May 27, 2020
Dear Saint Paul School Community & Friends,

We are winding down the school year and have 13 school days until summer break!

Friday is a special day as we honor Mary and ask for her intercession in her special month. 
The May Crowning is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual held during the month of May. It is a solemn procession where at the close of the procession a statue of the Blessed Virgin is crowned with a garland or crown of flowers honoring Mary as “the Queen of May.” Traditionally our Grade 2 students wear their First Communion attire and lead us in prayer. It saddens me that this year, that honor will have to wait. 

Following the May Procession and Liturgy we will hold our annual field day, only this year a bit different, virtually. Many emails have gone home with directions and instructions to participate in activities. If you have not done so, please review and by now you should have heard from your Grade 8 leaders. 

The teachers and I are planning some fun virtual activities for the last week of school. Activities might include spirit days, dance party, karaoke, sing-along or talent show. If you have any ideas please email me! 

We just received word that there would not be surf lessons this summer. Please direct all questions to:
Northeast Surfing LLC.
Nantasket Beach, Hull, MA.
(617) 297-SURF (7873)

Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to your studies during this time of remote learning. Your teachers and I miss you very much and hope to see you in person soon!
Sincerely,
Principal
JOIN US THIS MAY

WEEKLY MASS

Please mark your calendars for the upcoming weekly school liturgies with Fr. Nestor. We would like to see 100% student participation and love to have parents join in as well. Attending liturgy is very important to our school community and brings us closer to God.

Friday, May 29 at 10:00 am to hold our annual May Procession
Friday, June 12 at 10:00 am  to celebrate our Closing Liturgy

Masses will be streamed via the Hingham Catholic Collaborative Facebook Site - links to their website and Facebook are below. When updates are announced about attending Mass at church

ROSARY CLUB

All Saint Paul School students and parents are invited to participate in the Rosary Club.

The Saint Paul School Rosary Club meets Monday at 9:00 am. Rosary Club schedule and log-in information can be found in today's morning message (subject: COVID-19 Update 4-29-2020) Students learn about not only the Holy Rosary and the prayers, but also the meaning of a heavenly mother and an advocate. Each week the club begins with a new mystery. 

Jun 1, 2020 09:00 AM - Joyful Mysteries
Jun 8, 2020 09:00 AM - Sorrowful Mysteries
Jun 15, 2020 09:00 AM - Glorious Mysteries
SCHOOL CALENDAR UPDATES

MAY

Week of May 26 – Parent ZOOM with Homeroom Teachers
27 GR 4 STATES FAIR / GR 5 FAMOUS REVOLUTIONARY AMERICAN Projects
29 MASS - May Procession @10a
FIELD DAY - starts at 12noon (no classes)

JUNE

2 CELEBRATION OF ARTS
NEW PARENT ORIENTATION (ZOOM) @ 6:30p
3 “MOVE UP DAY" for all grades - class times TBD
4 GRADE 8 RETREAT (9 - 11:30a)
12 CLOSING LITURGY @10
19 GRADUATION @ 6:00p at St. Paul Parish
IMPRESSIVE SCHOOLWORK: Grade 4
What a fascinating week in Fourth Grade as they share their impressive presentations for the annual SPS States Fair. Each student has completed research and is presenting his/her state poster project while in a costume reflective of the region.
It has been so interesting to learn from the students the "fun facts" they discovered during their research. While not a requirement this year, many students also made a "local food" to go along with their state presentation – lucky families!
Jack discovered Texas' motto is "friendship" because its name comes from the Caddo Tribe where Tejas means friendship.
Caroline shared research about California dressed in vintage Hollywood Glam!
Clara dressed up like cheese because Wisconsin is America’s dairy land.
Fun fact from CJ; The Statue of Liberty is green because of the hundreds of thin copper sheets that are on Lady Liberty. When oxygen comes into contact with copper it turns the penny color green
Lia shaerd why Idaho is considered
 "the Gem State."
Elizabeth did her state project on Louisiana (LA) which is known as the Pelican State. Recognized worldwide for its southern charm and beautiful plantations, this state has a population of just over 4.6 million with a motto of “Union Justice Confidence”. LA is most famous for its Mardi Gras parades and creole food, like the delicious bowl of red beans and rice Elizabeth is holding - a recipe from her New Orleans grandmother! The state capital is Baton Rouge where her Dad grew up and where she looks forward to visiting again soon! 
Max, dressed as Benjamin Franklin, learned that “PA“ was the second state to join the union, and is home to the Liberty Bell- which was rung at the first public reading of The Declaration of Independence after it was signed in 1776. Although born in Boston, Benjamin Franklin was an important part of Pennsylvania history, making many contributions including founding Philadelphia’s first fire department and The University of Pennsylvania.
Max is looking forward to someday visiting Hershey, PA, the “chocolate capital of the US!”
2020 FIELD DAY
FRIDAY, MAY 29th
getting ready....
Field Day is an important and FUN end of year tradition at our school!

It is a significant day for our students and our staff, and we feel that in these challenging times this event is a unique way that we can stay connected as a community and support one another in a fun and meaningful way.

During the Mondays in May, your family has received the link to a set of event cards that you can use to begin practicing.  HAVE FUN - Activity Pack #3 is below! 

GAMES START FRIDAY AT 12NOON!
We appreciate your cooperation and are hopeful that your entire family will use it as a fun and meaningful way to be physically active together and with our entire school community.
Beautiful days and bright sunshine should draw all of us outside to play.
Stay safe . Protect your skin and hydrate . Have fun this Field Day! 
"SPECIAL TREATS" WITH MRS. KNOBLOCH
BIRTHDAY PARTY MUG CAKE

INGREDIENT:

CAKE
2 tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
1  large egg
2 tablespoons sugar 
1 tablespoon 2% or whole milk 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/4 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon decorator sprinkles
 
TOPPING
Vanilla ice cream  or  whipped cream, as desired 
 
HOW TO MAKE:
STEP 1: Place butter into 12-ounce coffee mug; microwave 30-45 seconds or until melted. Add all remaining cake ingredients  except  sprinkles; mix well with fork. Stir in sprinkles.

STEP 2: Microwave 45-60 seconds or until cake pulls away from sides and top is dry. (Do not overcook.) Cool 1 minute. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, as desired.

Serve warm.
ONE MORE FUN IDEA:
To give as a birthday gift, combine all dry ingredients in mug.
Place mug in plastic gift bag; tie with ribbon.
Attach birthday candle and directions to make cake.
HOME LEARNING RESOURCES
shared by guidance counsellor: Mrs. Donna Brown

Sharing a great resource from the
New England Aquarium Teacher Resource Center

Practicing Collecting and Analyzing Data
Virtual learning presents opportunities to build science skills, such as collecting and analyzing data. The activities and resources below will keep your learners — and even the whole family — engaged!

Resources and Activities for At-Home Learning
Our doors are temporarily closed, but we’re still here! Join us for new Virtual Visits highlighting our animals and how our staff cares for them behind the scenes. Check out our  Virtual Visits webpage  or catch our daily 11 a.m. presentations on  Facebook   to help build science skills in your learners. To help you get started, we will highlight different videos matched with an activity to use during distance learning!

Hone in on your data collection skills by observing our African Penguins on our newly released webcam! To understand animal behavior, scientists use ethograms to collect and analyze different behaviors. You can have your learners practice doing scientific observations, too. 

Activity:   Either print out a copy of the  penguin behavior ethogram  (for grades 3 and up) or  penguin behavior bingo card  (for grades K and up). If you do not have access to a printer, you can make your own chart. Put the behaviors on the Y-axis and track time on the X-axis, and then create a grid to track the behaviors. Your learners will also need a stopwatch, clock, or phone to track time, and a pencil or pen to record their data. Have your learners start watching the  penguin live feed  and choose one penguin to observe. They should mark the number of times they see their penguin do each behavior during each minute. For an additional challenge, have your learners create a graph to show the number of times their penguin did each behavior.   

