It has been a busy and productive few weeks in English Language Arts! My students have been working diligently on spelling, vocabulary, Wordly Wise, reading, and even their first short essay of the year. I am so proud of the effort I am seeing from them each day!

We recently watched the Pixar short film Piper, which gave us a fun opportunity to practice our writing and comprehension skills. After watching the film, students were asked to explain two specific examples of how Piper overcame her fear of the ocean. This was a great first opportunity for students to practice supporting their ideas with specific details from a story rather than simply retelling what happened.

In Wordly Wise, we have been learning some new and bigger vocabulary words! The students have worked hard to understand definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and how to use these words in context. Overall, they did a great job on their Wordly Wise test, and I am very proud of the progress they are making.

We are also continuing to read our novels and dive deeper into character development, important events, and critical thinking. As we move further into our books, students are learning to look beyond what happens in a story and think about why characters make certain choices, how they change, and what lessons they can take away from the story.

Coming up, we will begin working on parts of speech, which will help strengthen our understanding of grammar and sentence structure.

Overall, I am very proud of my students and all the hard work they have been putting into ELA. I have also truly enjoyed getting to know them more personally and watching their individual personalities and strengths shine through in the classroom. It has been a wonderful start to the year!

Thank you, as always, for all that you do to support your students and their learning!

What a great start to the year! I want to take a moment to brag on my students because I am seeing progress all around! Each week, they learn, grow, and become more confident in their ELA skills, and it has been so fun to watch.

One area where we are making great strides is spelling. Each week, students learn new spelling words that challenge them to expand their vocabulary and strengthen their understanding of English. I love seeing them work hard and practice!

We have also officially started the Wordly Wise vocabulary curriculum, and your students are working hard to succeed with this new material. Wordly Wise is about so much more than simply memorizing definitions. Students are learning new vocabulary words, discovering their meanings, identifying synonyms and antonyms, and learning how to apply these words in real-life situations.

They also work with short reading passages to practice reading comprehension and critical thinking. After reading, students answer short-answer questions that require them to think carefully about what they have read and explain their answers. These are important skills that will keep growing throughout the year!

I am incredibly proud of the effort I am seeing from my students. They are learning to challenge themselves, work through difficult material, and keep going even when something doesn't come easily.

Our middle school English Language Arts students have had a busy and exciting start to the year! We’ve been building our writing skills through our “Dear Me” Letters, where students wrote thoughtful letters to their future selves. We’ve also been strengthening our understanding of sentence structure and working hard to become more confident spellers.

One of our biggest focuses has been spelling! Students have been learning strategies to tackle challenging words, recognize patterns, and become more careful and confident writers.

And now, the exciting part—we have officially started our first novels! Students are diving into new stories, meeting new characters, and making predictions.

It’s been a wonderful beginning to the year, and I can’t wait to see how much our students grow as readers, writers, and communicators!

By Susie Rogers, 5th-8th, ELA

As the school year winds down, the campus of St. James have been filled with more than just lessons and assignments; they have been filled with moments that remind us what makes our school so special.

We had the incredible opportunity to hear from Lee Sanders, author of Under the Light of Fireflies, where students were inspired by the writing process and his vision.

My homeroom class and I enjoyed lunch off-campus, where the conversations were filled with laughter, stories, and middle-school energy. Of course, we had to end it with a sweet Dairy Queen treat.

Adding to the excitement, my sweet and beloved eighth-grade girls decided to “flock” and toilet paper my yard in a late-night surprise attack— proof that some of the best memories come wrapped in a little harmless mischief!

This month also brought meaningful traditions such as the final eighth-grade chapel (and mine, as well,) which was a heartfelt time of reflection, gratitude, and tears.

And finally, we had the honor of recognizing this year’s National Junior Honor society inductees, celebrating students who exemplify scholarship, leadership, character, and service.

If this month proved anything, it is that St. James is not simply a place where students come to learn facts and take tests. It is a place were lifelong memories are made, friendships are strengthened, traditions are cherished, and students are shaped into remarkable young people. At St. James, education goes beyond academics; it is an experience, and what a remarkable one it has been.

By Susie Rogers, ELA, 5th-8th

After finishing Fever 1793, 6th grade students brought their understanding to life through a creative and meaningful project: the one-pager. This assignment challenged them to go beyond basic comprehension and truly think about the deeper meaning of the story. Each student carefully selected symbols that represented key ideas—resilience, fear, loss, and hope—and explained how those symbols connected to Matilda’s journey.

They also chose powerful quotations from the novel, highlighting moments that revealed character growth and the harsh realities of the yellow fever outbreak. To deepen their understanding students included the historical background of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793, connecting real events to the fictional narrative. A concise summary tied everything together, showing their grasp of both plot and theme.

The final products were colorful, organized, and thoughtfully designed which truly reflected their effort and creativity. Presenting their one-pagers to the class gave students the opportunity to share insights, build confidence, and appreciate the different perspectives of their peers. This project was not only artistic expression but also a powerful way to bring history and literature together in a meaningful,memorable way.