Dear Parents,

The 8th graders are taking their final steps towards GRADUATION! We proudly share in their accomplishments as we—their families and teachers—have helped them to lay the foundation for their future. When we celebrate their graduation, don’t forget to celebrate us as a whole school community as well!

Let us offer this prayer for our soon-to-be graduates:

Loving God, we thank you for our graduates. You have

blessed them during their years at St. Peter’s School with

wisdom, friendships, and skills. Continue to challenge

them to make this world a better place because of their

education. Help them to look forward to their next steps in

high school. Give them faith and a sense of purpose in

their next steps. Show them how to serve others in

effective ways. May they be aware in everything they do

that they find fulfillment in doing your will, that you will

be with them always, and that you will bring to

completion the good work you have begun in them.

AMEN.

--Mrs. Sandra Jimenez

FRIDAY—8th GRADE GRADUATION MASS

This Friday, June 1, we will honor our 8th graders with a graduation mass at 9:30 AM in church. You are welcome to join in this special mass. Students in grades Kinder through 7th should be in complete uniform—no gray sweats or free dress passes may be used on this day.

THANK YOU!

We thank Ms. Leannna Wilcox, our counselor trainee from the USF Center for Child and Family Development, for the counseling services and support that she provided for our school community this year. She completed her final day of services at St. Peter’s on May 29. We wish her the best as she moves on to continue her graduate studies.

SUMMER LEARNING CHALLENGE

Last week, students in grades Kindergarten through 7 received information about the Summer Learning Challenge. Completing this Summer Learning Challenge will help prevent the “summer slide,” where students can lose 2-3 months of reading and math skills every summer. This adds up—by 5th grade summer learning loss can make a student 2.5 - 3 years behind their peers who read during the summer.

Please look over the summer learning challenge with your child, and encourage them to complete the mandatory components of the challenge by the due date.

BVCC SUMMER PROGRAM

Registration is now open for the BVCC Summer Program. Weekly programs are available from June 11 - July 27. Tutors from the University of San Francisco will be available once a week throughout the program and can provide assistance to your child as they complete their Summer Learning Challenge.

NO BVCC SERVICE ON JUNE 8

Friday, June 8th is the last day of school, and dismissal is at 10:00 AM. However, BVCC will not be open on that day, so no child care at school will be available. Please make arrangements for the pick-up of your child at 10:00.

COMPUTER LAB

The last day for computer lab services is Tuesday, June 5. As of Wednesday, June 6, the computer lab will be closed until the next school year.

2017-2018 YEARBOOK

There are still a very limited number of yearbooks available for purchase for $25. If you’d like to purchase one, please go to the office for payment.

SPECIAL MASS AND RECEPTION

On Sunday, June 10 at 2:30 PM at St. Peter’s Church, a special mass and reception will be held in honor of Sr. Ana Maria Pineda. She is a St. Peter’s parishioner since the 1950s, a St. Peter’s graduate from the 1960s, and a Sister of Mercy since the 1970s. She is a former St. Peter’s teacher and Parish Minister at the Church for the Hispanic Community, and currently a professor at Santa Clara University. She has recently been elected as Assistant to the President of the West Midwest Sisters of Mercy. Please join is un honoring Sr. Ana Maria!

MAY 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 – Aaliyah Gonzalez is hardworking, dedicated, kind, and respectful towards her peers. She is always willing to help others and takes learning seriously. Over the last month Aaliyah has demonstrated amazing growth as a learner. Her growth in math and reading is outstanding. She works hard in school and I am delighted to name Aaliyah as May's student of the month. Congratulations and keep up the great work!

1A - Ana Martins Moreira is a kind, caring, and hardworking student. She is very driven and independent, but also a great team player and quick to help anyone in need. She takes pride in her work and isn't afraid to ask for help when she needs it, because she always strives to do her best. For these reasons, I am very proud to announce Ana as first grade's student of the month.

2A - Julissa Cabrera is our student of the month. She is attentive, tries her best, and never gives up. Julissa does not get discouraged easily. She volunteers to help others whenever they need it. She is there when a friend needs someone to listen and works cooperatively with others.

3A – Matthew Diaz has continued to improve academically and behaviorally this year. He earns KEYS each week by helping others without being asked and finishing tasks that seemed too difficult just a month ago. He pays close attention to instructions and if in doubt, asks for help. Matthew has become a focused and productive third grader.

4A - Karen Hernandez is 4A’s Student of the Month. She has been an honor student throughout the year and a student who exemplifies St. Peter's School's KEYS. She is kind, honest, hard-working, and a great team player.

5A - Alaysha Flores is 5th grade's Student of the Month. Whether she's in the classroom or on the basketball court, Alaysha is always working incredibly hard. This has allowed her to see tremendous growth in both math knowledge and creative writing over the course of this year. Our 5th grade class also appreciates how kind, funny, and helpful she is. Congrats Alaysha!

