Some quick reminders....

Field Trip

Our year-end field trip is upon us.  Fifth graders will be going to the bowling alley on Wednesday, June 4.  We will leave school at 11:30 and return at 2:45.  Lunch will be provided (pizza and soda).  Students may wear appropriate free dress, including socks.  A few students have not turned in their permission forms- if you have not seen one please ask your child to see it.

Awards

The End of Year Awards Ceremony is this Thursday, June 5 at 7:00 pm in the church.  These awards include subject awards, altar servers, etc.  The 3rd Trimester Awards Assembly is Friday at 10:45 am in the church.  These awards include honor roll, accelerated reader, etc.

I will send an invitation to the award ceremony you should go to if your child is receiving an award.  These invitations will go out Tuesday.

Last Days of School

In these last days of school we are still learning, of course.  Students are working on assembling their Language Arts portfolio to send home (some samples are placed in their assessment box).  Also, we are continuing studies of Religion and Science.  The students are also helping inventory and care for books, cleaning of their desks and cubbies, etc.  I also give them some time for board games and signing yearbooks.  I have instructed the students to be thoughtful and respectful when signing yearbooks.

The last day of school is Friday June 6.  School ends at noon and there is no extended care.  Please make arrangements for your child to be picked up from school promptly at noon.

OLPH offers summer school.  Please stop by the office for more information.  Students going into sixth grade would receive instruction in Religion, Reading and Math from Ms. Garcia.

Mrs. Becerra

Third Trimester Project Last Minute Help

Here are some samples of products from eighth grade third trimester projects.  There were also some very nice posters (forgot to take pictures) which are posted on the hallway bulletin board.  Feel free to come upstairs to see their fine work as well.  I also had a student lead her class in an activity, and another demonstrate model rocketry.  A few students have brought guest speakers- one about model rocketry and another about the respiratory system.  Thank you for these educational and interesting presentations!!

If your child is unsure how to put together their project, use these as examples.  To see the details of the assignment and the grade sheet, open the new pages I added to the right.  Also, this information is available as an attachment on Gradelink.

I apologize for this help being last minute, but last minute is when help is typically needed.  As a parent, I absolutely understand this.  

Again, great job eighth graders- last presentations for your class are tomorrow.  Good luck to sixth and seventh graders- your presentations start tomorrow!!

Mrs. Becerra

May Newsletter

I have been remiss in blogging- my apologies.

May Crowning

May Crowning is Thursday, May 8 at 8:30am in the church.  This is a beautiful tradition the entire school is involved in.  Please join us if you can.

Students may bring flowers to present to the Virgin Mary.  This is an excellent way to participate in this liturgy and I encourage it!

Field Trip

This Friday May 9 we are going on the Los Angeles trip to the California Science Center.  Thank you to those of you who have already turned in permission slips and $12- if your child hasn't done this yet, please have him/her do so by tomorrow (Thursday, May 8).  Out of the money, $1 helps pay for parking, $1 helps tip the bus driver, and the rest is given back to the child for lunch.

Students must wear comfortable tennis shoes, jeans, and a school shirt (polo, spirit shirt, or class shirt).  They should also bring a sweater- weather in Los Angeles may be cooler than here.  They may also bring a small pack for books, cards, blanket, etc.  Any of these items are the student's responsibility.  Students may not bring electronic devices.

We MUST meet here at the school at 6:45am on Friday- the bus needs to leave at 7:00am.  We should be back at the school at 5:00pm.

Thank you to those who are chaperones for this trip- remember you also should wear comfortable clothing and shoes.

If anyone needs hours, please contact me to be part of a phone tree for this trip.  I could use help contacting parents when we are about 30 minutes away from the school to make it easier to coordinate student pick up.

Mothers Day

The Mothers Day Prayer Service is Monday, May12 at 9:00am in the church.  Mothers, and those of you who take on the role of mother in a child's life, will be honored at this service.  All are welcome to attend.

