Sixth Grade

     

     Sixth grade at St. Louise School is the major transition year between the self-contained classroom of elementary school and the rotating classes of junior high. Sixth graders get the best of both worlds! The sixth-grade classrooms are situated upstairs in their own wing adjacent to the junior high. Students utilize lockers and rotate to different classrooms and teachers, outside of their homeroom, for some of their classes.

 

     Sixth-grade students are presented with a challenging, relevant, and student-friendly academic program in an environment of acceptance, support, and humor. Sixth grade is an amazing year of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual growth as boys and girls begin to mature into young men and women. The sixth-grade teachers feel honored to be a part of this journey.

     Sixth-grade classrooms devote their year to supporting St. Vincent de Paul.  In the fall the students take a field trip to the St. Vincent de Paul Georgetown Food Bank to learn about how the food bank operates and to work distributing food and supplies.  Back at school students collect items most needed at the food bank, such as:  canned soup or meat, travel-sized personal supplies, and clothing.

 

• Our November Thanksgiving Food Drive teaches the importance of stewardship and giving to others. The entire student body creates about two dozen “baskets” that include non-perishable food items and gift cards to create a great Thanksgiving meal and help stock the family pantry. Together with the help of the Parish and St. Vincent de Paul, the baskets are distributed to families in need right here in the St. Louise Community.
• Throughout the year, students support New Bethlehem Programs – a part of Catholic Community Services. New Bethlehem Programs offer day center and shelter services for families that are experiencing homelessness. During Advent students and families support the program by collecting much needed supplies for them.
• During Lent, students learn the importance of fasting and almsgiving. This 40-day season of giving begins on Ash Wednesday with a school-wide “Rice and Beans Lunch,” when all the students and staff give up their usual lunch for rice and beans. The money they would have spent on an ample meal is donated to New Bethlehem Programs.

     In May the sixth graders attend Environmental Education Camp at Mt. Rainier Institute.  Students enjoy four days and three nights at the University of Washington’s Packwood Forest.  Mt. Rainier Institute provides a nature-based educational experience that is rooted in science and nature.  The Institute provides a mix between interdisciplinary content with science process skills such as observation, inquiry, analysis, and supporting claims with evidence. Students investigate the old growth forest and do snow studies at Paradise National Park on Mt. Rainier. 

 

     In June students visit the Glendale Golf Club and participate in the First Greens science program.  Students learn about the importance of water and soil at a golf course using hands on activities. The day includes a tour of the facility, lunch with the staff, and playing golf.

 

Tentative field trips that take place when the opportunity arises: