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BE MESSENGERS OF CHRIST THIS SUMMER Ms. Lucy Gintz Our theme for the school year was, “Be Messengers of Christ." We are called to spread the Good News daily to all those that we meet. Spreading the Good News is not only on Sundays when we attend Mass, but it should also be in the classroom, cafeteria, recess, athletic games, at the store, and even in our homes. Along with the theme this year, the school community worked on various virtues each month. This month the faculty and students worked on the virtue of patience. “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of patience.” Colossians 3:12 As chosen people of God, we are called to show compassion, humility, gentleness, patience, and even peace. How can we take the virtues that we worked on these months and called to demonstrate out of the school building and into our summer lives? Are we kind to our siblings? Are we honest with our parents? Do we speak the truth about people or talk about them behind their backs? Do we share with others? Do we forgive those who have hurt us or do we hold onto grudges? I hope we can spend the summer being thankful to what the school year has brought us, relax, have fun, pray, and enjoy time with family and friends. Have a great summer and we will see everyone in August! SUMMER 2016 Vol. II - Issue 3 EDUCATION | FAITH | COMMUNITY St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School Announcing the Good News SOUTHSIDE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER This past spring, our seventh grade students visited SouthSide Early Childhood Center each Friday morning. The students were broken up into groups and they would spend the morning playing with the children, helping teachers out in the classrooms, playing on the playground, and offering their service to this community. The students loved their time while at SouthSide and wish they could go more throughout the year. This is a great opportunity for the students to help out those in our community. SUMMER TUTORS The following teachers are available to tutor over summer. Please check the school website for their emails. Mrs. Mills ..................... K-3 ........................ Any subject Mrs. Panus .................. 5-8 .................................... Math Ms. Chambers ............ 1-4 ............Language Arts/Math Ms. Goehring .............. 1-6 ......................... All Subjects Mrs. Miller ................... K-2 .....................Reading/Math Ms. Kilian .................... 5-8 ................ English/Literature For the 2016-2017 School Year, the faculty and students will focus on the Corporal Works of Mercy. “Join Hands with Christ to Build a Better World!”

EDUCATIONFAITH| COMMUNITY | St. Gabriel the … · BE MESSENGERS OF CHRIST THIS SUMMER Ms. Lucy Gintz Our theme for the school year was, “Be Messengers of Christ." We are called

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BE MESSENGERS OF CHRIST THIS SUMMER

Ms. Lucy Gintz

Our theme for the school year was, “Be Messengers of Christ." We are called to spread the Good News daily to all those that we meet. Spreading the Good News is not only on Sundays when we attend Mass, but it should also be in the classroom, cafeteria, recess, athletic games, at the store, and even in our homes.

Along with the theme this year, the school community worked on various virtues each month. This month the faculty and students worked on the virtue of patience. “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of patience.” Colossians 3:12 As chosen people of God, we are called to show compassion, humility, gentleness, patience, and even peace. How can we take the virtues that we worked on these months and called to demonstrate out of the school building and into our summer lives? Are we kind to our siblings? Are we honest with our parents? Do we speak the truth about people or talk about them behind their backs? Do we share with others? Do we forgive those who have hurt us or do we hold onto grudges?

I hope we can spend the summer being thankful to what the school year has brought us, relax, have fun, pray, and enjoy time with family and friends. Have a great summer and we will see everyone in August!

SUMMER 2016Vol. II - Issue 3

EDUCATION | FAITH | COMMUNITY

St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School

Announcing the Good News

SOUTHSIDE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

This past spring, our seventh grade students visited SouthSide Early Childhood Center each Friday morning. The students were broken up into groups and they would spend the morning playing with the children, helping teachers out in the classrooms, playing on the playground, and offering their service to this community. The students loved their time while at SouthSide and wish they could go more throughout the year. This is a great opportunity for the students to help out those in our community.

SUMMER TUTORSThe following teachers are available to tutor over summer. Please check the school website for their emails.

Mrs. Mills ..................... K-3 ........................ Any subjectMrs. Panus .................. 5-8 ....................................MathMs. Chambers ............ 1-4 ............Language Arts/MathMs. Goehring .............. 1-6 ......................... All SubjectsMrs. Miller ................... K-2 .....................Reading/MathMs. Kilian .................... 5-8 ................ English/Literature

For the 2016-2017 School Year, the faculty and students will

focus on theCorporal Works of Mercy.

“Join Hands with Christ to Build a Better World!”

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ST. GABRIEL TEAMS UP WITH SCHOLASTIC TO GET BOOKS IN KIDS’ HANDS

By: Mrs. Julie Dame

For the second time this year, St. Gabriel students participated in the Bucks for Books event that leads into our Book Fair. During Bucks for Books week, students donated money that helps children have access to books. The last week of April, students donated money, hula-hooped, dressed like hippies, and had extra reading time all in an effort to support this worthy cause. At the Book Fair, kids couldn’t wait to pull a sucker from the groovy Flower Sucker Pull for a chance to win a free book. We raised over $300 just from the sucker pull and gave away forty books to our students. In all, Bucks for Books raised over $3,000!

That money was used to buy books at the Book Fair the first week of May. The books that were bought went to three different places:

• Some of the books stayed at St. Gabriel and went into teacher’s classroom libraries so our own students have access to current literature.

• Two boxes of books were donated to Southside Early Childhood Center where our 7th grade students volunteer their time on Friday mornings throughout the year.

• Three boxes of books were donated to Marian Middle School.

But that’s not all…

Scholastic matches the amount of money and donates books to their charities, The Kids in Need Foundation and Kids in Distressed Situations. Because of the generosity of St. Gabriel students and families, children now have access to over $6,000 worth of new books. AND since our Book Fair sold over 1,000 books, St. Gabriel students will have all the books they need to keep reading over the summer.

BATTLE OF THE BOOKSBy: Mrs. Julie Dame

Junior High students from St. Gabriel competed against thirty-five other schools from around the St. Louis area on May 4th at Pattonville Middle School in the 10th Annual Battle of the Books. “Book Battle” is one of the enrichment classes available to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Thirty-seven students participated in the class which required them to read twenty novels throughout the year. The young-adult novels are picked by teachers and librarians from the Pattonville School District and are from a range of genres. Beginning in September, Book Battle classes met at St. Gabriel, and students read a new book each week. Students then met to discuss the books, participate in the Question of the Week competition, post comments about the books on the blog, and read and learn about the authors of the books. In March, the St. Gabriel Book Battle students took a fifty-question test about the twenty books and authors. Only the top eight scorers can attend the competition at Pattonville. Congratulations to Abby Sucher, Jack Polansky, Isaiah Stevens, Kaitlyn Hess, Andrew Atkinson, Shelby Roeder, Peter Curdt, and Addison Gherardini for their high marks. This team of students placed in the top half of the thirty-six teams at the Battle of the Books competition, and they had a chance to hear from author John David Anderson who spoke and entertained us at the Battle. John’s advice to the students that aspire to be writers: “Be persistent. Write every day, and it’s okay to be a nerd!”

For more information about this annual event, check out the website at http://eatingyabooks-bookbattle.blogspot.com/

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ENGINEERING IS ELEMENTARY

By: Mrs. Linda Morris

The fourth grade students worked as biomedical engineers in teams implementing each step of the Engineering Design Process to create knee braces for their injured knee models. The Engineering Design Process is a series of steps (ask, imagine, plan, create, and improve) that can be used to solve problems. Students had to compare and contrast the motion of their own knees with a model of an injured knee before examining the materials available for their knee braces and brainstorming how they might use them in their designs. Felt, cardboard, foam sheets, pipe cleaners, paper clips, rubber bands, and Velcro were among

t he poss i b l e brace materials. Students then c o n s t r u c t e d knee b races and evaluated how well their designs restored the normal range of motion to the model in jured knee, as well as their knee braces’ usab i l i t y and durabil i ty. The

students quickly learned that the Engineering Design Process requires attention and persistence at all of its steps!

BEING A BIOMEDICAL ENGINEER

By: Izzy Ruggeri and Janie Schnell(Fourth Grade Students)

Have you ever imagined what it is like to be a biomedical engineer? We were biomedical engineers when we built knee braces to help our broken cardboard knee models move like a normal knee. To build our knee braces we didn’t have advanced materials. Instead, we had materials such as cardboard, foam, rubber bands, Velcro, cotton, and popsicle sticks. Before you could build the knee brace you had to use the steps ask, imagine, and plan. Sometimes while building the knee brace you had to come up with a whole new plan, because the one you had wasn’t as good as you thought it would be. After you built the knee brace you had to test the knee with a goniometer, an instrument used to measure angles and a patient’s range of motion. We focused on our goal which was to help an injured knee move like a healthy knee. There were some ups and downs, but overall we thought the process of building a knee brace was fun.

WE ARE THE BREAD OF LIFEBy: Second Grade Teachers

In April, the Second Graders prepared for First Communion by having a bread tasting and then baking our own bread! We tasted 6 different kinds of bread and then compared and contrasted them all on a graph. Almost everyone's favorite was the cinnamon bread, and the most unique definitely went to pumpernickel! We finished out our preparation by baking our own mini loaves of bread and taking them home to share with our families!

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By: Mrs. Robyn Doenges

The Junior High Houses wrapped up their year with their traditional sorting ceremony. The incoming sixth grade students were asked to join their new houses, and we said goodbye to our outgoing eighth graders. Prior to this ceremony, the houses had the opportunity to participate in the Annual House Olympics games where they first joined together to pray and contemplate service, before demonstrating their teamwork skills in a variety of games. The day was wrapped up with a soccer tournament in the park. House Olympic Champions were Augustine (gold), John (silver), and Jude (bronze). The culmination of our year was announcing the next house leaders and announcing the winner of the House Cup. Once again, Joan House has won the top honor. We look forward to another successful year of prayer, service, and fun in the House system next year!

READ, RIGHT, RUN 2016By: Mrs. Jamie Voelpel

This school year marked the first year that our school had a team for G0! St. Louis' Read, Right and Run program led by Mrs. Voelpel, St. Gabriel's P.E. teacher. The program's goal is to develop reading-proficient, community-minded and physically fit children in grades K-5 by challenging them to READ 26 books, RIGHT the community with 26 good deeds, and RUN 26.2 miles over a six-month period. St. Gabriel's team had 12 participants representing Kindergarten, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades. Students finished the program by running the last 1.2 miles on April 9th in Forest Park, and as they crossed the finish line, they received a medal to mark their accomplishment. Parents were along the race route cheering on the students. This was an awesome and inspirational experience for the participants and all involved. Thank you to the school administration, teachers, and parents for their support!

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Kindergarten through second grade is finishing the year strong re-creating a piece by Andy Warhol called Flowers. Just in time for spring, the students learned how to create different shades of green, experimented with a print making technique, and built their scissor-usage skills to create these beautiful collages.

Fourth graders also enjoyed a unit with watercolor. Students learned about Japanese banners and different types of koi fish. “Skip drawing” was also utilized to create the appearance of depth. Students reviewed warm colors vs. cool colors, and experimented with blending the water colors to create their own shades of warm and cool colors. To finish, students added construction paper, origami paper, and string to transform their koi fish paintings into banners.

Seventh and eighth graders built their painting skills with a unit on watercolor. Students learned about different water color techniques, and created their background using the wet-on-wet technique with colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Students even put a salt sprinkle on their paintings to create an interesting, artistic effect. Next, students created trees and/or bamboo stalks with sumi ink, while executing refined paintbrush skills and paying close attention to the value of the ink in order to create the appearance of dimension and depth. To finish, students added blossoms with tissue paper to bring their trees to life.

