St. Benedict Eagle's Nest
March, 2022
S O A R Safety ~ Ownership ~ Achievement ~ Respect
Principal Note
Mrs. Christine Malone, Director
It is extremely hard to believe that it has been six months since St. Benedict opened their doors to our littlest learners in our daycare. Our daycare serves children from six weeks through three years of age.
As I reflect on how the Early Learning Center has grown in the past seven years my heart is filled with joy and happiness. It is hard to believe that in 2015, the Early Learning Center consisted on one preschool classroom with one teacher and two aides. St. Benedict Catholic School began to grow quickly and in 2018, the Early Learning Center added two kindergarten classrooms. Finally, in the fall of 2021, St. Benedict Daycare opened.
The campus of St. Martin of Tours Church is full of life and excitement on a daily basis. Students often visit and say prayers around our outdoor Mary statue. Preschool and Kindergarten students attend prayer services regularly and fill the church with their musical voices to praise and worship God. And our students get their hands dirty in the community garden behind the school.
The St. Benedict Catholic School community is appreciative of the support and kindness of all members of the St. Martin of Tours and St. Monica parishes.
God is Good, all the time! All the time, God is Good!
St. Benedict, Pray for Us!
Early Learning Center
Our littlest learners have been hard at work this quarter! We practice saying our ABCs forward and backward each day and are even working on learning the letters in sign language! Many of us are getting ready to transition to preschool in the fall, so we are learning how to share with our friends and to sit during story time! We are even potty training in our classroom! Our daycare always has something exciting going on! Stop by to see us in action!
PK 1
During Black History Month, we learned about many iconic figures in the black community including MLK, Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, Michael Jordan, and Michael Jackson! We also celebrated Valentine’s Day, where we got lots of sweet treats. All while celebrating, we continued to learn about letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. As we near the end of the school year, the PK 1 class is showing great improvement and they are ready for the next step!
PK 2
During the month of March preschool has been celebrating Dr. Seuss! We have had a blast wearing a different themed outfit each day! We have continued to go to church once a week and starting to learn the stations of the cross. The kids are really enjoying the weather starting to change and getting back outside more. We can’t wait for Spring!
Kindergarten
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! Can you believe that we are at the end of 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 learned about communities and neighborhoods. 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.
In Religion we are learning about Lent. The children attended a prayer service in the Church and received their Ashes on Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent. During Lent 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!
Grade 1
Throughout the past couple of months, the first graders have been busy with so many small milestones. We all improved on our MAP winter scores. They worked super hard to get to this point and it only can get better. We also celebrated our 100 days of school. It's hard to believe we are almost in the 4th quarter. In Religion, we are preparing our hearts and doing a lot of reflecting during this season of Lent. We have been discussing ways to make small changes in our lives and praying more. We are also taking the time to reflect on the Stations of the Cross.
In Math, we explored topics such as telling time, skipping counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s, identifying, and counting pennies, nickels, and dimes, practicing our math facts and learning how to measure using nonstandard measurements.
In Reading, we continued to explore a variety of story genres, while discussing topics such as story structure, sequencing, and cause and effect. We are also working on our Fluency and trying to use more expressions while we are reading.
In Phonics, we have been learning a lot about vowel teams and have been engaged with a lot of hands-on learning centers to help us identify the difference between the different vowel teams. In English, we are working on sentence structure and putting more details into our sentences.
In Spelling, we are practicing spelling words with a different mixture of vowel teams and letter blends.
For Science, we are discovering the difference between pushes and pulls.
Finally, in Social Studies, we studied many important figures in history for Black History month and created some fun crafts.
It's been a fun, yet busy third quarter. We are looking forward to warmer weather and what is to come in the 4th quarter.
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
We packed in quite an eventful third quarter in fourth grade. Our time was filled with MAP testing, snow days, a Valentine's Day Dance, Catholic Schools Week, and lots and lots of learning.
In Reading we have been reading the novel, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. As the Book is set in New York city we have been learning about Art Museums, places of interest in New York City, and the Artist Michaelangelo. In Social Studies we have wrapped up learning about Ohio’s importance in the French and Indian War, and are now focusing on how its resources and rich soil made it a prime spot for Americans moving west.
In Science students have been focusing their energy on learning all about the different types of energy. Including how it’s made, stored, and used.
The current focus in fourth grade Math has been on all things decimals. Fourth graders did great on their Math MAP tests!
