Cultural Day

Thursday was Cultural Day at St. Jude. We had a day filled with lots of good food, fun activities, crafts,   and learning. We started the day with Mass. Our class was in charge of the Mass and they did a great job. After Mass, we had an Irish singer visit and sing some of his songs. When we returned to the school, we had some storytelling activities followed by lunch and the food fair. The students had the opportunity to try different foods from different countries. All of the food samples were donated to St. Jude. The kids loved trying all of the different foods and seeing which ones they liked and which ones they did not like. Some of the kids were a little hesitant to try new things, but they were still able to get their passport stamped for visiting that country. After lunch, we went to the gym for games and activities. We visited six different stations with games and activities from different countries. After games and activities, we went to arts and crafts. We made Shamrock Crowns. The kids loved making them and did a great job. We finished the day by returning to church to listen to a presentation on the culture of Haiti. We found out the results of our Lenten Service Project at the same time. The school raised almost $4, 000 to go toward the roof for the church in Haiti. It was a very busy day, but the kids seemed to have a great time. Here are some pictures from the day.

We listened to the Irish singer after church.

We listened to stories about fairness and equality for all.

We waited patiently in line for the food fair.

We tried to decide which foods to try.

We got our passport stamped as we visited different countries.

It was crazy and busy, but a lot of fun.

We learned a bean game from Mexico.

We had a jumping relay race that came from Ireland.

We played a game of tag that came from England.

This is the second game of tag from England.

Mr. Allstott read an oath that the kids took about being a citizen diplomat.

We played a number game from France.

We did Zumba which comes from Brazil. 

The kids worked hard on their shamrock crowns.

The parents were a big help.

The kids loved their shamrock crowns and looked great in them.

The Common Core

I have been absent from my blog for a little bit of time. We have been very busy here at school. One thing that has kept me busy is the new Common Core Standards. I have been to a three-day conference to prepare teachers in the Archdiocese for the implementation of the Common Core Standards. I know it is a hot topic for debate right now with politicians, but I wanted to express my thoughts about them. I like the Common Core Standards and what they ask of the students. The old Indiana Academic Standards were good standards, I am not saying they were bad. Their focus was on being able to memorize details of a story, facts, and information.With the growing presence of technologies, these pieces of information are readily available to most kids. It is very easy for someone to look up an answer to a question on a smart phone. The Common Core Standards take a different approach to the students thought process. The standards may not ask the kids to memorize information, but it does ask them to be able to explain answers, analyze, problem solve, and show how they know what they know. I believe the standards will prepare the students for the demands of the college and real world. The standards are not easier. It is a different way of approaching learning. We ask a lot of "Why is that your answer?" and "How do we know that?". Sometimes it is explaining how they solved a math problem, showing exactly where in a story is the answer to a question, using their inferencing skills to draw conclusions throughout a story, and being able to logically solve a math problem. I like the way the standards are asking the kids to think.