Students researched their piñata of choice and gathered all materials to create their piñata. This process takes several weeks of hands on learning, problem solving, and of course using their imagination. They will present their projects in November to their parents with a delicious meal from the Mexican culture.

Students working on piñatas with Mrs. Denise and Mrs. Perri. Check back in November for our finished projects!

"Friday Fun: Fourth Graders’ Favorite Library Adventures!"📚

"Friday Recess Fun: The Best Part of the Week for Fourth Graders!"

The new school year has started and we have some excited fourth graders. We have spent the week getting to know some new faces at St. James and learning all about our class rules and procedures. This week has been super fun and ended with a matter experiment…Root Beer Floats Matter!

Root Beer Floats Matter!!

Solid-Liquid-Gas🧑‍🔬

Giving back to the community is an important part of our St. James culture. This year fourth graders planted flowers and helped beautify the outdoor patio area of Windsor Cottage, an assisted living facility. Our students also provided entertainment and were welcomed with many smiles.

Students discovered facts about each of the planets and created their own projects in class. Each student had a partner and learned how to share responsibilities to create their own display board. The groups had to make a model to go along with their display and present it to different groups of parents and students.

🪐🌎☄️

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These St. James entrepreneurs worked super hard the last few months creating their very own Shark Tank product. They had to come up with an idea for their product and pitch it to their parents and other special visitors. Fourth graders created business cards and websites for their specific product. Check out these amazing innovative ideas. 🦈

Grandparents Day is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the important role that grandparents play in our lives. Today our Grandparents and special friends were able to experience the St. James culture by attending chapel. Fourth grade performed a well known Spanish folk song entitled, De Colores. The lyrics are an expression of happiness and celebration that our world is full of so many colors. We had the Best Day celebrating our favorite people!

Fourth grade spent the last several months creating their own piñata during Spanish class. This is always a fun experience they look forward to each year in fourth grade. Students researched their piñata of choice and gathered all materials to create their piñata. Once completed, students presented their piñata to their parents. They had to list the materials in Spanish and explain the steps to make their piñata. Mrs. Perri brings a traditional Mexican lunch for all to enjoy!

As part of our unit on “Early Texans” in social studies, students created dioramas based on ways of life of native tribes they researched. We discussed and read about a variety of Native American tribes. Students learned about what resources their tribes needed to survive, what dwelling their tribes lived in, and customs their tribe practiced. Then they created a scene of their tribe in a shoebox-diorama. They presented their dioramas to third grade. Check out our Amazing Dioramas!

Our seventh grade students spent weeks researching plant and animal cells. These middle school students were very impressive with their knowledge of cells. Collaborative learning has many benefits. It develops higher level thinking, oral communication, self-management, and leadership skills. Promotion of lower to middle school student interaction, is something we pride ourselves in at St. James.

Most cells are so small they can’t be seen by the naked eye. Therefore, scientists must use microscopes to study cells. Our fourth graders looked through a microscope to view a plant and animal cell.

Seventh graders presented their own models of plant and animal cells. Fourth grade was very impressed!

Now it is time to create our very own cells. WOW! There are many parts to a cell! Can you guess what part of the cell is the eyeball?

Matter is everywhere! As part of our science curriculum, students learn and identify the states of matter. The last few weeks we have studied the three states of matter and its physical properties. Students explored the room and classified different objects as a solid, liquid, or gas. They also had to find the properties of matter for each object. Our last day of our matter unit was super fun!

Did you know Root Beer Floats have three states of matter?

1. solid-ice cream

2. liquid-root beer

3. gas-The ice cream and root beer mix creating bubbles. The bubbles are trapped gas.

Matter changes states; a liquid can become solid when it freezes, a solid becomes liquid when it melts, etc. and all these changes can happen in a root beer float.

Students observed and wrote down their predictions! Now it is time to ENJOY!

First Day Photo Booth was a Blast! Check out these COOL 4th Graders! 😎

Candy Awards!

Graduation Day!

Preschool visits kindergarten!

We celebrated Mother’s Day with our annual Mommy Spa Day. We pampered our mommies with relaxing massages, cool hair styles, fancy nails, and beautiful makeup designs! Our moms felt so special and had the best time! 💕

Dental health is very important. Good dental hygiene starts with when we are young. Can you believe the tooth fairy came to visit us today? She brought along her friend, a dental hygienist. They explained the importance of brushing and flossing our teeth. Edie, was our dentist for the morning. She was super excited to look inside the patient’s mouth with her special tools. Our friends also learned about healthy and unhealthy foods to eat. Brushing our teeth is one of the most important things we can do to take care of our bodies. Thank you Tooth Fairy! 🦷🪥

Dr. Edie enjoyed using her special tools to look for cavities.

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Show and Tell is always a fun day for kindergarten. Our friends bring something from home they want to share with the class. Show and Tell activities help teach kids the importance of communication, good listening, and mutual respect.

Wow! Look at that MEDAL!

A COMPASS

Charlie brought an old compass to share! Learning directions is very important in kindergarten! 😊.

The 100th day of school is an exciting milestone to reach in kindergarten. It’s a special time for students to reflect on their hard work and celebrate all the progress they’ve made. We had the best day dressing up as 100 year olds and exploring different centers. We are definitely 100 Days Smarter!

Good Ole Charlie is ready for 100’s Day!

Building a structure with 100 marshmallows is fun!

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GRANNY CARLA AND SARAH ARE WORN OUT!

Who doesn’t like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winters day? We whipped of some hot cocoa today using several ingredients. We discussed how much of each ingredient we would need for our cocoa. Each student had the chance to pour in an ingredient. We worked through all the steps of a recipe using transition words like first, then, next, and last. Demonstrating the actual procedure, brought our cocoa lesson to life and allows students to make connections to the procedural process!

Kindergarten had a special visitor!

Christmas Breakfast was Yummy! 🥞🥛

Kindergarten teachers love Santa too!

Merry Christmas!

Kindergarten celebrated our Thanksgiving holiday with many fun activities. We wore our Pilgrim hats, made a Native American corn craft, and ate a lot of yummy food! We were so thankful our family could attend our Friendsgiving and help celebrate this very special day with us.

Native American Corn Craft!

Gobble, Gobble!