Volume 19 Issue No. 4 February 2017

The Spirit!

St. Francis de Sales School

1111 Michael Way Las Vegas, NV 89108

Telephone: (702) 647-2828 FAX (702) 647-0284

Web-site: www.sfdslv.org Office Hours: Monday - Friday

7:45 AM - 3:30 PM

Ministerial Staff

Fr. Bruno Mauricci, Pastor Fr. Michael Conway, Assoc. Pastor Fr. James J. Bevan, Jr., Special Assistant

Administrative Staff

Principal Mrs. Manfredi Administrative Asst. Mrs. O’Connor

Teaching Staff

Kindergarten Mrs. Hensley Mrs. Larson First Grade Mrs. Thomas Second Grade Miss Aveni Third Grade Mrs. Cooper Fourth Grade Mrs. Tully Fifth Grade Mrs. Oddo Sixth Grade Mrs. Bochenczak Seventh Grade Mrs. Antos Eighth Grade Mrs.Studdard Math Specialist Mrs. Sposato Religion Specialist Mrs. Wilson Librarian Mrs. Wilson Teaching Asst. Mrs. Iorii Technology Director Miss Botti School Counselor Mrs. Pepperman Music Teacher Mrs. Taubert Physical Education & Spanish Instructor Mrs. Villanueva Drama Ministry Mr. Blaskey Before and After School Staff:

Mrs. Taubert, Mrs. Gorski, Mrs. Wattenbarger, Mrs. Villanueva

St. Francis de Sales

Newspaper Staff:

Kennedy Crear, Alaina Herrera, Anisha Silva, and Freedom Washington

This month’s classroom news was

compiled and formatted by Mrs. Smith!

Thank you!

KINDERGARTEN

s we begin the New Year, just as throughout the first half of the school year, the children are working very hard in all

subject areas, recognizing the importance of our Life Skills of effort and cooperation in all they do, we are very proud of each one of them. In the Atrium, the boys and girls are growing in their faith and understanding of the love and guidance of the Good Shepherd. We have excitedly met almost all of the Superkids; this outstanding reading series continues to interest and engage the boys and girls while building strong phonics, handwriting, encoding, and decoding skills. Our Math studies have included subtracting from 10 or less, using ten-frames and number sentences. As part of our Social Studies, the boys and girls are learning about George Washington and they completed a report on Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump. Additionally, for Black History Month, we read about and discussed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his belief in peaceful, non-violent change. In Science the children are learning about Space exploration, astronauts, gravity, and what it might be like to live

and work in space. Each student made a box to star gaze and use a flash light to see a

facsimile of the seven bright stars of the Big Dipper. We are very proud of all of the students who submitted projects for the Science Fair,we appreciate their efforts and fine work. The Kindergarten students enthusiastically began attending an additional weekly Technology Class in January, where the boys and girls have been patterning in Math; rhyming words, reading sight words, and sequencing in Language Arts; and learning more about plants and animals in Science.

Catholic Schools Week was wonderful, as always; full of school spirit an on-going reminder of the blessings and rewards of Catholic Education. The “Salad Dressing” theme provided lots of opportunities for exciting and fun free-dress days. And, everyone participated in Pajama Day full of enthusiasm for breakfast for lunch--always a favorite! The Penny Wars reminded the students to be aware of those less fortunate. And, lastly we truly enjoyed sharing our classroom and the children’s work with so many parents during Open House.

Students of the Month

Kayla Tran Andrew Robles

Birthdays

January Kayla Tran February Ethan Anaya Anthony Chaney

SCRIP Purchases:

Valentine Treasure Box Goodies Science Supplies

God bless you in all you do-

-Mrs. Hensley & Mrs. Larson

FIRST GRADE

The New Year brought us all back together to learn many new things. In the Atrium we are learning about the events in Jesus’s life and the parables that he taught. Life Skills and Ethics Across the

Curriculum lessons also remind us of Christ’s teachings. We are illustrating and writing about these in our journals. Literature stories are always a hit. Some of our favorite books include: Chicken Sunday (Tolerance), I Tell the Truth (Integrity), Wemberly Worried (courage), and Mr. Lincoln’s Way (Respect). Everyone enjoyed National Catholic Schools Week! Student Council planned great events to celebrate our Catholic

heritage. We loved wearing pajamas to school and all of the fun! In Math we learned about geometry. Our addition and subtraction facts have expanded to fact families up to 12. Literacy skills continue to expand through a variety of activities. Thinking Maps help us summarize and organize our written expression. The Jane Schaffer writing method is being used with great success! We are also working on writing and illustrating books for the “Reading Rainbow Go Writers Contest.”

So far First Graders have read hundreds of books and taken Accelerated Reading quizzes! This

program demonstrates that reading improves comprehension and fluency! Students have recently earned the following awards: Independent Reader (10 points)- Arianna Anaya, Avery Crammer, Carter Cullum, Matthew de la Rosa, Lazaro Ibarra, Elise Owens, Aiyanna Sarmiento, Kylee Scott, and Kaitlyn Spaulding Super Reader (15 points) - Anthony Arce, Sachiko Bradford, Matthew de la Rosa, Kaitlyn Doucet, Zachary Haile, Lazaro Ibarra, Elise Owens, Jeri Pulido-Ortiz, Danielle Rickert, and Kaitlyn Spaulding Advanced Reader (20 points) - Matthew de la Rosa and Jeri Pulido-Ortiz Star Reader (50 points) - Chelsea Verry, Chloe Verry Classic Reader (100 points) - Chelsea Verry, Chloe Verry Congratulations! Keep reading. Thank you for your donations to our Mission Project, Cam Tam Children of Peace International. Additionally, we had a wonderful amount of participation in our recent paper product collection for Ronald McDonald House. What wonderful ways for us to live the Gospel message (Matthew 25)!

