Good and Fitting to say Thank You

It is good and fitting to say thank you to God daily... and also our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pilate was reluctant to acknowledge Jesus for fear of reprisal by his peers, so he washed his hands and "passed." Let us not grow weary during this season of Lent to seize the opportunities and responsibility to say thank you to Jesus and each other.

Today I want to say thank you to several students:
Niccolo: Thank you for baking and sharing the "host" bread for Eucharist yesterday.
Marco: Thank you for participating in the Young Adult Vaughn Library Book Club and telling us about the benefits of this opportunity.
Nick: Thank you for your good attitude of service during our Masses.
Josh: Thank you for holding the doors every day even when we forget to say "thank you."
OLL Volleyball Team: Thank you for all your practices and hard work to represent our school. Good Luck at the game tonight... I hope to be there!
Thank you to many 7th graders and 8th graders who gave outstanding book brochure presentations today. You planted new thoughts in our minds, you shared the good and bad of the books you read, and you helped me to remember that reading books invites us to better know ourselves, others and our world.

Thank you.

p.s. Tomorrow spelling tests and vocabulary are due. 8th grade rough draft of reflections. 6th grade will give dragon folktale presentations.

Jesus Turned and Looked....

Today we started our day with the pledge and our prayer list for many people. We also talked about Jesus "watching our back." He turns and looks at us at all times, even when we forget or deny Him like Peter. Let us take comfort in the faithfulness and unconditional love of the Savior during our journey of Lent.

This will be a busy academic week for students:

Grade 6 spelling words: leap, predator, dragon, author, silk, cocoon, description, content, friendly, desert, dessert, journey BONUS: depression, villain, Proverbs. Spelling test on Friday. Students will also start work on book report brochures as well as work on building dragons and writing a dragon folk-tale for our study of Ancient China. Have fun... you are invited to be creative!

Grade 7/8 spelling words: despair, fulfill, commandments, abolish, renaissance, tragedy, static, complex, performance, gestures, diction, enunciation, ghost, grief, proper, customary, vulgar, rhythm, soliloquy, leap. Students this week will have a spelling test on Friday. We also begin Hamlet, work on book brochures (oral presentations on Thursday) and major writing assignment deadlines are: Rough draft reflection Grade 8 on Friday and Rough draft of Autobiography Grade 7 is due next Monday. Yes, this sounds like a lot, but don't underestimate the ability of our students; they are highly capable and will benefit from the discipline of time management. High School is approaching fast for our 8th graders.

Enjoy the week... and strive to do your best!

Matters of the Heart

Today Mrs. Marita and Grades 6 and 8 walked us through the Stations of the Cross. The meditations were about matters of the heart. How timely to be reminded as a Catholic School that we are concerned about matters of the heart. I hope that Lent will be a time for your family to talk about things on the "inside" that our hearts will be prepared for the shock of the cross and the joy of the Resurrection. Jesus is the heart of the Easter message.

Grade 7 and 8 finished vocabulary terms and started on book brochures.

Grade 6 will finish 4-Dragon paper and begin work on "large" dragons for the folktale they will write. We will watch some of the A@E series about Dinosaurs to help us get some spatial perspective of "dragons."

This has been a short week and we have demonstrated many of our strengths... and a few of our weaknesses. We continue to address matters of kindness and what do "good manners" look like. These are lifelong skills that foster good character as well as academic success. Thanks for your support to our students and our school. Be sure to turn in "pizza" sales. And equip your students for success: good attitude, plenty of rest, good nutrition, exercise time, conversations around the table... and sharp pencils ready to write!

Information Overload

In this days of the internet revolution, we often feel that we have too much information to sort through to get to the truth. Even in Jesus' time, a high value was placed on truth. In Mt. 26 the agenda is straightforward: The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death. We know how this false-story plays out. As God's children, may we not grow weary of bearing the message of truth to all people. Lent reminds us the journey is not easy, but "truth" shall reign. Be encouraged.

Speaking of truth, I had to shift some of the deadline dates for the Grade 7 autobiography and Grade 8 research essay. Two snow days forced me to rework the schedule and I am eager to give students time to do a good job.
Grade 7 deadlines: Rough draft (5-typed pages) of autobiography is due March 3. Outlines were returned today and students did a good job and have a map to follow. March 17th Final autobiography is due and Oral presentations begin March 21st.

Grade 8 Deadlines: Reflection rough draft due Feb. 29th. Final written project due March 0th. Oral presentations begin March 17th. Essay rough drafts were returned today. Some students are solid and others have major work to do. Please talk to your student about this high stakes assignment.

Grade 6 read a Chinese folktale today; tomorrow they will begin book report brochures. NO spelling test this week.

Today we are remembering in prayer and with cards that Mr. Panasuk's accident happened one year ago. Mrs. Panasuk and her husband have come a long way, but they continue to need our support and encouragement. Please take time to drop a note... and pray for their family.

