Programs

The Stoney Project

It is our pleasure to introduce you to our school-wide geography project. St. Bridget School has a mascot, a loveable bright green dinosaur named Stoney, whose job it is to increase the geographical awareness of our students. Stoney resides in the computer room and simply loves to travel! In fact, he took his first trip in April 1996 - to Atlanta, Georgia. In his first six months alone, he traveled to Missouri, Florida, Maine, New York, Ohio, even to Canada, Ireland and Costa Rica! As Stoney travels, he has his picture taken. When Stoney comes back to school, the picture is posted around one of the maps in the computer room. In time, we hope to have Stoney travel to each state in the United States.

The project has been so well received that in March 1998, Stoney had to have help. Thus we introduced ROCKY, Stoney’s cousin! ROCKY is a magenta dinosaur and he’ll be able to travel as Stoney does. In Spring 2002, another of Stoney’s cousins, IGGY, joined the pack! IGGY is now the smallest of the group, so he’ll be reserved for overseas travel. SLATE, another cousin, joined the group over the summer of 2003!

Would you like to take Stoney, or a cousin, along with you or your family the next time you travel? It’s possible! They spent several weeks this past summer traveling with our students. You do not have to be going out of state, take him to Boston, Plymouth, Rockland, or wherever. All we ask is that you take a picture to be sent to Miss Cotter so we can post it on one of the three maps in the computer room.

If you’d like to take Stoney to travel with you on vacation or a day trip, send a note to Miss Cotter via your child’s teacher. Stoney has even traveled on business trips without a St. Bridget’s student to accompany him! I’ll need your child’s name, grade, telephone number, and the dates of projected travel. We do our best to fill all requests (we have several dinosaurs), but it must be on a first come basis.

As of March 2003, our dinosaurs had been to 30 different countries, 28 states, Washington D.C. , and several cities and towns in our own state. Please feel free to look at the maps and photograph books about our dinosaurs’ travels posted in the computer room at the top of the stairs nearest the school office.

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Stoney’s Travels

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Respect Life Program

Our school community is committed to teaching and practicing a respect for all human life, from conception until natural death. As a result, we celebrate October’s Respect Life Week as a school community. Along with a special Respect Life School Mass, all are welcome to join the parish community in celebrating Respect Life Sunday. In addition, a series of Respect Life Programs will be held during the library class of each grade, from kindergarten to grade six. Grades seven and eight traditionally have a speaker presentation given by the Boston Archdiocese Respect Life Education Office.

All presentations are followed by a short presentation on the reality and sanctity of all human life from conception until natural death. There is no classroom presentation which includes abortion, except in the seventh and eighth grades. Parents/guardians are sent a letter prior to Respect Life Week which details the programs to be presented in order to give the parent the opportunity to opt out of it for his/her child. All students participate unless a parent/guardian sends in a note to the contrary.

The following books/videos are used in each respective grade level:

Kindergarten God Gave Us You, by Lisa Tawn Bergen
Grade 1 Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss
Grade 2 Before You Were Born, by Jennifer Davis
Grade 3 That’s Me in Here, by Jean Darby
Grade 4 The Crippled Lamb, by Max Lucado
Grade 5 You Are Special, by Max Lucado
Grade 6 Video, Ultrasound Eyewitness to the
Earliest Days of Life

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Values Tree Program

This program stresses a different value each month. There is a list posted in every classroom to indicate which value is being stressed each month. Our goal is to catch students, and adults, exhibiting the value being highlighted that month. It is our desire that each student will have received this honor at least once during the school year.

Certificates may be awarded to any person within the Saint Bridget School community by any adult. Students may receive more than one certificate. Teachers, staff members and parent volunteers are also eligible! Any person who is seen demonstrating the value of the month has a certificate left for him/her with the principal. At some point during the month, each person receiving a certificate has his/her name read over the loudspeaker and then receives the certificate. A list of persons presented with certificates is left for Miss Cotter. The names are then placed on individual leaves to be put on the “values tree” in the cafeteria for all to see. The leaves are left in place until the next school year begins the new cycle.

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Holiday Programs

Holidays such as Veteran’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Memorial Day give us the opportunity to bring us together as a school community.  Our school often celebrates these days with programs meant to inform our students of the importance of these days and to help us demonstrate our patriotism.  As always, when we get together as a school community, our programs begin with prayer.  Next is the informational component of the day.  Sometimes we invite special speakers from the community; sometimes older students present the program.

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Junior Achievement

Saint Bridget School has been involved with Junior Achievement (JA) of Eastern Massachusetts, Inc., for several years, usually in grades five and up.  Its success depends greatly on JA-trained volunteers from local businesses, parents, retired executives, and community members.

Junior Achievement introduces students to the workings and benefits of the free enterprise system, and in the process inspires them to dream, to imagine and to succeed.  Junior Achievement exposes students to the workplace by providing curricula and a business role model. 

Our students have participated in mock interviews for jobs of their choice, created budgets to gain an understanding of living within one’s means, and have gained insight in the responsible use of credit cards and the importance of maintaining good credit.

To request a program, to volunteer, or to get more information on Junior Achievement, check out their website at www.jaem.org.

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