Siena Notes
Siena Catholic Academy
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November 22, 2016
2617 E AST A VE N UE , R O CHE STE R , N E W Y OR K
Seventh graders enjoy one of the last warm fall days before the arrival of winter.
In Our Time...
I like to think of myself as a critical thinker, but I am a sap when it comes to the emotional pull of affective stories and
vignettes. So I must admit that I got teary-eyed when, during the Thursday night football game, I saw a commercial
featuring an Episcopal priest and a Muslim Imam as friends who, after enjoying tea and laughter and commiserating
over their stiff knees, secretly order knee pads for each other. The commercial ends with each kneeling to pray in their
respective houses of worship. At a time when race and religion are being used as causes for division, we have here a
more enlightened and uplifting story.
The Catholic Church encourages such openness to other faiths. One of the significant documents from the Second
Vatican Council is Nostra Aetate. This brief declaration begins, “In our time, when day by day mankind is being drawn
closer together, and the ties between different peoples are becoming stronger, the Church examines more closely her
relationship to non-Christian religions. In her task of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among nations, she
considers above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship.”
I’ve been surrounded by practitioners of various religious traditions for most of my life and I have been enriched by
them. My parents exposed me to the wonderful diversity of our world from an early age. In college and graduate
school I was blessed to enjoy long conversations with others who were on different spiritual paths looking for answers
to life’s persistent questions: Who are we? What is the meaning, the aim of our life? What is moral good? And whence
do we come and where are we going? The spiritual quest is universal, but is sadly underappreciated in a society that
promotes self-absorption.
Our common humanity and the drive to understand more completely ourselves and our purpose should unite us in
mutual love and support. We have God to thank for the beauty of our world and the gift of life. God has made our
world a place of diverse wonder. On Thanksgiving, when I get down on my knees to pray, I will think of the many people
around the world who humbly acknowledge God’s goodness and greatness and I will give thanks for their belief.
Martin Kilbridge
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News and Events
Opportunities to Help
… and Be Helped
FIRST Lego League Teams Dominate at Tournament
The Siena Watch Dogs Team
Top, presenting to a judge, Above,
Yeshua Alba, Matt Mateer, Steve
Gulick, Carlo McNally, Philip Frey, and
Savannah Rapp “interviewing” an
expert in the field—in this case a K-9
Unit, Left, the winners of the
competition with Coach Gulick
Drivers Needed for Advent Project
We will need drivers for after school on
December 8th to bring students to
various service agencies as part of our
Advent Service Project. You will need
CASE certification and a background
check. Contact Julia Postler if interested.
Lego League Fundraiser
December 1st 6:30 PM. Get some of
your Christmas shopping done at this
fun adult event. A flyer accompanies
this week’s emailing.
Resources for Families in Need
The Information Center from the
Central Library of Rochester has made
available a Holiday Information Bulletin
for those in need during the season. Please contact Ms. Cleary if you
would like to access or support any of
these community resources.
Facebook
Like us on Facebook!
Siena Amazon Wish List
Internet Access for Everyone
Calendar Reminders:
Click for our Google Calendar
11/23-11/27 Thanksgiving Recess
Our three FIRST Lego League (FLL) teams earned recognition at the
McQuaid FIRST Lego League tournament this past Saturday. The Zen Pandas 11/28 Parent-Teacher Conferences for
placed second and advance on to the Finger Lakes region round of competi- notified families
12/1 Lego League Fundraiser 6:30PM
tion, the Watch Dogs move on to the next round, and Pesticide Patrol won
the Spirit Award. There were 25 teams at the McQuaid FIRST Lego League
12/8 Immaculate Conception Mass
tournament. A total of 6 teams advanced based on their overall scores of all 12/1 Advent Service Project #1
phases of the competition: the project problem and solution presentation,
12/1 Holiday Shopping/Wine Tasting
the robot design presentation of how their robot works, the core value
6:30PM
presentation and a teamwork challenge the judges has them attempt, and
scores of the robotics missions. Four teams advanced based on total scores
and the other two teams based on top point gained during the robotics missions.
The "Siena Watch Dogs" team only had 5 members at the competition com(Continued on page 3)
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Right, our seventh grade Lego Robotics
team won the Spirit Award at the McQuaid
Tournament. The Pesticide Patrol, has Evan
Creswell, Sheridan Fenlon, Nathan Freitas,
Kyle Maier, Valentin Kathiru, Owen Mowry,
Lucas Sherron, and Kennedy Weigel
Below is The Zen Pandas, our Sixth grade
Lego Robotics team, which came in second
place out of 25 teams. The team consists of
Cassidy Fenlon, Nolan McCarthy, Jessica
Miller, McKalli O'Brien, Audrey Payne, and
Raymond Warth. With them is 2012 graduate, Katherine Warth, who assisted the
team.
pared to most teams having 7-10, and only 2 students on
our team had any robotics or FLL competition experience
before starting this year which is almost unheard of.
The sixth grade team, the Zen Pandas, received 2nd place
overall and will move on to the Championship event at
the University of Rochester. Their research project centered around the question- How can Pandas survive and
thrive in the wild with a diminished habitat? The team
researched the issue and proposed the solution of creating a hybrid plant that would supply pandas with the
vital nutrients that bamboo supplies, but would grow
faster. The judges found that their research was exemplary and that their solution was impressive and innovative. The team worked diligently and together to accomplish the various missions. The guidance from Katherine
Warth, a former Siena student, was significant in their success.
The seventh grade team chose to focus their attention on the use of pesticides on the crops that feed the livestock on
farms, particularly the effects on dairy cows. The team investigated several possible alternatives to pesticides with
their final solution being the use of the oil from the neem tree. Neem is a bio-pesticide which impedes bugs from reproducing, but doesn't harm animals or helpful bugs such as bees. Judges felt that their solution was original and had
an engaging presentation. What stood out the most was their teamwork and exemplary display of the core values of
FLL as they received a perfect score in this area and received the Spirit Award.
All faculty, staff, and students can come to the Championship Event at the University of Rochester on December 11 to
cheer on our two teams especially in the afternoon for the robot games. We are having a Holiday Shopping fundraising event on December 1st from 6:30-8:30 which features Casa Larga wines and chocolates along with 19 independent
vendors. A flyer accompanies this week’s emailing.
Parent-Teacher Conferences Rescheduled
Parent-Teacher conferences have been rescheduled for November 28th from 3:30 to 8:30. These times are set aside
for conferences at teacher request. You would have been notified by mail if your child’s teachers wanted to see you.
All parents are encouraged to call or email teachers with concerns.
Catholic Courier Art Contest
The Catholic Courier Art Contest is open to students aged 7 to 12. Interested children are asked to create their best
(Continued on page 4)
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replica of the Nativity scene using whatever supplies they want. Entries must be emailed to [email protected] by November 30. For more information visit here.
Winter Jackets
A generous donor contributed a number of winter jackets for students who might not have one. Parents are welcome
to come in to take one for their child. We have boys and girls jackets in sizes 11-12 and 14-16. There is a limited supply.
The Buzz Club performed
for students at Flex on
Tuesday before the
Thanksgiving break.
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