“Faith in Education”
February 2015
Volume 11, Issue 2
The
Knightly
News
A publication of St. Joseph’s Catholic School Home and School Association, Macon, Georgia
A Message from the Principal
Dr. Hlavaty and other
Catholic School Principals
receive a proclamation from
the city of Macon and
Bishop Hartmayer.
Class Notes
5
Enrichment
12
Organizations
15
Upcoming Events
16
The beginning of each New Year is generally a time for people to reflect
on what they need to do in order to improve their life. The reflection is then
followed up with a resolution. In making resolutions, we tend to forget about
all of the wonderful aspects of our lives that we need to maintain; things that
are better because of previous resolutions combined with determination and
hard work. Therefore, I would like to use this issue of the Knightly News to
reflect on some of the many wonderful things that are part of your child’s life
because they are students at SJS. Below is a partial list of the many reasons
that all of us love SJS.
•
The feeling of spirituality that permeates each classroom throughout the day
•
The fun that students have as they socialize with their friends at recess and lunch
•
The cooperative spirit that students display when working in small learning groups with their classmates
•
The high expectations that teachers have for their students to always excel at their personal best
•
The respect that faculty, staff, and students have for each other in all areas of the school
•
The many enrichment opportunities available to our students through specialty classes and clubs
•
The availability of teachers and staff to provide assistance so that every child can be successful
•
The genuine love that our staff has for their vocation
•
The support shown by the families of SJS that allows us to have the premier school that will continue to educate students for generations to come!
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I continuously feel very blessed to be a part of this school. Whenever I begin to concentrate more on
the negative aspects of life, all I have to do is to take a stroll around the school to be reminded of how fortunate
I am to be here! As you read this edition of the Knightly News, reflect on what a wonderful learning environment your child experiences here at SJS! May God bless you and your family in 2015!
-- Dr. Kaye Hlavaty
A Message from the Church
Dear Friends in Christ,
I am edified by the love parents and grandparents have for their children/grandchildren here at St. Joseph Church and School. Everyone from family members to our wonderful staff to this parish try to
support our parents in their primary role as religious and secular educators of their children. Today we find
that the religious emphasis in homes has dwindled and quite frankly in many places there is complete
ignorance about Christ and His Church, not only the Catholic Church but Protestant Churches too.
The practice of the Faith is not addressed in the home as it is now seen as unnecessary or unimportant.
Often parents use religious schools, even Catholic schools, for the noble purpose of making sure their
children get a good education. They love their children and want them to be in a safe, protected environment
and get the best education possible in order to be successful in life. The negative part of this is that parents
leave it to a Catholic school or any religious school to instill religious faith and morals but it isn’t backed up
in the home. There is not prayer in the home, not even before meals. There is no going to Church on Sundays.
There is no connection between the spirituality experienced at school with what happens at home.
In effect, these kinds of parent/grandparents leave it to the school to give their children some religion.
But the family, apart from sending the children to a religious school, does nothing else to practice the faith at
home or on Sunday. Of course we all know that parents are the primary educators of their children in the
practice of the faith and that a parish and a parish school are only supplementary and thus not the primary
institution in the formation of children in the ways of faith. The Christian home with Christian parents is.
I am happy that we celebrate Mass every week with our children. But I am unhappy when parents see this as
a replacement for Sunday Mass.
I am happy that we have opportunities for children to go to confession during school hours. But I am
unhappy that parents are not bringing their children to church for confession as a family and regularly.
I am happy that we are able to have wonderful devotions at the school, that religion is taught every day and
prayer in the classroom is important. I am unhappy when none of this is done in the home setting. If the
practice of the Christian Faith has been less than stellar in your home, please ask God to help you to rectify
the situation. I promise you that the family that prays together stays together. Making the home the Church
in miniature will bring many graces and blessings to you and your children. God bless you!
-- Fr. Allan J. McDonald
Pastor
A Message from the School Board
Hello again SJS family from your school board president. Your school board has been busy working
with the school teachers and staff on several items. We continue to advertise our school and get our name
“out there” for all to see. Hopefully you have all noticed our billboard ads placed around the city as you drive.
