By Lisa Gilbert, Principal of St. Peter Academy
Remember when the number 100 meant something; that first $100 bill you held, or the first 100 miles on a long trip? For some reason, that first triple digit number seems to carry a lot of weight. So it is in elementary and preschools. For young children, the number 100 seems like 1,000,000 does to adults. It’s a lot! They’re still learning to count by ones, so getting all the way up to 100 is a monumental feat. For teachers, the 100th day of school is a built-in lesson. Students in the early grades begin counting the days of school from the very first day. One by one, they add a day to their number line each morning until they reach that magical number. Then the fun begins. Objects come into classes in droves, enough to count-up to 100. Bundles of 10 multiply 10 times to make 100. It’s a mathematical firestorm. In first and second grade, teachers even begin expanding the place value chart! It’s a virtual teacher’s dream. And it all unfolds organically.
At St. Peter Academy we made it to this enchanting day on February 6th. A transformation occurred over night. Normally bursting with life and energy; running, skipping, and jumping to and fro, our first-grade students are by all accounts, active and eager children. Led by the incredible Mrs. Laura Hesek, they sprint through their days like track stars. But on Wednesday, the 100th day of school, they were entirely different. Instead of their khaki colored bottoms and green polo shirts, many of the students donned sweaters, spectacles, and silver colored hair. Even Mrs. Hesek appeared older- albeit wiser- in her bathrobe and gray hair. When questioned about this obvious metamorphosis, the six-year-olds reminded me that it was the 100th day of school. To commemorate the occasion, Mrs. Hesek and her students dressed up as 100 -year-olds! Keeping the theme of the 100th day, the first-graders surveyed students throughout the school asking them if they would rather have 100 teddy bears or 100 cookies, etc. They then depicted their results in a bar graph and shared them with the student body at morning assembly.
Centenarians aside, other grades celebrated the big day with just as much fan-fare. Mrs. Miller’s Kindergarten Two students created a structure using 100 Oreos, and they decorated aprons with groups of 10’s to add up to 100. Ms. Shannon’s Kindergarten One class counted out 100 goldfish crackers to fill a fish bowl. One four-year student said, “One hundred is the biggest number in the world!”
St. Peter Academy in an independent, community-based private school and serves students from ages 15 months through grade 6. SPA is currently accepting applications for the limited spaces available in the year-round toddler program (beginning at age 15 months) and for students in Pre-K, Kindergarten and grades 1-6. Join us!
Appointments for individual tours can be made by contacting the Main Office at 617-268-0750 or by emailing SPA@StPeterAcademy.com.
