Newseum Field Trip-April 29, 2015

Lower School Field Trip Information

April 2015

Grade:  4

Date of Trip:  April 29, 2015

Location:    Newseum,  555 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20001

Time of Student Drop Off at School: 7:00 a.m. (Students should go promptly to their classrooms. Teachers and chaperones will walk with the girls to the buses parked on Grove Ave.)

Time of Trip Departure:  7:15 a. m.

Time of Trip Return:   3:25 p.m. (Parents will be notified if we are delayed.)

Trip Attire:  Field Trip Attire and yellow Fourthie hat

What to bring:  Money for lunch. (Please refer to your daughter’s class blog to view lunch options. The girls will complete a math activity using the Newseum menu to familiarize themselves with the food choices.)

Special Instructions: The girls may bring a book to read on the bus or enjoy the pleasant company of their classmates. No electronics, please.

Biking Field Trip on Monday, April 27

Lower School Field Trip Information

Grade:  3 and 4

Date of Trip:  April 27, 2015

Location:    Goochland Fields

Time of Student Drop Off at School:  Regular school day

Time of Trip Departure:  4’s at 9:00 and 3’s at 10:30

Time of Trip Return:   4’s at 12:00 and 3’s at 2:30

Trip Attire:  Appropriate for biking

What to bring:   bag lunch and water

helmet and bike (optional)

Special Instructions:  bike to be brought to the Goochland fields Sunday, April 26th, between 3:00 and 5:00p.m.

Smash Hit!

The production of 101 Dalmatians will be a hard act to follow!  The Fourthies were wonderful, the costumes were spectacular, and the entire play was so much fun to watch.  The girls had a fantastic time, and I cannot imagine a better play to end their experience in the Lower School.  Dave Masucci was everywhere taking pictures, so we are fortunate to have incredible, professional pictures because of him... and Suzanne Lamberth, what can I say about her ability to make the Dalmatians come alive with the dog ears she made.  Unbelievable!  There is a wealth of talent in this class, not only with the girls, but also among the parents!

Grandparents' Day is this Thursday.  The girls are working furiously on a project to share with them.

We are so excited that they will be with us beginning at 12:45 with the program in the LSAR.  Then at 1:15 they will be split into two groups.  Half will go to the classroom, while the other half go to Religion until 1:45, when we flip.  The girls will know the logistics of that!

As well, the girls have been working very hard on their collaborative projects on different aspects of Early New England.  They began presenting last week.  Their growth as readers and researchers is amazing!  Make sure to ask your daughter what she has learned!

April Showers Bring Many Activities Before May Flowers

It's raining Dalmatians everywhere on the McVey stage---singing, dancing...we have it all, and it is a small miracle that all of the fourth grade actually fits on the stage.  Rebecca Merrick is a genius.  We are practicing every day, and the girls are practicing the songs that are on Google Drive.  It's such a rollicking, good musical that everyone is having a great time.

Wednesday, April 15  Parent Production of Play   2:30

Thursday, April 16     Traditional Production for the Senior Class  9:45

Tuesday, April 14       As you already know, Conference Day is April 14.  I sent you the link to the Doodle Sign-up by email.  If there is a glitch, please let me know.

Thursday, April 23    Grandparents' Day

Monday, April 27  Bike Day (9-12)  Sponsored by the PE Department  -  information coming

Wednesday, April 29  Fourthie Trip to the Newseum in Washington

In between all of these wonderful activities, we will be teaching little things like math, reading, and social studies, so stay tuned!  

We have just started Volume 2 of our math series, which opens with a unit on fractions.  We start with the concrete, so we have groups of dried beans all over the classroom.  Then we draw the picture of the problem, and finally, we learn how to do the problem.  We are only in the early stages, so never fear!

History Comes Alive

These are not your average pictures of explorers.  These pictures actually talk.  In fact, you can come and use a QR code to hear your daughter's voice as one of these famous people.  Part of the skill involved was summarizing, in under 30 seconds, the explorer's life.  The girls can tell you a lot more about them!

CARITAS at St. Catherine's

Hello Everyone,

I know that you have already received this information both from flyers stuffed in your daughters' notebooks and from the school website; however, I wanted to give you another reminder.  Fourthies are going to be in charge of packing the lunch bags with these snacks for the families who will be staying with us.

Several years ago we hosted families, and it gave us an opportunity to be involved in a tangible way.  Many of us helped with homework at night and others helped with dinners.  It was a project that involved the entire school.  We received many more gifts from our guests than we were able to give.  It was a true blessing for all of us.

Thank you so much for all that you do for our school and our community.

Ask your daughter if she knows our school motto.

What we keep, we lose; only what we give remains our own.

Chances are she not only knows it, but she lives it out in many ways.

Our girls love to help others.

Your daughter has a chance to make a difference in the lives of others.

CARITAS at St. Catherine’s

As you read in today’s push page, St. Catherine’s will host the CARITAS family shelter March 28-April 4. This ministry offers temporary shelter to people who are homeless. There are many opportunities for you and your family to volunteer. Use the link in your email to sign up.

The Lower School students will also have a chance to help by providing the bulk of the families’ lunches. There will be up to 30 people staying on campus for seven days, and we want to make sure they have delicious and nutritious lunches each day. Please consider sending in one or more of the items listed below:

granola bars

lunch size packages of pretzels, chips, goldfish or crackers

packs of applesauce or other fruit

small packs of raisins

fruit roll-ups or fruit snacks

a bag of Hershey kisses

package of water bottles (8-12oz)

package of juice boxes

package of napkins

plastic utensils

Monday, March 23 will be a Jeans Day for

K-8 students who bring in items for CARITAS.

