Dear Parents,
Later this week, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy, or as we lovingly call it, Mercy Day! Though the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy is on September 24, we will celebrate with a School Mass on September 21. At St. Peter’s, we remember and celebrate the Sisters of Mercy who founded our school and continue to care for and support our students to this day.
The sisters of Mercy our living examples to us for living out the mission of Mercy. MERCY means to show love and compassion towards others; to forgive others and to be grateful to be forgiven by others; to show charity and generosity, especially to those in need; to have the courage to stand up for what’s right, especially for others who are afraid to stand up for themselves; to have faith in God. MERCY means having an open heart and open mind.
Let’s remember to be thankful for all the good works of the Sisters of Mercy, and try our best to live out the mission of Mercy ourselves, not only at St. Peter’s School, but everywhere!
--Mrs. Sandra Jimenez
MERCY DAY MASS
Since we will have a school mass this Friday, September 21, students must be in complete uniform. Gray sweats may not be worn this Friday.
SUNDAY FAMILY MASS AND RECEPTION
Our first Sunday Family Mass of the school year is this Sunday, September 23 at 9:30 AM. A reception will follow in the Parish hall after the Mass. Please join us in this celebration. Students who attend Mass in uniform will receive a Free Dress Pass to use on the following Monday.
CLASS DOJO
If you haven’t done so already, join Class Dojo, a school communication app. Contact your child’s teacher to get your code to join your child’s class on Class Dojo. Each child has his/her own unique code. If you have more than one child at St. Peter’s, make sure you obtain a code for each child so that you have access to each of your child’s classes.
FAMILY INCOME SURVEY
Please fill out the Family Income Survey going home with today’s Que Pasa, and return it by September 26. Students who return the survey will receive an ACCOMPLISH key! Thank you for your cooperation!
ST. PETER’S ATHLETIC SWEATS
Going home today is the order form for the gray St. Peter’s sweatshirt, sweatpants, and t-shirt. This is the only time of the year that these sweats will be sold, and the last day to submit your order form and payment is October 17. Don’t miss out!
FAMILY BIKE FAIR
Join us on the St. Peter’s School schoolyard on Saturday, September 29 at 12:30 PM for a Family Bike Fair. Parents can learn about bike safety, and children can learn biking skills. Practice bikes will be provided, or bring your own bike! Register online at www.sfbike.org/TallerDeBicis or call 415-431-2453, ext. 314.
INDIVIDUAL EMERGENCY KITS
If you haven’t done so already, pleads provide your child with an emergency snack kit to be stored in their classroom. In a Zip-loc bag labeled with your child’s name, please pack: a 16.9 fl. oz. bottle of water and a non-perishable snack such as crackers or a granola bar. If these emergency packs remain unused, they will be returned to your child at the end of the school year.
ONLINE TRAINING FOR SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS
In order to be a volunteer at school events (such as a field trip chaperone or a sports team coach), adults must complete the online training on www.virtusonline.org.
*If you have already completed the online training by Shield the Vulnerable, your volunteer clearance is still good for 3 years from date of completion of that online course.
Follow these directions to complete the VIRTUS online training:
· Go to www.virtusonline.org
· Click on “First-time Registrant”
· Click on “Begin the registration process”
· Select San Francisco (Archdiocese)
· Create a User ID and Password for yourself
· Fill out the requested personal information
· Select St. Peter Elementary (San Francisco) **DO NOT SELECT St. Peter Parish**
· Provide your digital signatures for downloading and reading the documents: “Standards of Conduct for Those Working with Children and Young People” and “Policies and Procedures Regarding Child Abuse”
· Select the online course “Protecting God’s Children for Adults” (Online Training)
· Once you’ve completed the course, go to your Toolbox and click on “Training Report” to verify the completion of your course.
Upon completion of the online course, please email sjimenez@sanpedro.org or print out the “Training Report” page and submit it to the school office. You will receive 2 parent hours.
SCHOOL UNIFORMS
Please ensure that your child is following the uniform policy as stated in the Parent and Student Handbook. Also, several students have already reported missing school sweatshirts, so check that your child’s sweatshirt is labeled with his/her name and grade.
IN THE CLASSROOM
KINDER - This week in Kindergarten, we will read What about Bear? By Suzanne Bloom and students will ask and answer questions about key details. We will also recite the Pledge of Allegiance and recognize the American flag. In Math, we will learn how to write 6 and 7, and match to compare two sets of objects. Our math vocabulary words for the week are: equal to, more than, and fewer than.
