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”.

Sra. Colpo and her 8th grade students made their annual trip to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in downtown San Jose for the Spanish Mass that is offered weekly there. Attending the Spanish Mass is a longstanding tradition for Sra. Colpo. It is the 14th year that Sra. Colpo has invited students and their families from this school to attend the Mass offered in the Spanish language. Students reflected on their visit by writing that they felt very welcomed and felt a sense of family and community. The priest’s emphatic hand gestures portraying the gospel made it easier to listen in Spanish. One student wrote that they were introduced and a couple of our Queen of Apostles students were selected to take up the gifts during mass. She wrote that the mass is the same sacrament, but in another culture it is so different. Another student wrote that the songs were upbeat and it felt like a celebration. There was a point in the mass where a baby was raised up high over the priest’s head showing life being celebrated. In conclusion, one 8th grader wrote that she found it “interesting to see how different cultures may celebrate mass with their own unique traditions”. She enjoyed going to the mass and was happy to experience something that she was not used to. While another student concluded that his “experience at the Basilica was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced.”