Third grade enjoyed a unit on printmaking. This project introduced them to concepts such as symmetry, warm and cool colors, and creating a balanced composition. The students even mounted their prints on colored pieces of paper to prepare them for final display. To end the lesson, students participated in a gallery walk and critique, to view and provide feedback on the artwork of their fellow classmates.

STUDENT ARTISTSBy: Ms. Emily Mulligan

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Joyce MullenHow many years have you been teaching?I have been teaching for 45 years! Where have you taught and what grades have you taught?During my teaching career I taught at Holy Ghost in Berkeley, St. Casimir in North County, Incarnate Word Chesterfield, St. Angela

Merici in Florissant, and at St. Gabriel for the past 26. What is your favorite memory/activity from St. Gabriel or in teaching?My favorite memory from teaching are the ‘AHA!’ moments with the students. What are your plans for retirement?During my retirement I plan to travel, spend time with the family, do projects, and read.

Esther WieseHow many years have you been teaching?I have been teaching for about 30 years.

Where have you taught and what grades have you taught?I have been at St. Gabriel for 20 years! I have also taught at Thomas Jefferson Middle

School in Springfield, IL (6th grade math and science), St. Pius V (1st and 3rd grade), Seven Holy Founders (1st grade), and at St. Gabriel I taught 5th, 6th, and 3rd.

What is your favorite memory/activity from St. Gabriel or in teaching?When I taught 5th grade, we used to have Ancestor Day. The students chose one of their family surnames and researched it; country, foods, when ancestors came over. Students would then bring food, costumes, pictures, souvenirs, and family mementos to share with their classmates. Parents and grandparents came too. It was so much fun and they loved it! I also enjoyed the plays I have done with my students over the years and just working with such great kids and their families.

What are your plans for retirement?When I retire, my plans are to NOT set an alarm clock, travel, maybe take some cooking classes, and spend some more time with my family, especially my parents.

Bob BanteHow many years have you been teaching?I have been teaching full time for 32 years.

Where have you taught and what grades have you taught?I have taught at Resurrection of Our Lord, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary Magdalen

(Brentwood), Immaculate Heart of Mary, and St. Gabriel's (2 years). With the exception of  two years I  have always taught 7th and 8th grade and have always had an 8th grade homeroom. I also coached Track and Cross Country at St. Mary's for 15 years

What is your favorite memory/activity from St. Gabriel or in teaching?While I love being in the classroom teaching, the things I will remember the most are the times spent outside of the classroom with the students. This

MANY BLESSINGS TO OUR RETIRED TEACHERSWe are very sad to announce that some of our longtime, beloved teachers will be retiring at the end of this school year. Mrs. Wiese, Mr. Bante, Mrs. Meyer, and Mrs. Mullen will be retiring after many years of dedicated service to the students of our school. We wish them the best of luck and will miss them dearly. The school celebrated and honored them with a Mass on May 26th with the teachers’ family and friends in attendance, followed by a breakfast in the school cafeteria.

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includes watching the many sporting events and in my younger days playing football and basketball with my students.  Some  specific memories would  be:  at St. John the Baptist  all the time preparing for and competing in the Southside Invitational Track Meet, at Immaculate Heart of Mary  working on the 8th grade musicals, and at St. Gabriel's it would be having the opportunity to share my faith with the students on the Confirmation retreat

Chris MeyerHow many years have you been teaching?I have been teaching for 35+ years. I have taught at St. Gabriel for 32 years!

Where have you taught and what grades have you taught?I have also taught at St. George’s and St. Monica’s before coming to St. Gabriel.

What is your favorite memory/activity from St. Gabriel or in teaching?I have so many memories so it is difficult to choose just one! I have favorite memories from students, parents, and even my colleagues. What are your plans for retirement?My plans for retirement are to relax, enjoy my grandchildren, and after August I am open to new possibilities!

