Peace on Earth

Within 24 hours we are heading to the airport to say good-bye to Thailand. It is impossible to cover everything that we have done here, but our time included feeding baby tigers, petting adult tigers, floating in market-boats, cooking Thai food and just general fascination with this robust Asian country. Tourists have come from all over the world to enjoy the genuine hospitality of Thailand. Our main highlight has been to be with two of our sons, our daughter-in-law and her parents from India.
The weather has been a plus which allowed for swimming in the pool on the roof and wearing sandals and summer clothing all days.
I have sensed among all the activities and meeting so many people from China, Syria, Dubai, India, Holland, Brazil, Canada, England, Australia.... that we all share a common dream. That 2008 will be a year of Peace. May we end this year with this prayer on our lips and a fresh commitment to do our part to promote peace at home and abroad. Let us be the hands and feet of Jesus as we move out from Bethlehem to share His message of peace and love. Lord willing, we set down back into winter on January 1st... and be back at OLL on the 2nd.

Christmas in Bangkok

Merry Christmas to everyone. You would be surprised to see the momentum of Christmas in this part of the world. Many decorations and Christmas services. Herb and our son Jeff are just checking on the times nearby. The temperature here is in the 80's and the evenings are very pleasant for eating outside under the full moon and walking along the busy streets. Our flights were full and long and the passengers represented people coming from all over the world to take advantage of the good climate in December. The butterball turkey is thawing and we will gather other goodies from the supermarket later today. Our son and guests are enjoying cheese curds... and other foods and stories of Wisconsin life... like the doe my Dad shot.

So dear friends, we belong to a ever-present cross-cultural God who is celebrated in most parts of the world. May we all be blessed by the songs of angels, the haste of shepherds, the vision of Wise men and the faith of Mary and Joseph that we may come to Bethlehem to know and proclaim: Christ is born.

Christmas greetings to all. Love, Mrs. Ellis

Hello from Tokyo

We are here in Tokyo and for 100 yen (not quite a dollar), I can use the internet cafe for 20 minutes. Actually our plane is leaving soon. We are rather wiped out after a 13 hour flight from Chicago to Tokyo.... can only watch so many movies... and read so many books.
So now we are on to Bangkok- another 7 hour flight.
There are signs of Christmas everywhere as the world understands this is a special time of year. May the world also understand this is an occasion to proclaim the birth of Christ... and approach Him in the manger. The stable door is open... everyone is welcome!
Merry Christmas to everyone... signing off from Tokyo. Mrs. Ellis

8 p.m. in Minneapolis

Dear OLL Friends,
Yes, I am in Minneapolis and ready to take to the air-waves in the morning on our flight to Bangkok. Thank you students and families for gifts, good wishes and prayers.

Be sure to check the Sounder this week. Kourtney's Christmas message was featured in the staff Christmas greetings.

Have a most blessed Christmas and Lord willing, we will come together in the New Year for learning and growing in grace together in 2008. With friendship and love, Mrs. Ellis

Jesus Changed the Story

Christmas is an ongoing story of how God enters human history and works dynamic changes through love and grace. A Bethlehem stable certainly falls short of 5-star accommodations, but the manger signboard assured the Shepherds they found the Christ child. They were eager to tell everyone they met. The Good News is that Christmas continues to interrupt our lives, change our lives and give us an everlasting story to tell. Be ready... Christmas is close.

Thanks Patty Eaton for a good supply of pencils and pens. Parents, don't think you are off the hook on what your students need in their Christmas stockings (pens, pencils and scissors), but Patty has kept us going for a while.

English 6 students did a final worksheet on Maniac Magee. Fascinating story... hope you can read it sometime.

About 2/3 of the English 7/8 students wrote good quality essays on Roe v. Wade for the Life essay contest for the Diocese. These entries are NOW in the mail. Late-comers are too late... and will lose points.

Spelling tests and vocab. sheets are due Friday. A substitute will be covering for me... as I ride "in the sky" on our trip to Bangkok. We will be meeting two of our sons there, our daughter-in-law and her parents from India. Along with holiday celebrations, my husband and I are celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. Yes, time flies when you're having fun! We return January 1.

Reminder: Service of Reconciliation tomorrow. Advent Angels gifts and party on Thursday. And please, remind your student to take an occasional break during the holidays to read a good book. Book reports will be coming up again the end of January.

