Fourth Grade Update
The fourth grade at Holy Spirit School has been very busy. In our social studies curriculum the students have been learning how our government functions. The students studied the three levels of government (local, state and national), and the three branches of the federal government. We made our curriculum come alive by dividing up the class into the three branches of the national government (the legislative, the executive and the judicial) and followed the procedure of how a law is written, voted on, and passed to the president in the executive branch. Yes, several times our “president” sent the law back to the legislative branch for revisions. Finally, the bill was signed and sent to the judicial branch for the court to decide if the law was constitutional. Needless to say, our fourth graders enjoyed acting out the legislative process and were able to appreciate that more than 200 years after being written, the United States Constitution is indeed a living document that sets forth the “experiment” in democracy that still works to this very day!
The fourth grade students have been studying Germany in preparation for our annual International Food Day celebration. The boys and girls have studied Germany including its geography, history, culture and famous landmarks. They have written and illustrated wonderful reports that are on display in the school hallway for all to see. The boys and girls also made travel posters encouraging tourists to visit Germany. Their travel posters really made the school shine and set the mood for the International food Day where many members of the Holy Spirit School family (teachers, students and parents) enjoyed foods from the different countries that each class studied.
Fifth Grade Update
The weather outside might be frightful, but inside of the fifth grade classroom our students continue to learn, laugh and exhibit the spirit of our school.
In Social Studies, we learned how to do a research report, while simultaneously taking a voyage with the passengers of the Mayflower. Did you know that the passengers disembarked the ship on December 25, 1620 and that the actual Thanksgiving was not held until almost a year later? We used our newly acquired research techniques in our thirteen colony projects. Our students worked diligently on them, and we hope you will take notice of their display in our school hallway. We thank Mrs. Czescik, our Computer teacher, and Mrs. Hajjaar, our Librarian, for helping us along in this process.
In English, we learned everything there is to know about verbs. We are starting a unit on story writing incorporating the new diocesan program in conjunction with our existing structure. Our students love to write stories! Our end products will certainly be amazing!
For International Day, we have chosen to represent the country of Greece. Each student chose and researched an aspect of the country, once again using our newly acquired research techniques. We will be in our togas dancing a traditional Greek dance for the festivities.
Classroom News
Stamford, CT 06903
(203) 329-1623
School Year 2009-10
First Grade Update
The first grade did a wonderful job helping Fr.Luke celebrate First Friday Mass in December. It was such a meaningful way for the children to take part in the liturgical season of Advent.
We are looking forward to International Day. Our theme for this celebration is Holland. We will research the location and the culture of Holland. We are planning to create reports and a food buffet for January 26th..
This month we will be “adding on” to our Math skills by focusing on tens and ones and counting by ones, fives and tens.
We are continuing to express ourselves in our Writer’s workshops and journals. We are learning that is fun to be an author.
Second Grade Update
Happy New Year from Second Grade. The students had a wonderful time participating in the Christmas pageant. They worked hard to learn so many songs to sing for Jesus. They would like to say thank you to Mrs. Caicedo for taking the time to come in and practice with us. It was very nice seeing everyone there that night. It was a nice way to show Jesus how much we care about Him. We have been studying the different seasons of the Church year in class. We learned that Jesus cares a lot about us. The students have also been working with graphs in math class. They can name the different types of graphs and answer questions using the graphs. They are working on gathering data and putting the information into a graph of their choice. The class is becoming strong readers. They have done a great job on the book reports assigned every month. They continue to work on vowel sounds to help them understand words better.We are looking forward to Catholic Schools Week and the International Day. We are learning about the country of Egypt. We are comparing and contrasting the Egyptian culture to our own. We will be studying about the pyramids of Egypt and hope to construct some of our own. We can’t wait to taste some of the food that the Egyptians like to eat.
Third Grade Update
The new year began with a bang! The students and I returned from Christmas break refreshed and ready to continue our third grade learning adventure. This class has grown so much already that I can’t wait to see how they will progress the rest of the year!
January might be cold and dreary outside, but inside, at Holy Spirit, there was nothing but warmth and fun learning experiences. The third grade had the opportunity to lead the school in First Friday Mass. The mass celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany and it was filled with joyful songs and prayers. For our international project, third grade decided to explore the world’s smallest country; Vatican City. The students truly enjoyed learning about The Pope and the place that is the center for the Roman Catholic Church. They were impressed by the beauty and histories of Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, and were intrigued by the process of how a new Pope is chosen.
Holy Spirit School was privileged to have a visit from Bishop Lori in January. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to get to know the Bishop, especially since he went to, and spent time in, every classroom.
Catholic Schools’ Week brought a variety of interesting activities including a science program, international food day, a special mass and a student versus faculty volleyball game. This week’s activities created an even stronger sense of community among parents, students and faculty.
February brought discussions of Black History Month, The Olympic Games, and US Presidents. At the end of the month, Iowa Testing will begin. I have prepared the students by reviewing sample tests and their format. Parents can help their children be successful on these tests by making sure they have a good night’s sleep and a well balanced, nutritious breakfast.
In March, among other things, we look forward to celebrating reading on Dr. Seuss’s birthday and visiting a local nursing home.
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