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2
We have started advertising to “Work, Live, and Learn in the Corridor”. This has brought some new interest
in who we are and what our school has to offer. We also had our second Drop-In Open House event on
January 25th. It was a big success and hopefully we will gain many new students from this. The school board
also just hosted another successful Casino Night event as we had over 300 people in attendance. This is the
largest fund raiser sponsored by the board and provides a fun evening for the adults. Thank you to this very
hard working committee for their continued dedication. Each year is better than the previous one. Everyone
should have received their information concerning the tuition rates for next school year. Rest assured that the
board and the Finance committee in particular, worked diligently with school and parish administration to
keep the tuition as low as possible. When compared to the value of the education and the love our children
receive here, the increase is a small amount to pay.
As always, we have quite a lot going on. I encourage everyone to get involved with our school. There
are many avenues to do just that and being a member of the school board is one wonderful way. We thank you
for your continued prayers and support and always look and listen to your input. Please feel free to contact us
through the school front office if you have a suggestion, comment, or an idea – especially if you are interested
in serving on the board. We will be voting in the very near future on new members to join us. If you feel that
serving on our board is your calling, please let us know. We are always seeking new members to help shape
the continued successful future of our school and our students. Thank you for your time.
-- Larry Witt
OUR 3RD ANNUAL CASINO NIGHT
WAS ANOTHER HUGE SUCCESS!
Kudos to our Casino Night Planning Committee! Without their dedication this event could not be
We had 321 people -- the most ever -- attend including parents, parishioners, faculty, and friends!
orchestrated.
Thank you to our loyal sponsors:
Five Star, Chris R. Sheridan & Co., Walthall Oil Company, Ambrose Pediatric Dentistry, Mid-Georgia Sales Co., Azar Walsh Architects, The Blackwell Family, Buckhead School
Uniforms, Gautreaux & Sizemore, Margaritas Mexican Grill ~ Mercer Village, QAT, Inc.,
Robins Federal Credit Union, Speir & Associates, Usher Transport, Beall Financial Planning,
Dr. & Mrs. Pete Bolan, BMW of Macon, Coldwell Banker/Cherise Cartwright, Elite
Environmental Services, Ford Equipment Co., Harris Service & Equipment Co., Lunchtime, Martin Snow, LLC/John McGoldrick, Quality Computer Service, and Wilson Bryant
Refrigeration & Air Conditioning.
A complete follow up with total amount of money raised will be coming soon. Stay tuned!
DON’T FORGET TO SUPPORT THE 1872 FUND…
As of January 31st, SJS families, faculty and staff, grandparents, parishioners, and friends
have given $11,861 to the 1872 Fund. Our goal is $20,000 with 100% participation from
our SJS families. Your gift truly makes a difference in helping us to provide an exceptional
education with excellent after-school care, a variety of enrichment programs, and academic
support while still keeping tuition costs at a reasonable rate. To make a gift, please contact
Penni Zimmerman, Director of Advancement, at [email protected]. To
make a gift online via PayPal, go to http://www.saintjo.com/annualfund.html and click on
the donate button.
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3
SJS SCRIP SMART MONEY PROGRAM
We would like to thank everyone who has participated in the Scrip program thus far! It is one of
the easiest and most convenient ways for a family to earn money for the school and earn credit that can be
applied to your annual Home and School Association activity fee! If you have not yet enrolled in Scrip, visit
www.saintjo.com and click on the scrip link www.shopwithscrip.com; go to the green box, “Family Sign
Up”; click on “Create Account”, and put in enrollment code 573LE12917474. Contact Melissa Woodford
at 994-3172 or [email protected] with any questions. The process is quick and easy. There are
lots of ways to put the program to use for your family: grocery shopping, gas, dinner out, gift giving, travel,
home repair. The list of retailers and restaurants is extensive --- be sure to check the website for your
favorites as well as any current bonuses offered.
SJS Restaurant Night
Thanks for all that have supported our Restaurant Nights so far! A big thank you to Twang,
Steak-Out, Grey Goose and Mellow Mushroom for a combined donation to Home and School of $767.28!
We have four more scheduled for the year! Please come out and support these restaurants that
support us, while supporting our school and dining with other SJS friends!
