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On March 12th to celebrate Pi weekend and Math in general; mathematician and author Greg Tang zoomed into classrooms at South Boston Catholic Academy, K2 - 6, to teach interactive, engaging math lessons. Students in Kindergarten and Grade 1 participated in an interactive addition and subtraction lesson. Grades 2 and 3 examined multiplication as repeated addition; while Grades 4 and 5 explored fractions and their decimal equivalents. Mr. Tang writes math books explaining concepts with poetry. Math enrichment using rhyming language is extended into April; as students celebrate poetry month, by creating their own poetry text. Quoting Albert Einstein, German Theoretical Physicist…. "Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas." A special Thank you to Mr. Greg Tang for teaching these very interactive and engaging math lessons to our students and to Mrs. Moriarty for coordinating this special Logistics for Math Enrichment Program for the students at South Boston Catholic Academy! New families are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

From Ms. Gibbs, our Teacher in Grade 4A… Just like the students in grade 4B did with their Build a Wigwam Challenge, the students in 4A at SBCA have been learning about the people and land of the Northeast region of the United States during our social studies time. To make the experience more interactive, students worked in small groups to create models of wigwams, the homes that the Narragansett group of Native Americans lived in. Students were provided pipe cleaners, twine, tape, playdough, and Popsicle sticks to work with and then were sent to work. The students were not given any instructions on how they should build the wigwams to add an extra challenge and creative element. The projects turned out great, and this was a fun way to combine social studies and science in our classroom! Fantastic job building your Wigwams grade 4A! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

From Ms. Hoisl, the 6th Grader Teacher…Sixth Grade decided to give back this Easter. We wanted to participate in something larger than our class so we decided to make 27 Easter baskets for Saint Monica's Parish. We had some of the supplies donated by my parents and then the rest supplied by the children's parents. We will deliver them to Saint Monica's in hopes that they have an amazing Easter this year. All of us at South Boston Catholic Academy wish everyone a Blessed and Happy Easter! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

On March 17, 2021, the students at South Boston Catholic Academy had a chance to celebrate a very special St. Patrick’s Day filled with leprechaun hunts, Irish step dancing, and lots of green! The children learned about St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and of the Archdiocese of Boston. He is credited with bringing Christianity to the people of Ireland. St. Patrick had a great love for God and taught about the great love that God has for all of us. We hope that everyone had a Happy St. Patrick’s Day! “Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!” is Gaelic for “St. Patrick's Day blessings to you!” New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

From our 1C Teacher, Ms. Gannon…As part of Reading Across America Week and celebrating Dr. Seuss’s 117 Birthday on Tuesday, March 2, we read many Dr. Seuss books as a class. The students also brought in their favorite books from home and were able to partner read and share their favorite parts of the book with each other! Lastly, we colored in pictures of Dr. Seuss and completed a word search all about Dr. Seuss. It was a great day! It was nice to see that 1C, along with the students in Ms. McCarthy’s 1A and Ms. Byrne’s 1B class, as well as, students in the other grades all had a chance to take part in this Read Across America Week project. From our K2C Teacher, Ms. Bourdon…In honor of Dr. Seuss and Read Across America month, K2 has been collecting videos from friends and family who live across the country. Family and friends have been reading their favorite books, and students have been coloring in the corresponding state. The goal is to have a representative from all 50 states! Quotes from some famous authors…“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” and “You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax all you need is a book!”— Dr. Seuss, “There are many little ways to enlarge your world. Love of books is the best of all.” – Jacqueline Kennedy and “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” – Margaret Fuller… Happy reading everyone! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

Congratulations to Ned Kiely, Grade 6, South Boston Catholic Academy’s 2021 Spelling Bee Champion! Ned broke a tie for champion with 5th grader Sean Costello and spelled his way to a win. Six classroom champions in grades 3-6 participated in the annual school event. The other SBCA spellers who competed in the Spelling Bee are – Summer Maki, grade 3, Maddison Parthum, grade 4A, Marielle Nicholas, grade 4B, and Thomas Brooks, grade 5B. The winner, Ned, will move ahead to a local Boston Spelling Bee to be held on March 20. Using a hybrid spelling bee format, the spellers, who were competing in a separate space in the school, were cheered on remotely by their classmates who zoomed in to the competition from their classrooms. Shout out to all our wonderful students in grades 3 through 6 for doing such a fantastic job in this year’s Annual South Boston Catholic Academy Spell Bee! Special Thank you to Mrs. Evan’s for coordinating this school Spelling Bee. All of us at SBCA wish Ned that Very Best of Luck at this year’s Boston Spelling Bee Competition. New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

