This Week at St. Barnabas

This Week at St. Barnabas September 29, 2016 Features: Principal’s Corner Faculty Profile: Ms. Kate Urchell School Facebook Page Grade Spotlight: 2nd...
Author: Edith Greene
6 downloads 0 Views 4MB Size
This Week at St. Barnabas

September 29, 2016 Features: Principal’s Corner Faculty Profile: Ms. Kate Urchell School Facebook Page Grade Spotlight: 2nd Grade Scoop on Specials: Music 4th Grade Scientists Monthly Calendar Announcements: Disability Awareness Month Manna News Community Events Turn in Box Tops! Girls’ Volleyball Sign-Up

6th Grade Talent Trees As part of our Service Learning Curriculum, our 6th grade students discussed how we, as Christians, can become good stewards of God’s creation and use our time, talents, and treasures for the good of our school, community, and parish. Students thought about their God-given talents and created Talent Trees. On each leaf, students wrote individual talents and skills that they posses that they could use to serve others. As you can see, St. Barnabas has talented students!

Amazon Smile Bottles/Bites/Brews

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Pumpkin Drawing Contest

Conferences are coming up on October 5 from 5-7 pm and October 6 from 1-7 pm. If you have not already done so, please schedule a conference with your child(ren)’s homeroom teacher on our school’s website homepage. Conferences with additional teachers may also be scheduled if space is available.

All-School Kindness Day

Principal’s Corner Dear Parents, As the year moves forward, we are so excited to take a day to focus on kindness next Monday, 10/3. During our first-ever All-School Kindness Day, students will participate in prayerful and creative ways to promote kindness. Due to the chalk-drawing that will be part of Kindness Day, students are permitted to wear their gym uniforms on this day. More information on this special day can be found in the flyer at the end of this newsletter. In other news, in the near future we will be looking for a part-time preschool aide to replace Mrs. Murray, who will be leaving for personal reasons. Resumes and questions can be sent directly to my email, [email protected]. Hours for this position are Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 11:15 am. Mrs. Corinne Morgan, our music teacher, will be taking maternity leave when her son arrives at the end of October through the end of January. We are currently looking for a part-time music substitute to fill in for her. If you or anyone you know is qualified and interested in this temporary position, please email me.

Kayleigh Folliard

In further baby news, a new Buckeye has arrived! St. Barnabas School is happy to report that Mr. Ryan Folliard’s daughter, Kayleigh (pictured), was born on September 12 at 11:17 pm. She weighed 7lbs., 3oz. and was 20 inches long. Congratulations to the Folliard family! Did you get your tickets yet for Bottles/Bites/Brews on October 15? All funds raised at this brand-new event go to the St. Barnabas Capital Campaign, so not only will it be a fun evening, but you’ll be supporting our school as well! For more details, please see the flyer later in this newsletter. Have a great week! - Mrs. Elaine Gaffney

Thank You for Making Family Fall Fest a Success! We would like to thank all of our wonderful Family Fall Fest volunteers for their hard work and dedication to making another St. Barnabas event such a success! Thanks also to all the parents and parishioners who participated and contributed in any way to this event. It was great to see all the families together, enjoying our wonderful parish community. We look forward to many more events to enjoy together in the upcoming year.

Faculty Profile Mrs. Kate Urchell, one of St. Barnabas School’s dedicated preschool teachers, has been here for her entire 20-year teaching career. She began working at St. Barnabas as a kindergarten teacher and enjoyed several years there, but when the school had an opening for a preschool teacher, Mrs. Urchell was happy to get to work with our youngest students. She loves the people she works with, especially her Early Childhood team. Mrs. Urchell also enjoys the progression she is able to see over her two years with most of her preschool students. She says it is very rewarding to see how the kids improve their skills, and to see the 4-year-olds take such pride in being leaders for the 3-year-olds. She adds, “It’s so nice to go to work doing something you love to do.” Mrs. Urchell and her teaching partner, Mrs. Karen O’Hara, are excited to be attending the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference later this year. This conference is the largest early childhood conference in the world, and the teachers will be able to explore the latest research and learn from other early childhood educators.

