St. Michael's News Connection • Week of April 5th

Lenten Library Activity

Saint Michael’s students in Kindergarten through Grade 8 were encouraged to design Lenten or Easter themed book marks. Several classes completed the activity and received an Easter pencil. Mrs. Clark in 4A, Mrs. Bright in 1A, and Mrs. Wiegele in 3A made this a fun class religion project. 

Our students created beautiful book marks, which reflect the love of Jesus and joy of Easter.  Several book marks will be chosen to copy and distribute in the library.

Mrs. Christine Evans

Librarian

Reading and Writing in Second Grade

Students at St. Michael’s School follow the Reading and Writing Workshop model for English Language Arts instruction. They read books at their “just right” reading level and then write about what they have read. Second Graders recently created “flip books,” in which they wrote about and illustrated the characters, setting, main idea, and ending of their book. Then they were challenged to write a persuasive letter to a student in the other class, encouraging him or her to read the book. The students’ letters included strong adjectives, "juicy" words, and "pop" words. As a culminating activity, students in 2A and 2B addressed envelopes and hand-delivered letters to share these reading experiences.

Liz West – 2A teacher

Kathy Gamp – 2B teacher

Learning, Teamwork, Gracious Professionalism, FUN

Visiting LEGOLAND, the ultimate playground for children and adults, is always a exciting for children; now imagine the thrill of competing in a First LEGO League (“FLL”) Cup tournament at LEGOLAND.

During the past month St. Michael’s “Team Archangel” (8 students and 3 Coaches) have been diligently working to prepare for the FLL competition that occurred this past Saturday at LEGOLAND.

Over the weekend 128 teams, from all over Southern California and neighboring states competed in two events, the Robot Challenge and Core Values Team Work.  These 128 teams were divided into four groups of 32.  The top three teams in each group medaled.

Team Archangel was placed in the first group of 32, starting our day at 7 AM and ending at 3 PM on Saturday.  After checking in and setting up our robot and supplies in our assigned pit, the anxiety level and excitement began to increase exponentially.  But, while running warm-ups on the practice table our robot began to misbehave.  Were the 3-4 meetings a week and extended hours preparing for the competition going to crash from the start?   Was all the hard work for naught?  The first impediment was quickly resolved by determining that the mission mats were becoming wavy due to the high ambient moisture levels.  Practice was aborted until the waviness could be resolved, but apprehension had crept in. 

The Robot Challenge had three rounds.  Our team had three groups of two, thus each round would have a different pair of students. Round one started with a bang.  We scored 75 points, which equaled our best from the November competition.  After a group huddle, we had a game plan for round two that could increase our score from 75 to 120 points.  Unbelievably, we not only reached 120 points but scored 150 points!  If that was not enough excitement, at one point we were in second place.  The excitement continued into round three, but our attempt to score 200 points ended when a motor failed during the round.  Still, we ended the morning in sixth place.

In only our second year, we were performing at a level competitive with the experienced teams.  While we did not quite make top three for a medal, the team was deservedly on cloud nine with their performance.  More importantly, while designing, building and programming robots, our students learned skills that will be carried with them throughout life. 

“FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) introduces young people, ages 9 to 14* (grades 4-8), to the fun and excitement of science and technology while building self-confidence, knowledge, and valuable career and life skills. FLL challenges kids to think like scientists and engineers. Alongside adult Mentors, FLL teams solve problems using engineering concepts, presentation techniques, and robots.”  

A win/win for all.

Terri I Chapman

Middle School Math Teacher

Math Chairman

FLL Head Coach and STEM Advisor

101 Dalmatians Day in K and 1

On the 101^st day of school, our Kindergarten and First Grade students came dressed as black and white Dalmatian puppies. The children made their own head-bands; they painted a black spot on their noses and faces, and added black circles around their eyes. Everyone wore white t-shirts with black spots, and they even sported white or black socks for ears! As the children paraded all over the campus, the “puppies” stopped and barked this poem:

We are black and white dogs, our number is hundred – one. Come with us and let’s have some fun!

Even the Kindergarten and First Grade teachers turned into Dalmatians (Mrs. Oakley, Ms. Arndt, and Mrs. Hendrikson) and Cruella de Vil (Mrs. Bright) was there too wearing her signature crazy black and white hair and a fur coat.

In line with our Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the children noticed patterns in Math and saw how easy it is to count to 100 and add a 1 to start all over again. In English Language Arts, students talked about events in the story 101 Dalmatians and followed a Writing prompt to tell their own puppy story.

As always, we were blessed with the help of many wonderful parent volunteers. They painted puppy noses and helped the teachers with the parade. Thank you to everyone who made this darling adventure possible.

Nancy Oakley

Kindergarten 1 Teacher

           

Math is Fun!

On January 29, the SMS Math department hosted its second annual Math Night in the Holy Family Center.  Students in grades 6-8 displayed their individual projects, and class projects were displayed for grades K-5.

K-5

Kindergartners are rolling with math by adding with dice, while 1st graders are exploring math with technology.  Second graders are applying their math skills within their science lessons by counting, estimating, measuring, comparing and hypothesizing with pumpkin math.  Third grade is using (M&M’s) to learn sorting, adding and graphing.

In 4^th grade, a group of students applied multiplication and problem solving strategies to plan a holiday party, while the others learned about the mathematician Fibonacci, solving his intriguing “rabbit” problem and exploring how patterns and numbers relate to the “Golden Ratio” which is used in art and architecture.

