ever in the neighborhood, drop by and say HI!
All library books must be returned and library fines paid by June 1st.
Also, the library is once again accepting donations of any AR or Reading Counts books that your child has finished reading. We welcome books in good condition and appreciate all titles.
This has been a fantastic year! I’m looking forward to next year already. Have a great summer!
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Art – First – Eighth Grade
Posted on May 27, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Art.
PrintWhat a creative year we’ve had!! I’m so proud of all our young artists!!
St. Elizabeth’s 2nd Annual Art Fest was a tremendous success. School hallways and stairways as well as cafeteria windows proudly displayed students’ artwork. Paintings and art projects looked absolutely awesome.
Individual Art Portfolios will be going home next week so please be on the lookout for these. Please keep the art department in mind if you decide to clean out any closets, attics or garages this summer. If you think we might be able to use any of your findings, please send me an email. It never hurts to ask.
Thank you all for a successful, colorful ART year! And THANKS for sharing you talented art students with me and St. E. I hope everyone has a restful and fun-filled summer. See you next year!
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Mrs. Barrientos – Spanish
Posted on May 27, 2011, by Rosa Barrientos, under Spanish.
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The month of May is one of the most exciting months in Spanish. It is the month in which we learn and we eat. Staying focused is a little challenging during the last month of school, so I have always done the food unit last and it is so much fun! We are all learning foods in different levels:
Pre-K 3: We have been learning the names of bananas, apples, grapes and oranges. We will be tasting this week.
Pre –K 4: We are identifying at least 5 fruits by name, color and shape: sandia, manzana, platano, uvas and pina.
Kindergarten: Identifying fruits by name, color and shape, ice cream and bread
1st Grade: Identifying fruits, ice cream, bread and some vegetables. We also identified the articles el/la.
2nd Grade: Identifying fruits, ice cream, bread and some vegetables. We also identified the articles el/la, singulars and plurals.
3rd Grade: We made a delicious fruit salad and identified each fruit, tostadas, helado y torta. We had at least one food from each group in the pyramid.
4th Grade: We made a delicious green salad, fruit salad and identified each fruit and vegetable, chicken, fajitas, and homemade flour tortillas.
5th Grade: We are learning about food but also condiments, measurements, table setting and other important words. We are translating the ingredients of a recipe.
6th Grade: Reviewing food, condiments, measurements, table setting, and the verb gustar (to like) in the singular and plural form. The students are bringing their favorite dish and explaining the ingredients; Using the verb gustar; they will be explaining why it is like that particular dish.
7th Grade: Reviewing food, condiments, measurements, table setting. Students are translating a recipe and procedures to be a able to present orally and then to taste.
8th Grade: ADIOS! It has been a pleasure seeing you grow not only in physically but also in your inner selves. You are wonderful young people and will do well where ever you go. Thank you for letting me be part of your lives here at St. Elizabeth.
Thank you for another year and have a safe summer.
Mrs. Barrientos
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Mrs. Stepniewski – PK3-8th Grade Computer
Posted on May 27, 2011, by Maureen Stepniewski, under Computer.
PrintThis year is rapidly coming to a close and I wish to extend my very best wishes to the Eighth Grade Students. May you be blessed in all you do!
Pre-K students are revisiting sites that emphasize the alphabet and early reading skills.
First and Second Grade Classes are continuing work in kidport, sadlier-oxford and dance mat typing, and will shortly have their end-of-year game day.
Third Grade is finishing their early PowerPoint lessons and are encouraged to continue mathscore practice during the summer.
Fourth is finishing the basic LOGO programming unit and continues typing practice using TypingMaster. All students are encouraged to practice during the summer.
Fifth Grade is working on a project in Scratch and enjoying the complexities of the software.
Sixth is learning binary code and is completing the Pioneering Men and Women of Computing Unit.
Seventh Grade girls just completed a PreK4 graduation presentation using PowerPoint and MovieMaker.
Seventh Grade boys are also working in Scratch to produce a how-to project using sprites, costumes, sounds and backgrounds.
Eighth Grade graduates have completed their annual assessment and are wished the very best during their high school years ahead.
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Mrs. Kuterbach, Music
Posted on May 27, 2011, by Mary Kuterbach, under Music.
PrintThe year has zipped by once again! Our final weeks will be focused on tone color in music. The instrument show and tell week this year began on May 23rd and ran until Friday May 27th. Students were able to bring any musical instrument they may have at home, working or non working, for the class to see. We saw many instruments and piano students were invited to play during class.
The eighth grade hand bell concert was a lot of fun at the Spring Art Fest. Congratulations also go out to the fifth grade presentation of “Shh, We’re Writing the Constitution”. Seventh grade girls did a marvelous job at acting out the story “Felisa and the Magic Tikling Bird” after which they demonstrated the Tinikling Dance from the Phillipines.