In English fourth graders have been working on researching, writing, and presenting projects on important historical African Americans. Students have also been working on correcting sentence structure and self editing techniques.
In Religion we have been focusing on the season of Lent, paying attention to our own personal sacrifices. We have also been learning in depth about the Ten Commandments.
As we look toward the fourth and final quarter of the year we are anxiously awaiting warmer temperatures and all the fascinating things we still have left to learn before the end of the year.
Grade 5
So here we are at the end of the third quarter. It is hard to believe how much learning has been going on in fifth grade. Math terms and concepts are a part of our daily lives with Mrs. Volinski. We are adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions and decimals currently. We can even order, compare, and round them. In Science the focus is on cycles found in ecosystems. We have been reading biographies and autobiographies and studying concept story maps in Reading with Ms. Everhart. Mrs. Yanosko has us writing and presenting research projects while concentrating on our grammar as well. In Religion the focus has been on the Sacraments and the parts of the Mass. Rounding out our day in Social Studies the majority of our time has been spent studying slavery in early America and notable women in history. As you can see, we are learning a lot and keeping busy during the day. Catch up here next time to see what new things we are learning.
Grade 6
In sixth grade the students have been surprised to learn that soil is a living, thriving ecosystem! That soil is made up of all types of living and non - living things. That there is a difference between soil and dirt! They've also been learning about the types of resources, and the difference between renewable and non - renewable ones! They were amazed to learn about the Dust Bowl of the 1930's and how it coincided with the Great Depression that was going on in our country at the same time.
In English, the sixth graders have been reviewing basic grammar and have been introduced to sentence diagramming, which can help them identify a part of speech and its use in a sentence. During Black History Month, the students each selected an African American, who contributed to the betterment of our country. Then they created a powerpoint, which they presented to the class on their person. The students did a wonderful job with their presentations. Students are now beginning their formal MLA style research paper, which will also be based on a famous African American. It is a long process because the paper will have multiple components such as a title page, bibliography, outline, paper with citations and a works cited page. We are beginning the bibliography card format at present and students will choose the person they wish to write about. Students are also practicing their writing with small journal entries. There is good progress and development in their writing skills.
Math was a busy time for the sixth graders, they continued learning about ratios, unit rates, and percentages, plus planned a trip to Beijing, China. The students worked with schedules, graphs, and time tables to plan a trip for two to Beijing, China from their homeroom’s country choice. This trip included picking a flight, a hotel, and 2 Olympic events that they wanted to visit and other sites in China. The students enjoyed planning the trip and completed a digital scrapbook page of their trip! During the fourth quarter, the sixth graders will be studying statistics and probability; work with equations and rational numbers.. Plus some fun activities for St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, and Easter!
There has been a lot going on in Junior High Reading class! February was a busy month in Reading. We spent time reading about Chinese New Year and Ground Hog Day. The Winter Olympics was a big focus for us in Reading which was exciting since we only have the Winter Olympics happen every four years! We spent some time looking at important people from Black History and celebrated our past presidents on President's Day. as well. We are not slowing down in March as we focus on important women during Women's History Month, St. Patrick's Day and March Madness!
In social studies our sixth grade student are exploring the world of Ancient India. This massive country is home to over 1 billion people and is home to two of the worlds five major world religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. Students have also went on a Virtual Field Trip to visit many sites like the Ganges River and the Taj Mahal
Grade 7
In Religion, the seventh graders have continued learning about Jesus in the New Testament plus saints and Holy Days. We spent time learning about black saints and holy men and women during February. These men and women were amazing people, and many were modern saints or on their way to becoming saints.. The students researched Olympic athletes from the country each homeroom chose to follow. They included character traits about being Olympic athletes. The students enjoyed learning about the many different athletes from another country. They started their Lent journey with many different activities and look forward to Easter. The students are keeping a daily Lenten Journal of private reflections to prepare them for Easter. During the fourth quarter, the students will create their own Faith Retreat. A Faith Retreat is a short retreat (less than 3 minutes) on a Bible reading which includes a reflection on the reading, questions to inspire a personal response, and prayer. The students will share their Faith Retreats with the class.