Students of the Week

John Hazard Keeahna Martin Danielle Rickert Daniel Ramos

Students of the Month

Sachiko Bradford Chloe Verry

A

Birthdays

January Carter Cullum February Zachary Haile Elise Owens Chelsea Verry Cameron Feely

SCRIP Purchases:

Classroom supplies

SAY IT TO THE SAINTS Each week we are blessed to have Mrs.

Atiyeh and one of the Saint Bernards visit. Students have the opportunity to read and spend time with a furry friend. The bond between the Saints and First Graders is “Paws-a-tively” amazing! It is pure excitement and love when our guests arrive. Anticipation builds as students wait for their turn to read. This terrific program is helping all of us become “Paw-some Readers”! Thank you for thinking of me in such a special way for Teachers’ Appreciation Day! I am grateful for your continued support and dedication. God bless all of you.

-Mrs. Kelly Thomas

SECOND GRADE

Second grade is enjoying 2017! January came and flew by and we are excited for the love that February brings! In Math, we just finished our chapter on geometric shapes! We loved learning and pointing out all over campus all our 3D figures we could see. We are now

learning about money and time! Now we’ll all know when it’s time for recess. In Reading, we just finished

Unit 4 of Superkids which means we are halfway through our series! We cannot wait to see what’s in store for the Superkids as we get our new books and workbooks. In Writing, we just finished doing an informative write on a famous African American who helped contribute to today. We love writing with our new Jane Schaffer method where we color code each part of our

paragraph! We love one chunk paragraphs. In Science, we just finished our chapter on weather and seasons. It was perfect because the weather outside matched our books! Our current chapter is all about the dinosaurs and fossils. I cannot wait until we become archeologists and “dig” for “eggs”. In Social Studies, we are learning about what a colony is and who the first colonists were. It is fascinating to us to learn that people traveled across the world to be free from their country to start anew. In our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, we are preparing our hearts and minds for Reconciliation. This month will be our first True Vine afternoon! We graciously thank God each day for allowing us to gather in such a sacred room to learn all about him. In Accelerated Reading, we are just

flourishing with books! I have never seen so many students who love to read! To date, we

have taken and passed 1, 908 quizzes. We awarded some OWL’s with AR awards: Independent Readers: Kaylie Cornman, Maxyne Francisco, Maximo Gutierrez-Roig, Trenton Howard Super Readers: Jasolynn Burkhardt, Gabriella La Spina, Maleah Mee, Chloe Ontiveros, Kylee Pfiefer, Gabriela Whitehead Advanced Readers: Jayden Anaya, Elle Doud, Jacob Fernandez, Sebastian Gutierrez, Michael Iniquez, Benjamin Martinez, Alejandro Rivera, Anastasia Ryan, Catlyn Walztoni, Amartya Robinson Star Readers: Adrianna Adam, Caeleb Espinosa, Skylar Goldyn, Nicolas Munoz Here are some whooo-riffic highlights for the coming months: Valentine’s Day (and party), True Vine presentations, Reconciliation, and learning about France

Owls of the Week

January to February Caeleb Espinosa, Maxyne Francisco, Elias Dils, Anastasia Ryan, Jameson Murray

Jan to Feb Birthdays

Adrianna Adam, Angelina Adam, Caeleb Espinosa, Kylee Pfeifer, Olivia Roberts, Jayden Anaya

SCRIP Purchases:

Classroom Supplies

Owl-ways hooting, -Mrs. Olivia Aveni

THIRD GRADE

January has been a very busy month in the Third Grade. First, an update from

reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The golden ticket winners were Alexa Carambas, Bailey

Cockhill, & Jasmine Sierrapeniche. Congratulations! Now we are reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. In January we have studied about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We read interesting facts about his life, then we put together an illustrated time line of events that occurred in his life. Throughout this study we learned about freedom, courage, justice, and perseverance. During Catholic Schools Week we enjoyed celebrating and reminding ourselves of why we are so proud to attend a Catholic School, especially St. Francis de Sales! There were many fun activities to look forward to throughout the week. Pajama Day and breakfast for lunch is still a very popular event! Currently we are working on our Drama Ministry play Joseph the Dreamer with Mr. Blaskey. We will be performing the play on February 24.

While practicing we are learning team effort, cooperation, and following directions. This month we have begun our unit about Peru. Mrs. Kijanke Thompson (Cassandra’s Mom) has been working very hard teaching us a dance for our multi-cultural performance. She has been doing a terrific job and we appreciate all her time and talent that she is sharing with our class.

