Dear Parents,
Blessings to our 7th graders as they are on day 3 of their 5-day retreat at Caritas Creek at CYO Camp in Occidental this week. I know that they will all grow closer to God and to each other as they pray together and strengthen their faith and community, while being surrounded by the beauty of nature and God’s creations.
Thank you to all the parents and teachers in preparing the students for this retreat. This event would not be possible without you! And a special thanks to Miss Land as she helped in coordinating this retreat and led the students in fundraising last year.
The 7th grade retreat includes physically traveling to a place outside of school, but all of us within St. Peter’s are on a journey, too. We are all on a journey to learn different ways that we can grow—intellectually, spiritually, and socially. As we journey together, we learn new facts, try new activities, learn from mistakes, consider different perspectives, and help others around us. We strive to open our hearts and open our minds, and live out our faith. That is an adventure that challenges and excites me. I am proud to be a partner in guiding your children on this journey of growth!
--Mrs. Sandra Jimenez
HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION
Our school Halloween celebration will take place on Wednesday, October 31 from 1:00-3:00 PM. We will begin with a costume parade followed by games. Please see the attached flyers for ways that you can volunteer or donate items and to pre-order tickets to purchase food and play games. Your help is appreciated!
Students may come to school dressed in an age-appropriate Halloween costume. However, please do not bring any costume parts or props that resemble any type of weapon. Thank you for your cooperation on this matter.
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
Join us in our first St. Peter’s Athletics fundraiser of the year—Family Movie Night on Friday, November 2! There will be a movie presentation of COCO (in time for Dia de los Muertos) at 6:00 PM, and there will be a snack bar, too! Bring lawn chairs and blankets to stay comfortable as we watch the movie on the schoolyard on a 17-foot screen!
Tickets for admission to Movie Night must be pre-ordered by October 31, and tickets are limited. Pre-orders for the “Aztec Special” at the snack bar are also being taken! Don’t miss out!
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES and SURVEYS
Going home with each child today is an appointment sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences, which are from November 6-9. For each child, please mark THREE possible appointment times that you can meet with the teacher, and return this form to your child’s teacher. You will then receive confirmation of your appointment time.
Also, after your conference, please go to the Faculty Meeting Room so that you can fill out an online survey about the school. Your input is valuable and is an important part of our accreditation process. Plus, you will receive a parent hour AND two KEYS for each of your children!
140th ANNIVERSARY
St. Peter School’s 140th Anniversary celebration is coming soon! Join us for a special mass on Sunday, November 4 at 2:30 PM, which will be followed by a reception in the parish hall. If you are available to help with the set-up or clean-up of the event, please contact the school office.
OCTOBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
Homeroom teachers identify Students of the Month at the end of each month. We celebrate these students because they have exemplified living the St. Peter’s KEYS:
Knowledge feeds GROWTH.
Every ACCOMPLISHMENT needs courage.
You are LOVE.
SERVICE UNITES.
KINDER - Xitlali Cortes is always ready to learn and gives her best effort in all activities. She stays focused and completes her classwork assignments in a timely manner. She also enjoys helping others and engages in weekly school mass and morning prayers.
1A - Dominic Leonor is a kind and hardworking student who never shies away from a challenge because he loves to make his brain grow. He is a great listener to his teachers and his classmates and always uses his words to solve any problem he might have. He is a helper to anyone in need and he always tries to make choices that would make Jesus proud.
2A – Alejandra Nava-Gomez always has a smile on her face, is eager to help others, and tries her best. She does not get discouraged easily and likes to challenge herself. If you ever need a hand, you can count on Alejandra!
3A – Andrea Perez is a person of high standards. She not only excels in her academics but also in behavior and SERVICE. She has more KEYS than anyone in 3A. These KEYS are not only for SERVICE but many for LOVE and ACCOMPLISH as she works so very hard on classwork, homework and participation. Therefore she shows GROWTH in all areas. Andrea, you are a wonderful role model for all of us.
4A – This is Madonna Becerra's first year at St. Peter's, and she has had an open heart and an open mind from the beginning. She consistently reaches our classroom goals, and does her best to use her critical thinking skills in each assignment. She is an effective communicator, who is a good friend and a bucket filler to all and so welcoming to all of her classmates. She believes in the "power of yet" and shares her ideas with everyone.
5A - We're only two months into the school year, but Romeo Woon has already ACCOMPLISHed a lot! His hard work, particularly in STMath and creative writing, is part of the reason he's been able to GROW so quickly. He consistently shows LOVE for others in our classroom and school community, particularly with his willingness to SERVE anyone who needs help. Romeo, thank you for helping to UNITE our class by living out St. Peter's KEYS every day.
6A - Giovanni Serrano has been a wonderful example of a 6th grader with the KEYS already this year! He has been open to new experiences and faces challenges with an open heart and an open mind! Gio shares his knowledge with his classmates and inspires us to do our best! He is a great support to all of us and has been respectful to all of his middle school teachers. Thank you, Gio! We appreciate you!
7A - Justin Abregana-Reyes is a great example of student who lives out St. Peter's School's KEYS. He is a great friend to his classmates and demonstrates leadership qualities in and outside of class. He works hard and is someone you can rely on. Keep up the good work Justin!
