God Bless the Class of 2022!

 

2022 GRADUATION AWARDS

       

8th Grade Class Trip to Rocking Horse Ranch

Here are a few snapshots from the traditional 8th grade trip to Rocking Horse Ranch, which was back after a two year hiatus.

             
Please visit our Facebook page for many more photos from this awesome trip!

May Crowning Ceremony

On the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, two of our Class of 2022 students, and two of our 2nd graders crowned Our Blessed Mother Mary in a ceremony before our Spring Concert.

       

Tech Team Designs Solar-Powered Cars for Junior Solar Sprint Race

We were blessed with a perfectly sunny day for our 2022 Solar Sprint race. Our Tech Team worked very hard all year to design and iterate their solar cars, and we are very proud of their accomplishments. Congrats to the winners and thanks to Mr. De Bari for designing and 3D printing the medals. And yes, you are not seeing double, as we had a set of twins win medals, as they had to race against each other! 

     

Bishop Checchio Visits St. A's on Field Day

On the Feast Day of our Patron Saint, St. Augustine of Canterbury, we welcomed Bishop James F. Checchio to our Annual Field Day. Even though the skies were cloudy, Bishop Checchio brought sunny smiles to Father Bob, Sister Mary Louise, our students, teachers, alumni, and our parent volunteers. Our students welcomed him with a Knights Spiritwear shirt, as well as an awesome cheer from our Class of 2022 Cheerleaders. We are so grateful to Bishop Checchio for blessing us on our special Feast Day!

     

St. A's Students Attend Diocesan May Crowning

Four students of St. Augustine of Canterbury School were honored to take part in the Diocesan May Crowning at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Annandale. Bishop James F. Checchio presided over this May Crowning in honor of the Blessed Mother in May and the fortieth anniversary of the Diocese of Metuchen. We were also so happy to see some of our alumni representing their High Schools as well. Mary, Queen of the May, pray for us. 

     

Kindergarten Service Project for Elijah's Promise

We are so proud of our Kindergarten Kids and their families for completing their Service Project by decorating and packing 65 lunch bags for Elijah's Promise in New Brunswick, and for making them with such joyful hearts. Special thanks to the Kindergarten families and class parents for their generosity with the outpouring of supplies and help. Some of the comments by our Kindergarten Kids were: "This makes my heart grow," and "I love this project."

         

St. A's Hosts First Annual Food Truck Festival

St. Augustine School hosted its First Annual Food Truck Festival on a perfect mid-May evening.  It was a very fun event for both kids and adults alike and we look forward to having this Festival every year. Thanks to the food trucks from the House of Cupcakes, Playa Bowls, Mama Dee's Empanadas, and Bella Ciao Pizza for providing the delicious food and drinks. And special thanks to the South Brunswick Police Department for always being there to keep us safe, and to our HSA, volunteers, vendors, students, and families for a wonderful community event for our Knights!

         
Please visit our Facebook page for many, many more photos of this event!

Pre-K 3 Students Work to Improve Their Focusing Skills

Our Littlest Knights in Pre-K 3 took advantage of our beautiful school grounds and the sunny weather to practice a mindful listening exercise to help them to be fully engaged in a task. 

       

Honoring Our Lady of Fatima in the Makerspace

On the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, our Kindergarten Kids and grades 1-2 used their Makerspace time to create projects to honor Our Lady of Fatima and the Holy Rosary.

   

8th Grade Confirmation Retreat with "The Potter"

Our 8th grade students prepared for their Confirmation by attending a retreat given by Mr. Ray Boswell, "The Potter." Mr. Boswell "uses his potter’s wheel, clay and a multimedia presentation to impart messages of creativity, love and a gentle call to relationship." The students created beautiful vigil lights as a remembrance of the day they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

           

Teacher Appreciation Week

Our HSA and school families went above and beyond the call of duty to honor our teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week.  Each day, the teachers and staff were treated to something special, from breakfast to lunch to tasty snacks - all with kind words of gratitude and smiles galore.  There is truly no place like St. A's!

