Read Across America Week Brings Creativity, Laughter, and a Love of Reading to St. Rose School

At St. Rose School, curiosity is alive and thriving in every classroom. Our students are learning that the future belongs to the curious, the ones who are willing to try new ideas, explore possibilities, ask questions, and discover how the world works. Throughout our classrooms, students are stepping into the roles of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. With hands-on learning experiences, they are experimenting, building, calculating, and problem-solving in ways that spark both creativity and critical thinking. Whether they are designing structures, conducting experiments, solving challenging math problems, or testing their ideas through trial and error, our students are learning that discovery often begins with a simple question: “What happens if…?” At St. Rose, we encourage our students to be bold thinkers. We celebrate the ones who are not afraid to try something new, explore different possibilities, poke at problems from different angles, question what they see, and even turn ideas completely inside out. These moments of curiosity are where learning truly comes to life. Our teachers foster an environment where exploration is encouraged and mistakes are simply part of the journey toward understanding. Students are learning that perseverance, creativity, and curiosity are just as important as the answers themselves. When students approach learning with curiosity, incredible things happen. They begin to see themselves as innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders of the future. Whether they pursue careers in science, engineering, mathematics, or another field entirely, the skills they are building today, curiosity, resilience, and critical thinking, will serve them for a lifetime. At St. Rose School, we believe that every question has the potential to spark discovery, and every student has the potential to change the world. Because the future truly belongs to the curious.

This week, our St. Rose middle school students once again demonstrated curiosity, leadership, and a true love of learning — and this time, it all started with frogs. As many of you know, frogs have taken on a life of their own in our middle school lab this year. So when students in grades 6–8 learned about a program being offered at the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, excitement spread quickly. What began as simple interest turned into something much bigger: a hands-on conservation initiative that connected our students with scientists across the country. After reaching out to the sanctuary for more information, families were invited to participate in an evening training session — and the response was incredible. Nine students attended in person with family members from 6:00–8:30 PM, while additional students joined via Zoom as part of a national training session of 41 participants. In fact, the entire in-person sanctuary event ended up being exclusively St. Rose students and families — essentially our very own private training! The program was led in partnership with experts from the Yale Peabody Museum, the The Maritime Aquarium, and the Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo. Students learned about ten frog species native to Connecticut, including how to identify them by physical traits, habitat, and — most impressively — their distinct calls. After completing a short quiz, our students aced it! Participants are now preparing to complete an official assessment through the Beardsley Zoo, earning certification as “Frog Watchers” by scoring 80% or higher. Once certified, students may register nationally to contribute to FrogWatch USA, a community science initiative affiliated with the Akron Zoo. As part of this program, students will collect weekly data and submit observations that directly assist scientists in monitoring frog and toad populations and wetland health. They learned how to use the Beaufort Wind Scale to measure wind speeds, how to assess frog call intensity, and how to record precipitation, temperature, and species identification. Their data will contribute to real scientific research — an extraordinary example of authentic, applied learning in action. Laura King, Director of Programs and Events, and Ken Elkins, Director of Education and Partnerships at the sanctuary, were deeply impressed by our students’ engagement and knowledge. We are incredibly proud of how they represented St. Rose — not only with enthusiasm, but with professionalism and a genuine commitment to conservation. Congratulations to our student participants: Ava Gordon (Gr. 7) Alessandra Maurina (Gr. 7) Olivia Tokarczyk (Gr. 6) Nolan Hall (Gr. 6) Henry Mesinger (Gr. 6) June Murphy (Gr. 6) Ryan Halstead (Gr. 6 – Zoom) Arabella Fappiano (Gr. 6) John Monckton (Gr. 8) Madalynn Haddad (Gr. 8) We are also excited to share that Ken Elkins has offered to partner further with St. Rose. He is eager to visit our school to design a program tailored to our needs and welcomes grades 3–8 to participate in programming at the sanctuary, our neighbor right around the corner near the post office. With his extensive experience working with the Audubon Society, this partnership holds tremendous potential for expanding environmental education opportunities for our students. This event was more than a lesson about frogs, it was a lesson in stewardship, scientific inquiry, and community engagement. We hope you will join us in congratulating these students for volunteering their time and representing St. Rose with such excellence. We can’t wait to see (and hear!) what happens next in our wetlands.

Learning punctuation has never been more delicious! This week, Mrs. Murphy brought creativity—and a touch of Italy, into her middle school classroom by transforming a traditional grammar lesson into an immersive, Italian-themed experience using pasta to teach punctuation. From the moment students walked in, they were greeted by an atmosphere inspired by all things Italian. But the real magic happened when Mrs. Murphy introduced an innovative, hands-on way to understand punctuation marks, using a variety of pasta shapes as visual and tactile tools. Elbow macaroni, spaghetti, shells, and more became commas, periods, quotation marks, and question marks right before students’ eyes. By connecting each punctuation mark to a pasta shape, students were able to see and build sentences in a new way. The lesson encouraged active participation, collaboration, and plenty of curiosity as students constructed sentences, corrected errors, and explained their punctuation choices, all while engaging multiple senses. What might normally feel like a dry grammar topic quickly turned into an energetic, memorable learning experience. This creative approach not only helped reinforce punctuation rules, but it also made learning fun and accessible for different learning styles. Students laughed, asked thoughtful questions, and walked away with a stronger understanding of how punctuation shapes meaning, plus a lesson they won’t soon forget. Mrs. Murphy’s pasta-powered punctuation lesson is a wonderful example of how imaginative teaching can bring curriculum to life. Bravo to Mrs. Murphy for serving up a lesson that was equal parts educational and inspiring!

This fall, our 7th and 8th grade students stepped into the exciting world of finance through the Stock Market Game, an immersive simulation that gives students a virtual $100,000 to invest in real-time markets. Guided by Mrs. Cicarelli, students learned firsthand how global markets operate and how investors make informed decisions. Throughout the club, students explored how to research companies using tools like Yahoo Finance, studied trendlines, analyzed graphs, and followed major brands to understand how real-world events can influence stock performance. They practiced identifying ticker symbols, monitored market fluctuations, and discussed the importance of timing and observation—recognizing how noticing trends in everyday life can translate into investment insights. Their diligence and teamwork led to remarkable success. On multiple dates in November, St. Rose School achieved the #1 Advisor Ranking among all schools in the region with five or more participating teams—a significant achievement in a competitive field. Several teams reached impressive standing in the overall competition, including top rankings of 2nd, 3rd, and 5th place out of 275 participating teams. These groups built portfolios exceeding $100,000 in value through thoughtful research and strategic investing. Their excitement and pride were evident as they presented their certificates and reflected on their accomplishments. In addition, the class collaborated to create a combined portfolio featuring one favorite stock from each team. This collective effort earned an outstanding 6th place ranking out of 275 teams, demonstrating the power of shared decision-making and diverse perspectives. Beyond rankings and portfolio growth, the Stock Market Game offered students a meaningful opportunity to build financial literacy, strengthen analytical thinking, and experience the rewards of teamwork. The enthusiasm and engagement shown by our middle schoolers highlight the impact of hands-on learning experiences at St. Rose School. We are incredibly proud of our students for their efforts, curiosity, and leadership throughout the program. Their success is a testament to the vibrant, engaging, and future-focused education we strive to provide every day at St. Rose.

7th Graders Create Hobbit Dioramas in Mrs. Murphy’s ELA Class