Day 72
This week there is no spelling list given and no homework as the holidays commence Friday at 3:45!
As the two images above indicate, we have now entered the third week of Advent.
The theme for week three is Joy. Indeed, we joyously await the birth of Christ.
We welcome all our parents into school Wednesday at 1:00 PM to help your child create an ice cream cone Christmas Tree on a plate. Mr. Hamer has purchased all of the supplies and some candy, but it's best that you send along some candy for your child as I won't have enough for the entire class. Looking forward to seeing you Wednesday afternoon.
A lovely stained glass colouring by one of the pupils.
You all should have received our class picture in your child's agenda this evening. We are a good looking bunch, for sure!
As some of our families come from other cultures, I thought it best to review the fun homework activity we recently completed on identifying the Christmas carol based on the image. This one's an easy one...Jingle Bells!
How about...Walking in a Winter Wonderland.
If you said...Santa Claus is Coming to Town...you got it right!
As the tag on top of the wrapped gift box indicates, the present is meant to go to the world. Seeing as the present is one box of Joy...well then it must be...Joy to the World!
Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.
Seeing as we are waiting for the water to arrive from the famous geyser in Yellowstone Park...what's that geyser's name again...oh yes...Old Faithful...then the Christmas carol must be...O Come All Ye Faithful.
Big "white" letters in the dream box indicating X-mas can only mean that...I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas.
Lots of O's on a Christmas tree must mean...O Christmas Tree.
On the basket it seems that no one knows the name of the child, so it must be...What Child Is This?
We Three Kings!
There's a "deck" of cards in the hallway...must be...Deck the Halls.
The eyes see the three sailboats...I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In.
A knight with many holes must mean...O Holy Night!
It's the first alphabet I have seen without any "L" so the Christmas carol simply must be...The First Noel...get it "no L".
Hey, I see a "weigh" scale in a manger! This could only mean...Away in a Manger.
Notice the twelve December 25's? It has to be...The Twelve Days of Christmas.
The eyes above are seeing a lady giving a smooch to Old Saint Nick. This could only be...I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.
The tool at the top of the picture is an "awl". The wishbone is what you pull to make a wish. The saw has lost two of its teeth at the front end. Hmmm....ah, yes....All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.
Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire.
The piece of paper floated in the sky and landed atop the clock right at midnight on a clear and starry night. This must be...It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.
Hey, it's snowing in the three different panels. That must mean..Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!
This quiet knight is asking as to stay real quiet as well. How about...Silent Night.
Check out the little model of the town. Must be...O Little Town of Bethlehem.
Last but not least, there are bells around The Lone Ranger's Horse's neck. What's the horse's name again? Ah yes...Silver. The carol must be...Silver Bells.
I didn't have my camera with me today, but we were able to get a blog posting off nonetheless by reviewing our fun homework sheet!
I'm off to a musical rehearsal at the church for our Christmas Eve 8:00 PM mass so have a great evening everyone! Mr. Hamer, OCT
Day 73
Day 73 was Tuesday but I was too busy Tuesday evening to work on the blog.
These two images showcase what took my time. Our choir is singing the National Anthem in February at an Ottawa 67's game. Fifty-four chorister and three choir leaders will be down on the ice pre-game for the festivities.
Another 159 tickets were purchased schoolwide. I went down to TD Place after school to pick up the tickets and pay for them...with the choir members being free. That means over two hundred tickets to deal with. After the tickets were printed out, I had to determine where everyone would sit in the stands. Knowing how many tickets each family ordered, I then mapped them out on a grid of two sections, Section 22 and Section 23. Getting all of the numbers to match up took some time...just like completing a crossword puzzle. Note how some families ordered two, three, four, five...tickets and so on. After this process I then had to place each set of tickets into an envelope for each family. Labeling the envelops was also very time consuming. It's all worth it in the end as the experience is a wonderful one of the choir members, one they will remember for the rest of their lives.
As a result, I am now posting Tuesday's images Wednesday night.
A late post it is due to the fact we held our St. Bernard staff party this evening!
I will post today's Christmas Craft activities tomorrow evening and we will get the blog caught up on the first Saturday of the holidays along with the inclusion of a December review!
Looks like the students will be starting a Christmas tree stained glass colouring.