     

Kindergarten Earth Day Activities

Our Kindergarten Kids had a busy day today learning ways to help take care of our Planet Earth. They completed an Earth Day scavenger hunt, wore gloves to clean up any trash around the school, and even learned how not to be a litterbug by building their own re-purposed litterbug. Great job taking care of our planet!

       

3rd Grade Lemonade Stand Fundraiser Sevice Project

To celebrate the Diocese’s 40th anniversary and in response to the 40 Acts of Mercy, our 3rd grade class held a Lemonade Stand fundraiser as their spring service project. The students collected, filled and packed orders for lemonade. They also held an in-school sales day where they sold lemonade during the lunch periods. We are very proud of their amazing efforts during this fundraiser.

Happy Easter from Pre-K 4!

Wishing everyone a Happy & Blessed Easter from our adorable Pre-K 4 Little Knights Bunnies!

     

Students Lead Traditional Stations of the Cross Assembly

Mrs. Paras's 8th grade Religion students led us in the Stations of the Cross. Each station had a reflection written and illustrated by our very talented Class of 2022. Thanks to Mr. De Bari, our families were able to join us via our livestream. It was a beautiful way to continue our Holy Week journey together as one St. A's family.

 
Please visit our Facebook page for many more photos, including all of the students' illustrations!

7th/8th Grade Odyssey of the Mind Team Wins State Championship

St. A's 7th/8th grade Odyssey of the Mind team won First Place at the NJ State Tournament in Princeton.  The team competed in Division 2, Problem 2 - "Odyssey reOMvention."  Their performance earned them an invitation to the Odyssey World Finals which will be held in Iowa in May.  Congratulations to the students and their coaches, Lana and Bill Abbott and Marie Lyttle, for an awesome job representing both St. A's and New Jersey.

   

6th Grade Odyssey of the Mind Team Takes Fourth Place at State Finals

Our 6th grade Odyssey of the Mind team completed in the NJ State Finals in Princeton and took home 4th place as the youngest team in their division. As a result, they were invited to compete in the Odyssey World Finals in Iowa! Congrats to our team and their coaches for an outstanding performance.

6th Grade Babysitters Hone their First Aid Skills

Thanks to Mrs. Hermosilla, our school Nurse, our 6th grade babysitters practiced finding the problem needing treatment, how to use the different brands of EpiPen, how to control bleeding, as well as how to deal with many other emergencies that may occur while babysitting. 

     

Girl Scouts Make Easter Baskets for Children in Need

Girl Scout Troop #81785 helped assemble 75 Easter baskets with items donated by our St. A's families. So many children will be blessed this Easter thanks to their generosity.

7th Grade Service Project Benefits Somerset County Group Home

Our 7th grade Class Parents hosted a service project that will benefit the The Arc of Somerset County. The students created garden rocks with motivational sayings and artwork as part of the Arc's home garden beautification project. The Class Moms also took up a collection to purchase annual and perennial flowers to be planted at the group home. We are so proud of our 7th graders and their families, as they worked together this Lent to contribute to our school's 40 Works of Mercy challenge for the Diocese of Metuchen's 40th Anniversary. 

     

8th Grade Lady Knights are Diocese League Champs!

Our 8th grade Lady Knights defeated St. Elizabeth (Bernardsville) 38-34 in overtime to claim the Diocese of Metuchen CYM Basketball League Championship! They came from behind to force the game to go into overtime, never giving up and playing their hearts out against a tough St. Elizabeth squad. It was a well-played game by both teams, but our Lady Knights were determined to win; and win they did! Congrats to our awesome coaches, families, and students who have supported our Lady Knights all season. We are so very proud of your accomplishment!

   

K-2 Students Show Off STEM Skills

Our students in Kindergarten to 2nd grade have been using their Engineering skills and our KEVA Planks to design and build bridges just like Iggy Peck, the Architect!! Great job to our future Engineers!

