Dear Parents,
Over the weekend, we celebrated special days in the Church: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. On the Feast of All Saints, a holy day of obligation, we honor those who have lived lives faithful to God. On the Feast of All Souls, we remember and pray for our loved ones who have passed away, and honor them through prayer, or even by making special altars in their memory.
As we honor the Saints, let us remember how they lived out the Beatitudes—Jesus’ teachings on how to live as a Christian and to find true happiness. Also, as we have our Parent-Teacher Conferences, the Beatitudes can help us to reflect on how to be role models for our children. We can lead our children by example and live out our faith!
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10)
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
--Mrs. Sandra Jimenez
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU to all volunteers who donated and volunteered at our Halloween celebration last week! It was a fun school event, and it would not have been possible without help from our parents.
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
The next Family Movie Night (Toy Story 4) is on Friday, November 15 in the gym. Tickets are on sale now, but tickets are LIMITED. Purchase your tickets early before they sell out!
BAKE SALE
Due to evacuations, power outages, and unhealthy air quality in the Occidental area, the 7th grade camp retreat 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 this week, and proceeds 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.
NO SCHOOL THIS FRIDAY AND MONDAY
While teachers will be spending this Friday working on the WCEA school accreditation process, there will be no school for students this Friday, November 8. There is also no school on Monday, November 11, in observance of the Veterans’ Day holiday.
STUDENT ARTWORK
Come and see the student artwork created in partnership with the Mexican Museum! Students learned about Tecuanes masks and then created their own masks. The art exhibit is in the Faculty Meeting Room until tomorrow—Thursday, November 8.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Kinder – November is a month for blessings and to be thankful! Kindergarten will be blessed if we can identify all of our letters and we are able to write our numbers to 10! I am thankful to have this week to meet with all of you and grateful for all you do for your loved ones!
1A – This week, we are reading, writing, and learning about different buildings and the materials that they are made out of. In religion, we are continuing to discuss the different ways we can praise God. In math, we are continuing our work on addition, through our use of number bonds, related facts, and doubles.
2A – In Language Arts, we're finishing up “Baby Bears” and starting a poetry unit. In Math, we are measuring things with centimeters and meters. In Religion, we will talk about the importance of prayer, write prayers, and say prayers for loved ones.
3A – This is a short week here at school. We have Parent/Teacher Conferences Monday through Thursday so we will dismiss at 12:30 each of those days. In class, we will begin our second round of STAR reading tests. We will continue and complete our unit on the Rosary and introduce our upcoming project on saints. I will send home a list of saints so that together with your child you will pick 3 saints and report on 1 of them. This project will have 3 parts. There will be an oral presentation, a written report, and a poster showing important facts about that saint's life.
4A – I look forward to our parent-teacher-student conferences this week! We will continue to learn about Saints in Religion. In Reading, we will begin our book report project. We will also focus on our story of "How Tia Lola Came to Stay" and our comprehension strategy of identifying character traits. In Math, we will round multi-digit numbers to any place value using a vertical number line. In Social Studies, we will map out the four geographical regions of California.
5A – I’m looking forward to talking to you all this week during conferences! Your children have been working hard to prepare for these meetings. In math this week, we're beginning to subtract decimal numbers. In reading, we're focusing on using text evidence to support inferences we make about character traits. As always, check Class Dojo for photos and more updates.
6A Religion – This week, 6th Graders will be preparing for their Veterans Day Mass that will take place on November 12th. Language Arts – Students will continue their work on THEME. We'll present the fables students wrote on a central THEME and continue analyzing short stories and finding textual evidence to support the main message. Math – Hello families, this week all students will be taking their STAR tests to monitor their progress in mathematics. 6th grade students will be creating unit rates from ratios. Social Studies – Students will continue the beginning of their Ancient Egypt Unit. Science – This week, scientists will be completing their levels of the atmosphere chart and reviewing for their Air and Atmosphere test.
7A Language Arts - Students will continue to wrap up their novel, Walk Two Moons, with lessons based on the story elements, plot, conflict, theme and character analysis. They will also begin their Enrichment Projects this week. Math – Hello families, this week all students will be taking their STAR tests to monitor their progress in mathematics. 7th grade students will be working with complex fractions (dividing fractions). Social Studies – Students are working in stations to read a ReadWorks article about conserving water, a BrainPop video about deserts, and a physical map of Africa to begin their Africa Unit with information about the geography of the continent. Science - Students will present their movies on two life processes this week and advance into a conversation about the cycles that are present in life science.
8A *Reminder: As students begin the month of November, please do not forget about upcoming High School Application Deadlines: St. Ignatius DUE Friday, November 15 / Sacred Heart Cathedral DUE Friday, November 29.
Religion – Students will continue to 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 ending their unit on Mockingbird with a Debate, should Caitlin attend a mainstream school or should she attend a school with students of similar conditions, syndromes like herself, Asperger Syndrome? They are also working on their woodworking project-chest due in 2 weeks. Math – Hello families, this week all students will be taking their STAR tests to monitor their progress in mathematics. Students in 8th grade will also be learning about how to perform operations with scientific notation. Social Studies – Students are finding and analyzing primary sources from a revolution they are curious or passionate about - this will lead them into a personal essay that answers the question: What does liberty mean to me? Science - Now that students know about Lewis Dot structures, the next step is to study types of chemical bonds and how they occur!
REMINDERS:
Nov. 4-15 STAR Testing
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
Nov. 12 8:10 AM School Mass in honor of Veterans
Nov. 13 LifeTouch Picture Retake Day
Nov. 15 Family Movie Night
