Remembering the Saints

In November, the 2nd graders learned about the lives of the saints. Each student chose a saint then created a likeness of him or her out of a paper bag. Once finished, the second grade class traveled around the school sharing information about their saint puppets. They did a great job reading and memorizing information about their saints.

Christmas Concert

Last Thursday night, all OLS students came together to celebrate the season at our annual Christmas concert. With performances by the beginning and concert bands and student choirs, the evening showcased the outstanding musical talent of our student body. The audience tapped their toes to lively performances by all the groups and ended the evening with a sing-along of Christmas favorites. While all enjoyed the beautiful performance, the evening was a bit bittersweet as it marked the last Christmas concert for our school.

Special thanks to Mr. Litvin, our band director, and Mr. Vizer, our choir director, for the many hours spent preparing for the wonderful concert!

TBT: Scouting for Food

In late November, the OLS Cub Scouts patrolled the streets in our neighborhood to collect donations for Scouting for Food. Shown here, the 1st grade Tiger den encountered a house with a pyramid of food to donate! Thanks to generous neighbors like this one and the dedicated work of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts throughout the region, Scouting for Food collected 2.2 million items of food, the third highest total in the program's 32-year history.

First Reconciliation

Last week, our 2nd graders celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. Together with their families, the students participated in a brief prayer service before receiving the sacrament. Many students were a bit nervous as they made their way to the priest for confession, but all left the confessional with broad smiles and happy hearts.

Special thanks to Fr. Pete and Fr. Sigmund for hearing confessions for the 2nd graders and their family members. Thanks also to Mrs. Huelsing for preparing the students so well for this special sacrament of forgiveness.

Community Building

Families from OLS, St. Joan of Arc, and St. James the Greater gathered over the weekend to get to know one another and begin building a welcoming community. Kids shot some hoops and played a bit of gaga ball while adults supervised the chaos excitement. Both kids and adults enjoyed a chance to develop new friendships.

Plans are underway to meet again at St. Joan of Arc in January. Stay tuned for more details!

Open Gym this Saturday!

This Saturday from 6:30-9:30, our school families are invited to join families from St. Joan of Arc and St. James the Greater for an open gym night at OLS. Kids and grownups alike will have a chance to meet and mingle in a relaxed environment.

We will provide popcorn and cookies, but you are welcome to bring a snack or a 2-liter to share, too. Feel free to bring an indoor game (Twister, anyone?) to add to the basketballs that will surely be bouncing. We hope to see you there!

Breakfast with Santa

Each year, OLS families celebrate Christmas by attending the Home & School Association's Breakfast with Santa. Children explore Santa's cottage, make crafts, and shop in Santa's gift shop while the adults enter raffles for terrific gift baskets. Of course, everyone enjoys pancakes and donut holes before visiting with the man of honor. This fun-filled morning is always a hit and gets everyone in the Christmas spirit.

Special thanks to Lisa Granadillo, Brighid Kappel, Charlene Corzine, the OLS Men's Club, and all who helped to make this event a success!

Growing a Pea Plant

During the first quarter, the 5th graders covered a science unit on plant life. As part of their studies, they planted a snap pea seed and have spent the past couple of months tending to it and watching it grow. The circled area in the picture below shows the first pea pod sprouting one of the plants:

If this sample is representative of the group, we have some future gardeners on our hands!