Working in groups with friends is fun.
All smiles.
Everyone has now completed their ornaments thanks to our volunteer elf.
Tomorrow they will be provided with a ribbon for hanging them up.
"Look at my Christmas tree!"
Wow, that's beautiful.
"How about mine?"
Yup, that's a keeper!
"I'm proud of mine!"
And...we're all proud of you too!
"Come over and see my tree!"
A show stopper!
"Mine is all colours!"
Indeed, all colours of the rainbow are incorporated!
"My tree makes me smile!"
It makes us smile too!
"It's fun making stained glass art!"
It's fun for us looking at stained glass art!
"My tree is so cool!"
Cooler than cool!
"It took me a while and I concentrated on my work!"
You did a super job!
Check in tomorrow.
When we will examine our Christmas Craft Day.
With our many volunteers.
When we made cool (and yummy) Christmas trees!
Thank you to a special elf for this lovely work of art!
And...thanks to another elf for the lovely snowflake ornament!
Have a great evening! Mr. Hamer OCT
Day 75
We are nearing the end of week three of Advent with Joy being our theme for the week.
Thanks to two pretty looking elves for sending me some pics for the blog from yesterday's Christmas Craft session in the afternoon.
Since I'm behind the camera, I'm rarely seen throughout the blog.
It would appear that I'm just like a little kid all over again! Hehehe!
Indeed, the classroom came alive with so many wonderful visitors.
Mother and daughter makes a great pic!
Thanks to all our helpers.
I think the adults had as much fun as the children.
I don't think it...I know it!
Smile!
Father and daughter!
Mother and son!
Two great smiles!
Say "cheese" or "sugar"! Hehehe!
Love mom's sweater!
Team work.
Results in a creative project.
So many candies.
"What to choose...what to choose!"
Yet another mom!
Our visitors sure help make a difference.
Lots of time to catch up on friendships.
A beautiful photo.
Santa's really tall!
A kiss from mom!
A smile from dad!
Two great smiles.
Three great smiles.
"This is exciting!"
Still more moms.
Everyone feels welcome.
Ho Ho Ho!
Our finished Christmas tree stained glass art.
Adorn our Creation board.
With white snowflakes.
Wow...a gift for my puppy, Lilly! Woof, woof!
Tomorrow I will post still more pics from our Christmas Craft day.
As well as pics from today when the children received some fun gifts from special peers.
You'll be able to see a ton of pics from our sliding experience from today.
When we went over to the park to play with our junior buddy class.
We will also check in on the Snowflake Sale.
But I will be careful not so show pictures of surprise gifts until after Christmas!
Lilly loves her new pull toy!
She's sticking pretty close to it! Hehehe!
Lilly says "Thank You" to our little elf who gave it to her!
Have a great evening! Mr Hamer OCT
Day 76
With today being the last day of school before the Christmas break, I would like to take this time to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and relaxing holiday.
I'll share a few more pics from our Christmas Craft day.
With treats galore.
And many happy faces.
Lots of helpers.
Plenty of teamwork.
Now, that's what I would call a "candy forest!"
Here's the elf that created that forest.
A nice lane way leading to this tree.
"For every morsel of candy I place on my tree, I eat another morsel!"
"I'm having a ball!"
"Placing my decorations on my tree!"
A great big smile.
Such uniformity to her tree.
So much cool candy!
"I'll make a lane way too!"
This little elf...
...created this little tree with dad. You go girl!
"I LOVE school!
And she loves her creation.
Focus.
To get that wreath placed just right.
Hehehe!
He loves his tree...you should see it later!
Yummy goodies.
Make for a yummy tree.
"Having mom here is awesome!"
Her tree is coming along too!
Lots of missing teeth in Grade One and Grade Two!
But no missing candies!
A lovely smile.
And a lovely tree.
A dynamic duo.
Make for a dynamic tree.
Sticky fingers.
Make for a great tree.
A proud lad.
With his tree developing nicely.
A happy girl.
With lots of colours around the base of her tree.
Thankfully the candy is on the plate and not all in their tummies!
Cool!
Total concentration.
Total celebration!
"I don't want to spill mine!"
"Get a picture of mine, Mr. Hamer!"
I think he'll need a crane to carry this one home!
Colourful!
Indeed.