Third Trimester Project

Lastly, the students have been assigned a project in science.  They each have been assigned a topic, and they must write a 2-4 page typed research report, as well as present a creative way to teach the class about their topic.  Each student has a form that explains this in detail.  This form is attached to the assignment on Gradelink if you have not seen this.  Presentations are scheduled for Monday May 19 through Friday May 23 (eighth grade has theirs a week earlier).

2 Jesus Carries His Cross (Stations of the Cross)

)

Busted Halo Virtual Station 1

)

Quick note

In case you missed last night's meeting, the next Maintenance Day has been rescheduled to March 15 due to the predictions of rain.  Remember to work and log in your 3 hours if you haven't done so already.

The trimester ended yesterday, and sign/return forms have gone home for some subjects.  I am working on the rest.

Mardi Gras is next Tuesday, and students can wear Mardi Gras colors.  It is not free dress, so if they can't wear purple, green, or gold (yellow is fine) then they must wear their uniform.  Lunch will be provided that day during the Mardi Gras feast.

More to come later.  Thank you for all the you and your family do for the school!

Mrs. Becerra

February 17 Update

Science Heads Up- All grades will be assigned a project in science for the third trimester.  I will give the students the assignment and rubric in early March.   These will be posted on the blog as well.  Presentations will be in mid-May, so there will be plenty of time for students to prepare for this.

The end of the trimester is February 27.  I will be sending home grade sheet sign and returns along with latest tests and science fair grade sheets.

Mardi Gras is Tuesday, March 4.  A flyer was sent home letting families know about the required funds for this.  Please send in the money as soon as possible- this is for the students' Mardi Gras Feast.  Remember your child will not need to bring lunch that day- there will be plenty of food.

5th grade specific news (Field Trip):

Fifth grade is going to the Date Festival on Friday, February 21.  We will be walking from the school to the fair, leaving at 9:30am and returning at about 12:15pm.  The students will eat a snack before they leave and be back in time for lunch, so please make sure the students bring their snack and lunch or keep their school hot lunch reservation as usual.

If your child has not given you the permission slip for this field trip, please ask for it.  Permission slips should be returned by Thursday, February 20.  The permission slip does not have a space asking for chaperones, however I do need 2-4 chaperones.  Please contact me directly by speaking to me before/after school or emailing me if you would like to chaperone.

The purpose of the field trip is to view the art projects at the fair- each student was given the opportunity to submit a construction paper art piece in the style of Matisse and to contribute to the class quilt.  These are currently on display in the junior exhibit venue.  If you are going to the fair, go see them!  They are a little hard to find- the individual projects are tucked away in a corner on the far side, and the quilt is hanging up above eye level in a different area- but they are there!

On the field trip, the students are not allowed to shop, buy snacks, or go on rides at the festival.  However, I would like them to bring $5 for a drink.  There is at least one vendor who offers classes a special for lemonades, and I know on such a warm day after walking around the kids will be thirsty.  The drink will be the only thing they are allowed to buy.

Reminder!

There is school on Monday, February 10.  However, Thursday, February 13, Friday February 14, and Monday February there is no school (two inservice days and Presidents Day Holiday).

Science Fair

Thank you to everyone for making the OLPH Science Fair a success.  Thank you to the students for dedicating yourselves and working hard on your projects.  Thank you to you parents who support, assist, and buy supplies for these projects every year.  Thank you to Mrs. Perez who worked with her language arts classes on the research report.  Thank you to Mrs. Covarrubias who taught the students how to create tables and graphs.  Thank you to Mrs. Kurupas for working with the fourth graders and judging one of the older classes.  Thank you to our other judges- Mr. and Mrs. Pimentel, and Mr. Hamm from Cahuilla Desert Academy.  Thank you to Mr. Hemp  for coming to view all our water projects, and for bringing his colleague as well.  Thank you to Mrs. Arias who helps coordinate these efforts and makes it all possible!

