2510 Middle Road, Glenshaw, PA 15116 • Phone: 412.486.7611 • Fax: 412.487.9509 • btacademy.net

UPCOMINGEVENTS

Sunday, January 12, 2020Developmental Girls (4th only) Basketball GameHOME vs. St. Kilian

Wednesday, January 15, 2020Pasquale’s Dress Down Day

JV Girls Basketball Game- AWAY vs. CDTCA

Varsity Girls Basketball Game- AWAY vs. CDTCA

Thursday, January 16, 20206th-8th Grade Ski Trip

End of 2nd Quarter

Friday, January 17, 2020No School- In Service Day

Developmental Girls Basket-ball Game- HOME vs. Alpha

Saturday, January 18, 2020Little Bulldogs

Developmental Girls Basket-ball Game- AWAY vs. Butler Catholic

JV Girls Basketball Game- AWAY vs. Aquinas

JV A Basketball Game- HOME vs. Seelos

Varsity Girls Basketball Game- AWAY vs. Aquinas

Varsity A Basketball Game- HOME vs. Seelos

Issue #45January 12, 2020

There’s more news on page 2!

From the Principal:

Our school’s mission states: Blessed Trinity Academy is dedicated to academic excellence by challenging each child to their full potential.

What is academic excellence? Is it ‘best practices,’ or is it grades and test scores? What is BTA’s shared defi-nition? The term “academic excellence” is ubiquitous, and is used in many different ways. Excellence can be measured by test scores, curriculum, instruction, professional development, and extra-curricular activities One of my goals set earlier this year, is focused on having a common definition of excellence for our community, from which we can assess, set goals, and celebrate.

Two ways we currently reflect on excellence are the Iowa Test results and looking to see how our students excel beyond their Catholic grade school experience. We share these results to allow the BTA community to reflect and celebrate our performance and success.

These scores, from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, were used to reflect on and set goals for instructional, curricu-lar, and assessment practices.

Below is a list of students from our community who made their school’s Honor Roll in the first quarter this year. As we receive more reports, we will share them with you. Congratulations on your hard work!

Central CatholicBTA Graduates:John Paul ByrnesMatthew GraperJoseph RoblaskiXander HillRichard McSorleyConlan MooreMaximus NoulletCross Vento

St. Bonaventure Graduates:Dominic BertoniJonathan FarkosMichael PrinceJackson Vento

St. Mary Graduates:Thomas IurlanoLiam O’Connor

Vincentian AcademyBTA Graduates:Abigail StoverMia WhiteFrancesca BattagliaZach KatzKaitlyn Tavella Emm Bradley

St. Bonaventure Graduates:Morgan GralewskiWray JonesGrace Mangis Michael McKolanisZachary SibenacCaitlyn Muchoney

St. Mary Graduates:Jared KatzDomenic DeLuca

St. Ursula Graduates:Domenic DeLuca

Oakland CatholicBTA Graduates:Olivia KrummertPeyton McHughCarlee FettisMadison Cigna

St. Bonaventure Graduates:Mary LairdHannah HoffmannTaylor CignaHarlie Stazer

St. Mary Graduates:Grace ByrnesDelaney McHughEmma Holtz

Defining and living academic excellence is a continuous process. With reflection, goal setting, and collaborative conversations, the BTA community will continue to enhance and refine a compelling school vision.

From the Classrooms:

Miss Bucha is introducing the primary grades to coding in her weekly STEM classes. Kindergarten through 3rd grade classes worked on creating patterns and puzzles for their classmates to solve.

6th grade STEM was given a challenge to create a paper airplane that could fly the farthest using the most amount of weight. The class had a great time measuring the distance by seeing how far their planes could fly down the middle school hall.

The 6th grade science class also had the opportunity to explore the outdoors when Miss Bucha gave them a scavenger hunt to find different changes in the Earth’s crust in our own backyard.

First graders were working this week on expanded notation. Mrs. E had a chance to check her understanding of this concept and worked on a challenge problem with the students: 200+90+4. Students were given numbers and they worked out the answers on individual whiteboards.

8th graders are completing final drafts of their term paper, focusing on the “Hero’s Journey’. Using this classic story structure, students examined and discussed a character of their choice by various novels. They casually shared the expected length is between 6-8 pages, double-spaced!

