Spring is here!!

The snow is finally melting and almost all gone!  Spring is finally here!  I'm looking forward to warmer weather and no more snowpants!!  =)

Last month was busy with our 'Day with Dads'...I was so happy to see that EACH and every child had a dad or special friend that was able to come that afternoon!  The children and dads/friends had a lot of fun first making a Mother's Day present, then making a card and finally having a treat of donuts and juice!  Thanks to all that were able to come and participate!  I look forward to seeing moms and friends on our 'Moments with Moms' day in May.  We'll make a Father's Day gift, make a card and then have a treat of muffins and juice.

May has arrived and I just can't believe how fast the school year has gone!  We have been so busy in our classroom with all of our learning!  This past week we were able to finish up our MAPS testing!  I'm so proud of all of the Kinders....they really showed some wonderful growth throughout the year.  I will be able to share the results of your child's MAP test soon.  =) 

There are a lot of things on the calendar for this month!  I will continue to send out weekly notes to keep everyone updated and reminded of things happening this month. 

Our busy schedule begins next week when OLL celebrates Week of the Young Child!!
Monday: Old West Day
Tuesday:  Circus Day
Wednesday: Camping Day
Thursday:  Pirate Day
Friday:  Animal Day

Be sure to check your child's folder for a detailed note about each day!  Grades Pre - 1 will be celebrating these days throughout the week in their classrooms!  I'm excited to do lots of fun activities with the Kinders this week!

We are also getting ready for our FIRST time ever helping out with Liturgy!  That Liturgy with be on May 28th at 9 AM.  I hope that you can join us for this special occasion!  We will also be joined by Bishop Christenson!  =)

I will continue to update as the month goes on and we get closer to the end of the year!  I'm very excited to get started on this year's Kinder DVD...using pictures from the very first day of school to the end!  Each family will receive a copy of the DVD as a gift from me! 

Thanks for stopping by!!  Enjoy the weekend and stop back often as I will update this again later in the week!
~Mrs. Westlund  =)

4th Sunday of Advent

On the 4th Sunday of Advent and as we get closer to Christmas, know that I celebrate the gift of Jesus and am thankful for the gifts and joys that I have in my life. Each and everyone one of you and your children touch my heart and my life in such meaningful ways. Thank you for the 'gift' of your child to my classroom and to our school. May we all be continued to be blessed by each other's love and learning!

4th Sunday Advent Prayer
Let us pray as Advent draws to a close, that Christ will truly come into our hearts.

Oh, God who loves me with such tenderness, I beg you for moments of quiet in this day and in the days ahead.

I long to savor this joy, this anticipation of the great gift you give us.

I ask for the peace and joy of "watchful hope."
Give me the grace to carry in my heart the soul-lifting awareness of Emmanuel - God With Us.

What joy, what a gift.

The Advent song comes to me and fills my heart:
"Emmanuel , Emmanuel.

Who are we that you should love us so well?"

I want to walk in gratitude in these last days of Advent and place myself in the service of your plan for me.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

Amen.

3rd Week of Advent

We begin this third week of Advent asking to feel the joy
that comes from knowing our Lord's coming to us is near.
In these precious days ahead, we are praying, longing, hoping
in the background of our everyday lives.

His mission is for each of us who ask, “What must we do?”
He tells us to give away our coats, our security.
He asks that we not bully people but be content with our lives.

We can smile today as we imagine the freedom he has won for us
and how liberating it will be to live it, with him, for others.
It is right to give our God thanks and praise.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4: 6-7

 

Prayer for the 3rd week of Advent:

 

I lift my heart up to you, Lord,
to thank you for the blessings
you shower on me each day.

You are the 'joy of my soul.'
I know that in your great love,
I am held and protected by you.

I pray and listen to the good news you send;
I ask and feel the healing.
I am freed by you
from the things in this world
that let me hide from you.

I rejoice, I rejoice, down to my soul.
Help me to prepare my heart
to be open and able to receive your immense love.

2nd Week of Advent...sorry it's late!

SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT: HOPE
We light a second purple candle on the second Sunday of Advent to represent the hope of Christ coming to the world.

The word "hope" has two meanings in the Bible. The first, tiqvah, contains the sense of eager anticipation or waiting. The second, elpis. depicts a sense of confident expectation based on certainty. Biblical hope is secured by God's faithfulness to His promises. For the Old Testament leaders, their hope was in the Messiah's arrival. For us, it is the hope of the Messiah's return.
God's plan for humanity unfolded in the town of Bethlehem, the birthplace of the Messiah, joyously fulfilling a long-awaited promise. Today we confidently wait for the Messiah's triumphant return.

Dear Lord,
Through the darkness, I look for your wisdom.
I want my heart to be open to you.
But sometimes in these days, it seems that
so many things come between us.

Help me to be awake and aware
of the radiance you bring to my life.
Help me to be grateful each day
for the blessings of family and friends.
Let me be a peacemaker
in my own life, and in the world.
Let me pray especially for this difficult world
and those who are so in need of an end to violence.
My heart begs for this as my Advent prayer today.