We have been studying about the Presidents of the United States. Using the laptops in the

classroom we each researched about our individual Presidents. There are so many interesting and fun facts. We enjoyed attending the play “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters” at the Smith Center. It is a wonderful African folktale with a message of treating others with kindness and compassion. Here is a current update on achieving our AR goals. The Advanced Readers (20+ points) are Jacob Rosenberg, Jasmine Sierrapeniche, and Hailey Wells. The Star Readers (50+ points) are Alexa Carambas, Connor Gardiner, Jayden Messer, Gabrielle Pabustan, Alejandro Ramirez, Rome Ramos, and Devin Vidrios. Congratulations and keep up the good work!

Students of the Month

Riev Angeles Danielle Marrero

Birthdays

January Giselle Hernandez February Jasmine Sierrapeniche Ethan Bonn Kamryn Farley SCRIP Purchases:

None God Bless America! Pray for Peace.

-Mrs. Mary Cooper

FOURTH GRADE

It is hard to believe that we are already into February of 2017! We have had so much going on that the time is just flying by. The Science Fair was a great success and we had several students

with entries in the school exhibit! Thank you all for showing such a zest for learning. Congratulations to all our students who participated!

Catholic Schools Week was a blast! The Fourth Grade showed tremendous spirit with full participation in every activity available. Thanks also to all the parents who supported our charities in the Penny War by sending in all their change. We were able to help many people who depend on your generosity. It was a week to remember, and certainly a true celebration of Catholic Schools! St. Valentine’s Day was another special event! It is fun to tell others that we care about them and to hear from those who care about us. We are sending our love to all of you and hope you had a day filled with nice surprises! In Math we have been exploring fractions. We all agree fractions are great fun! We are adding, subtracting, comparing, ordering, and reducing fractions every day. We have even learned how to change improper fractions into mixed numbers. Every day adds a new way to manipulate figures. In Reading we have recently enjoyed the novel Riding Freedom, and are now

reading Because of Winn-Dixie. It is about a young girl who is searching for friends in a new town and how she finds them with the help of a stray dog. The

main character, Opal, uses Lifeskills we discuss in Religion often. We need our children to realize that their actions can have far reaching

impacts on the lives of others. Following in Jesus’ footsteps by being kind and considerate of others is something to always strive for. In Religion we have been working in the Atrium to learn how we can more fully

live our faith. Using our Bibles each session is teaching so much about Scripture. It gives us an in-

depth look at how our actions relate to our faith and how we respond to people in all of our everyday activities. We are beginning to see that although we are still young, our words and actions have big impacts. Everyone is looking forward to Spring because in Science we will try to hatch chickens in our incubator and raise butterflies from larvae. We have already been very successful with our huge group of tadpoles! They are fascinating to watch as they grow. Be sure to stop by and visit our critters as they continue to arrive. Naturally, we will be learning about different life cycles and classifications of animals which will be lots of fun.

Congratulations New AR Award Winners Super Readers 15 points Jack Brascia Aviana Francisco

Advanced Readers 20 points Mike de la Rosa Roman Knox Analuna Martinez Sebastian Szydlo Matthieu Gutierrez-Roig STAR READERS 50 points Lindsay Betke Riley Cornman Abigayle Laning Annika Laning Kayla Luna Valentina Moore Cara Ontiveros Scarlett Schwarz CLASIC READERS 100 points Jude Ibarra SCHOLARLY READERS 200 points Jason Le

Students of the Month

Ethan Abarca Titus Molnar

Birthdays

January Riley Cornman Jan. 3 Emily Joyce Jan. 8 Mike de la Rosa Jan. 14 Matthieu Gutierrez-Roig Jan. 30 February Aviana Francisco Feb. 22 Lindsay Betke Feb. 28

SCRIP Purchases

classroom critters!

-Mrs. Nancy Tully FIFTH GRADE

I cannot believe that it is already February! Fifth grade has had a whirl wind two months! January came and went quickly and in that month we got to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. The

Fifth grade is so thankful for you (the parents) for sending them to Saint Francis de Sales! A huge

thank you to all of the parents for your support. You are all truly living the faith and are fantastic role models demonstrating service to our community. Every month our Fifth grade parents will be donating items for our service project The Children of Peace International. For the month of February, we are raffling off a Movie themed basket. Tickets are 25 cents each which can be purchased in Fifth grade from Mrs. Oddo. Congratulations, Jayda, for winning the Christmas themed basket in December! Every month we will have a different theme and baskets will be on display at the front desk. Thank you for your support. We also increased our donations to The Children of Peace International thanks to the Penny Wars during Catholic

Schools Week! Thank you all who donated! We all enjoyed our Christmas Break and came back with a thirst to learn! With every month that goes by we are making great progress in our education and enjoying our 5th Grade year.

In Math, we are currently learning how to add and subtract like and unlike fractions. Adding fractions

with like and unlike denominators is fun for the whole class! Sometimes, modeling the problems help to it make sense. Thank goodness for Mrs. Oddo and Mrs. Sposato’s help!

