Mrs. Przybojewski

Rediker Grade Book Access

May Thoreau Bicentennial News
 
Our culminating Thoreau Bicentennial event, “Sauntering Year Two with Henry David Thoreau”, took [place on May 11.  It was a great evening filled with music, original student poetry, song, and period dress of the 19Local artist to host Thoreau-inspired show in library art gallery this June
 May 9, 2018 /  Jay Rosen /  Ages, Animals/Nature, Art/Craft, Book Discussion, History, Local Authors, Picture Books
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July 12, 2017 marked the 200th birthday of Henry David Thoreau, American author, philosopher, and naturalist. As a member of a group known as the Transcendentalists, he has made an enduring contribution to the world in the areas of literature, the environment, and social justice.
Thoreau teaches us to respect nature and appreciate its beauty so that we preserve its resources. This American author also gives us the beauty of the written word through his descriptions of the seasons and nature with clarity and vividness.
During his own life, children were drawn to him because of his desire to teach them about the beauty of the natural world and to respect it. He took them on berry-picking parties, taught them about the animals that would readily come to him when he summoned them, and pointed out the various plants that grew in Concord, Massachusetts.
It is especially fitting to introduce him to children, so he can encourage them to partake in the joy of simple things just as he had done with the children of Concord during his own time. Children respond to his simplicity, love of nature, and enthusiasm for appreciating life.
Children’s author/illustrator and Thoreau Bicentennial Ambassador Donna Marie Przybojewski is exhibiting her illustrations from her children’s books on Henry David Thoreau — Henry David Thoreau, Who Can He Be? (Which was used as one of the story books for children at Walden Pond State Reservation in Concord, MA this past July), Henry David Thoreau Loved the Seasons of the Year, and If Henry David Thoreau Traveled to the Southwest. They are a combination of water color, acrylic, colored pencil, and oil. Donna Marie is a life-long resident of Garfield Heights and a junior high Language Arts teacher at St. Benedict Catholic School.
Celebrate Henry’s birthday year by eating a piece of birthday cake at the opening reception on Friday, June 1 from 5-9pm at Lee Road’s Art Gallery! If you can’t make the reception, worry not — Donna’s show will remain up for the entire month of June.
^th century.  Displays of student’s work on Thoreau throughout the year was also exhibited.  Students also presented a reading of “One World at a Time”, which retold the last days of Henry David Thoreau.  Everyone enjoyed Henry’s birthday cake as he will end his birthday year on July 12.
All are invited to the opening of junior high teacher Mrs. Donna Przybojewski at Cleveland Heights Library Art Gallery on June 1 from 5:00-9:00 for the opening reception of her display of illustrations from her children’s books on Thoreau. Included in the exhibit will be illustrations from her newest book on Thoreau If Henry David Thoreau Traveled the Southwest.  The display will be up until June 29.
Also, join Mrs. Przybojewski on June 18 from 7:00-8:00 at Cleveland Heights Library for her talk on Henry David Thoreau and the reading of one of her books.

Thoreau Bicentennial
 
On May 11, St. Benedict Catholic School will present the culminating Thoreau Bicentennial program at 6:30 P.M. in the school gym.  For the past two years, students across grade levels and disciplines have “Sauntered the Year with Henry David Thoreau.”  The program will include, original readings of poems by students, a selection of flute renditions from the Thoreau Family Flute Book, period dances, art displays, and a reader’s theatre rendition of Thoreau’s last days.

April Grade 8 News Article
 
Students in Language Arts have begun reading William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.  They are true thespians and really emote during the role playing that takes place as they read it.  Students are very proficient in identifying literary devices used as well as explaining the foreshadowing clues that Shakespeare has included in the first act.
In Science, the eighth graders are currently studying the earth's interior. They are learning how earth's formation affected the stratification of the planet, and how scientists have learned about earth's interior through rock samples and seismic waves. Once the students have reviewed the various layers of the earth, they will move on to plate tectonics and the geological time scale.
In Religion, students are continuing their study of church history and are learning about the difficulties that the early church faced.  They are studying the Great Western Schism of the church and about the branches of Christianity that developed during that time.  Father Haren and Father Miola are coming in once a week to teach the students as well.  Also, our Choose Life program has begun.  Students learn about the importance of respecting life from conception to natural death.
Congratulations to seventh grader Dakota Kinney, who won third place in the LifeWorks Ohio Respect Life Essay Contest and to eighth grader Jamani Merriweather for winning an honorable mention.  Both students wrote their compositions as a Language Arts assignment.  Both girls are invited to attend an awards ceremony April 29 at the Holy Spirit Party Center.  Their essays were chosen from among 2, 600 entries.  So, that is quite an achievement.
The U.S. Constitution created a new system of government for the United States, however the was not yet done. In Social Studies,  he 8th grade will be looking how the nation's leaders needed to establish and organize the new government.  Important precedents were set with the first two presidents that still affect government today
The eighth graders are reviewing a number of topics and adding on a few things along the way. We are reviewing the differences between linear and non-linear functions and how to recognize each using different techniques. We are also talking about percent markup and discount which will be useful as students finalize Shark Tank preparations


March Grade 8 ELA News
Grade 8 students have completed the reading of Animal Farm and are tin the process of writing an expository composition on the uses of propaganda techniques used in the novel.  They also spent time reading passages from Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and discussed the importance of using one’s conscience when determining whether or not a law is just.  They related this piece to their study of the Holocaust and the laws that were made against the Jewish people.  Students also created political cartoons based on what they believe Thoreau’s commentary would be on our modern society.  Students are also continuing their read of Walden and discussing the ways Thoreau’s philosophy can relate to how they choose to live their lives.  Next, we will begin to read William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

