SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA PARISH SCHOOL, a Catholic elementary school (transitional kindergarten through 8th grade) founded in the tradition of the Benedictines, welcomes and serves the Parishes of Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Timothy, Corpus Christi and the surrounding communities. This inclusive community encourages students to be instruments of Christ’s love and to integrate the gospel message into their daily lives through catechesis and faith formation. We challenge our students through a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum that develops confident, responsible citizens who understand the importance of service in a global society.
Battle of the Books (BoB)
All fourth and fifth grade students who love to read or want to become stronger readers are encouraged to join our “BOB Book Club” most Thursday mornings from 7:15am to 8:00am in the library from September through March. We discuss the book of the week, play games that focus on characters, setting and plots and eat doughnuts! (Members can also wear their “BoB” t-shirt with jeans on book club days). Our goal is to prepare a team of 5-6 students to compete against local schools at the Orange County Battle of the Books Tournament at St. John’s Lutheran School in Orange. Here, the team will work together to answer book trivia questions. There are many benefits to joining BoB. Readers learn to pay attention to content on book jackets, dedication pages, author’s notes, maps, glossaries, etc. They also pay attention to extraneous details surrounding books, all of which adds to context. Students become better readers for the rest of their lives because of that awareness. Fourth and fifth graders may attend the first few book clubs at the beginning of the year to see if BoB is a match for them.
Our talented students performing Beauty and the Beast Jr (special thanks to MC Productions)
Students Enjoying the Book Fair
Students Writing Letters to Ugandan Children
Many people may think that honesty simply means “not telling a lie.”
But the truth is there is more to being honest than simply not lying.
Being an honest persons means being a trustworthy person with morals.
Being honest requires speaking as well as acting truthfully.
So let’s look at the different parts of honesty.
Honesty is speaking the truth.
If you are a trustworthy person you tend to speak the truth.
Your family and friends can rely on you.
If you get caught in a lie, you risk that people will begin to question the things you say.
Honesty is avoiding exaggerations.
Sometimes to avoid lying, people exaggerate the truth by changing or adding details that didn’t
happen.
Suppose you are late arriving somewhere.
You might exaggerate the truth by saying you were late due
to traffic when in fact you were late due to poor time management.
Honesty is having good character and knowing what is morally right.
A person with good character will act in a way that is right and not have to hide their actions because
they are wrong.
Having good character includes not taking advantage of people or situations for personal gain.
And finally, honesty is about being honest with yourself.
Having a conscience means listening to your inner voice and the feeling in your heart telling you if
something is wrong when no one else is around.
