The St. Peter Journal
The Online News Magazine of St. Peter School's 4th-Grade Class
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Issue 1: Trimester I, 2023
News
Embedded Files
Fourth Graders Launch Class Newspaper
Gazette Staff
Fourth-grade students at St. Peter School submitted the final draft of their class newspaper in time for the December 21st Christmas holiday break. Led by their editor, Guillem March, students have been enthusiastically working together to construct their newspaper during the past several weeks.
Gazette journalist Simon Estifanos explains the team's journalistic aims:
"Guillem March, the editor of this newspaper, has organized it to highlight current events and activities happening in grade four. We do this during our ELA class. We are able to do this because the majority of people in 4th grade are writing an article. The Saint Peter Gazette is here to serve you not with food but with information. And it started as just two things, an idea and a pencil."
Most of the class voted to call their class newspaper "The St. Peter [4th Grade] Gazette."
The Twelve Days of Christmas
By: Ian Prost, Michael Joyce, Halle Yonathan, and Simon Estifanos
The Twelve Days of Christmas is a Catholic tradition that starts on December 25th and ends on January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany. It is sometimes referred to as the Twelve Days of Light. These are the Twelve Days of Christmas and what they symbolized in Medieval England:
# 1 A partridge in a pear tree symbolizes Jesus on the cross.
# 2 Two turtledoves symbolize the New and Old Testament in the Bible.
# 3 Three French hens symbolize the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love.
# 4 Four calling birds symbolize the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
# 5 Five Golden Rings symbolize the Pentateuch (or first five books of the Old Testament), Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
# 6 Six geese a laying symbolize the six days of creation.
# 7 Seven swans swimming symbolize the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit.
# 8 Eight maids milking symbolize the eight beatitudes Jesus gave us during his sermon on the mount.
# 9 Nine ladies dancings symbolize the 9 fruits of the spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
# 10 Lords a leaping symbolize the 10 commandments.
# 11 Eleven pipers piping symbolize the eleven disciples of Jesus.
# 12 Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the 12 points of faith from the Apostles’ Creed
These are the twelve days of Christmas that are celebrated through the Epiphany.
Thank You for reading!
These Are a Few of Our Favorite Christmas Songs
By: Olivia F. Blake and Simon Estifanos
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Dear Readers,
Grade 4 has been practicing lots of Christmas songs this season! Last week we visited Neville Place and sang carols for the residents [pictured above.] And our favorite event of the year is singing in the St. Peter Christmas Pageant! So what are our favorite carols? Today, we spoke to some of our fellow 4th grade classmates about their favorite Christmas songs. Here’s what they had to say:
“My favorite Christmas song is Carol of the Bells,” said Halle.
“Mine too!” said Enzo.
Guillem and Mathilde also favored this song.
Mathilde says she enjoys this classic by Mykola Leontovych because”It’s pretty and makes me feel calm and Christmasy.”
“My favorite Christmas song is Dominic,” said Michael.
Andreas enjoys the Christmas Classical Song In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg [This was used in the popular 19th Century stage play, "Peer Gynt."]
"I (Simon Estifanos) enjoy not a Christmas Classical, but a classic called All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey. I enjoy this song because it’s just one of the best classics of all time."
“All I Want for Christmas is You,” said Katie.
Well, that is a lot of different songs! And these are just a few of our classmates' favorite Christmas songs!
The Wonderful Wonderfund
By: Lucia Panch
The fourth grade families at St. Peter School were asked to sign up for the annual DCF wonderfund gift drive to help families in need. Gifts were given to 11 year old Jenny A. and 12 year old, Cash O.
Here’s a quote from our wonderful room mom, Eirene (Andreas’ mom):
“Thanks to all for being so generous and completing our entire DCF wonderfund list in record time!”
Thank you for coordinating this wonderful way for our families to practice the works of mercy Eirene!
Light in December
By: Lucia Panch
December is the darkest part of the year, but it is also the feast day of St.Lucy, one of the patron saints of light. This is because when she was martyred for her faith, she let the light of Jesus shine through her to those around whose spirits were darkened.
St. Lucy’s feast day is celebrated in several parts of the world, but especially in Scandinavian countries. On December 13 in Scandinavia, each town elects its own “St. Lucy,” chosen from among the young girls living in the town. The elected St. Lucy leads a procession followed by little girls dressed in white dresses with lighted wreaths on their heads singing traditional feast day songs like “Sankta Lucia.” Kids even get out of school early to help their parents prepare for the festival! People eat Swedish treats called “Lussekatt,” s-shaped saffron buns similar to cinnamon rolls. St. Lucy’s Day became an official country-wide tradition in Sweden in the 1900s.
