It’s been a wonderful few months of learning and love in the ELC daycare. Our littlest love bugs have been very busy! Our toddlers are practicing sitting for circle time, using the potty, and sharing their toys. Our infants are learning to sit, walk, eat, and talk on their own! For the older classrooms, these may seem like trivial matters, but for us, we have seen huge growth! Our babies are turning into toddlers, and our toddlers into preschoolers! Both groups love to play with paint and playdoh! Blowing bubbles has also been a favorite activity for us! Everyday we are thankful for our teachers, parents, and students who have made our daycare successful! We cannot wait to have many more years of love with our littlest learners!

Preschool stepped into a new quarter with a fresh attitude! As we continued our academics, we learned about important black idols during Black History Month, such as Mae Jemison, Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and many more. We spread love and kindness on Valentine’s Day and as we enter the season of Lent, our preschoolers have brainstormed ways to better ourselves and help our families. Our little learners continue to amaze us everyday!

Wow, it is hard to believe that Spring is almost here…the kindergarten students look forward

to going outside for recess and a breath of fresh air! It is also hard to believe that we are

in the third quarter; the kindergarten children are working very hard getting ready for First

Grade.

In Reading/Phonics the children continue to build their word wall and are reading simple stories! In Math, we are modeling addition and subtraction equations and solving word problems with a variety of manipulatives. In Science, we learned how a rainbow is made and had fun making one with a prism. In Social Studies, we keep track of the number of days we had ”lion” weather and “lamb” weather on our calendar. We worked hard learning the difference between a map and a globe. We even learned about a compass rose. We also reviewed and practiced our tornado drill, fire drill and lockdown drill.

In Religion we are learning about Lent. During this time, we are reminded that each one of us is a child of God. Jesus sacrificed his life to show how much he loves us and now it’s our turn to show our love for Him by making sacrifices and trying to be a better person. The children received a calendar of good deeds to help them better themselves during the 40 days of Lent.

The KA and KB children wish all of you a Happy Spring!

It's hard to believe we are almost through the third quarter already and have been in school over

100 days! The First Graders recently celebrated the 100 th day of school. They had a blast

celebrating with posters they made at home and shared in class. They also participated in fun

activities, such as making a 100 th day trail-mix where they had to count to 100 by 10s. In

Religion, we have been learning about the season of Lent and how we can grow closer to Jesus

as we look forward to His resurrection on Easter! We are continuing to learn about the

importance of prayer and how to be the best person we can by being kind to everyone. In Math,

we have been learning about 2D and 3D shapes and are currently learning about fractions. We

are focusing on halves and fourths. We are continuing to work with time and money. In

Language Arts, we are making progress on our fluency and comprehension skills. We are

reading and spelling words with long vowel sounds and learning the difference between short

and long vowels. We are forming sentences with adverbs, are currently learning about base

words, and reviewing inflectional endings. We are still practicing writing sentences that begin

with capital letters and end with the proper punctuation marks. In Social Studies, we are

learning about people in history who have made a difference. In February we focused on civil

rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. In Science, we are learning about the

solar system and our bodies. We are looking forward to the rest of the school year and the

memories we will keep making together!

Second Grade Happenings

We are almost to the end of the third semester and the students in second grade are doing amazing! We are learning so many great things in our classes and we cannot wait to share them with you.

In Religion, the students are busy working on their sacrifices and prayers during this Holy season of Lent. They wrote down some of the sacrifices they are making on a footprint and these footprints are displayed in the hallways throughout the school. Please continue to pray for them as they are remembering you in their prayer each and every day.

In Language Arts, the students have been working on a new program called Readworks. They read stories and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions. This work is done on the computer and they are doing well.

In Math, the students are studying place value, money and 3D shapes. In our number corner, we are identifying 3D shapes and learning how many faces, vertices and edges each shape has. We are also learning how many quarters it takes to make a dollar. We are collecting paper coins and dollars and also learning about banking withdrawals from our base ten bank. In our class lessons, we are learning all about place value up to the 1000 place. We are also starting to add 3 digit number together with some regrouping.

