Greetings,
As the month of October begins next week, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. My favorite St. Francis story, surprisingly, involves his death. While on his deathbed, he said to the nun who was caring for him, “Bring me one of those cookies that I am so fond of.” What makes this so meaningful is that because he lived his life with such simplicity, he was able to find joy in something as seemingly insignificant as a cookie during a time of despair. A great reminder of how to prioritize our faith amidst all of the distractions that we encounter.
Eighth Graders have just finished reading the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. They wrote a eulogy for Tom from the perspective of one of the characters in the novel. Learning about the Abolition Movement in Social Studies has been a good complement in relation to how Mark Twain utilized satire to bring about awareness of the injustice of slavery. Next up, a unit on horror stories from Edgar Allen Poe and Washington Irving just in time for Halloween.
Seventh Graders recently created “travel brochures” for the Maya, Inca, and Aztec civilizations. We will be transitioning towards learning about the early settlers. Horror stories will also be covered in Literature throughout this month.
IReady diagnostic results had been sent home earlier this week. Please take a look and see what progress your child has made. We are getting in the routine of completing 3 lessons for 40 minutes on Thursdays for practice.
“Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary , use words.” – St. Francis of Assisi