Molecular Structure of Ethanol

Our 8th graders have been learning about the molecular structure of ethanol. They also completed a lab that  focused on how ethanol affects the heart rate of Daphnia.

Peppermint Parade

Our Kindergarten class gave a splendid performance at their Peppermint Parade. Mrs. Blitcher led her class in singing many holiday songs.

World Mission Rosary

The Madera family led our school for an event of making a world mission rosaries. A world mission rosary calls to mind an area where the Church continues her evangelizing mission. Fr. Terry blessed the rosaries at the end of the evening.

Blood Types Lab

In November the 7th graders studied the circulatory system.  The unit consisted of a blood type lab. Students were able to learn the compatibilities of the different types of blood.  

Thanksgiving Choral Reading

1st grade enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast! A choral reading was the entertainment.

3rd Grade Discovery Lab

Mrs. O'Hara and Mrs. Whitaker's 3rd grade class discovered what owls eat by examining the contents of an owl pellet. The class enjoyed this hands-on lesson which taught them about the predator/prey relationship. Each student found skeletons of the owls prey. They found skulls, claws, bones, feathers and fur. This engaging activity prepared the students for the Owl Prowl earlier this week.

 

Owl Prowl

Last night our 3rd and 6th grade families went Owling with Rick Glassman from the Soil and Water  Conservation District. We met at St. Patrick's County Park for a hot dog roast and then took a hike in the woods looking for owls. Midway through the hike Rick began calling for Screech Owls and to our surprise an owl flew in and began communicating with Rick. It was an amazing evening to witness Rick Glassman's owling skills and to see a wild owl in its habitat.
The event was enjoyed by everyone in attendance.

7th Grade Knows Their A-B-O"s

The 7th graders were engaged in a real-world lab on Tuesday. The students were able to model the four blood types using colored water. After the lab they were able to infer the compatibilities between the blood types by mixing.

Physical Education Outside

Mrs. Farrell took her students outside for P.E. class yesterday. This is one example of the flexibility of our staff. The gym needed to be used for a funeral and so Mrs. Farrell adapted her lessons to the outdoors. The kindergarten class had a blast playing soccer!

Salmon Quality Assessment

     The Bodine Fish Hatchery opened their doors to allow Mrs. Karban to come observe a quality assessment of their salmon population before releasing the fish into the St. Joe river. The DNR scientists donated fish so our 6th grade science class could learn about participating in a quality assessment.

1st Grade Mystery Box Revealed a Pumpkin

     Our 1st graders figured out this pasts months mystery box object, a pumpkin. After working on their questioning skills the students predicted the number of seeds in each pumpkin. Everyone was involved in measuring, weighing and counting the seeds in the pumpkin. Next, Mrs. Whitfield  surveyed each student to see which facial feature they wanted carved into the pumpkin. After graphing their results they were able to make a final carving decision based on the class majority.  1st grade created a fabulous jack-o-lantern!

All Saints Day

At the November 3rd mass Father and the fourth grade saints came marching in. Each student prepared a report about their saint and created a costume to breathe life into their chosen saint. Father had the saints introduce themselves and tell the importance of their saints in our church today.

The Big Spud Disguise!

This week Ms Smith's 4th graders had to disguise a potato. The students used their creativity to turn a potato into something different. A few examples of the students work was a doctor, ant, criminal, cheerleader, cowgirl and a race car. Lastly, each student refined their writing skills with a writing assignment of their choice. The 4th grade class are very proud of their accomplishments this week!

Are Our Steps To Code?

Are our steps to code? The 8th grade math class were engaged learning the answer to that question today in class. The students measured the steps to figure out the slope of our school stairs. They compared their results to the building code regulations for a  school and  graphed their results. Today, Mrs. Barwick prepared a real world learning experience for our students!

Energy Labs

     Our eighth grade class has had a week full of hands-on labs. They have created an electric magnetic motor, worked on circuits creating their unique Jitter Bugs and yesterday they designed solar cookers.  This is a curious group of students that have enjoyed the inquiry based approach to learning.

