Christmas program presented

By ANN GEISE

St. Richard Correspondent

The hours and hours of practicing proved to be very fruitful as the all school Christmas program presented on Thursday, Dec. 10 was a heartwarming success! Students sang and performed to Christmas carols old and new. Those who attended either of the performances received the best gift of all - Christmas spirit from the heart of the St. Richard School students!

In classroom news, the kindergartners are learning about holidays and special days such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas as well as how other people celebrate these special days. In reading the young students have now learned 10 letter sounds that they are putting together to make words. Along with their color words, number words, and 12 sight words they are elated to be able to make sentences that they can read! In math the kindergartners are working on number words and learning larger numbers.

On Thursday, Dec. 17 was an all school buddy group Mass. They celebrated the Advent season in a special way by offering decorated hearts as a symbol of the gift of themselves. The hearts also served as a symbol of our preparation through patience, care, kindness, and sharing for Jesus' birthday.

The first graders are excited about Christmas as well! They are keeping their focus and preparing by choosing one nice thing to do for each week of Advent. Even with the holiday excitement, there is a lot to learn. In reading, the first graders are studying blends and will soon start long vowels. They are also comparing numbers and practicing ones and tens in math. In science students have been conducting rock experiments.

Another reason for excitement in the first grade is because of a new weather/nature center they will soon be getting. Congratulations to first grade teacher, Mrs. Cherish Bradford for applying for and receiving a grant through the Swanton Schools. She is hoping the outdoor weather/nature center will arrive in time for their upcoming seasons and weather studies!

The second graders have been preparing for Christmas by making a classroom Advent Calendar which has one window for each day of December. Every morning the students open another window as Christmas gets closer.

In social studies, the second graders have been learning about local and national government and also what makes someone a good citizen. They are reading about community leaders like Cesar Chavez and Mother Teresa, and learning about what they did to help others.

The third grade students are working on learning to count money and problem-solving involving the counting of bills and coins in math class. Throughout each and every day the students continue their discussions and share ideas on life skills.

In fourth grade classroom news, the students are exploring the Northwest Territory with the early settlers. In science, they are exploring important systems of the human body. In math, they are working hard at honing their multiplication skills with two digit numbers.