Classroom News
Stamford, CT 06903
(203) 329-1623
School Year 2009-10
First Grade Update
It has been an exciting year in the first grade here at Holy Spirit School. The children have accomplished so much. They have grown in their reading, writing and mathematics skills. They enjoy reading new books and solving everyday math problems. They have grown in their prayer life and demonstrate each day that they are becoming closer to Jesus Christ.
We enjoyed hearing the children’s writing at a Mothers Day brunch. All our Moms and Grandmothers were invited to hear the children share excerpts from their journals. It was a wonderful celebration of their accomplishments.
As we finish off the school year we look forward to a healthy and happy summer.
Second Grade Update
It is hard to believe that the school year has come to the end and the summer months are upon us. I enjoyed working with the second graders. They were able to understand many concepts with the help of the new SMARTBoard that was purchased this year. They worked hard and accomplished a lot. They also completed a culminating activity in writing class. Each student took one of the stories they wrote and published it. Then they read the books to the parents at an Author’s Tea on Thursday, June 17th. The students were very proud of their accomplishment. In Math class they studied fractions and measurement. The best part of Math was that they learned multiplication. This was very exciting and fun. They can’t wait until third grade where they will be doing more multiplication and division. They have started writing a lot of the work in script, including their Spelling Tests. They also celebrated Holy Communion together at the First Friday Mass in June. They looked terrific and did such an excellent job with the readings. The second grade wishes everyone a safe and wonderful summer.
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.
Fourth Grade Update
The fourth grade class has been having a great time at Holy Spirit School! During March, the fourth grade boys and girls went on a field trip to the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT. The science/social studies programs they participated in were “I Am an Archaeologist” and “Woodland Indian Life”. The students took part in artifact discovery activities which turned them into history detectives. These activities were done in a setting that included a full size reconstruction of a Woodland Indian wigwam which recreated the life of the Native Americans who lived along the shoreline of Connecticut. By participating in hands-on activities, the students also learned how archaeologists work, the kinds of artifacts they collect, and how these artifacts are interpreted. They used communication and critical thinking skills as they worked in teams to identify Native American artifacts and how they were used. Each team reported their findings to the rest of the class. Afterwards, the boys and girls had lunch in the investigation room, and then viewed an exhibit of Abraham Lincoln titled Lincoln Life-Size, which presented the life and times of our sixteenth president. Needless to say, the fourth graders had wonderful hands-on learning experiences on a field trip which was also a lot of fun!
Using our classroom SMART Board, The fourth grade students have been involved in studying the weather and the atmosphere during their science classes. These lessons and activities prepared them for a visit by the News 12 Cablevision meteorologist, Paul Piorek, and his News 12 Cameraman. Mr. Piorek spent over an hour with the fourth grade class. The boys and girls were filmed participating in many exciting hands-on science activities. Several of the fourth grade students were chosen through games of elimination to give the weather report. Although there were some slight nerves when handed the microphone, the students looked right into the camera and gave the weather report just like seasoned professionals. The weather-related song that the boys and girls practiced was filmed to be included in the broadcast which was shown on the following evening, April 29th. You can be sure that every student or weather kid (as Cablevision calls them) in the fourth grade at Holy Spirit School had a great time and we look forward to Paul Piorek’s visit to the fourth grade class next year.
The fourth grade boys and girls also were very excited to congratulate three of their fellow fourth grade students who won awards in the fiction and nonfiction categories in the Annual Stamford Literary Competition sponsored by the Ferguson Library. This year there was a record of 656 public and private school students in grades 3 to 12 who entered the contest, and one of my students won 2nd place in fiction and two won 2nd and 3rd place in the nonfiction category for the fourth grade. I was very happy to attend the awards ceremony at the library on April 25th to see my students walk up so proudly to receive their award certificates. I am also very proud of all my fourth grade students who entered the contest with essays that were written during our Writer’s Workshop lessons.
As the school year draws to a close, I think back on a year that was jam-packed with meaningful learning experiences, exciting hands-on activities and deepening the children’s Catholic faith. Needless to say, I am looking forward to the fall and the start of another great year at Holy Spirit School.
Fifth Grade Update
Our fifth grade class was very busy during their last few weeks at Holy Spirit!
In Religion, we learned all about the sacrament of Holy Orders. The students wrote thank you cards to Father Hyl and he made a personal visit to our class to let them know what their gesture meant to him. We also examined and discussed Christian virtues and Christianity across the world.
In English, our students studied adverbs, adjectives, pronouns and direct quotations. They applied these grammatical strategies in their final writing projects.
Social Studies found us eagerly learning about the Constitution through Westward Expansion and the Industrial Revolution. We ended our year with United States geography.
Reading 6 completed My Side of the Mountain. Throughout the course of this book, they engaged in many exciting activities including illustrating Brian’s tree house based on information in the book, making text to self connections, and applying their research strategies acquired this year to independently researching Peregrine falcons in our computer lab. For their last project, our advanced readers each chose an independent reading book and presented a wonderful variety of reports.
We took an exciting trip to Mystic Seaport and Aquarium on a beautiful June day. We culminated our year with a fabulous promotion ceremony and Mass. Six of our students qualified to receive the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence and two were recipients of the Presidential Award for Educational Achievement.
We completed the fifth grade curriculum in all subject areas and beyond. Our students are well prepared for middle school and we wish them God’s blessing as they travel on their journey. We will truly miss each and every one of them!
403 Scofieldtown Road Stamford, CT 06903 P (203) 329-1623 F (203) 595-0858 Sitemap
Website by:
