May School News

Monday, May 18, 2009

First Confession and First Holy Communion. We congratulate the second grade students who received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on Saturday, April 25 - the first big step in their spiritual journey of faith. We thank our choir members who sang so beautifully at this special Mass, which was celebrated by our pastor, Father Antonio. We encourage all students and parents to make both of these sacraments a regular part of their lives.

Disney Earth. The entire student body traveled to the El Capitan Theater to see the educational movie Disney Earth, on its opening day - Earth Day. The outing provided the students with the opportunity to explore the earth's diverse ecosystems and learn more about the wildlife with which we share our planet. As a Disney flagship theater bonus, we were treated to a live stage show of Animals From Around the World, where wildlife experts demonstrated the unique characteristics of a number of exotic animals in their care.

Class Field Trips. Our kindergarten class had a wonderful morning when they traveled to the Ebell Theater to see a live production of the play If you Give a Pig a Pancake. Our eighth graders' trip was a more sobering experience. They were deeply and appropriately moved by the history of the Holocaust when they visited the Museum of Tolerance.

Academics: Throughout the school, our students are demonstrating commitment to their studies and accelerating the pace to complete the year's prescribed curriculum. It is edifying to see the expanse and wide variety of projects, ranging from the hands-on study of metamorphosis (the development of caterpillars to butterflies) by our kindergarten students to the preparation for High School placement tests by our 8th grader students.

Sports. The Track and Field season is coming to a close. We congratulate all the students who won ribbons and awards in recent meets at Mount San Antonio and Bishop Amat High School. It was awesome to see so many of our students participate in this highly competitive sport.

International Festival. Thank you to all the families who supported our annual International Festival. Special thanks to Rosalie Fuerte (school) and Lilia Pedroli (parish) who coordinated the event. It was a wonderful weekend of good food, camaraderie, music and games. We were very proud of our spirited students who danced to the music of the fifties. Our second graders, dressed in a variety of elegant national costumes cheered the hearts of the audience when they sang Children of the World.

Raffle. Congratulations to the winners of the raffle! The first prize, a trip for two to Maui was won by Elord Fajardo (father of Eiara, 2nd grade). The $1,000 second prize was won by Mirta Ogaz (out of parish). The $500 third prize was won by Yoon- Hee Kim (mother of Stephanie, 8th grade). The $100 fourth prize was won by Jose Zeron (father of Jillian, 3rd grade and Damian, 1st grade). The $50 fifth prize was won by Ruby Ibarra (outside of parish). Thank you all for supporting this major fund-raising event!