Tuesday, February 24-Margaritas-Mercer Village
Tuesday, March 24-Grey Goose
Tuesday, April 21-Greek Corner Pizza (may change if they have Trivia Night)
Tuesday May 19-Margaritas-Mercer Village (this is a change from original date)
NOTE: Scheduled Restaurant Nights are subject to change.
House System News
The houses have been very busy earning points and
participating in service projects. In October, house members
wrote thank you letters to Macon-Bibb fire fighters and sheriffs.
Sheriff David J. Davis visited the school in November to
personally thank the house members for their letters. In
November and December, house members teamed up with
K-Kids to co-sponsor the Thanksgiving food for St. Peter
Claver’s food pantry; they also supported the toy collection for
Family Advancement Ministries. In January, the House
System once again worked with K-Kids to sponsor a shoe and
sock collection for Family Advancement Ministries.
Our winning house for the combined months of
November and December was St. Francis House with a total of
1,943 points. St. Brigid House was the winning house for the
month of January, earning a total of 1,960 points. Members of
both houses were rewarded with a dress day down and special
lunch together that included an ice cream sundae bar.
The Knightly News, Winter 2015
Tekakwitha House members Grace
Taylor and Matt Langan (spirit
captain) pause for a picture with
their spirit stick.
Cameron Mann
dresses up like
St. Francis for
the house
meeting.
4
Greetings from HASA!
Hey everyone! Greetings from HASA! This year has been a busy one so far. We started the year off
with a wonderful new fundraiser called Charleston Wrap. I really think everyone enjoyed the new products
and the huge variety of things to choose from. Following that was our huge Fall Festival. The turn out was
great! I think everyone loved the cooler weather; I know I did! We had so many fun activities and great
games. Being able to use our brand new gym was the best part! An enormous thank you to all that helped,
donated or had any part in helping this event go off without a hitch. Next, in December, was Breakfast with
Santa, also in our new gym. A wonderful pancake breakfast was served by the Knights of Columbus. Our
yummy cupcake and reindeer food crafts seemed to have been a hit as the tables were crowded every time
I saw them. Thank you to our extra volunteers who helped the little ones make their goodies. We also had
Santa and Mrs. Claus come join us for pictures and special time with the children. I especially loved the ornaments this year. Lastly was the awesome talent show. We had such entertaining performances by many of
the students. And so many family members and friends came out to show their support.
HASA has been busy with a few other smaller events like the Friendship Family Dinner, Back to
School Night, two Open Houses, and the staff Christmas luncheon. All could not have happened successfully
without our hospitality committee and other members of the HASA committees. We are looking forward to
a busy Spring with events coming up like the two new dances, the Spring Picnic and the Nun Run. All these
events that we put together help raise money for the school and staff. Every year we choose a project for our
funds to go to. This year we have decided to install a more updated version of our surveillance system and
additional cameras. Safety is important for our children, and this is another way to make it even better at
our school. Thank you so much to all of the members of HASA and its subcommittees. Thank you also to
anyone who graciously volunteered their time to help us with these events. I am very grateful to have all the
help that I have received this year! Keep a look out for the upcoming events, and please come out to support
the school.
-- Kelly Carter
HASA President
Pre-K
Our SJS 4K have spent their time working hard over the first half of the school year. We have been
working on learning the letters of the alphabet and their sounds. We are even beginning to blend some of
the letter sounds together to make words. The kids are very excited about learning how to recognize and
read our word families in books, sentences and environmental print. In Math, we are learning to recognize
and count from 1 to 100 and beyond. We are also learning to recognize, reproduce, and create patterns.
Catholic School’s week provided us with a great opportunity to express how much “We Love Our
Catholic School.” We made a list about what makes our school special and drew pictures to send to our
state senators. We also enjoyed making prayer cards for our SJC priest and seminarians. And of course the
students enjoyed their first “Penny War” to benefit the Kolbe Life Center and FAM Educational Programs.
We plan to continue making great strides over the second half of the school year so watch out because we
are well on our way to preparing for kindergarten.
Pictures left to right:
Micay is ready for winter!
4K Celebrates the 100th Day of School.
