March School News
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Lent is the season of sacrifice, the time when we prepare ourselves for the great feast of Easter. We are encouraging our students to use the money saved from their small sacrifices to help the impoverished children of the People's Republic of Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan). Father Ken Deasy, coordinator of the Holy Childhood Association, addressed our students at an assembly and explained the desperate plight of the Bangladeshi people. He reminded them to be grateful for what they have and asked them to count their blessings daily. May we all be inspired by Father Deasy's words.
Presidents' Day. We were honored to have parishioner, Duke Russell, give an inspirational talk to our students on the life of Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Russell, dressed in his stovepipe hat, encouraged our students to follow in the footsteps of this great man by becoming enthusiastic readers.
Spell-A-Thon. Thanks to the many families who supported our annual Spell-A-Thon. This event, not only raised much welcomed money for our school, but also presented our students with many challenging words to strengthen their vocabularies.
Field Trips. Spring is a time for field trips. Our third and fourth grade students enjoyed an educational day at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Our 1st and 2nd graders had a stimulating morning when they went to see a live theater production of Beauty and the Beast, performed by the Nine O'Clock players at the Assistance League in Hollywood.
Sinai Akiba Academy. We welcomed fifty-four seventh grade students from the Sinai Akiba Academy, in Westwood, to spend a morning with our students. With their teachers, Rabbi Andy Feig, Dino Glorioso, Tony Pennay, Lisa Palmer and Aviva Levin, they joined us for our school Mass. They were very grateful to our pastor, Father Antonio, who was delighted to answer their many excellent questions. After Mass, our visitors enjoyed refreshments with members of our student council, viewed a slide show of our students in action, and took a tour of our school campus. Later, they mingled with our students and played basketball with them. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their faith and educational experience with these young people.
Academic Decathlon. The Archdiocesan Junior High Academic Decathlon is fast approaching, and our team is gearing up for the competition which will take place in the Sports Arena next Saturday, March 14. We wish them luck!
WASC. Our school will be evaluated on March 10, 11, and 12, by an accreditation team of experienced teachers and administrators on behalf of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). It has been six years since our last accreditation. We are confident that the WASC team will be impressed by the academic achievement of our students, their spiritual and moral growth, their participation in a wide variety of sports, and their accomplishment of our Schoolwide Learning Expectations. Please keep us in your prayers during these days.
