What a whirlwind of activity we’ve experienced in the 3rd
and 4th grade classroom these last few weeks! In November we said
good-bye to Miss Amber Moore, our Junior Achievement volunteer. We so enjoyed
having her in class each week and learning from her about what it means to be a
member of a community. In honor of Veteran’s Day on November 11th, our students
welcomed two members of the armed forces, and also Saint Paul’s alum, into our
classroom to speak to us about what they do.
First was Lt. Carolyn Koval recently back from Afghanistan and currently
stationed in Germany with the U.S. Air Force. She told us about her travels
across Europe, answered our many questions about her job and the various
climates, landscapes, and cultures she has experienced in her travels, and read
to us from H is for Honor: A Military
Family Alphabet. This children’s book describes the different branches of
the military, the special abbreviations used, being an army brat, and other
interesting facts related to our country’s armed forces. Two days later, HN
Rebekah Schlemer, also visited. She, too, talked to us about her job as a hospital
corpsman in the Navy and even brought an MRE (meal ready to eat) for the
students to try! We've excitedly awaited the chance to meet both of these young
women since we first wrote to them in August, and we are extremely thankful for
their dedication in serving our country. Watch for the Troy Lutheran to come out- we have photographs to share with you showing what we have been up to this month!
Now that we are into December, we've studied the accounts of Christ’s birth according to the Gospels. We’ve
worked hard practicing our skit entitled Generous
which we will perform during chapel tomorrow, Dec. 19. Our skit goes along with
the spirit of giving—giving of our time, talents, and treasure—which Christ
calls us to share with all of those around us. We so enjoyed serving the
congregation through our Children’s Christmas program this past weekend. As a
class we've festively decorated our classroom for Christmas and enjoy singing
along to our favorite Christmas carols every day. We begin each morning with an
Advent devotion and light our Advent wreath. We are learning that during the
Advent season, our hearts are waiting and preparing for the celebration of
Christ’s coming. We are also sneakily
crafting home-made gifts, kind messages, and mysterious clues for one specific
classmate throughout the month of December. We are so excited to discover who
our own Secret Angel is and to tell who we have been a Secret Angel to! In
Social Studies class, we are researching how Christmas is celebrated
around the world. This is our favorite project every year and we are excited to
learn more about how people celebrate the holiday season in different ways. At
our Christmas party this Friday, we will create gingerbread houses, eat
cultural foods as part of our Christmas Around the World project, watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, sing
Christmas carols, and eat cookies that we made as part of our math lesson. In
place of a gift exchange, we will open our Christmas donations toward the Clean
Water Project and count up how much money our class is donating toward the mission. It feels good
to do the Lord’s work!
Thank you for the prayers and continued
support you give us. Each of us feels truly blessed to be at Saint Paul’s. Most
of all, we are thankful for the birth, death, and resurrection of our Savior
Jesus Christ!
A very blessed Christmas
and New Year to you and yours,
Mrs. McLaughlin’s 3rd
& 4th Graders
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