Congratulations to all our winners!  Winners for all grades are posted in the school newsletter.  Representing our school at the Inland Science and Engineering Fair are Breanna Flores, Amanda Flores, and Matthew Rodriguez.

One last note- there are a few students who did not turn in a science fair project.  On Monday, those students will have a zero logged into the gradebook for this project and I will call those parents.  The students may bring in a project, but I will not be reminding them about this after Monday.  The last day I accept projects is February 27.

Other notes:

Students have been bringing some distracting items to school.  I have informed them that Pokemon cards are not allowed in the classroom, though they can have them outside before school, during recess/lunch, and after school.  Orbis are not allowed at all.  This is because students are carrying them around in water, which could leak all over their books and other property.  Starting Monday, if I find Orbis, I will immediately throw them away.  They were informed of this on Friday.  Thank you for your support in this.

Mrs. Becerra

Thank you to all my students and their families for making me feel so appreciated.  The notes, cards, gift cards, and flowers really warmed my heart.  I am so blessed to be teaching you all here at OLPH school.  Thank you also to Student Council for organizing this day, and especially for lunch.

Important Reminder!

Walkathon forms were sent out before Christmas.  Each student must bring back the permission slip and contract form by Thursday January 30 in order to participate in Friday’s walkathon.  Your child needs to turn in one or both of these forms.

If you lost a form please see the office.

Also, remember to get pledges.  Fifth grade students are required to submit $100 worth of pledge money.  The pledge sheet should be turned in this week.  The money is due February 25.

The theme for the Walkathon is "Back to the '80s".  This refers to the 1980s- but even so the students must still adhere to dress code- no short shorts, no miniskirts, no makeup or hair color.  See the posters in the hallways for ideas.  Have fun with this!

Science Fair

Presentations continue- make sure your child knows his/her date.  Also, see previous blog posts, the pages in the sidebar of the blog, the Gradelink attachments, and the sample project outside the office for help.  I also have a short question and answer time at the end of each science class period.

Science Fair is next Wednesday, with the open house the following Thursday afternoon.

Egg Drop

Congratulations to the one group whose egg survived the Egg Drop!!  "The Eggtastic Mission" project by Audriannah, Maria, Richard, and Yazmin.  Congratulations!!

Science Fair Crisis Management :) 

I have placed a sample science fair project near the office.  It is not perfect, but it shows a decent project and also shows how I would grade it.  Please take a look- it is informative.

Here is a quick lesson on how to write an analysis paragraph and conclusion paragraph for the science fair project.  Basically, the analysis paragraph restates the data in sentence form, then the conclusion paragraph tells whether the hypothesis was right or wrong (and why).

Below are the analysis and conclusion paragraphs from the project by the office.  I have made comments (the "cb" numbers) which are below the paragraphs.

Analysis

The first test liquid, 100 ml water with 2.9 g of salt, had the freezing point of 1 degree Celsius.  The second test liquid, 100 ml water with 5.8 g of salt, had the freezing point of -1.7 degrees Celsius.  The third test liquid, 100 ml water with 11.7 g of salt, had the freezing point of -4.7 degrees Celsius.  The fourth test liquid, 100 ml water with 17.1 g of sugar, had the freezing point of -2 degrees Celsius.  The fifth test liquid, 100 ml water with 34.2 g sugar, had the freezing point of 0.7 degrees Celsius.  The sixth test liquid, 100 ml water with 68.5 g of sugar, had the freezing point of -9 degrees Celsius.  The seventh and final liquid, 100 ml plain water, had the freezing point of 0 degrees Celsius.[cb1] 

Conclusion

            My hypothesis was wrong.  The 68.5 g sugar in 100 ml water changed the freezing point of the water the most.[cb2]   In this experiment I added different amounts of salt and sugar.  The salt and sugar contaminates the water, preventing it to become a crystal structure.  It is this crystal structure that creates ice.  Because the freezing process if more difficult, the freezing point lowers, the more contaminates the solution the more the freezing point has to lower. [cb3]  The data was inconsistent because I was using kitchen equipment and used different thermometers to measure the temperature.  A way to enhance this experiment would be to calculate the molarities of each solution and compare the freezing points to molarities.[cb4]   In the future, I would like to use the same solutions and determine if the concentration of the solute affects the boiling point.[cb5] 

---

 [cb1]The analysis states what is shown in the data.  Pretend like you must explain the data to someone who can’t see it.

