Newsworthy Notes
Vol. 18 Issue 3 September 9, 2005
| Notes
from Sister Therese Marie |
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JUBILARIANS CELEBRATE IN ST. LOUIS
Seven Marianists celebrated their jubilees on June 5 at Our Lady of the Pillar parish in St. Louis. Concelebrating the Eucharist were Frs. Robert Osborne and Jim Tobin; Fr. Joe Uvietta gave the homily. A social and dinner followed. Shown at Our Lady of the Pillar, from left, Fr. Jim Tobin (50 years), Bro. Rich Middleton (60 years), Bro. Roberto Hanss (50 years), Bro. Bob Wood (60 years), Fr. Robert Osborne (50 years), Bro. Greg DeMoor (60 years) and Bro. Jim Droste (50 years). Congratulations to the jubilarians! (from www.marianist.com) Congratulations, Father
Tobin,
The Archdiocesan Testing will take place in grades one through eight beginning September 19 through September 26. The data received from the tests is a very important part of the student records.
Back-to-School Night has been changed from September 14 to September 21.
September
19th through September 30th. Collection boxes will be located outside each classroom.
Our weekly newsletter comes home every Friday with the oldest child in the family. Please read it carefully to keep up with school news. To submit your important announcements in Newsworthy Notes, please e-mail Mrs. McNulty at tmcnulty@olpillar.com by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday of a regular week and by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday of a short week. Anything submitted after those times will be saved for the following week. At the same time, please e-mail Judy Rieke at jrieke22@swbell.net for items to be printed on the school web site.
Parents, please
make sure your child/children have a note of permission on file
in the School office by Tuesday, Sept. 6. If you have not sent
a note,
You might have seen the United Way of Greater St. Louis poster displayed throughout the city. Cami Garland, Our Lady of the Pillar School, Class of 2001, appears on the poster. She is also a graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy and is now a freshman at Yale University. For a link to the United Way Missouri website where Cami's own story and photo are featured, click here. Cadet Daniel Spellacy, Class of ‘98, was honored for outstanding academic achievement at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. Also, Daniel has been named as one of 18 new commanders to lead the Corps of Cadets as a company commander for the coming year. Bridget Atwood, Class of ‘98, has been accepted as a theology minor at St. Louis University. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa, the National Honor Society for Religious and Theological Studies. Grocery Store Coupons Dierberg's and Schnuck's gift cards will be sold in the car pool line on Mondays and Thursdays again this year. Both stores now use the convenient gift card; no more paper coupons. Shop-n-Save will no longer be available. OLP earns 5% on all sales and all proceeds benefit our computer lab. Please support this simple fundraiser for our school. The earnings really add up! BELLARMINE SPEECH Welcome to another year of Bellarmine Speech. We hope to see lots of interest from the students, as always. This means we need interest and involvement from parents as well. Judges
carrying a green or orange card are ready to judge again this
year. If your card is red, then it has expired, and you will need
to attend a workshop again. Judges
workshop dates:
Sign up now to participate in these activities offered through Our Lady of the Pillar Parish. Deadlines are soon. For applications and information on these activities (practices,responsibilites) link here
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at stm@olpillar.com |
Katrina Thank you for your generosity during our school fundraiser for the victims of Katrina. The parents and the students came through with a bang. You were very generous in donating the ‘fleece’ for the H.U.G.S. The students with their parents did a terrific job. Everyone looked great on Channel 4. We really have some ‘hams’. The Pillar community is always faithful in being helpful and generous to those in need. Tips
on Dismissal Individuals are parking and coming for their children. Some are parking in the handicapped area. Please remain in the car pool line. If you are waiting for your child who is patrolling or a scout group/game practice are gathering, parking is permissible on the hill. Otherwise, please remain in the car pool line. Drivers are using the north entrance to exit. The north side is only used as an entrance. The south side is an exit only. Please follow these directions. It will make it easier for everyone. Also, please be considerate and follow the carpool line. Some individuals go ahead of everyone by driving straight up the driveway and skipping all the cars in the carpool line. Many thanks for your cooperation. Used Uniform Sale Wednesday,
September 21st We
will be holding a sale from We will accept cash or a check made out to the OLP Mothers’ Club. If
you have any questions prior to the sale, please contact Lisa
Malone at 314-432-0914. School Handbook Have you read our new revised School Handbook? It can be found on the OLP website under the School link or by clicking here. After you and your children have read it, print the Handbook acceptance form and sign that you have read the hand-book and understand the policies and expectations of Our Lady of the Pillar School. The Computer Use Policy and Web Publishing Permission forms found on the website must also be printed, completed and returned to school. These forms are kept in the office. You will be contacted if these forms hae not been returned. We would like to highlight a few points in our handbook.