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Thoreau Bicentennial News
 
Congratulations to junior high teacher Mrs. Donna Przybojewski, whose illustrations from her children’s books on Henry David Thoreau were selected to be displayed in the Art Gallery of Cleveland Heights Library during the entire month of June.  Also included will be some of her oil paintings that illustrate her new children’s book on Henry David Thoreau, If Henry David Traveled to the Southwest, An Imaginary Saunter, which will be published in May 2018.  This is a fitting way to officially end the Thoreau Bicentennial, which officially concludes July 12, 2018.  There will be an opening reception to the art show on June 1.  More details will follow.
Also, Mrs. Przybojewski has been accepted to speak at the Thoreau Society Gathering in Concord, Massachusetts July 12-15, 2018.  She will give a formal presentation discussing what St. benedict Catholic School has accomplished across grade levels and disciplines during the past two years as we “Sauntered the Year with Henry David Thoreau”.  When she spoke last year, everyone was amazed at what St. Benedict’s had done, and the people in attendance, which included professors from Harvard and Princeton as well as other prestigious colleges.
In addition, Mrs. Przybojewski’s article on St. Benedict Catholic School involvement with the Thoreau Bicentennial has been published in The Concord Saunterer, a publication that promotes the academic study of Henry David Thoreau.
St. Benedict Catholic School’s administration, faculty, and students should be very proud of their accomplishments.  We are being spotlighted not only in Concord, Massachusetts but across the globe since the Thoreau Society has members all over the world.



Newsletter
Grade 8
Donna Przybojewski
 
 
Grade eight students are continuing working on their research papers as well a completing Animal Farm.  When finished, students will write a composition identifying the use of various propaganda techniques in the novel.  Since February is Black History month, students have been reading poetry by Langston Hughes, one of the great African American poets of our time.  They also compared and contrasted Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and “Slavery in Massachusetts” with the Reverend Martin Luther King’s writings as well as the writings of Gandhi.  Both men were influenced by Thoreau, who was in fact an abolitionist along with his family.
In Religion, the students are beginning the study of  Catholic Church history.  Father Haren comes in once a week and teaches the students.  Presently, he is focusing his lessons on the Ten Commandments.  We are also in the Lenten season, so we are consciously trying to do acts of kindness during this special time of the church year.
The American Revolution has been the focus in eighth grade Social Studies.  They have looked at how it was possible for the American patriots to gain their independence from the powerful British Empire.  The tensions between the colonies and Great Britain led to armed conflict in 1775. While declaring their independence from Great Britain by the writing of the Declaration of Independence, the Patriots faces many obstacles.  The war spread to the southern colonies, where the British were finally defeated.
Eighth grade students are reviewing and applying the Pythagorean Theorem. They are also practicing working with square roots and cube roots and the other rules of exponents. They will be looking at scientific notation soon to help prepare for high school science.
 
In Science, the eighth grade students have been looking at Forces. They have just finished examining contact vs. noncontact forces, the universal law of gravitation, and friction. They are currently studying Newton's three laws of motion.








 

 July 12, 1817--July 12, 2017

We would like to wish everyone a wonderful New Year that is filled with God’s blessing.  May it bring all good things—peace, joy, and love.
The eighth graders are anxiously awaiting their high school acceptance letters, which should arrive by the middle of February.  They have completed their applications and have made final decisions concerning their first choice high schools. It has been a long process, but they are looking forward to this new venture in their lives.
In Language Arts, the eighth graders have begun the initial stages of their research paper, which will be based on their Holocaust studies.  Also, they are in the process of reading Animal Farm and identifying the various types of propaganda that are present in it.  In addition, as they continue their Thoreau studies, students are reading and discussing Walden twice a week.  They have created book dioramas illustrating a passage from this iconic book.
In eighth grade Science, students have just begun their exploration of forces. They have learned that an object's position is best described as the distance and direction from a reference point. They have also studied the difference between distance and displacement, as well as how to define motion. Next, the 8th grade will move on to speed and velocity.
In Social Studies the classes researched Christmas traditions in other countries around the world and created a slide presentation that they shared with the class.
The eighth grade in Math is currently finishing up a second on cube roots and working with exponents. The other class is finishing up a section on transformations such as translations, rotations, and reflections. One of the challenging ones is dilation as the size of the original shape changes.
 
They will be working on probability as well as working on the economic aspect of a project that they are working on with a number of their other classes. How do you come up with a business plan that makes sense now and in the future?

Seventh grade students are continuing “Sauntering the Bicentennial year with Henry David Thoreau” by utilizing Mrs. Przybojewski’s coloring discussion book In the Nick of Time.  They are expanding their knowledge of Thoreau and individuals who were influenced by him during his life.  In addition, they created a book diorama as a culminating activity after reading A Way of Her Own, a novel about Henry and his life at Walden Pond and positive influence on a young girl helping her achieve her dream of becoming an artist.  Students also wrote a narrative describing three things they would do with henry if he visited them today.  They also illustrated their stories.
In addition, students are in the initial process of writing an MLA style research paper.  The topic is one of the champions of nature and conservation.  The individuals include Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Also, students are beginning their reading and study of Beowulf, A Retelling, which introduces them to the epic poem and classical literature.











St. Benedict Receives Award from Mr. Mark Gallagher of the Thoreau Society


Seventh and eighth grade students researched Margaret Fuller, a contemporary of Henry David Thoreau.  She was an innovative woman of the 19th century and was an advocate of women's rights.  Margaret was the first editor of The Dial, first female foreign corespondent, among other firsts.  Students illustrated her as a superhero and wrote about her powers since she was such a forminable woman.