RECYCLINGBy: Mrs. Joyce Mullen

Throughout the years at St. Gabriel, recycling has been part of the science curriculum. The eighth graders has collected recycling bins from the classrooms and other places around school once a week. During recycling, the eighth grade students would take out pieces of computer paper that were clean on at least one side and not wrinkled. About 30 reams of reusable paper were sent to the office to be used for making copies. Along with the 30 reams of paper, five hundred thirty-six plastic items were recycled. These recycled items were taken off campus to nearby recycling bins.

This year, the seventh graders began composting. They researched the importance of composting, taught the younger students about composting, and started collecting items to compost for the school garden.

GRANDPARENTS’ DAYBy: Ms. Jenn Schmitt

On Thursday, May 5, 2016 the grandparents of students in grades 1, 3, and 5 were invited to spend some special time with their grandchildren. We started off the day at Mass with our grandparents. Students from the different grades helped lead us in Mass. When the students and their grandparents returned from Mass, they were divided into two groups. One group went to the cafeteria to enjoy a special donut treat and the other group went to the classrooms to work on projects and visit. After while the groups switched. This was a very special day for both the grandparents and the students.

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August8 Religious Ed. Institute/Leadership Day10 Teacher Meeting11 Teacher Meeting12 Faculty Day of Prayer15 Open House/Ice Cream Social (4:30-6:30 p.m.) Kindergarten Parent Orientation (6:30-7:30 p.m.)17 First Day of School (12:30 dismissal for K-8)18 Full Days of School begins (1-8)18-19 Half days for Kindergarten (12:30 p.m. dismissal)24 Back to School Night (6:30-8:30 p.m.)

September5 Labor Day - No School7 Confirmation Parent Meeting (7:00 p.m.)19-23 Iowa Testing26 No School - Teacher Meeting29 Feast of the Archangels

October4 Picture Day4 First Reconciliation Parent Meeting (7:00 p.m.)6 Confirmation Sponsor Night (7:00 p.m. in café )9 Confirmation Rite of Enrollment (9:00 a.m. Mass)13 (12:30 Dismissal) Parent/Teacher Conferences (2:30-7:30 p.m. )13 - 21 Book Fair14 No School15 Trunk or Treat31 No School - Teacher Meeting**6th Grade Camp-TBD

November1 All Saints Day - No School - Holy Day of Obligation11 End of 1st Trimester15 Jesus Day and First Reconciliation (7:00 p.m.)23 -27 Thanksgiving Holidays28 No School - Teacher Meeting

December8 Immaculate Conception No School - Holy Day of Obligation14 Choral Concert (7 p.m.)15 Band Concert (7 p.m.)23- 3 Christmas Holidays

January3 No School-Teacher Meeting4 Classes Resume16 MLK Day - No School29 - Feb 5 Catholic Schools Week Open House (10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

February3 Teacher Appreciation Day (12:30 p.m. Dismissal)4 8th Grade Follies16 End of 2nd Trimester17 No School - Teacher Meeting20 President’s Day - No School21 First Communion Parent Meeting (7:00 p.m.)28 Mardi-Gras Mission Carnival

March1 Ash Wednesday 10-17 Scholastic Book Fair14 Grandparents Day20 No School - Teacher Meeting

April7 Jazz Band Trip 12-23 Spring Break/Easter Break Teachers will be attending the NCEA Conference

in St. Louis April 18-20**8th Grade Confirmation - TBD

May

3 First Communion Practice (6:30-7:30 p.m.)5 Jesus Day for 2nd Grade7 First Communion (2 p.m.)9 Choral Concert10 Band Concert12 Field Day (12:30 p.m. Dismissal)15 Band Trip17 Incoming Kindergarten Parent Meeting (7:00 p.m)19-24 Bogo Book Fair26 8th Grade Mystery Day Last Day for Kindergarten (12:30 p.m. Dismissal)29 Memorial Day - No School30 8th Grade Graduation

June1 Last Day of School (12:30 dismissal)2 Teacher Work Day

ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL SCHOOLCALENDAR 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR

Please note that this calendar may need to change due to weather or other emergency situations. Updates will always be posted at http://www.stgabschool.org/calendar

