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Happy National DNA Day! April 25 commemorates the successful completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the discovery of DNA’s double helix in 1953. These young scientists built their own edible model.  Great work third and fourth grade! 

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First grade has been learning about reduce, reuse, and recycle, and thinking of ways they can help our planet Earth. Today they made Earth people, and wrote sentences telling how they will help the Earth

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On Friday, Ms. K was provided the chance to help ACS’s middle school students understand the power of eating certain foods and how they can aid their rapidly growing bodies.  She made sure they received knowledge about how various nutrients can help them reach their optimal potential. In order to make good choices, one must not only memorize good vs. bad choices, but understand why the good choices are good.  Understanding the key nutrients in each food, how it reaches each part of the body from the brain to the muscles, is of highest priority as they transition from children to teenagers. 
 
Many nutrition education programs give children and adults the same information about processed foods vs. whole, calories, and fat and how it relates to the obesity pandemic; including obesity related diseases associated with eating unhealthy. However, very few teach how to properly read the nutritional labels: from undertaking where the numbers come from, what they mean, how they relate to each age group, and how each macronutrient, micronutrients, vitamins, and mineral plays a vital role in health maintainers and disease prevention. By doing so, students not only were told why certain foods are better than others, they will also be more conscious about their food choices.  They also understood the serious health effects that a lack of certain vital nutrients have on the human body. 

Consequently, their mindful choices on future food selection is not only because they were told it’s healthy, but because now they understand how certain key nutrients can help them reach optimal strength, health, and brain potential. Lastly, the students were taught how to properly read the ingredients listed in products and why they are in the order they are. More specifically, they were exposed to which ingredients should be avoided and how certain choices are thought to be “healthy” but the ingredients prove otherwise. 

Subsequently, the group looked at sample nutrition labels and Ms. K explained that over the course of the last ten years, people have become more experienced with comprehending them.  However, Ms. K said, “that is not to say that we fully understand them.”  There are still many hidden ingredients. By providing key information the children can now understand and decipher between nutrition labels and thus, between good foods and bad foods. They can also help their loved ones and friends with important information on eating healthy, and prevent over consumption of nutrient lacking foods.  Choosing nutrient dense foods that are healthier was the goal of this presentation – IT WAS ACHIEVED!

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During Science class this week, the kindergarten students continued to explore the relationship of force and motion. They also learned about natural forces like gravity and magnets.  During the experiment, the children compared an array of new information that they discovered. A few of the many fascinating questions the kindergartens discussed were:
-which objects were attracted to the magnet?
-which ones were not?
-where magnets repelled each other, using force to push against or away.
Consequently, this provides the groundwork for our little scientists to explore other topics in nature and appropriately ask questions.

Science is exploring. Science is asking questions. Science is exciting!

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Apple Education and ACS continue their partnership with the next group of scholars.  
This Thursday, the 4th and 5th graders had a great time coding a robot at the Apple Store in Menlo Park Mall in Edison!  Students learned how to use a coding app to program a  robot to go through a maze and follow simple commands.  They even had time to race their robots!  Our ACS students can’t wait to implement what they learned! 

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One way we practice our Ukrainian at ACS is by acting out different scenarios and practicing our vocabulary. This weeks classes included “Ukie Cafe”, brought to you by the 3rd and 4th graders! Traditional and untraditional foods were brought in by our Ukrainian teacher, Ms. K. The students took turns being the waiter and taking orders, and then the customer and placing an order. They used their notebooks as a reference sheets, in case they didn’t not remember how to say a certain food in Ukrainian. They ordered in Ukrainian, had simple conversations with each other in Ukrainian, and sampled a few delicious Ukrainian snacks. They did an excellent job with pronunciation and really put a lot of effort into their lesson. It was not only a learning experience but a tasty one, as well!!

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The Classes of 2018, 2019, and 2020 gathered together on Holy Thursday afternoon to discuss and reenact the Passover meal that Jesus would have participated in as he celebrated the Last Supper with His apostles. Student leaders walked the classes through each step of the Passover meal pointing out the importance of each part of the meal. They compared the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt to the freedom from sin and death that Jesus earned for us through His death on the cross. They explained the symbols used in the Passover meal and finished with a prayer of thanksgiving. This was the perfect way to understand how God’s plan continued to be revealed to us just as He promised Adam and Eve.

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On Good Friday morning, March 30, 2018 ACS students along with the parishioners of Ukrainian Assumption Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, NJ have gathered to commemorate the Crucifixion and burial of Jesus, the darkest and most somber moments of the New Testament narrative. Following the procession on Great and Holy Friday, the people came up to venerate the winding sheet (Plaschanitsia), making prostrations to the ground before kissing the wounds on the Saviour’s feet and hands.

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Students at ACS learned first- hand about the art of Pysanky. Seventh and eighth graders participated for a second year, while sixth grade had their first try at this art of decorating eggs for Easter. You might think that egg decorating is easy, but it is actually an art form that takes much patience.
Under the guidance of ACS librarian, Mrs. Fedynyshyn, our own Pysanky expert, students followed the intricate steps of preparing their eggs for each layer of dye. Retired ACS teacher Mrs.Lojko assisted Mrs. Fedynyshyn in this 2 day project.

Starting with bees wax, a small flame, and a stick called a Kistka, students etched their first layer while learning of the importance of finding the center of the egg and carefully mapping out their first design. Eggs were dipped in yellow dye then more wax was applied. The next was orange, followed by more wax designs. Next was red and finally black finished the whole process. Students removed the excess wax by holding their eggs near the flame to warm the wax and paper towel to actually remove the wax.

When students had finished their own Pysanky, they discussed their improvements from last year and their plans for participating in this new, old tradition next year. Thank you to Mrs. Fedynyshyn and Mrs Lojko for two afternoons of enjoyment.

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