The Good News from St. John’s
Winter 2017
St. John’s Episcopal School has many traditions; one of our favorite is our
International Festival, a part of our community for the past 27 years! Each winter,
every grade is assigned a country, and the students are immersed in every aspect of
that country. They learn about their country’s culture, traditions, geography, food,
and much more. They also learn a native folk dance from the country or culture they
are studying. This immersive period culminates in our International Festival where our
students perform their dance in native costume. This year, our students performed
dances from Mexico, The Netherlands, Greece, Chile, Ireland, South Africa, Egypt,
Guam, and Jamaica. It was a wonderful evening!
Monthly Success Traits
March - Flexibility  April - Generosity  May - Responsibility
The Good News from St. John’s – Winter
The Good
2017News from St. John’s – Winter 2014
Student Accomplishments
Congratulations to the ten students who made it into this
year’s Geography Bee! Mrs. Montminy challenged the
contestants with questions which began in the United States
and moved to international countries. After a spirited final
round, the winner was 7th grader, Tommy Little, with 2nd
place taken by 6th grader Aiden Smith, and 3rd place won by
7th grader, Sean Dias. Tommy will go on to compete at the
Maryland State Bee, with the possibility of competing in the
National Geographic Bee Championship in May. Good luck,
Tommy!
This year’s St. John’s Drama Club production was “Elf, Jr.”
and it was awesome! Our students sang and danced their hearts
out and all of their hard work paid off. The Drama Club consists
of students in 2nd through 8th grade, and is an extra opportunity
in the school year for them to showcase their talents. The
performance was held at the Randolph Road Theatre, which
gives the students a real feel for what it’s like to perform in a
professional arena.
This year’s Spelling Bee competition was an exciting nailbiter, as twelve of our 3rd through 8th graders vied for a
place in this year’s Scripp’s Spelling Bee. Congratulations go
to all of the contestants, with special congratulations to 1 st
place winner, 5th grader, Ava Nicholas. 8th grader, Jordan
Oginni, took 2nd place and 8th grader, Elizabeth Carpenter,
took 3rd place. Ava, Jordan, and Elizabeth will compete for
St. John’s at the MAESA Fair this spring.
OASIS (Olney Art School in a School
For the fourth year in a row, our OASIS Theatre Ensemble
performed at Walt Disney World in Orlando. The students
participated in a Broadway musical theatre workshop, and a
leadership workshop called “Creating a Personal Brand” that is
sure to help them navigate the business of the arts or any other
career field they are likely to pursue. They presented a 15
minute show choir performance in Disney Springs for a large
crowd of spectators, representing the talent and professionalism
of St. John’s OASIS program. The students will next be working
with the 8th Grade class on their production of PETER PAN, and
registration for summer drama camp is right around the corner
for students in rising third grade to rising ninth grade.
The Good News from St. John’s – Winter 2017
Preschool News
Our Preschool students and teachers have been enjoying
the beautiful weather outside this winter, but we are
certainly missing the SNOW! It can be challenging to
read There Was A Cold Lady That Swallowed Some Snow
in 60 degree weather, but we made it work. Our
Preschool/3 class is very busy working on their flamingo
habitats. They are learning all about what flamingos do
including what they eat, where they live, and how tall
they are. Not only are the children learning about
flamingos, but Mrs. Palmer is learning new facts too.
Preschool/4 spent the month of January practicing for the
International Festival. They enjoyed performing and
sharing a Mexican fiesta meal with the Kindergarten class.
Preschool/4 has also been busy celebrating Groundhog
Day, Valentine’s Day, and President’s Day and integrating
language arts and math into those holidays. Both classes
are looking forward to spring!
First Grade News
Over one hundred days of learning and fun in first grade!
We celebrated the one hundredth day of school by
solving hundred chart number puzzles, playing a game
called Roll to 100, and making a special 100 day trail mix
snack. Students completed a unit on geometry, exploring
plane shapes and solid figures. They identified objects
that have symmetry and they learned about fractions.
They have also been working on addition of two-digit
numbers. We have read many stories of different genres
– fiction, nonfiction, expository nonfiction, and realistic
fiction. Our international study took us around the world
to the Netherlands. Students enjoyed some Dutch foods
called stroopwafels and hagelslag. They enjoyed a
favorite story from the Netherlands, The Hole in the Dike.