   

Read Across the Planet with 5th Grade

Both 5th grade classes participated in a Read Across the Planet Day, and were connected with a 4th grade class in Illinois. Our Knights shared about our school, local weather, and what they are learning. Students explained how they learned about percentages and perimeter through basketball. They also shared their breakup letters with England, like the Declaration of Independence did during the Revolutionary War, drawings, and songs with the other school.

     

Pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Lucy Filippini

Students of Grades 3-5 made a Pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Lucy Filippini, at Parish of the Visitation  Church in New Brunswick. Father Edmund Luciano, Graduate of Class of 1997, celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The students honored St. Lucy at Mass by singing songs that told the story of her life; “Love God, Love God.”  After a brief tour of the Church, the students enjoyed a presentation about St. Lucy by Sister Ella Mae McDonald, MPF followed by related activities. The faculty and students made St. Lucy bookmarks and stained glass windows. Singing and action songs added to the joy of the morning.  Father Michael Fragoso, Pastor of the Parish, and his adorable guest, Charles Martel, visited the students during the activities and quickly made new friends with our Knights. The morning ended with the faculty and students venerating St. Lucy’s relic. The pilgrimage concluded with a special Wendy’s lunch provided by Father Bob, Pastor of our school. With much gratitude to everyone who made this a very special way to celebrate the 350th Anniversary of St. Lucy's life.

             
Please visit our Facebook page for many, many more photos!

Father and Son Night in Honor of St. Joseph

Mrs. Lynch, our HSA President, hosted a virtual Father and Son event in honor of St. Joseph. The dads and sons played a fun game of Kahoot and they worked together to build a personalized perpetual calendar.

         

Middle School Math Classes Celebrate Pi Day

Mrs. Pucci’s Math students had a great time celebrating Pi Day, which also happens to be the birthday of Albert Einstein.  The 8th Graders planned special activities for the 6th Graders.  Some of the stations included making Pi Day bracelets, graphing the digits of Pi, Pi Day Jeopardy, a Pi Day scavenger hunt, and using slime to construct circles to calculate the circumference.  Each station reinforced the concept of Pi and how it is used to calculate the circumference and area of a circle. 7th Graders celebrated with a Choice Board of activities that included a Pi Day Escape Room, Pi Day Graphing Activity, Pi Day Scavenger Hunt, and an online Pi Day Digital Game. 

           

3rd Grade Hosts First-Ever Book Tasting Event

Mrs. Duarte, one of our 3rd grade teachers, hosted a Book Tasting in the Reader's Café for her students.  The event was a "novel" way to encourage them to try different genres, get them engaged and excited about reading, and to enjoy a "tasty" book.

     

8th Graders Complete Babysitting and CPR Training

Thanks to Mrs. Hermosilla, our school nurse, our 8th grade babysitters have now completed all aspects of babysitting training to become qualified babysitters. They also completed all of the skills of CPR and will be receiving AHA certification. If anyone is looking for a babysitter, these Lady Knights are ready, willing, and able!

     

St. A's Celebrates Read Across America Week

Here are a few snapshots of some of the fun and wacky activities our teachers planned for Read Across America and Dr. Seuss' Birthday Celebration last week:

   
Please visit our Facebook page for many more photos!

Students Take the Reader's Oath

Our Kindergarten and 3rd Grade students took the Reader's Oath in honor of Read Across America Week.  They promised to "read each day and each night, and to make reading our way of feeding our brains what it needs each day!"

Prayers for Peace in Ukraine

On March 3rd, in solidarity with the students and families of Assumption Catholic School and the people of Ukraine, our school community and our families at home via livestream prayed for peace in the Ukraine. One of our parents commented, "That was an absolutely lovely prayer service. Part of my family is in western Ukraine. I took a screenshot of Sister and the lovely display you had and will forward it to my cousins in the Khoderkivci and Bakivitsi villages (just south of the city of Lvov) so they know Ryan's (8th) and Jack's (7th) school is also praying for their safety. God bless St. A's and may there be peace on earth."

