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

Service and Earthquakes

     Rehearsal for Frozen, Jr. and practices for basketball playoffs are heating up as we head towards the end of February...feels like the 4th of July is around the corner with the way the year is speeding by! We are never at a loss for things to do here at HCA, whether it is in the classroom, on the stage, the court or field, or for serving up kindness to others.

     This week saw our Sixth Grade students using slinky toys to model P-waves, S-waves, and Surface waves that are transmitted during earthquakes. We have viewed footage of the devastating tsunami's that struck Japan and Indonesia. The raw power of the dynamic Earth and the resilience of people struck by these tragic natural disasters gave us pause. Students then spent time crafting creative writing pieces using earthquake vocabulary in Google docs to bolster their understanding of these natural phenomena.

    Wednesday of this shortened week was Random Acts of Kindness Day and the class surprised the Kindergarten with a morning reading session! The 6th graders read from a variety of children's books to small groups of younger students. A great time was had by all as the older kids shared their time and abilities with some of HCA's youngest students.

Catch-up week!

    There have been many special activities lately so this edition of the blog will focus on some of the classroom and school activities that were archived in order to showcase those bigger events.


     But before we go there, please remember, if you haven't done so already, to RSVP for the 2020 HCA Auction, A Night In Philadelphia. As always, it promises to be filled with special moments and lots of fun as we raise funds that directly benefit our students. This year, the funds raised while honoring HCA parent and former Board of Trustees chairperson Mary Emily Pagano will go to new and exciting playground equipment! Some of the existing structures will remain but new structures that will appeal to the entire school population will be installed in Phase One of the project this summer.

SCIENCE LAB CLASS ACTIVITIES

The Big Three this week: SciencEXPO, Grandparents Day, and Parent Visitation Day

     This was a super busy week here at HCA with a trifecta of BIG events: SciencEXPO, Grandparents Day, and Parent Visitation Day! I cannot stress enough how delighted I am with the efforts that our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students put into their various projects.
They did a fantastic job!

6th Grade Projects

7th Grade Projects

8th Grade DAY3 Projects

Grandparents Day One Act Plays

Parent Visitation Day

Wait...there's more!

More???

Basketball Playoff Pep Rallies!

Health Education at Lankenau Hospital