In Science, we ended our unit on Habitats and environmental changes. Almost every student passed their chapter test! We are now learning about Things from long ago. We will being learning about fossils, endangered and extinct animals and what fossils tell us about animals and plants from long ago.

In Social Studies, we have finished learning all about economics. This unit has been a lot of fun and interesting. They have taken their chapter test on economics and did an excellent job. We will be starting our next unit, which will be How can we learn about Native American Cultures? In this chapter we will take a look at Native Americans as being the first people to live in North America.

Check back next quarter for an update and to see how much more we are learning!

The Third Graders have been spending time preparing for the celebration of the school Mass

that they will be participating in this coming week. As we have begun the season of Lent, we

have been discussing things that we can do for others as well as sacrifice in small ways. We

recognize the color of sorrow and repentance as we see the color purple in the church, in the

school, and in the classroom. During the next 40 days, we intend to open our hearts and truly

feel our Lord’s deep love and imitate His ways to others. We will have special prayer services

and activities such as the stations of the cross to better understand the journey of Lent with

Jesus.

In Language Arts, we are also learning how to write colorful sentences using adjectives and

adverbs. These are the words that make reading more interesting because they create a better

picture in our minds. Our Spelling challenge this month offers a 2 for 1 reward. If a student

receives 2 tests with 100%, then they get to skip the next test! Spelling scores are definitely

going up! We are enjoying both nonfiction and fiction as we read about the earth and other

planets as well as our folktales from other countries.

The students are learning about the life cycles of insects in Science. They will have a better

understanding of the beauty of God’s creation. They are becoming more observant of the

changes that are taking place during this transition from Winter to Spring!

Measurement and reviewing multiplication and of course addition and subtraction are the focus

in Math. Measuring is something we do practically every day. Knowing the metric

measurements such as grams, kilograms, liters, and milliliters help us answer questions such

as, “How much does an elephant weigh? How much does a car weigh? or, perhaps, How much

water is in that bottle? Now, many of those questions will be answered as they use the tools in

their Math unit. But we cannot forget the basic facts that ground us throughout life. We

continue to review addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

As the third graders grow, they need to become aware of their responsibilities as a citizen. It

begins right here in our school community. Being respectful to others, making good choices,

and taking accountability for their behavior are the same rules we follow at St. Benedict School

and into today’s society. So in Social Studies, the students are not just learning for today, they

are also learning for tomorrow! These are the young people that will lead us in the future!

Mrs. Carlson

Ms. Dileno

March Newspaper article: Fourth Grade

It is hard to believe that we are starting the last quarter of Fourth Grade. Where is the time going? We are definitely keeping busy. We all enjoyed joining the various clubs and doing the many activities that were involved. We look forward to the clubs and activities that will be offered next.

We have kept busy learning and practicing the math facts and multiplying three and four digit numbers with one digit number. We have enjoyed classifying and sorting the various types of plants. The Underground Railroad, women in history, and immigrants have been our focal points in Social Studies. Learning about the Stations of the Cross, Lent, and the four types of prayers have kept us very busy in Religion. We continue to read and discuss different types of genres in Reading. We enjoyed doing book reports and Black History Reports. We are working on a compare and contrast essay where we are fine tuning our writing skills. Lastly, Girls Club has been an awesome addition to our busy schedule. We are fine tuning our social skills with our peers.

As you can see, we have been busy laying the foundation for their future success. As we look forward to spring, we are certain that we will conquer many more skills. Stay tuned for the next update!

