Christmas 2009!

Hello, dear friends!

I hope we will all be able to post materials this year as well. I have already started preparing some songs with my pupils!

Best regards from Romania!

Liliana

Il nostro Natale a casa/Our Christmas at home

ll clima di preparazione al Natale non è stato vissuto dagli alunni solo a scuola ma anche nelle proprie case. Anche lì, ognuno ha preparato il proprio presepe, il proprio albero, le proprie decorazioni in attesa del grande evento. I bambini della classe 5^B hanno fotografato alcuni dei loro preparativi.

The Christmas preparation atmosphere hasn’t been lived only at school but in own homes as well. Also there, each one prepared his own crib, his own tree, his own decorations waiting for the great event. The class 5 B children photographed some of their preparations.

Classe 5^B -Scuola Primaria “A. Ciancia” – Francavilla in Sinni (PZ) – Italia

Il nostro Natale a Scuola/ Our Christmas at school

Dai primi giorni di dicembre fino all’ultimo giorno prima delle vacanze natalizie, gli alunni di tutte le classi della nostra scuola primaria “A. Ciancia” e della scuola dell’infanzia “G. Rodari” sono stati impegnati in attività didattiche riguardanti il Natale. Insieme agli insegnanti, nelle varie classi, hanno addobbato alberi, allestito presepi, decorato le finestre, realizzato biglietti augurali e piccoli regali con le proprie mani per i loro genitori, intonato canti natalizi, preparato drammatizzazioni, imparato poesie, ricercato informazioni… il tutto per vivere tutti insieme, nel modo più consapevole e sentito, questo particolare momento dell’anno.

From the first days of December till the last day before the Christmas holidays, the pupils of all the classes of our “A. Ciancia” primary school and of the”G. Rodari” infant school were busy in didactical activities referred to Christmas. With all the teachers , in the various classrooms, they put up trees, set up cribs, decorated windows, made Christmas cards and little gifts with their own hands for their parents, sang Christmas carols, prepared dramas, learnt poems, searched information … everythings to live all together, in the most conscious and heartfelt way, this particular time of the year.

Ecco alcune foto/Here are some photos:

Mario e la classe 5^B
Scuola Primaria “A. Ciancia” – Francavilla in Sinni (PZ) – Italia

Christmas Preparations

During the month of December at school we worked and prepared a lots of things for Christmas. We learnt and sang Christmas Carols, we put up a tree recycling plastic bottles and glasses, we made, as a little work, the “little throw away troubles broom”.
The “little throw away troubles broom” is a little broom that, not only in Christmas time, is kept behind the door because, they say, it keeps away all the troubles from the home.
So, waiting for Christmas, we had fun staying together in harmony.

A Christmas Carol and our Christmas tree

Our ” little throw away troubles broom”

Classe 5^A- Scuola Primaria “A Ciancia” – Francavilla in Sinni (PZ) – Italia

An Italian Christmas Carol

With our voices, a little tone-deaf, we intonate the most traditional in our Christmas Carols, “TU SCENDI DALLE STELLE”, and  show you our Crib and our window displays made in the classroom waiting for Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Classe 4^A- Scuola Primaria “A. Ciancia” – Francavilla in Sinni (PZ)-Italia

Carolling in Kilkenny

mary-had-a-baby

We have been busy rehearsing our Nativity play for the past two weks. We will perform the play on Friday night in school for our parents and grandparents. Our favourite carol in the play is Mary Had a Baby. It is not a traditional Irish carol but it is a West Indian carol. We hope you like it too.
3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th class
St. Brendan’s N.S.
Kilkenny,
Ireland

Mary Had a Baby
1.Mary had a baby,O Lord,
Mary had a baby,O my Lord,
Mary had a baby,O Lord,
The people keep a comin’ and the train done gone.

2.Laid him in a manger,O Lord,
Laid him in a manger,O my Lord,
Laid him in a manger, O Lord,
The people keep a comin’and the train done gone.

3.Shepherd came to see Him, O Lord,
Shepherd came to see Him, O my Lord,
Shepherd came to see Him, O Lord,
The people keep a comin’ and the train done gone.

4.Named Him King Jesus, O Lord,
Named Him King Jesus, O my Lord,
Named Him King Jesus, O Lord,
The people keep a comin’ and the train done gone.
The people keep a comin’ and the train done gone.

Caroling, caroling…

Caroling rehearsal in our school. We are almost ready for Christmas. Yesterday, we decorated our Christmas tree.  All we have to do now is wait for Santa and pray for snow.

Romanian traditional carol

Another Romanian traditional carol

Liliana&the kids

Santa Lucia’S church

     This is the church of Santa Lucia. On13th December the area around it is full of lights and stalls selling toys and candies

Scuola Media Vivaldi Alessandria

Santa Lucia

December 13th is Santa Lucia. We celebrate it in Italy and in particular in Alessandria where there is a small church dedicated to this saint
In the square in front of this church there are stalls selling candies and sweets. The traditional candy that children and adults buy on 13th December in our town is called LACABON.
You can small packets cointaining small sweet sticks made of honey and sugar.

a big hug from ELENASOFIA class 3C scuola Media Vivaldi Alessandria

Advent- Preparing for Christmas

Advent is the season that marks the beginning of the Christian church year. It starts on Sunday nearest to St. Andrew’s Day (November 30^th), and it continues until Christmas Eve (December 24^th). The term comes from the Latin word “adventus”, which means coming or arrival. The season is thus one of preparation for the celebration of the feast of the Nativity of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day.

The beginning of Advent is when the preparations for Christmas really begin – the festive menu is planned, gifts are chosen and wrapped, carols sung, cards are written and posted and houses decorated. In Ireland this usually happens around the 8^th of December. The Advent Wreath is the widely recognized symbol of Advent. The wreath is made of a circle of evergreen laid flat to symbolize eternal life. Four candles (traditionally purple) stand in the circle and each one represents one of the four Sundays of Advent. In the centre of the circle is a fifth candle (traditionally white), the Christ Candle, which is lit on Christmas Day.

During Advent, some people make or buy Advent calendars as a way of counting the days to Christmas. Usually these calendars have twenty-four ‘windows’. Traditional calendar windows open up to show a picture of something linked with this time of year. One may show an angel or one of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus. The last window to be opened usually shows Jesus himself lying in a manger. Popular Advent calendars today usually have chocolate hidden behind each window.

Aoife Neville

6th class