1A - This week in we are beginning with our First Grade ELA program. Please help your child practice their spelling and sight words on the front of their homework packet. We are also starting to prepare for our first visit to the science lab. In religion we are talking about the importance of The Bible. In social studies we are talking about classroom rules and being a leader. In math we are continuing to focus on number sense.
2A - 2nd Grade will be reading “Lola and Tiva” and continuing with strategies to subtract sums within 20 (practice!). We’ll be talking about giving praise and thanks to God and about sacramental preparation. Please come to the First Communion Meeting next Wednesday, 9/26 at 6:00 p.m. in St. Peter's Church.
3A – 3A read a story about how one Chinese American family lives in America. The story taught us that Tangrams are a very popular game in China. This week we will be using sets of tangrams to make objects and animals. It should be fun and creative. This is a way to GROW our KNOWLEDGE about a different culture and have fun as we play this game. In Religion, we will begin preparing for our first field trip--we will visit Sheffield Convalescent Hospital.
4A – We had a great week in 4th Grade! We built our Stamina in Read to Self and accomplished three stations in Reading and Math. We used two new computer programs and helped each other achieve each level. In Religion this week, we will continue to work on our Mass responses as well as begin our unit on the Corporal Works of Mercy. We will discuss "good fit" books in Reading and begin our new story, "My Brother Martin." We will be discussing the legacy of MLK and how we can continue his amazing work today. We will begin to focus on rounding and estimation in Math as we move into our Addition and Subtraction unit. In Social Studies, we will be discussing "me on the map," and in Science, we will continue studying rocks and fossils.
5A - This week, 5th graders are learning about African ecosystems on our field trip to the California Academy of Sciences! In math, we'll be working on comparing and orders decimals in math. 5th graders will continue working on RAZ kids and in their reading groups to practice the skill of summarizing a text.
6A Religion – 6A will be visited for the first time by Paula Pardini who works with St. Peter's Middle School classes and helps them to build and strengthen their Faith Community in the classroom. Language Arts – 6th grade is wrapping up their analysis of conflict and is now moving on to characterization. Student will practice their inference skills by identifying how authors create characters both directly and indirectly. Math – Students will estimate the product of decimals. Social Studies – Students will be answering the question: Which Mesopotamian achievement/invention changed history the most? They will convince Ms. Land by using evidence to strengthen their opinions. Science – 6A students will discover the several methods used to date rock layers relative to other rock layers.
7A Religion - I look forward to see 7A families at Sunday's Family Mass. We will be responsible in providing some treats for the reception after Mass. God bless. Language Arts - Students have focused on the types of conflict and how they are the driving force to any story. They will now put their knowledge to the test with a quiz and essay assessment. Additionally, students will be introduced to their first novel, Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech. A series of pre-reading activities will take place to further comprehension as students read. Math - 7A will compare and order rational numbers. Social Studies – 7A is writing a comparative essay about the differences and similarities between Islam and Christianity. Science - Students have gotten their briefings on photosynthesis and cellular respiration and now it is time to create a model to explain the processes.
8A/8B Religion – This week eighth grade religion will focus on the Marks of the Church and how they are essential for maintaining unity and variety within the Church. They will also spend time learning about the lives of various saints. Language Arts - Students completed their Personal Narrative Essay with a strong finish! They will now begin the pre-reading activities for their first novel, Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine this week. This will serve as contextual background of the different topics and themes that will be introduced as they read. Math – Students will solve two-step equations. Social Studies – Students are continuing their St. Peter's history projects as they learn about interview skills and stories about St. Peter's alumni before they interview important St. Peter's community members. Science - Students are getting to know the periodic table a lot better and what makes ions and isotopes.
REMINDERS:
Sept. 19 Caritas Camp Retreat Parent Preview Meeting for 6th grade parents, 6:00 PM in the Faculty Meeting Room
Sept 21 Mercy Day School Mass, 8:30 AM
Sept 23 Sunday Family Mass and Reception, 9:30 AM
Sept. 24 12:30 PM Dismissal
Sept. 26 First Communion Parent Meeting, 6:00 PM in Church
Sept. 27 ICA High School Presentation to 8th Graders, 10:45 AM
Sept. 27 8A Field Trip to El Tecolote newspaper, 1:30 PM
Sept. 29 Family Bike Fair, 12:30-3:30 PM
Oct. 4 LifeTouch School Picture Day
