The Monarch for Thursday, January 31st

Bishop Chatard students helped Miles learn about math and careers at our Math Fair last week.

In Mrs. Groves’s class...

This week in Sports Connection, we planned a trip for two to the Super Bowl. Their assignment was to find the grand total for two people to spend three days and two nights in the Phoenix area and attend the Super Bowl. This included tickets, airfare, hotel, meals, and tips. The students had to find the going rate for tickets. They discovered that the cheapest seats, in the upper level end zone were going for $1300.00 each. The most expensive tickets on the lower level between the thirty yard lines were about $12,000. The total costs ran from about $5,200 to $55,000 for two people to stay. Absolutely mind-boggling!.

In Mrs. Bryant’s class...

Sixth grade students will be having a science test tomorrow over the oceans. They should study their notes taken in class, their text, self-check questions, and chapter review.
On Friday, seventh grade students will learn how computers use the binary system to store information. They will then create a coded math puzzle and picture using the binary system of ones and zeroes, to be shared with a fellow student. Ask your son or daughter to share their puzzle with you.



Eighth grade students will be making series and parallel circuits tomorrow in class. Their test will be Monday. Since I have them for two periods on Monday, they should bring their questions to the first class, and they will then be tested during the second class. They should review their text, practice power and voltage problems, and notes taken in class from their Science notebook.

In Mr. Carlstedt’s class...

The sixth grade is wrapping up South America and preparing to embark for Europe.
The seventh grade will be comparing the cultures of Japan and China.
The eighth grade will be examining Jefferson and his impact on our country.

Buy Yearbooks!

In Mr. Heneghan’s class...

I hope everyone is enjoying our eClassrooms. They are a great place to see the day’s homework—though not a replacement for the students’ assignment notebooks. They also have so much more, as I hope many of you are finding out. Starting last week, all of the middle school classes have been submitting assignments via this classroom. Check ‘em out! Read what your children are writing. Talk about it at home. This week’s assignment, called “Now MY Class Is In Session” is all about what class your kids would create for St. Joan of Arc. Some are highly entertaining.

In Mrs. Hasbrook’s class...


Ask your Spanish student what time it is and they should be able to tell you en espanol! All Spanish students will take their chapter test next week. Once we are finished with this chapter, we will begin composing letters to send with Mrs. Groves to Honduras. Mrs. Groves will be visiting a school while in Honduras and will deliver our letters and request return letters. We are very excited to have this unique "pen pal" opportunity.

7th and 8th grade DANCE

We will still have the North Deanery dance Friday night 2/1 UNLESS the IHM school is closed due to snow. To be sure students should check through the school closings Friday am to see if Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School, Indianapolis is closed.

If the dance is a go: SJA still needs volunteers! Anyone who attends this dance should send a volunteer, it’s the one dance the kids need to have their parents attend since we are the co-host. Also as a reminder, the cost of the dance is $6.00.

Now MY Class Is In Session

Here's the spot for all of this week's submissions.



Peace,

Mr. Heneghan

SJA Rocks!

Second grade SJA student Mercedes B. is a doppelganger for our first Indiana saint, Theodora Guerin.


Click here to go to a great article in this week's Criterion about your beloved St. Joan of Arc Catholic School and just a smattering of why your school is so incredible.

The Monarch for Thursday, January 24th

BRRRRRR! Don't you wish it was warm like this?



In Mrs. Groves’s class...

Our third annual Math Fair was held Wednesday with collaboration from honor students from Bishop Chatard High School. They created such stations as Zoo Keepers, Medical Professions, Retail Store, Athletics, Cooking, and Engineering to give our students hands on experiences of how mathematics is used in our everyday lives. For example, students were given this sample problem: If a polar bear eats five fish a day, how many fish will it eat in a week? On a higher level, if a polar bear eats 20 pounds of fish a day, and it weighs 450 pounds, what percent of its weight is this?

In addition, there were eleven estimation stations, several that were created by our eighth grade class. Each student in the school submitted estimations for each activity and prizes were awarded in the closing ceremonies. A good time was had by all.





In Mrs. Bryant’s class...

Mrs. Bryant is looking for a few committed seventh grade students who enjoy science and younger students. The students will be working to write a short United Way: Youth as Resources grant to allow them to design and demonstrate science concepts for younger groups of students at St. Joan of Arc, and other schools as well. Students who are interested should contact Mrs. Bryant by next Thursday.

It is early in the third quarter, and any middle school student who feels that they need additional science help should let Mrs. Bryant know.

Just a reminder that science fair for eighth grade students is next Thursday, January 31st beginning at 8:05 a.m. in the gym and will last for about an hour. The students’ exhibits will stay up all morning, but the students will be at their poster to answer questions until they go to mass at 8:55 a.m. Eighth grade students presenting may either wear their school uniform or dress up (dress shirt for boys, dress pants or skirts for the girls).

In Mr. Carlstedt’s class...

The students will be moving to the next level in Social Studies. They will begin constructing questions using Bloom’s Taxonomy for notes.