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5
Kindergarten
KC and KS have been working so hard! What an amazing time it is in the life of a kindergartener at
SJS! We are in our typical “after-Christmas” mode… it seems like the students always come back in January
with a new-found maturity and independence. They are reading and writing with more ease, and are
becoming very comfortable with numbers and math concepts.
Catholic Schools Week 2015 was lots of fun… illustrating our favorite things about SJS to send to
our Senators, making thank-you cards for our parish priests, game day with our 5th grade buddies, and
counting coins for the Penny War. Our Grandkids field trip to the Grand Opera House brought a brisk walk
on a chilly day, but it was well worth it! The children loved the old classic Schoolhouse Rock songs
(especially the “Counting by Fives” song… look it up on youtube!) We also enjoyed commemorating the
100th day of school with a special snack, and lots of counting activities.
Keep up the great work, Kindergarten!
KS spent some time learning
about Groundhog Day.
Game day with buddies.
Field trip to Grand Opera House to see
Schoolhouse Rock.
The Knightly News, Winter 2015
KC built a 100-cup castle for the
100th day of school.
Catholic Schools Week was fun… games with our
buddies.
6
First Grade
First graders are really growing up! This time of year is full of growth in all areas as we see them
becoming more and more independent. They also begin to read more challenging stories. It is important to let
them read to you for 20 minutes each night. This time should not be spent reading our story for the week over
and over. Let them read other books to you that are on their level. Now is the perfect time to get a library card
and let them check out a stack of books! They love to read at this age, and this is the time to nurture that love
of reading. Reading is the key to success in ALL areas of study. We have been learning about plane and solid
shapes. They loved finding shapes around the room and coming up with ideas of where they see these shapes
in the world around us. We are also studying time which is a tricky skill for some students, while others pick
it up quite easily. Please ask your child the time each time you pass an analog clock. In Science, we have been
learning about the states of matter. We learned how water can change to all three states of matter. We were
lucky that the weather cooperated so we could watch the rainy liquid water turn to ice! We also learned about
mass and how much we would weigh on the moon versus here on earth as we studied gravity. We know all
about the sun and how it heats the earth as the earth rotates and orbits. We really examined the moon and its
craters as we learned about Neil Armstrong and the astronauts that travel in space. We even held REAL moon
rocks! This week, we have been learning about shadows and how the sun makes shadows that seem to change
and move throughout the day as earth turns. As you can see, we have been learning a lot in first grade! We are
pretty proud of how much we have
accomplished!
McKenna Arnold,
Mrs. Freeman’s class
Buddies Chelsea Meyer First graders enjoy
Fiona Leary, Josh Beall enjoyed their 100th day and Chloe Rowell enjoy counting out 100 legos
and Betsy Cowart earned of school with a yummy spending time together.
for their 100th day
high points on Mathletics.
cake.
of school.
First graders enjoy
counting and eating
for their 100th day
of school.
Ethan Massey, Chloe
First grade had a great First graders brought
Rowell, McKenna Arnold,
gifts for F.A.M.
time studying Mexico.
Betsy Cowart and Vy Pham
for Christmas!
enjoying CSW.
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Second
Grade
Mrs. Hall’s and Miss Stanley’s second grade classes are really starting to shine this year! Third
Quarter means many milestones for Second Grade! Second graders will be making two sacraments this
year, the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and the sacrament of the Eucharist. Our Catholic
students received their second sacrament in February, First Reconciliation! Students and their families
participated in the Reconciliation Retreat on February 1st. Then on the following Saturday, February 7th,
these students made their First Reconciliation! The students have been working very hard to prepare for
this sacrament. In May, they will join in full communion with the Church as they receive their First Holy
Communion. What a special time for our students! The 2nd graders really enjoyed Catholic Schools Week!
It’s was a week of blow pops, board games, books with buddies, decades of the rosary, the Penny War,
and the Talent Show. Third Quarter will also bring on the survival of several major tasks! Second graders
will learn about many interesting facts about our country’s states, plants and space. Be on the lookout for
some fun research projects on these topics! Students have also been working diligently on practicing for
the Terra Nova, which takes place at the beginning of March. We are sure all their hard work will pay off!
