A Message from Mr. Antonacci
Dear Families,
As the students enjoyed a day off from school, our teachers spent time collaborating to brainstorm cumulative projects for the next school year that span multiple subject areas. It was truly amazing to see teachers and administrators working together for the good of the students by dedicating time to crafting memorable projects to deepen students' understanding of classroom content and the life of virtue.
I want to also take a moment to celebrate a few occasions. Last weekend, our second graders made their First Holy Communion! Then, on Monday, they crowned the statue of Mary and each student in the school brought a flower to Mary to represent our gratitude for her prayers for us. (See the photos below) Also, congratulations to Mrs. Sterge and Miss Kousidis for completing their M.Ed. degrees in Teaching Special Education (Moderate Disabilities)!
Looking ahead, best of luck to the girls' volleyball team in their tournament at Ursuline Academy this weekend. We hope the momentum of their first win continues into this tournament! Lastly, I look forward to seeing many of you at Parking Lot Prayers on Monday as the 8th graders speak about the virtue of compassion. Have a great weekend!
Emilia
Emilia has been at St. Mary's since the 6th grade. She is more than proud to call St. Mary's her school because of the wonderful and kindhearted people in the community. She hopes her new school will be a great experience, but she will miss St. Mary's with all her heart and soul, and she wishes all the best for the school's future. Thank you, Emilia, for how you were a role model to the entire school. We trust this character trait will bless those around you at Boston University Academy.
Gabriel
Gabriel has been a student at St. Mary's since the seventh grade. He feels so lucky to have spent two years of middle school at this wonderful school and is extremely grateful. He has played for the St. Mary's basketball team for two years and has been in a variety of clubs like underwater robotics, art, and improv. He will miss his outstanding teachers and the amazing St Mary’s community. We will miss him but we are confident in all of the goodness he will bring to Catholic Memorial!
PreK
This week, PreK students had a special treat: Miss Porcello brought her parents in to teach the class how to make vegetable soup! The students followed directions very well as they went through the steps to prepare and enjoy the soup: 1) Chop the vegetables; 2) Combine veggies, broth, and spices in the Crockpot; 3) Cook the soup; 4) Eat and enjoy! In addition, PreK also worked on word segmentation and the concept of rhyming! You would think they are much older than PreK if you spent a day in the classroom!
K2
Ms. Tiney and Ms. McAuliffe's students joined together for a fun experiment involving the senses of smell and sight! Each student was given an apple with food coloring and baking soda inside of the top. Then, each student poured a small cup of vinegar into their apple to observe the scientific reaction. The look on their faces says it all! Students were shocked to see the colorful foam sizzling and bubbling out of the fruit!
Grade 1
This week Grade 1 students continued their ABC countdown. On Monday, they celebrated D for Donuts! The class completed a place value activity during math to design their own donuts. They ended their day tasting three different flavor donuts and writing about which one was their favorite and why. For F, students read fairy tales and discussed different story elements. They ended F day with flashlight reading!
Grade 4
In science, grade four is studying how different plant structures help them grow, survive, and reproduce. In this lab, students observed the important role of roots in a plant’s survival and growth. Using paper towels and rice, they modeled taproot and fibrous root systems in soil as well as a plant with no roots. They noticed that the “plant” with no roots immediately fell under slight stress and wasn’t able to soak up any water. Students learned that plants need roots to get water and nutrients and to stabilize them against wind and other environmental factors.
Grade 5
After months of measuring the effects of various pollutants on classroom ecocolumns, students presented their observations, results, and predictions. Groups added pollutants of fertilizer, acid rain, and road salt. They added drops of each pollutant and measured pH levels each science class to observe trends. Students predict that wilting and discoloration will continue to occur with further pollution. Great job reflecting and analyzing your ecocolumns, Grade 5! You now have a greater understanding of science and a greater desire to be a good steward of our planet.