The students in Ms. Smith's 5B grade class celebrated Black History Month by researching African American heroes, whose legacy still impacts the world today. The 5B historian’s researched hero’s like Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Maya Angelou and created banners in their honor. We ended this unit with each student presenting his or her hero. We had fun and learned a lot. God Bless America!!!! During Black History Month students in Ms. Szmurlo’s Art Class, have been studying artists such as Alma Woodsey Thomas, Faith Ringgold and even Jean-Michel Basquiat. They have learned about their impact on Art history as well as African American history. In third grade, students learned about Alma Thomas and how she used abstract painting techniques to create concentric circles. Fifth and Sixth grade learned about Faith Ringgold and how she uses paint and sewing techniques to create memory quilts about her life and ancestry. Students created based on those artists, while still creating their own meaningful work of art. This year South Boston Catholic Academy students in Ms. Tynan’s Music class are proudly honoring the lives of Black musicians of present and past. Starting with our youngest friends in Kindergarten through 6th grade, we are exploring the lives of black musicians and their contribution to musical history. Where would jazz be without Louis Armstrong? Or opera be without the early voice of Marion Anderson? In Kindergarten students have learned biographical songs, set to American folk tunes, like a song about Louis Armstrong set to the tune of When the Saints Come Marching In (one of his biggest hits). We also are exploring the lives of less famous artists such as Melba Liston, a contemporary of Armstrong, who was the first female trombone player to be allowed to play on the bandstand. In sixth grade we read "When Marion Sang", describing the amazing life of Marion Anderson. Anderson was a famous opera singer who fought to be heard in the United States, and eventually convinced Eleanor Roosevelt to help her overcome the racial bias in the opera world. With Roosevelt's help she was invited to sing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of thousands. Sixth grade has also discussed the lives of various black composers and modern artists. The gift of music is one of the many wonderful gifts God has given to us all! Some of our other February highlights include…Celebrating our 100th Day of school and February Vacation Camp…The students that attended camp during our February vacation had a terrific time making Musical Rain Sticks, making crafts, playing fun games in the gym and much more. Ms. Reh’s 2B students have been working so hard on their biographies for Black History Month that she wanted to celebrate their hard work. On February 25, Ms. Reh took her students on a field trip to M Street Beach. As you can see from their photo, a good time was had by all! On February 26, the 3rd grades students in Mr. Stautberg’s class, the student's in 5A in Ms. Worthen’s class and Ms. Hosil’s grade 6 students also got a nice treat by going out to M Street Park to enjoy the great weather after a week of hard work. What a great way to end the month of February and welcome the month of March! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

From Mrs. Dawson, our Grade 4B Teacher…This month was a busy month in 4B and one of the many classroom activities our students did was to create Wigwams as part of our study of the Northeast region of our country. We studied the people and historical events that have contributed to the development of the Northeastern region of the US. The students did a great job on their Student Lab Sheet: Build a Wigwam Challenge. The students enjoyed this hands-on classroom project and working as a team. They found that building a Wigwam can be interesting and fun, as well as, educational. A fantastic job with your Wigwams, Grade 4B! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

The students at South Boston Catholic Academy celebrated St. Valentine’s Day last week! They made and gave their families, classmates and teachers St. Valentine’s Day cards. They handed out their Valentine’s Day cards to their classmates and teachers during their St. Valentine’s Day party in their classrooms before heading off for February vacation. Our Student Council members and students in Art Class, also, made special St. Valentine’s Day cards for our dear friends at Marion Manor. We hope that everyone had a Happy St. Valentine 's Day! Esperamos que todos tengan un Día Feliz de San Valentín! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy. Re-enrollment is due for the 2021-2022 School Year by Friday, March 5th. New Applicants: If you know a prospective family, encourage them to e-mail Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more. If you are interested in applying a sibling for 2021, you can do so in your parent portal, or by using the following link: APPLY NOW! Sibling applications due by March 5th.