A group of 5^th graders is doing math with technology.  They are learning the basic concepts of Computer Science with drag and drop programming.  A puzzle game, Lightbot, is a tool that uses programming game mechanics to let players gain a practical understanding of basic coding.  The students learn to sequence instructions, write procedures, and utilize loops to solve problems at different levels.  Another group of 5^th graders will be displaying what they learned by planning and budgeting a trip to a dream destination.  They learned how to plan a trip, estimate cost and create a budget.

6^th Grade – Game Design

Games are an integral part of all societies.  Games and learning enjoy a connection that predates digital technology by thousands of years.  For example, did you know that the game of chess was used in the Middle Ages and Renaissance to teach nobleman the strategies of war?  Not until the mid twentieth century did the association between games and learning begin to capture the public’s appreciation.

Since kids love games, so what better way is there to promote learning than to have students develop educational math games that are exciting to them?  This year the 6^th grade class project involved designing a math game that incorporated at least eight different math concepts and could be played in the classroom and/or with family and friends at home.  The games not only must incorporate math concepts, but should also include mathematical practice skills including critical thinking, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, sense-making and reasoning all connecting to the real world.  Students may choose to design a board, computer, sports or almost any other type of game.  The students estimated how much it would cost to manufacture the game, how to price it, and develop a marketing / sales campaign to sell it to make money

7^th Grade - Architectural Mathematics Dream House Project

Designing a dream house is an exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience that can spark interest and creativity while learning.

In the 7^th grade project, students had the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and mathematical knowledge while designing their dream house.  The objective was to design a family-friendly house and yard that they can sell for a profit.  This applied mathematics project provided the students the opportunity to “dream” and have fun with mathematical concepts, while applying them to real-life learning situations. Students working in groups of 3-4 applied for construction loans, and designed their house and yard using bubble diagrams that evolved to scaled blue prints and, ultimately, 3D physical models.

Accelerated 7^th Grade - The “Game of Life” Financial Literacy Project

In today’s complex financial world, being financially literate is a critical life skill… as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic.  Let’s face it – kids like money.  So combining financial education with math instruction is a fabulous way to teach and excite students about math and educate them about financial literacy.

This year in the 7th grade Accelerated Pre-Algebra class, students had the opportunity to apply math skills to many of life’s costly challenges, while learning important financial concepts along the way.  Students explored personal finance and financial literacy all on the context of the “Game of Life’.  Students gained a general understanding of all key aspects of personal finance, however, as with reality of life, they were also thrown curve balls along the way that required them to continuously have to adjust their budgets

8^th Grade - The Bridge Project

We all know a successful bridge or structure design is one that does not collapse.  However, have you ever wondered how engineers are confident that their design will not have disastrous results as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that literally shook itself apart?  The answer lies in making sure that the strength of the bridge, including the materials from which it is made, is able to support all the forces that may act on it.  From Newton’s Third Law of Motion we know that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  In other words, if you push against a wall (action) it pushes back against you (reaction).  Nothing moves.  Today, engineers design and build bridges that range in size from superstructures crossing wide estuaries to small pedestrian bridges spanning busy roads. 

Using K’NEX construction sets, students were introduced to the history, function, structural design, geometry and strength of bridges. Our 8^th graders developed a deep understanding of the forces involved in structures, the physical properties of materials, and their applications in the design and construction of bridges

As students used the K’NEX set, they had the opportunity to acquire skills using a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to information and concepts.  When the time came for the students to design and build their own bridges of glue and toothpicks, the designs will have sound structural knowledge behind them.

Terri I Chapman

Middle School Math Curriculum Chair

Celebrating Catholic Schools

      

  

Every January, Catholic schools across the nation celebrate the success of Catholic education. The theme for Catholic Schools Week this year is: "Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service."

Total enrollment in Catholic schools for 2014-2015 in the United States is 1,974,578. In fact, Catholic schools enroll nearly half of all students in private schools. Why do so many families entrust the education of their children to Catholic schools? The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) identifies three factors:

Ø  Children are taught Faith – not just the basics of Christianity, but how to have a relationship with God

Ø  Academics, which in Catholic schools are held to very high standards, help each child reach his or her potential

Ø  Service, the giving of one’s time and effort to help others, is taught both as an expression of faith and good citizenship

Catholic schools also prepare their students to be future leaders, not only in our faith, but also in our country.  Here are a dozen reasons to promote our Catholic schools:

We offer an education that combines Catholic faith and teaching with academic excellence.

We partner with parents in the faith formation of their children.

We set high standards for student achievement and help them succeed.

We provide a balanced academic curriculum that integrates faith, culture, and life.

We use technology effectively to enhance education.

We instill in students the value of service to others.

We teach children respect of self and others.

We emphasize moral development and self-discipline.

We prepare students to be productive citizens and future leaders.

We have a 99% high school graduation rate, and 85% of our graduates go on to college.

We cultivate a faculty and staff of people who are dedicated, caring, and effective.

We provide a safe and welcoming environment.

To celebrate Catholic Schools Week this year, St. Michael’s School has planned a variety of activities to recognize and thank students, parents, and staff for their contributions and commitment to Catholic education. We also recognize and thank St. Michael’s Parish for its continued support over the past 50 years. We are forging the way toward another 50 years of excellence!

Kathleen Mock

Principal