FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE
Our Lady Queen of Heaven School :: December 14th, 2015
The FHS is a monthly on-line school newsletter. It will be emailed to you through School Reach. There will be weekly reminders of important events and activities that are planned for the upcoming week.
Dear Parents and Members of the OLQHS Community
It is hard to believe that we are almost half way through the 2015 -2016 school year. This year has begun as a year of change. The school has adopted Renweb and the transition has been challenging but good. The advantage to changing to Renweb is visible every day. Enrollment will be done entirely on Renweb. I think we are improving the communication through the use of Renweb. Good communication is so important.
The new middle school is running smoothly. Mrs. DeMolle is doing a great job and has a handle on what needs to be accomplished. Our new teachers are adjusting well and some have found where they truly belong. Mrs. LeDoux has returned for a couple of more years. How lucky things worked out the way they did, or was that God working for the good of our students.
The elementary school is also functioning well. The new teachers are fine-tuning their talents to fit into the expectations of OLQHS. Patience and understanding are necessary as we all work through these transitions. These changes affect us all.
The ECC is coming along and should be completed by Spring. It will be nice not to be involved in new construction. Although it is important to be working on the maintenance of our facilities.
Our wonderful students have been shining whether it is in academics, enrichments , or athletics. They are a great bunch of individuals who work hard in their efforts to succeed. The students at OLQHS are happy and you just have to do a morning duty to see how joyful they are as they arrive at school each day. The teachers and staff at OLQHS are gifted and dedicated to the vision and mission of OLQHS. Monsignor Gaddy and his fellow priests who serve OLQHS are the pillars of the our spiritual life and learning. Parents give us their time, support and talents so that OLQHS is a total community with each aspect truly invested in the accomplishments of the school.
God bless you all and may you enjoy a joyous and wonderful Christmas season.
Thank you for all that you do!
OLQHS is an incredible place to be!
~Ms. JoAnn
The Advent Virus
WARNING……WARNING: ADVENT VIRUS
Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.
Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:
- A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
- An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
- A loss of interest in judging other people.
- A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
- A loss of interest in conflict.
- A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
- Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
- Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
- Frequent attacks of smiling.
- An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
- An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it.
The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel. - Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel, 114
Instant Wisdom
Math Fluency
Procedural fluency is a critical component of mathematical proficiency. Procedural fluency is the ability to apply procedures accurately, efficiently, and flexibly; to transfer procedures to different problems and contexts; to build or modify procedures from other procedures; and to recognize when one strategy or procedure is more appropriate to apply than another. To develop procedural fluency, students need experience in integrating concepts and procedures and building on familiar procedures as they create their own informal strategies and procedures. Students need opportunities to justify both informal strategies and commonly used procedures mathematically, to support and justify their choices of appropriate procedures, and to strengthen their understanding and skill through distributed practice.
Procedural fluency is more than memorizing facts or procedures, and it is more than understanding and being able to use one procedure for a given situation. Procedural fluency builds on a foundation of conceptual understanding, strategic reasoning, and problem solving (NGA Center & CCSSO, 2010; NCTM, 2000, 2014). Research suggests that once students have memorized and practiced procedures that they do not understand, they have less motivation to understand their meaning or the reasoning behind them (Hiebert, 1999). Therefore, the development of students’ conceptual understanding of procedures should precede and coincide with instruction on procedures. Although conceptual knowledge is an essential foundation, procedural knowledge is important in its own right. All students need to have a deep and flexible knowledge of a variety of procedures, along with an ability to make critical judgments about which procedures or strategies are appropriate for use in particular situations (NRC, 2001, 2005, 2012; Star, 2005).
In computation, procedural fluency supports students’ analysis of their own and others’ calculation methods, such as written procedures and mental methods for the four arithmetic operations, as well as their own and others’ use of tools like calculators, computers, and manipulative materials (NRC, 2001). Procedural fluency extends students’ computational fluency and applies in all strands of mathematics. For example, in algebra, students develop general equation-solving procedures that apply to classes of problems and select efficient procedures to use in solving specific problems. In geometry, procedural fluency might be evident in students’ ability to apply and analyze a series of geometric transformations or in their ability to perform the steps in the measurement process accurately and efficiently.
