Crusaders, welcome to week’s memo! This week, Cathi Bolton (Fourth Grade ELA and Religion teacher), takes the spotlight to share the amazing highlights, events, and learning happening across Holy Cross and inside our classroom.
This week, our school joined all other Catholic schools across the country in celebrating National Vocation Awareness Week. This annual week-long celebration was dedicated to promoting vocations to ordained ministry and consecrated life through prayer, education, and community support. It encourages Catholics to pray for those discerning a vocation and to support young people in responding generously to God’s call. Please continue as a faith community in helping us pray the Prayer for Vocations:
God our Father, we thank you for calling men and women to serve in your Son’s Kingdom as priests, deacons, and consecrated persons. Send your Holy Spirit to help others to respond generously and courageously to your call. May our community of faith support vocations of sacrificial love in our youth and young adults. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
On Monday and Thursday, our first-grade students had an exciting and educational field trip to Old Odessa, where they stepped back in time to experience what life was like in the 18th century! Through interactive, hands-on workshops, students connected their classroom learning to history while participating in age-appropriate activities aligned with Delaware State Standards and national Common Core Standards. During the “School Days” session, students experienced a colonial classroom lesson using quill pens and ink. At “The Wilson Store,” they stepped into the role of colonial citizens and explored what shopping was like in a traditional dry goods store. Through the “Children: Chores and Leisure” session, students learned about the daily lives of working-class children by participating in chores, playing colonial games, and creating their own historic toys. Finally, during “Artisan Apprentice,” students learned about the work of an apprentice in William Corbit’s tannery, signed a contract, and created their own leather backpack tags to take home. This memorable experience brought history to life and gave our students a wonderful opportunity to learn through exploration, creativity, and hands-on discovery!
On Wednesday, our students enjoyed a nice mid-week break from school as our teachers traveled to St. Mark’s School to join the other diocesan school teachers for our Fall Professional Development Day. We began the day with an enlightening presentation from our keynote speaker, Dr. Cheeseman, President and CEO of the National Catholic Educational Association. His presentation “Building Bridges of Hope” is both a call to action and a vision for Catholic school leaders to work together, inspire hope, and strengthen the future of Catholic education through partnership, faith, and community. Following this, teachers attended various break-out sessions which were centered on three major areas: AI, student engagement/differentiation, and the well-being of students/staff. It was a rewarding opportunity to allow the faculty to grow in our ministry so that we may afford students to do the same.
It was a week full of learning in fourth grade where our students began a unit on multiplication by reviewing our multiplication facts, and then moved onto multiplying tens, hundreds, and thousands. This is an important life skill that we will continue to practice and build upon. In Religion, in addition to learning about vocations in the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life, we also learned that we worship God through prayer, most especially the Eucharist, and through service. In Reading, our fourth graders began an expository text in which we read about animal adaptations. This paired nicely with our lessons in Science in which we observed how plants respond to changes in the environment. What a beautiful way to witness a little part of God’s intricate beauty in creation and the fact that He has a plan for everything. In Social Studies, our fourth graders learned about Election Day, the day when Americans elect federal, state, and local officials. They focused on understanding that voting is a means of allowing our country’s citizens the privilege to help shape our government leadership. God Bless America!
Looking ahead to next week, Monday will be picture re-take day, as well as the Military Kids Club meeting that afternoon. We will celebrate Veteran’s Day on Wednesday with a special assembly, and the Home and School Association will offer ice cream to be purchased for $1.00 during lunch. On Thursday, students will have a dress down day with a $1.00 donation to the National Junior Art Honor Society.
As we move through the rest of this season, we remain grateful for the many blessings God has bestowed upon our Holy Cross family. Thank you for following along with our school and supporting us. May God’s abundant blessings be upon you all!
God Bless,
Mrs. Bolton, 4th Grade Teacher
Mrs. O’Mara, Principal
