Brandon and Robert with Science Teacher Mrs. Cassidy

March 20, 2012 – Robert Quintas of 7th grade and Brandon Perez of 8th Grade win gold and silver medals respectively in the 54th Hudson County Science Fair Elementary Level. More than 200 students from around the county participated. Congratulations, Robert and Brandon!

St. Francis Academy participants:

SFA Participants with their teacher Mrs. Cassidy

• Miranda Stern – 5th grade – “Pollution“
• Nicolette Racz – 6th grade – “Can we use water to run a car?“
• Nicole Clarke – 7th grade – “Can the color of your roof affect the temperature inside your house or building?“
• Robert Quintas – 7th grade – “Does the change in temperature affect magnetism?” (GOLD)
• Andrew Perez – 8th grade – “Fermentation“
• Brandon Perez – 8th grade – “Does the temperature of the water affect the tornado’s eye?” (SILVER)

Congratulations to all the participants and thank you to all the Sisters, teachers, and parents for your untiring support!

Brandon’s Thoughts on his last Science Fair

“Since I was in 5th grade, I have always looked forward to the Science Fair because of what it represents and the challenging experience. I was lucky enough to win 1st place four times (5th – 8th in SFA). It is an honor, nnot only to win first place at St. Francis Academy, but also to be able to compete with so many talented students with great Science projects at SFA and at the Jersey Journal’s annual Hudson County Science Fair at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ….

… I am thankful for the education that I have received from my teachers and the support that the Franciscan Sisters have always given me. They are the ones that make our school so special.”

From Ryan, Grade 7:

“Each play showed the saint’s life or good deed. I learned from the play that you should always stand up for what you believe in, no matter what happens. You should always be strong in your faith…”

THE SAINTS

Grade 6

St. Patrick

St. Claire

Grade 7

St. Stephen

Grade 8

The Seven Servites

St. Bernardine

The plays were acted out on November 7th for Grades 4 – 8, and on November 9th for Pre-K to Grade 3.

To view more photos, please follow the link: The Saints Play 2011.

The SFA Annual Science Fair 2010 has been concluded and winners have been determined. Special thanks to Mrs. Donna Grzybowski (Science Coordinator/Supervisor at Anna L. Klein School) for judging the experiments!

SCIENCE FAIR 2010 WINNERS

A. GRADE 5

• 1st – Andres Orbe (Is antibacterial soap more effective than regular soap?)
• 2nd – Susann Torres (Are cell phones a source of electronic pollution?)
• 3rd – Geraldine Riveros (How to save more energy?)
• Honorable Mentions: Robert Onoz (What citrus fruit has more vitamin C?) and Abby Scarpello (Temperature changes in fluids)

B. GRADE 6

• 1st – Mauricio Cedillo (Effect of surface temperature on fingerprints)
• 2nd – Robert Quintas (Which soil is best for a foundation?)
• 3rd – Ambar Grullon (Human Sharks)
• Honorable Mentions – Charles Brucaliere (Biodegradability of common products), Ryan Ross (Does incubation temperature affect sex ratio of fruit flies?) and Thomas Jandora (Will fabric softener affect the flammability of fabrics?)

C. GRADE 7

• 1st – Brandon Perez (Which building design is best to withstand earthquake?) and Christian Raslowsky (Osmosis)
• 2nd – Eric Hartl (Ferro fluid and Neodymium magnet)
• 3rd – Andrew Perez (Carbon dioxide and plant growth)
• Honorable Mentions – Joseph Koegel (E-Waste to E-Cycle) and John Morin (Do different varieties of orange have the same level of Vitamin C?)

D. GRADE 8

• 1st – Elizabeth Doody (To move or not to move?)
• 2nd – Andrew Hernandez (Magnetic Force)
• 3rd – Thomas Tyson (Geothermal Power)
• Honorable Mentions – Luca Casulli (Solar energy to heat water) and Jenny Quispe (Will more radiation come from old TV or smoke detector?)

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!

[ORIGINAL POST: Nov. 30, 2010]

Science Fair 2010 at Saint Francis Academy starts today, November 30, 2010. The annual event organized by Mrs. Isabel Cassidy and Mr. Robert Tholen exhibits scientific experiments of students from Grade 5 – Grade 8.

All cardboards are displayed in the auditorium and parents are welcome to see students’ work.

Science Fair will be concluded on December 3, 2010. Selected winners will represent SFA to the Annual Hudson County Science Fair.

Photos from the first day of Science Fair:

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* Thank you Mrs. Perez for the additional pictures!

SFA 8th graders came out victorious in Jeopardy Academic Challenge (Photo credit: Mr. Casulli)

November 20, 2010 (Queen of Peace High School) – 8th Grade class dominated the Jeopardy Academic Challenge for the 2nd year in a row! Congratulations!

From Mrs. Giallombardo, 8th Grade Homeroom Teacher:

On Saturday, November 20th, our 8th grade academic teams competed against 17 teams in the Jeopardy academic challenge. Although the games were intense, we came out on top for the 2nd year in a row. A big thank you to all our parents who were at attendance. You support is what makes us a success.

OUR TEAMS

The Fighting Franciscans - Click to view larger size

The Fighting Franciscans – 1st Place
Dean Perez – Captain
Anamaria Carrasco
Toni Giacchi
Luca Casulli
Nicolas Oberholtzer

The Flying Angels - Click to view larger size

The Flying Angels – 5th Place
Jenny Quispe – Captain
Melissa Alfonso
Dixie Dato
Francisca Quintanilla
Max Monterosso

The Magnetic Connection - Click to view larger size

The Magnetic Connection – 7th Place
Taylor Scarpello – Captain
Elizabeth Doody
Victoria Rial
Nikolas Melgarejo

Also, special thanks once again to Mr. Thomas Casulli for sharing the photos of the event! Follow the link for the high resolution pictures: SFA 8th Grade Jeopardy Academic Challenge

On October 29, 2010, students from Pre-K through Grade 4 dressed up for their Halloween photos, and enjoyed the rest of the day for their halloween party. Check out the photos and guess who is behind the inconspicuous costume!

In the afternoon, they went to the pumpkin patch at the school yard to pick their favorite pumpkins. Special thanks to Union City Mayor Brian Stack for sending us more than 100 pumpkins for Halloween!

BONUS!

The 6th Grade class wrote beautiful Halloween HAIKUs in Powerpoint! The following are from the selected students. Check them out:

• Ashima’s
• Catherine‘s
• Chirayu‘s
• Nicky‘s
• Robert‘s
• Samantha‘s
• Thomas‘

NOTE: Students used version 2003 of Powerpoint.