– Aiden Anaya In Social Studies, we have learned about the beginning of our country! Recently, we have learned about the Townshend Acts and the Stamp Acts. Did you know the colonists used to be taxed for every single piece of paper? I would boycott too! Coming up we get to learn about our countries revolution and the war that caused it all. Mrs. Oddo brought in a piece of what tea looked like back then along with hand dipped candles. – Caelynn Corcoran In Science, the weather is in the classroom. Fifth grade has been learning about weather and about the instruments we use to determine the weather. We have learned about hurricanes, tornadoes, barometers, and much more! Furthermore, we have learned about what to do in the event of a hurricane (safety procedures and the provisions we need)! Also, did you know that tornadoes form when hot and cold air mix? I didn’t either until we learned about it this year! – Tristan Molnar In English, we wrote a “fractured fairytale,” which means we got to place ourselves in one of our favorite fairytales! I, myself chose the Big Bad Wolf, who was very wrongly confused. We have also been working on the Jane Schaffer writing process. In my opinion, the best part is the pens! We use blue for topic sentences and concluding sentences, red for concrete details, and green for commentary. I am looking

forward to using this new way of writing! – Noah Bonn For the months of January all of our reading stories were themed, they all had to do with the founding of our country! I thought it was very interesting that we got to learn about he founding of our country not only in

Social Studies, but also in Journeys! We also finished the spectacular Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and

then we were able to watch the movie! In my opinion, the book was way better. We just finished our third benchmark test. Remember: read, read, read, and enjoy! – Sofia Lara The fifth grade has been learning a lot in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd! We have been learning about what and when happens during the mass. Did you know that the book the priest uses during mass has color coded book marking ribbons? We have learned about what each of those ribbons mean! We are currently dissecting the mass in its four major parts and then diving in even deeper. Thank goodness there are different pictures to help us and give us clues. In conclusion, 5th grade is excited to l earn even more and become deeper enriched in our faith! –Vince Diagdigan Arts Attack is our wonderful art program. Recently in art, we have made a mola. Mola’s are made from the Kuna’s culture and “mola” means “shirt” or “clothing.” A mola is a piece of art that is made up of cut out pieces that help showcase symmetry. In my opinion, this was very fun to do! This was also very hard to do because we had to cut out many shapes and designs. In the end, I thought that all our molas came out unique and amazing- just like all of us! Our beautiful molas are proudly displayed in our hallway outside fifth grade.

– Miranda Emery All fifth graders are working hard

toward becoming life-long learners. Our Life Skills on responsibility, courage, tolerance, and integrity, are reviewed through the

stories we read in our Journeys reading texts. We share examples of how we can achieve these Life Skills in our world today. Furthermore, we discuss instances in our history that could have had a different outcome if our life skills were used and reflected upon. Our students are already hard at work on their AR goals. I am proud to announce the accomplishments of the following students: Advance Readers: Aiden Anaya Jayda Barnes-Maitia Shane Enriquez Claire Gallob Gavin Gonzalez Tristan Molnar Michael Owens Anabelle Ramos Emily Sabadinni Owen Wells Star Readers: Annabella Cross Vince Diagdigan Andrea Ponce de Leon Classic Reader: Caelynn Corcoran Wow! I am so proud of you! Congratulations to all! Let‘s keep striving to go above and beyond our AR goals.

Students of the Month

Demi Gronauer Tristan Molnar

Birthdays January Daniel Jackson Jozef McCrea JaydaBarnes—Maitia Kelly Nguyen Daniel Jackson Jozef McCrea? February Annabella Cross Emily Sabadinni

SCRIP Purchases

Classroom Supplies- thank you very much for your support!

The fifth grade is excited for the rest of the school year ahead!

-Mrs. Amanda Oddo

SIXTH GRADE

It is already 2017! This school year is going by quickly! The Sixth Grade has been completing our studies just as fast. Here are some of the things we have been learning in Mathematics. .Mrs. Sposato's class has just ended Chapter Four in our textbooks. That chapter was on expressions and equations. We are now working on integers. In Mrs. Studdard's class we are reviewing for a Chapter Three Test which is on division with whole numbers and decimals. In Science class we are learning about the

digestive system. Did you know that stomachaches are actually small intestine aches?

In Mrs. Antos's Religion class the Sixth

Grade has been studying about the importance of a family. Staying together as a family is a large part of the Catholic faith. It

adds love and respect for everyone into our minds. Then, in Social Studies, we are studying Ancient Greece. For third period, we return to Mrs. Bochenczak. In English, the Sixth Grade is now learning how to use Jane Schaeffer writing since we have finished our Pronoun Unit. We have also been extending our Vocabulary by doing Units in our Vocabulary Workshop Workbooks.

On January 24th.....One of our own Sixth Graders WON the All Catholic Schools' Spelling Bee for

Sixth Graders over all six Las Vegas Catholic Schools!!!!!! S-T-E-L-L-A-R......job,Noah Fortez!!!!!!!!! The Sixth Grade is having a great year and cannot wait to see what comes next!

Katie Clevidence Grade 6

AR UPDATE: The following students have achieved certification

recently: ADVANCED: Baylee Farrington, Nathaniel Rivera STAR: Noah Fortez, Connor Hufford, Mia Madrigal, Paris Sotelo Classic: Gabriel Bacani Keep Reading!!! Remember to see me to redeem your points for incentive coupons!

