If you think that our St. James students are good speakers, think twice! On Friday, February 25 we had twice as much talent displayed. We heard poetry recitation by our younger students and talks on favorite hobbies by our upper grades. It was an interesting blend of talent. We are grateful to these students who prepared their recitations so well:

POEMS

• Gr. 1 - Travis Kruszewski - Mr. Lincoln by Helen H. Moore
• Gr. 2 - Katie Zellefrow - Smart- by Shel Silverstein
• Gr. 2A - Kiah Tolbert - Follow the Leader by Mary Dixon Thayer

HOBBYTALKS

Communication is an integral part of our society. Tomorrow's leaders need to learn these skills today. For this reason we at St. James School chose as our special Middle States project to work with the children in developing communications skills. The name of our project is "St. James has C.L.A.S.S. (Commuinication Links to Advance Speaking Skills)." We have been working very diligently on this project for the past three years. We have worked on polishing oral reading skills, poetry, book reviews, plays, debates, role playing, etc. We have kept a log of all of our activities and in May we will again present a report to the Middle States Association of College and Schools for renewal of our Middle States Accreditation.

During the month of March preschool will be working on a tasty topic: "Fruits and Veggies". Fruits and vegetables are an important part of our diet that definately contributes to our good health. We are blessed to have such a variety of fruits and vegetables available to us year round and should take advantage of that to help develop good eating habbits.

While we talk about the importance of fruit and vegetables in our diet, we will look at the important factors that help them greow: sun, water, and soil. We will also create a "fruit" craft and participate in a fruit and veggie taste testing party to introduce some new fruits and vegetables to our diet.

In effort to be a healthier society, good eating habits and increased activity are so important. An early introduction to both is necessary for the wellbeing of our children. Hopefully by starting at an early age we will see a healthier future!

Mrs. Brady

Grade 6 continued to take their speaking skills to a new level as we presented an "in class" talent show.

The students spent about two weeks preparing for one of their special skills to present in front of their classmates. What a surprise we all received when our fellow classmates stepped onto the "stage"! Who would have guessed that we would have so many different gifts in one grade? We had bakers who produced delicious corn muffins and a student who showed us how to make the "best hot chocolate ever" (and it was). We had singers, dancers, and gymnasts. We had a softball and baseball pitcher who demonstrated two different types of pitches. We had two magicians and one comedian. We even had a student host a television program featuring his art work.

There is no doubt that several of these exceptionally talented students will end up on "American Idol" or "America's Got Talent" one of these days.

Mrs. Pacinelli

The students of Grade 4 have been enjoying their study of fractions! Students have learned to compare and order fractions, as well as, to read and write mixed numbers. The students have listened to The Hershey's Fractions Book by Jerry Pallotta, completed fraction quilt squares for Art class utilizing equivalent fractions, and manipulating jumbo magnetic fraction bars to aid in comparing and ordering fractions. Students will soon be adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators.

Mrs. Brennan

Grade 3A read a story about a time machine found by two children. Inside were two buttons: Past - Present. After reading the story, we asked the question: If you could get into a time machine, which button would you press and where would you go? So, we created our own stories.

Some did choose the future and came upon "flying cars," automation, and tech age items.

More chose the past: History buffs were one on one in the middle of the American Revolution, witnessing the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe, and watching the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Some ventured into bible History: David, Noah, even Adam and Eve. One came upon a stable and tended the Baby Jesus (she felt joy in her heart); while others witnessed healings and miracles of Jesus.

Finally, some chose family history as their point of interest: when I was born, when Gramma was young, and even how mom and dad met.

Most "popped" back into our time but will never forget their experience realizing "There is no place like home."

Sister Rita, C.D.S.

Grade 3 is working with Statistics and Probability in math. We have been learning about pictographs, bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, line plots, and surveys. Then we use these methods to collect data and graph results in probability experiments. They felt really grown up to find the mode, median, mean, and range with a variety of data.

In reading, we have been leaning about fairy tales to guide us in the PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest. Congratulations to the four students in my room whose stories were chosen to be entered in the contest. They were to be a minimum of 100 words, a maximum of 350 words, and a minimum of 5 pictures. Sarah Dollinger wrote Snoozey, Joseph Capan wrote The Time Machine Trouble!, Garrett Glowacki wrote Dragons, and Matthew Filutze wrote The Boy Who Couldn't Go to School. Keep them in your prayers so they can be recognized in this exciting contest. There will be 12 winners that get their stories posted on WQLN's website, receive a Barnes and Noble gift card, honored at the winner's reception, and will be featured in the Erie Times News.

Mrs. Case

The students of Grade 4 are continuing their study of division. Our "big" idea has focused on the fact that division names the number in each part when you know the whole and the number of parts.

A familiar chant can be heard coming from our classroom. This chant helps us remember the steps needed to solve a division problem: Cinoare, Multiply, Subtract, Bring Down. The students were read the book A Remainder of One by: Elinor J. Pinczes as a springboard activity. The students will learn to interpret the remainder when solving division problems. They will also practive choosing the correct operation when solving problems. Students will divide amounts of money, as well as how to calculate the "average: or "mean" for a set of numbers.