Thank you for taking the time to help with this meaningful project!

Ask your daughter if she knows our school motto.

What we keep, we lose; only what we give remains our own.

Chances are she not only knows it, but she lives it out in many ways.

Our girls love to help others.

Your daughter has a chance to make a difference in the lives of others.

101 Dalmatians Coming to a Theater Near You

March 18, 2015

Dear 4th Grade Parents,

Spring is just around the corner, and in fourth-grade music and dance classes there is much

excitement in the air as your daughters prepare for the upcoming performances of their

spring musical, 101 Dalmatians. We will present our performance for parents and family

members on Wednesday, April 15 at 2:30 p.m. and our performance for lower school and the

senior class on Thursday, April 16 at 9:45 a.m. With performance dates fast approaching, we

are working on assembling props, set pieces and costumes for our production. I am

requesting that parents please assist with this effort by providing the basic pieces of your

daughter’s costume. Please see the reverse side of this letter for a list of costume

requirements by character. All costume pieces should come into school with students no

later than Friday, April 10. Thank you!

We will begin full cast rehearsals in McVey Theatre on Tuesday, April 7. Please save the

date of Tuesday, April 14 (Lower School Conference Day) for a required dress rehearsal the

day before our parent performance! Students should plan to arrive at school at 9:00am and

report to McVey where they will change into costume and then run through the entire show.

The dress rehearsal will conclude at 11:30am, at which time we ask that you please come to

McVey to pick up your daughter. Please make every effort to see that your daughter attends

this rehearsal. If for some reason she will be unable to attend, please notify me as soon as

possible. I will arrange for bus transportation between Extended Day and St. Catherine’s for

those who need it. If your daughter will need transportation to and from Extended Day on

April 14 please email me to let me know. Thank you!

I would like to send out a big thank-you to those parent volunteers who have already donated

your time and talents to assist with our production! That said, volunteer opportunities are still

available. If you can help with prop and costume assembly, or assist with costumes and

make-up prior to the performances on April 15 or 16 please contact your room parent or me

directly. If you would like to assist with hanging the set for the production, please contact

Jacque Minarik, Lower School Art Teacher, by email at jminarik@st.catherines.org.

Thank you for your support of your daughter’s participation in this very special St. Catherine’s

tradition. If you have questions about costume requirements or any other aspect of the

production, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I look forward to seeing you and

your family in the audience on the afternoon of April 15!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Merrick

LS Music Teacher & Music Department Chair

rmerrick@st.catherines.org

 

101 Dalmatians

Basic costume requirements for each of the characters are listed below.

Accessories (headpieces, tails, hats, jackets/coats, etc.) will be provided. If you need help

finding or assembling pieces of your basic costume, please let me know as soon as possible.

Roger*: White button-down shirt, navy blue pants.

Anita*: Anita’s dress and apron will be provided.

Nanny*: Black dress (knee-length or below) or black skirt paired with black blouse.

Cruella De Vil*: Long black dress or black skirt and black blouse, short sleeves preferred.

Horace* and Jasper*: Beige/light brown/olive green turtleneck, brown or khaki pants.

*Roles shared by multiple students. Please note that students who portray the characters listed

above are required to wear black or white leggings and T-shirts underneath their costumes to

facilitate backstage costume changes.

Pongo, Perdita, Dalmatian puppies and Dalmatian narrators: Long-sleeved white T-shirt,

white leggings or pants. Please help your daughter to add spots to the T-shirt and leggings

using a black marker or black fabric paint.

Boxer Dogs: Long-sleeved brown T-shirt or turtleneck, brown leggings or pants.

Scotties: Long-sleeved black or gray T-shirt or turtleneck, black/gray leggings or pants.

Poodles: Long-sleeved pink T-shirt, pink leggings.

Chihuahuas: Long-sleeved white or brown T-shirt or turtleneck, white/brown leggings or pants.

Sergeant Tibbs: Long-sleeved brown T-shirt or turtleneck, brown leggings.

Dog Catcher: Khaki button-down shirt and pants.

Police Officer: Navy/blue button-down shirt, navy pants.

Required footwear for all performers: Jazz or ballet shoes OR lightweight thin-soled flats (such

as TOMS) in a neutral color. We have dance shoes in various sizes available for girls who need

shoes. If your daughter will need to borrow a pair please send me an email requesting shoes

and include her shoe size.

Costume/Prop Wish List

(Please let me know if you have any of the following items and would be

willing to let us borrow them for our production! Thank you!)

A fabulous faux-fur coat! (preferably white, but any color is fine)

Long red gloves

White maid’s apron/maid’s cap

Newsboy caps (2)

White lab coats (3)

Feather duster

Handcuffs (2 sets)

Dogcatcher’s net

Field Trip - Naturalization Ceremony

Lower School Field Trip Information

March 5, 2015

Grade:  4

Date of Trip: Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Location:  Naturalization Ceremony at the United States Federal District Court, Downtown Richmond

Time of Student Drop Off at School: Regular drop-off

Time of Trip Departure: 9:00 am   

Time of Trip Return: 12:00 - 12:30 pm

Trip Attire: Field trip attire

What to bring: We will have a picnic lunch at school when we return so everyone will need to pack a lunch and a drink.

Description: We are excited to attend a Naturalization Ceremony. This is a wonderful opportunity for the girls, and a perfect way to introduce our study of Immigration. While we are there we will have an opportunity to visit a courtroom with Judge Hannah Lauck and then see the newest American citizens sworn in.