ST. ODILO SCHOOL
Cougar Bites ~ January 2012
The Good News about St. Odilo School
Test Time – The 8th grade has been spending a large portion of time preparing for high school entrance exams, which occurred Saturday, January 14th. Students tested at or applied to Nazareth, St. Joseph, Fenwick, Mt. Carmel, De La Salle, and Cristo Rey.
Books & Technology -- The Jr. High English classes are mixing old fashioned novel reading (THE PEARL, LORD OF THE FLIES, and ILLUSIONS) with technology. Each class will be getting assignments and creating projects through the Saint Odilo Moodle, an internet based program to facilitate writing through group projects, writing assignments and blogging. 8th graders are working in groups to create Power Point presentations to display their finished products.
Meet the Superkids - The Kindergarten Kids are very excited about finally meeting all 14 Superkids from our Reading Program. It’s so hard to choose our favorite! We are blending words and even beginning to read and write on our own. We can't wait to begin our next level so that we can discover all the adventures the Superkids will experience when they join the Superkids' Club! The Kindergarten Kids have been "kissing their brains" all year, while discovering reading REALLY IS FUN!
Creative Learning - The 5th grade has found creative ways to learn all year. In October we went to the Naper Settlement to see how we would have survived being a pioneer child. In November we each became a child living in one of the 13 colonies. We researched, wrote and presented our reports in costume. In English class we have learned the proper way to send letters and have mailed out many to different friends around the country. We are now writing our own class play with the boys as one theater group, and the girls as another!
Faith in the Classroom – Faith study is, of course, part of the everyday classroom experience at St. Odilo. In addition to daily lessons about Bible stories and history, the parts of the Mass, Church teachings, and Holy Days, students in some grades are preparing for sacraments. 2nd graders are preparing for First Confession and First Holy Communion. 8th graders are preparing for Confirmation – writing saints reports, choosing sponsors and performing service work. 7th grade was heavily involved in the Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrations, spending many hours bringing the story to life at several Masses.
Working Together – Throughout the year, teachers find ways for different classes to work together. In this way we extend our mission of faith, education and family. Each week, 5th graders partner with Kindergarten Kids in “Art Buddies,” building relationships, mentoring, and having of fun. Likewise, 1st and 4th grades have weekly “Book Buddies” so students can read together and work on multi-level comprehension skills. 4th graders have also partnered with Grade 7 on a year-long service project involving senior citizens. They’ve made bookmarks, collected books and even visited a nursing home to sing to residents. In fact, their special rendition of “Happy Birthday” gave special joy to one of the 90 year-old residents.
In the News – The 4th grade is very busy creating newspapers in January. We have voted on Editors, formed committees, and are gathering facts to present in our newspapers. Students are gathering in their newspaper groups every day to brainstorm, write, draw and discuss each project. We are working hard to complete them by Open House.
Eat Right – 3rd graders have been studying a nutrition unit which also gives information on how their digestive systems operate. Following Michelle Obama’s new design for eating right to fight obesity, the children have made replicas of plates of food which follow the new nutrition guidelines for fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. Yum, yum.
Mystery Readers – While 1st graders love being part of the Superkids Club, they also enjoy reading with their families. That is why they invite special people to surprise them as a “Mystery Reader!” Students love having family, friends and faculty share in learning by reading a favorite story aloud. Readers provide clues about themselves at the beginning of each week. One clue is revealed each day as students try to guess who’s visiting. Children have been read to by parents as well as Mr. Donegan, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Uphues (both of them) and even Father Brankin!
ABCs of Learning – Full day PreK is studying one letter of the alphabet each week. They first make letter shapes out of play-doh, then hear the phonics sound of each letter and begin printing letters. They are making a book out of their letters which they read daily, allowing kids to memorize the letter image along with its sound. They also play many ABC games including BINGO and “fishing” for letters.
Our Town – During the month of January, students in grades 2-8 will be creating characters and scenery using the Paint Program in Computer class. This "made up" town will be on display across from the computer lab during Catholic Schools Week.
Busy Hands – The ½ day Preschool and PreK class is using the Superkids Reading program for the first time this year. They are loving stories such as “City Mouse and Country Mouse.” They’re also doing hands-on projects to learn about shapes, colors, numbers, seasons and even weather. They’re having fun learning both in the classroom and on class trips.
Language Arts & Lifelong Values – The Superkids have hit 2nd grade this year too. Our 2nd graders are making great progress integrating language arts skills with intensive phonics study. They not only enjoy the stories about the lively Superkids characters, but they are also learning lifelong lessons about friendship, understanding and respect for others.
Students on the move – So far this school year, students have ventured far and wide to learn from and serve the community. They’ve visited Shedd Aquarium, Naper Settlement and the Museum of Science and Industry. They’ve seen plays at Drury Lane, Trinity and Nazareth. They’ve even sung for seniors at Sunny Hill Retirement Home.
Community Education – We are blessed not only by great teachers, but by members of the community who come to teach us. The Berwyn Fire Department takes time to come in and talk with our students, Grades PreK – 4, about Fire Safety. All students received information about internet safety from officials with the Cook County Internet Crime Prevention Task Force. 5th graders even heard from employees at Nicor about smart energy use and conservation. Bringing the learning to our school is one of the many things our teachers do well.
Essay Contest – More than 50 students in Grades 1-8 composed essays about how St. Odilo reflects the values of Catholic Schools – Faith, Education and Service. The 5 winning essays will be displayed outside the school office during Catholic Schools Week, but we recommend you find some time to read through all of the entries, currently displayed outside Mr. Donegan’s office. The children’s responses reflect the family values that are part of everyday learning at our school. The essays are funny, thoughtful and inspiring. Congratulations to all of our students for reminding us about the true value of a St. Odilo education.