Students Of The Month

Katelyn Sims Noah Fortez

Birthdays

January David Rodriguez --Jan 9 February Briane Angeles--Feb 1 Gabriel Bacani -- Feb 1 Katelyn Sims --Feb 4 Ava Junker-- Feb 15 We enjoyed reading and discussing the short story "My Wonder Horse". A beautiful tale about coping with coming of age. We explored our Life Skills of Perseverance, Courage, Respect, and Integrity. We look forward to our St. Valentine's Day Party on Tuesday, February 14th!!!!

SCRIP Purchases

Classroom Supplies

-Mrs. Bochenczak

SEVENTH GRADE The seventh grade truly enjoyed Catholic Schools’ Week. We would like to thank Mrs. Wilson and student

council for their hard work and preparation for a wonderful week. We enjoyed all of the festivities. Also, seventh grade was invited to attend

mass at Our Lady of Las Vegas along with all other seventh and eighth grade classes throughout the Diocese. Seventh grade has been keeping very busy in English with our writing assignments. We have just been introduced to a new writing technique which is Jane Schaffer. We have practiced some modeling in our group work and we are excited to start our next writing assignment. We are enjoying getting together with our prayer pals. We are excited about spending Valentine’s Day together were we will be able to exchange valentine cards and share some cupcakes and punch with them. We are looking forward to reading week when we will spend a reading afternoon with them. We have just completed a unit on fish as part of our seventh grade science curriculum. We have entered a new unit which encompasses learning about our solar system. However, during January and February, the science fair has consumed much of our science time. Seventh grade had their first experience writing a scientific abstract as well as developing a good scientific conclusion. Many of us learned to determine what we would do differently if we were to do the experiment over again. This is all a part of the scientific process. In Mrs. Sposato’s class we are identifying properties. We are also working on adding/ subtracting rational numbers as fractions and mixed numbers. Mrs. Studdard class is working rational numbers as decimals. They are solving equations by adding,

subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals as rational numbers. In Social Studies we just finished up with the Confederation to Constitution. In this chapter we discussed how the United States had a growing population and seeming unlimited natural resources. Due to this growth the United States had to create a stronger government to protect the rights of its citizens. Therefore, the ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights were created to ensure the rights of individuals and state. In Reading, our book report is oral, and it is on biographies. We are currently working on Close Reader activities. In Spanish, we are learning to conjugate verbs, identify differences between indefinite and definite articles, order of numbers, adjectives, and weekly vocabulary. We just finished our first final in Spanish. AR Certification News: From Mrs. Bochenczak- The following students have achieved AR certification recently. Keep up the good reading! Advanced: Kellee Savage, Dominic Villanueva, Michael Yarmy. Star: Michael Betke, Jonquil Snyder. Classic: Mary Castelan, Gus McCrea

Students of the Month

Kiarra Osotio Dominic Villanueva

Birthdays

January Gus McCrea, Sarah Ogutu February Kaden Hufford, Hailey Lynn Holly Lynn

SCRIP Purchases

Prayer Pal meet and greet.

-Mrs. Desiree Antos

EIGHTH GRADE The Eighth grade truly enjoyed Catholic Schools’ Week. We would like to thank Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Larson, and Student Council for their hard work and preparation for a wonderful week. Our All Catholic Schools Mass took us to Our Lady of Las Vegas this year. The Mass was beautiful and the video and the reception after Mass were delightful. We watched the movie Looking for Miracles on Tuesday afternoon during Catholic Schools Week. The movie was delightful with lots of life skills incorporated into its message. Our art project in January kept us extremely busy. We used water colors to paint landscape scenes from the works of David Hockney. Our beautiful paintings are hanging in the hallway. Our hallway project for February is our historic K-8 timeline. Each student remembers something different about his/her years at school. For many, St. Francis de Sales is the only school that some of our eighth graders have known. During the months of January and February, the science fair has consumed much of our science time. We were lucky to use our science time to perform some of our projects. In eighth grade we had one rather odd day in which the students had to sample baby food and then move to the next experiment which tasted different colored sodas.

Some students stated that this was an odd combination. This is all part of the science fair learning experience.

Mrs. Studdard’s math class is exploring polynomials by combining like terms as well as the addition and subtraction of polynomials. Mrs. Sposato’s math class is also on polynomials and will soon be exploring multiplication of monomials and binomials as well as multiplying binomials special products. In social studies we are currently transitioning from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution. Also, with Mrs. Antos we are continuing to develop our writing skills through the Jane Schaeffer

method. It is hard work but our skills are improving. In reading we are concentrating on short stories for our book report. We continue to work on our “values” book. In Religion we have discussed St. Benedict and the Benedictine order. In Spanish we continue with our weekly vocabulary quizzes. This chapter we are learning how to say the names of our family members. We did a presentation on our family tree.

