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