Furthermore, Second graders are beginning to acquire the skill of writing in cursive! Students are eagerly
awaiting a “completely cursive” Fourth Quarter! Also, they cannot practice their addition and subtraction
facts through 18 too much as they are so important in learning to add and subtract 2-digit numbers with or
without regrouping. Needless to say, the year just keeps getting better!
Kalli Titus who had first Communion early.
Fr. Vernon talking to the second grade about
Reconciliation and First Communion.
Third Grade
3C & 3T continue to have a great year. Our students are learning and growing so much! Just before
the Thanksgiving Holiday, 3rd Grade celebrated Nature Day. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of observing
nature. These creative kids made adorable leaf pictures using real leaves! We enjoyed fall snacks and pretended to have a “Native American Pow-Wow”!
Most recently we celebrated Catholic Schools Week. It was a great week filled with fun with buddies
and a special Mass celebrated by the Bishop. Many students participated in the annual talent show. We certainly have some talented students! This quarter 3rd graders have been studying about weather and the cold
weather has offered some great examples. This spring we are looking forward to our plants and animals unit.
We will end that unit with a fun filled trip to the Georgia Aquarium.
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8
Third grade buddies posing for the camera!
Fourth Grade
Fourth grade has been having a fun time in Science studying the moon phases. We did an activity
with Oreo’s, Yum! In Math, we are learning about angles, rays, and line segments. The students seem to
be enjoying this area of Math. They like using their protractors to measure angles. Mrs. MacMillan and
Mrs. Sherrell are proud of their Mathletics winners. Keep up the good work!
Fifth Grade
Fifth grade seems to be flying by. We are busy learning new skills and concepts and having fun
along the way. The students are doing well learning about fractions. By using fraction manipulatives, they
have learned to make equivalent fractions, simplify fractions, and change mixed numbers to improper
fractions and improper fractions to mixed numbers and to make fractions with common denominators. Soon
they will be adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions. After learning about static and current,
the students enjoyed making circuit board games and playing each others’ games. The fifth graders also
made energy puzzles to help them understand renewable and nonrenewable resources.
The students have learned about inventors and the inventions they created to make our way of life
easier and better today. Our students wrote letters to Catholic schools in each of the 50 states before Christmas break. So far we have received letters back from 6 states, the farthest being New Mexico. Our goal is
to receive letters from all 50 states before the end of the year! Catholic Schools Week is always a highlight
of the year. The students made prayer cards for our priests and seminarians and wrote letters to our Georgia senators explaining the importance of Catholic Schools. We enjoyed having Mass with the bishop and
students from the other Catholic schools in our area. Playing board games with our kindergarten buddies
was also so much fun! We love our kindergarten buddies. We look forward to much more learning and fun
in fifth grade.
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9
Fifth grade boys play games with their
Kindergarten buddies during CSW.
Playing Candy Land can be so much fun!
Fifth graders play games with their
Kindergarten buddies during CSW.
Fifth graders play games with their
Kindergarten buddies during CSW.
Sixth Grade
Our 6th grade students enjoyed performing the 12 Days of Christmas for the school as well as
showing their talents at our Annual Talent Show. The boys and girls definitely showed how truly talented they are. Math class has really begun into pre-algebra skill building by working on geometric formulas.
Form and process are most important to develop. Many have already discovered the importance of
diligence and details. Seeing the connection to their own world makes learning much more impressive.
Our Terra Nova Tests are coming up in March, so we are reviewing our 4th, 5th, and 6th grade
concepts for Math and Science. We are practicing by thinking through the problems together to insure we
use all our skills to solve problems. Students are looking forward to beginning our poetry unit. As a cul
minating activity, students will perform an original poem at the Fourth Annual Kerns Coffee Café! This is
always a fun event to share with classmates. Spring time is a busy time for 6th grade! We have our play, our
field trip to Savannah, and our graduation activities to look forward to during March, April and May. Sixth Grade Girls did a fantastic job during the
talent show.
The Knightly News, Winter 2015
Sixth Grade Boys brought some swagger to the
talent show.