If you are planning to work with children as a volunteer, coach, etc., it is mandatory that you attend “Protecting God’s Children”. There are many such meetings at different parishes. Note the times and dates for these meetings on the following web site: www.archstl.org/children/children.html Fall Fund Raiser The wrapping paper/candy fund raiser is well under way. Don’t forget to go out and sell. This fund raiser is important for our students and the school The monies received from the sale bring to the school the ‘extras’ that are not in the budget. Your interest and cooperation in this project are greatly appreciated.
Please continue to save box tops. The first pick-up will be on September 22nd and the three highest classes will have a dress-down day on September 29th. Remember to cut the "box top" coupon along the dotted lines. The box tops we turn in are those that have an expiration date on them. Sometimes the real Box Top coupon is on the back of a label or box. We do not turn in Betty Crocker points. Additionally, OLP earns Box Top funds when you purchase items online through the Box Tops Booster Club. One OLP family just purchased a computer through the Box Tops Booster Club. Log on to the boxtops4education.com website for details on how to support OLP with your online purchases. You'll be surprised at the amazing number of stores participating in this program. Eddie Bauer, Lands' End, Staples, Office Depot, Dell, Barnes and Noble -- check out the Marketplace online!
Welcome
to Pillar!!! Please
add to Kindergarten: |
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| Class News and Student Activities |
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Kindergarten News Sept 9 - In Kindergarten we are thinking about how Jesus would act. Therefore we are being especially kind to one another and learning how to give and receive a compliment. During reading
we have worked on the beginning and ending N sounds. Next week
we will introduce medial A and begin blending sounds. In Spanish
we are learning to “walk” with Koko, el Caracol We are very proud of ourselves, we have learned so much! We know how to be responsible for our folders, and so much more.
The little books from our reading series will be sent home on Thursday. Please read them with your child. They contain all of our “sight words.” Aug 26 - We have had a wonderful start. Our children are happy and enthusiastic. They have eagerly begun work in their workbooks. We will be working hard with our letters and sounds. In Art class this week, we will be making dogs. To go along with this theme, we will celebrate “The Dog Days of Summer”. On Monday, the children may bring a stuffed dog, a picture of a dog, and a favorite book about a dog to share with the class. First Grade News Sept 2 - The first grade class is off to a great start. The children are settling into their routine and are making a smooth transition to first grade. We have spent time getting to know each other and going over the many things this school year will bring. They are enthusiastic and eager to learn. The children are working on identifying complete and incomplete sentences, as well as recognizing digraphs. It will be a busy year and I look forward to working with your children, as well as each one of you. Second Grade News Sept 2 - Second grade is in full swing and doing great. Every day I am greeted with smiles and enthusiasm. It's wonderful! In Religion class we are learning about the Blessed Trinity, and how Jesus used parables to tell of God's love for each one of us. We have a big year ahead, as we prepare for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion. PLEASE SAVE THE DATE of OCTOBER 4th for the second grade Reconciliation retreat. All 2nd grade students and parents are required to attend. I will send home additional information in a few weeks. Until then, thanks to all of you for helping the children get off to a GREAT start. Third Grade News Sept 2 - Our Honor of Mary Medal begins its journey around the room this week. Paige Kendrick was caught performing an act of kindness for a classmate, so she will wear the medal for a week. We are on the lookout for friends being kind to others. We spent quite a bit of time Monday afternoon discussing rules to live by in our classroom and at school in general. Your children came up with lots of great ideas for making our class a fun and peaceful place to learn. Most of the ideas flow from the theory that we should “Always show respect for each other and the rules.” Now we will see how well we can live by them. Enjoy the long weekend! Aug