     

Third Grade Celebrates Mardi Gras

Our 3rd grade classes held their traditional Mardi Gras Parade around the school today in honor of Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," reflecting the practice of the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before the ritual sacrifices and fasting of the Lenten season.

     

Tech Team Begins Work on Junior Solar Sprint Cars

Our 8th grade Tech Team are designing and building solar cars using parts designed with Tinkercad and cut using our new laser cutter.  Here they are using the Engineering Design Process to build their first prototypes. Stay tuned for the actual solar car race day sometime in May, on a sunny day, of course! 

      

Seventh Grade STEAM Project: Marble Roller Coasters

The students in Mr. Tackett's 7th grade Science classes studied potential and kinetic energy and were tasked with building a functioning and creative marble roller coaster. They also got a chance to share their knowledge and their coasters with our 1st grade students, who were amazed at what they saw and learned.

      

Students Send Thank You Cards to Hospital ICU Nurses

Our Religion students in grades 5-8 designed beautiful works of art cards for the nurses in the ICU at Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick. Each student spiritually adopted a nurse to carry in prayer by name and created a card to encourage and thank them with lots of love on Valentine's Day. 

     

Please visit our Facebook page for many more photos, including all of the cards!

Catholic Schools Week 2022 - Day 5
Closing Ceremony

 

Catholic Schools Week 2022 - Day 3
School Mass on the Feast of the Presentation

 

Catholic Schools Week 2022 - Day 1
Opening Prayer Service

 

Christmas Tree STEM in 8th Grade Science

Some of our 8th grade Science students used their collaborative STEM skills to design and build a Christmas tree using cups, strings and rubber bands. In order to successfully complete this challenge the students needed to stack all the cups in the shape of a Christmas tree (pyramid) without touching them with their hands. Looks like they did an awesome job working together as a team. Even Pope Francis approves!!

     

Family Advent Celebration

Many thanks to Mr. Lee for hosting our virtual Family Advent Evening over Google Meet. Our Knights and their families made a beautiful Advent Lantern to spread God's Light this Holy season.

       

A Visit from Saint Nicholas in Pre-K and Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten Kids found a candy cane with their shoe on the morning of the Feast Day of St. Nicholas and wore their St. Nick hats as they made their Advent wreaths and hung their ornaments on the their Jesse tree.

 

Our Little Knights in PreK 4 had a sweet visit from St. Nick as they too found treats in their shoes! They also learned the story of St. Nick, and made a picture of him using their handprint! Very creative work Little Knights!

    

What a wonderful way to celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas!

St. A's Girl Scouts Serve Children in Need

Nineteen St. A’s students in Girl Scout Troops 82406 and 81785 gathered to create festive tags to place on the gifts they purchased with their families to donate to The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey. This has been their tradition for several years. After giving back by contributing gifts to children in need, they also enjoyed fun time together with a craft and games. "God loves a cheerful giver!" ~2 Corinthians 9:7

     

Christmas Art in Kindergarten and 1st Grade

Our talented Kindergarten Kids and First Graders made the Christmas Star out of beans, and sculpted and painted the baby Jesus in the manger. What a beautiful keepsake and reminder of the birth of Jesus, our Savior.

         

All About 5th Grade Math

Mrs. O'Connor's 5th grade Math students are crushing learning new Math skills every day. From Calendar Math using protractors, to balancing a checkbook, and Flip Fridays using flexible Math groups which allows students to interact with those from other classes and help prepare them for switching classes next year in middle school.

   

Students Spend Morning Off Helping Local Food Pantry 

School was closed on November 24th in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Diocese of Metuchen.  A group of 8th grade students spent their morning off helping to hand out food at the NJ Rise food pantry in Hightstown and making the Thanksgiving holiday a little more special for families in need.

   

Sixth Graders Create Snack Bags for the Needy

Our 6th graders joyfully decorated and packed over one hundred snack bags to be delivered to Elijah's Promise in New Brunswick. Thank you to our class parents and all the families who generously donated to this worthy cause.