Procedural fluency builds from an initial exploration and discussion of number concepts to using informal reasoning strategies and the properties of operations to develop general methods for solving problems (NCTM, 2014). Effective teaching practices provide experiences that help students to connect procedures with the underlying concepts and provide students with opportunities to rehearse or practice strategies and to justify their procedures. Practice should be brief, engaging, purposeful, and distributed (Rohrer, 2009). Too much practice too soon can be ineffective or lead to math anxiety (Isaacs & Carroll, 1999). Analyzing students’ procedures often reveals insights and misunderstandings that help teachers in planning next steps in instruction. In the same way, worked examples can serve as a valuable instructional tool, permitting teachers to understand how students analyze why procedures work or don’t work and consider what procedure might be most appropriate in a given situation (Booth, Lange, Koedinger, & Newton, 2013).
Caught You Being Good this week at OLQHS! Let’s Celebrate!
- Grace Smith, in Mrs. Morein’s class, has been so helpful to Ava Maneille while she has a cast on her broken arm. She makes sure that she helps her get packed up and unpacked, she helps hold the water fountain button for her, and she even offered to take Ava's job of being the door holder for her until her arm is better.
- In Middle School Spanish. Great things are happening.
- Luke Johnson and Jeremy Harvey teaming up together leaving differences aside to meet a goal. Working well together.
- Caton Darling for introducing a Guatemalan lesson to the class representing giving of thanks.
- Emma Bernadette Faul for cooking and baking so well for Spanish class
- Jane Radde for making a spectacular video on the life and works of Diego Rivera (famous artist from Mexico.) Great job!!! Students ask to watch it every day.
- Madelyn Stewart in Ms. Edens’ class is a role model for other students. She is kind, compassionate to others, and always does her very best in class. I am very proud of her.
Information :: Carline Changes
There will be a change in Carline beginning on January 5. In trying to relieve some of the congestion on Creole Street in the afternoon, we would like all single children from 3rd and 4th grades (children who do not have siblings at OLQHS) or those 3rd and 4th graders who have PK or Kindergarten siblings to be picked up at the end of the day on Quilty Street. Parents of these children will approach carline on Quilty Street by lining up on Gennesse Street from W. Sale Road. After pickup, parents will exit through church parking lot or Drozan Street.
Morning Drop Off will remain the same for these students.
AMERICANISM PROGRAM
VETERAN OF FOREIGN WARS POST 2130 AND AUXLIARY WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE WINNING STUDENTS.
KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS HAD TO COLOR THE AMERICAN FLAG.
1ST PLACE WINNER: GRIFFIN HANKS ($25.00) MS. EDENS
2ND PLACE WINNER: BRAYLEE DEVILLIER ($15.00) MS. OGEA
3RD PLACE WINNER: PARKER FAIRCHILD ($10.00) MS. EDENS
FIRST GRADE STUDENTS HAD TO DRAW AN AMERICAN FLAG.
1ST PLACE WINNER: MASON NAGEM ($25.00) MS. PIATT
2ND PLACE WINNER: MADELEINE NGUYEN ($15.00) MS. PIATT
3RD PLACE WINNER: JACOB CELESTINE ($10.00) MS. BEBEE
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE 2015 AMERICANISM CONTESTS.
CONGRATULATIONS ON A JOB WELL DONE.
SYLVIA IRWIN-SENIOR VICE
AMERICANISM CHAIRMAN
VFW POST 2130
ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL - GREAT TUITION GIVE-AWAY
Win tuition for one year at SLCHS!!
Invest in a child’s future ~ redeemable for up to two years. (Expires August 1, 2017)
For every 500 tickets sold, another tuition prize will be awarded!
All proceeds benefit St. Louis Catholic High School
DRAWING TO BE HELD JANUARY 30, 2016
NEED NOT BE PRESENT TO WIN
Prize is transferrable. Cannot be redeemed for cash & does not include registration fee
COST PER TICKET: $25.00
Tickets can be purchased: slchs.org or at school’s office, 1620 Bank Street
436-7275 or email: avincent@slchs.org for more info
Other News...
Thank you for a wonderful Carnival!
This year’s carnival was a great success! Thank you to event coordinator Amy Veuleman for her leadership and to all of our parents and staff for the hard work in making this event possible. We truly appreciate your patience with the rescheduling of this event. The OLQH community is wonderful and we thank you all for your generosity and support!
