8B - Mrs. Przybojewski

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Mrs. Przybojewski and Henry are excited about sauntering a new school year with you.  It will be a year filled with great writing!

"How vain it is to sit down and write when you have not stood up to live."   Henry David Thoreau




Henry David Thoreau Resident Author

“It’s not what you look at that matters, but what you see.” (H.D.T.)

Good descriptive writing depends on developing skills of observation using the senses of sight,
touch, hearing, smell, and sometimes taste. Henry Thoreau was a master at this type of writing,
and as the resident author, he is inspiring the creative juices of the junior high. Students in the
sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, under the direction of junior high writing teacher Mrs.
Przybojewski, have been developing a keen sense of observation by describing the same natural
area at least three times a week. This assignment began the first week of school and will
continue to the end of the school year.
Mrs. Przybojewski is so gratified to see the progression and development of her students’
writing. They are beginning to write with an observant eye, and she could not be happier. Just
look at some of these observations:
“The sky looked gray with bits of white; it was like playing connect the dots…I thought about
literal and figurative storms. Literal as in thunder, lightning, and rain storms. Figurative as in
fighting or conflict.” (Mia Dent, Grade 8)
“Today was gloomy. The clouds are grey. From our neighbor’s garage, I see the sun setting on
the horizon giving off a faded orange. Every once in a while, the wind will blow making the trees
rustle, and the leaves blow away. Sometimes, it looks as if the leaves are chasing each other.
The cold was now getting unbearable, and the coldness was painting my nose and cheek red.”
(Caitlyn Brzozowski, Grade 7)
“The colors of the oak tree leaves are greenish yellow (like a banna peel), dirty brown, and
cranberry. The pine needles on the tall pine trees that reach the sky are like needles. It’s a
passion of colors on the trees that express the tree’s feelings. The tree’s feelings are speaking to
tell me about not using paper and not cutting them down. (Brie’anah Hill, Grade 6)
“Today is not that cold. The leaves seem to be very pale orange. There is a random pile of
sticks to the right center of the yard. The pine tree towards the west is a darker shade of green on
the lower part of it. Towards the eastern part of the yard, there seems to be more leaves on the
trees. The colors of the leaves are gray with little black lines running through them. The grass is
a pale yellow and looks like hay.” (Louis La Guardia, Grade 6)
These are just a few of the many wonderful observation journal entries that students have been
writing during the past few months. More will be shared in
Students also doodle what they see just as Henry doodled in his journals
















Students have made their final selection for high school choices, and the applications have been
sent out. More than students have applied to Catholic high schools such as Trinity, St.
Edward’s, and Beumont. Students are now anxiously awaiting their acceptance letters, which
should arrive the middle of February.
In English, students have continued their reading of Walden and have been reflecting on
Thoreau’s words in their writing journals. Students have also begun the initial stages of their
MLA style research paper on a historical African American who made a positive contribution to
our world. This will be a long term assignment that will last the quarter.
Congratulations to 22 of our eighth graders who will have their poems published eighth graders,
who will be published. This contest was sponsored by Poetic Power and students’ poems were
chosen from among entries across the United States. After reading “Economy form Thoreau’s
Walden , students discussed what it means to be awake, aware, and alive, as well as the
differences of being childish and child-like. They then composed a poem about leaving
childhood behind.
Father Haren continues to teach class in Religion once a week. He is presently focused on the
Ten Commandments. During this second semester, 8A classes and 8B classes will switch. 8A
will be learning about the Catholic faith and religious beliefs with Mrs. Przybojewski while 8B
will be learning Catholic Church history with Mr. Katelanos.
In Science, students have been studying what scientists learn by studying about Earth's past, by
studying rocks and fossils. They have gone back in time when the Earth was first being formed,
when dinosaurs ruled this planet, and where we are today. They also learned about several major
cataclysmic events such as asteroids, meteorites, and volcanic eruptions that wiped out virtually
every plant and animal species on our planet. They were surprised to realize that at one time in
our Earth's early existence, there were no plants or animals living on land. All living things lived
in the water. .Lastly, after spending much time constructing their own volcanoes, the students
had a chance to erupt their own volcanic masterpieces in our Science lab by combining food
coloring, baking soda, and vinegar. Last report indicated all total measured 7.0 on the Richter
Scale!!!!!
In Math, students are finishing up a section on Transformations including dilation.
Reading class has also been exciting for the eighth graders. The students have been working on
five winter-themed learning centers that they rotate through in small groups. Each learning center
(or station) is designed to give students engaging and exciting learning experiences to practice,
enrich, reteach, and enhance their learning. Students visit each center with a small group and
complete tasks and assignments. Students create an interactive flip book to showcase their
learning. In addition, they’ll “build” a snowman while their progress through the stations. 
Working both independently and with their small groups, students have multiple opportunities to
develop their reading comprehension skills and learn about the winter season.