They wrote interesting facts about the Netherlands and
they made models of windmills. A dentist visited the class
to teach the children about dental health, and they made
tooth diagrams and performed experiments to see the
effect of different liquids on teeth. They also made Dental
Health booklets. Now, we are focusing on nutrition and
ways to keep healthy. We also celebrated Dr. Seuss’
birthday and World Read Aloud Day. The first graders
have a positive attitude and enjoy learning at St. John’s!
Kindergarten News
Our kindergarteners are learning to read, write, and spell
through various types of activities. During language arts
we continue our Daily Fix-it (making corrections to a
sentence using proofreading marks) as well as reading
themed stories and completing other supplemental
activities that enhance their learning experiences. We
recently completed our science unit which focused on
animals and how they survive during the winter months
(hibernate, migrate, adapt). After researching their
animals each student presented their project to classmates
and parents. It was their first exposure to speaking to a
larger audience and supports St. John’s public speaking
program. In social studies we took a “trip” to Mexico and
especially enjoyed their Mexican-style lunch. We will be
continuing with comparing and ordering numbers in math.
Then we will move on to measurement, money, and time!
Second Grade News
Our second graders spent last month working hard on their
Greek International Festival dance and spent a week
immersed in the rich culture of Greece. They took a virtual
tour of Greece's top tourist sites, read Greek myths, listened
to Greek music, learned about the architecture of Ancient
Greece, sampled some common foods, and created Greek
patterned vases in art! In science, the students are
continuing their studies of the water cycle and beginning
rocks and minerals. The children read biographies and are
presenting their biography Baseball Cards to the class. We
have learned about some interesting people and how they
have used the St. John’s Traits for Success with their
accomplishments. The children also wrote how the success
traits help them to be better students at St. John’s. They
love learning the multiplication facts in math, as well as
collecting data and graphing. For Valentine’s Day and the
100th day of school, they listed 100 ways to have a positive
attitude, the success trait for February.
The Good News from St. John’s – Winter 2017
Third Grade News
The past few months were full of hard work, projects, and celebrations for our third grade class! Students spent a week of
curricular focus on Chile during international immersion week and had the opportunity to sample some authentic Chilean
cuisine, and performed the Cueca, a wonderful Chilean dance at our annual International Festival. In language arts, the
students read from various styles of literature, including informational, biographical, and historical fiction selections. Two
stories in particular were favorites, Stone Fox, and Meet Addy. In writing, many of our assignments were related to
responding and summarizing our reading selections. Students continue to refine their descriptive writing skills and we
started working on our first persuasive writing assignments. In math, our days are full of mathematical concepts and
calculations, plus topics such as probability, exploring range, median, mode and mean of numbers, graphing and analyzing
data. Finally, in science we had an in-depth study of our solar system. Students were assigned a planet to become an
“expert” on and write a research report and create a model. They did a wonderful job and the planets are hanging in our
room. A few extra items can also be found on display in the school library. Feel free to stop in to see them.
Fourth Grade News
Fourth Grade has been busy this winter! We started reading In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. To correlate with
this book, we researched each student’s Chinese Zodiac and wrote a five-paragraph essay about whether or not their zodiac
sign truly fits their personality. In math, fourth graders have wrapped up a unit on factors, multiples, prime and composite
numbers, and prime factorization. They are about to start learning long division with two digit divisors! Science has been
exciting with the study of natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Fourth graders have also been studying the
three types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. Tim's Gems visited at the end of the month and fourth
graders panned for different rocks and learned about them. In social studies, we have worked on a unit about the
Southeast and have now begun the Midwest. The lives of the pioneers are always fun to study, and they exemplify our
Traits for Success.
