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Uno, Dos, Tres ...

The seventh grade Spanish class at St. Thomas Aquina School created counting books in Spanish. Many chose to use Christmas as the theme. They visited Mrs. Clarey’s Kindergarten class and shared their counting books.

The seventh graders also worked with their kindergarten partners on colors and shapes.

Santa’s Elves Make New Friends

The first graders at St. Stephen School wrote letters to Santa in December. Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Leppien made sure to get to the post office and send the letters to the North Pole. A few days later, replies from the North Pole were waiting for the children in their classrooms. However, the letter weren't from Santa! Santa was so busy getting ready for Christmas that he asked his elves to respond.

The first graders were so excited to receive letters from Santa's real live elves! They learned a lot about Santa's elves, but still had some questions...so they wrote back to the elves. They heard back from the elves a second time - just before Christmas. The elves even included a special candy cane treat for the first graders this time, baked fresh from the elves’ kitchen!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to St. Stephen School reading specialist Anne Gardner, who received a grant to begin a postal system at St. Stephen and to Nouvel faculty member Lisa Moore who received a grant for an air-powered rocket project for her physics classes. These grants were awarded through the Saginaw Community Foundation.

Saginaw Area Catholic Schools was also the recipient of a grant enabling our schools to purchase technology for all core classrooms in the system and the training for teachers to utilize this amazing technology.

Nouvel Seniors Plan Party for Francis Reh Students

The Nouvel Catholic Central High School senior class participated in the Francis Reh Academy holiday festivities right before Christmas break. This was the second time the class of 2011 has participated in such an event. The festivities included the planning of classroom parties for the kindergarten and first grade classes. The senior party planners coordinated such activities as: musical chairs, Christmas cookie decorating, and arts and crafts. Each senior student was given the opportunity to provide a small Christmas gift for a young student at Francis Reh who was then their buddy for the holiday party.

The children’s faces truly lit up when they saw "Santa’s Elf" walk into their classroom carrying gifts for each of them. Senior Zac Badgerhouse dressed the part to help deliver the gifts to the children. Each student was thrilled to find a coloring book and a set of crayons as they opened their gifts. The senior students truly find this to be a rewarding experience. The smiles and laughs filling the classrooms were heartwarming to the students and fun was had by all. - Haley Hendrick, Class of 2011

Moms Are Special Guests

The Young Fives class at St. Thomas Aquinas School had Muffins with Moms day last Friday. Moms were invited into the classroom to have a breakfast of muffins, fruit, and juice. If a child's Mom was unable to come, he or she could invite a grandma or aunt. The kids had a great time showing their Moms around the classroom and having breakfast with them.

Kindergarteners Learn Good Nutrition

St. Stephen School kindergarten students went on a field trip to Old Country Buffet in the beginning of December. This was a culminating activity for a nutrition unit. The kids toured the back rooms to see where the food is made and stored. They then enjoyed a yummy lunch from the bountiful buffet.