Most of all... may we invite Jesus to be our Christmas and allow our celebration to flow from the reality of His Peace and Love. Thank you for your precious sons and daughters this year of 2007; Lord willing, we will learn and grow together in 2008. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you also to all students who will share in the children's mass on Christmas Eve. I will miss sharing this opportunity for worship with you.

Rejoice

As we sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel (God with us), we have opportunities to consider hope, peace and now "joy" for we know it is soon time to align our plans to Bethlehem. Today as the "pink" candle was lit (Gaudete Sunday), we are beckoned to rejoice...He is coming!

Last Friday several students gave good oral book reports. Reading helps students to expand vocabularies, learn about themselves, and learn about our world. This "learning" was evident as students shared the books they read. Thanks.

English 6 spelling words for this week are: miracle, evidence, decorate, joy, symbol, promise, incense, eager, community, charity, BONUS: solstice, reconcilation. These are due Friday... although Thursday students will place a symbol ornament on our tree.

English 7/8 words are: Bethelehm Gaudete, vestment, rejoice, antiphon, symbol, census, inn, manger, ponder, refugee, refuge, immigrant, souvenir, elite, gourmet, buffet, chef, technique, genre. Test and vocab. are due Friday. Symbol ornaments are due Thursday. Also we will have a class Christmas party on Thursday including Advent Angel gifts.

Rejoice... rejoice, Emmanuel, has come to you O Israel!

Peacemakers

This week we are talking about God's peace. Students will share examples of God's peace tomorrow. In baptism, we received God's peace as we were proclaimed His sons and daughters. Let us live in this gift and be peacemakers to those around us.

English 6 students finished Maniac Magee today. We also reviewed spelling words for tomorrow and students had time to prepare for book reports tomorrow: written and oral. Please ask your student about his/her work. Also vocabulary is due tomorrow. Thank you Patty Eaton for sending in some pencils and pens for our students. Yes, it is a good thing for students to have the tools for learning.

English 7/8 read The Old Man and the Sea. Students are also busy with Life essays... final due next Tuesday. Tomorrow vocabulary is due, spelling test, and book reports are due. Please encourage your student to keep reading.

Thank you Grades 7/8 for helping set up for the Jim Miller benefit last evening. The Knights of Columbus did their usual good job of serving the public... and everyone enjoyed the great food and had a good time. We were grateful to help support Jim in his recovery from a stroke.

Grades 7 and 8 are finished in the day in the computer lab. Many are working on projects due tomorrow....and a few are completely up to date. Hope to see many of you at OLL's final basketball game tonight. Go Bruins!

God's Peace

As we light the second Advent candle, we consider God's peace: peace that surpasses human understanding. We will be reading different peace Scriptural references this week. May this holy peace be ours as we prepare for the birth of Christ.

English 6 spelling this week is: holy, piece, peace, candle, oral, posture, clearly, confidence, pride, random, problem, character: BONUS appropriate, challenge, frantic. Students were given a purple word list with instructions. Basically students should write each word 5x, define each word, and use 12 words in good sentences. Students will also share an example of God's peace on Friday along with vocab. assignment. Also this Friday students will be turning in written book reports or giving oral book presentations... a busy week!

World History students gave presentations with visuals on 5 achievements of the Mesopotamian era; they included modern connections to this ancient technology.

English 7/8 spelling words are: incarnation, consequences, stump, anointed, deliverer, salvation, oppress, manna, peace, piece, myriad, taut, delicate, peasant, aristocracy, democracy, emergency, personality, anxiety, curiosity. Grades 7 and 8 will also present written or oral book reports on Friday on a book read OUTSIDE of class. A quiz will be given tomorrow on pages 46 - 61 of The Old Man and the Sea. The quizzes have shown that many students skim reading, but don't pay attention to content. I am trying to help students develop the strategies of reading for comprehension.

U.S. History: Rough drafts for the impact of Roe vs. Wade on the elderly/disabled are due tomorrow. Students had class time to work on this.

Don't forget Wednesday night: Come to the spaghetti benefit feed for Jim Miller. Jim had a stroke in September and has no health insurance. He is home, but not strong enough to work.

May we know God's peace as individuals, a faith community, and a world created by a loving God of Eternal Peace. Blessings during this season of preparation.

Stocking Stuffers

Good Thursday morning. Beautiful snow and temps that sting our faces to remind us that it is good to be alive.