Student News: Epiphany Prayer ServiceBy Erin Stein and Gabby Sciulli On January 6th, BTA held a prayer service in the library to bless the school and kick of the new year. After a welcome from Mrs. E, we sang “We Three Kings”, with the help of 8th graders playing the handchimes. Mrs. E lead the group in a prayer to bless each classroom, the school, and everyone who enters our school. Mrs. E talked about the new year and asked students to share how they celebrated New Year’s Eve and Day. She talked

Fri., Jan. 3• Mass led by 8th Grade

Sat., Jan. 4• Little Bulldogs• Dev. Girls Basketball Game HOME vs. St. James• JV Girls Basketball HOME vs. St. Kilian• MilkShake Factory Fundraiser• Varsity Girls Basketball HOME vs. St. Kilian• JV A Basketball Game AWAY vs. Aquinas• Varsity A Basketball Game AWAY vs. Aquinas

Sun., Jan. 5• Developmental Girls Basketball Game AWAY vs. CDTCA

Tue., Jan. 7• JV B Basketball Game AWAY vs. NCA• Varsity B Basketball Game AWAY vs. NCA

There’s more news on page 3!

UPCOMINGEVENTS

Sunday, January 19, 2020Developmental Girls (3rd only) Basketball Game- HOME vs. Seelos

Monday, January 20, 2020No School- Martin Luther King Jr. Day

JV A Basketball Game- AWAY vs. Sacred Heart

Varsity A Basketball Game- AWAY vs. Sacred Heart

Wednesday, January 22, 2020JV B Basketball Game- HOME vs. Alpha

Varsity B Basketball Game- HOME vs. Alpha

Friday, January 24, 2020Mass led by 1st Grade

JV A Basketball Game- HOME vs. East Catholic

Varsity A Basketball Game- HOME vs. East Catholic

Saturday, January 25, 2020Forensics Tournament

Night at the Races

Little Bulldogs

JV Girls Basketball Game- HOME vs. HCA

about goal setting and how we can set goals related to the purpose of a Catholic school. Then Mrs. E read the school’s mission statement. At the end, to honor the three kings-Casper, Melchior, and Balthasar-and their visit to Jesus, a student from each grade was called up to take a magnet for their classroom door. The magnet reads: 20+C+M+B+20”. You will see them above every entrance door within the school. BTA is very happy to celebrate Three Kings Day, and are very excited for the new year--2020!

Goals For 2020By Jules Georgescu and Allie GruseckAs we kick off the year of 2020 there is a lot of discussion about how to strive and reach new goals and reso-lutions for ourselves, the staff, and families of BTA. Below is a sample of goals that teachers and students both hope to complete:

Kindergarten Learn to tie your shoes and Discover more about Jesus.1st To make the class a better place and work together.2nd Learn how to write in cursive and spell better.3rd Earn straight A’s and be quieter in class.4th work on organization skills and understand that Jesus loves all of us!6th Continue to be awesome and to continue mathematical intellect.7th Be kind. 8th Do one nice thing for someone every day.

Are any of these goals on your list? We wish everyone a blessed New Year and success for the goals and reso-lutions you set for yourself.

There’s more news on page 4!

UPCOMINGEVENTS

Varsity Girls Basketball Game- HOME vs. HCA

JV A Basketball Game- HOME vs. Aquinas

Developmental Girls (4th only) Basketball Game- AWAY vs. St. Kilian\

JV B Basketball Game- AWAY vs. St. Bede

Varsity B Basketball Game- AWAY vs. St. Bede

Find all our school events online at:https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=btacade-my.net_470kulrf8t6i4nlb2rh-27kjcn0@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York&pli=1

Marketing/Admissions:Volunteers Needed!! Catholic Schools Week is fast approaching and we are in need of readers, servers, cantors, and gift bearers for masses at St. Mary (Jan. 25 4pm) and St. Bonaventure (Jan. 26 10am). Please email Mer-edith Kandravy (meredithkandravy@gmail.com) if your child would like to participate. You do not need to be a member of the parish to participate.

BTA will be hosting an Open House for prospective families on Sunday, February 2nd, from 12-2pm. We are in need of parents and students who would like to volunteer as tour guides and/or to speak with prospective fami-lies. Please email meredithkandravy@gmail.com if you are interested in helping.