How are ways that we can celebrate St. Lucy’s feast day? Since St. Lucy represents the light of Jesus,who is also known as “the Word,” by lighting a candle and reading from the beginning of the gospel of John:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life,[b] and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness,[c] and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” -John 1:1-14, RSVCE
4th Grade Christmas play
By: Katie Rouse-Irwin
Our Christmas play is going to be spectacular! We have a full cast that plays each and everyone you’ll need to see how the story of Christmas came to be! Our actors are:
Lucia Panch-The Blessed Virgin Mary
Andreas Philippakis-Joseph
Guillem March-The Angel Gabriel
Olivia Blake-Elizabeth
Paul Horton-Zechariah
Simon Estifanos-Wiseman
Viyaan Kumar-Wiseman
Halle Yonathan-Wiseman
Katie Rouse-Irwin-Shepherd
Debi Teferi-Shepherd
Mathilde Saint-Pere-St. Lucy
Isla Noll-Angel Joy
Michael Joyce-Santa Claus
Ian Prost-St. Luke
Enzo Migliazzo-Elf
Declan Caffrey-Elf
The story starts with two elves getting tangled up in tinsel and Christmas tree needles but then Santa Claus bursts onto the scene with his usual cheer and joy! The elves beg him to tell a story about the first Christmas. And that’s where our story begins.
The Angel Gabriel appears to a Jewish high priest named Zechariah. Gabriel says to him, “Do not be afraid, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife will bear a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous; to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” Zechariah does not believe his words so Gabriel responds by making him speechless until John is born.
Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth had become pregnant with child, just as the angel had said.
And the Angel Gabriel appears to a virgin named Mary who is to be married to a man named Joseph. He tells her, “Hail full of grace! The Lord is with thee.” Mary was greatly troubled. But Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you will bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most high; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary then visited her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant. And Elizabeth said, “Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
Not long after that it was time for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, everyone wanted to call the boy Zechariah after his father but Elizabeth said in reply, “No. He will be named John.” This never happened in a family. And because of that, they asked Zechariah what he shall be named.
Since he was still speechless, he silently asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name.” And immediately his tongue was free from his mouth and he was able to talk again.
And St. Lucy tells us, “In those days the ruler of the land, Caesar, decreed that the whole world should be enrolled in the city their family name was from. So St. Joseph and Mary, who were from the family tree of David, went to the city of David, known as Bethlehem. In Hebrew, Bethlehem means “House of Bread;” and the baby Jesus, the Son of God, who all would be born there to Mary, who would later become the bread of life for us all. So Mary and St. Joseph went to be enrolled in Bethlehem. While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her child, and she gave birth to baby Jesus. Mary wrapped baby Jesus in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room left in the inn.”
And that is what we will be acting in our play. You are welcome to see our play if you would like to come! And always remember to let the spirit of Christmas shine through your heart at all times!
Fourth Grade History & Geography Happenings
By: Andreas Philippakis and Paul Horton
In 4th-grade social studies, we have been learning about the growth and the expansion of the U.S. as we survey its history along the way, beginning with the first Americans and their different interaction with the different European settlers.
We have learned about the United States' land purchases to gain the territory it has today. We have learned about early European explorations, the original 13 colonies, the Revolutionary period from 1775 to 1783, including the “Declaration of Independence.” We have learned about the Columbian Exchange, bartering, and importing and exporting between the New and Old worlds. We have examined the early westward expansion, the Civil War, the idea of “Manifest Destiny,” and the Industrial Revolution.
We are now researching our chosen states for our state projects, which we will present after the Christmas break.The 4th grade class will be researching and writing individual state reports. Each person will choose one of the fifty states to research and write about. We had the opportunity to ask our fellow classmates which state they would like to research for this project - here's what they had to say:
Olivia said she chose Rhode Island because it’s beautiful.
Maddy said she chose Texas because it looks like a boot.
Paul said he chose Florida because his cousin lives there.
Declan said he chose Kentucky because he was born there.
Viyaan said he chose Maine because of a song he likes.
Simon said he chose Alaska because it's calm there.
Michel said he will choose either Alaska or Minnesota because of the cold and snow.