In English, the seventh graders have been reviewing the basic elements of grammar and have been introduced to sentence diagramming, which can help them identify basic parts of speech and their use in a sentence. They have also begun reading Finding Her Way by Anne G. Faigen. It is a story about a 19th century girl, who desires to be an artist in a time when women were supposed to get married and take care of the household. In the novel, she meets American author Henry David Thoreau and author Margaret Fuller, who help her achieve her dream. The students are learning to respond to questions based on the novel in complete sentences as well as supporting their answers from the text itself. This novel introduces them to abolitionists and the Underground Railroad as it existed in Concord, MA, It also helps them see the plight of the Irish immigrants, who came to work on the railroad and the prejudices that existed against them. Students will write a formal paper after the novel is read and discussed. For Black History month, students did research on the Underground Railroad in Ohio and shared in a class discussion. Presently, they are working on a powerpoint in groups of an environmentalist and will present the powerpoints to the class. This is in preparation for the MLA style research paper that students will begin shortly on an environmental issue of their choice. This written assignment will involve the creation of a title page, bibliography cards, outline, paper with citations, and a works cited page. In addition, students practice their writing with short journal entries and are progressing well with their writing skills.
In Social Studies in honor of International Women’s day our 7th graders completed an activity learning about 8 women who changed the world. They completed a digital escape room, to learn the theme for International Women’s Day 2022: Break the Bias.
There has been a lot going on in Junior High Reading class! February was a busy month in Reading. We spent time reading about Chinese New Year and GroundHog Day. The Winter Olympics was a big focus for us in Reading which was exciting since we only have the Winter Olympics happen every four years! We spent some time looking at important people from Black History and celebrated our past presidents on President's Day. as well. We are not slowing down in March as we focus on important women during Women's History Month, St. Patrick's Day and March Madness!
Math was a busy time for the seventh graders, they continued learning about ratios and percentages, plus 7A planned a trip to Beijing, China. The students worked with schedules, graphs, and time tables to plan a trip for two to Beijing, China from their homeroom’s choice country of Japan. This trip also included picking 2 Olympic events that they wanted to visit and other sites in China. The students enjoyed planning the trip and completed a digital scrapbook page of their trip! During the fourth quarter, the seventh graders will be studying statistics and probability; have fun with angles and prisms; and finally work with equations and inequalities. Plus some fun activities for St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, and Easter!
In Science, we have been learning all about the moon, our nearest neighbor in the nighttime sky. The moon affects life here on Earth in many ways. Time, tides, and light. For many animals, especially birds, the moon is essential for migration and navigation. Tides are probably the most observable effect of the moon on earth. The moon does not produce its own light but rather reflected light from the sun. Fluctuating light levels have a significant impact on life on earth. We then used Oreo cookies to learn the phases of the moon. The students participated in a study on how they eat their Oreo cookies. Those who were "Twisters" , those that twist their cookies are apt to be sensitive. Those who are "Dunkers" , those that dunk their cookies in a liquid, tend to be energetic. Lastly, those who are "Divers" (Yours Truly and Mrs. Oriti) are those who simply dive right in and take a bite, and possess a great deal of self-confidence! We will then be working in groups to complete a "Lost on the Moon Worksheet" and a S.O.L.E. Lesson on " what would happen if the Moon suddenly disappeared. Stay tuned for new adventures!
Grade 8
In English, the eighth graders have been working on an extensive unit on social justice, which began with the study of the Holocaust. The students presently have been examining the injustice that took place even in Northern States during the time prior to the Civil War with the Fugitive Slave law. Students read and discussed Frederick Douglass’ speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Next, as a part of Black History month, the students learned about the Civil Rights Movement and viewed two films. They then wrote reflective responses to each after group discussions. In addition, the students compared and contrasted Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” with words that the Reverend Martin Luther King wrote in some of his essays and “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.” Throughout this unit, students were constantly sharing the violations of Catholic Social Justice Principles that had taken place. A formal composition was written on the topic of stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, or scapegoating. Continuing this unit is a project based assignment that involves the students researching in groups social justice violations that have occurred in various countries with the Olympics throughout the years. They will examine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the Olympic Committee and will cite the Catholic Social Justice Principles that relate to this declaration. Then, students will examine the 2022 Olympics in China and discuss the violations of human rights that have taken place in that country. This project will end with the students creating two cartoon panels—one which shows a human rights violation and the other with a correction of that violation.
Shortly, the students will begin the MLA style research paper based on a social justice issue of their choice. This formal paper will involve the creation of bibliography cards, a title page, outline, paper with citations, and a works cited page.
Students are reviewing grammar and sentence structure as well and have been responding to journal entries. They are all becoming very proficient writers.
