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

A Special Visitor

The fifth graders enjoyed a visit today from Lt. Lanni, who brought with him a surprise guest speaker, Brent Celek. The former Eagles tight end shared stories of his experiences in school, and the challenges he overcame as a student and athlete to get where he is today. His advice for our students? Respect others, work hard, and dream big. A big THANK YOU to Lt. Lanni for this exciting surprise! Mr. Celek's visit coincided perfectly with a STEAM lesson today, called "Passion to Purpose," where the class had to work together to identify a way to apply their passions in a way that would inspire real change. Their ideas are displayed in the slides below; they hope to expand on this project as they continue their work in the lab. There is no school tomorrow or Monday, Feb. 17. Tuesday will be a Day 1, which means that fifth graders will need to wear their gym uniforms to school. Thank you, and Happy Valentine's Day!

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.

So Much to Be Thankful For

Fifth graders show off their placemats! This week has largely focused on preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving. Fourth and fifth graders came together to make Thanksgiving placemats for the families in need who will receive the gift baskets. Over the past few weeks, fifth graders have also led the entire school in our afternoon prayer at dismissal. Izzy leading us in prayer. Joslyn leading us in prayer. Raheem leading us in prayer. Lauren leading us in prayer. On Thursday, Lt. Lanni visited our class and shared his experiences from his time on the S.W.A.T. team. The students learned about the Baker Bat Shield and were even able to try on a bulletproof vest! Wishing all of our families a restful, enjoyable Thanksgiving season!