AR Certification News from Mrs. Bochenczak: Keep reading! Keep up your great efforts in maintaining your goal for this year! Remember to see me to redeem your points for incentive coupons. Always, Mrs. Bochenczak The following students recently received certification: Advanced: Alaina Herrera Star:Matthew Muyot and John Sullivan Classic: Anisha Silva

Students of the Month

Vina Legaspina Xavier Perez

Birthdays January Victoria Legaspina Jan 10 Anisha Silva Jan 22 February Ali Madrigal Feb 3 John Sullivan Feb 9 Alina Langit Feb 26 Alaina Herrera Feb 28

SCRIP Purchases: None

-Mrs. Linda Studdard

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS

Catholic School’s Week was a huge

success! We began the week with our annual “Penny Wars!” All proceeds will be going to the First and Fifth

Grade Service Project, The Children of Peace International. Our theme this year was salad dressing SOOO it was Ranch Dressing day! We wore our western wear (beautiful cowboys and cowgirls everywhere!) and participated in in Sundae Sale! All proceeds from this sale will be going towards the Third Grade service project, The Women’s Resource Center! All in all, a great day was had by everyone! Tuesday morning the Seventh and Eighth grade students attended Mass at

Our Lady of Las Vegas. Mass was celebrated by Bishop Pepe. Ali Madrigal read the greeting while

Spencer Turner served as our altar server. We were proud to be represented by these two fine students. Since it was Student Appreciation Day, in the afternoon every class watched movies and ate snacks! We were also treated to a NO homework night! On Wednesday, we celebrated with a Prayer and Flag Ceremony. We all wore our pajamas and enjoyed breakfast for lunch. At lunch time we acknowledged our “Hot Lunch Bunch” with special treats, and thanked them for the many delicious lunches they provide for us weekly! Thursday was Caesar Salad Day. The school was surrounded in royalty! Kings and queens and princesses everywhere you looked. The best part of the day was the Pep Rally!!! We had a lip sinc challenge between some of our Eighth Grade Students and some of our teachers, that was the most fun of all!! Alina and Vina were outstanding as Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Wilson singing, ”I Can Do Anything Better Than You,” the boys were great too, but the real winner was Mrs. Oddo, she was fantastic as Elsa! She stole the show! Miss Aveni and

Miss Botti joined her for a melody of songs and dancing, they were great as well, and the stundent’s loved the performance! We can’t forget Mrs. Taubert, what an amazing DJ she was, we loved when she was holding the belt and whisking it around the hall. After school parents were invited to visit their children’s classrooms for an Open House visit, meeting with teachers and seeing all the beautiful work the students have been working on! On Friday the week ended with a beautiful Student Council Mass! Mrs. Thompson blessed all the teachers and thanked them for their hard work and dedication to SFDS! The teachers received a standing ovation from the students, it was very heartfelt. All in all, great week was had by everyone!

Upcoming Events in February

Valentine Gram Sales

Red and White Day on February 14th

Thank you to everyone who

made this week so much fun!

-Mrs. Carol Wilson

NJHS HAPPY NEW YEAR from all NJHS students! This past month entering the

new year and getting back into the school spirit has been a transition for all students. Our NJHS students have thankfully transitioned

back very quickly and have gotten into the habits of doing their service again. Our service has stayed the same for this half of the year. We are proud of our efforts during the first half of this school year! We are required to do a minimum of 15 hours service for each half of this school year. We all achieved that goal and many of us surpassed it with 20+... 30+... 40+..Hours of service.!!!!

Thank you to all our parents and volunteers who have helped us.

Jacqueline Kulin NJHS Historian

MUSIC February finds the Music Room filled with the love of the season. Classes are singing about Cupid while learning how to read music. Sixth Grade began working on a poster all about music. 8th Grade will be taking their first test on the Blues and Country music this month. Choir is still in the process of picking out a “fun” song-the performance TBA. We are all waiting in anticipation to sing at the 51s game on April 29th. Tickets will be son sale at the front office closer to game time. Please mark your calendars and join us for a great time.

-Mrs. Carol Taubert

Computer Bits After we returned from Christmas break, we began our coding lessons. Many students have been asking to work on these lessons at home. If you wish to continue working on the coding lesson plans, all links to each class’s specific coding website are located on the SFDS webpage under Technology. We have been working on our keyboarding skills in the computer lab. If you would like extra practice so you can be added to our Words per Minute Wall, you can practice at www.typing.com. Typing Club offers

fun ways to practice touch typing while not looking at the keyboard. Visit www.typingclub.com. Congratulations to all who have made the Words per Minute Wall so far!

-Ms Angela Botti

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

In January we started girls’ basketball. I am very proud of both teams. We had six dedicated girls from 7th and 8th grade that worked and played very, very hard for our varsity team. The girls

never gave up and continued to play their hardest. The JV team so far is doing great. As of today they have won all of their games. The girls are very excited. I am so proud of both teams - for their effort and dedication to St. Francis. In February we will begin our volleyball unit and reinforce the rules of the game. Volleyball games will begin in March and finish in April. We are looking forward to a season filled with lots of learning and fun. As we prepare for volleyball we will also begin to get ready for softball and track. This month will be very busy with sports.

In physical education we will play volleyball, have track, and softball tryouts. We will continue to work hard and work on fitness. I always look forward to the next few months as the weather gets better and better each day. Thank you for supporting your children and getting them to practice and games on time.

-Mrs. Susie Villanueva

LIBRARY NEWS

February is moving along quickly! We are now looking forward to our annual Book Fair! I would like to thank everyone in advance for

stopping by to look at and purchase new books. Here is my top ten list of Valentine books, I hope you enjoy them!