Fifth Grade News
Sixth Grade News
In English, students are using Wordly Wise E-section
passages to practice answering questions to become
strategic and efficient readers of unfamiliar text on four
levels. Every written answer enhances metacognition and
conventions learned by doing. Novel (Kokopelli’s Flute) and
poetry units (monthly themes) serve to model literary
elements and devices, as well as provide vehicles from
which students practice oral reading and recitation skills. In
writing, narratives (magic flute stories) provide a vehicle for
young authors to develop their crafts to create short stories
that follow the plotline structure and apply literary elements
and figurative language. In science, students are studying
the interactions of the four spheres of the earth:
geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. So
far we have reviewed biomes, plate tectonics, the rock
cycle and the water cycle. We will be spending a few days
on the waters of the earth and then move on to the
atmosphere. This unit will conclude with lesson and activity
based on cleaning up oil spills. In social studies, we’ve
focused on life in the early American Colonies leading up to
the Revolutionary War, completing a project where they
crafted a newspaper or skit on daily life in the New
England, Middle, and Southern Colonies. Students
examined the events that led up to the American
Revolution starting from the French and Indian War and
going up through the development of the Articles of
Confederation. Finally, in math, students completed a unit
on rates and ratios, as well as the relationship between
fractions, decimals, and percents. They are working on a
geometry unit which includes constructing angles and
bisectors, polygons, and area and volume.
In English, students finished Percy Jackson & the Lightning
Thief and their unit on Greek Mythology! Our next novel is
the critically acclaimed View from Saturday. Students wrote
expository papers and personal narratives connecting their
reading to Ancient Greek myths and their own personal
experiences. Students conducted and presented their
mythological and geographical research in the form of
several amazing travel brochures for modern Egypt! In
science, students finished their animal study with a
concentration on different types of worms. They did
activities with living worms and dissected preserved worms.
A brief study of the Plant Kingdom followed, including the
dissection of a lima bean seed in order to see the cotyledon.
The periodic table and symbols for about 25 elements were
learned by playing a concentration, match up game. The
study of the atom and the scientists who contributed
important information is being completed at this time. In
social studies, students wrapped up their study of Ancient
Egypt. The class then examined Ancient India with focus on
the early civilizations that developed there, the contributions
these civilizations made to our modern world, and a brief
study of Buddhism and Hinduism. During the International
Festival, we shifted our focus back to Egypt and created a
modern day travel brochure. Students are now moving on to
learning about Ancient China where we will focus on some
of the dynasties that developed there and their
contributions to the modern world. We will also take a
closer look at the ideas of Confucianism and Daoism. In
math, students have finished a unit on ratios, proportions,
percents, and probability and our in the middle of a unit on
measurement, both metric and customary, and geometry.
The Good News from St. John’s – Winter 2017
Seventh Grade News
The seventh grade has begun the medieval tales of King Arthur in TH White’s Sword in the Stone. During this reading
students will focus their attention to literary allusions they’ve encountered in popular culture and in other texts they’ve
read. To introduce the idea of allusions, students spent time dissecting their favorite songs and explaining the allusions
within. They began in-depth studies of short stories and embarked on the analysis of quotes. During our international
immersion week students conducted mythological and geographical research about Guam. The results were several
amazing travel brochures for modern Guam! In science, Gregor Mendel and his contribution to the study of heredity led
to a discussion of mitosis and meiosis. Then, the discovery of DNA by Watson and Crick and the contribution of Franklin
was discussed. Students listened to a TED-talk given by James Watson himself, documenting the steps which led to the
discovery of DNA. They took a trip on the Beagle with Darwin and looked at all that he discovered. The scientists and
theories of those working in Darwin’s time were explored. The classification of organisms and the different kingdoms are
now the topic of discussion. In social studies, students wrapped up their study of Africa, and focused on the Middle East.
In addition to learning about the geography of the area, students examined the basics of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism
- three major world religions which have their roots in this area. We paused our study of the Middle East to take a look at
Guam as part of the school's International Festival. We are now examining the cultures and lifestyles of this region and
discussing current events to include the Israel-Palestine conflict and the rise of ISIS. In Pre-Algebra students have just
completed a unit on Ratios, Rates, Proportions and Percents. We are now fully immersed in the world of Algebraic
equations and inequalities. In Latin, students have been expanding both their English and Latin lexicons. They have been
learning more about the structure of sentences, the tenses of verbs and the uses of both adverbs and adjectives.