Students are practicing the following reading skills: Cause and Effect, Summarizing, Context
Clues, Point of View, and Finding the Main Idea.
In social studies, students have finished up the American Revolution and are beginning thestudy
of an even more difficult struggle; the forming of a government. They will have a thorough
investigation of, perhaps, the most important document ever composed, The United States
Constitution. Students will learn why it is important and why it has been able to serve as a
guiding beacon for our nation for the last 200 years.



Henry David Thoreau Resident Author November News
 
We are sad to report that Ralph Waldo Emerson was unable to visit the eighth grade students due to a leg injury.  He expressed his disappointment and is planning to reschedule after the holiday season.
Students still have Henry periodically as their substitute teacher.  The eighth graders are using Walden as a source for writing and are using Henry’s philosophical thoughts as a means to evaluate their own lives.   The focus was that we have only one life to live.  Will we live it deliberately?  How will we choose to spend our time?  They spent time writing an essay on their use of time during a forty-eight hour weekend and evaluating whether it was used wisely or wasted.  The essay were written very well, and the students did a great deal of critical thinking about their lives. 
The sixth graders wrote and illustrated narratives about spending the day with Henry David Thoreau after hearing the story If You Spent the Day with Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond by Robert Burleigh.  Their narratives showed that they would like to share some new activities with Henry like teaching him to play modern games, as well as going to parks and viewing nature because that is what he would like to do. 
Seventh grade students read Henry’s journal entry about his father’s lost pig.  They identified the characteristics of a narrative by using the journal entry as a source.  Then students wrote their own narratives from the pig’s perspective.  The results were hilarious as well as the illustrations that the students did based on their narratives.

Grade 8 News
November
 
In language Arts, the students have been learning about the Reverend Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement.  Students examined the social injustices that were occurring during the Movement and comparing them to the social injustices that they see occurring today.  They viewed the video of Dr. King making his “I Have a Dream Speech” and analyzed it in groups. Students wrote compositions explaining what they can do to make Dr. King’s dreams for social justice a reality.  Their compositions will be entered in an essay contest about Martin Luther King.  Doing this assignment not only incorporated history and informational text but also taught them the characteristics of an explanatory composition.
In Religion, students in 8A are continuing to work on their saint research paper, and students in 8B are learning about the Bible, God’s written Word.  Father Haren has begun teaching once a week in the classroom since he has returned from his trip to the Holy Land.  He generously gave each student a blessed cross made from olive wood.  He is teaching students about the Ten Commandments.
In social studies we have been studying the formation of the original thirteen colonies. We have found out that most were founded for religious reasons. These colonies however could not have been more different from one another. The continued expansion of these colonists into the interior of the continent sowed seeds of discord that led to the seven years war and ultimately, our next unit, The American Revolution.
 Grade eight  has been finishing up a section on transformations. We learned a song that is still stuck in our heads about rotation, transition, and reflection. On a similar note we occasionally hear Christmas songs as students finalize their preparations for the Christmas musical this year. We can't wait!









Henry David Thoreau Resident Author October News
 
Henry David Thoreau made his return to St. Benedict Catholic School by being Mrs. Przybojewski’s substitute.  He was greeted warmly by all the students and enjoyed preparing the junior high for the work that they will be involved in about his writings.  He reviewed his life and importance to the students and was able to answer their questions.  Since the eighth grades respond in writing in their journals about statements that he wrote in his own journal, Henry was able to expand a bit more on their significance.
Grade eight students are looking forward to the visit by another great American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was Henry’s mentor and first encourage him to keep a journal.  Emerson will speak to the students about his life and will talk about the art of journaling.  He and Henry will speak to the students about their literary influence upon each other and the rift that separated them.











Grade 8 English and Religion October News
 
In English, the eighth graders have been working on descriptive compositions and learning how to describe using their senses.  They just completed one based on their nature observation journals.  Students have been analyzing three poems to introduce them to the first chapter in Walden, which is “Economy.”  They read and discussed “House on Pooh Corner”, “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas, and “Sic Vita” by Thoreau.  All three have the theme based on leaving childhood behind while still retaining child-like qualities of being awake, aware, and alive.  They did critical thinking responses in groups as they analyzed these poems.  Presently, they are writing a poem that expresses their emotions of leaving childhood behind as they prepare for young adulthood.  Henry David Thoreau substituted for Mrs. Przybojewski and introduced the students to “Economy”.  They discussed his words and he guided them in their critical thinking questions.
In Religion, 8B is studying about the mystery of the Church and learning various models of it.  Father Haren comes in once a week to teach both classes about the faith.  Students especially like the stories he tells them and the way he is so receptive to their questions.  The eighth grade had a wonderful spiritual time with the Trinity High School “Got Prayer” retreat at Camp Christopher.  They learned various methods of prayer and especially found Eucharistic Adoration very meaningful.  The retreat culminated with the celebration of liturgy with Father Haren as the celebrant.
Grade eight students are also in the process of shadowing various high schools to narrow their Catholic high school selection, which will take place in January.  Students shadowed Trinity High School and Cleveland Central Catholic High School as a group.