Llama Llama I Love You By Anna Dewdney The Biggest Valentine Ever By Steven Kroll

It’s Time to Sleep, My Love By Eric Metaxas The Kissing Hand By Audrey Penn The Crown on Your Head By Nancy Tillman Never Too Little To Love By Jeanne Willis On The Night You Were Born

By Nancy Tillman Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

By Eileen Spine Porcupining By Lisa Wheeler

Giraffes Can’t Dance By Giles Andreae Happy Valentine’s Day!

-Mrs. Carol Wilson

NEWS FROM OUR PRINCIPAL

Our New Year began with many

exciting things happening at St. Francis

de Sales School, including class trips,

exciting basketball games, delicious hot

lunches, the Feast of the patron saint of

our school, St. Francis de Sales, the

Diocesan Spelling Bee, and of course,

Catholic Schools Week celebrations!

There have been many class

trips enjoyed by our students: Fourth

graders visited the Philharmonic

Orchestra at the Smith Center, as well as

attended the play, “Mufaro’s Beautiful

Daughters” with the Third Grade, also at

the Smith Center! In addition, we had

the pleasure of hosting the Bishop

Gorman Theatre Students as they

performed their mini musical!

Our girls’ basketball teams

continue to work hard and are having

lots of fun! Their games have been very

exciting to watch! Both JV and Varsity

teams have had some wins and some

losses, but most importantly have played

with much fervor and good

sportsmanship! Our cheerleaders have

cheered us on at every game with so

much spirit and pride for our players!

We wish them good luck in February as

they play in their final season games!

Our Hot Lunch Program seems

to be getting better and better with each

passing month! (I’m not sure which is

my favorite yet…but chicken fingers

and grilled cheese are both coming very

close to win that title!) We are so very

grateful to all of the volunteers who give

of their time, energy and love to our

school!

The Feast Day of St. Francis

de Sales took on even deeper meaning

this year as we prayerfully celebrated in

Church. Students and teachers gave

some deep thought as to which of St.

Francis’ quotes was their favorite.

Thinking about each of his quotes

enabled all of us to grow deeper in our

affection and adoration of our schools’

patron saint.

Our Diocesan Spelling Bee

was very exciting, especially since our

sixth grader Noah Fortez won a medal

for Over-all Sixth Grade Winner! All of

our St. Francis participants did a great

job and worked very hard to prepare for

such an intellectually strenuous

undertaking! We are so proud of all of

them!

Lastly, Catholic Schools Week

proved to be a week filled with school

spirit, lots of fun activities, but most of

all a true sense of gratitude for a school

where we can learn about and live out

the Gospel every day! From Ranch and

Caesar Dressing Days, to ice cream

sundaes, to our Pep Rally, the week flew

by with laughter, friendship and school

pride!

We look forward to February,

as it is another month filled with joyous

activities! We are preparing for our

Science Fair, both our schools’ and the

Diocesan Fair. Our Middle School

students will be celebrating Valentine’s

Day in a very special way at the

Valentine’s Day Dance held right here at

our own school! Our seventh graders

will be enjoying their class trip to

Bishop Gorman High School to see,

“Thoroughly Modern Millie.”

As you can see, there are

always many things to look forward to

here at St. Francis de Sales, no matter

what month or time of year! We are

very blessed!

-Mrs. Janet Manfredi

St. Francis de Sales Catholic School 2nd Trimester School-wide Learning Expectation Awards

Active Faith-Filled Catholics

Life-long Learners

Effective Communicators

Responsible Citizens

Culturally Aware/Global

Citizens

Kindergarten Grant Cockhill Elena Rico-Cortes Amina Baghdadi Nayara Pineda-Leon Calista Sanchez

1st Grade Melanie Garcia London Ramos Kaitlyn Spaulding Matthew de la Rosa Carter Cullum

2nd Grade Gabriela Whitehead Caeleb Espinosa Adrianna Adam Maxyne Francisco Maleah Mee

3rd Grade Gabrielle Pabustan Zachary Owens Breanna Cross Melou Wendelboe Bailey Cockhill

4th Grade Sebastian Szydlo Jeremy Baker Abigayle Laning Sophia Perez Luke Martin

5th Grade Anabelle Ramos Vince Daigdigan Kelly Nguyen Annabella Cross Romeo Coronel

6th Grade Connor Hufford Briane Angeles Bea Verry Sabella Schwarz Donavuun Janson

7th Grade Dominic Pryor Erica Fish Caitlyn Goode Aidan Bonn Wyatt Paez

8th Grade Anisha Silva Victoria Legaspina Xavier Perez Ali Madrigal Steven Spurlock

Got Spirit! Got

Spirit! V

olum

e 19; N

um

ber

4 F

ebru

ary

2017

Student Reporters: Kennedy Crear, Alaina Herrera, Anisha Silva,

and Freedom Washington

The Feast of St. Francis de Sales

On January 24th, our school celebrated our Patron

Saint’s Feast Day. Each class took the opportunity to

share their favorite quote from St. Francis de Sales:

Kindergarten: “The soul cannot live with love!” 1st Grade: “We must see the face of Jesus in all our sisters and

brothers, for Jesus is truly in each of us.” 2nd Grade: "The soul cannot live without love." A tie with the

following: “We must see the face of Jesus in all our brothers and sisters, for Jesus is truly in each of us.”

3rd Grade: “Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.” A tie with the following: “You will catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a hundred barrels of vinegar.”

