Dear Parents,
I often comment to myself that there are not enough hours in the day to get through my to-do list. I imagine this is a common feeling among fellow parents, especially as the holiday season approaches and as the amount of daylight lessens during the winter season! But this reflection below (by Barbara Johnson from God Always Has a Plan B), could serve as a reminder to us appreciate the present and all its challenges and celebrations, and keep learning, growing, and moving forward!
“What about those of us who’d like to turn back the clock? Sure, we’d like to be younger and stronger again. More resilient. But remember Isaiah? He said to let the past lie. Look ahead. Someone has said, ‘Don’t look back. You’re not going that way.’ It is never too late to spend time on the important things. This minute is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
Let us all be thankful for all our blessings, especially those that are disguised as challenges. Those are opportunities for us to GROW!
--Mrs. Sandra Jimenez
CORE VALUES IN NOVEMBER
Throughout November, we continue to learn about saints and pray for loved ones who have passed away. Ask your child about the saints we have learned about! We also continue to pray for our veterans and all those who currently serve in our Armed Forces as they work to protect our freedom. Last week, all children in the school made cards for veterans, and our 6A homeroom teacher Ms. Land delivered them to veterans at the Veterans’ Hospital. I’m so proud of how our children and teachers lived out our core values to love, serve, and unite through this act of kindness!
Plus, we continue to show our LOVE to the victims of the wildfires in Butte County in Northern California, and in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties in Southern California. We pray for their strength, health, and safety during this difficult time. Currently, a fundraiser is being planned to help the victims, so stay tuned on how we can UNITE as a school to help those in need.
A NOTE OF THANKS
We thank Ms. Janice Vela, our Interim Development Director, and Sister Marian Rose, who both led the planning and organization of St. Peter’s School joyous 140th Anniversary Mass and Reception on Sunday, November 4. Ms. Vela and Sr. Marian Rose would like to especially thank the following volunteers for their assistance: Maria Herrera, Maria Ortega, Evelyn Torres, Ana Montoya, Lorenza Ortega, Rene Rodezno, Nancy Rodriguez, Emelyn Mulato, Rosa Orellana, Jessica Cosio and Flavia Fonte. And very special thanks for their consistent involvement throughout the Anniversary planning process to Angel Carvajal, Joanne Ceballos, Angelica Gonzalez, Gladis Guevara, Karina King, Martha Martinez, John Nuno and Maria Velasco. And to Miss Land and our FABULOUS 8th graders for all their help!
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
We depend on parent volunteer support throughout the school year! We recently experienced wonderful school events—the Halloween festival, Family Movie Night, and 140th Anniversary—and those would not have been possible without our loving parent volunteers! Some upcoming events include our Christmas prayer service and reception, Family Lotería Night, and the Family Dance. If you would like to help plan future events and fundraisers, or would like to join one of our parent groups, please contact Mrs. Jimenez at sjimenez@sanpedro.org or leave your name and number at the office.
AZTECS ATHLETICS
Congratulations to all our volleyball and soccer teams this season! Our 3rd/4th boys soccer team and 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th grade girls volleyball teams made it to the playoffs. On Sunday, November 11, our 3rd grade volleyball team won the Championship! Great job to all our players and BIG THANKS to all our volunteer coaches! Up next—our boys basketball and girls soccer seasons. LET’S GO AZTECS!
APPOINTMENTS WITH TEACHERS
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping your Parent-Teacher Conference appointments last week! These conferences are very important so that you can learn more about your child’s progress and ways to work with teachers to support your child’s growth in different areas. Moving forward, feel free to make appointments with teachers when you have a question or concern. Please avoid last-minute morning meeting with teachers, as teachers use this morning time to prepare their materials for the day so that they can best meet your child’s needs. If you would like a morning meeting, notify the teacher ahead of time by email or ClassDojo, or by calling the office a day in advance. We appreciate your cooperation on this matter.
IN THE CLASSROOM
KINDER - This week in Kindergarten, we are learning about the places we go. Students will pair up and tell about the places they have gone in the neighborhood near St. Peter's. We will read Please Take Me for a Walk and talk about the setting, characters, and events in the story. In Math, students will learn to take away to subtract and learn the meaning of the minus sign.
1A - This week in first grade we are reading, writing, and discussing the places that animals live together. In religion we are learning about God's Creation. In math we are working on fact families. In social studies we are finishing up our work on community helpers.
2A - Students will be reading “Mr. Putter and Tabby See the Stars.” In math, we’ll practice counting by 2's, 5's and 10's and telling time (analog clocks). We will talk about praying for the needs of others and learn about saints. Reminder: First Communion parent meeting on Wednesday, 11/28 at 5:45 p.m.
3A – This week we continue to use STMath on our tablets as we focus on place value, addition and subtraction with regrouping, and basic multiplication facts. In English/Language Arts, we are writing our rough drafts for the Archdiocesan "Respect For Life" Essay Contest. The theme for third grade is called The Unborn Baby - One of Us."
4A - Thank you for great conferences! In 4A, we will be focusing on our Saint Projects this week. Students will read short biographies about their Saints and highlight their important traits. We will create mini-posters about our Saints. In Reading, we will focus on our next story "The Power of W.O.W." We will concentrate on the comprehension strategy of theme. We will also be reading our Book report books! In Math, we will continue to work on multiplication of multi-digit numbers. In Science, we will have a test on Friday about rocks and the rock cycle. In Social Studies, we will learn about the landforms and regions of California.
5A - In 5th grade math this week, we're continuing our focus on mastering all types of long division. Ask your child if they can repeat our long division chant for you tonight! We're reading the book The Important Thing as we practice differentiating between the main idea and details in English/Language Arts.
6A Religion – Students are learning about the events in the book of Exodus. Language Arts – Students have been hard at work perfecting their short stories and will be finalizing changes in preparation for publication. Students will also be introduced to their independent reading projects. Math – Students will divide decimals by whole numbers. Social Studies – Students will continue with their Ancient Egypt Unit. Science – Students will explain how geologic time is divided into units.
7A Religion - 7A will identify ways to take responsibility for moral choices and to develop Christ-like qualities. Language Arts - Students are finalizing their introduction to their Drama Unit. They will also participate in opening activities of A Christmas Carol to prepare for the reading of the play after Thanksgiving break. Math – Students will multiply positive and negative fractions. Social Studies – Students will begin a West African Empire Research Project. Science - Students extend their cell analogy comparison as they continue to learn about organelles. Next up...the important process of cell replication!
8A/8B Religion –Students will apply their knowledge of the east and west schism by examining how it has influenced a given Eastern Church rite. Language Arts - Students are beginning the introduction to their next novel, Night, by Elie Wiesel. The opening activities will aid in comprehension of the historical content referenced in the text. The Woodworking Project is due this Friday, November 16. Students will have an opportunity to share their creations with the class. Math – Students will solve multi-step equations. Social Studies – Students are beginning their Constitution Unit by thinking of questions they have about the U.S. Constitution. Science - Students wrap up their study of the law of conservation of mass as they prepare to begin their rocket project!
REMINDERS
Nov. 14-16 STAR Testing continues
Nov. 19 8A/8B Mural Field Trip
Nov. 20 8:10 AM School Mass
Nov. 21-23 No School—Thanksgiving break
Nov. 26 12:30 PM Dismissal
Nov. 27 8:10 AM School Mass
Nov. 28 5:45 PM First Communion Parent Meeting in Church