Discussion Questions:   What were some of the most common behaviors you observed? What conclusions can you draw from your observations? Do you think it is important for scientists to compare many data sets to make a conclusion? 

Research Scientist Philip Hamilton from the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium shares how he has been tracking and cataloging North Atlantic Right Whales since 1986, as well as how to identify right whales. This activity helps you better understand how he collects and analyzes data on the North Atlantic Right Whale, and gives you an opportunity to do the same.  

Activity:  Ever wonder what it is like to be a field biologist? You can try it out by using the North Atlantic Right Whale catalog and identifying individual right whales based on their natural markings. Once your learners have watched the  video  of Research Scientist Philip Hamilton explaining how he identifies right whales and gathers data for the catalog, have them use the  North Atlantic Whale Matching Exercise  to analyze the data collected and see if they can identify the correct right whale.   (For grades 6-12)  

Discussion Questions:   What did you find surprising about how right whales are identified? Why do you think it is important to collect information about right whales? 

Ever wonder how many fish are in the Giant Ocean Tank, or how New England Aquarium staff collects data to answer this question? By taking a census! Aquarists will use a couple methods to count every single species at the New England Aquarium, including taking a snapshot, timed observations, or simple counts. Doing a census helps us best care for all the animals at the Aquarium.
 
Activity :  Using the  Giant Ocean Tank webcam , have your learners fill out the  Giant Ocean Tank Census worksheet  using one, or all, of the census methods. Either pause the video, do a count as the species swim by, or look for large animals like the turtles or barracuda. For full activity write-up, you can find it  HERE . (For grades 3 and up)

Discussion Questions:  Why do you think it is important to take a census? Where else is census data used.

Tips for Distance Learning

Science notebooks are a great way for your learners to capture their observations, analyze their data, and make meaning. This guide gives information and links to recommended resources to have your learners continue to use scientific notebooks during distance learning.  
ONLINE LEARNING
Saint Paul School teachers are creating videos that inspire discovery and creativity for our school community and friends.
AT HOME ART WITH MRS. BRUNO


Mrs. Jackie Bruno, our Art Instructor, encourages every SPS student to use their creative talents with items you can find easily in our home.
ZOOM ART CLASSES
Our students are creating spectacular projects!

SPS Parents will see noted under ART in the LMS that Zoom (live) art classes have begun.
Please join Mrs. Bruno for this opportunity.

Also noted is all log-in information and a listing of the art supplies to have prepared prior to the start of class.


Tuesday 10-10:30a: Preschool - Kindergarten
Wednes day 1-1:30p : Grade 6-8
Thursday 10-10:30a : Grade 1-5
PRINCIPAL'S CHALLENGE #3
During this time away from school, it is important for all of us to balance our body and mind. Principal Fasano has "switched it up" a bit this month and is challenging our students to take a break from their learning and see how creative you can be based on this "National Day" calendar.
(click image for PDF)
ADMISSIONS UPDATE

NEW FAMILIES ~ WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US

TUESDAY, JUNE 2nd
at 6:30pm
PARENTS OF ALL NEW STUDENTS
ORIENTATION
This will occur via a ZOOM call
(details will be re-sent on June 1st in email).
Contact Jean Schnorr if log in needed)

We look forward to sharing helpful summer updates, start of school year information, the 2020-21 school calendar, and guidance about uniform ordering and more with the parents of new students (ALL new and current families with new students welcome) .

********
Saint Paul School continues to process applications, render admissions decisions and respond to any inquiries. We welcome you to contact us with interest and any inquiries by calling Jean Schnorr, Director of Enrollment, on her cell at 617.416.4934 or at  jschnorr@spshingham.org
LEARNING IS FUN!
Keep sharing these great ideas and images of our students and families 
making the most of learning opportunities at home! 
Send a special friend a letter!
Learn to bike on two wheels!
Practice writing your name!
For more resources, ideas and school updates from Saint Paul School, watch us on: