As the culmination of our unit on civil rights in I&S, the eighth grade students presented their restorative justice projects. Tasked with guiding a community through a recent traumatic event, the students built memorials, drafted apologies, and issued pardons to victims of injustice. From the Rwandan Genocide to the Boston Marathon bombing to the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, the students researched a topic of their choice and sought out the best method to restore justice and provide healing.
Students in grades 4-8 gathered in the gym on Tuesday afternoon to play a series of volleyball games, ending in a very special students vs. teacher/parent game. Despite a valiant effort by the teachers and parents, the students edged ahead and emerged victorious. Mrs. Prinzivalli promises that this will be a one-time win; next year, the teachers will seek their revenge! Many thanks to our Athletics Director, Tony Lopez, and our PE teacher, Ms. Sagert, for organizing the teams and refereeing!
As a culmination of our study of the Holocaust, the seventh grade students created "Toolboxes for Change". These projects are filled with the tools that future generations will need to prevent acts of genocide from happening. As evidenced by these projects, the seventh grade class, our new leaders of the school, truly are men and women for others.
In math class, the 6th grade measured the dimensions of the room to find the area of the floor. They then determined how many items we could fit into the room - they measured tiles, garbage cans, cabinets, tables, carts, desks, and bookshelves to see how many they can fit side by side in the room. They realized that this can be very useful information when planning renovations, room design, and much more!
This year, the eighth grade class had the privilege of spending many mornings with Ms. O'Donnell's preschool class. Whether it was celebrating Mass together on Fridays, going on an Easter egg hunt in Fr. Larry's garden, or reading books in the classroom, we always enjoyed our time with this class. Today marked our final day together at St. Matthias, but these memories will last a lifetime!
The sneaky and sweet middle school students hosted a surprise baby shower for Mrs. Prinzivalli. Although we are sad to say goodbye to Mrs. Prinzivalli next week, we know she will be an amazing mother to her baby boy. We spent the afternoon on the sixth floor of Dank Haus playing the usual shower games: Name that Baby, How Big is Boo Pop?, and Taboo. The students also decorated a very special picture, drawn by Cole H., for the baby's nursery. Many thanks to the wonderful parents (Ericka Wentworth, Dolores Krebs, Mary McMahon, Arlene Arellano-Brown, Michelle Henriksen, & Karyn McGovern) who helped make this shower possible -- and kept it a secret! We can't wait to meet Baby Prinzivalli in September!*
*Please have him wear his deep dish pizza onesie...
On Friday, we said a bittersweet farewell to the eighth grade class. In place of Mass on Friday morning, we celebrated their achievements with the Ribbon Ceremony. Although we will no longer see their smiling faces each weekday, we know they will be out in the world accomplishing great things.
-Tonight, (Friday, June 3), all graduates must be in the gym by 5:30 PM. Parents and families must go directly to the Church. Graduation starts promptly at 6:00 PM. There will be a reception to follow in the school hall (i.e. the gym).
-The school picnic is on Tuesday, June 7. A hot dog lunch is provided for all students. Thank you PILLARS for planning this fun-filled day for our students!
-The last day of school is on Thursday, June 9. Report cards will go home on this day. Please note, this is a full school day and there will be no aftercare available.
Congratulations to the Class of 2016!
Ms. Denten & Mrs. Prinzivalli