BioEYES

     Our 6th graders participated in an exciting hands-on science program last week. The Notre Dame extended Research Community provided an interactive experiment for our students. They studied and mated live zebra fish in order to obtain eggs. The sixth graders cared for the young embryos and made observations as they developed and hatched from their eggs.  They also learned about genetics, DNA and development. The BioEYES program was a fascinating experience for everyone!

"All Good Gifts"

     Yesterday our school participated in the No Child Left Inside Program. The program took place at Battell Park. The students ate lunch outside and then rotated around seven learning stations all focused on our theme; All Good Gifts.  We ended our wonderful day with a prayer service lead by our eight grade class.

Hoosier Horsepower Radio Contest Winner!

     Our former students, Tagin Schulthesis, Becca Whitten, Rachel Mathes and Allision Ketchem won a state competition. Last year our  8th grade class studied Alternative Fuels in science class.  Many speakers came to the class to share their knowledge with our students. Russ Abar the CEO of New Energy gave the students  a virtual tour of their Ethanol production plant. Jason Wykoff a farmer for Monsanto spoke about growing corn and soybeans. Lastly, Willy Veldman a service station owner spoke about the commercial side of alternative fuels. The class also did an experiment on the combustion rate of different fuels. After learning the pros and cons of ethanol our students created radio commericals stated the advantages or disadvantages of bio fuels. Our former students comerical won 1st prize.  This summer they were able to rerecord their commerical in a professional studio in the Colts Training Facility. Congratulations to our four former St. Joe students!

Fall Swamp Stomp

     Our 7th grade class visited Kingsbury Fish & Wildlife last week. The students discussed habitats, succession and wildlife management.  They toured a fish hatchery and learned about the history of Lake Michigan and its dependence on fisheries. Everyone enjoyed collecting species around the edge of a lake for an aquatic study.  Lastly, our students stomped through a swamp. I hope this wetland immersion will inspire our students to learn more and gain a greater appreciation for all of Gods beautiful land. A special thanks to Mrs. Gohn, Mr. Gill and Mr. Rovotto for assisting us on this field trip!

Liturgical Choir

    Our liturgical choir, led by Mrs. Priemer, will sing at the school mass on Wednesday, Sept. 22nd. The group is composed of students in grades 4th- 8th who practice once a week. A recent study shows students involved in a choir reap many benefits. The 2009 Choir Impact Study found students who participating in a choir contributes to good memory, good practice and homework habits as well as high levels of creativity.(McCarthy) We encourage everyone in our community to come to mass hear our children sing this coming week.

Skippy and Dave

     Last week our students observed a talented ventriloguist, Dave. His creative character-building program was enjoyed by all who were present. Anti bullying behavior and solutions were explored through a dialog between Dave and his puppet, Skippy.

1st Grade Question Box

     Mrs. Whitfield believes in active learning. Each month she utilizes an activity called the "Question Box" to integrate many subject areas into one project. A mystery item is placed in the box and the students try to figure out what the item is by asking yes/no questions. This month the item was a watermelon. After the mystery is solved more learning takes place. This week the students estimated and graphed the weight, circumference and number of seeds in the watermelon. Next week the students will publish a class book with every students written story and their artwork.

5th Grade Monarch Conservation

     Our 5th grade class has had an eventful start to the school year. Mrs. Schlemmer's students have been studying the development of monarch butterflies. Students observed the different stages of life through microscopes and hand lens. Viewing the details made it easier to sketch their observations. They also measured and recorded the growth  of the larva each day. After the larva formed its chrysalis each student predicted when it would emerge as an adult. 

     Yesterday the class tagged and released five monarchs in Fathers garden through a program called Monarch Watch. Next week the class will study the migration these species will take in the up coming weeks.  

Welcome to our St. Joe blog!

     Thank you for your interest in "What's Happening?" at St. Joseph School. Everyday wonderful learning is taking place in our classrooms led by our extraordinary dedicated teaching staff. Each week I will update this blog to let you into our classrooms and see our students in action. 

Yours in Education,
Mrs. Patty Karban