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     Set of weekly School Newsletters

 

St. Henry School Newsletter

 

December 8, 2006

 

   “Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth

                      to Judea to the city of David that is called Bethlehem . . .”    Luke 2: 4

 

One is getting the definite impression that Christmas is coming.  As I walk around classrooms and through the halls, I see and hear projects that are related to both Advent and Christmas.  A big thank you to Mrs. Kemp, the art teacher, and to so many of the other teachers for sharing some of their projects – holiday and otherwise -- with the rest of us by displaying them in the cafeteria and the hallways. It’s a joy to see the results of the youngsters’ efforts in a wide variety of subjects.

 

The music program is this coming Thursday evening, the 14th.  All children are expected to attend, of course, and participation by the children in K through grade 8 certainly impacts their second quarter music grade.  More importantly, it helps all get into the spirit of Christmas, and it’s a real gift to moms and dads and grandparents and siblings. And it’s a tradition!  We ask that children come dressed nicely – Christmas clothes and/or colors would be great but definitely no jeans and tee shirts please.  Parents, if you would keep your children supervised until 6:20 pm and then send or bring your children to their classrooms at that time, that would be really helpful.  We’ll unlock the Parish Center doors shortly after 6:00 pm, but coming around 6:15/6:20 will be fine.

 

There is a gathering after the program in the cafeteria for those who would like to stay.  The Home and School Association decided that Christmas cookies and/or bars (finger food) should always be brought by the families with children in the odd grades:  P, 1, 3, 5, and 7.  (For the spring program, we’ll ask families with children in the even grades to share.)   That way, the families get to take turns from year to year in bringing their homemade goodies.  How much to bring?  Why don’t you guesstimate how much the members of your family that will be there would eat and multiply that by two?  That should get us pretty close.  Please see that your cookies or bars are brought to the kindergarten room on Wednesday, the 13th.  Thursday afternoon is the set up for the treats in the cafeteria so we really appreciate having them the day before.  IF you are bringing them in a container that you would like back, please be sure to put your name somewhere.  Masking tape with your name on the bottom works. 

 

Thank you!

 

A big thank you to St. Nick, his helpers and the generosity of the Home and School for his visit and gifts on his feastday this past Wednesday, the 6th.  Speaking of HASA, did you see the pictures on the website of their wonderful float in the Watertown Christmas parade on November 25th?   There were also a number of pictures of a variety of Student Council activities added recently. 

 

That site again is www.sainthenryparish.org .  Enjoy!

 

GRADE EIGHT ENJOYS GUEST SPEAKER

 

The eighth grade class welcomed a guest speaker, Andrew Russell, from the Diocese of Madison’s Catholic Multicultural Center right before Thanksgiving break.  He spoke to us about how the center works and what it takes to operate it.  Mr. Russell’s presentation allowed us to find out more information about their food pantry and the meals they serve to people in the area.  We are going to visit and help serve the people that come to this center sometime after Christmas.  This opportunity goes well with our service-learning projects this year.

 

The seventh and eighth grade English classes have been learning the seven traits of writing and the different writing aspects that go along with these traits.  We are reading picture books to see examples of how word choice and ideas are utilized.  Both classes will be putting together a portfolio that includes writing samples that coincide with the traits.

 

The eighth grade reading class is almost finished with The Giver.  The book provides many great discussion questions and how we can relate the community in the book to the community of which we are a part.  For example, no one in the community, except for two people, can see in color.  We discussed and debated about how you describe colors to someone who has never seen them or how you

teach the colors to young children.  I am very excited to see how the students react to the ending of the book.

 

Have a happy and healthy Advent season!

 

Mrs. Harms

 

STUDENTS HAVE A VISITOR IN GRADE ONE.

 

Were the Little Red Hen’s friends lazy or were they trying to teach her to do things for herself?  Recently we read different versions of The Little Red Hen and found that most versions show the other animals as lazy.  One fun version has the Little Red Hen as a lazy hen, and her friends are sick of doing all her work.  They won’t help her so she has to learn to do things by herself.  At the end of our experience, we ate wheat bread just like the Little Red Hen!

 

In math we are beginning to work with subtraction – always a challenge.  Knowing their math facts well will really help.  Moms and Dads, please continue fun reviews with the students every day, including over vacation.

 

The past week we also had a surprise visit from St. Nicholas.  He brought us goody bags and told us about himself.  The “original” St. Nicholas was a bishop who lived in the 300’s in present day Turkey who was known for his legendary generosity to the poor.  He reminded us to be kind and helpful too.

 

Mrs. Fortlage

 

Dates to Put on Your Calendar             

 

DECEMBER

Friday                    08           Kraemer Cheese Drive Pick-up Day

Market Day

Saturday 09           Children’s Cantor Choir sings at 4:30 pm Mass

Monday                11           NO HASA mtg. this month.  

Tuesday!               12           Grade 5 fills liturgical roles at 8:15 am Mass – Our Lady of Guadalupe

                                                Education Commission mtg., 6:30 pm, rectory hall

Wednesday           13           Grades 1-8 leaving for Bethlehem Marketplace at 8:00 am   Home by lunch.

Thursday               14           School Christmas Program, 6:30 pm, Parish Center

Friday                    15           Home and School sponsored Christmas Store

                                                First set of Accelerated Reader points due for second quarter (grades 4-8)

Saturday 16           First Reconciliation for Grade 2 at 7 pm

Monday                18           Grades 1-4 to St. Bernard’s for their Christmas program which starts at 9:00 am

Tuesday 19           Grades 5-8 to Nativity movie in the afternoon

Wednesday           20           Grade 3 fills liturgical roles at 8:15 am Mass

Thursday               21           Seventh grade presentation of Jesse Tree to grades 1-8 in church at 9:20 am

Friday                    22           Amazing Al (magician with a message) for Preschool – Grade 3 in PC at 9:15 am

11:30 dismissal    Christmas break begins

Mid-quarter reports go home

Both parishes grades 6-12 youth go caroling at Marquardt Manor, 4:45 – 8:00 pm

JANUARY

Wednesday           03           School resumes

                                                Play group in PC, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Friday                    05           Geography Bee, grades 4-8 in PC, 12:45 pm

Athletic Assn. Parents’ Night

Thursday               25           St. Henry/St. Bernard Winter Band Concert at St. Bernard’s, 6:30 pm

Friday                    26           NO SCHOOL

 

Memory verse for December 11-15                                        Luke 2:6  (from Midnight Mass Gospel)

“While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son.”