Dear Parents,
Happy Catholic Schools Week! This week, we’ve been taking the time to reflect on Catholic education and all the ways that we learn to grow, accomplish, love, serve, and unite here at St. Peter’s School. We are thankful that here, both our faith and our minds can grow. In gratitude, I offer this prayer (adapted from www.thereligionteacher.com):
Almighty Father,
You sent forth your Son as a beacon of hope for all people. As Teacher, he has given us the prime example of the importance of education. As disciples, we look to him for inspiration and strength. Thank you for the many sisters, brothers, priests, and laypeople who have dedicated their lives in service to our Catholic schools. Thank you for the teachers and administrators who sustain our schools today. Thank you for the parents who have given support and witness to the importance of Catholic education in their daily lives. Thank you for the students who work hard to further their education.
Bless St. Peter’s School and the many people who advance our mission. May our building be a home for those who seek to grow in faith, knowledge, and service of others. May our community always support one another and exhibit hospitality to newcomers. Fill our minds with knowledge and wisdom. May our understanding of the world help us to grow in appreciation for it. Fill our hearts with gladness. May we always turn to you in times of need. Fill our hands with the tools we need to serve others. May we show them your unceasing love through our actions. AMEN.
--Mrs. Sandra Jimenez
AZTEC TREK
Your child has received a collection envelope and flyer for the AZTEC TREK. Students and families can help support our school by collecting pledges for our walk-a-thon and game day. This is our only mandatory school fundraiser, and it helps to keep St. Peter’s School’s tuition the lowest in the Archdiocese. The minimum mandatory amount to be collected by each student is $100, but the more money a student collects, the more prizes and class points can be earned! The due date for all money to be turned in is Friday, February 22. Thank you in advance for your support!
THANK THE PARISH THURSDAY BAKE SALE
Tomorrow, we conclude Catholic Schools week with “Thank the Parish Thursday!” Students will be taking the time to write letters or complete an art project to thank those that help our St. Peter’s parish and parish school. Student Council and 8th grade will also be hosting a Bake Sale during recess times, and proceeds will be donated to our church!
NO SCHOOL FRIDAY
Since all teachers must attend an in-service for their professional development, there will be no school this Friday, February 1.
ARCHDIOCESE ELEMENTARY FAMILY GRANT
The application process for the Archdiocese Family Grant for the 2019-2020 school year has now begun. Please go on to mytads.comto begin the application process. Be sure you have your 2018 income tax information or 2018 income information (Calworks, social security, food stamps, etc.). Please be sure you have completed the total process by the Archdiocese deadline—April 14, 2019.
BASIC FUND
New students entering for the 2019-2020 school year must complete the BASIC Fund Application no later than March 15, 2019.
Renewal families will be filling out their BASIC Fund Renewal Application in March and April. All student accounts must be current with no past due balances. Please be sure you have your 2018 income tax information or 2018 income information (Calworks, social security, food stamps, etc.). Contact the school office if you have any questions.
JANUARY 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 - Alani Alas is very polite, kind, and helpful to those around her. She is a hard-working student, a great listener and has an outstanding work ethic. She engages in weekly masses and morning prayers. She does a great job of staying on-task and completing her classwork and homework in a timely manner. For all these reasons and more, Alani is January's student of the month. Keep up the great work, Alani!
1A - Leandro Camacho is an excellent example of a student who exemplifies St. Peter's KEYS. He is an extremely hard worker who takes pride in his work and loves to make his brain grow. Leandro is caring and supportive to those around him and is quick to help anyone in need. Leandro is very brave and is always trying to make good choices, even when it is difficult. For these reasons, I am proud to name Leandro as first grade's student of the month.
2A - Veronica Juarez is always challenging herself so she can grow academically. She never gives up and tries to accomplish as much as she can. She shows love by helping others. She serves her St. Peter's Community by helping out with whatever needs to be done. Veronica is a real team player.
3A - Isaiah Arguello is a very focused and hard-working student. He is willing to help his table partners as well as his friends and his teacher. Recently, Isaiah scored the highest in the class on our forty-one word spelling test. He LOVEs a challenge and excels because he gives it his all, ALL THE TIME. Keep it GROWing, Isaiah!!!
4A - Emilio Flores has shown tremendous growth throughout this school year. He has focused on his worked, turned in high quality assignments, and increased his participation in class. He works well in partners and in groups, and help makes all students feel welcome in our classroom community. His great sense of humor brings a lot of smiles to our classroom. His dedication and work ethic is seen in our classroom and during this basketball season! He treats everyone with kindness and respect, and is an awesome bucket filler! Congratulations, Emilio!
5A – Daniela Perez has GROWn tremendously in 5th grade because she sets goals and completes the steps it will take to reach them. She ACCOMPLISHes by applying literacy strategies to help her better comprehend what she reads. Our class sees how she SERVEs and shows LOVE by making choices based on the teachings of Jesus and the Works of Mercy. Daniela UNITEs our class by encouraging her classmates and working collaboratively with groups. Daniela's quiet sense of humor and warm smile make our class better every day. Congratulations, Daniela!
6A - Aavey Carreto has been a wonderful example and support to her peers this year! She is kind and shows great effort towards her schoolwork. Aavey takes responsibility for her own learning and has set measurable goals for the New Year to set herself up for success! Thank you, Aavey, for being a great example of a student with the KEYS!
7A - Carlos Hernandez is a shining example of a student who lives out St. Peter's School's KEYS. This Fortnite wiz is one of the top students in class. He is kind and serves his community doing charitable works. He is also a great friend to his classmates, helping them whenever they need some help. Keep up the good work Carlos!
8A - Jesus Lopez demonstrates growth and love by continuously striving to better himself, both in and outside the classroom. He constantly lends a helping hand to those around him, his peers, teachers and staff, not because he has to, but because he genuinely wants to. Jesus also continues to grow academically, by asking thought-provoking questions and sharing his enthusiasm for learning. These admirable qualities only solidify his kind and determined nature as an 8th grade leader. Way to go Chuy, keep up the great work!
8B - Selena Muñoz demonstrates critical thinking in the classroom and makes choices based on the teachings of Christ. Her family has instilled in her a strong sense of service, and she shares her time and gifts with those in her community. Selena shows others the impact one can have when they truly have an open heart and an open mind.
IN THE CLASSROOM
KINDER - This week in Kindergarten, we are learning about how the weather changes throughout the year. We will talk about the seasons and how they repeat every year such as winter, spring, summer, fall and then winter again. We will read Mama, is it summer yet? In math, we will review how to make ten when added to the given number and finding the total amount of objects. We will continue to use counters, dominos, number cards and connecting cubes for support in our learning.
1A - This week we are reading, writing, and learning about how life is different today than it was long ago. In religion, we are celebrating Catholic Schools Week. In math, we are looking at place value to help us compare and order numbers. In science, we are tracking the amount of rainfall we are receiving using a rain gauge. In social studies, we are continuing to learn about different important U.S. symbols.
2A - We are reading “How the Beetle Got Her Colors” and learning about quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies (please let your child play with coins!). We are going to be investigating solids and water in science. We are talking about making better choices and preparing for First Reconciliation (February 6 at 5:45 PM in St. Peter's Church). Please talk with your child about Reconciliation so they are not anxious.
3A – 3A continues to learn about the welcoming sacraments of our church. In math, we are moving on to multiplication. Parents, please practice the multiplication facts each night with your child. In Science class, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our live crayfish. We will be studying them throughout the month of February and into March. The students are very interested in learning about these strange crustaceans. Our class definitely has the keys to GROW and ACCOMPLISH during this exciting investigation. We will learn about their behavior, habitat, and eating habits. We'll learn how they move, protect themselves and the different names for their body parts.
4A - This week, we will be celebrating Catholic Schools! Each day, we will explore why we love St. Peter's and attending a Catholic school. In Religion, we will continue our focus on the Sacraments. We will create a lapbook as a way to demonstrate our knowledge. In Reading, we will begin our novel Wonder. We are very excited for this novel study! In Math, we will continue to focus on division and our divisibility rules. In Social Studies, we will continue our California Native Tribe research and create our posters in the classroom. In Science, we will begin our Energy unit. We look forward to celebrating Catholic Schools' Week!
5A - This week in 5th grade ELA, we're continuing our study of author's purpose by writing our own persuasive essays! In math, we're finishing up our long division unit with a focus on dividing 2-digit divisors by large numbers. We're also learning religion vocabulary in preparation for the big 5th grade ACRE test.
6A Religion – Students will participate in different Catholic Schools Week events and practicing the Work of Mercy: Forgiving others. Language Arts – We continue trying to identify bias in writing and will be learning how to use rhetorical techniques in our own persuasive writing. Math - This week 6A will divide mixed numbers. Social Studies – Students will begin learning about the physical geography of China and how geography affects the lifestyle in China. Science – Students will explain the role of water vapor in the atmosphere and how it affects the weather.
7A Religion - 7A will give examples of actions that can reflect the values of God's kingdom. Language Arts - Students are continuing to read Freak the Mighty and answering Comprehension Questions. Additionally, they are discovering the unique bond between Max and Kevin. The constant reference of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table has been the foundation of their friendship, seeking quests to “…rescue fair maidens and slay dragons!” Math - 7A will apply the Distributive Property to rewrite algebraic expressions. Social Studies – Students will begin to compare the feudal system in Japan to the feudal system in Europe. Science – Students have wrapped up their studies of cellular reproduction and now it's time to begin our study of genetics and heredity.
8A/8B Religion - Students will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week by analyzing how the Church in the middle ages affects how we live as Catholics today. Language Arts - Students are well into Zoot Suit; they have completed Act 1 and will begin Act 2 next week. Will the Pachucos win the appeal or continue to suffer unfair punishment? Students will also interpret the role of Pachuco, is he real or an imaginary character to Henry Reyna? Math - 8A and 8B will continue to graph linear equations using the slope and y-intercept. Social Studies – Students will display their amendments in a way that Rauschenberg completed his work. Science - Students are evaluating their performances for their first project. Evaluation like this is important because it focuses our desire to improve in the future.
REMINDERS
Jan. 31 Bake Sale (during recess times)
Feb. 1 NO SCHOOL - Teacher In-Service Day
Feb. 4-15 STAR Testing Window #3
Feb. 5 8:10 AM School Mass
Feb. 6 Free Dress for No Tardies in January
Feb. 6 5:45 PM, First Reconciliation in Church
Feb. 7 4A Field Trip to the Academy of Sciences