Mrs. Brennan

Saint James School is proud to welcome you to our new website. Technology is rapidly advancing and as it continues to evolve at a breakneck pace. This new website allows us to keep up technology and evolve with it.

From reading about the many educational programs Saint James School offers to finding out when the next basketball tournament will be held, this site will serve as the central information hub for everything going on at Saint James School. It also serves as a method for prospective parents and student to familiarize themselves with Saint James and see why we are the number one coeducational parochial school in the Diocese of Erie. As this site continues to evolve, we value your thoughts on how we can continue to improve this site to better fit your needs. 

Have open conversations with your children about the kinds of websites they are allowed to visit. Clear, simple, easy-to-read house rules for use should be posted on or near the computer monitor. Once you establish guidelines, check to make sure that your users stay within these agreed limits. Encourage them to turn off the monitor and tell you immediately if something online makes them scared, uncomfortable or confused. To see what the Diocese of Erie is doing to keep children and youth safe, check out http://www.eriercd.org/protectyouth.htm.

The Mission Education Program "Journey with Jesus" from the Columbans became a real eye-opener for Grade 7A students. The theme focused on the Catholic Social Teaching related to migrants, immigrants, and refugees. The class learned about each of these groups of people and why the came to the U.S. Many came for jobs, but a greater number came for hope. They come from poor countries with bad economics and they will work at jobs no one else wants. What can a young person do to help them? Students can remember to pray for Missionaries and their work, contribute to the mission bank, and learn as much as they can about people in need. Even with all of the suffering experienced by migrants, one worker was able to say with sincerity, "It is a beautiful thing to love God."

Sister Martha, C.D.S.

Have you ever been to a museum? Have you heard of a paleontologist? Well Grade 2 has been very busy learning about fossils and dinosaur bones.

Throughout our Science unit we have been learning about many types of fossils and how they are formed. We learned that some fossils are made by hardening in mud and sand, some dry up in sap and others are bones and teeth. We also discovered that there are plant fossils and footprint fossils too. The job of a paleontologist is to dig up and clean and study fossils. Each of our students turned into a paleontologist one afternoon and had to create their own dinosaur model or bones. The students picked the dinosaur model of his/her choice from a book and then created the model. We have some future paleontologists on our hands. Come and check out our dinosaur fossils across from our classroom. They are dinosaurific!

The PJAS regional competition was held on Saturday, January 29, at Penn State Behrend. Saint James entered 23 seventh and eighth graders. We are happy to announce that 13 received First Place ranking and 9 received Second Place ranking and 1 Third Place ranking. An excellent finish!

In early fall, students chose science topics to explore which followed the PJAS guidelines. This project was optional. These 7^th and 8^th graders have worked for several months gathering their data through experimentation and research. Each student then made a PowerPoint presentation on the computer to accompany their project. Three students chose to use the overhead projector for their presentation. The project is evaluated on oral presentation and use of two-dimensional format to show data.

In January, students practiced perfecting their presentations by performing them in the classrooms of Grades 5 through 8. The student audience was encouraged to ask questions of the presenter and make constructive criticism. Teachers made recommendations. In this way the younger students learned the scientific method and PJAS style of presentation. The presenters were able to polish their presentation, so it was the very best they could do

We are very proud of all our students who entered PJAS which aims to produce "thinkers," as well as to enhance scientific skills.

Special congratulations to Domenica Babo of Grade 7A who received a prefect score and $50 award with her project, "Does fat insulate an animal's body?"

Public speakings skills can be practiced in many ways. The recitation of poetry not only enables the students to perfect their delivery, but offers the listeners an enjoyable experience. Our last poetry assembly did both. These students shared their love of poetry with us:

• Grade 1 - Isabel Ladaika
• Grade 2 - Nina Mangini
• Grade 2A - Adam Bokshan
• Grade 3 - Ryan Dalton
• Grade 4 - Justin Czerwinski
• Grade 5 - Alexandra Benek
• Grade 6 - Kevin Bello
• Grade 7 - Jacob VanSlyke
• Grade 7A - Jaret Bretz
• Grade 8 - Alexandra Lombard

Preschool is beaming with beautiful smiles during the month of February as we learn about the importance of taking care of our teeth. Healthy eating, brushing our teeth and flossing our teeth are all important ways to keep our teeth healthy and white.

Following a demonstration of how to brush and floss properly, the children will find pictures of the good foods that give them healthy teeth. They will also choose pictures of "non-healthy" foods that contribute to cavities. We will hang these in our room during the month of February as a reminder of the importance of eating healthy for good teeth.

A crafty science experiment will also reinforce the importance of diet on our smiles as we soak an egg in pop and soak an egg in water and see its effect on the surface of the eggs. The children will quickly see why pop is not a healthy choice for their teeth.

So flash those pearly whites during dental health month and always remember to take good care of your smiles!

Mrs. Brady