With many of the children having left with moms and dads, we enjoyed a relaxing Block Four colouring a stained glass angel.
In our flex seating.
In fun groupings.
We recycled cups that were extras from the teacher's staff room.
To hold our icing.
Thank you to all the families for your lovely gifts.
Of course, the greatest gift you have given me is the opportunity to teach your children!
Another picture of a fun gift from a peer.
A couple more shots from our outdoor activity.
When we went sliding with our buddies. (I'll share more pics in a day or so over the holidays from these activities.)
I'll also share some more pics later on regarding the Snowflake Sale.
It is my understanding that over two thousand dollars was made for charity. Way to go St. Bernard!
Today (Friday) we enjoyed a Christmas sing along in the gymnasium.
With the entire student body.
Mrs. Farrell's dad, Al, joined Mr. Papineau and me on guitar.
We had "feted" Mrs. Hennessy at our staff party the previous evening. Today at our Christmas sing along, the entire student body sang a song we wrote for her and she was presented with this lovely artwork which is made with the painted fingerprint of every student in the school. We will miss you, Mrs. Hennessy. Of course, please know that you will always be a member of the St. Bernard family!
Merry Christmas to all of our families, and check in over the next few days with more pics to be posted. Mr. Hamer OCT
As promised, a few more pics from our last day and last week of school.
We find Mrs. Hennessy saying "Thank You" to the staff and students of St. Bernard School for being so wonderful throughout her 28 years being with us.
We reworked the words to Feliz Navidad and sang "Mrs. Hennessy" to the same tune.
Then we went on to sing "We want to wish you a happy retirement...in the place of we want to wish you a merry Christmas.
Then it was on with the singsong.
Mrs. Farrell's father, Al, joined Mr. Papineau and me.
A few lights for mood setting.
I had to set the gym up in Block One, so our charges brought the chrome books over to the gym.
Where they worked with friends.
And enjoyed themselves.
The kinders were welcome to play as we set up for the show.
Our buddy class was dressed up in the hallway.
For a short Christmas play they were to put on.
I believe for the kinders as well.
Let's take a glance back at the snowflake sale.
Where there were tons of toys and stuffies to select from.
Sister Act!
Lots of colours.
Our friend finds that there is so much to choose from!
"I like this one!"
"Hi Mr. Hamer!"
We're just having fun!
Cool toys.
Another selection.
Lots of loot, for sure!
"Do you like my purse?
A nice bag to hold the presents.
A happy lad.
Another happy lad.
Two sporty guys.
"Look what I'm getting."
"Look at me!"
Good buddies.
Yes...this girl does love Christmas...and presents!
We also got outdoors with our buddy class.
On a clear morning.
It's fun going down two at a time!
Ready, set...go!
"I love this, Mr. Hamer!"
Yes, it's cold outside.
But we don't think about it.
Cuz we're going sliding!
I see Mr. Papineau in the mix.
The only bad part about sliding is that you have to walk back up the hill.
Lots of kids.
Colourful crazy carpets.
Mr. Papineau's turn.
Look at us!
There goes another tandem.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
I love the snow!
Me too!
Taking a break.
Dressed warmly.
The rabbit in red!
Too much fun!
Weee-e-e-e!
Over to the other hill.
A clear blue sky day!
Two by two!
The church is silhouetted in such a beautiful manner.
Our lovely display board in the hallway near "The Zone."
Happy New Year to all of our St. Bernard families!
Mr. Hamer OCT
PS: Check in later for our December review!
Day 73
Day 73 was Tuesday but I was too busy Tuesday evening to work on the blog.
These two images showcase what took my time. Our choir is singing the National Anthem in February at an Ottawa 67's game. Fifty-four chorister and three choir leaders will be down on the ice pre-game for the festivities.
Another 159 tickets were purchased schoolwide. I went down to TD Place after school to pick up the tickets and pay for them...with the choir members being free. That means over two hundred tickets to deal with. After the tickets were printed out, I had to determine where everyone would sit in the stands. Knowing how many tickets each family ordered, I then mapped them out on a grid of two sections, Section 22 and Section 23. Getting all of the numbers to match up took some time...just like completing a crossword puzzle. Note how some families ordered two, three, four, five...tickets and so on. After this process I then had to place each set of tickets into an envelope for each family. Labeling the envelops was also very time consuming. It's all worth it in the end as the experience is a wonderful one of the choir members, one they will remember for the rest of their lives.
As a result, I am now posting Tuesday's images Wednesday night.
A late post it is due to the fact we held our St. Bernard staff party this evening!
I will post today's Christmas Craft activities tomorrow evening and we will get the blog caught up on the first Saturday of the holidays along with the inclusion of a December review!
Looks like the students will be starting a Christmas tree stained glass colouring.
Working in groups with friends is fun.
All smiles.
Everyone has now completed their ornaments thanks to our volunteer elf.
Tomorrow they will be provided with a ribbon for hanging them up.
"Look at my Christmas tree!"
Wow, that's beautiful.
"How about mine?"
Yup, that's a keeper!
"I'm proud of mine!"
And...we're all proud of you too!
"Come over and see my tree!"
A show stopper!
"Mine is all colours!"
Indeed, all colours of the rainbow are incorporated!
"My tree makes me smile!"
It makes us smile too!
"It's fun making stained glass art!"
It's fun for us looking at stained glass art!
"My tree is so cool!"
Cooler than cool!
"It took me a while and I concentrated on my work!"
You did a super job!
Check in tomorrow.
When we will examine our Christmas Craft Day.
With our many volunteers.
When we made cool (and yummy) Christmas trees!
Thank you to a special elf for this lovely work of art!
And...thanks to another elf for the lovely snowflake ornament!
Have a great evening! Mr. Hamer OCT
Day 75
We are nearing the end of week three of Advent with Joy being our theme for the week.
Thanks to two pretty looking elves for sending me some pics for the blog from yesterday's Christmas Craft session in the afternoon.
Since I'm behind the camera, I'm rarely seen throughout the blog.
It would appear that I'm just like a little kid all over again! Hehehe!
Indeed, the classroom came alive with so many wonderful visitors.
Mother and daughter makes a great pic!
Thanks to all our helpers.
I think the adults had as much fun as the children.
I don't think it...I know it!
Smile!
Father and daughter!
Mother and son!
Two great smiles!
Say "cheese" or "sugar"! Hehehe!
Love mom's sweater!
Team work.
Results in a creative project.
So many candies.
"What to choose...what to choose!"
Yet another mom!
Our visitors sure help make a difference.
Lots of time to catch up on friendships.
A beautiful photo.
Santa's really tall!
A kiss from mom!
A smile from dad!
Two great smiles.
Three great smiles.
"This is exciting!"
Still more moms.
Everyone feels welcome.
Ho Ho Ho!
Our finished Christmas tree stained glass art.
Adorn our Creation board.
With white snowflakes.
Wow...a gift for my puppy, Lilly! Woof, woof!
Tomorrow I will post still more pics from our Christmas Craft day.
As well as pics from today when the children received some fun gifts from special peers.
You'll be able to see a ton of pics from our sliding experience from today.
When we went over to the park to play with our junior buddy class.
We will also check in on the Snowflake Sale.
But I will be careful not so show pictures of surprise gifts until after Christmas!
Lilly loves her new pull toy!
She's sticking pretty close to it! Hehehe!
Lilly says "Thank You" to our little elf who gave it to her!
Have a great evening! Mr Hamer OCT
Day 76
With today being the last day of school before the Christmas break, I would like to take this time to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and relaxing holiday.
I'll share a few more pics from our Christmas Craft day.
With treats galore.
And many happy faces.
Lots of helpers.
Plenty of teamwork.
Now, that's what I would call a "candy forest!"
Here's the elf that created that forest.
A nice lane way leading to this tree.
"For every morsel of candy I place on my tree, I eat another morsel!"
"I'm having a ball!"
"Placing my decorations on my tree!"
A great big smile.
Such uniformity to her tree.
So much cool candy!
"I'll make a lane way too!"
This little elf...
...created this little tree with dad. You go girl!
"I LOVE school!
And she loves her creation.
Focus.
To get that wreath placed just right.
Hehehe!
He loves his tree...you should see it later!
Yummy goodies.
Make for a yummy tree.
"Having mom here is awesome!"
Her tree is coming along too!
Lots of missing teeth in Grade One and Grade Two!
