Upcoming Events

Sunday, March 6th at 5:30pm-Mass on the Beach

Monday, March 7th at 5pm- Parent Information Meeting in St. Cyprian Church

Monday, March 7th at 6pm-Lindamood Bell Tutoring Meeting

Tuesday, March 8th- Spring Pictures for all students (Preschool through Eight Grade)

Friday, March 11th-Auction Set up! Please sign up on School Speak for more details and opportunities

Saturday, March 12th at 5:30pm-Western Boots & BBQ Auction! Please join us for this adults only fundraiser!

Easter Break

Please take note of the following closure dates for Preschool through Eighth Grade:

No Extended Care: Thursday, March 24th (Holy Thursday)

No School: Friday, March 25th (Good Friday)

Easter Break: Monday, March 28th-Friday, April 1st

Spring Pictures

Spring Pictures will be held Tuesday, March 8th in the morning.

All students may wear appropriate School Free Dress.

Please keep in mind, there are NO MAKE UPS for missed Spring Pictures.

A Letter from the Principal...

Dear Parent,

As a school leader I am called to be a keeper of value and an agent of change. The two roles are sometimes difficult to fulfill in an environment where people and emotion are so deeply connected as they are at Catholic Academy. And though each of us remains hopeful for growth and positive change, there is also an uneasiness at times for exactly what shape change will take and how it might impact my experience or relationship to the school. Sometimes a leap of faith is necessary but uncomfortable. I find this to be true for me anyway, and suspect that I may not be alone.

Catholic Academy is being transformed, and there is so much to be shared about the road ahead - and so much to be excited about! I want to share where we are and what we are working on soon for two reasons. 1) Transparency. As much as we can share, maybe we can move the thought of change to a secure place in the win column, and 2) Voice. Although our time this year has been primarily focused on learning so our shift can be thoughtful, it is time to engage.

Our community of faculty is warm, loving, creative, dedicated and committed to the Catholic faith. These are only a few of the blessings they bring to the students of Catholic Academy. In addition, we have increased our dialogue about innovation and best practices in the classroom.

With the explosion of data and content via the internet, content delivery has much less a role in the education process. The questions that drive instruction today might be better framed like some of these: How do I know if the information I have is true or credible? What sources of information are reliable? Who has created this content and why? Is this online environment safe, and if so, how best can I add to the conversation? Now that I understand this concept, how do I apply it? What problem do I want to solve and what will I need to know to do so? And many, many more, but I think you get the idea.

We must create learning opportunities that are interdisciplinary and team oriented. Working and being evaluated as a group is a necessary experience for our children. And with the data-driven instructional model, we can do so while still tracking individual growth to insure that the appropriate skill sets are at or above target.

I am thrilled by the work ahead. I know there will be many challenges, but we have been given a green light to break the mold of "the way we do things" to initiate real educational innovation, and we are poised now to do so. Keeping our Catholic faith and values is imperative, and this balance of faith and ethics in our work is at the core of the vision and may necessitate more social justice and environmental awareness/responsibility.

I invite all parents to join me for a meeting

Monday 3/7 at 5 p.m. in the Church. Vice Principal Breigh Finnerty and STEM Director Donovan Williams will join me for an hour-long presentation and answer session for parents. We hope you will join us, and we will share notes with the school community following the meeting to be sure everyone gets the highlights.

And if, at any time, you would like to personally discuss plans for next year, you may set a meeting with me.

I hope you can make it Monday. Our school is ready to kick it up a notch, and we invite you to add your voice to the mix! How blessed we are!

Susan Morrissey

Prinicipal

This week in the classroom...

Preschool

Preschool celebrated the birthday of Dr.Seuss this week! We read some of his most loved stories and made some very debonair Cat in the Hats. They ended the celebration with some sweet Dr. Seuss treats.

First Grade

If there's one thing first graders love, it's reading! And what better author than Dr. Seuss? This week, first graders gathered with their fifth grade buddies on Read Across America Day to laugh and share their favorite Dr. Seuss books!

Third Grade

Oh the places you'll go... This Read Across America Day, the 3rd graders visited kindergarten. Each 3rd grader buddied up with a kindergarten student and read to their partners. They had a blast. It's wonderful how the 3rd graders took leadership role. Did they succeed? Yes they did, 98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed!

Fifth Grade

Reading Across the Classrooms

Wednesday was Read Across America Day, better known as Dr. Seuss Day. Fifth Grade got together with two sets of buddies to read, read, read! Students brought Dr. Seuss books, books, books from home then sat out in the sunshine to read, read, read, and enjoy each others’ company. Everyone had a fun, fun, fun time. Some sat on a mat. Some wore a hat. Some read here and there. We all read everywhere!

Science

The sixth graders have just finished learning about volcanoes and are in the beginning stages of constructing models that will erupt!

In seventh grade, we are learning about Charles Darwin, his voyages on the Beagle, and his theory of evolution.

Eight grade Science class is learning about polar and non-polar solutions and how these substances are able to conduct electricity.

The K-5 S.T.E.M. classes are building structures that demonstrate the concept of balance.

Art

We continued on still life drawings & focused on line, composition & light source. The students are still focusing on line drawings first then adding shading & tone values within their drawings. After their line & outline of their drawings, students focused on the lights & darks from their compositions. The students were able to take advantage of the great weather & started their

nature drawings.

Kindergarten had an introduction on how to draw portraits. They worked on line drawing again focusing on just drawing the hair. They cut ovals from paper to block their faces in order to concentrate on the hair. Some students even drew Mr. Silvestre's hair.

Physical Education

This week in PE has been very busy keeping kids moving during this transitional grading period by adding some new intervals for our training periods. Supplements to our workouts include, "Mountain Climbers" (fast high steps in prone racing position), "Squat-Jumps" (from standing to full squat position then jumping as high as possible), High-Knee steps (in-place high step skipping), and switching between Jumping-Jacks, Rest Planks, and Jack-Knives (sideways prone high kicks). Kindergarten and First Grade were rewarded with some silly music & movement sing-a-longs. I'm proud of the all the students adaptability to meet these new challenges. Next week, our Fourth and Fifth graders meet their accumulative endurance running/jogging goal of 15 minutes. Let's keep moving Phoenixes!!!