CSI STJ

by: Mrs. Whigham, 8th grade science

The students enter the classroom only to discover that there has been a murder!  Mrs. Whigham's classroom has been transformed into a bloody crime scene and an investigation is underway!  First thing on the agenda… fingerprinting! The fingerprint continues to be one of the most important and valuable pieces of forensic evidence. Fingerprints are unique for each person. There are even slight differences in the fingerprints of identical twins. By comparing fingerprints at a crime scene with a suspect’s fingerprint record, officials can establish a person’s presence at a particular location.  In this fun activity students learn about forensic science and the details of fingerprinting in a fun, interactive way.  

#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

“The students didn’t commit the crime, they solved it!”

— Mrs. Whigham

Famous Alabamians

Fourth graders created a poster highlighting a famous Alabamian as part of the Alabama history unit. Each student chose a subject who they admired and researched about his or her life and accomplishments. Student uploaded their work and a brief caption on the SeeSaw app, our digital portfolio. We loved learning about the diverse group of famous people from our state!

“This is my Famous Alabamian project. I did my research and poster on Jesse Owens. I think he is awesome because he was really fast and cool.”

— Royce Conner, grade 4

“This is my famous Alabamian project. I did my research and poster on Heather Whitestone. I think she is awesome because she is the first deaf Ms. America.”

— Joud Al-Ansar, grade 4

#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

“This is my famous Alabamian project. I did my research and poster on Mia Hamm. I think she is awesome because we have the same name... and she won 2 world cups and one gold medal!”

— Mia Zukowski, grade 4

“This is my famous Alabamian project. I did my research and poster on Tallulah Bankhead! I think she is interesting because when I grow up I want to be a actress and a comedian.”

— Kendall Dunson, grade 4

Thankful Thursday

A member of the STJ security team, Cpl. Destiny Smith, received a “Thankful Thursday” last week. Thankful Thursday is an elementary school initiative to reinforce gratitude and show appreciation. Cpl. Smith was so excited to show off her Thankful Thursday note. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool

101 days of school!

First graders celebrated the 101st day of school by dressing as 101 Dalmatians! They worked with the number 101 and participated in different activities throughout the day. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool

We are 100 Days Smarter!

Last week we celebrated the 100th day of school! Kindergarteners decorated shirts with 100 items to commemorate the special milestone. We saw pom poms, buttons, and even basketballs! We love to boast that our students are “100 days smarter!” The day was filled with counting activities, crafts, and projects featuring the number 100.

#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

Reading and Writing in Kindergarten!

Our students have been hard at work in Kindergarten this year. Students have been mastering reading skills and working on writing sentences. Using inventive spelling, illustrated pictures of snowmen and created a classroom book. Students wrote sentences about their snowman friends and read them aloud. Take a look at our Kindergarten snowman book- it is quite a chill!

#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

Thunder Cake

Third Graders read Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco. The book tells the story of a little girl who is frightened of thunderstorms. Based on her own childhood experience, the author tells the memorable story of how her grandma--her Babushka--helped her overcome her fear of thunder when she was a little girl. The endearing story of bravery features beautiful, bright folk-art illustrations and includes a recipe for “thunder cake.”  After reading the story, third graders baked their own thunder cake and enjoyed it together.

#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

Queens of the Court

2019 AHSAA state champions

By Izabella Hernandez, STJ junior

It’s January and that means tennis tryouts! This week, the girls will tryout for JV and varsity tennis at Lagoon Park with coach Geoff Waring. Coach Waring says he is thrilled for the new season. Last year’s varsity team was mostly made up of graduating seniors, so this year is a fresh start for the team. They will be focusing more on skill development as they prepare for competition. The season will last until April, ending with sectionals and the statewide tournament. We’re wishing our girls good luck and go Trojans!

#WeAreSaintJamesSchool

Saint James School Varsity girls

We Have the Need for Speed!

We tested how friction affects how far a toy car will travel. Friction is a force that slows down moving things. - Matilda Machin, 2nd grade

Toy cars, start your engines! Using a "race track,” yard stick, and materials with various surfaces, second grade students conducted an experiment to measure how friction affects the speed of a toy car. Keeping friction in mind, students discussed which surface they thought would produce the fastest race time and farthest distance. Each hypothesis was then tested. Surfaces like tin foil, sandpaper, and paper towels produced different speeds and distances.

I Don't Think You're Ready for This Jelly

Fourth grade students recently had the opportunity to dissect a squid in our elementary science lab. As a complement to their Life Science unit on adaptations, students were able to explore and identify structural adaptations. Students discovered structures such as the beak, esophagus, eyes, siphon, arms, tentacles, gills, and heart. But without a doubt, finding the ink sac, full of ink, was the most rewarding! The science lab gives students hands-on experiences that enhance their classroom learning.

“In class, we dissected a squid. It was very fun. We got to see a lot of the cool parts. One of the main parts that l though was cool was the beak. l got to take it out and examine it. The beak helps the squid bite down on hard prey like see turtles, crabs, and others.”

— Jens Conner Johnson, Grade 4

SeeSaw presentation by Addison Barber, grade 4