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!

Cafeteria Art

 

 The 7th graders tried their hands at painting in art class. They experimented with bold colors and big designs to make a serious statement. Their colorful works of art are showcased in the cafeteria.

 

Bringing Opera to OLS

Opera Theatre of St. Louis visited OLS recently and presented "The Pirates of Penzance." Our 4th and 5th graders participated in workshops on makeup, movement, and music, then joined the rest of the student body to enjoy the performance of "Pirates."

Learning to Play the Recorder

The 3rd graders at OLS are learning to play the soprano recorder. In May of 2017, they will participate in a program at Powell Hall called Link Up. Stay tuned to hear more from these budding musicians!

Concert Band

OLS is proud of its long tradition in instrumental music. Shown here, Mr. Litvin leads a low brass sectional rehearsal. The Concert Band members meet 3-4 times each week for both full band and small sectional rehearsals. The one-on-one attention in sectionals helps students grow as musicians.

Though the calendar may say October, the Concert Band is already hard at work preparing for the Christmas concert. We hope you'll join us on December 15 to hear the fruits of their labor!

Clay creations from art class



A sampling of the clay art creations made by OLS students this year.

 

6th coil pots, mugs, bowls and other creations:

 

 4th grade rattle critters:

 7th grade clay creations of choice:

 2nd grade "dinosaurs":

5th grade coil bowls, mugs, etc.:

Spring Concert

Last week, the OLS students showcased their musical talent in our annual spring concert. The beginning and concert bands, directed by Mr. Litvin, treated the audience to selections in a variety of musical styles. Impressing the audience with their development over the past 8 months, the Beginning Band explored a theme by Mozart and played an upbeat march. The Concert Band performed a number of pieces, ranging from a bold fanfare to selections from Harry Potter.

Between the band pieces, Mr. Vizer directed all of the students in upbeat choral performances. Each choir included a medley: Shirley Temple favorites by the primary choir, Walt Disney selections by the middle grades, and The Sound of Music collection by the junior high. As an extra special treat, the OLS Cantor Choir performed in well-balanced harmony.

Special thanks to Mr. Litvin and Mr. Vizer for their work in preparing our students for the concert! It was a terrific evening to highlight the musical talent at OLS.

Student Reporter News: Band Performance

On Sunday the twenty-first of February, the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade concert band members went to Bishop DuBourg High School.  Our new band director, Mr. Litvin, said that we did an excellent job. We were critiqued on our ability to keep the speed just right, our balance of sound, and our technique. The Our Lady of Sorrows Band performed three pieces. There were judicators; one, a former middle school band director herself, and the judicators would give us constructive criticism on what they thought needed to be worked on. There were three other bands there and together we played Thunder Bay March, a very active and lively piece in which we had to start over on because everyone started out on the same notes, but got all crazy because we went at different speeds.--8^th grader Kaitlyn W. 

The Sheldon and Family Picnic

Last Friday, the students of Our Lady of Sorrows ended Catholic Schools week with an all school field trip to the Sheldon.  The fun began with a bus ride from school to the Sheldon where they students listened to a piano trio.  The performance was part of the Classical Connections program at the Sheldon.

The fun continued after the students returned to school and joined their families for a family picnic in the gym!

The picnic concluded with a prayer service lead by Dr. Christina Sanders.  The prayer service focused on the importance of the family unit and encouraged families to spend time together in prayer.

The family picnic and prayer service were a wonderful way to conclude Catholic Schools Week!

Clay Art

 (Left) One design before firing.
(Right Top and Bottom) 7th graders glazing their pieces after the first firing.

Last month, we caught a glimpse of the 7th graders molding clay in art class with Mrs. McGrath.
The OLS 5th-8th graders molded, shaped, and painted these clay tea lights for Christmas. 

All the finished pieces.

Christmas Concert

On Wednesday 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.

