Dear Parents,
This Friday, we look forward to celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as we have a special school prayer service in his honor. He is a role model for us and our students as we discuss how others should be treated with dignity and love. We can reflect on how Dr. King is an example of thinking critically, living out the KEYS, and taking action for social justice. It’s a perfect opportunity to apply our growth mindset along with the children, and to take action through service!
At the same time, we pray for peace in our world. I am reminded of Jesus’ words: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.” Like Jesus and Dr. King, let us remember to be examples of respect and peace for our children.
--Mrs. Sandra Jimenez
AZTEC TREK
On Monday, we had a special assembly to introduce the AZTEC TREK, our annual mandatory fundraiser. Going home with each child today is the collection envelope 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 among the SF Archdiocesan schools. The minimum mandatory amount to be collected by each student is $100, but the more 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 21. See the attached flyer for more details. Thank you in advance for your support!
NO SWEATS THIS FRIDAY
Since we will be attending a school prayer service this Friday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., all children must be in complete uniform, and not in the gray school sweats. Also, no free dress passes may be used on this day.
REGISTER NOW FOR AZTEC SPORTS!
We are currently accepting registration for GIRLS CYO BASKETBALL for grades 3-8/ You can now register for St. Peter’s sports using your Venmo account. Please make sure to include the following in your memo:
Student name, grade, full academic year, season, sport, registration, and/or uniform
Example: Ryan Suárez 8A 2019-2020 Fall Soccer Registration and Uniform
*Note: If a student already paid registration and will only be paying uniform, the memo should read: Ryan Suárez 8A 2019-2020 Fall Soccer Uniform
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
To show our appreciation for our Catholic Schools, we will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week from January 26-31. Please see the attached flyer for the various themes of each day!
SCHOOL ACCREDITATION UPDATE
St. Peter’s School is currently accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). As mentioned before, 2020 is a re-accreditation year for our school. The teachers continue to gather evidence of student learning to present to the WCEA/WASC visiting committee, who will be at St. Peter’s on February 5 and from March10-12. In addition, the teachers have analyzed student work and input from parent and student surveys, and have completed writing the document, “Improving Student Learning,” which is required for accreditation. If you would like to see this document or have questions about the school accreditation process, please contact the school office.
UNIFORM CHECK-IN
As the winter weather continues and you bundle up your child, please ensure that he/she follows uniform policy as posted by the school office and stated in the school handbook. All undershirts, including long-sleeve undershirts, should be white. If your daughter wears tights, they should be solid black or white and extend to the ankle. Socks must be black or white and extend above the ankle. School shoes must be solid black or white, and boots may not be worn.
IN THE CLASSROOM
KINDER - As the Christmas Season has come to a close, we are now refreshed with the Baptism of Jesus! Let us bring him into our minds and hearts! We need to remember the importance of coming to school ready to learn so that we can be as sharp as our pencils!
1A - This week, we are reading and discussing folktales. In phonics, we are focusing on the soft /c/, /g/, and /dge/ sounds in words like: nice, page, and wedge. In religion, we are continuing our study of the sacrament of Baptism. In math, we are continuing to work on making 10 before adding on, in addition. In social studies, we are continuing our work on mapping skills.
2A - We will be reading one of 2nd grade's favorite stories about volcanoes! We are going to work on trading 10 ones for 1 ten, 10 tens for 1 hundred, and 10 hundreds for 1 thousand in math. We'll continue talking about forgiveness, especially God's forgiveness this week in preparation for reconciliation.
3A – This week 3A begins reading their second chapter book, Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. It is a wonderful, heart-warming story of friendship, perseverance, and hard work. In Science, we are completing a unit on recycling. In Social Studies, we will study the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Finally, in Math class, we continue practicing multiplication and division using arrays to understand these operations.
4A - Thank you for a great first week back! This week in Religion, we will focus on the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Communion and Confirmation. In Literacy, we will focus on the comprehension skill of fact and opinion. We will use this skill in our writing as we write a two-paragraph essay this week! In Math, we will conclude our unit on Metric Measurement and begin our next unit on Multiplication. In Social Studies, we will focus on California Native peoples and researching the Ohlone tribe. In Science, we will focus on chemical and physical weathering.
5A - This week, 5th graders will continue our figurative language unit by learning about hyperboles and personification. In math, we will focus on multiplying decimals.
6A Religion – Students will work with a chapter group to teach a chapter of Blest Are We to the class, including important vocabulary words and figures from the Old Testament. Language Arts – We've begun reading our novel, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and we're already hooked on the plot! This week we'll continue to learn about the injustices facing the Logan family and how they try to rise above it all. We'll also learn how to support and refute claims using evidence from the novel. Math - 6th grade students are using models to divide fractions. Social Studies – Students continue with Ancient India and will begin learning about the differences and similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism. Science - Scientists will explore latitude and its effects on weather around the globe. Students will then dive into another type of energy transfer, radiation, and the sun's effect on it.
7A Religion – Students will get back into their Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons with topics this week of If-Then Plans and Values and Decisions. Language Arts - Students are continuing their Poetry Unit. They have completed their Selfie Poem and will begin their “When I...” Poems. Math - Students are working with number lines to solve integer problems. Social Studies – Students are finishing their novel study of A Long Walk to Water! They will begin a group project on the book. Science – Students have shown their knowledge of the cell and now it's time to highlight how cells make more of themselves: Mitosis!
8A Religion - Students will continue to make comparisons between the Eastern and Western churches and make suggestions on how to build bridges between the two today. They will also prepare for their MLK Prayer Service, which 8A students are leading this Friday. Language Arts - Students have finalized their Night Literary Analysis Essay. To officially end their unit on Night, they will have a Holocaust Guest Speaker come in this Thursday. The presentation will hopefully allow them to put a face to the experiences they read in the novel. As they wrap up Night, students will also transition to the introduction of their next units, Poetry and Speech. Math –Students are creating translations and rotations on planes. Social Studies – Students will begin learning the details of the Legislative Branch. Science - Students are completing their rockets and having their first round of flights this Thursday!
REMINDERS
Jan. 15 AZTEC TREK Fundraiser begins
Jan. 17 8:30 AM, Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Service
Jan. 20 Dr. MLK, Jr. Holiday, No School
Jan. 23 8th Grade Graduation Photo Day
Jan. 23 3A Field Trip to Exploratorium
Jan. 26 11:00 AM, Sunday Family Mass,
Jan. 26-31 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
Jan. 27 12:30 Dismissal, Teachers In-Service