4th Grade: “Nothing is small in the service of God.” 5th Grade: “You learn to speak by speaking, to study by

studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving."

6th Grade: “Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.”

7th Grade: “Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing so gentle as real strength.”

8th Grade: “God alone is our peace, our consolation, and our glory.”

February Articles: Page #

St. Francis de Sales 1

St. Valentine 2

Black History Month 3

Valentine Traditions 4

Poetry Corner 1

Valentine’s Fun Facts 5

Love Not hate By: Freedom Washington

Love is strong Give a hug

So is hate Not a pinch

Hate is wrong Be a love bug

Love is great! Not a Grinch

St. Valentine By: Alaina Herrera

There has been proof of multiple St. Valentines all of them martyrs and mentioned in the martyrologies listed under February 14th. The Catholic Encyclopedia states that St. Valentine’s official name is Saint Valentine of Rome and he was the most popular. He is the patron saint of courtship, travelers, and young people. He was a Roman priest who married young couples against the rule of Emperor Claudius II. St. Valentine was

once put in front of a judge who wanted to put his faith to the test. The judge challenged St. Valentine to heal his blind daughter in exchange for anything he could

wish for. When St. Valentine put his hands over her eyes she healed and could see. Later, Claudius had St. Valentine arrested for trying to convert people to

Christianity. Also he was illegally marrying young couples and helping Christians from being martyred. While he was imprisoned he converted 46 members of the guards and their families to Christianity. Slowly a friendship stared to grow between Claudius and St. Valentine started to convince Claudius to be Christian. Once the emperor

realized what St. Valentine was doing he was furious. St. Valentine was sentenced to death. Claudius asked him to denounce his faith to save himself from death but St.

Valentine refused and was martyred. He was executed outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14, 269. When he was executed the former blind girl left a note signed

“Your Valentine”. Information found at: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=159

Page 2 Reporter News Got Spirit!

Black History Month Facts By: Kennedy Crear

As you may know, February is Black History Month. Black History Month is an annual celebration that celebrates the achievements of the African American people. Here are some facts about Black History Month:

• Garrett Morgan (1864-1963) was the inventor of the stoplight and the gas mask. • Thurgood Marshall (1908-1913) was the first African American to serve on the United States Supreme Court. • Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) was the first African American baseball player to play in the Major League. • Black History Month was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson and became an official celebration in 1976. • The month February was chosen because Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays are in February. • In 2008, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt became the first man to ever set three world records in a single Olympic games. • African American inventors created the hairbrush, lawn mower, cellphone, refrigerator, and the air conditioner. • Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress and the first black major-party presidential candidate survived three assassination attempts during her 1972 campaign. www.History.com

Page 4 Reporter News Got Spirit!

Valentine’s Day Traditions Around the World

By: Alaina Herrera

In Denmark, people exchange pressed white flowers called Snowdrops and notes with jokes or

funny poems.

In France, the men and women separate into neighboring houses and call out random names till

a match is found. They also have large bonfires where women can burn pictures of men.

Although the tradition was so uncontrollable that the French government banned it.

In South Korea, they celebrate many holidays similar to Valentine’s Day monthly from February

to April. They start on Valentine’s Day and women impress men with chocolates and teddy

bears. On March 14th

also known as White Day, the men take charge and give the women

chocolates and teddy bears. On April 14th

also known as Black Day, single women mourn by

eating black bean paste noodles.

In Wales, they honor St. Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers on January 25th

. According

to tradition people give each other elaborate spoons as a sign of affection. The men would carve

symbols into the spoon. Such as a horse shoe for luck, wheels for support, and keys which stand

for the keys to someone’s heart.

In China, they don’t celebrate Valentines but they celebrate Qixi or the seventh night festival

which falls on the seventh night of the lunar month each year. It honors a heavenly king named

Zhinu. Every year women carve melons and fruits as offerings to Zhinu in hopes of finding a

husband.

In England, women place 5 bay leaves on their pillows to bring dreams of their future husbands.

Children celebrate Valentine’s Day by waiting eagerly for Jack Valentine to bring candles and

small gifts.

In Italy, women would wake in the middle of the night and the first man they say was supposed

to be the man she would marry that year. A popular gift given in Italy is Baci Perugina which is a

chocolate covered hazelnut wrapped with romantic quotes written in 4 different languages.

In South Africa women literally wear their hearts on their sleeves. Women will traditionally pin a

heart with the name of their love interest name on it, which helps people discover their secret

admirers.

Source: http://travelblog.viator.com/valentines-day-traditions-all-around-the-world/

Page 5 Reporter News Got Spirit!

Valentine’s Day Fun Facts By: Anisha Silva

In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign your name on a

Valentine’s Day card

Based on retail statistics, about 3 per cent of pet owners will give

Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets

If you’re single don’t despair. You can celebrate Singles Awareness Day

(SAD) instead

In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared Feb. 14 the holiday

of St. Valentine's Day

Physicians of the 1800s commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to

calm their pining for lost love

Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in

the late 1800s

More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for

Valentine's Day

73 percent of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while

only 27 percent are women

15 percent of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day

189 million stems of roses are sold in the U.S. on Valentine's Day

220,000 is the average number of wedding proposals on Valentine's Day

each year

www.discovery.com