26 - Welcome to the Third Grade !!! Your children have already received a Solid Gold Spelling List to keep at home to help them prepare for Friday spelling tests and spelling sentences. Hopefully the lists have been placed in a safe place. Have a great weekend. Fifth Grade News Sept 9- The fifth grade is getting ready for the first field trip next week to visit the retired Franciscan Sisters at the Carbarry Campus in Shrewsbury. The Sisters are going to be our pen pals this year and we are going to share stories, news, and lunch with them on September 15th. We want to thank Mrs. Sigmund and Mrs. McKee, our room mothers, for organizing and preparing everything for us. Please, Moms and Dads, get those permission slips back by Monday, Sept. 12th. We want to make sure everyone is ready. We know our Sister pals are waiting for us. We have been very busy in class, especially in writing paragraphs and stories. Our first set of compositions were super!!!! So says the teacher!!! Mrs. Atwood is looking forward to many more wonderful written adventures throughout the year. The fifth grade is also preparing to plan and participate in its first Mass this year. We have many anxious students who want to be readers, singers, Offertory procession presenters, and special prayer givers. We know how important this is and we are ready for the challenge. Our Mass day will be Friday, September 16th - please join us! Next week Mrs. Atwood will be sending home information on this year's Math Club. Don't miss it! Have a great week---we plan to do the same! Sept 2 - The fifth grade has had a very exciting first week of school. We have made it through a full week of our new schedules, had at least one quiz, learned some delightful Spanish, and made a new friend or two. We are busy writing paragraphs, studying Spelling, and learning about our faith. All of us are planning to participate in our Friday morning Masses; and we've talked, drawn, and written about how we can follow our school motto, "Be An Apostle" this year. Math, Science, and Literature are keeping us busy every night--that's great! We will also be visiting our school library this week looking for great authors, good books, and, maybe if we're lucky, something spooky and scary! We're all reading, thinking, planning, learning, and enjoying being back together. Mrs. Atwood made it through the first week, also; and she only had one blister! Have a great week! Aug
26 - School is off to a wonderful start for our 30
fifth graders. A BIG welcome to Katherine Taylor!!! We are working
hard reading and following schedules, finding our classrooms,
and adjusting to our new location at the other end of the building.
All the students and I, Mrs. Atwood, are ready to have a great
year after enjoying exciting and busy summers. (Cont.) September is a busy month. The fifth grade will be starting the DARE Program and will make a field trip to visit the retired Franciscan Sisters who will be our Pen Pals this year. We are ready to make this year's school motto, "Be An Apostle", come alive. Have a great year, one filled with joy and excitement! News from Mrs. Ryan Sept 9 - Next Tuesday our Sixth Graders will go on our TEAMWORKS all day field trip. Students must be dressed out of uniform, appropriately for the weather and tasks of the day. This means play clothes and tennis shoes for hiking, running, crawling, climbing, etc. No short shorts or short tops for the girls and no droopy pants for the boys. T-shirts should not have inappropriate lettering or advertisement, and caps are not needed. ALSO, each student needs a filled water bottle and a nutritious sack lunch. These items, along with a jacket or sweatshirt if the weather is cooler, will be brought to school in a tote or bookbag. Students will be out of doors all day so plan accordingly!! We’ll have an excellent time using team skills to solve all kinds of problems! The Fifth
Grade has been working hard using the Scientific Methods described
in our Skills Handbook. We’re going to be starting Chapter
4!! We are inspired to greatness Sept 2 - Thanks, Mrs. Bick and Mrs. Duval for organizing our Sixth Grade Volunteer Forms. Please send the completed forms to school with your students. We do have a great year ahead of us and your volunteer spirit and generous donations are greatly appreciated! We’re developing topography skills in our 6th Science classes and the 5th graders are paying close attention to the Skills Handbook of their Science books to build their vocabulary to think like a scientist. The 6th graders are preparing an upper grade Mass for Sept. 9, the Feast of St. Peter Claver, and we are studying the first books of the Old Testament. Aug 26 - Welcome to our new classmates, Berkeley Combs and Mary Cate O’Brien! You’ve joined a very positive, hardworking team and our Teamworks field trip is scheduled for September 13! The sixth graders have made some signs for our classroom. As part of our school theme “Be an Apostle”, these colorful signs direct us along our daily path, helping us to show we are God’s people! In Science we’re employing quantitative and qualitative methods to map the earth and sky. The fifth graders have jumped into problem solving in both Science and Literature. We’ve learned impossible things are happening every day because of Math, Science, Reading and Writing! (Yeah, Cinderella had that fairy Godmother, didn’t she?)