The Theme: Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service. The week of February 1, 2021 was an exciting week for us! Students at South Boston Catholic Academy celebrated Catholic Schools Week. Monday, February 1, marked the Feast Day of St. Brigid of Ireland and the beginning of Catholic Schools Week. Father Casey, our Pastor, celebrated the Mass on the Catholic TV network. Also at this Mass with Father Casey were our Principal, Dr. Helenann Civian and Mrs. Denise Moriarty who did the readings at this Mass. Each day, at school, we start with a Morning Prayer. This week Grade 6 led us in special prayers reflecting the daily theme for Catholic Schools Week. In celebration of Catholic Schools Week, we also had a: Spelling Bee - Grades 3 - 6 hosted classroom Spelling Bees. As always, we continue to promote 'being kind', this week students seen being extra kind, received a special 'Bee' Sticker! Students wrote Thank you cards to their parents for sending them to our school. We had Teacher/Staff Appreciation Day and the teachers were treated to a special lunch! On Friday, it was Student Appreciation Day and it was Crazy Hair/Hat Day and many came styled to impress! Our Principal, Dr. Civian, treated the whole school to a ‘Pizza Lunch’! These are just some of the special and fun things we did during this very special week. A Big Thank you to all our wonderful Parents/Families/Friends, members of our Home and School, to our Principal, Dr. Civian, Faculty and Staff and our Pastor, Father Casey, for all their understanding, encouragement, assistance and support especially during this very different school year. Thank you and God Bless you all for helping to make this 2020-2021 school year possible for all the students at South Boston Catholic Academy! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

From our Grade 4A Teacher, Ms. Caitlin Gibbs…The students in 4A have adapted so well to all of the changes they have had to face this year, and we are all happy that we have the opportunity to be together every day! In science, we have been talking about minerals and rocks. To help our understanding of the rock cycle, we did a fun hands-on project where starbursts represented rocks and we used heat and pressure to change the starbursts into metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks! The students have been enjoying reading Shiloh during reading class and making connections between it and the book, Because of Winn-Dixie that we read earlier this year! In social studies, students worked hard on identifying the states in the Northeast and some of its special landforms! We have also been working hard on our multiplication skills in math. We are looking forward to the rest of the school year learning, laughing, and growing together. New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

From our 3rd Grade Teacher, Mr. Cole Stautberg… The 3rd Graders had a chance to utilize our outdoor space in the school yard (even in January). The students had a chance to engage in such a fun, educational science lesson. The students are learning about motion, which is the process of an object moving or being moved. The 3rd graders are learning that motion that repeats is said to occur in a pattern. We can observe patterns of motion to make predictions about how things will move in the future. The force that slows down moving objects is called friction. The 3rd graders are loving the hands-on learning! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

We can change the world together! The students of South Boston Catholic Academy celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday. K1 students celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by reflecting on how they could make the world a better place after reading stories about him. Students first created an earth by using blue and green ink. Next, they were asked what they could do to make the world a better place. They wrote their responses on a hand. Some of these responses included “Make people feel better”, “Be nice and kind”, “Wear my mask to help stop the Coronavirus” and “Say Thank You.” In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, our Art Teacher, Ms. Valerie Szmurlo, read the book “Martin’s Big Words” by Doreen Rappaport, in Art Class and created a guided portrait of Dr. King Jr. Students were able to talk about the importance of treating people with respect no matter what they look like and how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed our world for the better. In K0 Art Class, we read the book "Have I Ever Told You?" by Shani M. King and talked about how to be kind and how to respect everyone. Students then traced their hands so their thumb and pointer finger made a heart. They were encouraged to color the hands however they wanted using patterns. To honor the tremendous lifetime of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., our Music Teacher, Ms. Eleanor Tynan, helped students in 2nd grade Music learn a song about his “I have a dream speech”. After learning the song, students used words from the speech to compose a musical rhythm! What creative rhythms they came up with, too! Teachers, also, read several wonderful books about Dr. King, in their classrooms, books such as: Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo; Meet Martin Luther King, Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore; “If you Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King” by Ellen Levine and “Martin’s Big Words…The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” by Doreen Rappaport to their students. Grade 1 students learned about MLK leading peaceful protests. In class, students discussed many inspirational quotes by Dr. King, Jr. some of which are: “Love is the key to the problems of the world.” “The time is always right to do what is right;” “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that;” and “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” Thank you and God Bless you, Dr. King for making the world a better place for everyone! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

From our Spanish Teacher, Ms. Taylor Avery…¡Bienvenido! Welcome to our Spanish class at South Boston Catholic Academy! We have had fun incorporating the Spanish language and culture into our classes. In December, we celebrated Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe, Feast Day December 12th), the day when Mother Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a farmer in Mexico, in the year 1531 and gave hope to the people of Mexico! Our Lady gave flowers to Juan Diego as a sign that she truly appeared, and our kindergartners and first graders made their own flowers that we put on our bulletin board (as shown in the picture). Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us! Most recently, we celebrated El Día de los Reyes Magos (Three King’s Day, January 6th) when the three wise men brought gifts to baby Jesus. This day is important in Spanish- speaking countries as many of our friends receive gifts on this day and leave out dulces (candies) for the three kings and heno (hay) for the camels, similar to leaving cookies and milk and carrots for Santa and his reindeer! The older classes (3rd-6th) have been working on a project “Planning a Trip to a Spanish Speaking Country” on the Chromebooks (as shown in the pictures). They chose one of the 22 Spanish speaking countries in the world and researched basic information about the country and sites they want to visit. We have enjoyed learning basic vocabulary in all grades and are looking forward to speaking, listening, singing, and writing more in Spanish in the months to come. ¡Gracias por leer! Thanks for reading! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

From our Art Teacher, Ms. Valerie Szmurlo…Even though this school year looks a little different, it has not stopped students from being their most creative! In fourth grade, we read the book “The Color of Us” and talked about how we can make our cartoon portraits look like ourselves. Students explored how to create skin tones and focus on defining features (eye color, freckles, glasses, etc.). The second grade students created a pumpkin patch showing foreground, middle ground and background using paper and model magic. They even got spooky with witches and ghosts. K1, students learned about International Dot Day by reading the book “The Dot”. Students learned that no matter what their skills are, they can create their own masterpiece. They learned how to place and overlap paper circles to create their own dot art. In fifth grade we did a Nutcracker lesson where we talked about nutcrackers, their significance and finally how to draw them. The sixth grade, students learned how to draw realistic self-portraits by using correct proportions and also defining facial features. Third grade learned how to create hot chocolate mugs showing warm colors for the background and cool colors for the foreground. I can’t wait to see what else my South Boston Catholic Academy students create in 2021! New applicants are welcomed to email Mrs. Jamie Brown at j.brown@sbcatholicacademy.org to learn more about South Boston Catholic Academy.

Merry Christmas to all! From our Principal, Dr. Helenann Civian…This year we can all use some extra holiday cheer so the South Boston Catholic Academy Student Council hosted our first Holiday Spirit Week that began on Monday, December 14. The Student Council members decorated the hallways hoping to spread holiday cheer to all who are near! The students, faculty and staff dressed up to match the theme of the day! We started each day of the week with a Morning Sprite Week Sing-along led by our Music Teacher, Ms. Tynan and some of the Student Council Members. The Student Council, also, raised funds, with raffles, to be able to supply party favors to help all the students have a Christmas Party in their classrooms. On Monday, December 14, 2020, the theme was to come to school dressed in your coziest Christmas/Holiday jammies! Three of our Student Council Members in the 4th grade, started our Morning Spirit Week Sing-along off by singing: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells. On Tuesday, December 15, 2020, the theme was to come dressed to school as either Santa, his elves, reindeer, or any other Santa related character. Four of the Student Council Members in the 2nd grade, started our Morning Spirit Week Sing-along off by singing: Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. On Wednesday, December 16, 2020, the theme was: Dreaming of a White Christmas and we came dressed up in blues and whites to look like snowflakes. Some of the Student Council Members in the 4th grade, started our Morning Spirit Week Sing-along off by singing Winter Wonderland. We had a school Mass, our Parochial Vicar, Father Christopher Boyle, was the presider and the 6th Grade class did a great job participating at this Mass while the rest of the students and faculty were able to watch this Mass in their classrooms that was livestreamed on the Parish Website. The 6th Graders also did a fantastic job taking part in this year’s Christmas Pageant. They were able to record their Christmas Pageant, celebrating Jesus’ Birthday, so that the rest of the students were able to see this Christmas Pageant on their Smart Boards in their classrooms. Since, Thursday, December 17 and 18, 2020, were snow days, we celebrated the traditional Ugly Sweater Day on Monday, December 21 and on the 22 we all took part in a Christmas Prayer Service. A Big Shout Out to our Student Council Members, Class Representatives and to Ms. Eleanor Tynan for her guidance with this year’s Student Council and to Ms. Sarah Hoisl and her wonderful 6th Graders, to Mrs. Denise Moriarty, our Director of Curriculum and Instruction and to all our wonderful families, faculty and staff who worked so hard to make this past school week extra special for all the students at South Boston Catholic Academy. From all of us at South Boston Catholic Academy, we are all looking forward to Celebrating Jesus’ Birthday on Christmas Day, December 25, 2020 and we wish everyone a Blessed and Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