       

Fourth Grade Builds Miniature Parade Floats

Ms. Verdesco's 4th Grade class read the book "Balloons Over Broadway" and were tasked to design and build a float for their own Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

         
You can see all of the floats on our Facebook page.

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Diocese of Metuchen

We were honored to have been a part of the Diocese of Metuchen's 40th Anniversary Mass on Friday, November 19th, at St. Francis Cathedral. St. A's was represented by our Principal, Sister Mary Louise, teachers, alumni, and our students and their families. What a joyous night to celebrate 'Forty Years of Building the Kingdom of God' and to pray for many blessings over Bishop Checchio as he leads the Diocese of Metuchen into the next forty years!

   

Pre-K 3 Completes Their First Service Project

Our Littlest Knights in PreK 3 completed their first service project just in time for the start of the holiday season. Together the students worked on crafting “mosaic” candle holders to be donated to our food pantry. They used recycled and repurposed glass jars, tissue paper squares, and glue to make colorful candle holders that would brighten any table. The children worked collaboratively; some students worked on the crafting part while others worked on checking that the battery-operated candles worked and many took part in packaging them decoratively. One student packed them into a big box and they all walked them down to the St. A's food pantry together. We are so proud of what they were able to do and to know that they were bringing joy into someone else's home.

   

Eighth Grade Students Create Element T-shirts in Science

Mr. Tackett's 8th grade Science class is currently studying the elements of the Periodic Table.  They learned the names of the elements in order by listening to the "Periodic Table Song" by AsapSCIENCE.  Then they selected an element and created a t-shirt to describe the its properties.  Finally, they each presented their element and t-shirt to the whole class to demonstrate what they had learned.  Here are the students showing off their t-shirts, accompanied by the class singing the "Periodic Table Song."

2021-2022 Odyssey of the Mind Teams Begin Their Journey

First up is the 7th/8th Grade team coached by Mrs. Abbott.  They brainstormed a GREAT idea for their threat to the environment problem!  The next step is to outline the entire script and brainstorm humorous moments, climactic moments and possible resolutions.  The team members are (left to right): Ryan A., Mihir B., Jack G., Simeon S., and Alex L.

Third Grade Honors Special Veterans on Veteran's Day

Our third grade students listened to "The Poppy Lady" and learned all about Moina Belle Michael; her tribute to Veterans and the story behind those red poppy’s. Each student made a poppy and wrote about why they are wearing one today. They also wrote thank you letters to one of our very own St. A's Veteran Fathers who is in the Air Force. Students even wrote extra thank you notes to their family and family friends who are Veterans. May God bless and protect those who serve to keep our freedom.

  

Odyssey of the Mind Clothing Drive

Many thanks to all of our Knights and their families for their generous donations to our Odyssey of the Mind Team's Clothing Drive. Their next clothing drive will be May 1st, so add it to your calendar today!

  
  

Eighth Grade "First Friday" Breakfast

On Friday, November 5th, our 8th graders celebrated their most beloved tradition of the First Friday breakfast, complete with their new Class of 2022 First Friday t-shirts. There are not enough words to thank all the moms and families that work so hard to make this a memorable monthly event for our 8th Graders. Plus, Sister and the teachers enjoy this special bonding time with the students, and the bacon is a delicious perk too!!!!

    

Tech Team Begins Anew with Long-Standing Tradition

Welcome back, Techies!  Our 8th grade Tech Team is back, and they are currently designing our traditional 3D printed Christmas ornaments for our Middle School Christmas tree.  Stay tuned for the announcement of this year's "Big Build" project, coming after Christmas Break.

          

Literature Meets Art in Second Grade

Our 2nd graders read a book, and then in place of a traditional book report, they decorated a pumpkin to look like a character from the story. 

       

All Souls Day Prayers in Eighth Grade

8th grade students gathered in prayer today for All Souls Day.   We remember
those in our lives who have entered eternal life by offering names and prayer cards to our prayer table.  May Perpetual Light shine upon them. 