"The wisest mind has something yet to learn." - George Santayana "One who does not look ahead remains behind." - Brazilian proverb "All things are difficult before they are easy." - Italian proverb |
Notes from Mrs. Jones Sept 9 - Thanks for a great presentation, Dr. Miller! 7th and 8th graders had the benefit of Dr. Miller’s experience, not only in the science field, but dealing with the processes of the science fair. She has provided us with a great opportunity to speak with active science professionals, if students need a springboard for ideas, or if they would need a reference to interview a science professional while doing research on their projects. She gave the students handouts relating to how to set up log books, reports, and the display boards. There will also be a Greater St. Louis Science Fair “How To” Workshop at Parkway Northeast Middle School, Tuesday, October 11, 2005 at 5:50 p.m. Science Fair books and display boards will be available for purchasing in the Commons. In addition to these sources, check out www.jr.academy.com for information on the web. Geography
notes - 5th grade has begun Learning Center with Mrs. Bence one
day a week to sharpen those geography skills for the annual Bee
in January. On the alternate days, students will be fashioning
Social Studies “pockets” with information and activities
about Native Americans and Sept 2 - 7th grade has been working very diligently on studying minerals. We have been identifying specimens, looking at salt cystals under microscopes, and examining crystal structure itself. We are also looking forward to having Dr. Paula Miller, an organic chemist, visit our school on Sept. 8th, to speak with the 7th and 8th grade about the Science Fair and the procedures involved. I am equally
excited about enrolling the 7th and 8th grade classes in a PhysicsQuest.
The contest is sponsored by the American Physical Society,
in College Park, Maryland. We are moving
quickly along the timeline of history. 7th graders are working
in groups to create giant Foldables. These will organize and present
large chunks of history Seventh Grade News Aug 26 - We are off to a great beginning! We would like to welcome Tori Davis to our class, she is a wonderful addition. This year is Science Fair year and we are already brainstorming and choosing topics. We are also looking forward to working with a Science Outreach group that is sponsored by Pfizer Corporation. This will enable the students to have access to professionals in the field and make connections to the everyday world. Eighth Grade News Sept 2 - Father Tobin led us in a prayer service in our classroom, called us to be the leaders of the school and blessed us with holy water. We renewed our baptismal vows and answered the call by promising to be dedicated leaders. We are reading TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and working hard on our first writing pieces Sept
9- Did you know? Books, tapes, and new vocabulary went home last week. We hope your child will enjoy the workbook and audio tape. I know how hard it is learn another language and that is why I do encourage my students to listen to the tapes. I also know that some students do not have a cassette player at home. My suggestion to them is to listen to the tapes with a classmate that has one cassette player and play games together, as we do in the class, to learn the vocabulary. Trust me…you will come up with new games and you will have fun! Last week we were dancing Salsa and playing Bingo while we were learning our new vocabulary. Exposure to the language and its culture is crucial for the children to learn. Some of my students did express great interest in Hispanic musicians…¡Qué bien! Thank
you to the parents for your kind words in support to our Spanish
program and your warm welcome. It did mean a lot to us! ¡ Bienvenidos al curso de Español ! Aug 26 - My name is Yajaira Guédez de Jurado and I will be your child’s Spanish teacher. I was born in Venezuela. I came to USA eleven years ago to do research in Immunogenetics of diseases at University of Tennessee, Memphis. More recently, I have been teaching Spanish in enrichment programs and summer camps at Catholic and public schools in Missouri and Illinois. Currently, I am working on my Master in Secondary Education (field; foreign languages, with focus on Hispanic culture) at UMSL. The methods that I will be using at OLP follow the International Educational Systems (IES) design. The methods recreate a process of language acquisition which is similar to the way children learn their primary language. Several things make the program unique:
The tapes are designed to tune student ears to the inflections of native speakers and immerse students in the language. I will encourage my students to listen to the tapes at home a minimum of 5 minutes a day. Family support and input is extremely important. The more students listen to the tapes the more they enhance retention, comprehension, and conversational development. The tapes will most likely be difficult to understand at the beginning of the course. It is normal not to understand everything. Over time and with repeated listening, students will understand more and more. Books of some of our curriculum (K-6) are almost completely devoid of writing. This is intentional. The purpose is to teach students to understand and speak the spoken language. The workbooks are designed to allow students to follow along with the audio tapes and to link spoken vocabulary with visual images. The material simulates an oral immersion learning process. Readings and writing activities will be gradually introduced in class to 3rd-8th grade students. I will be
sending home the books, tapes, and instructions on how the students
should use the material. Please feel free to contact me anytime
(home phone #: 314-542-4276, voice mail #:314-993-6436 ext. 126,
or e-mail address at
yjurado@olpillar.com for questions or comments. I am eager