Summer boredom? Be sure to check the St. Elizabeth Music Wiki for links to some great music websites to keep your musical skills going until we meet again in August.
Thank you to all for your continued support of the fine arts programs at St. Elizabeth.
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Coach Cervenka K-5 Physical Education
Posted on May 27, 2011, by William Cervenka, under Physical Education.
PrintThe students have worked really hard in completing the post-test for the fitness gram for grades 2nd-5th. The students all did a great job on all the exercises of the fitness gram. The students will continue on working with baseball and softball. They will demonstrate the proper form and technique of catching and throwing a baseball/softball. They will learn the rules of baseball/softball as well as work together as a team. In this process they will demonstrate good sportsmanship and follow the rules of the gym. The students have been great all year long and worked extremely hard, and I want to thank them for a great year. Hope you have a great summer and see you next year!!!
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Mrs. Connelly – Library
Posted on April 18, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Library.
PrintThe library celebrated National Library Week, April 10-16 with various library activities using the Smart Board. Libraries are where stories are read, retold, written and created every day. This year, National Library Week celebrates the role our nation’s libraries play in inspiring stories of all kinds.
The month of April is also recognized as National School Library Media Month, National Poetry Month, and National Kite Month. Earth Day (April 22) celebrations will include activities using the Smart Board.
PK-1st Grade students will read The Legend of the Bluebonnet. 2nd grade students will participate in several fun activities based on The Day Jimmie’s Boa Ate the Wash. Weather permitting all students in Grades 3rd-5th will enjoy quiet reading in the school’s courtyard.
A Spring Carnival Book Fair is coming to our school! Mark your calendars – April 29-May 6. Look in Thursday folders and RenWeb for information and updates concerning the Fair. As usual, volunteers will be needed. It’s a great and fun way to get in those last-minute much-needed volunteer hours. If you are interested in volunteering at the Fair, please email me at mconnelly@saintspride.com. Enjoy shopping, browsing, storytelling, as well as daily acitivites, door prizes, games, and contests.
Happy Easter!
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Art 1st-Eighth Grade
Posted on April 18, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Art.
Print“?No amount of skillful invention can replace the essential element of imagination” Edward Hopper – American Realist Painter
What an exciting month we have had in ART!! Throughout the year St. E’s talented artists have been working very hard to produce the wonderful and fantastic works of art that they will present at the 2nd Annual Art Fest, May 19, 2011.
1st and 2nd Grade students are learning about color schemes using oil pastels and watercolors. 3rd and 4th Grade students are creating a self-portrait using oil pastels. This project will represent their unique personalities. 5th Grade students will paint a Pointillism landscape to reinforce their understanding of primary colors producing secondary colors. I know that they will be just beautiful when they finish this art project. 6th and 7th Grade students will begin a study of Pop Art.
Have a beautiful Easter break!!
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Mrs. Barrientos – Spanish
Posted on April 18, 2011, by Rosa Barrientos, under Spanish.
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PK3– 4 – We are having fun pretending to be the teacher and teaching songs to the class. It is fun! We will be moving on to fruits for the remainder of the year. I will be asking each individual student to bring a specific fruit, enough to share with the rest of the class. We will be learning the name of the fruit but we will also learn the senses (touch, smell, taste), and if there is something to count we will also add it in. We will then enjoy it.
Kinder- I have been enjoying Kinder in Art. We had a lot of fun on our canvas for the silent auction, it is just too cute. In Spanish, we will be concentrating on the rest of the alphabet phonics, fruit, and three vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers).
1st – Wow! We are almost finished with our Spanish book, and right now we are learning all about the different rooms that make up a house and furniture; we will also be moving on to foods. We will cover fruits and vegetables next and combine them with colors, numbers, shapes and senses.
2nd – We are using actions verbs and practicing conjugating in the present, but we are so engaged and having so much fun that it is easy. The students are also writing complete sentences, reading and translating them as well.
3rd – We are learning all kinds of grammar which we are putting together to conjugate, describe, demand, ask, make negative and affirmative questions. They are also answering in complete sentences, reading and translating.
4th – We are having fun with our AR verbs and learning to put them into sentences making the change from a personal name to a pronoun and vice versa. We are making changes from statements to questions. We are answering negatively as well as affirmatively.
5th – We just finished unit 7 and we are three units away from finishing the book. We learned the verb tener (to have) and used it with needs to express what we are experiencing as well as to say our age and to ask and answer questions. We also mastered the use of the pronouns USTED and TU (very important in Spanish).
6th – We are moving slowly but surely, there is much grammar to learn, and conjugating verbs is very difficult for some, so we have to concentrate on conjugating the three different types of verbs AR, ER and IR verbs in the present.
7th/8th – These grade levels are doing extremely well! We are mastering to conjugate, making sentences plural/singular, making questions from statements, answering negatively as well as affirmatively. We will also be learning some irregular verbs and many, many AR, ER and IR verbs in the present.