10
Primary Challenge
Third grade Challenge math students have made and used several models of equivalent fractions and
have explored the relationship between fractions, decimals and percent. Second graders have built several
polyhedra from a variety of materials and have counted and named their faces, edges and vertices. First
graders have learned about area and have estimated and measured using square feet and square inches, and
the kindergartners have practiced using deductive thinking and have used all kinds of objects to model the
number bonds up to ten.
The second grade reading group recently completed reading and discussing Holes by Louis Sachar,
and the third grade groups have enjoyed Half Magic, School of Fear and Clementine. The third graders also
took the second of three WordMasters Challenge analogy tests. This international analogy solving contest
develops verbal reasoning abilities, addresses higher-order thinking skills, and emphasizes logic and reading
comprehension. The robotics group has learned how to program the robot to execute different types of turns
and how to use the robot’s touch sensor to allow the robot to respond to its environment, and the STEM
group continues to explore how force and distance are affected when using different sized wheels as part of
a simple machine referred to as the wheel and axle.
Taft Daniel and
Charlie Clark are
enjoying a good
book in reading
challenge.
Fiona and Betsy use
paper models of
sleeping bags to
determine how many
will fit in a 8’x10’ tent.
Ysa displays the
rectangular pyramid she
built with mini-marshmallows and toothpicks.
Hayes and Nathanael
construct a wheel and
axle using Lego
elements.
Upper Challenge
Challenge reading students are learning about the Roman calendar and the Latin names for the days
of the weeks and months of the year. They recently learned that the early Roman calendar had only ten
months until a Roman king named Numa Pompilius added two months to the beginning of the calendar. We
are also learning about the various forms of entertainment that the Romans enjoyed which included the
gladiatorial contests at the Roman Colosseum and the chariot races at the Circus Maximus.
Challenge math students continue to work diligently in solving word problems. They begin the class
by working the Problem of the Day and then we learn how to solve word problems using different strategies.
They are currently learning how to use tables, divisibility rules and the strategy of working backwards in
solving problems.
2015 Geography Bee
Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using
materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. This contest is designed to motivate students to
learn about the world and how it works. Students in grades four through eight are eligible for this
entertaining and challenging competition.
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11
Congratulations to the classroom finalists who competed in the Geography Bee on January 15th. The
4th
grade finalists are: Marion Clark, Harry Pearson, Sophie Boland and Jacob Kim. Fifth grade finalists are:
Grady Tisdale, Devon Harper, Tanner Vorse, and Gavin Brahney. Sixth grade finalists are: CJ Kline, Dunham
Peeples, Akweley Allotey and Carson Butcher. Akweley Allotey went on to place first in the competition and
Sophie Bolan placed second in the competition.
Classroom finalists participated in the Geography Bee held in January.
Akweley Allotey and Sophie Bolan are this year’s winners!
Spanish
¡Saludos a todos! 2015 is off to a good start! K4 is working hard at learning their alphabet in Spanish,
and are enjoying singing the “CH” and the “Ñ.” They are also improving their social skills with
“Por Favor”, “Gracias” and “De Nada”. The Kindergarten and First Grade celebrated Groundhog Day by
making lovely Marmota headbands and learning about sombras. Kindergarten will be working counting to
31, learning the months of the year, and celebrating the seasons, and the First Grade will expand their
vocabulary of Family members and enjoy cultural music and games.
The Second grade will begin learning the Sign of the Cross and the Glory Be. They will also learn
how to say “Soy de” or “I am from”, and will practice their alphabet by spelling words in Spanish. Third
grade will be learning more objects in the class room, and in the neighborhood. The Fourth grade will continue learning the parts of the body. Fifth and Sixth grades will focus on the community around them and developing Social/ Courtesy skills. Both grades will work extensively on telling time. It’s hard to believe we will
soon be bidding “Adios” to our Sixth Grade. I wish them all the best, and look forward to great things from
them in the future.
Art
The art room has experienced a bustle of activity as our students create painting projects. Our
students gain a strong foundation of painting skills and color knowledge at a young age. Younger students are
introduced to the basic care of paint brushes and keeping an organized painting space. These students learn
their colors and how to mix them. Middle grade students who already know how to care for their materials
learn different painting techniques such as underpainting and create with different types of brush strokes.
