News - October 2020

Article and photos by Ms. Peggy Byrne’s our Grade 1B teacher…The children in Grade 1B watched a video and listened to a story called-The Lego Ocean Mystery! It was a story about a container of Legos that ended up falling off a ship and opening so all the Legos ended up floating in the ocean. It was more than 21 years ago!! Lego pieces are still being found today all over the world! The children did some brainstorming... They pretended to find some of THOSE Legos! Their Stem Challenge was to think of what to build and see how high it could go without falling! The children realized that it all depended on a strong foundation! They wrote where they found them and what they made. Grade 1B students, also, surprised Dr. Civian, our Principal, by making handmade cards for her, in honor of Boss’s Day, thanking her for all that she does for us at South Boston Catholic Academy. One of the students wrote: “Good Afternoon, Mrs. Civian, We love you so much for being our Principal.” Students that are celebrating their Fall birthdays have been sharing all of the various activities they’ve enjoyed including pumpkin carving and apple picking.

South Boston Catholic Academy students practiced Fire Safety Week with their first fire drill of the year. Dr. Civian, our Principal, was very impressed with how efficient and cooperative South Boston Catholic Academy’s students were. Students continued to learn about Fire Safety throughout the week and even got the chance to thank South Boston's Local Firefighters. K2 students made cards to say thank you to our firefighters for keeping us safe. A few students were kind enough to hand-deliver their cards to the South Boston Fire Station. We are so thankful for our local heroes and for our incredible students who continue to support our community!

From Ms. Michaela Johnson…K1-C students are off to a fantastic start this school year at South Boston Catholic Academy! They have done a wonderful job adjusting to new routines and precautions in order to maintain a safe and fun learning environment. It has been a very busy few weeks in K1-C! We start our day with a morning meeting, a read aloud, and a question of the day. This is a great way to learn more about our classmates. We have started our OWL (Opening the World of Learning) curriculum which emphasizes the importance of hands on, center based learning. Play dough, water play, apple printing with paint, name writing, sand, blocks, and dramatic play are some of the centers we have been working on so far. Recently, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and had recess and a picnic lunch at the park!

 From our Gr. 1C Teacher, Ms. Caroline Gannon…Although things are different this school year, as a class we are working together to learn in creative and innovative ways. Twelve students are able to sit on the rug, while other students pull up their chair to join the class. Students keep a 3 feet distance at all times and it is nice to be able to sit in another area than their desks. During the morning meeting, I read a morning message to the students. The students are then able to circle sight words, two-syllable words, high frequency words, and proper nouns. Because we can’t share the same writing utensil, the students are able to use their personal crayons/markers. This allows the students to still be involved in activities. The students also have jobs to help me in the classroom that follow CDC guidelines. This allows students to have different responsibilities in the classroom by helping me and their classmates. During math, students use their own expo markers to come up to the board and solve problems and write equations. We have read many books as a class thus far. We are starting our second Junie B. Jones chapter book this week! It is great having students involved in discussions about the text and working together to learn.  We are all looking forward to having a great year in Grade 1C here at South Boston Catholic Academy!

"It was wonderful to see one of my former kindergarten students, Katelyn Coe. I was touched that she still remembered me after all these years. It is a tremendous privilege to get a chance to see former students after they left school and have all grown up. I am so proud of her success as a Boston Police Officer. It is great to see her giving back to the South Boston community.”   “It is also incredible to see Miss Caroline Gannon back as a teacher where her school career began. She was a strong kindergarten student, kind, fair, and compassionate, and I see those same qualities as an adult working with her class.”  “As a kindergarten teacher, it is fantastic to watch the tremendous growth your students do throughout the year socially, emotionally, developmentally, and academically.  As they grow and leave school, you hope they continue to wonder and learn as they find their place in the world.  I am so proud to see Caroline went into education.  I know she will be a successful teacher and make a positive difference in many children's lives.”   From Miss Jean McCarthy, our Grade 1A Teacher at South Boston Catholic Academy…"What a thrill it was for me to see my former student Katelyn Coe.  Twenty years ago, she sat in my first-grade class.  Katelyn, I am so proud of the strong woman you have become.  Thank you for your hard work and honorable dedication to our community Officer Coe."   “As a teacher of many years, never did I think that one day I would be teaching with a former student, let alone as my first-grade colleague.  Miss Gannon brings passion, knowledge, hard work, and talent to South Boston Catholic Academy.  The first graders in her class are so fortunate to have a teacher who possesses these outstanding qualities.  I look forward to many years of collaborating with Miss Gannon.    Teaching is an awesome journey!” What it means to be a teacher… “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” by Albert Einstein “Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” by Rita Pierson "A teacher affects eternity; no one can tell where his/her influence stops." by Henry Adams “The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.” by Mark Van Doren “Good teachers know how to bring out the best in students.” by Charles Kuralt