Mrs. Urchell

Before getting her Master’s degree in Early Childhood, Mrs. Urchell got her undergraduate degree at Northern Illinois University in Fashion Merchandising. She worked as a buyer for a few years and enjoyed a lot about that field, but was eventually drawn into education by encouragement from the many teachers in her family and her love of children. When Mrs. Urchell isn’t at St. Barnabas, she is busy with her husband and four children. She grew up in St. John Fisher, and her two sons also attend school there, while her two daughters are in high school at Mother McAuley. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, and trying new Pinterest craft projects and recipes. Over the summer, Mrs. Urchell and her family went to Hilton Head, SC, which she says was a wonderful family vacation. They also go to their extended family’s cottage on Diamond Lake in Michigan as often as they can every summer. Mrs. Urchell’s favorite subject in school growing up was Reading, and one of her favorite book series was “Little House on the Prairie.” Her favorite things about working at St. Barnabas, aside from her excellent teaching team, are how involved families are in the parish community, the camaraderie, and the cutting edge programs the school offers, such as our technology program and Project Match. She adds, “Everything done here is done really well.”

School Facebook Page Looking for more news and updates on St. Barnabas School? Like our OFFICIAL St. Barnabas School Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/stbarnabasbuckeyes/ Check there for photos of school events, updates on what is happening in your child’s classroom, alumni news and more. This page is monitored and updated by school staff.

Grade Spotlight: 2nd Grade Second grade is a very special and holy year as we prepare for the sacraments. Over the past few weeks, we have learned about saints, guardian angels, and our church. We had the opportunity to tour our beautiful church and learn about the tabernacle, altar, stations of the cross, and sacristy. We also celebrated the upcoming feast of the Guardian Angels by writing about our own angels who protect and guide us. As we wrap up our Service Learning project for September, second grade created a display honoring our classroom saints, St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Jude. Ms. Sadowski’s class is pictured (above) during their church tour earlier this week, surrounding the mural of their saint, St. Kateri Tekakwitha and with their projects about her (left).Ms. Brett’s students are pictured with their guardian angel projects (bottom left) and being good listeners on their church tour with Mrs. Maryellen Harrington (bottom right).

Scoop on Specials: Music Welcome back to St. Barnabas Music! All grades have been as busy as ever learning the basic fundamentals of music and reinforcing and building on what they learned last year. Let’s take a look at what each grade has been studying so far: Preschool and Kindergarten have learned about what a steady beat sounds like in music, and have played their own steady beats with their bodies and instruments in class. They’ll be moving on to the different sounds humans can make with their voices next. First grade students can now identify if a song has a steady beat or not, and are beginning to study the differences between talking, whispering, shouting, and singing in different songs, as well as other ways to manipulate the human voice. Second grade students can differentiate between songs with steady beats and unsteady beats, and are learning how beat can affect the rhythm of a song. They will also be learning soon about notes and how different kinds create different rhythms. Third graders know the difference between regular beats, irregular beats, and ostinatos, and are learning about the basic notes and rests used to create rhythms. They will be using their knowledge to compose their own rhythms in the near future. Fourth grade students have just received their recorders, and are learning how to play an instrument. We spent the first few weeks of school reviewing notes, the staff, and how to read basic music notation, so they are ready to apply this knowledge to their recorder studies. Fifth grade students had a review of last year’s notes and rhythms, and are off to a running start with their recorder studies, preparing to earn their purple belts in Recorder Karate. Sixth graders just finished learning about human music before recorded history, and are now learning about the work it takes to form and run a band through a group project where they create their own. Seventh grade is finishing up their studies on the Renaissance period of music history, and will be moving on to a parody project where they create a hilarious interpretation of one of their favorite songs. Eighth grade will be finishing up a study of 20th Century Composers with an in-depth look at Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite, “The Planets.” As always, if you have any questions, feel free to check my SchoolNotes page or email me at [email protected]. Have a wonderful October! Mrs. Morgan

4th Grade Scientists High Touch High Tech Science visited Ms. Sheerin's 4th grade Science class last Friday. The scientists engaged the students in several hands-on experiments throughout the presentation. They blew on anemometers to show that the anemometer measures wind speed. They discussed how water vapor evaporates and turns into a cloud. They used dry ice to make their own clouds. Finally, they discussed different forms of precipitation and made their own snow. This in-school field trip in the library reinforced a recent weather unit the students have been studying, and was an exciting, hands-on way for the students to learn about science!

Sept./Oct. School Calendar Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

26

27

28

29

30

October 2 School/ 1

All School Mass 8:45 am Jr High Retreat @ St. Rita School Board Meeting 7:00 pm

3

All School Kindness Day

High School Children’s Fair 7-8 pm Choir 3-4:30 pm

Parent Meeting for First Communion 7-8:30 pm Church Hall

Sunday

RE Family Mass, 10 am

HS Presentations (During School)

4

Preschool Field Trip to Konow’s All School Farm & Mass 8:45 am Corn Maze

5

6

P/T Conferences 5-7 pm

P/T Conferences 1-7 pm

Children’s Choir 3-4:30 pm

11:50 Dismissal

7

8

9

14

15

16

No School

10

11

12

13

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

No School

All School Mass 8:45 am

All School Mass 8:45 am School Board Meeting 7 pm

FSA Meeting Children’s 7:30 pm Choir Convent 3-4:30 pm

Kdg. Field Children’s Trip Choir 3-4:30pm County Line Orchard 8th Grade Graduation Pictures Fun Food

Children’s Choir 3-4:30pm

7th & 8th Grade Trip AOC Youth Rally

1:30 Dismissal 4th Grade Field Trip/ Confirmation Naper Candidate/ Settlement Sponsor Mtg.