Sample of Knowledge and template question:
What happened after...?
How many...?
Who was it that...?
Can you name the...?
Describe what happened at...?
Who spoke to...?
Can you tell why...?
Find the meaning of...?
What is...?
Which is true or false...?

In Mr. Heneghan’s class...

Students have been busy as all get out on their “St. Joan of Arc Is A Light For Me” essays. Look for student samples tucked into this week’s church bulletins.
Students also have a web-based assignment related to their AR books. This can only be turned in via my eclassroom.

How Much Do You Know about Dr. King?

Parents and students, take this quiz and find out!

Dr. King Quiz

The Monarch for Thursday, January 17, 2008

"Moo Moo" Evans of the Globetrotters spoke to SJA students about working hard in the classroom through the acronym C.H.E.E.R.



In Mrs. Bryant’s class...
Please call or e-mail me with questions that you may have about your son or daughter’s grade for science. All students were given the opportunity to turn in extra credit, but less than one-half, or only 39%, of all middle school students chose to take advantage of this opportunity.
Sixth grade students are learning about the oceans this week.
Seventh grade students are learning about how scientists classify life.
Eighth grade students are learning about electricity.
All students will be learning about blood typing in their laboratory tomorrow, where they will type artificial blood. If you know your son or daughter’s blood type, please tell them what it is before they come to class tomorrow.
The eighth grade science fair will be Thursday, January 31st, beginning at 8:30a.m. Please plan to stop in the gym and see the students’ exhibits. The judges will choose the top exhibits to represent our school at the CYO Science Fair March 1, 2008 at the CYO Center, where students will compete with other seventh and eighth grade students from schools in the archdiocese.


In Mrs. Groves’s class...
This week in Sports Connections the middle school students explored the dimensions of an NFL football field. They found the diagram on line, and then answered questions concerning it. They figured out the area and perimeter of the field. 8th graders used the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the diagonal distance of the field. They also learned that every NFL field is identical in its markings and size. For instance, every numeral on the yard markers are 4' wide by 6' tall. It was a valuable lesson in reading diagrams and using them to problem solve.

Lighting the Way for Math in Everyday Life
On Wednesday, January 23rd, St. Joan of Arc School is having our 3rd annual Math Fair. This year's theme is Lighting the Way for Math in Everyday Life. Honor students from Bishop Chatard High School will partner with our students in their exploration of several areas of everyday mathematics. They will have booths set up in Doyle Hall with activities involving retail shopping, medical careers, zoo keeping, athletics, etc. In addition, we will have an "Estimation Hallway" where students will respond to several different estimation activities. Feel free to drop in between 8:00 AM and 1:30 PM to see this exciting event in action.

In Mrs. Hasbrook’s class...

This week in Spanish we will be wrapping up the chapter. In this chapter we have learned classroom vocabulary, how to tell time, and the plural of the verb ‘Ser’. We should test over this material sometime next week. Please make sure that your student has and brings his/her Spanish notebook to class every Tuesday and Wednesday. Our text has to remain in the classroom and his/her Spanish notebook is like a text for them to bring home and study as they take all grammar notes and enter all vocabulary into these notebooks. A "buen trabajo" (good job) goes to Rebekah Johnson and Stephanie Tinsley in 7th grade and Amber Trimpl and Khristen Crowe in 8th grade for receiving A's on their famous Central American projects!

In Mr. Heneghan’s class...
Students have been focusing on editing and revision in English class over the last week. We made connections between a Central American recipe book and one on mythology. One way that we tried to vary our sentences was through the use of the “ABC” method. We tried to begin each sentence with a new letter of the alphabet. It’s challenging, but it makes students think of new and interesting ways to state their ideas.

In Mr. Carlstedt’s class...
6th grade – moving farther south into South America
7th grade – moving in an easterly direction in Asia following the monsoons from the Arabian Sea
8th grade – examining the first Presidency

The Monarch for Thursday, January 10, 2008

In Mrs. Bryant’s class...

Sixth grade students have been reviewing in class this week over the standards addressed in the first semester.

Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students will explore the properties of a unique polymer in class on Friday. Be sure to ask them what they observed and where this polymer might find a useful application.

All classes seemed to enjoy a segment of the Planet Earth video series showing the vast caves of Borneo. Ask your child where Borneo is or what kind of rock makes up these caves and how they were formed; they should be able to tell you.

Eighth grade students have started working on their science fair experiments. Many ideas were suggested, or students were able to ask their own question to be answered. They are doing individual experiments, and their materials list was due to me last Tuesday. If they discover that additional, readily available materials are needed, please feel free to purchase them, and save the receipt; I will reimburse you.

In Mr. Heneghan’s class...

6th, 7th, and 8th graders have been working on essays about Central America this week. Central America is especially relevant this year, as our school has been using it as our theme. Students have been focusing on this region in art and social studies too!

New Visitation Policy

In light of the increased frequency of parents visiting school—which we love!—we would appreciate it if parents could set up their visits with the teachers beforehand. By prearranging with the teacher, you help them foster the best learning environment in our classrooms. If you just need to speak to your child during the school day, we will have your child meet you in the office, which keeps the distractions in the classroom to a minimum.