1st Week of Advent - 2013

The season of Advent begins tomorrow (Sunday, December 1st)!  This is my very favorite time of year!!...We'll be getting our Christmas tree today or tomorrow (we always do a real one, it's just something I have to have!) and I'll have my christmas tunes going...I love singing....but I love singing christmas music the most!  (I used to sing for the Rittenhouse in Bayfield- so much fun!) But amidst all the hustle and bustle that this season brings to all of us, let us take time to pray and be thankful for the reason for it all- the gift of God's loving son, Jesus, to come to earth and be our saviour!  So, each weekend I'll post a prayer I found that goes with each of the four weeks of advent!  The children will have advent wreaths at school that we will 'light' (with orange colored tissue paper) each week.  I encourage you to have your own advent wreath at home too, as a reminder that 1) it isn't christmas quite yet and 2) this time before christmas is to prepare ourselves for this very special day that we celebrate the day of our Lord's birth!

 

(These prayers can be read to your children if you find that you want to...but they are more intended for us, adults & parents)

The First Week of Advent

Lord God,

only you can see into my heart and know

that under all the busy-ness of my life,

there is a deep longing

 to make this Advent one that welcomes you

 more deeply into my own life.

My heart desires the warmth of your love

 and my mind searches for your Light

 in the midst of the darkness.

Help me to be a peacemaker this Advent

 and to give special love to those

 who disagree with me.

 Give me the strength and courage

 to forgive those who have hurt me.

 Help me to free my heart

 from the prison of my anger and hurt.

In Jesus' name, we pray.  AMEN!

Happy September!

Hello! The school year is off to a great start! The new Kinders have done an excellent job of getting aquainted with our classroom, our new and old friends, different teachers and the new routine of the school days! I am very proud of each and every one of them...they are doing an excellent job of becoming wonderful students. We're rarin' to go with great learning throughout the year!!

 In September we will be working on the following concepts:
First and foremost...being Kindergarten students!! Being a Kindergartener is WAY different than being a preschooler...we are quickly learning our schedules for our days and that we do all have work to get done each day and when our work is done, we get to play!!

In Language Arts: We are learning our ABCs. We are focusing on one letter a day. We look at how the letter is formed (straight lines, curved lines, etc.) and think of words that begin with it's sound. We are also learning about titles, authors and illustrators. Several students have already become authors and illustrators of their own books...which they have worked on during free time. They really enjoy being able to share their stories with our class while we all listen on the carpet. We've got some very creative writers in our class!

In Math: We are learning about sorting and classifying objects. The children are sorting objects by shape, size and color. We are also reviewing the colors and names of shapes. We work on numbers every day with our calendar and couting the days that we've been in school. We are trying to learn to count to 100!

In Religion: We are learning about God as our Creator. We are learning about all of the wonderful things that God has created for us and how we need to care for these things. We are thankful to God for the gifts of our moms, dads, families, friends and the world around us!

In Science: We are learning about matter- solids, liquids and gases. We are exploring to sort and classify different objects and items into these groups. We are identifying solids and liquids and gases in the world around us.

In Social Studies: We are learning about ourselves and our family and friends around us. We are learning about our special talents and how we are all different and all have wonderful gifts and talents that we are special at. We all have different things that we like and dislike and we are learning that we need to respect each other's differences.

Special September Happenings... We took a field trip to Bayfield to visit the Bayfield Apple Company and Hauser's Farm to see their orchards and taste some of their delicious apples! We had a very fun trip!! We ended the trip by having lunch at the Coast Guard park in Bayfield and played on the playground. The weather was beautiful and we all had a really fun time! <br />

Highlights from Catholic Schools Week 2013!

CrAzY hAt DaY!

Kindergarten - 4th Grade go sledding!

We had a great time sledding (I even went down a couple times!) behind the Chequamegon Hotel.  It's within walking distance for us and provided a perfect space for our group to sled.  The temperatures cooperated so that we were able to take our sleds and have some fun!

Today is Friday and is Crazy Hair Day and Inside Out Clothes Day.  I will try to get some more pictures up today or tomorrow from today.  We have had a great week of activities to celebrate our wonderful school!  We sadly were not able to go to Superior for Mass with the Bishop due to bad weather conditions, but are hoping to maybe be able to reschedule that for a later date.  Instead, we had Mass with Fr. Paul at our own church and took time to thank God for the gifts that we have...WONDERFUL students, WONDERFUL families and WONDERFUL teachers and staff!

Thursday was pajama day and the children were able to go to the OLL School 'Movie Theater'...they were able to pick one of four choices.  The Home and School provided popcorn and a juice box for a treat!  Thank you Home and School for all of the wonderful activities planned for the week!!

Don't forget...SUNDAY, FEB. 3rd at 10 AM is the All School Liturgy to end Catholic Schools Week and also a Pancake Breakfast in the Social Hall!!