From our 6th Grade Teacher, Ms. Sarah Hoisl…The theme of the Grade 6 Enchanted Village is old fashioned. Each of the students picked a building that would be set up in an olden day village to make. This was however a very extensive project in math. They had to find the area of the front of the building, the volume of the building, the perimeter, along with hiring a painter and find the total amount of money to pay the painter. Then finally, they had to create an addition to the house and find the area of that. They did a phenomenal job. They did a number of different buildings from a firehouse, to a police station, candy shop, church, school, etc. To make it even more fun for the children, we also created a Scavenger Hunt for the students to go through the village and complete a sheet with 21 questions to note what they found. Some of the questions were… What is in the window of the firehouse? In what shop is there a Christmas tree in the window? What is your favorite building? Each class took turns visiting this Enchanted Village and were very excited to see for themselves this special class project made by the 6th graders. Shout out to all of our 6th graders and their teacher, Ms. Hoisl! All of us at South Boston Catholic Academy would like to take this time to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!

From our 3r Grade Teacher, Mr. Cole Stautberg…Recently, in 3rd grade, students have been learning about the indigenous populations that lived in this region prior to Europeans arriving in the early 17th century. They have specifically studied the Wampanoag tribe and their way of life. Students have explored the culture, the survival skills, and the crafting skills that the Wampanoags needed in order to prosper in the region. The class thoroughly enjoyed molding pinch pots and painting them with patterns and petroglyphs--a small glimpse of what one chore might have been for a citizen of the Wampanoag tribe. They have also learned some of the games that Wampanoag children would play not only to have fun, but to also practice necessary life skills, such as hunting. The 3rd grade class has also been observing the Advent season. Each week, students have "lit a new flame" in their Advent Wreath. As each week begins, students have been discussing what Hope, Love, Peace, and Joy mean to them. They are critically thinking about how they already do employ those values into their lives, and how they can allow them to have a stronger presence in their everyday actions. Students have seemed to enjoy expanding their worldview and learning about spreading light to all those who may find themselves in darkness during this difficult time in our world. On Wednesday, December 10, 2020, we had a school Mass and the 3rd grade class did a great job participating at this Mass. While the 3rd graders and their teacher were at church, the rest of the students and faculty were able to watch this Mass livestreamed on the Parish Website in their own individual classrooms.

SBCA will be closed on 12/17/20 due to the pending Snow Storm. Be Safe

From our Music Teacher, Ms. Eleanor Tynan…This year we are focusing on the fundamentals of music, and emphasizing the "fun"! During this year of challenges, the students are exceeding expectations and showing great resilience in the face of so much change. As the older students study music history and famous composers, fourth grade works on building their ukulele skills and creating their own books of chords, with which they will write songs later in the year. K1 is working on developing our sense of pitch by playing with various silly songs, folk songs, and sliding scales. Our lovely Kindergarten students are studying American and international folk songs, while learning to play simple songs on the xylophone, and identify high and low pitches within a song! They love playing the high low game, where they get to jump up and fall to the ground to demonstrate low noises and high sounds. In first and second grade we are working on learning our rhythms! They impress with their ability to internalize a beat, and write their own rhythmic patterns. For a fun change of pace they used their musical notes to create silly pumpkin faces, as seen here. Overall, the children of South Boston Catholic Academy are showing me every day that music and joy cannot be thwarted by quarantines, or pandemics. Their sense of play abounds, and I am blessed to help guide them in their musical journey.