James L. Collins Catholic School - Faith Involvement Integrity Respect

Our Kindergarten and 1st Grade students had a wild time on their field trip to ZooFari! From seeing animals up close to learning more about the amazing world around them, our students had a day full of fun, discovery, and hands-on learning.

We love giving our students opportunities to learn beyond the classroom and create memories with their classmates and teachers!

A big thank-you to our teachers, chaperones, and everyone who helped make this field trip possible!

What a beautiful blessing it was to welcome so many grandparents and family members onto our campus for Grandparents Day! Our halls were filled with smiles, laughter, hugs, and so many special memories being made. We are incredibly grateful for the grandparents who were able to join us and celebrate their grandchildren. Your love, wisdom, prayers, and support are such a gift to our students and to our entire school family. Thank you for helping make our campus feel even more like home. We loved having you here!

Our 4th and 5th graders had a little fun with science this week as they tried the famous “standing egg” experiment in celebration of the equinox! At first, it seemed like the perfect science trick—stand an egg on its end because of the equinox! But our students soon discovered the truth: it’s actually a bit of a science hoax! Eggs can be balanced on their ends on any day of the year. NASA even points out that the small bumps and irregularities on an eggshell can make this balancing act possible, and the equinox itself doesn’t make eggs more stable. (Astronomy Picture of the Day⁠) But what made this experiment egg-stra valuable was what it helped our students remember! The equinox is an important time in our journey around the Sun. During an equinox, the Sun is positioned over Earth’s equator, and the Northern and Southern Hemispheres receive nearly equal amounts of sunlight. And while the Sun, Earth, and Moon aren’t simply “lined up” because of the equinox, talking about their positions gave our students a great visual connection to the relationships between these three celestial bodies. NASA explains that the Sun, Earth, and Moon do align in particular ways during events such as full moons, new moons, and eclipses. Sometimes the best science lessons are the ones that start with a myth, let students test it themselves, and end with a better understanding of why things happen!

Our students had the best time enjoying Kona Ice last week! From colorful flavors to big smiles, it was the perfect treat and a fun way to enjoy a little sunshine and fellowship with friends. A big thank-you to everyone who helped make this special treat possible! We love creating these fun memories together at JLCCS!

Our third graders had a deliciously educational lesson as they learned about the different phases of the moon using Oreo cookies! From new moon to full moon, students created each phase while getting a hands-on look at how the moon changes throughout its cycle. Mrs. Thomason is always finding fun and interactive ways to make learning come alive—and this lesson was definitely one to remember! Learning is always a little sweeter at JLCCS!

Our French Club students are having fun learning the French language and exploring the rich culture and traditions of France! From practicing new words and phrases to discovering what makes French culture unique, our students are expanding their knowledge while having a great time. A special merci beaucoup to Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Perez for sharing their time, talents, and love of French language and culture with our students! We are so grateful for the opportunity they provide our students to learn, explore, and grow.

Our students are so excited to browse, discover new favorites, and find books to take home! There’s nothing quite like the excitement of choosing a new book and getting lost in a great story! A HUGE thank you to all of the wonderful individuals who have volunteered their time to help make our Book Fair possible! Your willingness to serve, organize, assist our students, and keep everything running smoothly is such a blessing to our school community. We are especially grateful for each and every one of you! We hope our JLCCS families will stop by throughout the week and support our Book Fair while encouraging a love of reading in our students!

Mrs. Denis’s 4th grade class made learning prepositions fun with a little help from a buzzing visitor! Students practiced identifying and using prepositions like with, from, and in as they followed the fly’s adventures around the classroom. From learning where the fly was in the room to describing where it came from and what it was buzzing with, our students were putting grammar skills into action! Who knew learning prepositions could be so much fun?

Our 7th grade students brought their lesson to life with their Columbian Exchange Food Project! Students researched a food that was exchanged between the Old World and New World, created informative PowerPoint presentations, and then shared their food item with the class. From learning where foods originated to discovering how they traveled across the globe, this project was both delicious AND educational! We love seeing our students turn what they learn in the classroom into hands-on experiences they can enjoy and remember! Great job, 7th grade!

A huge THANK YOU to Brinson AutoGroup for being a Diamond Sponsor of our annual Bogeys & Bears Golf Tournament! We are incredibly grateful for your generous support of James L. Collins Catholic School and our students.

Join us on October 9th at The Oaks for a great day of golf, fellowship, and fun—all while supporting our school and helping provide meaningful opportunities for our students.

We are blessed to have community partners like Brinson AutoGroup who believe in our students and invest in the future of JLCCS. Thank you for helping make Bogeys & Bears a success!