But no missing candies!
A lovely smile.
And a lovely tree.
A dynamic duo.
Make for a dynamic tree.
Sticky fingers.
Make for a great tree.
A proud lad.
With his tree developing nicely.
A happy girl.
With lots of colours around the base of her tree.
Thankfully the candy is on the plate and not all in their tummies!
Cool!
Total concentration.
Total celebration!
"I don't want to spill mine!"
"Get a picture of mine, Mr. Hamer!"
I think he'll need a crane to carry this one home!
Colourful!
Indeed.
With many of the children having left with moms and dads, we enjoyed a relaxing Block Four colouring a stained glass angel.
In our flex seating.
In fun groupings.
We recycled cups that were extras from the teacher's staff room.
To hold our icing.
Thank you to all the families for your lovely gifts.
Of course, the greatest gift you have given me is the opportunity to teach your children!
Another picture of a fun gift from a peer.
A couple more shots from our outdoor activity.
When we went sliding with our buddies. (I'll share more pics in a day or so over the holidays from these activities.)
I'll also share some more pics later on regarding the Snowflake Sale.
It is my understanding that over two thousand dollars was made for charity. Way to go St. Bernard!
Today (Friday) we enjoyed a Christmas sing along in the gymnasium.
With the entire student body.
Mrs. Farrell's dad, Al, joined Mr. Papineau and me on guitar.
Finally, we wish Mrs. Hennessy a happy retirement as today was her final day as office administrator at our school. Mrs. Hennessy has been with us for 28 years. Ms. Nancy is with her in this pic taken by our VP, Mrs. Kerr.
We had "feted" Mrs. Hennessy at our staff party the previous evening. Today at our Christmas sing along, the entire student body sang a song we wrote for her and she was presented with this lovely artwork which is made with the painted fingerprint of every student in the school. We will miss you, Mrs. Hennessy. Of course, please know that you will always be a member of the St. Bernard family!
Merry Christmas to all of our families, and check in over the next few days with more pics to be posted. Mr. Hamer OCT
As promised, a few more pics from our last day and last week of school.
We find Mrs. Hennessy saying "Thank You" to the staff and students of St. Bernard School for being so wonderful throughout her 28 years being with us.
We reworked the words to Feliz Navidad and sang "Mrs. Hennessy" to the same tune.
Then we went on to sing "We want to wish you a happy retirement...in the place of we want to wish you a merry Christmas.
Then it was on with the singsong.
Mrs. Farrell's father, Al, joined Mr. Papineau and me.
A few lights for mood setting.
I had to set the gym up in Block One, so our charges brought the chrome books over to the gym.
Where they worked with friends.
And enjoyed themselves.
The kinders were welcome to play as we set up for the show.
Our buddy class was dressed up in the hallway.
For a short Christmas play they were to put on.
I believe for the kinders as well.
Let's take a glance back at the snowflake sale.
Where there were tons of toys and stuffies to select from.
Sister Act!
Lots of colours.
Our friend finds that there is so much to choose from!
"I like this one!"
"Hi Mr. Hamer!"
We're just having fun!
Cool toys.
Even an airplane!
Another selection.
Lots of loot, for sure!
"Do you like my purse?
A nice bag to hold the presents.
A happy lad.
Another happy lad.
Two sporty guys.
"Look what I'm getting."
"Look at me!"
Good buddies.
Yes...this girl does love Christmas...and presents!
We also got outdoors with our buddy class.
On a clear morning.
It's fun going down two at a time!
Ready, set...go!
"I love this, Mr. Hamer!"
Yes, it's cold outside.
But we don't think about it.
Cuz we're going sliding!
I see Mr. Papineau in the mix.
The only bad part about sliding is that you have to walk back up the hill.
Lots of kids.
Colourful crazy carpets.
Mr. Papineau's turn.
Look at us!
There goes another tandem.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
I love the snow!
Me too!
Taking a break.
Dressed warmly.
The rabbit in red!
Too much fun!
Weee-e-e-e!
Over to the other hill.
A clear blue sky day!
Two by two!
The church is silhouetted in such a beautiful manner.
Our lovely display board in the hallway near "The Zone."
Happy New Year to all of our St. Bernard families!
Mr. Hamer OCT
PS: Check in later for our December review!