***We celebrate Baptismal Masses every third Thursday of the month at 8:00 a.m. Please come join us.

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By: Ms. Kelly SchokmillerOur Technology Vision is off to a wonderful start! We have a busy few weeks ahead preparing to incorporate all of our new technology when the students return in August. Some highlights include our updated SMART Boards are being installed beginning next week, Mrs. Dame is working on developing our Maker Space and TinkerTown curriculum, on Monday teachers are receiving professional development for our online differentiated math program and our online differentiated writing curriculum, and Mr. Ashby is working on setting up our new staff laptops and student Chromebooks. We cannot wait to utilize all of our new tools in order to bring 21st century learning to our students. Thank you for all of your support in making this vision become a reality for our students!

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SCIENCE IN A TREEBy: Leah Wegman

For Science in a Tree my group was the first to do the experiments. We got different objects and predicted which ones would come down fastest or slowest. Then we calculated the m/a ratio and gave the climbers the objects. Finally, they dropped them down. Some objects, like the golf ball fell down very fast. Others like the fuzzy ball slowly floated down. After that we climbed the tree. I happily climbed very high. When I reached the top I could see all around the school. I think overall tree climbing was lots of fun.

By: Jack Ghere

When I was climbing the tree I saw a bird’s nest and lots of houses. My legs felt tired from pushing myself up and I was a little scared at the top. Coming down was fun. It felt as if you were sliding down a pole. We learned about to know which object would drop faster. I like this year better because we learned how to calculate which objects will fall faster. It was also better because I got to climb a higher rope. We made a chart and recorded the data. The baseball dropped fastest and the pool ball dropped the slowest. Overall it was a little better this year.

A VISIT TO THE ZOOBy: First Grade Teachers

Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my! And stingrays, polar bears, goats and sea lions, too! The first grade field trip on May 11 was a menagerie of fun. The children had a (mostly) beautiful day of exploring the zoo in small groups. Some of the children got their hands wet touching two different kinds of stingrays and sharks! Many children got to pet guinea pigs, rabbits, and goats as well. We enjoyed seeing some of our favorite animals learning many new things. One group in 1C learned that the female lion likes to climb a tree and watch the zebras, dreaming of a special treat!  Some groups were entertained by Kali the polar bear as he played with a tire and giant rawhide bone. The first grade made it safely back onto the bus just before a big rainstorm hit. Perfect timing!

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BROADCASTING AT ST. GABRIELJohn M. Ashby, Technology Teacher

Every morning at 7:40, the pressure builds: a team of 8th graders “roll out” the green screen in the Enrichment classroom, fire up the video streaming system, run an audio check, and get ready to wake up the school with morning announcements – presented “live” over the school’s computer network! Teachers eagerly call up the broadcast link on the SMARTboard during homeroom. While the volunteer technicians do the setup, one of the announcers gathers the day’s prayer and reading, pulls together the list of announcements and birthdays, and rehearses. Once the tech gestures the countdown to “go live”- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and Cue! – every homeroom sees and hears the announcer lead us in our morning traditional prayers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the day’s announcements. For special occasions, they’ve also added a second camera with guest “Lenten reflections”, “Book Talks”, and other features from Homeroom representatives. Occasionally, a student-produced video message for Recycling or the “House System” activities is added to get the word out while everyone is tuned in. Special effects are also fun for the techs to throw in, of course, and most of the announcers have some kind of signature phrase or sign-off that they use to end each broadcast.

7th  graders also get a taste of the broadcast process with a longstanding media production tradition, the annual Podcast series on “Life as a Seventh Grade Student”. During the course of a month every spring, they

learn to plan and produce a focused 3-minute audio program on a single topic that might be of interest to parents and fellow students. To accomplish that, 7th grade teams record interviews with experts on their topics (including fellow students), edit the audio recordings, mix them with copyright-cleared music, and publish them to the Internet! The 2016 Podcast Series is prominently featured under “School Tools” on the St. Gabriel School website, but is also published to iTunes for access by audiences around the world. Check out your own search for “Gabriel” in Apple’s iTunes service, subscribe via an RSS Reader app, or link directly to our annual series at:

https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/st.-gabriel-school-podcast/id273463862?mt=2

PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILESBy: Kindergarten Teachers

The 3 kindergarten classes recently concluded their unit on transportation with a trip to the St. Louis Museum of Transportation. The program, entitled “Bird, Plane, Boat or Train,” taught the students about the parts of a train and helped us review the differences between land, air, and water transportation. The students were also able to practice some organizational math skills, such as sorting and graphing. In addition to receiving a private educational tour of the train yard, students took a miniature train ride, and they even got to construct their own wooden toy train.

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“AND THE BEAT GOES ON…”By: Sr. Gail Buckman and Mrs. Michelle Shaver-Krus

Spring time is usually associated with Spring rain and May flowers, but for the music department at St. Gabriel, it is associated with a flurry of activity. Next to December, Spring is our busiest time.

In March, the Jazz Band participated in the Archdiocesan Jazz Band Festival at DeSmet High School. We are only one of two Middle School Bands to be invited to participate in this Festival. It is technically a high school festival, but we are happy to be able to be a part of it. The band performed 3 selections, and were adjudicated by 2 separate judges on our performance. After the performance, one of the adjudicators met with the band to give them some “pointers” on how to improve their playing. It was a very profitable day for all. Also in March, the First Grade participated in the Archdiocesan Music Festival at Our Lady of Sorrows School. This Festival takes place over two days at several area schools. Each year a different grade level participates by performing a few songs for the other schools present and an adjudicator. Our First Graders represented St. Gabriel very proudly!

On  April 22, the Jazz Band performed at the Notre Dame Motherhouse for the Sisters. It was an enjoyable time for all. The Sisters wished that the kids could stay longer, but we were scheduled to have lunch at Fortel’s Pizzeria. After the performance, the students were treated to some cookies and lemonade, and then off to Fortel’s and back to school for the afternoon.

On  Sunday, April 24, the Jazz Band performed at the Sheldon Theatre. This is a beautiful venue and a wonderful opportunity for the Band to be showcased aside from anyone else. The Sheldon Theatre, in cooperation with the E. Des Lee Foundation, offers this venue to schools at the cost of half of the box office take. We hope to be able to take advantage of this opportunity in the future.

The month of May began with our Spring Concerts here at St. Gabriel. The concert on Tuesday, May 3 featured the First, Third, Fifth and Seventh Grades as well as Honor Choir. In keeping with the Music Class Theme for this year, our vocal concert featured several jazz selections. On Wednesday, May 4 our bands presented the program of music they have been working on throughout this trimester. Since it was May the 4th, it was only appropriate that the Concert Band conclude with an arrangement of STAR WARS, (“may the 4th  be with you”). On May 11 our Fourth Grade students went to Powell Hall to play with the St. Louis

Symphony Orchestra! This was part of the LinkUp! Program. Our students joined with students from several other schools, both public and Catholic, to play recorders, sing and listen to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Monday, May 16, the Concert Band performed for the students of St. Stephen’s School. We were able to reconnect with Mrs. Wendell (she is Principal at St. Stephen’s), and to help recruit students into their band program. After the Band’s performance it was off to Swing-a-Round Fun Town for an afternoon of fun as a reward for all of the early morning rehearsals and hard work that the band has put in all year.

Two more things left on the agenda for the year:  school picnic parade on  June 11, and the Cardinal Baseball Game on July 15. We hope that you enjoy our “early morning wake-up calls” as we march around the streets preparing for the picnic. For some of the kids this is a highlight of the year.

FORTUNE TELLERS IS SPANISH

By: Mr. Paul Goeden

All year in Spanish, third, fourth, and fifth grades have been working on improving their speaking skills. They made fortune tellers with greetings, conversational phrases, questions, and answers – all in Spanish. Students wrote their own questions and answers based on what they learned in class. Some of the students have become so familiar with their phrases that they no longer needed to use their fortune tellers!