The month of December reminds us that a year is ending and that a new year is just around the corner.
The SCLS Middle and High School International Division loves to celebrate Christmas so between December 14th and 18th teachers and students joined in a full program that included a Talent Show, lots of DIYs, the singing of Christmas carols and displays of seasonal traditions from around the world.
Ms. Yacono, our grade 6 English teacher, created the Holiday Cheer Committee with the help of other teachers and with the Student Council. This combined group planned all of the wonderful events and activities of the week.
And so:
Monday December 14th was "Ugly Sweater Day", and lessons started as usual. In Spanish and French classes, however, students were involved in creating a variety of projects to show all faculty: "Christmas around the World".
We all wore Christmas hats on Tuesday, since it was "Holiday Headwear Day". During ECA time on these first days, students joined different themed activities such as gingerbread and cookies decorating, Pictionary, painting and decorating Christmas trees as well as popsicle sticks & pompon arts and crafts! Watch the fun video of our ECAs below:
Wednesday you could see some teachers wearing "Robes and Slippers" throughout the day, and ECA time was spent in homerooms, where students watched a short selection of Christmas movies.
Thursday and the end of the week is coming! There was a Scavenger Hunt with Bingo cards in which students had lots of fun trying to unravel the clues to fill their card. And of course, there were prizes for the ones who had their Bingo card completed! At the end of the day, we all joined a Talent Show at the theatre, the highlight of the week.
It was then time for an explosion of talent with students displaying an incredible array of skills. These included our rock band, "The Seven", pianists, singers, speed painting and iPad drawing, some rap, dance, and comedy--fit for a good sitcom—along with our great Improv. Babies group. You could see how everyone in the audience cheered for every performer on stage!
With Friday came "Christmas around the World". Since Monday, Spanish and French classes had been working on different cultural projects that could give us a hint of how people in those countries celebrate Christmas. In Spanish classes, for example, students made (and stuffed with sweets!) the famous Mexican "piñatas". They also recreated the scene of the birth of Jesus using playdough and lots of Spanish vocabulary related to Christmas. They also made and decorated Christmas trees using raw Italian pasta, painted on canvas and had a great time eating grapes as per a seasonal tradition in Spain.
In French classes, delicious croissants and macaroons were not be missed. Students also researched how Christmas is celebrated, not only in France, but also in other European countries, such as Belgium. Students also created menus in French for a December seasonal dinner and made greeting cards to give to friends and family.
Overall, we had a wonderful Christmas week at MS&HS International Division and will be very much looking forward to next events soon!
In the meantime, we would like to wish all SCLS students, teachers, and all their families a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
