Learning with Lower Elementary

Burying Themselves in Knowledge
 
By Meyer Jane Davis
Layout/Design Editor
           
            Does anyone know if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow? The Pre-K students definitely do! This quarter the Pre-Kers learned a Groundhog Day song, made groundhog puppets and hats, and made predictions on whether the groundhog would see his shadow or not. Student Jorge Morales Rodriguez predicted that the groundhog would see his shadow, and he was correct! For Valentine’s Day the students decorated boxes, exchanged valentines, and made valentines for their parents. Pre-K student Sofia Lozanzo’s favorite part of Valentine’s Day was exchanging valentines with her class. For Mardi Gras, the students learned about what the different Mardi Gras colors stood for and learned more about Lent with their Saints Family. On the academic side of the quarter, the young scholars learned how to write the letters P, Q, R, S, and T and what sounds they make. The Pre-K students are wrapping up the ABCs and polishing up the spellings of their full names before they are the ready for Kindergarten. The Pre-Kers definitely increased their knowledge this quarter!
 
Can’t Beat Kindergarten
 
By Liam Walker
Senior Editor
           
            The Kindergartners have concluded the first semester, but the students are not done yet. For Valentine’s Day, the students created their own homemade valentine boxes and exchanged various candies and compliments with each other. On Groundhog Day, the Kindergartners created groundhog puppets, sang and danced to the Groundhog song, and learned about Punxsutawney Phil and his shadow.
            The students have been very busy in their core subjects as well. In science, the Kindergartners have been learning about living and nonliving organisms. They also were given the opportunity to plant seeds in the garden as a project. In math, the students learned about money, adding and subtracting, measurement, and time. The Kindergartners learned about the love that Jesus provides each person in religion. In social studies, the students learned about the Presidents, how to use maps and globes, and facts about Texas. In language arts, reading, and spelling, the Kindergartners worked on reading more fluently and comprehending excerpts that they have read.
            As the students come closer to the end of the school year, they continue to work hard and test their abilities. These students have definitely been having a great year! 
 



















First graders present their hibernation habitat projects.

Energized First Grade
 
By Bella Forkner
Technology Editor
 
            The first graders have been hard at work the past quarter. They started off with learning how to recite the Our Father and about the liturgical seasons of the Church. In vocabulary, they are studying words with suffixes and with prefixes. They have also started reading biographies. In social studies, the students have been learning about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, and studying a unit on historical Texans. They have also been learning about two and three dimensional figures in math. Additionally first graders have been learning about vowels, consonants, and diagraphs.
         The young students have also been very busy in science this quarter. They have been working on a unit about energy. In this unit some key points they were studying electricity, heat, light, sound, and echoes. To help learn about these topics they have been doing many fun experiments. 
          There have been many fun and exciting holidays and projects in the past quarter in first grade. These holidays included Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day, and Mardi Gras. For Valentine’s Day some of the students made candy grams, while everyone made valentines bags and exchanged valentines. For Groundhog Day the students made projects and learned the Groundhog day song. For Mardi Gras the students had the privilege of attending Saints Families and celebrating Mardi Gras with their Saints Families. Great job first grade!
 



















The second graders create projects about famous landmarks in the U.S.

Savvy Second Graders
 
By Liam Walker
Senior Editor
 
            The second graders have started off the second semester with a bang! For Groundhog Day, the students made predictions on whether Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow or not. They even watched the live video of the famous groundhog. On Valentine’s Day the second graders created their own Valentine’s box and exchanged Valentine’s cards with candy among each other. They also created cutout hearts, and the students wrote on each other’s hearts what they liked about that person.
            The students have been very busy in their core subjects. In math, the second graders learned how to count money and subtract with double-digit numbers. In science, the students reviewed the scientific method and simple machines. They also completed various labs, including experiments on soil and rocks. In language arts, reading, and spelling, the second graders read many different stories, learned about cause and effect, and worked with nonfictional text. In social studies, the students learned about the government. They also completed a project on the Presidents, where they each researched a different President using Britannica. In religion, the second graders learned about the different parts of the Mass.
            As the students edged closer to the end of the school year, they continued to work hard and strive for greatness. These students have definitely been having a good year, and they’re not done yet!