Join us for the JLCCS Book Fair being held from September 25th to October 2nd,
• Sept. 24, Thursday: Preview and Wish Lists
• Sept. 25, Friday: 7:45 – 1:30 Open After Mass
• Sept. 28, Monday: 7:45 - 3:45
• Sept. 29, Tuesday: 7:45 -3:45 Grandparent Day.
• Sept. 30, Wednesday: 7:45 – 3:45.
• Oct. 1, Thursday: 7:45 – 3:45
• Oct. 2, Friday: 7:45 – 10:00

We love watching our students grow in confidence, responsibility, and leadership throughout their years at James L. Collins Catholic School!

Our students have many opportunities to lead and serve, whether they are reading at Mass, hosting our morning announcements, helping a younger student with their tie, or serving as Care Bears for our younger students. These experiences help our students learn to speak with confidence, serve others, take responsibility, and lead by example.

At JLCCS, we believe leadership is about more than being in charge—it’s about serving others with faith, integrity, and respect.

We are so proud of our Bears and the young leaders they are becoming!

Our little pirates had a blast searching for buried treasure and taking part in all kinds of fun pirate-themed activities! From treasure hunts to exploring, playing, and learning together, our PreK students sailed into a day full of imagination, laughter, and adventure.

We think these little Bears found some pretty special treasure—the joy of learning!

Students in Mrs. Arnold’s class are diving into their class novels and discovering the joy of getting lost in a good book! As they read, students are building vocabulary, strengthening comprehension skills, discussing characters and themes, and learning to think more deeply about what they read.

We love seeing our Bears engaged in meaningful reading, discussion, and growing as confident readers!

Our Blue Knights Boys' Club kicked off their first meeting of the school year, and we’re excited for another year of growing in faith, friendship, and virtue! We are especially grateful for our new advisors who have stepped up to lead and mentor these young men. Your willingness to share your time, faith, and example is such a blessing to our school community. For their first meeting, the Blue Knights focused on the virtue of FAITH—learning what it means to trust in God, grow in our relationship with Him, and live out our faith each day. Please keep our Blue Knights and their advisors in your prayers throughout the year as these young men continue to grow closer to Christ and strive to live out the virtues they learn. Here’s to a wonderful year of growing in faith and becoming men of virtue!

We love seeing Mrs. Bonilla cooking up delicious meals in our cafeteria! Our students absolutely love her cooking, and mealtimes are about so much more than just the food—they’re a time for our students to sit together, enjoy one another’s company, and share in fellowship. We are so grateful for Mrs. Bonilla and the love she pours into our students through every meal she prepares! We are also grateful for all of the volunteers who help prepare and serve meals. Nothing beats a little good food, laughter, and fellowship at JLCCS!

It was such a joy to have these sweet girls back together for another year of our Little Flowers Girls’ Club! We are so excited to watch them grow in faith, friendship, and virtue throughout the year. We are incredibly grateful for the parents and grandparents who step up to help lead, mentor, and support this special ministry. Your time and dedication make it possible for these girls to learn about the beauty of our faith in such a meaningful way. Throughout the year, the girls will learn about different virtues, grow in their relationship with Christ, and work toward earning patches as they put these virtues into practice in their daily lives. Please keep our Little Flowers and their leaders in your prayers—that God will guide them, strengthen them, and help each of these young ladies continue to grow closer to Christ and become beautiful examples of faith and virtue. 🌸 “Let all that you do be done in love.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14 Please pray for our Little Flowers as they bloom!

Our cheerleaders had their first practice of the school year, and they are ready to bring the spirit! These girls have been working hard, learning cheers, practicing their moves, and getting ready to cheer on our Bears at upcoming volleyball games! We can’t wait to see them on the sidelines bringing energy, encouragement, and plenty of Bear pride! Let’s go, Bears!

Our cheerleaders had their first practice of the school year, and they are ready to bring the spirit! These girls have been working hard, learning cheers, practicing their moves, and getting ready to cheer on our Bears at upcoming volleyball games! We can’t wait to see them on the sidelines bringing energy, encouragement, and plenty of Bear pride! Let’s go, Bears!

Our students were out yesterday and this morning at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church passing out envelopes and collecting donations for our annual GAP Campaign! We are so grateful for these young ambassadors who are helping support the school they are proud to call home. Today, at the 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:30 AM Masses, James L. Collins Catholic School will also be providing hospitality. Please stop by, enjoy some fellowship, a donut, and say hello! For over 70 years, our parish school has been blessed to educate and serve the children and families of our community. We are incredibly thankful for the continued support of our parish family and everyone who helps make our school’s mission possible. If you received a GAP Campaign envelope today, you can return it at any Mass by placing it in the collection basket. Every gift, no matter the size, makes a difference! Thank you for supporting our parish school and its mission for generations to come!