VOLUME 12 ISSUE 4
613 E. CRAWFORD AVE.
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
Mary’s Song
DECEMBER - JANUARY 2015/16
Silent Night
Imagine you are on the way to Bethlehem! On Sunday, December 13, the children of C0nn-
Area Catholic took their families and friends with them on an imaginary trip to Bethlehem. Mrs.
Nola Lonigro, music director and tour guide led the expedition, as the children sang us back in time to the One Night, One Star, One Child .
On behalf of the students and staff at CAC we wish that you continue this journey and have a
Blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
1

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 4
The Advent Season was well-received by the preschoolers. They readily grasped the “Christmas Story” as we prepared for the beauty of Christmas
Day and its true meaning.
Although the children were excited about Santa and presents, they looked
forward to the celebration of Jesus’ birthday.
The children lit the Advent candle daily in conjunction with stories, discussion, prayer, and song.
We created individual Christmas
Story booklets highlighting the events using crayons, paints, straw, beads, and other items. The final booklet is a precious keepsake.
Small nativity sets with scenery were used to re-enact this miraculous event.
In addition, the children dramatized t h e C h r i s t m a s S t o r y . T h e i r performances were truly filled with compassion and sincerity.
The Advent Season activities helped to guide the preschoolers in their
Christian faith and understanding of the true meaning of Christmas.
DECEMBER - JANUARY 2015/16
2

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 4 DECEMBER - JANUARY 2015/16
St. Nick
The second graders are con-nuing to grow spiritually. Some of the children are going to receive the Sacrament of
Reconcilia-on on January 23, 2016. They have been busy aCending mee-ngs at their church. How wonderful it will be to receive forgiveness for their sins.
In December, they hung a Jesse Tree on their bulle-n board. The Jesse Tree is used to trace God's promise of a Savior and
Christ's ancestors, those wonderful people who dreamed of and longed for the coming of the Messiah. This tree contains symbols of these spiritual ancestors, allowing the second grade to share in the wai-ng and hoping for the promised Savior. The children colored the symbols and discussed what each one stands for.
The children also made a poster of Saint
Nicholas. Mrs. Lohr discussed with them the informa-on they would need to put on their individual posters. Then the children put the informa-on on their posters and colored them. What a wonderful way to celebrate a man who helped so many children by his kindness and generosity.
3

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 4 DECEMBER - JANUARY 2015/16
Pride in Connellsville
Students are challenged each year to participate in the PRIDE IN CONNELLSVILLE AREA
POETRY AND POSTER CONTEST sponsored by the Connellsville Area Historical Society.
This is an excellent opportunity to research local history and then to stretch our creativity to illustrate one aspect of our area's impressive history, either in poetry or as a poster. Some students are more talented with words, while others are more talented with artistic media.
The contest is available to grades 4-6 on the elementary level with monetary prizes for 1 st ,
2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention categories.
Pictures are taken by The Courier reporter and are displayed in our local newspaper. All of the winners are showcased in the Connellsville
Crossroads Magazine, Winter Issue.
The Fifth Graders did an outstanding job on this assignment. The topics that they explored included: Crawford's Cabin (both inside and outside), coke ovens, railroads, the P&LE Train
Station, The Porter Theater, Native Americans,
Johnny Lujack, Bob Bailor and Yough Park. That list certainly represented a wide aspect of
Connellsville Area History.
Their efforts were rewarded with a tie for Second
Place Posters with Tyler Sebek and Chloe
Pletcher both doing outstanding work. Avery
Anderson and Claire Konieczny were recognized with Honorable Mention Awards for their posters.
Everyone won, because each student learned something new about Connellsville that they had not known before, and that is the purpose of the
PRIDE IN CONNELLSVILLE CONTEST.
4

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 4 DECEMBER - JANUARY 2015/16
5