to pass my love for language on to your child! Yajaira B. Guédez de Jurado
Sept 9 - Celebrate Music! Hey, that's the title of the song we are singing in 3rd-6th grade to start off the year! It mentions all the reasons we should celebrate what music has to offer. This year, we will celebrate the music and musical instruments of the U.S. and other countries. Some grades will learn how to play the recorder and others will improve their playing the recorder. We’ll celebrate in many ways all year long! Kdg -In Kindergarten we are learning rhythms. We can copy rhythms and we can create them ourselves. The Kindergartners are learning how fun it is to sing by echoing. 1st- Learning to sing theme songs like "Sponge Bob" was first on our list. We worked on how to read the music too! We sang a song called "Everyone Has Music Inside". This song celebrates the idea that we can all sing no matter how young we are. 2nd- Spanish was on our minds as we learned the song "I Can Dance". The 2nd grade learned to pronounce the Spanish words and their meaning with help from Senora Jurado! We even came up with some choreography to suit the upbeat mood of the song! 3rd- " Celebrate Music! " What a great way to begin the year. This song helped us review notes and signs in music. We used rhythm instruments to help us keep the beat of the song. 4th- Did you know that there are interviews with music stars in our Music Express magazine? This month we heard about two girls, Ali & A.J., who are new to the music scene. They also appear on the Disney Channel. We even watched a music video showcasing their talent. 5th- The children wrote and illustrated papers entitled “Music is important to me because...”. They all had very interesting reasons why music is important. I was so pleased with the response. We are currently learning the song "Jamaica Farewell". Sarah Hundelt played this for the class on the piano. We liked it so much we decided to learn the words and sing along with Sarah’s accompaniment! 6th- We have been doing some listening along with our singing. We really enjoy the tunes from musical theater. We have listened to songs from "Anything Goes", the show I appeared in this summer with my community theater group. We also listened to some selections from "Wicked" which is currently on Broadway. 7th- Did someone mention musical theater? We have been discussing and experiencing musical theater in 7th grade. They just can't seem to believe all there is to know about the subject. 8th- The 8th grade has been studying African music and its various rhythms. We now know about poly rhythms, and we actually created and performed them for the class. We will also listen to and illustrate the rhythms. Next we will begin learning Halloween music. Stay" tuned" for updates! |
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Sept 9 - Now that the the new year has begun I am happy to see so many familiar faces. The lessons are planned to instruct in drawing skills, stimulate creative thinking, problem solving at the same time enjoy the effort. The first grade is using drawing skills to represent a familiar subject, "themselves and a pet". We will also paint. The second grade is setting up a cityscape to include the Arch grounds and river front. We talk about foreground, middle ground and background and how to show distance. The third grade is creating a carnival or fair scene reinforcing their knowledge of foreground, middle ground and background. We will paint with warm or cool colors using tints and shades. Fourth graders are learning how to layout the land sections for a landscape. The detailed paintings of the "Hudson River" school of painting is used as our reference. We discussed how this organization was formed and why. Fifth grade classes are working on figure sketching. We are discovering how to measure proportions and to notice detail. You may be asked to "model " for your fifth grader. The style and technique of Missouri artist , George Caleb Bingham is also observed. In the 6th grade the Art period and ideas of the Cubist movement is important. We are discussing these Art pieces and the use of collage. We explore and note similar ideas to make our personal "Musical Forms" composition as did Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, and Juan Gris. Seventh graders are noting the art work of Wasily Kandinsky and how his work evolved to become the beginning of Abstract Art. We are learning to use the Elements and Principles of Design to plan a composition influenced by looking at the work of this important artist. Our Eighth Graders are learning the skill of perspective. This perspective began during the Renaissance. A report will be due. After proper exercises are achieved, we will then design a house. I am expecting to have a wonderful year. |
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| News from the Office |
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 Reminder:
All emergency and student health information was to be sent to the
School Office by Monday, August 29th. Thank you! |
Insurance Forms If you are interested in purchasing insurance found in your packet, please return the form to the office by September 9th. |
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| Fund Raising Activities |
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Individual
Pictures
Archdiocesan
Testing
Coat
Drive 
Newsworthy
Notes
Cafeteria
Update 
Important
notice for walkers/
Alumni
News
Youth
Choir and Bell Choir and Altar Servers
Mandatory
Meeting
Please
make these changes to your OLP Phone Directory:
and
his friend Lola, la Mariposa.
Sept
2 - Hot Diggity Dog Kindergarten is having a dog-gone
good time. We have shared our favorite dog books, enjoyed a “
puppy chow “ treat, and a visit from O.L.P.’s favorite
dog, Beau. Mrs. Baker has taught us fun dog songs, including “
How Much Is That Doggy In The Window.”
The
Wise Old Owl is back again! 
El
Rincon Hispano 
Music
Notes
Art
News