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February 24, 2006Home | Calendars E-Bytes ContentsAcademic Services Parent Coffee Poll Results: The latest thing Upcoming Events
Feb. 27-Mar. 10
Feb. 27 Monday
March 1 Wednesday
March 3 Friday
March 6-10 Mon-Fri
March 6 Monday
March 7 Tuesday
March 8 Wednesday
March 9 Thursday
March 9-10 Thurs-Fri
March 13 Monday
March 15 Wednesday
March 16-27
March 27 Monday
March 28 Tuesday
Summer Camp InformationThe Shorecrest Summer Camp information is available online. Or just click on "Summer Camp" on the home page. You will be able to view all of the camp information and download a PDF form to register. The actual brochures will be sent home shortly thereafter. $10,000 Tuition RaffleTickets Available Before the EventHave you purchased your raffle tickets for Shorecrest's $10,000 tuition raffle? The winner of this raffle may also redeem their prize for $5,000 cash in lieu of $10,000 tuition credit. To purchase your raffle tickets on-line prior to the event "click" on $10,000 Tuition Raffle. Even if you can't be at the Artrageous Affair, you may still be a part of the excitement by purchasing your chance for this incredible prize. Complete rules and regulations may be viewed on the website. We hope to see you on Friday evening, March 3. Moral Development and ValuesLast Friday, Suzanne Wells, Jean Carnes, Heidi Kubicki, Dawn Weinman, and Penny Jennings attended a workshop at Oak Hall in Gainesville with Dr. Thomas Lickona, who makes presentations all over the world on moral development and values. Dr. Lickona runs summer workshops at State University of New York at Cortland, where he currently chairs the Teachers of the 21st Century Project. A past president of the Association for Moral Education, he has held teaching appointments at Boston and Harvard Universities. He is the author of Educating for Character and Character Matters. Oldie Goldie EventSpring is just around the corner and with it comes an opportunity for spring cleaning. If your bookshelves are spilling over, take advantage of the upcoming Oldie Goldie Book Event to tidy them up. Here's how it works. Beginning March 6, children in EC through sixth grade can bring in books they no longer want and place them in the boxes outside their classroom doors. On March 9 in the Middle Division and March 10 in the Lower Division, breezeways will be full of excitement and chatter as the students, along with their teachers, take advantage of the great bargains. Books will be priced between ten cents and one dollar! Imagine the children's delight at taking home a bag of books for under two dollars. Academic Services Parent CoffeePlease join parents and friends as we meet in the Student Activity Center on Tuesday, March 7 at 8:15 a.m. This will be an open, parental, community forum sharing the vision and purpose of the Academic Service program grades K-12 during the 2006-07 school year. Please join Jean Carnes for an open discussion as we plan the program for next year. Sue Dattilo and Jan Miller will also be available for questions and concerns. We look forward to this educational exchange with all of you. Results of last week's poll:Trendspotting: What's the latest thing?
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Middle DivisionDr. Schoolman VisitsThis week Dr. Hugh Schoolman, the future head of the Middle Division, visited to begin getting to know the teachers and students. His days have been filled on campus meeting with members of the Shorecrest community.
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Language ArtsThird graders have been busy learning about different literary devices to help make their writing come alive. They are studying similies, metaphors, alliteration, personification, hyperbole, and onomatopoeia. Children were assigned partners and a writing topic. To the right is a sample of their wonderful poetry using onomatopoeia, words that describe the sounds objects, people, and animals make. You can view all of the poems on the third grade site. |
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Photo pages are now online of the third grade program, America's Kids.

Did you know there are ten present tense variations of the verb "to be" in Spanish and only three in English? The Spanish forms are estoy, estás, está, estamos, están, soy, eres, es, somos and son. In English we only have am, are and is! Learning the Spanish forms of these verbs may seem a daunting task, but the fourth graders think it's a cinch when they get to sing the words to a Latin beat and write skits to be filmed in class.
Students were first introduced to the verb "estar" before the holiday break. Then working in groups they used the verb in context by writing original skits and performing these in front of the class. After the holidays students had fun learning verbs by watching their favorite Spanish video and pretending to be the characters in the film. They're now learning "ser" which is the other Spanish "to be" verb. This time they've taken their skits to the silver screen. ¡Hay, caramba!

WelcomeWe welcome Killian W., a new second grader in Mrs. Savitsky's class. |
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On Tuesday, the Boy Scouts Troop 303 participated in a nature hike at Boyd Hill Nature Park guided by Park Ranger Ken Payette, learning about habitats, native wildlife and indigenous plants.