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

Molding Clay

Mrs. McGrath's art students have been trying their hand at sculpting clay. Focusing on ornaments that can adorn their family's Christmas tree, students of all ages have shaped, molded, painted, and transformed their once shapeless clay into works of art. Here we take a peek at the 7th graders working on shaping their ornaments.

Cafeteria Art

The halls at OLS are always full of student work. From writing assignments to science reports, evidence of student learning abounds in our hallways. Since most of our readers do not have the chance to walk the halls regularly, we wanted to bring the halls to you.

Last month, we found art projects created by our primary students lining the walls of the cafeteria. Students used warm colors to create fall landscapes, including pumpkins, turkeys, golden sunshine, and brightly-colored leaves. In the waning days of fall, enjoy a moment to revel in the beauty of the season as captured by our students.

Opera Comes to OLS

Opera on the Go, an educational outreach program sponsored by Opera Theatre of St. Louis, recently visited OLS. The 4th grade had the opportunity to participate in a few workshops about opera. They learned about movement, make-up, and singing. After the workshops, the entire school was treated to an abridged performance of "The Barber of Seville" by Gioachino Rossini.

Thank you to Mr. Vizer for bringing opera to Our Lady of Sorrows!

Student Reporter News: Exploring Egypt

Last week, the 6th graders and kindergarten students worked together to study Egypt. The older students spent weeks preparing by learning a great deal about ancient Egyptian history, culture, and art. Discover more about the event from a couple of our 6th grade students:

"The sixth grade just had their Egypt Day on Wednesday with the Kindergarten. It was a lot of fun because you got to know the Kindergarten, tell them about mummies, what they keep in the tombs, and if they were rich. It took up their last period. The sixth grade made necklaces. The Kindergarten made mummies, colored a tomb, and got to write their name in Hieroglyphs." -- Max S.

"The sixth grade and the kindergarten had Egypt Day on Wednesday. We talked to them about how the Egyptians lived in life, and we taught them about the stages of mummification. Also, this was a great time for the kindergarten to get to know us." -- Maria K.

Studying Textures

After discussing textures, Mrs. McGrath and the 1st graders put their conversation into action. The students tried to create smooth candy corn by gluing yarn flat. Dropping yarn in bunches created a rough texture but flat placement yielded a smooth product.

The students got a little - or a lot! - sticky but had fun in the process!

Preparing for Egypt Day

Each year, Mrs. McGrath and the 6th graders put together Egypt Day for the kindergarten students. The middle schoolers learn a great deal about Egyptian art, history, and culture through this project and then have a chance to teach the younger students what they've learned.

This week, the 6th grade is hard at work preparing for the event, which will take place later this fall. Pictured here, the students are busy creating mummy coffins. We can't wait to see the finished product!

Family Groups Celebrate Christmas

While we’re thinking of cooler days, we can remember how last year’s family groups celebrated Christmas. On the last day of school before Christmas break, all the family groups gathered in the gym for a Christmas carol sing-along. Listen in to their version of “Let it Snow":

We promise: we're finished with Christmas posts until December. If you're viewing this message through your e-mail and can't see the video, follow this link to watch the video on the blog.

April Artwork

We flashback again to last spring when Mrs. McGrath's art students took advantage of a beautiful day to sketch outside. The lovely grounds around OLS provide plenty of inspiration for our budding artists.

One Little Seed Spring Sing

Last weekend, One Little Seed presented their Spring Sing, an annual performance for the friends and families of our preschoolers.  The students from all three pre-K rooms sang favorite songs from the year, recited their daily prayers, and demonstrated how unbelievably entertaining a stage full of 3- to 5-year-olds can be.

At the end of the program, they recognized all of the pre-K "graduates" who will be heading to kindergarten in the fall.  Congratulations to all!

Enormous thanks to Ms. Lisa, the dedicated coordinator of our preschool program, and to her tireless staff: Ms. Heather, Ms. Trisha, Ms. Jane, and Ms. Rachel!!