7th & 8th Grade Field Trip/Holocaust Museum 8th Grade Halloween Dance

Bottles/ Bites/Brews Main Event: 7:30-Midnight

School/ RE Family Mass 10 am

Disability Awareness Month From the St. Barnabas Climate & Culture Committee October is Disability Awareness Month. Here are a few interesting factoids to consider: 1. Using the most recent stats available, the U.S. Department of Education says that 13% of all students have some form of physical, learning or developmental disability. Like many other characteristics we all share, this disability may be obvious just by looking at someone or may be hidden from view. Openness and awareness are necessary to keep these students in mind as we create a learning environment that works well for everyone. 2. Disabilities don’t always present immediately, but consistent evaluation can help identify them. It’s important to do so as people with disabilities develop other health problems at higher rates than those who don’t. 3. Almost two-thirds of people (63 percent) know someone who has a learning disability. In fact, 60% of those students spent 80% of their day in general education classrooms. Specific educational planning can assist with creative inclusive classrooms which have been shown to improve academic performance among those with LDs. 4. Eight in 10 Americans (80 percent) consider the statement “children with learning disabilities are just as smart as you and me” to be true. And they are. A learning disability is not reflective of IQ or overall desire to learn.

Manna News Email Sheri Jendra at [email protected] for a password and participant code to submit your order online (there’s a link on the school’s homepage) or send your order in to school with your child. Check out mannagroup.net for a complete list of stores and restaurants, which now includes Horse Thief Hollow! Send by Monday morning at 9 am, and receive your gift cards on Thursday afternoon. Alternately, we offer “check & carry” option on Thursday evenings from 6:00 – 7:30 in the gym lobby.

Community Events Webpage Be sure to check out our revamped Community Events webpage, which can be found under the About Us section of the school website homepage. If you have a submission for an event outside of St. Barnabas (i.e. neighborhood events, local government events, Chicago Park District, etc.) please send them to Lisa Sarcinella at lsarcinella@ stbarnabasparish.org for posting on the Community Events page on a rolling basis. St. Barnabas event ads should be sent to Katie Sebby at [email protected] for inclusion in the weekly school newsletter, and are due Wednesdays by noon for Thursday’s newsletter.

YOUR CLASS COULD BE THE WINNER OF THE

PIZZA PARTY!!! Join the Challenge ~ Compete With Other Classrooms Simply collect Box Tops and bring them to your homeroom teacher. It’s easy to find Box Tops. In fact, you may have some in your home right now. Clip Box Tops from hundreds of your favorite products. Each Box Top coupon is worth 10¢ for St. Barnabas School and that adds up fast! We rose over $1,000 during last year’s collections. Let’s try to surpass that this year! It’s easy to find Box Tops. In fact, you may have some in your home right now. Clip Box Tops 1

Turn in your Box Tops by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14TH

Please remember to clip your Box Tops carefully and label your bags with your homeroom number, so that each class is given credit for all of their hard work. ***NEW*** Visit the App Store on your mobile devices to download an easy-to-use Box Tops App. When using the app, just send a screenshot of your activity to me via email, text or Messenger by October 14th . Include your child’s homeroom and receive credit toward the Pizza Party!

Visit www.btfe.com/products for a complete list of Box Tops products. Contact Karen Quiroz with any questions. [email protected] or 773.203.0128

Girls’ Volleyball Sign-Up Attention Parents of 4th - 8th Grade Girls! 2016-2017 Girls’ Volleyball season is starting! Registration Monday, September 26 to Thursday, October 6th. Sign up now via the link below. https://goo.gl/forms/PzSBRk9VuNRCIR3t1

Fees: A check for $75 volunteer hold payable to St. Barnabas Athletics. A separate check that includes a player fee and uniform. (Uniform fee for 4th and 6th grade only, unless a new uniform is needed.) 4th grade uniform- $13 (does not include spandex) 6th grade uniform-$28 (does not include spandex) 4th and 5th Grade Player Fee- $95 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Player Fee- $105 Try out dates for 6th, 7th and 8th grade- TBA Checks can be given to Ms. Caitlin Kotarski in room 212. Please contact with any questions at [email protected]

