The Show Must Go On...even if for just one night!

     The HCA community was, unfortunately, impacted by the evolving presence of the coronavirus when the decision was made to limit the performance of Frozen, Jr. to just one night. While everyone involved is disappointed by this news, especially the cast and teachers who guided our thespians in the lead-up to this week, the resilience shown by everyone was a true testament to their character and selflessness. In honor of Frozen, Jr., please enjoy these images from the the last practice and the dress rehearsal for the school on Thursday.

     Mrs. Lewis provided Irish Dancing lessons at Community Time on Tuesday

Grade 6 used styrofoam mini-Earths to simulate how Earth operates on its axis in outer space!

Grade 5 had fun using rubber bands and balloons to see how energy can cause objects to change position, direction, and speed!

Be well and be safe while school is closed next week and during Spring Break!

Twas the week before play...

     The week before the play is usually filled with tests, quizzes, and other assessments, so it generally isn't a ton of fun. Reviewing, studying, and testing occupied much of the week for the middle school students (and included almost ZERO good photo ops!). That's not to say, however, there wasn't some fun and new learning going on!

     Gamification apps such as Gimkit and Kahoot! have become a popular and much requested review activity. Here, the 6th grade broke into teams to play a competitive Gimkit review game for their upcoming test on earthquakes.

     The class also had a retreat in 480 on Thursday, led by Ms. Kathol. They experienced God's love while having fun and learning about themselves both as a group and individually. The primary emphasis was on how the Body of Christ resides in each person. Discussion, reflection, and even games were used to demonstrate how the Body of Christ nurtures love in each of us.

And the group also enjoyed some good food for breakfast and a pizza lunch!

     Community Day (Day 2) featured a fun event- Speed Stacking! Students were taught how stacking cups improved dexterity, concentration, and perseverance...The latter two can definitely carry over to the classroom and all three to sports and music.

     Frozen, Jr. runs next week (no HW for students in the play) and we are all excited for that!

The following week will feature a variety of one-hour morning mini-courses. The Middle School students have already selected their top three choices and we will run on a 10:00 AM liturgy schedule (MS only as of now) for the week. Courses range from Pixar in a Box to Zumba. Should be a fun and different week of varied interests!

Mid-winter (?) activities

     This winter, as we all know, has been non-existent. That pleases some of us but also disappoints some of us. We're not quite out of the reach of a big snowstorm occurring, but as we get closer and closer to the first day of spring, the chances, hopefully, are diminishing!

Last Year

     Snow or not, we keep moving right along here at school...the Auction, the Play, Spring Break, and Easter are all coming at us quickly! And please remember to send in your registration for next year before next Friday's deadline...

    Our Diversity Committee put on a wonderful month-long celebration of Black History by highlighting a few of the many contributions African-Americans have made to our nation in many different areas. A school-wide celebration was enjoyed with different activities for the entire student body!

          Classroom activities included using a fantastic learning tool called Gimkit. The 6th grade is shown here playing the game using a Team format to test their knowledge of earthquake terms like epicenter, hanging wall, and liquefaction. Ask your student how it works because it is way too detailed to explain here! But I think everyone will agree it is a fun and useful way to reinforce learning...

     Old school learning can also be as fun and effective, too, as demonstrated by the 8th grade as they study chemical reactions and the Law of Conservation of Mass by balancing chemical equations. Or the 7th grade determining the probability of particular genotypes and phenotypes through the use of Punnett squares.

 Grade 7