Students have several projects going as we near assignment deadlines. Grades 6 have vocabulary due tomorrow, a spelling test, and will also tell me "how" they intend to do their book report on Dec. 14th (written or oral). Also we are soon finished with Maniac Magee so students will be doing a writing worksheet to show understanding of this wonderful story. We have had some good discussion in class about the themes of racism and friendships.

English 7/8 students will do vocabulary and spelling tomorrow. We did another quiz today on The Old Man and the Sea. These quizzes indicate that some students skim-read and miss some of the important information. I am encouraging them to slow down and pay attention. Also Tuesday (Dec. 11) the rough draft is due for the Roe V. Wade and how it affects attitudes and ideas towards the elderly and disabled. The essay needs to be 250 to 300 words.

English 7/8 students will also do written or oral book reports on Dec. 14th.
Also each student is sharing Advent gifts with an Advent angel. On Dec. 20th we will have a party and each person will give a $10 gift to their angel. This is one part of our preparations as we await the coming of Jesus.

Thank you for the secret Santas who left goodies on our desks and decorated our doors for St. Nick's day. We are blessed. Thank you.

Calling ALL of Santa's helpers. MANY students show up daily without pens (black or blue) and pencils. Also it is good for each student to have his/her own pair of scissors. So please fill Christmas stockings with these needed tools for learning. Thanks.

Hope does not disappoint us....

In Romans 5 we read about God's hope... for His love is poured into our hearts. This is Advent; as we prepare our hearts for the flowing love of God's Bethlehem Son. Be hopeful for God does not disappoint us.

English 6 students read Maniac Magee and made table decorations for the Jim Miller benefit coming up on December 12th. Plan to attend the spaghetti benefit dinner sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

English 7/8 students were able to visit the book fair. Also we will be doing a short quiz on The Old Man and the Sea. For U.S. History we will complete the PAVESO grid to get read for writing our pro-life essay.

As I am sitting in the computer lab, I see it continues to snow. Our landscape and lifestyle have been transformed by the snow. Let our inner landscape and lifestyle be transformed by the approach of the Christ Child. Immanuel: God is with us.

There is a great light

Today we light the first candle of our classroom Advent wreath... and remember the Hope of God that calls us out of darkness into the great light. As we prepare our hearts and homes for the birth of Christ, we embrace God's agenda of hope. Prepare the way....

English 6 students worked on spelling today. The words are : hope, holiday, angel, ornament, tinsel, servant, prophet, priest, purple, solitary, horizon, imagination BONUS: anticipation, instinct, brilliant. Each student has been given a yellow sheet with the instructions (write each word 5x, define each word, use 12 words in good sentences... and a couple of other questions.) This is due Friday plus a spelling test will be given then. We also read Bud not Buddy and Maniac Magee. Be sure your student is reading a book outside of class; they need to give an oral or written book report on Dec. 14th. For World History, we talked about the daily life of people in Mesopotamia. Students planned a poster that will feature 5 achievements from this period of human history that still are used today.

English 7/8 students did a pre-test. The spelling words are: hope, worship, comfort, advent, approach, anticipation, petition, shepherd, parousia, viability, shift, novella, plummet, benevolent, transfer, transport, transgress, transition, compose and decompose. Each student was given a purple sheet with instructions. This vocab. work is due Friday and also spelling est on Friday. Also students will be given an oral or written book report on Dec. 14th. We began reading The Old Man and the Sea today; students will be quizzed on pages 11 - 24 tomorrow.

U.S. History students are working on the pre-writing stage of their essays for the Diocese essay contest. This paper will address how Roe V. Wade redefined ideas and attitudes about the value of life... i.e. the elderly and disabled. Students have completed the research process so it is time to write. The rough draft is due Dec. 11 and final Dec. 18th.

Yes, we are busy these days up to the Christmas holiday. Please check in with your students and support these projects.

Thank you Mrs. Marita and students for ALL their good and hard work at the Bazaar on Saturday. I am extremely grateful that Mrs. Marita initiated this opportunity to earn and pay back the "missing" money. Although we still need to offer forgiveness to individual person who stole the money, as a jr. high community we spoke with one voice to say that we are sorry.

Let Advent be the season to clean-house inwardly and outwardly that the Babe of Bethlehem may come to dwell among us.