Grade 8 students spent a spiritual day at Camp Christopher in Bath, Ohio on September 27.  They attended the Got Prayer Retreat sponsored by Trinity High School.  It was a day where the students grew in relationship to God and each other.  The day concluded with the celebration of liturgy with Father Haren.





























                             HENRY DAVID THOREAU RESIDENT AUTHOR
IDuring July of 2018, junior high teacher, Mrs. Donna Przybojewski, attended the Thoreau Society gathering in Concord, MA.  She gave a two and a half hour presentation explaining the continuing study of Henry David Thoreau during the second year of sauntering with him.  She had eighteen tri-fold poster displays, which highlighted the students’ Thoreau activities as well as giving a power point and reading students’ creative works.  Everyone was amazed that St. Benedict School displayed such high academic standards by encouraging students to write, critically think, and celebrate their own unique qualities.  St. Benedict Catholic School and Mrs. Przybojewski received a standing ovation for the work done in promoting the legacy of Thoreau through all classes and disciplines.
Also, Mrs. Przybojewski had two art displays of her oil and mixed media illustrations of her illustrations from her Thoreau children’s books.  She had a month long display in June at the Cleveland Heights Library Art Gallery and one in July at First Parish in Concord, where she also gave a lecture on her role as an artist and writer of children’s books on this American author.  This was an honor because First Parish is the church that Thoreau received his Baptism and had his burial service.
Another highlight for Mrs. Przybojewski occurred at Walden Pond State Reservation where her book Henry David Thoreau Loved the Seasons of the Year was used as a story walk throughout the summer.   Her fifth book on Henry David Thoreau If Henry David Thoreau Traveled the Southwest was published in June.

                                                 GRADE 8 SEPTEMBER NEWS

We had a wonderful beginning to the eighth grade year at St. Benedict Catholic School.  The students have been very busy and are ready to learn so that they are prepared for the rigors of high school.
In English, the eighth graders have been reviewing the writing process and basic grammar and punctuation.  They are writing journal entries based on the words of Henry David Thoreau at least three times a week and are keeping an observation journal throughout the year to train themselves to be observant.
Since we have a beautiful prayer space in the school now, a small chapel, the students celebrated a liturgy together with their classmates.  They are focused on using their gifts and talents for others this school year.  We also began the year with a prayer service in the chapel.  In Religion class, we are learning about the characteristics of the Catholic faith and also examining the Catholic Social Justice Principles as well as the Creed.  Students are looking forward to a  retreat sponsored by Trinity High School at Camp Christopher on September 27.
In addition, students are in the process of discerning high school selections.  They will shadow Trinity High School as a group on October 8 as well as Cleveland Central Catholic High School on October 26.
Students are very excited because they will be going to Washington, D.C. in May for three days as their culminating field trip as eighth graders.  Many fund raising projects are being planned.
This year math works a little bit different for junior high students. They have two math classes every day except for one day. Also, they get both math teachers at once for one of those days to allow for more individualized attention. Currently the 8th grade students are finishing up learning about real numbers including working with exponents, square roots, cube roots, and scientific notation. The majority of what they are doing does not need a calculator.
Students in the 8th grade have also been closely studying the topic of real numbers and all the numbers that exist in that system:  (1) rational numbers; natural numbers, whole numbers, and integers; and (2) the irrational numbers.  We have just completed a quiz on the real number system, and are beginning to explore the properties of exponents.  They are also spending time studying perfect squares.  There have been reviews of topics studied in previous years; this will be ongoing throughout the year.  Practice, practice, practice! Throughout the study of these many topics, the eighth graders have been doing a very good job of being attentive and actively participating in their learning. 
 
In social studies, we began the year by doing a class flag project that included a writing and a presentation portion. We were able to put the democratic process into action and now we have an official 8A and 8B class flag.

Since then we have been exploring the earliest part of American history. We learned how our ancestors crossed over the Bering Land Bridge and eventually formed great societies such as the Inca and Aztec, that rivaled the great civilizations of Europe.
 In eighth grade Reading, students learned that when you make inferences while reading, you use clues from the story and your own knowledge to guess about things the author doesn't say.  The 8th grade put this Reading skill into practice as we read the story "Raymond's Run" as we discussed the main character's feelings, thoughts, and ideas.
In Science, the first few days into the new school year involved science lab safety and the scientific method. The students have not only been learning facts, but more importantly understanding the process of science.  Our initial inquiry involved understanding how the earth transformed from being a super continent Pangaea, to seven unique separate ones.  We learned about each layer of our earth, and their specific characteristics.  Lastly, the students enjoyed making models of the earth by using Play Do.  The students’ precision and design were amazing.