Wordle Makes Vocabulary Fun

Bridget Dalton and Dana L. Grisham wrote a fantastic article in the February 2011 issue of The Reading Teacher, a journal of research-based classroom practice, published by the International Reading Association.  The article, eVoc  Strategies: 10 Ways to Use Technology to Build Vocabulary, “highlights ten strategies that hold promise for improving vocabulary learning in intermediate grades.”Here they are:

Catholic Schools Week: Faith. Academics. Service.

I teach at Sts. Peter and Paul Salesian School, a Catholic school in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.  The mission  of the Department of Catholic Schools is a commitment to

• the mission of the Church by providing quality learning communities rooted in academic excellence and the Catholic tradition for the children entrusted to our care.
• The development of the whole child, regardless of race, culture or economic background, is achieved through the collaboration of our school staff, parents, clergy, religious and the parish community.
• Our faith-centered, child-focused, family sensitive education fosters within our children a strong personal relationship with God, prepares them for leadership within the Church and the world and empowers them to live the Gospel values of love, peace, justice, respect and service in their everyday lives.

Come visit us at our Open House on  Thursday, January 26, 2012, 6:00 pm.

MLK Day of Service 2012

The MLK Day of Service, designated by Congress in 1994, challenges us to respond to Dr. King’s observation:  ”Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

The MLK Day of Service is part of United We Serve, the President’s national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems.

Winter Solstice 2011

Winter is here, long nights and short days. Here in San Francisco Winter begins on December 21 at 9:30 pm. We bundle up and finish wrapping presents, wish family and friends a Merry Christmas, and dream

Christmas Crèche Under the Tree

As a young girl I loved to set up and play with our family Christmas Crèche.  Back in the day it was quite modern with an electric Christmas light bulb attached to look like a star.  We could change the mood by replacing the bulb–green, blue, red, golden, white or clear!  It seemed much like playing with dolls, another favorite pastime.  Today, my family has a small crèche grandma gave my oldest daughter.  It came from Italy by way of St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco.  I got to thinking, what is the history of the crèche or nativity scene, the manger?