St. Helen Catholic School developed an innovative program, called ‘Connect’, with the mission to connect students, faculty, and community on a deeper level of art appreciation. During a time when digital media is the main type of content that kids are viewing today, reading tangible books is unfortunately becoming somewhat of a lost practice. St. Helen Catholic School came up with the idea of Connect to combat this trend, and drive students, parents, and faculty to get on the same page and provide an educational and social experience, while preserving the importance of the arts.
This year, we have chosen the all-time classic Mary Poppins as the book to read collectively. To make the spoonful of sugar even sweeter, ‘Connect’ will culminate with the School’s spring play of Mary Poppins Jr. on March 23rd. Given the fact that all students, parents, and faculty will have already read the book, the Spring Musical will be a triumph of a collective effort and will make the experience much more connected and wholesome.
Open To the Community
There will be two showings of the Mary Poppins Jr. performance. The 1:00pm showing is open to families, and the 7:00pm showing is open to families and community members. St. Helen Catholic School is proud to be part of a community that preserves and embraces the arts. We hope the surrounding communities see the same value as we do in engaging our students to participate in collective reading and musical performances.
Internal School Engagement
Within St. Helen Catholic School’s physical umbrella, the students will be having special events reinforcing the book themes and story. The school is decorated like 17 Cherry Tree Lane, with various parts of the story book (carousel, zoo, bird lady, stars in the sky). The students will be able to make life to text connections throughout the book study. Other events we have scheduled:
Benefits of Collective Reading
Besides the benefits of getting the school’s students faculty, students and parents all up to speed on the details of Mary Poppins before the Spring Musical, there are several other benefits of a school-wide book study like ‘Connect’, such as:
If you’re looking for a school for your child where they will be given the personalized education they deserve, fill out the form below to schedule a visit. At St. Helen Catholic School, we have a larger than average selection of extracurricular opportunities for your children. For every student enrolled, we guarantee we have one computer per child to help build fundamental technology skills. Our average class size is 16, which gives our faculty the opportunity to give extra attention to each student to foster their growth.
St. Helen Catholic School is a faith-filled community which nurtures spiritual development, promotes academic excellence and fosters leadership skills. Together parents, students, and staff strive to reach their God-given potential in an atmosphere that respects the dignity of each person.
This year, we have chosen the all-time classic Mary Poppins as the book to read collectively. To make the spoonful of sugar even sweeter, ‘Connect’ will culminate with the School’s spring play of Mary Poppins Jr. on March 23rd. Given the fact that all students, parents, and faculty will have already read the book, the Spring Musical will be a triumph of a collective effort and will make the experience much more connected and wholesome.
Open To the Community
There will be two showings of the Mary Poppins Jr. performance. The 1:00pm showing is open to families, and the 7:00pm showing is open to families and community members. St. Helen Catholic School is proud to be part of a community that preserves and embraces the arts. We hope the surrounding communities see the same value as we do in engaging our students to participate in collective reading and musical performances.
Internal School Engagement
Within St. Helen Catholic School’s physical umbrella, the students will be having special events reinforcing the book themes and story. The school is decorated like 17 Cherry Tree Lane, with various parts of the story book (carousel, zoo, bird lady, stars in the sky). The students will be able to make life to text connections throughout the book study. Other events we have scheduled:
- 2/10 Tea Party- The students in grades K-5 came in for a mini lesson on Tea Time manners while using real China and tea.
- 2/15 Constellation Education- The students in K-4 were visited by the Geauga Park District about constellations. In the story book, Mary Poppins is painting the stars in the sky.
- 2/24 Family Night- Mary Poppins. Families are welcome to come to school Friday night to enjoy some fun games and activities themed around Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins will be there in character for a photo booth.
- 2/28-3/2 British Week
- March 6-9-- Classes will be getting together with their prayer partner class to make Christmas Crackers. (Christmas Crackers- Christmas crackers traditionally contain a colorful crown-shaped hat made of tissue paper, a small toy, a plastic model, or a trinket, and a small strip of paper with a motto, a joke, a riddle, or a piece of trivia.).
- March 23- Grades 5-8 will be performing the Spring Musical of Mary Poppins Jr.
Benefits of Collective Reading
Besides the benefits of getting the school’s students faculty, students and parents all up to speed on the details of Mary Poppins before the Spring Musical, there are several other benefits of a school-wide book study like ‘Connect’, such as:
- Strengthens involvement in the classroom
- Engages characters and plots keep students interested in reading
- Develops vocabulary and decoding skills
- Helps build stamina
- Improves fluency and comprehension
- Exposes students to essential literary elements, different emotions, experiences, and environments to build compassion and background knowledge
- Develops writing skills by studying the author’s craft
If you’re looking for a school for your child where they will be given the personalized education they deserve, fill out the form below to schedule a visit. At St. Helen Catholic School, we have a larger than average selection of extracurricular opportunities for your children. For every student enrolled, we guarantee we have one computer per child to help build fundamental technology skills. Our average class size is 16, which gives our faculty the opportunity to give extra attention to each student to foster their growth.
St. Helen Catholic School is a faith-filled community which nurtures spiritual development, promotes academic excellence and fosters leadership skills. Together parents, students, and staff strive to reach their God-given potential in an atmosphere that respects the dignity of each person.
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