So here we are at the end of the third quarter of the 2022-2023 school year in fifth grade. We have covered so much material it is hard to keep track. By now in Math students should be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers, fractions and decimals. The last MAP test showed growth in skills for nearly all students. In Science students have been studying cellular

respiration and discussing cells in animals and plants. We even did an experiment or two, one using Pepsi and Diet Pepsi to see which one has more bubbles. In Religion the focus has been on the Sacraments of Vocation and even learning about Elizabeth Ann Seton and her

accomplishments that made her a saint. We have been attending Mass, took part in Ash Wednesday Mass by receiving ashes, and have read the Stations of the Cross. The focus in Social Studies has been on the Articles of Confederation, the Legislative Branch of Government, and staying up to date with CNN 10. In Reading we have just finished our projects for Black History month, writing book reports, comparing and contrasting while writing, and are fine tuning our parts of speech by using the correct verb usage when writing. We have shopped at the SOAR

store, taken the winter MAP tests, visit the library weekly, and see all of our Specials teachers. We have even taken part in a club of our choice to add something different to our schedule. We are getting ready for a field trip in April, too. The list goes on and on. Ask your student what

he/she has one lately. I am sure you will hear quite a bit about what fills our days. Check in here next quarter to see how we wrap up the fifth grade!

In Social Studies in honor of Black History Month, our students researched and presented on a prominent African American in the Civil Rights Era. Figures ranging from Harriet Tubman to Frederick Douglas and many others helped our students better understand the struggle for equality. We have also begun our study of one of the World's five major religions, Judaism. The first Monotheistic Religion deeply influenced our own Christian tradition.

The sixth graders spent Black History Month researching an important African American. Students then created a powerpoint and presented their powerpoints to the class. They did a very good job. Their person will be the focus of their formal MLA style research paper., which will begin shortly. Students also reviewed grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure through Daily Oral Language. They have also been developing their writing skills. They have progressed from writing one paragraph responses to writing three paragraph responses to the journal question.

In Math class, the students finished their study on fractions. They then began the unit on decimals!! The students completed word problems and problems using all four operations. The students will begin a unit on algebraic equations. They are going to solve for variables. The students will be completing fun activities for Pi Day, St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, and National Crayon Day!

In Religion, the 6th graders have been spending a lot of time focusing on the meaning of Lent. During Lent we emphasize the importance of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We have spent a lot of time reflecting on how we can strengthen our relationship with God during this holy season. We have meditated on the Stations of the Cross to deepen our understanding and appreciation of what Jesus did for us. We look to the Way of the Cross in order to make positive changes in our lives so that we can love one another.

The 6th grade spent a good bit of time in February focusing on Black History month, Valentine's Day, and President's Day as the topics of much of their reading assignments. They worked on a Black History Month Escape Room which introduced the students to the era. The assignment had activities that encouraged students to learn about innovative Black Business Owners while developing important reading skills such as understanding the main Idea & supporting details, identifying the text structure, theme and making inferences. Looking ahead into March we will spend time celebrating Women's History Month, St. Patrick's Day and the start of Spring!

In Religion, we are continuing to learn more about Jesus, Mary, and the Saints plus different national holidays . The students researched Holy Men and Women for Black History Month. Each student was assigned a Black saint or a man/woman who is in the process of becoming a saint. The students were impressed with the accomplishments of these amazing men and women plus how young some of them were. The seventh graders colored a Black History Month mural and are working on coloring the Women's Month Mural. Each student colored a piece of the mural and when put together form famous men and women for each month. The students started Lent with mass and continue to learn about Lent and Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. The students are looking forward to the Easter celebration!

Math class has been challenging because the students have been working with integers. Integers are positive and negative numbers, in all forms-whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. They have solved word problems and problems using all four operations. The challenges will continue when they start solving algebraic equations with integers. The students will be completing fun activities for Pi Day, St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, and National Crayon Day!

The 7th grade spent a good bit of time in February focusing on Black History month, Valentine's Day, and President's Day as the topics of much of their reading assignments. They worked on a Black History Month Escape Room which introduced the students to the era. The assignment had activities that encouraged students to learn about innovative Black Business Owners while developing important reading skills such as understanding the main Idea & supporting details, identifying the text structure, theme and making inferences. Looking ahead into March we will spend time celebrating Women's History Month, St. Patrick's Day and the start of Spring!