6A Gabriela Camacho has been a student living out the KEYS for the entire school year! She has a kind heart and is very helpful to her peers and notices when a peer needs her support. Gabriela also uses her own time to help teachers! Gabriela keeps her focus in the classroom and is proud of the work that she does. We appreciate her hard work this year and are grateful for the support she has given us inside and outside of the classroom! Thank you, Gabriela!

7A - This month I would like to recognize Kalven Navarrete. While maintaining his great academic accomplishments, he has also been found helping out those around him, overcoming fears and learning from trying new things, and always lending a helping hand in the classroom.

7B - Jesus Lopez is a great example of two of our key values: “You are Love” and “Service Unites.” Jesus shows love in the way he treats others with compassion and generosity of spirit. He watches out for others, especially those who need extra help. He is always willing to serve and lend a hand, expecting no recognition or reward, simply because he knows it's the right thing to do. Thank you, Jesus, for being a great example of the spirit of St. Peter's.

8A - Lesley Garcia is a positive role model for all students. She is very hard-working, respectful, and kind. Lesley participates in all classroom activities. She is not timid to participate in discussions, which makes students like her stand out in a crowd. Lesley has continuously lived out the keys from beginning to end. Way to grow!

IN THE CLASSROOM

KINDER - This week in Kindergarten, we will write a letter that includes a greeting, body, and closing. Students will work in pairs to write their letter. In Math, we will learn to build shapes using wooden sticks and marshmallows. Lastly, we will prepare for the celebration that will take place on June 6th in the gym from 9:00 - 11:00 AM. After the celebration, your Kindergartener may go home with you.

2A - Second graders will be reading “Follow the Drinking Gourd” and determining the lesson in the story. We will review arrays and practice our multiplication facts (2's, 5's and 10's). We have classroom worms! Have you seen our lettuce in the garden? We will continue working with our composting jars and garden in science. We will be talking about how we can appreciate God's gifts all around us in religion.

3A – This week in Science, 3A is hard at work on our Owl Investigation. The students are enjoying learning about many different aspects of owl life. We will have our last week of spelling tests on Tuesday and Friday. After that our spelling time will focus on academic vocabulary in several different subject areas. We continue to practice cursive writing with downcurve and slanted letters. These include i, t, e, l, b, u, w, f, y, n, and capital a. Some of the students have already begun their Summer Learning Challenge. This is a good thing! Let's try to keep them challenged with their MANDATORY summer work. It will count for their first homework assignment in fourth grade. It's due the first day that we return to school (August 22). We have had a very successful third grade year. We have grown and accomplished a great deal. Congratulations to students, parents and teachers.

5A - This is 5th grade's Career Week! 5th graders spent some time formulating good interview questions before getting to talk with people who work in a variety of professional fields. We're looking forward to talking with an author, an artist, a comedian, a military veteran, a software engineer who works on self-driving cars, an Air Bnb recruiter, one of Google's creative engineers, and more. The goal is to expose 5th graders to different careers that they might be interested in doing someday!

6A Religion – 6th graders will complete a final essay about a figure from the Old Testament they learned about this year who inspires them to live their faith. Language Arts – 6th Grade ELA will wrap up the school year with their final academic vocabulary quiz and assess their knowledge of parallel sentence structure. Literature circle groups are also nearing the end of their novels and will begin choosing their culminating projects. Social Studies – Students are presenting passion projects and finalizing research on Ancient Rome. Science – 6th graders are closing out their year-long study of weather by researching San Francisco's unique micro-climates.

7A/7B Language Arts - Students will be introduced and begin their Final Project for the novel The Outsiders. Social Studies – 7th Graders are looking ahead to a project for next year and will finish presenting passion projects. Science - After having completed their IntoScience exploration on ecosystems, students are primed for a deeper conversation about how the environment influences a species.

8A **8th GRADE REMINDER**

· 8th Grade Picnic will take place on Thursday, May 31 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM at San Bruno Park. 8th Grade Graduation Mass will take place on Friday, June 1 at 9:30 AM and Graduation Ceremony will take place at 5:00 PM in church. Students must bring their gowns and wear formal attire. Families are welcome to attend the Mass and Ceremony. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Fuaau.

Language Arts - Students have successfully completed their Final Academic Week! This week, they will focus on wrapping up the school year and graduation. Social Studies – 8th grade has finished their last classes at St Peter’s. Good luck 8th grade we will miss you! Science - After an eventful year of meeting standards and completing projects, the eighth graders get ready to say goodbye to Saint Peter's.

REMINDERS

May 31 8th Grade Picnic, San Bruno Park

June 1 9:30 AM Graduation Mass

11:00 AM Graduation Brunch for 8th Graders

5:00 PM Graduation Ceremony in Church

June 5 Last Day of Computer Lab services

June 6 9:00 AM Kindergarten Celebration in the gym

12:30 PM Dismissal

June 7 9:00 AM Academic Awards Assembly in church

12:30 PM Dismissal

June 8 9:00 AM End of School Year Mass

10:00 AM Dismissal