In Religion, the students studied the various parts of the Catholic Liturgy. They examined the words in the prayers as well as responses. We discussed the various ways we demonstrate community at Mass through the people present, prayers, gestures, songs, silence, and Eucharist. Students also learned about the season of Lent and the various symbols that are used during this season of the Church year. Each of the students created an illustration of Lent that will be hung at St. Monica Church and St. Martin of Tours Church. Father Haren has also been teaching the Ten Commandments weekly to the students. They have also been studying the History of the Catholic Church, and had the opportunity to present to their classmates, a topic of their choosing, important to the history of our Church.
In Science, the eighth graders have been learning and applying the principles of Sir Isaac Newton's Laws of Motions in everyday life. They are learning about the differences between balanced and unbalanced forces and the role they play in our world. They have also learned about the importance of earth's invisible force, protecting us and keeping our atmosphere in place. Earth's magnetic field and Geographic poles. They've watched several Bill Nye the Science Guy and Generations Genius episodes to reinforce these concepts and ideas. They will wrap up and test their knowledge gained by taking a unit quiz and then researching and developing a slide show/ power point presentation to the question: What if Earth's Magnetic Field Disappeared?
In Math, the eighth grade finished a section on system of linear equations and now is learning about functions and using algebra tiles. Some students really started to "see" some things they didn't before when they used the hands on algebra tiles. I noticed less confusion and greater accuracy when we do our regular work as well. They seem to understand "zero pairs" and "making equal sized groups." We will be doing the volume of cylinders, cones and spheres eventually. We might work on the Pythagorean Theorem before that to make sure we are ready for end of year testing.
There has been a lot going on in Junior Reading class! February was a busy month in Reading. We spent time reading about Chinese New Year and Ground Hog Day. The Winter Olympics was a big focus for us in Reading which was exciting since we only have the Winter Olympics happen every four years! We spent some time looking at important people from Black History and celebrated our past presidents on President's Day. as well. We are not slowing down in March as we focus on important women during Women's History Month, St. Patrick's Day and March Madness!
In Social Studies our eighth grade students have been hard at work on our Shark Tank Project. Students are designing a business and product from the ground up. After the product has been created students will have the opportunity to pitch their idea for a business to an outside group of individuals.
STREAM
S.T.R.E.A.M
(Science Technology Religion Engineering Art Math)
Coding and Programming
Our focus for the 3rd quarter was Programming and Coding.
What is Code?
Coding is a term used for computer programming. Code refers to the language used to communicate instructions to a computer or device. There are many different coding languages. Code is used to create games, apps, programs, websites and so much more.
Primary Students
St. Benedict students begin learning code through off-line coding activities in our primary grades. These activities do not take place on a computer or device, but instead are visual and hands-on. Through offline coding activities students learn how to map out specific directions and give a set of detailed instructions. Students learn to be precise with their directions and also learn how to “debug” their programs when they make an error. We often incorporate literacy and math skills with these activities. Students also explore coding through the use of our coding mouse bots. These devices are programmed using the buttons on their backs. Students navigate the small mouse bots through mazes and other challenges using commands such as forward, backward, left, right, delete and run. This is always a favorite tool used in our STREAM room in the primary grades!
Grades 3 - 8
As we move coding into the intermediate and junior high grades, our students' experiences become more involved and computer/device based. 3rd through 6th graders begin learning block code. Block code is a visual based coding language that allows students to choose commands from a set of preprogrammed blocks. Students learn to connect their commands into a series by clicking the blocks into place. Students may change specific aspects of the blocks, such as distance, color, sound and more depending on the command they have chosen and the challenge they are navigating. This year we have worked with Kodable, which is a beginning coding program on our chromebooks, and the Blockly App, which allows our students to write block code for our Wonder Workshop Dash robots. Our 4th, 5th and 6th grade students worked on their presentation skills this quarter as well. Each grade level researched and presented new ways their classmates could use the Dash bots. This included teaching classmates to use attachment accessories and tasking their peers with creative challenges their group created.
7th and 8th grade students worked with Google Sheets to create math pixel challenge puzzles for our primary students. Our junior high students first created pixel art using our hands on Bloxel bricks.. They then transferred their art to block cells in a Google Sheet using the paint tool. The students wrote 15 review math equations for a specific grade level. They then learned how to formulate the cells so that certain pixels would appear when a correct answer is typed into the answer space. When all 15 answers are correct, a completed picture will appear on the screen. We are excited to share these with the primary teachers to use as a math review resource in their classrooms!