In Social Studies our 7th graders have been exploring Europe during the Middle Ages, This period brought about significant societal change, and deeply altered Europe. In this period the students have learned about the deep connection between the Catholic Church, and its important influence on society.

The seventh graders have been working on creating group power points on a famous environmentalist using the book Champions of the Environment. They presented their powerpoints to class and did a very good job. This assignment will lead into their formal MLA style research paper on an environmental issue. Students have also been reviewing daily grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure through Daily Oral Language, Students have also been perfecting their writing skills through frequent journal entries.

In seventh grade Science the students are learning about the importance of plants. They learned that without plants all living things would have no oxygen to breathe, as well as nothing to eat, on account of the animals that depend on plants would be gone. Earth as we know it, would cease to exist. They learned about how plants defend themselves from predators, parasites, and disease. We conducted several experiments involving how plants grow, breathe, and release water into the atmosphere. They are wrapping up their unit by researching, developing a slide show presentation, and presenting their findings to the class about what would happen to the earth if a plant disappeared.

The eighth graders have been working on a unit on the Holocaust. They are completing

this unit by reading excerpts from Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience,” which inspired

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. to begin the Civil Rights Movement. He was inspired

with peaceful protest against an unjust law. Students then will compare and contrast “Civil

Disobedience” with MLK’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.” They have been developing

their critical thinking skills through discussion and writing. Injustice will be the focus of their

formal MLA style research paper, which will begin shortly. Students also reviewed grammar,

punctuation, and sentence structure through Daily Oral Language. They also perfected their

writing skills through Journal entries.

Congratulations to eighth grader Carlee Koerner. Her poem "Nothing Lasts Forever" was

chosen as a top ten winner from students across the United States by Creative Communication--A

Celebration of Young Poets. This was an assignment given by English teacher, Mrs. Donna

Przybojewski. Students wrote an original poem about leaving childhood behind. Carlee will

receive a complimentary published anthology of her poem as well as a $25.00 check.

Congratulations, Carlee! We are proud of you.

In Religion, 8A students having been learning about the characteristics of the Catholic faith.

They have examined The Apostles Creed and discussed its meaning. Students have learned

about the community aspect of the Church and are now focusing on various types of prayer.

Next, students will be examining the various parts of the Catholic Mass.

In Social Studies, the eighth graders have spent much of the past month exploring the early days

of our republic, our first leaders and more importantly the freedoms guaranteed to each of us by

the Bill of Rights. These first ten amendments guarantee individual liberties, and a free society.

In Religion, 8B is learning about the history of the early Church. Early figures like St. Peter and

St Paul faced extraordinary challenges in establishing the Church. These difficulties did not end

long ago, as we have learned about 20th century figures such as Sr. Dorothy Kazel and

Archbishop Oscar Romero who continued to fight for Christianity, and paid the ultimate price.

The 8th grade spent a good bit of time in February focusing on Black History month, Valentine's

Day, and President's Day as the topics of much of their reading assignments. They worked on a

Black History Month Escape Room which introduced the students to the era. The assignment had

activities that encouraged students to learn about innovative Black Business Owners while

developing important reading skills such as understanding the main Idea & supporting details,

identifying the text structure, theme and making inferences. Looking ahead into March we will

spend time celebrating Women's History Month, St. Patrick's Day and the start of spring!

The eighth graders have been learning to love Algebra. We have spent the past few months

mastering solving equations. Students learned how to solve systems of equations by graphing

and substitution. We are just finishing up our functions unit. Students learned that functions are a

specific kind of relationship where each input has exactly one output. At the beginning of the

unit, students enjoyed coming up with their own functions and challenging their classmates to

figure out the rule for the function. As we finish this unit, students have been working on finding

the volume of different three-dimensional shapes.