 [cb2]The conclusion should make clear if your hypothesis was right or wrong.  It should also relate the results found in the data and analysis to the hypothesis.

 [cb3]Then explain the science behind your results.

 [cb4]Did anything go wrong, or do you realize you could have done something better?  Say so next.

 [cb5]State a future question to end your conclusion paragraph.

Quick Notes:

Progress reports went home today.  Also, grade printouts for sign and return went out for science classes (6th, 7th, and 8th), as well as for Spelling, English, and Religion.  Please check with your child to review these printouts.  Science 5 has not had a test since the last sign/return before Christmas.

I also sent home the rubric for the science fair project.  This gives the expectations for the project, with specifics on how to get a good grade.  Please review this.

By the way, please use glue or some other adhesive to put the board together.  I have been cut by staples on science fair boards in the past, please do not use staples.

Monday there is no school due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.

Thank you!

Mrs. Becerra

Upcoming important dates:

Friday, January 10: Minimum day (faculty meeting)
Friday, January 17: Second Trimester progress report sent home
Monday, January 20: No school- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Sunday, January 26: Catholic Schools Week begins. Please attend Mass at OLPH this day!
Monday, January 27: Science Fair presentations begin
Friday, January 31: Annual OLPH Walkathon
Wednesday, February 5: OLPH Science Fair (judging day)
Thursday, February 6: OLPH Science Fair Open House

Science Fair

Attention: if you are in any science field (medicine, engineering, teaching etc) you can judge for science fair!  Let me know if you would like to earn service hours on Wednesday, February 5 between 3:00pm and 6:00pm.  It's fun (really, it is) and dinner is provided.

Science Fair presentations begin Monday January 27.  Please check with your child for his/her assigned date.  If you need to check, the dates for all students (grades 5-8) are posted both inside my classroom and on the window next to the main door.

On the presentation day, each student needs to bring in a science fair board and a science fair report.  Both the board and the report contain the exact same items- the board is to present to the class and show for the judges, and the report is to go in their file.  I don't have space to store everyone's boards, this is why I require the report.

The board and report should contain the following items:

• background research
• question/problem
• hypothesis
• manipulated and responding variables
• materials list
• procedure
• data both in a table and a graph
• analysis
• conclusion- this may include a future research idea
• acknowledgements

The first six items were done in the first trimester.  Please remind your child that if I made changes or suggestions to their question, hypothesis, variables, materials list, or procedure that they should make those changes.

There are no more "due dates" other than the presentation date.  See the page on the blog titled "Science Fair Rubric" for details on how the project is graded.

Religion

OLPH School is working with the "Get On the Bus" program to minister to those in prison.  We are collecting various items to give to this program, which in turn puts together packs for children who are visiting parents in prison.  The fifth grade class needs to provide two boxes of Crayolas (8 or 16 count is fine) per child for this purpose.  We were collecting these before Christmas, but the boxes of Crayolas are due Friday, January 10.  I am counting this as an assignment grade in Religion (about 1% of the grade).

Fifth grade is organizing Mass for Thursday, January 23.  Remember families are always welcome to attend Mass with us.

Please also join OLPH parish at Mass on Sunday, January 26.  Students are encouraged to wear their Mass uniforms and be acknowledged with their families as we begin Catholic Schools Week.

Also remember to get pledges for Walkathon.  Each fifth grade student needs to bring in $100 minimum.  If your child brings in $200, he/she earns a trip to Knotts Berry Farm!!

Last reminders (for now): your child should be reading 20 minutes a day for homework and working toward the AR goals set for second trimester.  I will send another progress report on AR at the end of January.