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!

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!

Speech Team

Earlier this month, OLS participated in our first Bellarmine Speec Meet of the year at St. Catherine Laboure. Our team did a fantastic job! In the serious category, Anna P. received a blue ribbon. The duet teams of Maggie M. & Grace C., John K. & Morgan R., and Anna B. & Audrey B. all received blue ribbons. In the humorous category, Matilda W. received a blue ribbon while Theresa D. received a perfect score gold ribbon. We are very proud of our team!

Thanksgiving Feast

Before diving into turkey with family and friends, our 5th graders and their kindergarten buddies celebrated their own Thanksgiving feast. Each student brought food to the feast and wore headgear of either Pilgrims or Native Americans. While the menu did not quite mimic the Pilgrims' celebration, the spirit of camaraderie and joy was the same.

The students enjoyed sharing a special day with their buddy. We hope your holiday was filled with as much excitement and joy as this one!

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."

Happy Halloween!

The ghosts and goblins, princesses and superheroes came out in throngs to celebrate Halloween at OLS on Friday. During our annual trunk or treat event, OLS families gathered to tell jokes, share candy, and enjoy an unseasonably warm October evening.

The Halloween fun continues at school today with Halloween parties in each classroom, not to mention trick-or-treating tonight around the neighborhood. We wish you all a fun and safe celebration tonight!

OLS Spirit

Thanks to a donation from a generous member of our community, all OLS students are proudly sporting new spirit shirts! Each grade has a unique color, and students and faculty are invited to wear their new shirts each Monday. Look for these bright shirts around the neighborhood this year!

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!

Blue Day

Last week, 4th grader Aiden G organized a fundraiser to support prostate cancer research. After losing his dad to this disease, the cause is near to his heart. Aiden encouraged all students to bring $1 to school and wear a blue shirt of their choice. Each student who made a donation received a cupcake, too.

With the support of the OLS student body, Aiden exceeded his fundraising goal! Thanks to all for your generous support.

TBT: 6th Grade Biography Reports

Now that our students and faculty have settled in a bit, we hope to resume our regular posting schedule soon. In the meantime, however, we have a few things to share from last school year.

Last spring, Mrs. McGrath's 6th graders each chose a biography to read and gave a presentation on their subject to their classmates. Biography subjects were varied and creative: Mother Teresa, Jackie Robinson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., President Obama, Marie Curie, Malala, Walt Disney, J.K. Rowling, Wilma Rudolph, Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, and Pocahontas.

The students enjoyed reading about their own subject and then learning from their classmates, as well. More than a few were surprised by how much fun they had with this assignment!

Celebrating St. Teresa

The students of OLS are dedicating this year to help continue the work of our newest saint: St. Teresa of Calcutta. In the spirit of Mother Teresa, our students will:

• visit senior citizens and pray with them
• read to younger students
• have "simple food" days
• collect money and items for the poor
• spend time in our adoration chapel for quiet prayer and reflection

The OLS student body with their pictures of St. Teresa of Calcutta.

Our students are excited to learn more about this woman who is a powerful example of mercy and love. St. Teresa of Calcutta, guide our words and our actions as we strive to be more like you.

Welcome to the new school year!

The 2016-17 school year is fully underway at OLS! Last Wednesday, we welcomed our 1st-8th grade students, and this week our youngest students join in the fun. Our kindergarten families had a special open house and pizza lunch yesterday to get acquainted. They start school today, and though there might be a few tears, we know they will quickly adjust to life in kindergarten.

This year's kindergarten students: the OLS class of 2025!

Our preschool students also started this week! We are delighted to welcome the youngest members of our school community and watch them grow and develop throughout the school year. Here's to a terrific 2016-17!

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.:

Snocones with Mrs. Banahan

 

Last week the students were surprised with two fabulous treats - a visit from Mrs. Banahan and snocones!!  It was wonderful to see Mrs. Banahan and who doesn't love a snocone?!

 

We couldn't have asked for a nicer day to celebrate!

Exploring the Earth's Matter

Ms. Schweiss' 4th graders have been learning about what is inside of the earth in Science. They learned what makes up the inside of the earth. They ended their studies by making a cross-section of the earth using play dough.

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.

SRN: Final Speech Tournament

On April 30th, the Our Lady of Sorrows Speech Team participated in the final meet at Vianney High School.  It was a nice win for Our Lady of Sorrows...Our Lady of Sorrows is very proud of our 2016 Speech Team, but are sad to let Amy D., Kaitlyn W., and Faith K., who performed in speech earlier in the year, go into high school next year.--8^th grader Kaitlyn W.

"Speech is amazing!" was how the 8th grade girls described the speech team at OLS...I asked them why they joined speech.  Faith said it was a means for her to become less shy.  Amy said it was to improve her public speaking, and Kaitlyn said it was a way to become more outgoing.  They all enjoyed their time in speech and agreed they loved it.  I asked them how speech helped them and they all said it taught them how to work.--8th grader Brady Y.

 

As this school year comes to a close, so does the Bellarmine Speech League 2015-16 year.  OLS had a wonderful season, and to cap it off, we participated in a final speech meet.  Three speech club members were chosen to participate...Kaitlyn, Matilda and Anna received gold ribbons, and Amy received a trophy for her outstanding work!  Congratulations speech team on a wonderful 2016 speech season!--6^th grader Anna S.

Walk-a-thon

The 4th grade, as well as the entire school, participated in our annual Walk-a-thon.  We were blessed with a wonderful day, and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. 

There was a little competition to see who would walk the most laps and the most steps according to their personal step trackers.  Don't forget to bring in the money that was pledged.

5th grade boats

Mrs. Siekerman's 5th graders are tackling a STEM project. They are working on designing and building a boat with a rubber bad propeller.

After careful construction, they put their boat in water to test its buoyancy. They found some success but also saw ways in which they could improve upon their design. They want to make changes and launch a second trial!

Family Groups

Last week the students met in their family groups to share lunch and play games.  Mrs. Ryan's family group played a dice game called Left, Right, Center Left, Right, Center, a straightforward game of chance.

The students enjoyed the break from the routine and had fun mingling with the members of their group.