Dear Parents,
As we conclude this month of the Rosary, we can reflect on the different events in Mary’s and Jesus’ lives. These reflections and prayers can fill us with joy and thanksgiving, and also give us strength during hard times. At this time, we pray especially for the fire victims, both in northern and southern California.
Along with praying a Rosary for those who are suffering, here is a prayer by for California fire victims (adapted from a prayer by Antonio deLoera-Brust, americamagazine.org):
Almighty God,
Be with your people in California now in the midst of the fires. Bring aid to the firefighters who, by serving others, serve you. Give them courage and strength to persevere, to find the ability in their bodies and souls to keep working for another day or hour or minute. Ease the winds that spread the flames and disperse the smoke that covers the sky. Bring hope to the displaced and the homeless. Keep alive inside their minds and hearts memories, the physical traces of which may be lost. Remind us that you are the promise of a new tomorrow.
As the cities are rebuilt, may no one be left behind. May all be remembered as you remember all. May all be included and cared for as we rebuild, guided by your Spirit. May our hearts never turn away from you or from each other in our time of need. May we see you in the faces of those in need. May we see your work in the hands of all those who reach out to help and in the green—the life!—that will soon return, by your hand, to our land. AMEN.
--Mrs. Sandra Jimenez
HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION
Our school Halloween celebration will take place TOMORROW, October 31 from 1:00-3:00 PM. We will begin with a costume parade followed by games. If your child ordered tickets for games or snacks, they will receive them tomorrow. Tickets will also be sold for a limited time at the start of the Halloween games.
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.
ALL SAINTS’ DAY SCHOOL MASS
This Friday, November 1, we will celebrate the Feast of All Saints in a school mass at 8:30 AM. You are welcome to join us at this mass.
**Since we will be attending mass this Friday, students must be in complete uniform. No gray sweats or free dress passes may be used on this day.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
The first round of mandatory Parent-Teacher Conferences is next week, from Monday, November 4 through Thursday, November 7. Each day is 12:30 dismissal for students. Please meet your child’s teacher in the classroom at your confirmed appointment time. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher.
BAKE SALE
Due to evacuations, power outages, and unhealthy air quality in the Occidental area, the 7th grade camp retreat for the week has been postponed. However, in LOVE, SERVICE, and UNITY, our 7th graders are now focusing on helping the Sonoma County fire victims. They will be hosting a Bake Sale during recess and after school from November 4-7, and processed will go towards the fire victims. The sale will continue while supplies last! Let’s support our 7th graders in their efforts to help others!
SUNDAY 11:00 A.M. MASS
Do you attend the 11:00 Mass at St. Peter’s Church? After this mass, we need a few Spanish-speaking school representatives for a brief time (about 20 minutes) to help our school. If you are interested in helping or for more information, please contact the school office.
IN THE CLASSROOM
KINDER - Happy Halloween to Everyone! I hope the light of your jack-o-lantern will shine bright just as your little Trick-or-Treaters are trying to do! Name letters on candy wrappers and count each delicious treat because learning on Halloween is always sweet! Thank you for getting in your Parent-Teacher conference requests. I have done my best to accommodate your first choices. If you haven’t turned your request in, please do so by tomorrow.
1A - This week we are working on the short “e” sound in words such as, 'bed' and 'bread.' In religion, we are learning about the story of Zacchaeus. In math, we are working on memorizing our addition doubles facts. In social studies, we are continuing to learn about jobs in the community and discussing what we want to be when we grow up.
2A - We're finishing up “Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!” and then we will be starting “Baby Bears.” We're working really hard (and even having a little fun) with place value and manipulatives in math. We are talking about acting on God's word and we'll attend a bilingual mass on Friday - all are welcome to join us. I'm looking forward to meeting with everyone for Parent-Teacher Conferences next week.
**Please remember to complete and return your religion worksheet I sent home with your child.
3A – 3A is working diligently on our Reading and Math technology components. We are completing our study of the rosary in Religion class. We have just completed our sewing project for Art class. The Halloween Pumpkin Pillows turned out to be very well done and are just darling. Thanks to Xavier's wonderful mom who not only supplied all of the materials for the project but taught us how to thread a needle, cut out the felt pieces from a template, and sew through the felt material. Stop by 3A to take a look at the pillows. We are very proud of them.
4A – Happy Halloween! We will have a Halloween themed week. We will be learning about different Saints in Religion to help us prepare for All Saints' Day. We are saints-in-training! In Reading, we will focus on finding the Author's purpose in a variety of Halloween themed texts. We will also have a vocabulary quiz. In Math, we will create vertical number lines and use them to help us round numbers to the millions. In Science, we will conduct a Mystery Science experiment about bones and our skulls. In Social Studies, we will learn about the four geographic regions of California. Please be on the lookout for any notes in your child's Homework Folder or on Class Dojo. Thank you!
5A - Since 5th graders are responsible for their learning, we do student-led conferences in 5th grade. We'll be preparing for that by doing some reflecting on the school year so far in class this week. In math, we'll learn how to add decimals. In reading, we'll focus on identifying character traits and using those to help us better understand what we read. As always, check Class Dojo for photos and more updates.
6A Religion – This week students will be completing their Ofrenda projects. Language Arts – Students will be looking at the last element of short stories: theme. We'll be analyzing classic fables and the short story "The Monkey's Paw" to identify theme and find evidence from the text. Math – Hello families! Students had their first math test today. They have been working hard learning how to create tables, create ordered pairs, and graph the information. We are also reviewing how to create equivalent fractions and multiply fractions. Social Studies – Students will begin researching a pharaoh from Ancient Egypt. Science – This week scientists will learn and explore about Earth's atmosphere and engage in an in-class experiment.
7A Religion – Students will be completing an All Saint's Day research project and preparing to host a bake sale for the fire victims in Sonoma County. Language Arts – Students will complete lessons based on 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. Math – Hello families! Students will be working on interpreting graphs and using complex fractions to solve for unit rates. Social Studies – Students will begin to learn about the physical geography of Africa and early civilizations in West Africa. Science – CYO camp for students has been postponed, and with that, their study of ecology. For now, students continue creating their stop motion animations to model two very important life processes.
8A High School Scholarship Update: The Achieve Program (Riordan, Mercy - San Francisco) updated their application due date to Friday, December 6, 2019. You can find their current application online at https://achieveprogram.org/
Religion – Students will conclude their saint research project. They will also examine how Pentecost played a role in shaping the lives of the Apostles and guiding the early Church. 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 - Hello families! Students are working with using operations with scientific notation. Students are transforming standard numbers to scientific notation. Social Studies – Students will define the words 'Revolution' and 'Liberty' before they look ahead to their American Revolution unit. Science – Students continue to look at the importance of electrons, as we prepare to explain why atoms bond to create molecules.
REMINDERS:
Oct. 31 1:00-3:00, Halloween Parade and Games
Nov. 1 8:30 AM, All Saints’ Day School Mass
Nov. 4-7 Parent-Teacher Conferences / 12:30 Dismissal Days
Nov. 5 8:10 AM School Mass
Nov. 5 6:00 PM, High School Application workshop for 8thgraders and parents
Nov. 6 Free Dress for No Tardies in October
Nov. 8 NO SCHOOL, WCEA Accreditation Work Day for teachers
Nov. 11 NO SCHOOL, Veterans’ Day Holiday