Extra Curricular
I am also excited to announce that our Advanced Coding Club for 6th-8th grade started this past week and our first meeting was a great success! Through this program, our students will begin to learn JavaScript, which is a more advanced computer coding language. This past week, we learned some specific coding vocabulary for communicating with our computers. Students wrote their first program and interacted with students from other neighboring catholic schools while completing the coursework. We are thankful to The Digital Academy and John Carroll University for providing us the opportunity to host this advanced club on our campus!
Music
Art
This month has been filled with exploration and creativity. Many Classes have improved their techniques/skills by leaps and bounds. We have also learned about some incredible artists and historical figures.
In kindergarten and first grade we read Rosa Parks - Little People, Big Dreams. We talked about unfair treatment and the bravery of Rosa Parks. We then created our own busses modeled after the Montgomery busses.
In second grade we read Faith Ringgold’s “Tar Beach”. Students created their own quilt squares with watercolor and their own George Washington Bridge with construction paper. They then combined both to create a complete composition.
Third grade students practiced their drawing skills by creating African zebras and then applied their understanding of patterns and textiles to create a kente inspired border.
Four grade students learned about weaving, creating kente matts and then added geometric patterns to take their creations to the next level. They finished their matts with a border and fringe.
Fifth and sixth grade students learned about Reggie Laurent and his abstract, geometric designs. They then painted and created their own shapes to use in a composition. We will finish these compositions in the next two weeks.
Students in the seventh and eighth grade finished their eagle portraits. We then moved into learning about Paul Klee and his painting "Once Emerged From the Grey of Night" Students chose an inspiring quote and modeled their composition after Klee. They are using watercolor to complete these compositions.
As always, I am very proud of all the students and their hard work! Please ask them about their art.
Physical Education
Outreach To Our Community
Each month families are present at a weekend Mass at St. Monica or St. Martin of Tours. Students wear their school uniform and welcome parish members to Mass. The goal is for students to represent St. Benedict and share their joy of the school with others.
Henry David Thoreau Resident Author
Congratulations to Mrs. Przybojewski, Junior High English teacher, whose abstract was accepted by the Thoreau Society. She is invited to speak at the Thoreau Society Gathering in Concord, MA July 5-10. The focus of the Gathering is Global Thoreau. Mrs. Przybojewski will present the ways her students identified elements of Henry David Thoreau’s thoughts, actions, and words through global literature. She will focus on the work students did with the novel The Little Prince by Antoine de Sainte Exupery. Also, she will discuss connections students made with Thoreau’s use of Greek mythology from Walden and writing their own mythological battle between two insects as Thoreau did. In addition, selections from German and Jewish writers were read during their Holocaust unit. Students connected Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” to the violations of social justice that occurred. Finally, lyrics from some songs by the Irish band U2 were read, discussed and compared with Thoreau’s words relating to social justice. This will be Mrs. Przybojewski”s fifth time presenting at the Thoreau Society Gathering.
Mrs. Przybojewski Portrays Henry David Thoreau
Join Mrs. Przybojewski at the 26th annual Medina County Earth Day Festival on April 23, 2022 from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. She, along with other educators will represent ways to take care of the environment. Mrs. Przybojewski will display work that the students of St. Benedict Catholic School did with Thoreau. They include art, projects, compositions, and poems. She will speak with visitors the ways Thoreau has been used in her sixth, seventh, and eighth grade English classes.
Address:
Buffalo Creek Retreat
8708 Hubbard Valley Road
Seville, OH
Junior Holy Name and Drama Ministry
The sixth, seventh, and eighth grade members of the Junior Holy Name Society and Drama Ministry have been working very hard after school preparing for the Living Stations of the Cross. These Stations are told from Mary’s point of view as she witnesses her Son’s suffering, death, and Resurrection. It is told through liturgical movement, dramatic reading, pantomime, and music. Students will perform these Stations for the school children as well as St. Monica Church. Everyone is invited to pray these Stations with the students on Friday, April 1 and Friday, April 8 at 3:30 P.M. at St Monica Church.
The students are also preparing Triduum rooms for the school children. This prayer experience will take place on Holy Thursday and will involve dramatic reading, a short play, and liturgical movement. Students will be reminded of what took place on the most sacred days of the church year—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.