'Twas the week before Christmas...

'Twas the week before Christmas,
And all through the halls,
The students (and their teacher),
Were bouncing off the walls!

To keep the kids focused, 
To keep them engaged, 
Loads of fun things were planned,
For the last 5 days!

Each day of the week,
Many staff came to read,
From Mrs. Barnes to Mr. Marshall,
What more could we need?

We did several art projects,
First we painted our clay,
Then we used our hand print,
As a manger with hay!

We still did our reading,
For math we had time,
These kids really do love writing,
A favourite pastime!

Cozy in pajamas,
We shopped the Bring & Buy Sale,
What could be in these bags?
We're not telling that tale!

Who knew The Grinch
Was first written as a book?
We did a creative writing task,
Then gave the movie a look!

Then meteorologist Jesse Beyer,
Came from Global TV,
We learned about seasonal changes,
Now we're camera ready!

Then we buckled our helmets,
And laced up our skates,
We zoomed 'round the rink,
Up went our heart rates!

The week reached it's end,
And the holiday drew near,
Merry Christmas to all!
See you in the New Year!


Love, 
Mrs. Beliveau

Advent Concert

Advent is a time of waiting and a time of preparation. We are waiting for the birth of Christ and are preparing our hearts with kindness.  

This week the boys and girls experienced “waiting” and “preparation” first hand! We had several rehearsals for our Advent Concert. Boy, was there waiting, and boy, was there preparation!

Waiting for our turn on stage

The boys and girls did a spectacular job of preparing and performing "Little Donkey"! Look at these beautiful, happy little faces!

What a performance! 

How can we not be in the Christmas spirit?

Reading is a BLAST

To develop a love reading is a huge goal in Grade 1. If the children are excited to read at this young age, it is very likely that they will continue to read and be avid readers throughout their lives. 

One way we have been getting really "pumped" about reading is by welcoming in Mystery Readers. By some stroke of luck, we have had two this week ... and have three more scheduled!

First, the children read three clues about the Mystery Reader. Then, the Mystery Reader is welcomed in to share a story!

Earlier this week, a former student who has a younger brother in our class excitedly shared a story with us! We worked as a team to read her 3 clues and then settled in to enjoy her book!

Here are the three clues for the Mystery Reader we welcomed yesterday:

It was an enthusiastic mom who came to read a few favourites to us! 

If you are interested in coming in as a Mystery Reader, please get in touch. We will find a convenient time and you are welcome to select a book or one can be provided. It really is a simple way of making reading exciting!

Back in October we took part in the Strathcona County Library's Read Aloud Challenge by reading Brown Bear. WE MADE THE HIGHLIGHT REEL! Happen to know those cuties who are holding the "We love to read" sign? 

Could you spot our whole school reading aloud in the gym? 

We have had so much fun reading together! Stay tuned for more crazy ways we make reading a blast!

Advent is Upon Us

This past Sunday marked the first Sunday of Advent. Can your child point out Advent on our liturgical calendar?

The liturgical calendar describes the seasons of the church

Advent is a time of hope and anticipation. We are waiting!

Purple is the colour of Advent. It is a colour worn by royalty, and Jesus is our king!

We changed the prayer table cloth from green, when it was Ordinary Time, to purple for Advent. Can you see our wreath? We light one candle for each of the four Sundays in Advent. This week we lit the first candle.

At mass, the priest now wears purple vestments, the altar has a purple table cloth, and the advent wreath is displayed. 

In our homes, many of us are busy preparing for Christmas, from baking, to decorating, to shopping! During Advent we also prepare our hearts for Jesus' arrival. The boys and girls are preparing their hearts by finding ways to be kinder. They wrote their ideas on a footprint, and we've displayed these on a board titled "The Road to Bethlehem."

I will help my mom make supper.

I will be helpful.

I will not be rude. 

Please encourage your child to prepare for the coming of Jesus. What did your child write on his or her footprint? How else can we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus?