Skip to main content

Making Smart Choices: Fifth Grade Edition

It has been a busy week in fifth grade! On Tuesday, we were able to enjoy the beautiful weather as we took our annual trip to Lankenau Hospital for our health education class. The students learned the importance of saying "No!" in our program: Drugs: Choice or Chance.

HCA students in Grades 4-5 are greeted by Pandora, a life-size, interactive replica of the human body
and their instructor, Mrs. Krouse.


Mrs. Krouse talks to fourth and fifth graders about how the body systems can be affected by drugs.

Molly M. and Patrick R. were chosen to demonstrate what happens when someone attempts to drive under the influence. They were given simulation goggles that affected their coordination as they attempted to walk in a straight line. While the students initially found it very funny to see their friends wobble back and forth, they quickly understood the meaning behind the demonstration. Eventually, they were all able to try on the googles and test their own hand-eye coordination under similar circumstances.





In the classroom, the students read two texts this week that centered around politics and student elections. As middle schoolers, they will be eligible to serve on student council next year, so their readings allowed them to start thinking about their future at HCA. To wrap up their lesson, they wrote speeches and created campaign posters, complete with an original slogan and "calls to action," or their suggestions for changes at school. The best part is they were able to share them with you, their families, during Parent Visitation Day on Friday, Jan. 8! After holding a class election that we will hold on Monday, we hope that our selected class representative can be our liaison with the existing council members and potentially even shadow a meeting to learn more about the dynamics of student government.


Finally, thank you to all parents and relatives who visited as part of Parent Visitation Day! The students really enjoyed sharing in their HCA experiences with you today. We appreciate you taking time from your busy schedules so that you can learn a little more about what being a fifth grader is like at Holy Child!

Popular posts from this blog

Black History Month and Mardi Gras Celebrations!

Fifth graders celebrated Fat Tuesday for Mardi Gras with a King Cake in Religion class! On Monday, the entire school took part in a Black History Month celebration. Here, Ms. Brown leads the middle school in a round of "Finish the Lyric," where they completed song lyrics by Whitney Houston, the Jackson 5, Bob Marley, Beyonce, and more!  At another station, they were given iconic images in black history to recreate through illustration. The best work from each division will be chosen to be posted around the school! At their last station, middle schoolers answered trivia questions about famous figures in Black History. This weekend is the annual auction! We hope you can join us this Saturday evening, February 29  for "A Night in Philly" at the Springfield Country Club. The re-enrollment deadline is next Friday, March 6 ! Please remember to send your registration in by next week.

Sports Stacking!

For this week's Community Time, Holy Child students were introduced to the competitive sport, sports stacking. Fifth and eighth graders gathered together to learn the basics of speed stacking with cups, led by a coach from Speed Stacks . They practiced multiple combinations: 3-3-3, 3-6-3, and even 6-6 and 10. The skills emphasized were speed, of course, but also agility and precision to detail. As you can tell from the photos below, the students also had a great time! If your family is interested in purchasing a stacking kit for your child(ren) at home, Mrs. Mossor will be selling the products featured today by Speed Stacks here at school. For more information, please visit their website (linked above). According to their site, there are many benefits to sports stacking: FITNESS: Sport Stacking is a fitness based sport that kids from all backgrounds and abilities can do.  For the athlete and non-athlete alike, regardless i...

Random Acts of Kindness Week

This week, Holy Child students celebrated Random Acts of Kindness! The  movement , which has spread nationwide with a special focus this year on the week of Feb. 16-22, encourages students, educators, families, and communities to strive to "make kindness the norm" in every day life.  Fifth graders challenged themselves to think about the ways that they could spread kindness throughout the week both in and outside of school. Maybe you've observed your child go out of his or her way to help out with a chore, sibling, or neighbor? They have been recognizing their good deeds anonymously on our star chart. We will quickly be at 100 acts of kindness, but know that the message behind this movement doesn't end when we've colored in each space and the week runs out. Organized by Ms. Kathol, our director of religious education, each grade picked another class from N2-Grade 8 to surprise with an act of kindness at some point during the week. On Wednesday, fifth ...