The weekly newsletter from St. Patrick's Catholic School provides information for the week of January 24-29, 2011. It includes notices about an upcoming open house and book fair, a math assessment on multiplication facts for 6th grade, a math problem for extra credit, and words and quotes of the week from different teachers. It also reminds students about GPA requirements to attend a school dance in February and invites parents to read student blogs online.

1. Week of Jan. 24 - Jan. 29, 2011 Parent Signature & Date: ________________________________________
MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Mr. Benitez
email: rbenitez@stpatrickcatholicschool.com webpage: www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/Rbenitez
* Remember the Date: Jan. 30 - Open House from 9 am to 3 pm.
- Students are required to attend the Open House Mass at 10:30 am and check-in with their teacher to receive credit for
attending. Also, this will be a great time to get a new SSR book because our BOOK FAIR will be open!
* 6th Grade Mathematics - It is very important that you continue to study your multiplication facts. I will be
assessing you this week on multiplication facts of 4s since I did not have a chance last week. Remember, spend at least
10-15 minutes a day studying your multiplication facts.
Math Problem for the Week
Draw two
squares so that
each pig has
their own pen.
(answer will be in next week’s newsletter: receive 10 points extra credit if you get it right!)
Answer to last week’s newsletter problem: The order of the ice cream scoops from top to bottom: chocolate, vanilla, blueberry,
bubblegum, and strawberry.
Word for the Week
adversary [AD-ver-sair-ee] (noun) - one that contends with, oppose, or resists: enemy
During the class debate, John’s adversary disagreed with him on the idea that school’s should be open all year.
Quote for the Week
“Education Never Sleeps.” - Christian Ascencio
Mr. Tobon
email: ctobon@stpatrickcatholicschool.com webpage: www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/ctobon
* All classes:
Religion- Last week, we had some great discussions on Martin Luther King, Jr. Here is the quotation that sparked much
of the conversation:!"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love
can do that." -Martin Luther King, Jr." " " " " " " (continued)
1

2. Mr. Tobon (continued)
The correct answer to last week's question, "Why is May 1st an important date with regards to John Paul's life?": This
year, May 1st will be the second Sunday of Easter, which is called Divine Mercy Sunday. This feast was made official by
Pope John Paul II when he canonized St. Maria Faustina, who, like the pope, was from Poland. Additionally, there is a
special connection between May 1st being an important day for communist and socialist countries and John Paul II
being one of the main people who helped bring down communism in Poland. We will discuss this in class.
Spanish - Word of the week: amigo!- n. friend. (Quiero jugar fútbol con mi amigo Alejandro.!I want to play soccer with
my friend Alejandro.) As with many nouns, the "o" may be changed to an "a" to make the word feminine instead of
masculine. (Quiero jugar fútbol con mi amiga Clara. I want to play soccer with my friend Clara.)
Science 8th - On Friday, we will have our annual Newton Scooter competition. This will be a great way to finish off
our week.
“A spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar.”
-St. Francis de Sales, whose feast day we celebrate on Jan. 24th
Mr. Parent
e-mail: tparent@stpatrickcatholicschool.com website: www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/7th8th
Keep Up The Great Work!- Aren't you glad the entrance exam is now over? I hope you didn't find it as bad as you
expected. Now that that is over for many of you, remember to stay focused on completing this school year to the very best
of your ability.
Student Reminder- Students, remember that in order to go to the dance this February, you must have at least a 2.3
G.P.A. Otherwise, you will be assigned to a classroom so that you can complete any of the work you have missed. Your
homeroom teachers will inform you this week about your current G.P.A..
Hey Parents! Check out www.kidblog.org/8thgraders (or 7th graders)
Check out all of the great writing the students at St. Pat's have done so far this year. Your child has created a blog this year,
and they would love to have you read their work. Not only have they been writing some really creative stories, most of
them have really grasped the proper grammar conventions and punctuation. It's so easy to let them know what you think! I
invite you to comment on their blogs as well. If you are interested, please contact Mr. Parent for the parent password.
It Happened This Week!
January 24 - Gold was discovered in California in 1848.
January 26 - The world's largest diamond, the Cullinan diamond, was found in South Africa in 1905.
January 27 - Thomas Edison was granted his first patent for his incandescent light in 1880.
January 27 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer, was born in 1756.
January 28 - The U.S. space shuttle, Challenger, broke apart, killing all seven crew members aboard, including school
teacher, Christa McAulliffe in 1986.
Zits
By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman