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March 30, 2016
Compass: Finding Our Way Vol.7 Issue 7
Dare to Dream 2016
Help us to spread the word & reach our goal:
Please “Like” and “Share” the Facebook Event page for Dare to
Dream, located here: facebook.com/events/908191965956772
St. Ben’s on Facebook
Updates Daily!
St. Ben's is on Facebook! Use the link at the bottom of our website or go
to www.facebook.com/stbenedictamherst to like us and see pictures & videos!
Click here to visit us now
Saint Benedict Families, I hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter! Please remember that we continue to register students for the 2016-17 school year. April 1st is the deadline for the $125 registration fee. After this date the registration increases to $175. Forms can be found on the school’s website or you can pick them up at the school office. The Dare-to-Dream event is Saturday, April 30th. If you haven’t sent in your tickets please do so as soon as possible. Our annual Mother/Son Ice Cream Social is scheduled for Monday, April 18th in the school cafeteria from 6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m. The cost is $5.00 per family. We hope you are able to join us! Just a reminder there is no school on Friday, April 29th due to a Staff Development Day for teachers. Continue to look for sunshine and warm weather; it is coming! Sincerely, Dr. Michael C. LaFever Principal
Outstanding Alumni Congratulations to the following St. Ben’s School alumni who have made the honors list at Nardin Academy: Miranda Lawley, Amelia Cheney, Natalie Cheney, and Emma Lawley. We continue to be very proud of our graduates!
Important Dates 4/5-4-7 State ELA Tests (Gr. 3-8) 4/13-4/15 State Math Tests (Gr. 3-8) 4/18 Mother/Son Ice Cream Social 4/26 Progress Reports Sent Home 4/27 Spring Pictures 4/29 No School – Staff Development Day 4/30 Dare to Dream 5/2-5/6 Teacher Appreciation Week 5/9 Open “Mite” Night 5/18 Strawberry Arts Festival
Dare to Dream 2016
Finalé Party & Drawing April 30th [Preview Night April 29th]
Dare to Dream Website
Tickets are on sale now! Those issued and received by the morning of April 7th will be eligible for our ½ Off Tuition Incentive. Also, please bring in classroom gift basket donations by Friday, April 15th. Thank you!
For every ticket sold over 15 you receive a chance at a 50% tuition discount for your oldest school
child at the parishoner rate.
www.StBenSchool.org
Enroll Now for the 2016-17 School Year…
and get your friends to enroll too! Registration is taking place for the 2016-17 school year for grades PreK-3 – Grade 8. As a reminder, all paperwork is due to the office or postmarked by Wednesday, April 1, 2016 to avoid an increase in the registration fee. Please help be a part of increasing enrollment by encouraging your neighbors, family, and friends to check out St. Benedict School. Positive word-of-mouth referrals from our current families is our best advertisement!
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Classroom Happenings
Technology - Miss Kashino:
While Kindergarten students are just
starting to learn the basics of
keyboarding, our first graders have
just finished typing their first
document in Microsoft Word.
Second grade students have finished
their Insect Research Reports and
will begin learning how to display
their information using Microsoft
PowerPoint.
Our third graders have just finished
researching countries around the
world and are beginning to make a
digital book about their countries
using Google Slides. Students in
grades four and five are working in
groups to make math tutorial videos
as a fun way to review for our end of
the year testing.
P.E. - Mr. McCune:
In February, Physical Education
classes learned about the rules &
skills to play Handball. In March,
we learned about leisure games such
as Four-Square, Ping Pong &
Badminton. In April, we will learn
how to play Stickball.
Spanish – Mr. Baumgart: I sincerely hope everyone had a safe
and enjoyable Easter. All of my
classes in one way or another are
involved with the topic of, "La
gastronomía" (Study of food) via
videos, notes, handouts, textbooks,
or journal writing. Que Dios les
bendiga siempre con su amor y
poder. (May God always bless you
with His love and power.)
Hasta la próxima vez. (Until the next
time.)
Señor Baumgart
PreK-3 - Mrs. Trabert: Last week
in PreK-3, we had a visitor come
from Winning Smiles. She talked
about what kind of foods are healthy
for our teeth. She read a book to the
children about how Harry the Horse
kept his teeth healthy and how
visiting the dentist can be fun!
The children we're all given their
own toothbrush to take home.
