Mrs. Barbara Starck

Mrs. Starck’s sixth grade is right at the top of the stairs in the ’62 building. The sixth graders are the “leaders” on our floor, setting a good example for younger students, as they prepare for Jr. High. The students have more responsibilities in sixth grade, but many privileges as well. They will now be able to use the new “state of the art” Science lab and many of its tools. The favorite seems to be the microscope so far! They will also be doing their first major Academic Fair project and their first in-depth research paper. While this can be difficult and time-consuming, it is also rewarding when they present their completed project with pride.

Another exciting opportunity is with Forensics, one of the many wonderful extra-curricular activities offered at St. Matthias; sixth grade is the first year students can join this team.

Sixth graders look forward to attending the Holiday Folk Fair in November and to having the first graders as their STAR partners. They also sit with the kindergarten class during Mass on Friday mornings. It’s heartwarming to see how well they relate to the younger students. All sixth graders help in collecting and delivering food to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry as their service project throughout the school year.

Mrs. Starck is especially proud of how the students are accepting and supportive of each other.

This year we are trying out a new approach in math class. After the daily lesson is presented, the students go into one of four "zones"- teaching, seatwork, manipulative, or problem solving. For 10-15 min.per zone, each works to practice the lesson of the day or uses manipulatives to reinforce concepts already taught, so that math learning is continuously carried over. So far, this has been an enjoyable experience and the students are becoming quite efficient on using their time well.