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Mrs. Stepniewski – PK3-8th Grade Computer
Posted on April 18, 2011, by Maureen Stepniewski, under Computer.
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8th Grade Students
A big thank you to the 8th Grade for a wonderful lunch and gardening gift! What a delightful way to remember all of you in the years to come.
Seventh Grade students are beginning movie projects to take us through the end of the year.
Sixth Grade is continuing work on the “pioneers” of computer history.
5th Grade Students
Fifth Grade is completing the ballroom dance project with a poster and is continuing work in Scratch programming.
Fourth Grade is continuing programming lessons with MSWLOGO as their primary language.
Third Grade continues to visit websites that reinforce classroom teaching as well as practicing typing and math. (The website for Mathscore is http://elizabeth.tx.mathscore.com.)
Second Grade students have been practicing telling time with an interactive clock. They are also practicing typing and math skills on various websites.
First Grade continues to amaze us with their typing skills. They frequently visit the Dance Mat Typing website. They also practice math skills at the sadlier-oxford website.
PK and Kinder students continue working on websites that reinforce their lessons. Some good websites are
www.starfall.com for reading, www.kidport.com for math, and www.abcya.com for general fun and skill-building.
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Mrs. Kuterbach – Music
Posted on April 18, 2011, by Mary Kuterbach, under Music.
PrintIt is hard to believe that we are closing in on the end of the year! We have covered so much in our exploration of music. The 8th grade has been busy learning handbell pieces for a final performance to be held on our Young Authors Day / Spring Art Fest. To complement their attendance at the opera, Romeo and Juliet, and studying Shakespeare, the seventh grade learned some Renaissance dances. Sixth grade has been using their music time to work with Dancing Classrooms. Their culminating event and semifinal events will be in April and May.
The 5th grade this year will be performing the musical “Shh, We’re Writing the Constitution” at our Young Authors Day and Art Fest. The musical, by Carmino Ravosa, is based on the award winning book by Jean Fritz. Parents, please discuss with your 5th grade student options for a “colonial” costume.
Kindergarten through fifth grades will also be exploring tone color in the weeks ahead. This includes vocal and instrumental tone color. That means our annual Instrument Show and Tell is coming up! This year it will be the week of May 23-27. Here are the rules:
1. If you have an instrument you would like to bring to class to show, make sure your name is on it. You do not have to be able to play the instrument. We love seeing the “real” thing even if it doesn’t work.
2. If you play the piano or take piano lessons we invite you to play for your class BUT you must bring written music with you that you will play. Even if you have it memorized please bring your music with you.
We will only do this one week so don’t forget!
During the month of April we are listening to women composers throughout history. So far we have listened to composers Amy Beach and Clara Schumann.
Be sure to attend our weekly Masses. Our students prepare each week for Mass and the student leaders work hard to help us celebrate. Remember to bookmark my St. Elizabeth Music webpage and wiki. Here you can find lots of links to some great internet activities for those hot summer days.
Have a QR Code reader on your smart phone? Try it here and this will take you directly to the wiki page.
As always, thank you for your continued support of the fine arts programs at St. Elizabeth School.
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Coach Cervenka K-5 Physical Education
Posted on April 18, 2011, by William Cervenka, under Physical Education.
PrintThe students in grades K-1 have been working on catching and throwing as well as learning to play games such as kickball and basketball. The students in grades 2-5 have been completing the post-test for the fitness gram. They have begun playing games again now that we are finishing up with the test.
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Mrs. Connelly – Library
Posted on March 7, 2011, by Monica Connelly, under Library.
PrintFebruary was a short month but extremely busy. The library celebrated Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Black History Month. Library activities revolved around fairy tales, legends, fables, and tall tales. February was also known as Library Lovers Book Month. Besides checking out library books for Reading Counts and AR tests, circulation was lively with students checking out books for reading pleasure.
Six Flags and Weekly Reader once again offered the “Read to Success” Six Hour Reading Program for students in K-6th grades. Congratulations to students who successfully read 6 hours for Six Flags Tickets. The reading logs have been mailed and tickets should arrive sometime in May, just in time for summer fun.
March promises to be another busy month in the library. Among the many activities, students will celebrate Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, and Women’s History Month. March 2, 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, 5th grade library students will research a famous “Woman who made a difference”. During weekly library lessons, 3rd and 4th grade students will begin keeping a reading diary while reading Ramona’s World by Beverly Cleary and Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli respectfully.
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 mconnelly@saintspride.com.
Teen Tech Week
The library is once again hosting Teen Tech Week, March 6-11 sponsored by the American Library Association. This year’s theme is “Mix & Mash @ 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, Thursday March 10, with an ice cream social.
Have a wonderful, fun-filled and restful Spring Break!
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