The eighth graders learned about a variety of life science topics involving hereditary, species,

genetics, and reproduction. They were amazed that certain living species were able to reproduce

both asexually and sexually. They learned about genes, traits, chromosomes, and dna and how

combined they make who they are and what they look like. They are finishing the unit by

creating a living species that the world has never seen using all of the information they learned in the unit.

The artistry at St. Benedict Catholic School is out of this world! I am so proud and inspired by all our young artists!

Kindergarten has been very busy learning about Wassily Kandinsky and color. They created some wonderful circles of color, following color wheel order, modeled after Kandinsky’s "Squares with Concentric Circles". They have also been working on listening and drawing skills.

First and fourth grade are hard at work on their compositions inspired by Yayoi Kusama. They have viewed her sculptures, paintings and art installations. They have learned some color theory, practiced drawing skills, sharpened their technical skills and explored their own creativity.

Second grade is exploring African masks while honing their attention to details. We spoke about the use of symbolism, and the crafting of these masks. They are working on color theory, craftmanship, and patterns.

Third and fifth grade students are hard at work following in the steps of Georgia O’keeffe. They learned about her childhood, her inspirations, and her attention to the smallest of beauties. In their work they are refining their drawing and shading skills. They will also cover the color theory of blending and contrast.

Sixth and seventh graders have just finished a unit on Piet Mondrian. Students create cubes where each side was an original Mondrian inspired composition. Students refined their technical skills and understanding of color theory.

The eighth graders have embarked on a very special project. This project started with a drawing created by a first grader. Eighth graders are using these drawings to create a blueprint to make a real life stuff animal, out of felt, for the first grader who drew the creature. This employs taking a 2-dimensional piece and creating a 3-dimensional object. In the art arena this covers color theory, sewing, and the refinement of a composition. This also allows students to work on engineering skills as they determine the logistics of their specific creature. I am impressed by the work that has been done so far!

Students in elementary music classes enjoyed learning the Irish jig and group dances along with Irish rhythms. Intermediate classes used cups and rhythm sticks to play along with Irish folk music. Junior high music classes completed a unit focusing on pop music and rhythm and blues.

Congratulations to 6th grader Joesiah Clark for winning this year's St Benedict free throw contest. Joesiah went up against 42 other boys and girls in the school in a competition that took almost a month to complete! In the final round against 8th grader Zachary Ade, Joesiah hit 9 out of 10 shots to win it all!

S.T.R.E.A.M

(Science Technology Religion Engineering Art Math)

This quarter in STREAM K-2 classes have been exploring different STEM skills such as observation and creation as they rotate through various STEM activity centers. Legos, Playdoh Touch and Bloxels have been big hits in the centers!

3rd through 8th grade have been exploring the engineering and design process. The STREAM lab has been filled with MANY cardboard creations as we have been preparing for the Mini X-STREAM games on March 18th and well as a cardboard engineering showcase sometime this Spring!

Congratulations to all of the St Benedict Students who participated in the X-STREAM Mini Games on March 18th!!! St. Benedict was one of 3 schools represented in this STEM based competition! Our students competed in either the Lego Design challenge or the Creative Cardboard Arcade challenge. 4 of our 6 teams brought home medals in their categories!! There were many competitors and all of our students did an amazing job!! Way to represent our STEM mindset St Benedict students!!! You are all winners! Thank you to Mrs. McGinnis for working with our Lego groups! Thank you to Mr. Ungarsky & Mrs. Wypasek for volunteering their time as judges! It was a fantastic morning!

1st Place Winners in Lego Design K-1:

Chase Williams

Zah Ewart

Jaumeer Mathis

1st Place Winners in Lego Design 2-3:

Kaden Kiwatkowski

Princeton Stubbs

1st Place Winners in Creative Cardboard Arcade 3-5:

Aaliyah Newett

Rebecca Hill

Raelyn Jackson

3rd Place Winners in Creative Cardboard Arcade 3-5:

Alaina Benton

Haley Anderson

Curista Owens