Shoparoo – App!
The Shoparoo App is another easy way to support our school. Download the app, take pictures of your receipts and earn OLQHS money! For more information on Shoparoo, visit www.shoparoo.com
Monster Mash!
There were lots of monsters crawling around campus this fall!
2nd Grade
2nd graders read “Where the Wild Things Are” and used their imagination to create their own monsters!
5th Grade
The 5th grade participated in the global monster project again this year. They collaborated with students from around the world to create this particular monster. They used science, technology, engineering math skills and a great amount of creativity to construct their monster.
5th graders also drew their own individual monsters as part of Mrs. Foshee’s art class.
Festival of Lights and Wreaths
Fourth graders helped us ring in the Advent season with the celebration of the Festival of Lights and Wreaths on December 1. It was a magical evening with music from the OLQH band, choir, hand bell choir and performances from our 4th grade students. Thank you to all who worked to make this evening possible. It has been a tradition here at OLQHS for 25 years and is a beautiful way to welcome the Advent season.
Visit from Bishop Provost
On November 10th we had a wonderful visit from Bishop Glen John Provost. We celebrated mass together and the Bishop visited with many of our classes and students on his campus tour.
Thanksgiving Feast
Kindergarten pilgrims and pre-k Indians enjoyed their very own Thanksgiving feast! Thank you to the teachers, parents, students and our wonderful cafeteria staff for making this event a wonderful memory for our little ones!
OLQHS at the 5th Annual National Pediatric Cancer Awareness Day
More News...
Pre-Kindergarten
Thanks to the Spalding program for this excitement! We are also having fun with weekly Science experiments!
We are learning to sound out simple 3 letter words, with the consonant-vowel-consonant pattern. VERY exciting!
3rd Grade
Our reflection this morning was beautiful.
The students focused on how they were "fearfully and wonderfully made" by our maker.
They wrote their name in sand to remind them that every time they see the sand on the seashore, GOD loves them more than each grain on earth.
They also made personal magazine collages that describe their qualities given to them by God.
Lastly, they know that every time they see the markings in their hands, they will remember their name written in the palm of God's hand.
God Bless!
In Mrs. Reed’s class today, the students have changed their names to multiplication facts. Each one has a name tag with a multiplication problem and we have to call them by their new "name" for the day. We are also working on our advent chains each day. Today’s activity was to pray for the sick. The students are making cards and will send them to the nursing home this weekend.
Mrs. Arceneaux's entire class is always exceptional! This week, though, Charlie Trappey has been extra willing to lend a hand!
The class enjoyed making our thankful turkeys and we had a great reflection on all we have to be thankful for.
We are currently studying the meaning and symbols of advent!
Multiplication facts are ROLLING by and we are loving our fun rhymes to remember!
We are learning how to be good citizens and the importance of laws in Social Studies :)
The class got me a "Teacher's Chair" for my birthday and I am SO thankful for them!
4th Grade
On Tuesday, December 1, the fourth grade class hosted an evening of faith with the help of Monsignor James Gaddy. Monsignor’s helper angels provided laughs and storytelling as classes each performed skits form the Old Testament. Mrs. Phelps’s class performed the story of “Joseph and the Coat of many Colors”. Mrs. Phillips’s class performed the story of “David and Goliath”, and Mrs. Zembower’s class performed the story of “Moses and the Ten Plagues”. All of these stories taught us about leaders of our faith in the Bible. Monsignor Gaddy was also cheered as the leader of our church. It was a beautiful night complete with the talent of the handbells and choir under the direction of Mrs. Tanner. A special thanks to all who helped make the evening possible, especially the student council, Mrs. Tanner, Mrs. Fontenot, Mrs. Phelps, Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. Zembower, and all of the fourth grade students who worked so hard.
5th Grade
A Mining Lab “field trip” came to our school! As part of our Geology unit, fifth graders enjoyed an adventurous day in the Mining Lab on Dec. 1 This special mining lab has been coming to our school since 2010. The owner, Mrs. Carol Rabb, of Baton Rouge, travels around from school to school in her Mining Lab to share her expertise in minerals and rocks as well as the process involved in mining. Students mined for their very own authentic minerals collecting at least 15 different kinds. Some of them were amethyst, quartz, apatite, tiger’s eye and pyrite to name a few. They learned that geologists classify minerals according to their properties such as hardness, breakage, luster and streak. There was only ONE rock collected during the mining. All the rest were minerals. Can you guess its name? Hint: It’s the only rock that floats! For more info about the Mining Lab visit www.diamonddel.com or call 225-268-7840 if you know of another school that would be interested in participating.