Grade 5 – Mrs. Buckley: The 5th
graders have been working through a
study of the Triduum in Religion. On
March 31st our class will lead the
mass celebration. We have started
our journey through Latin America
in Social Studies and are exploring
the various features of informational
text. In April we will have a
blooming project!
Art – Mrs. Brand: Kudos to our
Studio in Art students for making
fantastic scenery sets for the 8th
grade play. Your artistic talents
have brought your audience to
experience Snow White at a higher
level. Saint Patrick's Day and Easter
have been sources of inspiration for
students as they created various
projects celebrating these holidays.
Happy Spring from Mrs. Brand!
Kindergarten - Miss Insinna:
Kindergarten has been busy getting
ready for St. Patrick's Day! We have
been building leprechaun traps to try
to catch any leprechauns that would
try to steal our gold. The
kindergarteners have also started
learning about outer space and
discussed what it would be like to be
an astronaut and explore different
stars and planets. Hopefully
everyone had a wonderful Spring
Break and a blessed Easter!
MS Religion - Mrs. Wojtaszczyk:
Middle School Religion is looking at
a variety of ways to celebrate the
Year of Mercy. We talked about
Divine Mercy Sunday and learned
how to pray the Divine Mercy
Chaplet. We heard from Pope
Francis (through one of his many
online chats) that his greatest
emphasis for us, in this Year of
Mercy, is penance and forgiveness.
To keep this theme going, the 6th
and 7th graders are going to start
Animoto projects researching and
explaining the Corporal Works of
Mercy or the Spiritual Works of
Mercy. 8th grade is going to start
their sand art project to create
stained glass windows depicting
many of the Works of Mercy.
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PreK-4 – Ms. Martin: We have had
a very busy March in PreK 4. From
Dr. Seuss' birthday, to learning about
Dental Health and celebrating St.
Patrick's Day and Easter! It is hard
to believe our spring break is already
upon us! Upon returning to school,
we will be delving further into topics
such as Spring, Animal Life Cycles,
Wind and Weather, and
Transportation. We will continue to
increase our phonics skills, learning
about letter sounds, rhyming and
continuing our daily preparations for
Kindergarten in the Fall. Happy
Spring!
MS Math – Miss Gravelle: The
Middle School Math Classes have
been busy with art projects over the
past week. Math 6, 6H, 7, 7H, 8,
and Algebra all celebrated Pi Day on
March 14th by eating pie, watching a
video to learn about pi, and creating
artistic designs with the digits of pi.
Sixth grade made a grid pattern,
seventh grade made a web with the
digits, and eighth grade used the
digits to create a skyline. Then, to
help us get ready for Easter, all six
classes reviewed geometric shapes
while folding their own origami
bunnies. Special thank you to Mrs.
Cribbin for spending her day
teaching us how to make them!
Library - Mrs. Eberle: Here is a
photo of grade 3 & their animal
research projects that they completed
in the library.
www.StBenSchool.org
What is going on at St. Ben’s? Check out the latest news stories, pictures and videos that have been posted under the About Us tab located on the home page of the school’s website at www.StBenSchool.org. Click here for the latest: St. Ben’s Videos
STREAM UPDATE Our youngest students have been very busy STREAMing the last few weeks. PK4 spent some time being investigators putting their world under the microscope. They made Oobleck and talked about states of matter. Our Primary friends have started investigating Amazing Animals. Our 3rd grade students are enjoying their time as chemists in the Kitchen. Our 4th grade students are working on puzzles but have now started to move into deciphering and creating Rube Goldberg machines. The 7th graders had their second round of "Egg Drop" races and they were more successful than the first ones.
Greaaat News!
FEBRUARY STUDENTS OF
THE MONTH!
Congratulations to our February Students of the Month: PreK-3 – Dominic, PreK4JM – Charlie, PreK-4LM – Alison, Kindergarten-I– Lucas, Kindergarten-V – Ryan, Grade 1 – Evelyn, Grade 2 – Chloe, Grade 3 – Ava, Grade 4 – Sarah, Grade 5 – Robert, Grade 6 – Gretchen, Grade 7 – Michael, and Grade 8 – Frankie.
Character Education
Congratulations to the students who were honored during a ceremony at morning announcements for practicing the February 2016 character education trait of “contentment.”
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Honors Breakfast
Congratulations to all the students who were recognized at our Honors Breakfast
for all their hard work during the 2nd Trimester. They include:
High Honors
Thomas Agostino, Elizabeth Andrews, Rachel Argo, Frank Attea, Finnegan
Bluemle, Anna Donner, Alice Falkowski, Aaron Felong, Matthew Fisher, Emily
Fisher, Sarah Fisher, Danya Flood, Lillian Garlow, Olivia Griffo, Ava Keith, Emily
Kostyniak, Ava Smith, Grant Smith, Marissa Southern, Faith Wendel, and
Mark Wittmann.
Honors Eric Andrews, Braeden Bommaraju, Joshua Cecchini, Peter Cheney, Massimo Ciccarelli, Nicole Curto, Demetrius Dawkins, Isabella Derme, Julianna Ducato, Ariana Falletta, Garrett Felong, Emma Fenwick, Madeline Fickhesen, Ava Floss, Christian Fogg, Catherine Gehman, Olivia Gorenflo, Gia Guttuso, Sebastian Gwitt, Gretchen Gwitt, Logan Hanny, Annelise Hogan, Emma Kopin, Isabel Krajewski, Ryan Lawley, Gianna Locicero, Ava Locicero, Mark MacDonald, Peter Marinaro, Courtney McClaney, Paige McGorry, Michael Moriarty, Katherine Murphy, Jacob Perez, John Perry, Emma Perry, Ian Pope, Hugh Purks, Dylan Race, Nicholai Reeves, John Scalisi, Jonathan Smidt, Mara Tysick, Sarah Vinal, and Jaxon Willis.
Merit Roll Skylar Barrons, Azzure Butler, Jacob Cecchini, Makayla Cecchini, Christopher Deck, Kailyn Evans, Ava Felgemacher, Robert Fogg, Nathaniel Grimm, Isaac Gwitt, Connor Lawley, Owen Moriarty, Brianna Perez, Abby Ruggiero, Ava Schleer, Elyse Spencer, Patrick Ursitti, Dewey Van Buren, and Andrew Whitehead.
Please clip your box tops & bring them
to the collection bins at the school or at
the back of the church. Thank you!
Protecting God’s Children Parish and Catholic school employees and volunteers, over the age of eighteen, who work with children and young people in the Diocese of Buffalo, are required to attend a sexual abuse awareness session. The three and one half hour workshops are scheduled at the locations listed below. Register online at www.buffalodiocese.org. Go to the left side of the page and click on Protecting God’s Children. Then select Virtus Online Registration. Working together, we can create a safe environment for our children. April Apr 5 at 6:00 PM Niagara Catholic Jr/Sr High Apr 8 at 1:00 PM Catholic Center (Buffalo) Apr 11 at 6:00 PM St. Vincent (Springbrook) Apr 12 at 6:00 PM SS Peter & Paul (Hamburg) Apr 19 at 1:00 PM Catholic Center (Buffalo)
May May 11 at 1:00 PM Catholic Center (Buffalo) May 12 at 6:00 PM St. Mary (Swormville) May 24 at 1:00 PM Catholic Center (Buffalo)
Kudos to Mark MacDonald for taking 2nd place out of 377 students in the Erie County SumDog Math Competition this month!
Winter Sports Update
Congratulations to our Girls Varsity
Basketball team for coming in 3rd place in the CTK tournament!
News from the Lunchroom Please check the website for the April
menu. Please note that there is no longer a microwave available for student use. If
you would like to help as a parent volunteer for one or more lunch periods,
please contact Mrs. MacDonald or the school office.
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Girls on the Run St. Ben’s is starting a “Girls on the Run” team. This program inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. Our program is offered for girls in grades 3-5. The season will go from March 28th-June 5th. For more information, please email Miss Insinna or Mrs. Schmitt.
Outstanding Alumni
Congratulations to the following St. Ben’s
School alumni who have made the
honors list at their high schools:
Mount St. Mary Academy: Michaela
Gorenflo, Erica Harms, Emily Matthew,
and Katherine Mulhern.
St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute: Jacob
Deveso, Edward Klute, Nathan Atkins,
Frederic Vinal, Jesse Brodka, Dixon
Atkins, Gregory Vinal, Jr., Thomas
Guttuso, David Matthew, Matthew Klute,
Joseph Nasr, and Anthony Navarro.
Sacred Heart Academy: Anna Fisher,
Liza Florczak, Gianella Marciniak, Maya
Owens, Tayah Blackmon, Valencia Davis,
Rheanne Harrell, and Mary McDermid.
We continue to be very proud of our
graduates!
Thank you to all the parents who helped
make the Parish Retreat a success by donating baked goods!
The St. Ben’s Gift Card Program
The next time you’re going shopping, please consider purchasing gift cards through the St. Ben’s School Gift Card Program (Scrip) first! There are over 300 of the country’s biggest brands available. You purchase at face value and the school receives a rebate on every order! -It’s time to put your shopping dollars to work! Questions? Please contact Carrie Brawn at 807-1365, or [email protected]. We keep several cards “in stock” in the school office. You can also order regular & e-gift cards direct from shopwithscrip.com- Be sure to use the St. Ben’s enrollment code:
86CAEA688261
Home School Association The next meeting of the HSA will be Tuesday, May 17th. Please contact the
school office if you would like to attend!
St. Benedict Church
Vacation Bible School this year will be from July 18th-22nd
Contact Carolyn Barber, [email protected] for details.
-------------------- The Holy Name Society’s Family Steak Roast will be Saturday, April 23rd. Call the Rectory at 834-1041 for more info!
Faith Formation
First Reconciliation Congratulations to the 26 students from both Saint Benedict School and Parish
who completed their first reconciliation! A huge ‘thank you’ goes out to parents,
teachers and parishioners who have supported these students on their
sacramental journey. Olivia Appler, Andrew Bebak, Michael
Berger, Gavin Collard, Jane Courtemanche, Giuliana Dileo, Ethan
Gawel, Anthony Gawinski, Alyssa Gothgen, Chloe Iglesias, Priscillia Iheke,
Robert Johnson, Marc Juarez, Eileen Krause, Nolan Litz, Sophia Locicero, Amelia Lovell, Chris Maher, Benjamin
Musial, Mariana Penna, Alexander Porterfield, Santino Raimondi, John
Sammarco, Elijah Shugarts, Jamie Starck, and Joseph Vilardo.
Father Mock is always available to hear your confession at 4:00pm on Saturday.
St. Ben’s
12th Annual
Golf Tournament
Friday, June 24, 2016
SAVE THE DATE
Proceeds to benefit school athletics Friday, June 24, 2016.
Grover Cleveland Golf Course Dinner Program with auctions at
The Steer restaurant
For more information, contact: Hilary Donegan
[email protected] or call the school at 835-2518
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Confirmation
Congratulations to the 23 candidates from Saint Benedict Parish who
completed their Confirmation! A huge thank you goes out to the parents,
sponsors, teachers and parishioners who have supported these adolescents on their
sacramental journey.
Edward Jude Anders, Rachel Joan Banning, Sofia Lucia Carlo, Amelia
Amelia Cheney, Delia Gemma Cryan, Anna Margaret Fisher, Liza Lucy
Florczak, Grace Virginia Flynn, Andrew Andrew Froman, Catherine Monocella
Gazda, Diane Johananna Gazda, Gregory Charles Gazda, Lindsay Helen Gazda, Richard William Patrick Grimm, Anna
Victoria Grisko, Sydney Elizabeth Francis Hanley, William Jacob Lawley
Nicholas Luke MacDonald, David Stephen Matthew, Caroline Rita Seaner, Caroline Rachael Smith, Freddie Peter
Vinal, and Chris Francis Wittmann.
What is God looking for you to do with your confirmation? How can you join in and make the church a better experience
for all? Without you, know that the kingdom of heaven on earth is
incomplete.
Thank you!
Thank to you to everyone who has
designated St. Benedict School in the Take Charge of Education program.
Thanks to your thoughtfulness, Target recently sent the school a donation of
$230.40!
8th Grade Play The 8th grade class of 2016 proudly
presented "Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" March 10th and 11th. The
fantastic show included wonderful singing, dancing, and acting by all
involved. The students worked hard and came together to put on two great
performances. Congratulations to the cast & crew - Bravo!
Save the Date: Open “Mite” Night
May 9th at 5:30-7:00 PM
For prospective, current & new families with students going into PreK-3, PreK-4 & Kindergarten
for 2016-2017.
This is a great opportunity to meet the teachers, tour the
school, and take part in lots of activities!
Details to follow soon!
This Month’s Smiling Faces
100th Day
Dr. Seuss’ Birthday
100th Day
Buddy Day
Origami
Easter
Bunnies
St. Patrick’s Day
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Father/Daughter Dance Seder Meal & Stations 8th Grade Play
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