   

Fifth Grade Learns About Good Digital Citizenship

During Digital Citizenship Week, our 5th grade Technology students completed a unit on ways to make a more positive Digital Footprint for now and in their future.  They also read the story, "The Technology Tail," which showed them ways that they could become outstanding Digital Citizens.

   

Pre-K 4 Explores the Letter "A"

Our Little Knights in Pre-K 4 had a busy week learning all things related to the letter A. They made a bar graph to show which color apple was the favorite choice of Pre-K 4 and created a Venn diagram of who liked apple cider or apple juice, or who liked both!! It seems like our Little Knights had an AMAZING week celebrating the letter A!

   

Pumpkin Carving and Prayer in Third Grade

Our 3rd graders In Religion Class carved a pumpkin using "The Pumpkin Prayer" to pray that the Light of Jesus will shine in all that they say and do this holiday season.

   

Fourth Grade Spider STEM

Our 4th graders have been learning about spiders and their webs in Science Class. The students worked on a STEM project making spider webs out of tooth picks and marshmallows.

            

First Graders Study Plants in Science Class

Our first grade students in Mrs. O'Donnell's and Mrs. Talj's Science classes became botanists and studied the parts of various plants.  They made observations through the lens of a magnifying glass and recorded their results. Way to go to our future scientists!

   

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima Prayer Service

On the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, we prayed the Rosary together as a school community. Our Kindergarten Kids worked with their 8th grade buddies to learn how to pray each decade of the Rosary. We also learned all the names that each state has for Mother Mary. In New Jersey, we call her Our Lady of Fatima; pray for us.

     

Fine Arts Showcase - October 2021

In this month's Fine Arts Showcase, Mrs. Minsavage's Art Classes were very busy using different materials and techniques to complete their awesome Art masterpieces. Our Kindergarten Kids painted their pinch pots, our Third graders displayed their skills at paper weaving, while our 2nd graders observed the colors in an apple to paint their still life. Thanks to Mrs. Minsavage for bringing out the creativity and artistic talents of all of our students.

     

Babysitters Club Returns After Long Hiatus

Our Babysitters Club is back thanks to Mrs. Hermosilla, our school nurse! Our first group of Middle School babysitters were introduced to Babysitting Basics and practiced infant care, and they are on their way to becoming expert babysitters.

 

Blessing of the Animals on St. Francis' Feast Day

Our students in 3rd grade held their annual Blessing of the Animals Prayer Service by our beautiful statue of St. Francis. While Mrs. Duarte was giving the blessing, a friendly deer joined the prayer service and received a special blessing as well.

   

Kindergarten Celebrates Johnny Appleseed Week

Our Kindergarten Kids had a week-long celebration of Johnny Appleseed in their classroom this week.  They sang songs and read stories and even acted them out.  They also had apple tastings, made applesauce, and graphed their favorite apples in honor of Johnny Appleseed.  What a fun and delicious way to celebrate these special days! 

     

5th Graders Strive to Earn the "Teacher's Chair for a Day"

Students in Mrs. O'Connor's class can earn her teacher's chair for a day due to good behavior! That chair certainly looks very comfortable and very professional! Job well done and keep up the good work! 

 

8th Grade Science Class Lights Up the Lab!

Mr. Tackett's students learned the signs of a chemical reaction, one of which is the emission of light. Students conducted an experiment mixing different solutions together and observing if a chemical reaction was taking place.  Looks like our 8th grade scientists have a bright future!

   

School Mass on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

We celebrated our first school mass on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Father Bob spoke of St. Lucy Filippini, as she carried her cross into town and told everyone to "Love God, Love God." We have dedicated this school year, to celebrating the 350th anniversary of St. Lucy's birthday and her mission to "proclaim His love to all you see." Father & Sister Mary Louise also blessed the faculty and students with the relic of the True Cross and the cross of St. Lucy. The church was filled with joy and happiness, as everyone was so thankful to be celebrating mass together as a school family.

First Day of School 2021 - We're Back!

Congratulations to all our Knights for a successful and very happy first day back to school 2021-2022!!  Here are a few snapshots.  Please visit our Facebook page for many, many more photos.