The students discovered various ways to add fractions by combining different color liquids to see what the final measurement was equivalent to. We also got to see what color our combinations made. The students have also been using their writing skills that they have learned in English class to share their opinions about different topics in math such as how negative integers could be advantageous to have in real life. In addition, we also looked at what pattern is present when you add fraction pairs to produce a whole number. Even in Mrs. Trahan’s math class we are enjoying our awesome middle school science lab!
Our 7th graders are studying energy flows. We are learning the difference in food chains and food webs. We are learning more about how God is the original recycler through our study of the energy, water, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen cycles.
The seventh graders have just finished their essays for the Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest. Students created characters and wrote a dialogue in which their characters discussed the disadvantages of the Stamp Act in Colonial America during 1765. The students are currently writing friendly letters and journal entries as the character, Candy. Candy is an elf who has come to observe good deeds around Our Lady Queen of Heaven School. In this project, students are vividly describing good deeds they either perform or witness around OLQH.
8th Graders are looking at mineral and rock types and how minerals combine to become rocks. We are also growing assorted crystals so we can study crystal shapes using microscopes.
8th Grade's Trip to Washington DC
The Art World
To begin our season of Congratulations, I want to recognize the Kindergarten and First Grade Students who won the Veterans of Foreign Wars (Post 2130) Art Contest. The three winners from Kindergarten had to color the American Flag. They are: First Place--Griffin Hanks; Second Place--Braylee Devillier; and Third Place--Parker Fairchild. The three winners from First Grade had to DRAW an American Flag. They are: First Place--Mason Nagem; Second Place--Madeleine Nguyen; and Third Place--Jacob Celestine. Great job, you guys!!
We have quite a few new members of the Artsonia Hall of Fame. They are as follows: Kindergarten--Jonathan Braud, Adyson Swire, Isaiah Kerr, Remi Fontenot, Colt Leger, Jackson Pruitt, Ellie Gage, and Samuel Bebee; First Grade--Reece Campbell and Jacob Celestine; Second Grade--Cara Henry, Aidan Ritchie and Carson Kramer; Third Grade--Reese Furman, Maggie Nickel, Briggs Hebert, Finn Gage, Brooke Miles and Jolie Stough; Fourth Grade--Carter Kramer; Sixth Grade--Luke Courville; Seventh Grade--Molly Inman and Madison Bebee; and Eighth Grade--Adam Courville. Congratulations to you all!!!
For the Christmas season consider giving a gift to your child, your parents, or anyone you love with your child's artwork on the item. Artsonia has a wonderful Gift Shop with high quality gifts. As a grandparent, I would rather have a coffee mug with my grandchildren's artwork than anything else that I could possibly receive. Remember, this is the ONLY fundraiser that the Art Department has. I have used these funds to buy stools for the classroom, Prismcolor Pencil Colors, Art books, and any extras to improve your child's Art Experience at OLQH (that the funds are not available through my regular art account). Artsonia has many items on sale through December 8, and anything order by December 14 is guaranteed for delivery by Christmas. If you want to get them a t-shirt with artwork on it, they can wear it on Artsonia T-Shirt Day in January or February of 2016.
For the parents that like to put Christmas artwork on ornaments, cards, or coffee mugs keep a watch out for the following "Christmasy" pictures appearing on Artsonia in the next week. Kindergarten--Santa & Rudolph; First Grade--Mary and Baby Jesus: Second Grade--Santa's Face; Third Grade--Angels; Fourth Grade--Gourd Christmas Ornaments; and Fifth Grade--Snowflakes.
Have a very, very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a precious and wonderful time with family!
Brenda Foshee, Art
Spanish at OLQHS
Spanish Connections
All classes will learn culture as well as regular lessons for December.