God's Equation

Today we were reminded about God's formula for greatest: If you want to be great become a servant. If you want to be first become a slave. What a timely message in a world where it can be so easy about "me".... that as God's sons and daughters we are called to serve others. Let this journey of Lent place us on God's path of service and submission to others. This is the math of grace and hope.

Grade 6: Vocabulary this week is a worksheet about "dragons." There is no spelling test on Friday. Students will have time in class to complete most of this worksheet that leads into writing their own Chinese folktale.

Grade 7/8: We are getting ready to begin our study of Hamlet. The vocabulary worksheet has 5 terms about performance and Shakespeare; students will define the terms and write a paragraph using the terms. This is due Friday. Thursday I will review with 8th graders their rough draft essays; some have done well and others have work to do. The 7th grade autobiography outlines look wonderful. This map should guide the writing of their personal narrative.

Students will also begin book report brochures by Friday. Grade 6 will continue studies on Ancient China.

Pizza sales are due today... but tomorrow is not too late. It is nice to be back with the OLL family.

God's Great Valentine

Yes, today it was all about chocolate (sorry Lenten-observers), flowers, sweets, cards and expressions of love. We feasted in this celebration of affirming each other as "valentines." Again God stepped up to the plate. Rather than a card, He sent his Son. Rather than a "plate", it was a ragged wooden cross. His sweets are not a sugar-high, but an eternal heavenly high. It is good to celebrate our love for each other today, but even MORE fitting and good to make every day a celebration of God's love for us. A love that sweetens our stories, a love that carries the fragrance of eternity, a love that surpasses human understanding. Celebrate Jesus- the Valentine of all valentines- as we work off the "chocolate" and resume our Lenten journey to the cross.

HOT NEWS OFF THE PRESS: Marco Bichanich is our OLL 2008 Spelling Bee winner this year and Vincent Mayotte is the first-runner up. Great job Guys... and thanks Ms. Shields for organizing this interesting and "tense" event. I regret that we cannot participate in the CESA district Bee (too expensive??? something doesn't sound right to me about charging us) but a meal out with Ms. Shields will help. Thanks.

6th grade: Before you are out the door on Friday, you need to turn in spelling/vocabulary and "I Have a Dream" poems.

7th Grade: Tomorrow spelling test, vocab. due and autobiography OUTLINES due and "I Have a Dream" poems will be read in class.

8th grade: Tomorrow spelling test, vocab. due, 5-page rough draft plus Works Cited page due and "I Have a Dream" poems will be read in class. IF these assignments are all turned in, you will be ready for a great 4-day weekend.

p.s. Use the long weekend to finish up books. We are starting book reports after the break. Also many students arrive daily with NO pencils (the tools to do the job). To celebrate Presidents' weekend, please give your students sharp pencils to use in class. Thanks.

Cuts Across the Grain

In religion we are reading Lenten devotions focused on Jesus' uncustomary style. How he cut across the grain of the "law" to release the fullness of the Good News- that we are made righteous because of the cross. Be watchng for the Lenten signposts that reveal God's overflowing grace and unconditional love-- It is Good News!

Grade 7/8 are busy with vocabulary due Friday, I Have a Dream poems and essay rough draft (Grade 8) or autobiography outlines (Grade 7). Both of these major assignments need to be typed.

Grade 6 will begin reading the "I Have a Dream" speech and begin work on Dream poems.
Grade 6 will NOT have a spelling test, but vocabulary work is due Thursday (we do not meet on Friday).

Don't forget School Liturgy tomorrow, Valentine's Day Thursday and spelling bee, and assignments due Friday; we are done at noon on Friday.

The Extreme

It seems it is often the "extremes" of life that capture the attention of people: extreme sports, extreme tragedies, extreme survival, extreme weather.... To many people, Lent can appear to be an extreme season. A season that starts with ashes... a season that focuses on sorrow.... a season attached to a non-conformist personality... a death on a cross... an empty tomb.... it all sounds rather extreme. To those of us in the faith community, these extremes are really where "life hits the road". For we have felt the extreme forgiveness and love of God and we recognize that with God even the ordinary becomes extraordinary... often labeled "extreme". May you be encouraged and blessed by this extreme Lenten adventure to the cross... this journey is about MORE than this world.

This week will be busy for Grades 7/8. Friday Grade 7 students need to turn in a typed- detailed outline of their 5-page autobiography plan. They should label the theme/topic for each page and what information will be in each paragraph. Once I see this, I can start providing individual instruction and support to help each student write a good life story.
Grade 8 students are expected to turn in a typed 5-page rough draft of their research topic and list of resources (works cited page) on Friday. This research paper is NOT just a report, it is an opinion formed by research and defended by facts. They should have a declarative statement (thesis statement) in the introduction that informs the reader what they are writing about. Again, I provide individualized support and instruction once I see the rough draft.

