It has been a busy October at HCA! This month, the fifth grade has enjoyed visitors, exciting announcements, and school celebrations. See below for some snapshots looking back on the month.
Last Thursday, fifth grade visited with Lt. Lanni as part of our partnership with the Upper Darby Police Department.
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HCA students enjoyed a picnic lunch outside on Monday sponsored by Student Council.
Making the most of beautiful fall weather!
Enjoying the sun while it lasted this week.
Chris and Sam enjoy dining al fresco in the shade.
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Fifth and sixth graders visited the Book Fair on Tuesday.
Izzy and Gabby searching for the perfect book!
A successful visit!
A HUGE THANK YOU to the Danifo and Swain families for their donations to our classroom. The students will enjoy new nonfiction and fiction books in our library.
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Sixth graders have finished composing their original myths. On Wednesday, they printed them out and used a dying process with tea bags to turn them into ancient scrolls. They will be displayed in our hallway to showcase our mythology unit. To read a digital copy of their myths, please visit the slides below!
Grant uses a tea bag to dye his myth.
Garrett and Sean use tea bags to "age" their myths.
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A few snapshots of collaborative learning in our classroom:
Fifth graders participate in a Vocabulary Word Talk in reading.
Busy at work with their partners discussing and answering vocabulary in context questions.
Partner work and frequent movement in Stand-Up, Hand-Up, Pair-Up allows our students to socialize while constructively discussing learned concepts with all of their classmates.
Izzy and Joslyn looking for text evidence to support their discussion question.
Patrick, Aidan, and Arrington collaborate on another discussion question.
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Moments before this year's musical was announced: Frozen, Jr.!
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.
On Wednesday, fifth graders enjoyed a spiritual retreat led by Ms. Kathol. After a hearty breakfast (thank you, parents!), they settled in for a morning of prayer, reflection, and discussion. There was inward reflection, a collective sharing of personal moments with God, mindfulness activities focused around breathing centered in God, and station work. Fueling up for the day at breakfast. Welcoming the fifth grade and going over expectations for the day. Ms. Kathol begins the retreat with an opening prayer by St. Therese of Lisieux (below). Students pass the candle around to share their hope(s) for the day. May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into...
This week for Community Time, students in early childhood, lower school, and the middle school culminated a month's worth of honoring Hispanic heritage with a celebration filled with music, crafts, and Quizzo. Middle school started off the celebration in the gym, where they learned various styles of hispanic dance and enjoyed music by Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, and other artists! Each student had the opportunity to answer a musical trivia question on hispanic culture. Those who guessed correctly could come up and lead the dance by playing bongos. Everyone got into the celebrations! Next it was off to the MPR to play a round of Quizzo where students tried to guess famous Hispanic personalities, national flags, and quotes. Lastly, it was off to the cafeteria to practice their Spanish speaking skills and celebrate with piñatas! ...
