The Cross: A Symbol of Love

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, 

and of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

We are learning about the Easter Story, and have focused on a very important symbol in our faith; the cross. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for each one of us. The cross is a powerful symbol that reminds us how much God loves us.

We created beautiful burned matchstick crosses. Don't worry, the matches we worked with were already lit, cooled and very safe to touch, of course! We patiently helped one another count out matches, glue, and check and re-check the intricate pattern. This took lots of patience and collaboration!

After leaving the crosses to dry, we were able to cut them out. They are up in our chapel and will come home soon!

The symbol of the cross reminds us of Jesus' everlasting, infinite love for us! Be sure to stop by our chapel to see all of the finished crosses! 

As Easter approaches, may you have a blessed Holy Week!

Cock-a-doodle-doo & Candling!

Today is day 14 of our hatching journey. Remember when we began?

We learned that on the 14th day of growth, a chick has grown claws and is covered in a light feathers. Isn't God amazing?

Earlier this week we met a hen and a rooster, Fuzzy and Freckles, and learned more about the life cycle of a chicken! We were able to pet and feed Fuzzy, and we even heard Freckles' loud COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! What fun! It was like Old MacDonald's farm in here!

Today we candled a few of the eggs in our incubator. Candling shows us if the egg is developing into a chick. First we made our classroom very dark. 

Using a bright light, we were able to see if there was a developing chick inside the egg or not. Dark, shadowy egg? Chick! Bright, lit up egg? No chick. 

We candled about 5 eggs, and all were dark! In another week, when the eggs have been incubated for 21 days, the little ones growing inside the eggs will hatch. We can hardly wait!

We are learning about the miracle of life and have been exploring the life cycles. Ask your child to explain the life cycle of a chicken!

We are so excited for day 21 to arrive! That is when we will eagerly watch for our eggs to begin hatching! Until then, we will continue to pray for our little ones and marvel at the miracle of new life. God is so good!

Our incubator!

Life cycle craft adapted from I {heart} Crafty Things

Overflowing with "Egg-citement"

Today we were welcomed in a generous and very knowledgeable farmer, Mrs. Junck, who is helping us hatch chicks! 

We had a few things to do to prepare, though, as the eggs were scheduled to arrive after morning recess!

First, we thought about what we already knew about chicks:

Then, we wondered together about what we wanted to find out:

When Mrs. Junck arrived, we spent time learning about hatching and asked her many, many questions! Each day we will carefully monitor the incubator's temperature and humidity. In 21 days, we hope it is full of sweet little chicks! 

This is sure to be an exciting journey as we experience new life first hand! Stay tuned!

Making 10!

We are having a blast working on addition and subtraction and our favourite game lately has been a new card game called Make 10!

Mrs. Beliveau modified the rules from the original game posted here. 

Today a game board was sent home with each student, but more can be printed here. Have a deck of cards? Then you can play at home!

Take out the face cards. This game uses Ace through 10. We treat the Ace as a 1. 

Using the game board, put out four cards on the spaces 1, 2, 3, and 4. Turn the rest of the deck over on the space marked "deck". 

Here is the challenge! Can you make ten using up to 4 cards?

Look, these kids made 10 with all four cards! They set the group of 10 aside, and put out more cards from the deck. 

Replenish the empty spaces with cards from the deck. 

There are lots of ways they made 10!

Can't make 10?

Choose one card to put back on the bottom of the deck, and take the top card. 

The kids have played several times and should be able to explain the rules and play independently at home. Happy counting!

It's Ok to be Different!

This week we were inspired by Todd Parr's creative illustrations and messages of acceptance and inclusivity! His books rock!

After a week of painting and creativity, our It's Ok To Be Different projects are complete!

For this painting project, we were asked to use one warm colour and one cool colour. We began by painting our background and an outline of our face. 

After some clean up and a little drying time, we assembled our work and carefully added black details!

Check out our creative, "Todd Parr-inspired" portraits! 

We also seized the opportunity to celebrate our uniqueness and wrote a class book! 

(1) I am different because I have freckles.
(2) I am a good athlete.
(3) I am good at loving.
(4) I can make pancakes. 

Our art and writing will be on display for the next week, so please come and celebrate how we are truly God's masterpieces!

P.S. If you are looking for a new cardio program, consider painting with 6 year olds. 

Ash Wednesday: Lent Has Begun

In the center of our classroom stands a special table. It is our prayer table. As the liturgical year changes, the table changes. 

This was our prayer table last week:

This is our prayer table now:

Why the change? Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is a time when we look at ourselves and try and see what can change and improve so that we can be more like Jesus. We take more time to pray, to ask forgiveness of our sins, and to share with others. For forty days we prepare for the new life of Easter. 

Our Lenten wreath is brown and bare, symbolizing the desert where Jesus prayed for 40 days and also the crown of thorns. Can your child explain the symbols pictured on our wreath (purple ribbon, burlap cloth with a cross)? As we journey through Lent, we will add more symbols to help us better understand this liturgical season. 

Today we participated in Ash Wednesday mass, along with several other schools, at OLPH Church with Father Sathia. We all received ashed on our foreheads to remind us that we are sinners.

This week we were introduced to our school-wide Lenten initiative, gathering healthy breakfast cereal to fill hungry tummies at a local elementary school in Edmonton. Our students can understand the discomfort that comes with being hungry and hopefully are able to connect to this simple way of sharing with others. Please be generous.

Lent is a time of change; a change of mind and heart. May the 40 days of Lent help us prepare for the joy of Easter. 

Shrove Tuesday: Feasting & Fun

Today is Shrove Tuesday. It is the last day before Lent. It is a day of feasting and fun!

Boy, did we feast today! Our energetic and generous Parent Council served a hot, delicious pancake & sausage lunch for everyone in the school. Can you tell we loved it?

Sometimes Shrove Tuesday is called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. On this day, people would traditionally use up the rich foods in their fridge that was often not allowed to be eaten during Lent, such as milk, eggs and butter. Add a little flour, and you have pancakes!

Thank you, Parent Council, for serving such a delicious pancake lunch!

Full bellies & sticky hands!

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. It marks the first day of Lent. We will gather as a school community at OLPH Church for mass at 12:30 pm. We will all receive ashes on our foreheads. If your schedule allows, please consider joining us!