Amazon Smile: A Simple Way to Raise Money for St. Barnabas School. Amazon.com donates .5% of eligible purchases to charitable organizations. We encourage parents to sign up for Amazon Smile and to select St. Barnabas School as their charitable organization of choice. If you have other friends and family who are frequent Amazon shoppers, please encourage them to sign up as well! Please follow the directions below to sign up: Go to https://smile.amazon.com/. If you are an existing Amazon customer, sign in as you would at Amazon.com. Otherwise, create an account. Once you sign in you will be asked to pick a charitable organization. Scroll down a little and there will be a search bar. Type in St. Barnabas Parish and click search. Choose St. Barnabas Parish, Chicago, IL (there is another St. Barnabas Parish listed). In order for St. Barnabas to benefit, all orders have to be placed through https://smile.amazon.com/ and not www.amazon.com.

St. Barnabas Pumpkin

Drawing Contest!





















Categories: Celebrity, Silly, Holiday, Sports Starts: October 4th Ends: October 25th

Prize: Out of uniform on October 28th

Winner from each category from each grade Winner will be chosen by Mr. Walsh

“You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you

must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another...” Colossians 4:12-13

What Is It? Throughout October we will be promoting kindness. We are kicking off our month of kindness prayerfully and creatively. We will begin our day with Mass and the story of the Good Samaritan. Following Mass students will move to the classrooms for instruction and finally, weather permitting we will move outdoors to create “Chalk It Up To Kindness Murals”

Students Should Bring     

Help At Our Kick Off Monday Oct. 3rd We need simple help to make this day fun and meaningful. Younger grades K-2nd need adults to help write simple words or pictures for young ones to color and to chat about kindness. We need 4 adults per homeroom. Middle grades 3-5th need adults to organize their sidewalk mural and perhaps do some simple drawing. Upper grades 6-8th adults are needed for overall event assistance. You will be instrumental in directing homerooms to their mural area, taking pictures, helping to preserve the murals for the final walkthrough and more. Help is needed from 10am-noon. Please Click Here To RSVP. Email [email protected] to sign up.

 

Wear your gym uniform 1-2 clean cloth rags Hand held brush or sweeper to clear/sweep your sidewalk square before drawing. NO BROOMS. Simple sketches or images you might want to include in a mural about kindness. Short scriptures that speak to kindness Sunscreen Optional: Towel or knee pads to stay comfy as students draw

Get Involved At Home 1. Make a commitment as a family to complete tasks from the month of kindness checklist. 2. Seek out and find a kindness scripture on kindness that you will adopt and live by for October. 3. Make your own family kindness sidewalk mural outside of your home including your scripture quote. 4. Click Here to share your moments of kindness in your family which we will share in our school communications.

“Do not let love and kindness leave you; bind it around your neck; write it on the tablet of your heart” Paraphrase of Proverbs 3:3 We challenge students to do 3 Kind things during the 1st “St. Barnabas School Month of Kindness”. Check them off as you do them and PLEASE take a photo or write a note about what you did and ask your parents to help you email your reflection and or picture to [email protected] Kindness At School         

Compliment someone Include people in your recess games Be kind to someone who might feel left out Help your teacher Give someone your turn Use your manners Be extra quiet in the hallways Say “Thank You” more often to classmates, teachers, office, lunch, and maintenance people.

Kindness At Home        

   

Put your toys away Help a neighbor with something Clean out the inside of your parent’s car Set the dinner table or clear the dishes after a meal Help with the laundry Play nicely with your brother or sister Pack up your school books and be ready for school the night before.

Talk to someone who looks lonely

Kindness In The Community    

Do a job without being asked

Pick up messes you did not make inside and outdoors Hold a door open for someone Say hello to your neighbors Decorate stones with positive messages and leave the with a note for neighbor. Write letters to people in nursing homes. Help rake leaves for an elderly neighbor Create a prayer list and time each night to pray for them. Look out for people “doing good” and compliment them for their kindness.

Kindness As A Family        

Read a book together Bake a desert together with a sibling or parent for the family Serve a meal for the poor Clean up a local park or playground as a family Participate in a parish service project to help those in need. Make thank you cards for teachers, soldiers, priests, coaches, etc. Invite someone who often eats alone to dinner. Decorate stones with positive messages to share at neighborhood places you shop, eat, visit.

Don’t forget to send us an email on your progress! Include your name, grade, what task did you complete, and tell us how it made you feel to be kind and how do you hope people will respond to your act of kindness. Email us at [email protected] Check List Adapted From: http://ripplekindness.org