An extraordinary highlight of the visit was a glimpse of a Great Horned Owl in a tall pine near the Birds of Prey exhibit. Thank you to Ranger Payette for a very informative and fun afternoon!
Parents, Alpha students, and even some Middle Division students were an appreciative audience for the annual Junior Kindergarten Pet Show. [More pictures] All of the children were greeted enthusiastically as they crossed the stage to receive their special and unique awards. There were pets of many sizes and varieties, from stuffed horses, snakes and dinosaurs to live iguanas, fish, dogs and cats. As always, this favorite event was great fun!

In response to a request from parents, the opening topic of Monday's parent chat will be building self esteem and confidence in children. Join us at 8:15 in the Student Center.
Mrs. Lipan's class started another cycle of smiling on Tuesday when they visited Mrs. Minke's class. In keeping with their class name, the Sunflowers, the children first shared the book One Smile, then presented the kindergarten class with special words and potted sunflower seedlings.

The Junior Kindergartners are eagerly waiting to hear how their smiles are being passed on by the classes they visited.
The Alpha students traveled to the St. Petersburg Public Library this week to enjoy a puppet show [large photo] sponsored by the St. Petersburg Junior League. The story, Hubert's Hair Raising Adventure, based on the book by Bill Peet, was greatly enjoyed by all!
This week, Doctor Littlefield, the chair of the Upper Division English Department, visited and read to Mrs. Moyle's class.

His ability to make the story The Night I Followed the Dog come to life surely made these young students look forward to the time when they can enroll in Doctor Littlefield's classes!

The Florida Holocaust Museum is having a speakers program at Shorecrest this Sunday, February 26 at 1:00 p.m. in the Janet Root Theatre.
The speakers will be David Gewirtzman, a Holocaust survivor, and Jacquelyn Murekatete, a child survivor of the Rwandan genocide. Gewirtzman, 77, will discuss how he survived the Holocaust by burrowing under a pigsty on a Polish farm for nearly two years. Murekatete, 21, will share her story about losing her entire family - her parents and six siblings - in the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
They met when Gewirtzman spoke to Murekatete's high school in Queens four years ago, and she wrote him a note sharing her own horrible experience. Gewirtzman suggested she speak to groups with him to share the idea that genocide can happen no matter your age, race, or religion. "She's black, I'm white; she's young, I'm old; she's African and Christian and I'm a Jew from Poland. Yet we are like brother and sister, because we are bound by the common trauma of our experience and a common history of pain and suffering and persecution. We both went through a traumatic experience, but instead of remaining bitter and angry and seeking revenge, we both resolved to spend the anger in a positive manner, to prevent this from ever happening again." Gewirtzman said.
Anyone who is interested in attending and hearing their unique story of perseverance and friendship may do so. Admission to the program is free.
• Allie M., Jessica H., Leah A., Sam M., Sydney B., and Anna S., all of whom participated in a National Cheerleading Competition from Feb. 17-19 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

All of the girls cheer for Rock Solid Allstars, in Largo, Florida! Congratulations, girls!
• Eighth grader Jessica M., who won a Top Award from the Arts Center's annual Word and Image exhibition. Only three students were honored with top awards at this juried exhibition.

Jessica's award-winning art can be viewed in the lobby of the Administration building. Congratulations, Jessica!
• Third Grader Ali A., who competed in the Access Broadway Dance Competition in Orlando on February 11-12. Ali is a student of Suncoast Dance Academy in St. Petersburg where she has been dancing since she was 2 years old.

She competed in Ballet, Jazz and Hip Hop. Out of the three dances she performed in the competition, she won two Gold and one High Gold Awards.
Monday, February 27
will be the final day that
we can accept reservations
for the Artrageous Affair. If you haven't
done so, make your reservations
immediately. You can make
your reservations by:
[large picture] The Charger Baseball team won the Championship of the GIA Lakewood Baseball Tournament last week. They had a terrific week beating Gibbs on Monday, Feb. 13, by the score of 6-4, winning in 10 innings against Palm Harbor 1-0 on Wednesday, Feb. 15, and beating Lakewood in the Championship game on Thursday night, Feb. 16, by the score of 9-4.
In the Gibbs game, Dan M. pitched a good game giving up only one earned run on 4 hits and 6 strikeouts. Jeff R. and Clay B. were the leading hitters for the Chargers. The Palm Harbor game was a defensive struggle. The game included some great defensive plays. Robby T. made a terrific diving backhanded play at second base and Nick M. made an outstanding play in right field in the top of the 10th inning to keep the Chargers in the game. The Chargers won in the bottom of the 10th inning when Jeff R. doubled, Kyle W. lined a base hit to left field, Anthony K. was intentionally walked, and Clay B. was hit by a pitch! Anthony K. pitched 8 innings of shutout baseball allowing only 4 hits, 1 walk, and had 13 strikeouts.
Jeff R. finished out the last two innings of the game and got the win. In the Championship game against Lakewood, the Chargers' bats came alive. Leading hitters were Anthony K. with a single, Dan M. with 2 singles, Jeff R. with 2 singles, Kyle W. with a single and a double, and Clay B. with a single and a two run homerun. Robby T. pitched a good solid game walking only 1 and striking out 5 batters. Congratulations to the Chargers on this great start to the season!
The JV Baseball team played St. Pete Catholic on Saturday, Feb. 18, and won by the score of 9-7. Danny W. had two hits and a sacrifice fly good for 5 RBI's. Brian K. pitched very well in relief, earning the win.
The Chargers traveled to St. Stephens on Thursday, Feb. 16, and lost 18-0. Crishana W. and Hayley J. each had hits for the Chargers. The coaches commented that Jackie R. did a nice job of pitching for the Chargers.