Guillem said he chose Washington because it’s very northern.
Isla said he chose California because of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco.
Debi said she also chose California because of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Andreas said he would choose either Hawaii or Arizona Because they're nice.
Ian chose Texas.
Katie chose Massachusetts.
Halle and Enzo both chose Ohio.
We look forward to doing this project and seeing our everyone's presentations!
Fourth Grade Science Happenings
Finding Patterns in Earth's Four Spheres
By: Debi Teferi
Our 4th-grade class has been studying the four spheres of the Earth this year. The four spheres are the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the geosphere, and the biosphere.
Atmos is a Greek root that means air. The atmosphere is all the gasses surrounding the earth. The atmosphere is also responsible for the weather. The atmosphere has five layers. Even though it seems like air is nothing, it has particles that are so small that you can’t even see them.
Bio is a Greek root that means life. The biosphere is all the living things on the earth. The portion of the earth needs the other spheres. Living things need water from the hydrosphere, chemicals from the atmosphere, and nutrients from the biosphere.
Geo is a Greek root that means earth. The geosphere is the portion of the earth that has rocks and minerals. It starts at the ground and goes all the way down the Earth's core. We need the geosphere to provide natural resources and a place to grow and harvest food. If there was no geosphere, there would be no Earth!
Hydro is a Greek root that means water. The hydrosphere includes all the rivers, oceans, lakes, groundwater, and frozen water in glaciers. 97% of water is found in oceans. Water is one of the most important things needed for life and makes up about 90% of living things. Without water, there would be no life on Earth.
All the four spheres interact. For example, ocean currents affect air temperature. The Gulf Stream is a very powerful water current. Its warm water moderates the temperatures on the east coast of the United States. Also, erosion happens in the desert when wind shapes the sand in the geosphere. Water can also shape land as well like in the formation of the Grand Canyon.
As the 4th-grade class studies different areas of science, they can use the knowledge they’ve learned about the Earth’s four spheres as a reference. I hope you learned something new about the four spheres. Thank you for reading.
Science Spotlight: Students Share Science Areas of Interest
By: Viyaan Kumar
Our 4th grade class has been studying how scientists have used scientific methods in their work. What is a scientific method? How can a scientific method be used?
A recent class assignment states, “A scientific method is an educated guess. For example scientists study the world to know more about it and to see how it works. As they study the world they use a process called scientific method. Scientists ask important questions and they find the answer.” Our assignment then asked us to, “Name one thing you might study or like to investigate this year for a science project.” My answer to this question was, to learn about the solar system. I talked to some of my classmates about what they would like to learn about. Here’s what they had to say:
Enzo said he would like to learn more about rocks.
Maddy said she would like to learn about the life of fish or what their life cycle is.
Debi said she would like to learn about organisms.
Isla said she would like to learn about lots of good science.
Olivia said would like to learn about animals.
Lucia said she would like to learn about gravity.
Simon said he would like to learn about the engine of a plane and a car.
Paul said he would like to know more about the way certain things can affect liquids, for example, when mentos get into contact with carbonated beverages.
Andress wants to learn about the Periodic Table.
These are some of the things my classmates are interested in learning more about in science class; some of these things can be highlighted in science projects in the spring.
Science Spotlight: Studying Fossils in Class & Through Current Events
By: Ian Prost
In the fourth grade science class we have been keeping investigative notebooks studying geology, fossils and archeological findings of paleontolgists.
We also follow science happenings in the news. One recent science news story coincides with our paleontology studies in class: A giant Pliosaur fossil was recently found in Dorset, England.
The fossil was originally spotted in spring 2022, but will be fully exposed to the public on January 1st, 2024 on the BBC, when the fossil will be starring in the documentary “Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster.”
Geologists have identified the fossil as being about 150 million years old, that's 3 million years younger than any other Pliosaur fossil ever found.
The skull of this carnivorous marine reptile is almost two meters long. The skull was hard to excavate due to it being buried deep in the cliff and being about 11 meters off the ground.
Surprisingly, the species could grow up to 15 meters.
Paleontologist Steve Etches quoted, “It’s a miracle we got it out because we had one last day to get this thing out, which we did at 9:30 p.m.” he also quoted “It’s a “freak of nature” that this fossil remains in such good condition. It died in the right environment, there was a lot of sedimentation … so when it died and went down to the seafloor, it got buried quite quickly.”
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