School News

We know you have all been eagerly awaiting the results of our Roman election this week. It was a landslide victory for all the 8th grade candidates – again. (One wonders how this happens every year!) We thank everyone who attended the speeches on Tuesday and the 3rd-8th Latin students for casting their votes this week.

Official results of Trinitas Classical School’s 2020 Roman Election:
Consul – Natalie
Praetor – Noah
Censor – Abby
Aedile – Robyn
Quaestor – Frankie
Tribune – Maraika
Dictator – Gabriel

Consul? Quaestor? Aedile? Please join us for another “Latin at Lunchtime (at Home)” gathering to learn about these and other political offices from ancient Roman times. The 8th grade Cambridge Green students will be presenting their speeches – in Latin and English! The other Latin students will be able to vote later in the week. These annual elections are always fun, even though they don’t hold much of a surprise. We know who will win. (Right, 8th graders?) Watch for an email invitation.

Our virtue focus for the month of May is COURAGE. These uncertain times certainly provide us with opportunities to be brave. May we all find our courage in the One who assures us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Let’s look for ways to encourage each other to stand firm; we can’t do this alone.

Recommended readings* to read and discuss together:

Grades K-4:
How the Little Kite Learned to Fly (446)
David and Goliath (447)
The Brave Mice (457)
William Tell (480)

Grades 5-8:
Intro to Courage (441)
Our Heroes (461)
The Minotaur (462)
The Brave Three Hundred (473)

*Readings can be found in The Book of Virtues, ed. William J. Bennett. Copies can be found on Amazon Smile.

“Try This” ideas for families:

One: God’s word helps us to be brave. As a family, memorize the verses above or other verses about courage. We can also help each other to be brave. Talk about ways to do this (e.g., send a card to a heath care or other essential worker letting them know you’re praying for them.)

Two: Mark Twain said “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.” What do you think he means? Talk together about examples from your own life or others’ of moral courage. How can you be brave in this way?

Three: Ephesians 4:10-18 says to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” and to “put on the full armor of God.” Read and discuss these passages together. Draw a picture of the armor of God to remind you to be brave in God’s power.

Four: What scared your parents when they were young? How did they overcome these fears?

Congratulations to our 5th-8th graders who took the National Mythology Exam in February. They all did well! Several of the students received special awards. Optime, discipuli!

Gold medallion winners (PERFECT score):
Justin M.
Lily T. – A “double gold medalist” this year with a perfect score on the National Latin Exam as well!

Silver medallion winners (scoring 96-99%):
Maraika B.
Sophia S.
Noah S.
Robyn T.

Bronze medallion winners (scoring 90-95%):
Gabriel B.
Gabriel F.
Abigail G.
Natalie P.
Vency R.
Ivana R.
Henry S.

In March, eleven of our 6th-8th graders took the National Latin Exam. This exam is given yearly to Latin students, primarily high schoolers throughout the United States and several foreign countries. The questions cover translation, grammar, geography, mythology, Roman life, history, mottoes, and derivatives. The students all received honors! Bene factum, discipuli!

Intro:
Lily T. – Ribbon & Special Certificate for PERFECT SCORE
Ayanna S. – Ribbon & Certificate for Outstanding Achievement
Ivana R. – Ribbon & Certificate for Outstanding Achievement

Latin I:
Sophia S. – Gold Summa Cum Laude
Henry S. – Gold Summa Cum Laude
Jacob M. – Silver Maxima Cum Laude

Latin II:
Robyn T. – Gold Summa Cum Laude
Natalie P. – Gold Summa Cum Laude
Gabriel B. – Silver Maxima Cum Laude
Noah S. – Cum Laude
Abigail P. – Cum Laude

Twenty seconds can feel like a long time to wash your hands! Many of you are using that time to sing songs or recite Scripture verses and prayers. Here are some of your favorites:

The Lord’s Prayer
“He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands”
Doxology (“Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow”)
“Jesus Loves Me”
Psalm 23
The Prayer of St. Patrick

We hope you had an opportunity to speak with Mrs. Poortenga, Mrs. Benedict, or Mrs. Beach before Spring Break. They were making phone calls to check in with families and to how you have adjusted to these school days at home. Classroom teachers have also been scheduling student and family video meetings. We will continue to find ways to keep connected with each other during this time of separation. Our prayer team continues to pray for you and your concerns!

We can be grateful for the technology that has kept us connected since the school closed, but many of you may be feeling “screen fatigue”. We hope the break gives you the opportunity to unplug and enjoy activities that don’t require Wi-Fi!

As we return to online classes after Spring Break, we will continue to encourage families to practice good digital citizenship and be aware of online dangers. More children are online more hours now. We encourage you to take a few minutes (around 3 minutes each) to watch the following PYE videos with your child(ren). Mr. McKenna spoke with our 5th-8th graders when he was at Trinitas in December; the material from both videos is a good review of content from his talk with them. The K-4 video’s message is primarily about being safe online, and the 5-8 video is about making good online choices.

Grades K-4 Refresher Video
Grades 5-8 Refresher Video

Opt-in to receive the Protect Young Eyes bi-weekly parent tech newsletter by clicking this link, or by texting the word “protect” (no quotes) to 66866 and following the prompts.

“Like” the PYE Facebook page by clicking here and you’ll get a constant stream of updates. It’s like a mini-blog. Have you heard of “Zoombombing”? It’s a thing now, sadly, and PYE will tell you what you need to do to avoid it. (See March 26 post.)