It is the month to celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus.  “A Savior is born: Glory to God! Peace to Mankind.”                                  On December 6th, the parents of Montessori and Elementary schools childen were invited to our Fine Arts Auditorium to listen to a joint Christmas concert from 6pm.  The Montessori children were the opening program.  As the curtain rose, the energetic five- and six-year-olds ran up to the stage and danced to the song, “Go! Santa, Go!”

Then came the youngest group of two- and three-year-olds who danced with bells.And the four- and five-year-olds sang and danced to “Angels We Have Heard on High.”

Concluding this musical segment, all three classes of Montessori children gathered on stage to sing and act out “The Friendly Beasts” that told the story of how different animals played their part in helping to welcome the infant Jesus. The donkey carried Mary safely to Bethlehem, the cow gave Jesus his manger and hay for a bed, the dove cooed Baby Jesus to sleep, the sheep gave their wool for a blanket, the camel carried a gift “in the Wise Men’s pack.” The youngest group acted out all the parts as the older children sang the lyrics.

“Baby Jesus, kind and good
Was humbly born in a stable
And the friendly beasts around Him stood
Baby Jesus, kind and good.”

In preparation for the concert, the children practiced in separate age groups.  They also made animal headbands.In conclusion, the Montessori children wished the audience, “Merry Christmas!”

On the last week of school, the children visited the campus chapel in the Fine Arts building and had a Christmas service with Mr. Agnew, who is the religion teacher.  He told the Christmas story, and how the children should be kind and thankful to their moms and dads who take good care of them everyday.During the month, the children read the story from the Bible of the First Christmas. We visited the nativity scene in front of the school office in the main building.In the classroom, we also have a nativity scene from Germany.  The children love to place the wooden figures as they recall the story of the First Christmas, and sing the song, “The Friendly Beasts.”      Last month (November), the Montessori and Elementary schools students celebrated International Children’s Day by wearing the colors of their respective countries’ flags.  As a joint project, the children filled-in a small paper feather with lines, designs and patterns using black markers. The Elementary Student Council put all the feathers together to make a pair of large wings.  We took group and individual photos in front of the wings that said, “Where will our wings take you?” The children took their angel photos home in special frames that we had decorated in class for Christmas.Making Christmas cards…

Our German mom gave a presentation on how German children celebrate Saint Nikolaus Day—cleaning their boots and leaving them by the window or door, on the night of December 5th, to have them filled with goodies, including coins, nuts, oranges, chocolates, or small toys.Enjoying Christmas pizza luncheon together.Making patterns using beads…Making maps…Continuing to talk about, identify and to draw various construction vehices as one of our study units.And using our imagination and having fun…Where will our wings take us?  We aim to continue our journey of discovery in 2020. Have a wonderful Christmas holiday.