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the Chargers hosted Tampa Prep and lost 10-4. The girls did a great job of baserunning and made a comeback after starting out slow. Janine S. made some great defensive plays at third base.
On Thursday, Feb. 16, the Chargers hosted St. Stephens from Bradenton and lost 24-9. Stephanie G. pitched a great game and Tori D. did a great job behind the plate. The defensive play of the game was made by Madeline M. who caught a fly ball in left field.
On Wednesday, Feb. 15, the Chargers lost their first match of the season against Tampa Prep. The boys lost 6-1 and the girls lost 4-3. The girls match was a close match with some terrific points. Congratulations to Michael K., Morgan B., Courtney H. and Jillian G. for winning their matches. The Chargers hope to get a re-match against this tough team later in the season.
Congratulations to the Varsity Boys and Girls tennis teams in their sound thrashing of Canterbury on Wednesday, Feb. 22. The boys team won 5-2 and the girls team won by the score of 7-0. Brett A., Michael K., Alex S., Matt S., Drew S., Morgan B., Lauren F., Jillian G., Courtney H., and Stephanie W. were all winners for the Chargers.
The JV Track team competed in their first meet on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Northside Christian with over fifty middle school athletes. More info and results to come next week.
Congratulations to Alex L. for being selected to the boys Pinellas County All-Star Soccer team. The game will be played at 8 p.m. on March 3 at Countryside High School. Way to go, Alex!

Kelly J., Tayllor S., Chrissy M., Rachel W., Alex L., Sam S., Phil V., and Jeff F. have been named to the All Conference teams in Soccer. Congratulations to them all!
Basketball and Cheerleading Awards will be on Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in the Janet Root Theatre.
Soccer Awards were on Wednesday night, Feb. 22, and the following awards were given:
To access the website to order sports pictures logon to: www.collages.net
Password for all pictures: 7348
Fifteen Jesuit colleges and universities put on a mini-college fair Thursday on the deck during lunch. All students were invited to attend and many took advantage of this opportunity to speak with representatives from these excellent schools.

The juniors had their first College Center seminar this week. This seminar was on College Research. The students learned several ways to research colleges through books and using various Internet search engines. They learned how to find accurate information and compare schools.
Ms. Huck and Ms. Bevan will conduct several seminars this spring so that the juniors are ready to begin the college process. The next seminar is scheduled for March 13 and will include valuable information on how to construct a resume.
The ninth grade conceptual physics students have been learning about fluids and their use in hydraulic devices. They went on a "field trip" to the maintenance barn, and Walt Butler explained the physics of the hydraulic lift. They were amazed that such a small volume of fluid could lift a small bus.

The students were given a ride on the lift and were able to experience Pascal's Principle first hand. Through this hands-on activity, the students increased their understanding of hydraulics. After the trip, they wrote short essays explaining hydraulic devices and how they make our lives easier. Click here to see photos and hear audio clips of their essays.
Physics is Phun!
Ninth Grade Health Classes are currently learning about lifestyle diseases. One of these is Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. A former student of Mrs. Newton's, Leslie E., agreed to come in and speak about her personal health issue: Type 1 diabetes.

When Leslie was 12 years old, she was diagnosed with diabetes and has been battling high blood-glucose levels ever since. It was a very interesting discussion, and she showed the boys how she tests her blood and how to give herself an insulin injection. Leslie explained how important it is for her to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly. She tests herself at least four times a day.
Mrs. Newton's D-Block Health class listened attentively to this personal testimonial. We all appreciated Leslie's candor and informative presentation.
On Thursday, February 16, the Upper Division and the eighth graders viewed HBO's film "The Tuskegee Airmen," which tells the story of the "Fighting 99th," the first squadron of African-American pilots to be allowed to fight for their country. These men were pioneers in the integration of America's armed forces and in advancing American society towards racial equality.
The film was a pre long-weekend treat, but it also served as historical background for a talk by Dr. Yenwith Whitney of Sarasota. Dr. Whitney was one of the original Tuskegee airmen who'll visit Shorecrest on Thursday, March 2, for a presentation and question/answer session with the Upper Division community and the eighth grade.