Making a PAWS-itive Difference: STJ Animal Club Gives Back

The STJ Animal Club with the Montgomery Humane Society and "animal ambassador.”

Over the holiday break, the STJ Animal Club made a meaningful impact by delivering donations collected throughout the fall semester for animals in need. These generous contributions were delivered to the Montgomery Humane Society, helping ensure that these animals have the supplies they need, from food and blankets to toys and other essential items.

Animal Club sponsors Mrs. Melissa Harris and Mrs. Haley Hart delivered a trunk load of donations to the Montgomery Humane Society.

The animal club welcomed a guest speaker from the Montgomery Humane Society to a recent club meeting. This special guest brought along an "animal ambassador," a well-behaved and adorable representative of the animals cared for by the Montgomery Humane Society. The presentation focused on animal safety, offering valuable insights on how to care for pets responsibly, recognize signs of distress in animals, and ensure their well-being. Club members loved meeting the animal ambassador, and learning more about the important work being done at the Montgomery Humane Society.

The STJ Animal Club is open to students in grades 3-5. The club focuses on animal welfare, advocacy, and fun opportunities to help our furry friends. #wearesaintjamesschool

Creatures of the Sea

For their 5th grade STEM project, students researched various sea creatures, exploring their habitats, behaviors, and unique features. They then created beautiful watercolor art to visually represent their chosen creatures, enhancing their understanding of marine life. To complete the project, students wrote informative paragraphs, summarizing their findings and reflecting on the fascinating world of ocean biology.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) marries scientific research with creative expression. Through the research component, students apply scientific inquiry skills, analyzing the anatomy, behavior, and ecosystems of sea creatures. The artistic element of creating watercolor illustrations fosters creativity and helps students visually communicate scientific ideas. STEM promotes collaboration and hands-on learning, helping students connect abstract concepts to real-world applications. #wearesaintjamesschool

Your Vote Counts! STJ Elections 2024

Saint James 5th graders hosted the 2024 elementary school election to decide who will win this year’s dress down day theme. Candidate Nellie Night campaigned for pajama day while Duffy Day is for cozy clothes day. These mock elections are a fun and engaging way to introduce our young students to the concept of voting, democracy, and civic engagement.

Our candidates created campaigns and presented their ideas on STJ TV prior to Election Day. Our 5th graders worked hard to set up a polling station where students cast their votes anonymously. They designed ballots and even set up a registration table. Students learned about the importance of making their votes confidential and respecting others’ opinions.

Once all votes are cast, students will use math skills to tally the votes and determine a winner. The announcement will be made on STJ TV this Friday. After the winner is announced, we will have a class discussion about the importance of voting and the election process, as well as fairness, respect for others' choices, and how elections work in the real world. People may have different opinions, and that’s okay!

Mock elections not only introduce students to the voting process, but also teaches responsibility, decision-making, teamwork, and lifelong interest in civic engagement!

From Farm to Yarn!

Pre-K3 students study a different letter of the alphabet each week. In addition to identifying and writing the letters, students learn context in playful and fun ways! Preschoolers enjoy applying what they have learned in the real world.

“Y” is for yarn!

Did you know? Sheep’s wool is called fleece, but an alpaca’s fiber is called a "blanket."

Did you know? Sheep’s wool is called fleece, but an alpaca’s fiber is called a "blanket."

Mrs. Dana demonstrating how to spin alpaca fiber into yarn using a spinning wheel from her native Argentina.

For “Yy” week, Pre-K3 teacher assistant, Mrs. Marisa Dana, taught her class how to spin yarn. With fiber from angora goats and alpaca, the children spun their own piece of yarn to wear home home as a bracelet. Angora sheep are known for their curly, lustrous hair known as mohair. #wearesaintjamesschool

Students passed around Angora goat and palace fibers- so soft!

Picnic Weather

PreK Picnic Invasion!

We've been loving the picnic weather on campus lately! What comes with a picnic? Ants! Pre-K4 students have been studying the life cycle of ants: egg, larva, pupa to adult ant.

Led by elementary science lab coordinator Ms. Carissa Gibbons, students set up a quilt for a pretend picnic that was -oh no!- taken over by ants! Crafted with six legs and three body segments, the handmade ants used antennae to smell the food at the picnic. Students also learned all about different species of ants and how they work together in colonies. Although some ants do bite, they are also helpful to our gardens and flowers. #wearesaintjamesschool

“Pretending is fun! And so is Science! ”
— Ms. Carissa Gibbons, Elementary Science Lab Coordinator

PreK students experience enrichment classes daily. Taught by full-time faculty, students study art, music, science, and foreign language.

Kindergarten/Senior Buddy LOVE

by: Reilly Taylor, senior

Reilly’s buddy, June

What a sweet valentine’s day my senior class had with our k5 buddies! We all met up in the Commons and patiently waited for our little buddies to walk in! We exchanged gifts, decorated paper bags with valentine’s day themed stickers, colors, and more! We then filled each bag with water, play-do, and a fun valentine’s day card we got to color with our buddy! The bags we decorated and put together are going to be sent to Child Protect, a non-profit organization that focuses on minimizing both the physical and mental trauma some children have experienced. This was a very special valentine’s day as we got to spend precious time with our buddies, involved them in making someone else’s day special, and shared the love we each have in our hearts!

Reilly has been a Trojan since preK. She is a cheerleading All-American, member of the tennis team, and loves to volunteer. Reilly also is a second year Student Ambassador, serving as an official hostess of Saint James School.

"Dear New 5th Grader"

At Saint James School, the fifth graders are the leaders of the elementary school, which serves students starting as young as PreK2. Soon, these students will graduate to middle school, where they will start their sixth grade year as the youngest in the division. This experience is a unique rite of passage for our young Trojans and no one is more equipped to pass down advice than the students who just lived it themselves. Current sixth graders wrote words of wisdom to this year’s fifth grade class. These notes gave a little encouragement and some pointers for the “seniors of the elementary school.” #wearesaintjamesschool

“5th grade is the last year of recess...it is also one of the most fun years.”
— Qaice, 6th grade

Edible Constellations

Saint James third graders recently had a delicious lesson in astronomy. Students studied constellations, which are groups of visible stars that form a shape or outline of an animal, person, or mythological subject. Students researched several constellations and created their own representations of famous constellations with food. First, they arranged marshmallows to represent the stars in the constellation. Then, using pretzel sticks, they connected the stars to match the constellation's pattern. Who knew astronomy could taste so good?

#wearesaintjamesschool

STEM/CS Tech Innovations: Kindergarten Buddy Bubble Wands

By: Kelsey Shaffer, senior

Kelsey’s Kindergarten buddy, Jiwoo, with her new 3D printed bubble wand.

STEM/Computer Science Tech Innovations is a new elective class offered in the high school this year, dedicated to furthering skills in the area of technology as it applies to design and creation. One of our projects was employing the design thinking process to create a bubble wand for our Kindergarten buddies. We started by compiling a list of questions to ask, such as their favorite color, shape, or animal, and once we got our answers, it was back to the STEM Lab to start brainstorming ideas. We came up with “pain points,” which are specific points that need to be addressed in our designs, and began sketching out ideas. When the sketches were complete, we copied the design into an online platform and sent it to one of our 3D printers. It took a few hours to print our prototypes, but after they were done, we took them down to test them with the Kindergartners. They had so much fun testing out our bubble wands! While our buddies were busy playing with bubbles, we observed how they interacted with the prototype and took note of what aspects could be improved upon. Finally, we returned back to brainstorming and redesigning to improve our prototypes. This was such a fun project! I loved being able to work on a creative project with our Kindergarten buddies and to see how much fun they were having with the bubble wands!

STEM/Computer Science Tech Innovations is led by high school technology specialist Mrs. Deborah Otis. In this class, students create, design, and build to solve problems with related innovative technology. Students complete projects in coding, computer-aided design, app design and development, hardware modification, animation, digital game design as well as explore topics such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) and AR/VR (Augmented/Virtual Reality). This hands-on class allows students opportunity to evaluate security and ethical issues related to the technology field as well as explore career opportunities. #wearesaintjamesschool