Eighth Grade News
In English, students have begun their study of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Prior to this, they spent time
researching and sharing ‘Anansi’ folktales as part of their Jamaican immersion week. Students wrote a comparative essay
and will soon revise it using the grammar and writing workshops they have conducted since the initial composition. In
science, students have just completed a study of chemistry and are about to begin the study of physics, beginning with
the laws of motion. As we prepare for our end of year Rube Goldberg project we will be doing several smaller design
challenges related to our studying. In social studies, students wrapped up their study of World War I and the 1920s, and
turned their attention to the Great Depression and New Deal. We paused our study of the 1930s America to take a look at
Jamaica as part of the school's International Festival. Students are now moving into our study of World War II and visited
the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. Algebra and Honors Algebra students have completed a unit on factoring
polynomials and algebraic factors. Both classes are currently working on ratios, proportions and percents involving
algebraic fractions. Honors Geometry just finished a unit on right triangles and trigonometry. From here it’s on to the
infinite polygon, the circle! The eighth grade Latin students have just become masters of the 3rd Declension. From now
until the rest of the year we will be focused on increasing and enriching our knowledge of vocabulary.
Technology
Technology classes this winter have been full of coding, cyberbullying, 3D creations, interactive journeys online, World
Wide Web activities, and International Festival country explorations. We have been super busy!
 Preschool explored winter habitats, community helpers, germs and good hygiene, and reinforced math/reading skills.
 1st Grade used apps called Kodable and Bee Bot (for coding), explored 2D and 3D designs, created a 3D map of the
classroom, and explored the St. John’s campus with a virtual compass while doing a scavenger hunt.
 2nd Grade used apps Bee Bot and Tynker (for coding), studied snowflake design and symmetry using a variety of
tools, Google maps to explore and compare Greece to the USA, took an online Pledge for Digital Citizenship,
performed activities dealing with cyberbullying, and further explored landforms using digital online platforms.
 3rd Grade used apps CargoBot and Hour of Code, completed a unit on Google Slides, compared their life to that of a
child in Chile, completed an online course introducing them to the World Wide Web (www), and journeyed through
the eyes of a slave child in tandem with their book study Meet Addy.
 4th Grade used apps in Hour of Code, completed virtual timelines about the Westward Expansion, compared their
life to that of a child’s in Ireland, studied Chinese Astrology and created a virtual popster in tandem with their book
study In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson.
 5th Grade used apps in Hour of Code, completed a unit on Scratch Programming and designed their very own game
called Fishball, completed activities for their unit on cyberbullying/bullying, and created anti-bullying commercials
using WeVideo.
 6th Grade learned to use the basics of EasyBib EDU for creating notecards and bibliographies for their research,
judged validity of websites, navigated areas of the St. John’s library, and practiced debating an issue in technology.
What’s going on in
P.E.?
St. John’s Episcopal
School
3427 Olney Laytonsville Road
Olney, MD 20832
Phone:
301-774-6804
Fax:
301-774-2375
Website:
www.stjes.com
Admissions Office:
Margaret Curry
Director of Admissions
[email protected]
It’s been a busy trimester in the
gym. As part of our global education
program,
each
grade
worked
persistently during the month of
January to master a dance that
represented one of the featured
countries in our annual International
Festival. Our lower school students
are now participating in a unit in
gymnastics using the mats for
balances, rolls, and creative routines.
In the upper school, students have
been learning the fast paced game of
team handball. Next, all upper school
students will move to a volleyball
unit.
Dates to Remember:
Mar. 7-14 – Belize Service Learning Trip
Mar. 20 – No School, Professional Day
Mar. 24 – L.S. (PS-4th Gr.) Family Dance, 6:00 p.m.
Mar. 30 – OPEN HOUSE, 9:00 a.m.
Apr. 6 – Out of Uniform Day
Apr. 7 – Grandparents Day
Apr. 10-17 – Easter Break
Apr. 21 – MAESA Fair
Apr. 27 – Festival of the Arts, 1:30 and 7:00 p.m.
May 1-2 – Model United Nations Trip
May 1-5 – Teacher Appreciation Week
May 11 – 5th Grade Gettysburg Trip
May 12 – St. John’s Golf Tournament
May 13 – 8th Grade Play, 7:00 p.m.
May 21 – Olney Days Parade and Spring Fling
May 23 – Field Day
May 29 – Memorial Day, No School
May 31 – Bandapalooza
June 1 – Volunteer Appreciation B’fast, 8:30 a.m.
June 2 – Graduation Dance, 7:30 p.m.
June 7 – Noon Dismissal
June 8 – Baccalaureate, 10:30 a.m., Noon Dismissal
June 9 – GRADUATION, 10:00 a.m.
Honor  Truth  Faith
St. John’s Episcopal School
3427 Olney-Laytonsville Road
Olney, MD 20832