Queen of Apostles School third graders attended a virtual field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021. Ahead of this field trip, they prepared in their science classes and were very knowledgeable about aquarium creatures and their habitats.

Field trip hosts were Alena Dooner, who has been working with the aquarium for just about 15 years, and Diane Hoffman. They shared slides and videos of hermit crabs, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and abalone with the students. Everyone was invited to use their own arms and hands to get a sense of the size and feel of some of the aquarium inhabitants they were studying. In addition, they could make comparisons to how their hands worked compared to body parts of the sea animals. Students also took time to carefully observe and then make a scientific drawing including labels for body parts they knew for a sea urchin.

Toward the end of the virtual trip, Alena reminded students to think about survival strategies of animals in their own neighborhoods. The third-grade teacher, Mrs. Lefort, asked if the Aquarium is open now and learned that it just reopened this past weekend so students and their families can make reservations to visit in person. Finally, the students used their hands to wave thanks to their hosts and teacher and they unmuted to say a big thank you.

Stations of the Cross were presented to our whole school community by the third and fourth graders before Easter and our spring break. This is an annual tradition that was reinstated virtually this year. Our principal, Mrs. Trela, expressed that she was so excited for everyone to see and hear the great work done by the two classes. She was right! The artwork and narration led everyone through the Stations of the Cross. There were accompanying prayers offered from a student’s viewpoint that everyone was invited to join in reading together. Those prayers started out with. “O God, my problems may seem small to other people, but You know they are big as far as I am concerned…but when I’m about to complain about them, help me to remember Christ and His Cross.” They also included “help me be aware others have problems… that others need help” and “help me make this a happy life for everyone I meet.” Toward the end of the presentation of the Stations, the student narrating exclaimed, “Jesus Christ has risen!” … “Alleluia!”

This year for Valentine’s Day, Queen of Apostles Students were guided by room parents, principal, faculty, and staff to focus on gratitude and service. They were encouraged to express their gratitude through an act of service and/or by writing and sharing a “Mahalo-Gram” with essential workers, Queen of Apostles teachers & staff, fellow students, and loved ones. In Hawaiian, “Mahalo” means “Thank You.” The Mahalo-grams conveyed kind messages of praise, admiration, or appreciation and were posted on community Padlet walls such as the Padlet Wall for Essential Workers.

In addition to these community Padlet walls, families could write a hand-written note to lonely elders who may need an extra boost of encouragement as we endure the global pandemic. To do this, our school teamed up with www.loveforourelders.org, an organization helping isolated seniors who may need some extra love and kindness.

The more we focus on our blessings and express our gratitude this Valentine’s Day, the kinder the world can become.

Our 8th grade class demonstrated how truly impressive they are when they presented their Schoolwide Learning Expectations oral projects over the past couple of weeks. They thought about the people that influenced them to be better Caring Christians, one of the Schoolwide Learning Expectations. They asked each other thought provoking questions as they discussed how they influenced each other. For example, one of the boys in the class, when asked who influenced him in being a better Caring Christian, referred to two of the girls in his class who he said are “always kind”. Even as everyone sheltered at home, they created posters featuring family and friends, and constructed physical models of the school. They expressed themselves through amazing hand drawn artwork and selected and shared important quotes and people impacting their lives. They reflected about learning the school wide learning expectations from their earliest experiences, when they first arrived at Queen of Apostles School; until now, as they prepare for graduation. These experiences that helped mold them into Caring Christians will be carried forward with them as they look forward to new challenges as they enter high school.

The students are learning to be self-confident and responsible individuals at school and in their daily lives. These past few weeks, students in each of the grades listed specific instances of being self-confident and responsible:
Preschool – Sharing toys and taking turns with toys
Actively participating in daily learning curriculum activities
Learning to say the Hail Mary and praying before meals
Kindergarten – Cleaning up after ourselves
Picking up trash in our community
Doing our schoolwork
Believing in myself
Watering plants
Being a role model
1st grade – Staying focused
Picking up trash
Treating others the way you want to be treated
Doing homework
Listening to our teachers
2nd grade – Turning in homework on time
Picking up trash on campus
Talking to adults for help
Returning our library books on time
Having good sportsmanship
3rd grade – Believing in ourselves
Turning in homework
Dreaming and believing to achieve strong mental thoughts
Having a growth mindset
Loving ourselves
4th grade – Turning in homework on time
Helping others
Paying attention
Doing what is expected
Taking pride in our work
5th grade – Trying our best in class
Telling the truth
Displaying good sportsmanship
Getting ready for class quietly
Taking responsibility for our actions
Respecting others
6th grade – Believing in themselves
Doing their homework
Owning their actions
7th grade – Following up with teachers when you miss school
Going beyond the limit
Asking questions
Making good decisions
8th grade – Support each other to help build confidence
Completing and turning in homework on time
Doing the right thing even when no one is looking
Taking ownership of our actions, community, and selves
Making the right choice even if it is the hard choice

It is exciting to see each how each grade applies the schoolwide learning expectations through their own experiences as the develop and mature from young children into older more responsible youth.

Reports by 3rd grade class about their field trip to the Academy of Sciences were filled with anecdotes of amazing experiences and astute observations. They touched animals in the tidal pool. A Blue Morpho butterfly landed on one of the students in the rainforest. They visited an albino alligator named Claude. in addition, they enjoyed getting shaken by an earthquake simulator and getting their arms squeezed by an anaconda simulator. Here are some of their experiences, feelings, and observations, in their own words: “Claude was the coolest animal”, “I felt we had a special connection because he just started staring at me”. “I liked the twilight zone because there were a lot of cool fishes”. One of the boys wrote that the leaf insect and the moon jelly were “a few of the coolest animals” there. Another one of the students listed the snake, jellyfish, and butterfly as her three favorites.

There was a general consensus among the third-grade class that they enjoyed the visit and would like to go again: One third grader wrote that he “really, really wants to go back” with another writing “I wish I could go one million times”. One student wrote, “it was my favorite ever field trip…I loved it so much”.