This week, the fifth grade had many opportunities to celebrate the Pascal Mystery in ways unique and special to HCA. Keep reading to learn about how we observed each day of Holy Week!
On Tuesday, fifth and sixth graders joined the nursery and Pre-K students in their annual Easter egg hunt. Fun was had by all, and our older students really stepped up as helpers for their younger friends.
On Wednesday, the class acted out the Passion of Christ as they reenacted Jesus' final few days on Earth. Later, they wrote Easter poems from the perspective of the apostles, which they later recorded. Please make sure to click on the 'Easter Poems' presentation below to enjoy their hard work!
Sean M., as Jesus, prays in the Garden of Gethsemane while his disciples await his return.
Jesus is betrayed by his followers and sentenced to death by Pilate.
Jesus is crucified at Calvary while his followers look on.
Jesus dies on the cross; the class pauses at this time to reflect in prayer.
Each student's written work is featured, along with a video of their poetry reading.
On Thursday, our Holy Week celebrations culminated in a Jewish seder, where the entire middle school community gathered together to learn about this sacred meal during Passover.
Middle school students gather in the MPR to take part in a traditional Jewish seder,
which is held at the start of Passover.
A traditional seder plate: shank bone (zeroa), egg (beitzah), bitter herbs (maror), vegetable (karpas),
and a sweet paste called haroset.
Many students were selected to read special parts of the seder, which featured readings
from Exodus in the Old Testament.
Garrett D. held a special role, being the youngest person at the seder, he asked the Four Questions to begin the maggid, or storytelling of the Exodus from Egypt by the Jewish people.
The seder plate that each student tried: Maror– Bitter herbs (horseradish) symbolizing the bitterness and harshness of the slavery that the Hebrews endured in Egypt; Charoset– A sweet, brown mixture (apples and cinnamon) representing the mortar and brick used by the Hebrew slaves to build the storehouses or pyramids ofEgypt. Karpas– A vegetable (celery and parsley) other than bitter herbs representing hope and renewal, which is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder.
It was a busy, spirited week that ended with the perfect weather to start off the holiday break.
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.
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...
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 ...
