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.
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, students in Grades K-5 were treated to the performance, Bob the Bully Buster, from the Walnut Theatre. The show focused on relationships and how the students can go from being bystanders to bully busters when a friend is in need. The lively performance blended humor and important messages along with a little dancing! For this week's Community Time, middle schoolers participated in "Escape the Room." Green and white teams of students from Grades 5-8 raced against the clock to be the first groups to break out of their classrooms. Code breaking, decoding hidden messages and collaborative team work helped all four groups escape in less than an hour! Monday, November 11 is a TAG Day for Pets for Vets. Students may bring $1.00 and wear free dress in red, white, and blue. Parent-teacher conferences will be held Thursday, Nov. 14 and Friday, Nov. 15. If you have not yet signed up, you can schedule your conference here...
On Tuesday, we celebrated a new tradition, Las Posadas. A holiday custom in parts of Latin America, Las Posadas represents the journey of Joseph and Mary on their way to Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus. Mrs. Kathol, Señora Vintimilla, and our fifth graders worked together to bring this exciting custom to our school. They began with a traditional Spanish carol, "My Burrito Sabanero," (video below) which they performed for their families, followed by churros that they made with Ms. Kathol that morning. As we wrapped up our morning, all students were surprised with piñatas in the gym. Our older students really stepped up to make this a memorable occasion for our younger students, with our fifth graders taking on a special role.
