And that's january...

​Tracing pencil production…
The eighth graders continued their global investigation of the world economy this week. They followed the movement of productive resources from Europe, Asia, and the Americas to a factory in Tennessee. Ultimately, they discovered the mystery product - a pencil! Who knew so many resources went into making such a small product?!

​Swinging into dance class…
The sixth and seventh grade added a new dance to their repertoire…Swing! They showed off their twinkle-toes by hopping to the beat and twirling to the rhythm. Then, they wrote in their journals on their favorite dance so far and how it reflects the time period in which it was popular.

​Becoming scientists…
Sixth grade got to do hands-on investigations and data analysis this week! Last week the students graphed several decades of Chicago temperature data and found that our average annual temperature has been on the rise. This week they studied what is causing this phenomenon. While investigating the impact of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere, they also learned about experimental design. They finished off their study with a gallery walk to learn more about the effects of Earth's rising temperatures. Eighth grade will join in on the fun next week. Thank you to all those who donated 2-liter bottles to help make these experiments possible!

Looking ahead…

• Progress reports were sent home today. Please have them signed and returned by Wednesday, February 3rd.
• Catholic Schools Week is next week! We are excited to show our Catholic School pride with fun events planned for the week. 
• Sunday, January 31st: We will have a children’s mass at 10:30am to kick off the week! Open House at St. Matthias will follow immediately from 11:30am-1:30pm. Come and see all the wonderful things your children are doing in their classrooms!
• Monday, February 1st: Prayer service at St. Matthias main campus in the morning. Please drop your child at SMS. If students bring a pair of new pajamas, socks, or underwear for our Mattress Firm/Foster Kids Pajama Drive, they may dress down. Students, please do not wear sweatpants on Monday due to the morning prayer service.
• Tuesday, February 2nd: First and second graders visit Dank Haus for activities. We will have our first Spelling Bee at 1:40 for grades 3-8 in the SMS gym. Feel free to come support our junior high spellers!
• Wednesday, February 3rd: To celebrate “Career Day” students may dress up as who they want to be when they grow up. In the afternoon, we will be hosting our annual Geography Bee at 12:30pm in the gym. There are many junior high students participating; come and cheer them on!
• Thursday, February 4th: We have a fun day planned for Student Appreciation Day! Students may come in sweatpants and comfortable clothing. They must have shoes and socks and be appropriately dressed for the weather. Pillars is offering a pizza lunch for the students. Pizza forms went home earlier this week and are due on Tuesday, February 2nd. There will be no Hot Lunch or milk this day.
• Friday, February 5th: This is a half-day for students with dismissal at 11:30am.  We will have mass in the morning, so please drop your child at SMS. Students will have lunch at school and an ice cream treat to follow! Parent-teacher conferences will be held in the afternoon.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Merritt Prinzivalli and Jamie Denten