Elementary: First grades will be learning the origin of the Poinsettia plant and make a special craft to bring home. They also will learn about Las Posadas (the celebration of the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.) Second grades will learn about Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe and make a special craft to bring home as well. Third grades will study the origin and use of the Piñata and will create their own special Piñata to celebrate the birthday of Jesus.
4th grades will help to create Poinsettias for their teachers and family as well as study the use and meaning of the plant during Christmas.
5th grades will read and discuss all kinds of celebrations within several Spanish speaking countries and compare / contrast them to their own celebrations.
Middle School: Several cultural aspects of this holiday season will be viewed in videos, read, and discussed in class. From Our Lady of Guadalupe to the origin and history of the piñata, many celebrations throughout the Spanish speaking world will be researched with student lead instruction. There will be a Christmas piñata party before the holiday break.
Spanish I students (8th grade) have learned the blessing in Spanish already and will be able to recite in groups "Hail Holy Queen" in Spanish before Christmas.
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for learning Spanish as a second language. ¡Muchísimas gracias! Sra. Smith
Sra. Smith
Spanish Teacher
OLQHS LIBRARY
FALL BOOK FAIR
Thanks to all who were able to support our Fall Book Fair.
Our profit was $2700, which is our most successful fair
ever. In addition to the cash, we also received $1100 in books to enhance classroom libraries. Half of the profit will
remain in the library to enhance technology. Special thanks to
Kristine Hilliard, Stephanie Lie and Margaret Wright for their help!
Spring Book Fair will be in early March.
AR STAR
Congratulations to AR Star Mazie Marceaux, 6th grade
Congratulations Double AR Star, Sarah Doty, 5th grade.
Music/Choir
The band, hand bell choir, and choir have been very busy providing music for the masses, 1st Reconciliation, Mistletoe & Moss and Festival of Lights & Wreaths. They work very hard to get ready for these extra activities. The events wouldn’t be the same without our band, hand bell choir, and choir. Remember there will be a Christmas Concert next Wednesday, December 9, present by the Music Department.
The Band students at OLQH have been hard at work this year! They have had a blast playing at the Pep Rallies, have enjoyed participating in the prelude music for the Festival of Lights and Wreaths and loved playing music for the Thanksgiving Mass. All of the band students helped us celebrate the Christmas Season with the beautiful music in conjunction with the OLQH Chorus at our annual Christmas Concert. Congratulations BAND Students on a music filled fall semester!
Culinary Club
I want to personally thank all of the Culinary Club members and their parents that helped make our Carnival a huge success by donating their time and their sweets to our Sweet Shop. Thank you!
Some of the Culinary Club members went to Villa Maria on Veteran’s Day and decorated cookies with the residence. The students enjoyed getting to know the elders and they loved hearing their stories. The residents really enjoyed having us and asked us to come back any time.
The Culinary Club will be doing a Cookie Swap the week before the Christmas break. All students are encouraged to make their favorite treat at home and bring them to school to share with their peers. Happy Holidays!
Keep on cookin’,
Sue Ellen Stokeld
OLQHS is a Cell Phone Free Zone
Please when driving through carline; remember that school zones are cell phone free zones. The crossing guards as well as duty teachers have noticed that there are quite a few people who are on their cell phones while picking up their children. When the Louisiana legislature voted the cell phone free zones into law, I am sure they were concerned with the safety of the children of Louisiana.
ASBESTOS STATEMENT
EACH YEAR PARENTS MUST BE INFORMED THAT THE SCHOOL HAS COMPLIED WITH ALL NATIONAL STANDARDS REGARDING ASBESTOS ON CAMPUS. CERTAIN VINYL FLOORS AND THE PANELS THAT ARE BELOW THE QUAD WINDOWS WILL HAVE TO BE HANDLED APPROPRIATELY IF EVER REPLACED. OUR REPORT INDICATES THAT EXISTING ASBESTOS IS IN GOOD CONDITION AND WE HAVE THE HIGHEST RATING GIVEN. YOU ARE WELCOME TO EXAMINE THE ASBESTOS FILE IN THE OFFICE IF DESIRED.
About Our School
Lake Charles, LA 70605
Phone: 337.477.7349
Fax: 337.477.7384
Email: drivero@olqhs.org
Website: www.olqhs.org
Location: 3908 Creole Street, Lake Charles, LA
Phone: (337)477-7349