Spelling words this week are:
Grade 6: freedom, stunned, destiny, presidential, poverty, exile, liberty, pursuit, urgent, trial, despair, friendship. This work is due Thursday since we finish school at noon on Friday.
Grade 7/8: rhetoric, remembrance, restitution, captivity, manacles, architect, hallowed, destiny, fatigue, excessive, sweltering, exalted, symphony, presidential, candidate, deadline. This work is due Friday.

Grades 6-8 will be reading Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's "I have a dream" speech since this is Black History month. It is also a good fit for a discussion about the power of words in a campaign for civil rights... and presidential primaries in these days.

Other events this week:
Valentine's Day on Thursday. We will be doing a party during the day.
Spelling Bee Thursday afternoon after lunch.
Stations of the Cross on Friday morning.
School ends on Friday at noon and students will not return until Wednesday Feb. 20th.

Urgent Reminder:
The Junior high building is NOT open until 8:05 in the morning. Please drop off students on the elementary building side of the highway. Ms. Bietka will be on duty to cross students at 8:05. Students are NOT to go to Burger King or Holiday once they arrive on campus. Please accompany your student there before coming to school. This is important for many reasons. Looks like cold weather will define much of this week, so please help us keep your students safe and warm. Thank you.

Our Refuge in Christ

As we walk the journey of Lent we will be challenged by the events of the unfolding drama. May we stay close to Jesus and find our refuge and strength in Him. Even when the going gets tough (as it will), we will be part of a dynamic story of transformation. This story is about God's love and it is also our story of His love for us. Be Safe on His eternal path.

Thank you to everyone today who helped our Bowling field trip be a success. It is quite amazing to see the energy our students carry as they knock down the pins, cheer for each other, enjoy getting out for shared fun.

Friday's academic expectations include:

Grade 6: spelling due and spelling test. We will also begin a unit study on China for World History. This is the "year of the rat." We will talk about what this means.

Grade 7/8: spelling is due and reading of conclusions to "The Lady or the Tiger." This short story invites students to string ornate words together to make sentences of lush language.

February 15th Deadline for Grades 7 and 8: Outline of autobiography due for Grade 7, and rough draft of Research essay and Works Cited page for Grade 8. Be sure to talk to your students about these major assignments.

NEWS UPDATE: Mr. Eaton will be gone Friday and the rest of next week. The Junior High building will be open at 8:05 so ALL students arriving earlier should wait in the building on the other side of the highway to keep warm and safe. The gym is NOT open. Mrs. Bietka is available to escort students across the highway at 8:00. Students are to stay on school property once they arrive. If parents want students to go to Burger King and/or Holiday, they should accompany students BEFORE students come to school. This habit is a safety measure. Thanks for the shared concern we have for all of our students... and thanks for your support.

Lent: A Journey

Today we set on our journey of Lent. We were marked with the signpost of ashes and reminded that Lent is about drawing closer to God. He is looking for repentant hearts open to refreshment and restoration in holy living. May these 40 days be used for instruction and good in your walk with Jesus.

Updates for this week:
Bowling tomorrow after lunch. We still need drivers. Students will need $2.75 per game (plan two games); the shoes are free. Also some money for snacks fits a jr. high apetite.

8th grade parents: I hope that ALL of you have schedules and emergency cards to Ashland High School. You have already missed the deadline for turning in these papers. Your student knows about it; Mr. Livingston was here from the high school to walk the 8th graders through this process.

Pizza Sales are on: Hey, we all eat pizza. Buy your certificates from an OLL student and eat even MORE pizza- a great day that benefits our school.

Spelling for Grades 7 and 8 are due on Friday. Book reports will begin next week. 8th grade research rough drafts and 7th grade autobiography outlines are due next Friday: February 15th. I originally said Feb. 13th, but am adjusting the due date because of two snow days. Please talk to YOUR students about these major writing assignment. This work will comprise the majority of their writing grade in 3rd quarter.

Molly's 4th Birthday today! Thanks be to God.

For Lent, we will continue to accept food items, etc. for The Brick. Have a good day!

Words of Blessing

Today we had the blessing of the throats. Father Henry instructed us about St. Blase. This is a good season to pray for healthy throats (free from colds, etc.) as well as a reminder to speak words of blessing. May the words formed in our minds and given sound in our larynx be a process that seeds words of encouragement and hope to those around us.

Grade 6 spelling words: lent, faith, focus, ashes, mortality, frail, snatch, random, kindness, history, personality, community BONUS: cocoa, suede, embarrass

Grade 7/8 spelling words: pause, visualize, usage, ancient, carnival, ashes, imitate, desert, repentance, ambassador, random, abstain, kindness, whim, waver, tyrannical, spectacle, arena, administer, justice.

These are due Friday.

Also this week: Knights of Columbus spaghetti dinner on Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, bowling on Thursday... and other events to be posted as they are scheduled. We are in a new quarter. May each student work hard to do his/her best work.