They also experiment with different aspects of composition and space layouts.
Our older students are challenged with more difficult subject matter or painting techniques and are
given many more choices of composition in their projects. These students take ownership of their paintings
when they are in control of the product they create. As we move into Spring, look for many of these paintings
at our annual Fine Arts Night, April 16, 2015.
The Knightly News, Winter 2015
12
O r e n Ta y l o r
painting a
monster truck .
Simon Merschat
painting
things that
are red.
Ace
Hatcher
paints
Noah's Ark.
Ava Lee
painted
things that
are blue.
Tanner Vorse
paints a color
wheel from
a jet.
Sophie Bolan
paints an ink
silhouette.
Physical Education
This winter the students have been busy learning how to bowl, play basketball, and have started our
second year of our own SJS winter Olympics. The students have been doing an excellent job of working
together and enjoying each activity. The students continue to learn lifelong exercise habits, as we work on our
cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength. This winter the boys and girls basketball teams had their first full
season in Cuddy Hall. The girls and boys team learned a lot, had fun, and won a few games along the way. The
boy’s team finished the season with a record of 3 wins and 4 loses, and the girls team finished the season with
a record of 6 wins and 1 loss. I want to thank all the parents for their support, and I wish all the 6th grade
basketball players continued success after their SJS playing days. This spring we have an exciting Safety Dance
the students are going to learn. This will concur with our health unit on Safety. Also please encourage your
children to come out and support the SJS Nun Run this year. This is a great way to support our school, and
have a fun time exercising with you child. Go Knights!!!!!
SJS Boys Basketball Team
SJS Girls Basketball Team
Music
2015 is off to a very musical start! We’re having a wonderful time with animals in the younger
grades- Carnival of the Animals style! We’ve learned about Camille Saint-Saens and his music. In first
grade, we’re working hard on their Note Knacks projects, learning the rhythms of words and how to write
rhythms with musical notes- stop by and see if you can decipher our Food Haiku! Second grade is working
across the curriculum on animal habitat projects- science in music?!? We’re examining how music can
echo animals. The fourth graders have been very hard at work on their recorders and are showing fabulous
progress! Upstairs the fifth graders are wrapping up the instruments of the orchestra with our brass and
percussion families. Sixth grade is finishing up their unit on chords. They composed and played some
beautiful songs on the chimes! Congratulations and thank you to all the students who participated in the
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13
Catholic Schools Week Masses. The readers, servers and gift bearers did a great job and the choir did
an excellent job at the Sunday Mass! I was so proud to see so many St. Joseph’s students participating and
supporting our Catholic Schools… Awesome! Please go ahead and mark your calendar for Fine Arts Night
on Thursday, April 16th.
Holiday Preformance at St. Paul Apartments.
Mrs. Arnold's class did a fabulous job during their
Christmas concert in December.
Computer Lab
The month of February each class will be competing in Mathletics
during computer lab to see who can get the most daily points during the 40
minute time slot. These competitions help students focus on getting the most
answers correct as well as sharpen their math skills in different areas. Math
skills are an important part of our Terra Nova Testing so the more the student
works on Mathletics the better the score should be. www.mathletics.com
Media Center
All students are learning how the Internet can help them find reliable information. Our goal is to become safe and smart Internet users by learning how to search for topics and evaluate web sites.
Kindergarteners formed a human Internet to help them understand how information is shared around the
world. Books are still a hot topic in the Media Center! Fourth, 5th, and 6th grade teams are meeting during
lunch to practice for our Buzz for Books competition which will be Feb. 27th. Books and Bites hosted the
5th grade boys for lunch and a taste of a Christmas story, The Christmas Genie by Dan Gutman. First
graders are becoming more independent readers and enjoy checking out books they can read.
1S checks out!
Adrian Sanchez
Carina Sarlay
Brayden Fritz as the world
Fun In The Student Success Center
Pictured from left to right: Samuel Hunt kicking back during the annual SSC/Challenge party in December;
Juliana Fdoul and Mrs. Smith working in the SSC; Mrs. Armstrong and Mrs. McGoldrick with the some of the
sixth graders; Rachel Heacox and Madison Fairchild enjoying themselves during the Christmas party; and,
Brooke Harwood loves getting help from Mrs. McGoldrick (see pg.15).