8A – Luis Flores has demonstrated what it means to serve, by sharing his time, gifts and joy within our school community as a leader, student council officer, classmate, and friend. He is also constantly embracing new experiences with an open heart and open mind, by tackling his 8th grade year with enthusiasm and diligence. Luis has proved that he knows how to live out the KEYS!
8B – Kalven Navarrete has demonstrated our KEY values of GROW and KNOW. He approaches new challenges and experiences with enthusiasm and optimism. His ability to think critically and communicate effectively have contributed to his success in the classroom. Undoubtedly, Kalven will do great things in the future because of the strength of the foundation he's laid for himself here at St. Peter's.
IN THE CLASSROOM
KINDER - This week in Kindergarten, we are going to learn all about bugs! We will participate in various activities and visit the school's garden to search for bugs. We will draw observational pictures of bugs we find and name the three parts of an insect. Also, we will continue to focus on identifying the beginning, middle, and ending sounds of words. In math, we will begin to add and count to tell the number of objects. We will continue to work on number recognition as we are getting close to learning addition.
1A - This week we are reading and talking about the different jobs that need to be done in a community. In religion, we are continuing to explore the different ways that we can praise God. In math, we are continuing to work on subtraction. In science, we are continuing our exploration of the effect of air on objects. In social studies, we are finishing our study of rules that we follow at home, school, and in the community.
2A - 2nd Grade will be reading “Baby Bears,” subtracting 2-digit numbers with regrouping (practice!), and adding 3-digit numbers. We will talk about listening to God's word and remembering loved ones. REMINDER: First Communion Parent Meeting TONIGHT, Wednesday, October 24 at 5:45 p.m. in St. Peter's Church.
3A – 3A is very pleased to be working on our tablets with a Math program that St. Peter's is piloting. This program will help our students to advance in the 3rd grade math curriculum. The students are enjoying the math work as they GROW and ACCOMPLISH the goals that we have set for them. In Religion, we are discussing the Rosary and the prayers that go with it. Each student is encouraged to bring a rosary from home if they have one so that after lunch we can pray using the beads and learn the prayers. This is a special time to grow closer to Mary, Jesus, and God, our Father.
4A – 4th Grade built more community this week! We focused on partner work and group work all week long. It is important to learn how to share ideas, listen to others, and to produce high quality work. In Religion, we will finish making our Rosaries and begin to focus on our new set of the Spiritual Works of Mercy. In Reading, we will continue reading, "How Tia Lola Came to Stay" and work on comparing and contrasting with a Venn diagram. In Math, we will conclude our Addition and Subtraction unit and begin focusing on Multiplication. Our new program, ST Math, is available for use at home. Please try setting up the app on your phone or tablet. In Science, we will focus on weathering and landforms.
5A - 5th graders will start preparing their book talk presentations this week! In math, we will review the properties of multiplication and practice multiplying decimals. 5th graders will learn about the Beatitudes in religion and the Spanish explorers in Social Studies. Thank you again to the parent chaperones who made our field trip last week possible! As always, check Class Dojo for daily updates from our classroom.
6A Religion – 6th graders will be constructing an Ofrenda and will be working on a Religion Vocabulary Slideshow. Language Arts – 6A will end their short story unit with a culminating project of writing their own fictional narratives. Students will incorporate all the literary elements we've discussed: setting, conflict, characterization, point of view, plot, and theme to create original short stories. This week we will work on brainstorming story ideas and outlining our plot. Math – Students will be working on various projects throughout the week.
7A Religion - 7th Graders are on Retreat at Caritas Creek at CYO Camp in Occidental. Students will be participating in nature hikes and outdoor activities, learning about how to care for their environment, and praying and reflecting individually and together. Language Arts - Students have concluded the reading of their first novel, Walk Two Moons. When students return from camp, they will complete lessons based on the story elements, plot, conflict, theme and character analysis to better comprehend the overall story. They will also finalize the unit with an Enrichment Project and Test. Science - We are so excited about our seventh graders going to Caritas Creek Camp this whole week! While there they will be doing ecology work through the BEETLES program for field education.
8A/8B Religion – This week in eighth grade religion students will be discussing the challenges of following the natural law and being obedient to God in society today. Language Arts - Students are wrapping up their first novel, Mockingbird. They are finalizing this unit with a couple of culminating assignments, a debate, and a woodworking project-chest. Math – Students will work on a variety of math projects this week. Social Studies – Students will be completing a Voter Survey Project to research the reasons why it is important to vote. Students will also be responding to final questions about their recent interview project with St. Peter's community members and alumni. Science - Students continue to work on determining why molecules interact with other molecules to create chemical reactions.
REMINDERS:
Oct. 22-26 7th Grade Caritas Creek Camp Retreat in Occidental
Oct. 24 First Communion Parent Meeting; 5:45 PM in Church
Oct. 25 BVCC Special Event: “Lights On After School”
Oct. 26 End of Quarter 1
Oct. 31 3A Field Trip to Sheffield Convalescent Hospital
Oct. 31 Halloween Parade and Celebration, 1:00-3:00
Nov. 1 All Saints’ Day School Mass, 8:30 AM
Nov. 2 4A Field Trip to Asian Art Museum
Nov. 2 Family Movie Night, 6:00 PM
Nov. 4 St. Peter’s School 140th Anniversary Celebration, 2:30 PM Mass