The Knightly News, Winter 2015
14
Student Council
Student Council is happy to welcome our new
second grade representatives: Sydney Chambers,
Taft Daniel, Charlie Clark, and Bella Fritz.
Everyone looked full of joy on Holiday Apparel
Day on Dec. 19th. “Christmas gifts for FAM” was a
huge success, and always is every year. We also
donated $750 in Walmart gift cards for all of the
FAM families. Walcart and Tuesday Treats
continues to be a huge success every week. Sports
Day was so exciting from cheerleaders to football
players. It was fabulous. We had so many SWAG
requests this year: Starfall computer subscription,
rosary supplies for new church members, and
Catholic School’s week treats. Student Council is
having a blast this New Year!
--Chloe Nepveux
Our new second grade student council
representatives are Sydney Chambers, Taft Daniel,
Will Foster (6th grade student council president),
Bella Fritz and Charlie Clark.
K-Kids
The K-Kids began the New Year with a joint venture with the House System. “Stepping into the
New Year,” a week-long collection of gently used socks and shoes for FAM, was a huge success! Not only
did we receive hundreds of used items, many donations were brand new shoes and socks. Also during the
month of January, the K-Kids participated in Catholic Schools Week activities. The Kids provided bagels
and juice for the staff to kick-off the week, assisted with the distribution of mints during morning drop-off
on Parent Appreciation Tuesday, reminded the teachers and staff how “fortunate” they are to have them at
SJS with fortune cookies, and they served as very enthusiastic tour guides for the winter Open House.
In February, in honor of National Dental Awareness Month, the Kids arranged classroom visits for
the children in PreK – 3rd grade from Dr. Ambrose’s (pediatric dentistry) office. The staff spoke about the
importance of daily oral hygiene and left dental goodie bags for all of the students. In addition, the Kids are
sponsoring a school wide drive of personal hygiene items for Daybreak ministries. The “Brighten Up your
Day” collection will take place February 23 – 27. In March, the K-Kids have an opportunity to participate in
the Cherry Blossom Parade. Look for our students on Sunday, March 22, as they march down Cherry Street!
Left:
The Kids writing
notes to the staff in
honor of Catholic
Schools Week.
The Knightly News, Winter 2015
Right:
Audrey
Gilchrist
was elected Club
Secretary in
January due to Alice
Grace Lockwood's
move to Florida.
15
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Please join us for the annual SJS Spring Picnic on Sunday April 26
from 4-7 pm at Tattnall Square Park. This school tradition is a great opportunity to enjoy Spring in the Park
and visit with other SJS families before summer break gets here! Students and family members are
encouraged to bring picnic blankets, chairs, food and beverages. Popsicles and popcorn will be provided.
Parents and kids should be ready for team races, karaoke and a scavenger hunt in the park! If you are
interested in volunteering we'd love your help. Please email [email protected]. Come join us at the
pavilion/playground area at the park on April 26th for a fun afternoon!
The 2015 Nun Run will take place on March 7, 2015 at
Cavalier Fields located at 4659 Cavalier Drive, Macon,
GA 31220. The 5K race will begin at 9:00 am with the 1
Mile Fun Run/Walk starting slightly later. The Nun Run
is a community 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run event held by St.
Joseph’s School in Macon, GA. Fun and family-oriented,
the event’s proceeds benefit a targeted improvement to the
historic parochial school which was started in 1872. The
2015 race aims to contribute funds to install school wide
security cameras on the campus of SJS. This endeavor represents a very costly, but vital capital improvement to the
school, and every donation counts! If you have any questions about the event or would like information concerning
sponsorships; please contact Olivia Hatcher at (478) 3902710/[email protected] or Crystal Lucas at (478)
954-5581/[email protected].
St. Joseph’s Catholic School
905 High Street
Macon, Georgia 31201-2034
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
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Macon 31201
Comments or questions about The Knightly News may be sent to Mary McCombs, [email protected]
The Knightly News, Winter 2015
16