Skiing, Celebrating and Santa!

What a busy week it has been!  Fun, but very busy.


First, Skiing... 

Monsignor William Irwin students from grades 3 - 6 went skiing to Rabbit Hill all day Tuesday, December 14th. 

We rode to the hill in a festively decorated bus!

The Weather was perfect for our students to enjoy a day on the slopes.  Beginner, intermediate and advanced skiiers all took a lesson in the morning and then had some free ski time after lunch. 

Many students experienced their first time skiing under the expert guidance of the Rabbit Hill instructors.

 Here are some students beginning a snowboard lesson.

Some beginning snowboarders and skiiers riding the magic carpet up the Bunny Hill.

The next lift to master is the dreaded rope tow! 

If you can walk, you can ski!

This student makes it look easy.

When you get real good, they let you on the chair lift!

The success of the day is measured in how many students try to hang out in the lodge after lunch.  The fewer the students inside the better.  Not one of Monsignor William Irwin's students stayed in after they devoured their nutritious bag lunches.  I am sure a few beginning skiiers and snowboarders put lessons on their Christmas list!

The Fourth Advent Celebration...

As our last week of school came to a close we celebrated the fourth Advent Celebration with the entire school.  The grade one students were the main celebrants with some assistance from several students in other grades.  Father Andrew from St. Thomas More Parish was in attendance and gave the homily for the beautiful celebration.  The students sat in a circle to signify the never ending cycle of our liturgical season and our belief in life eternal.

Two grade one students played the parts of Mary and Joseph in the manger.

Students listened, prayed and sang respectfully throughout the Celebration and truly understood the reason for the season.

Santa's Breakfast...
On Friday Decemember 17th we had our first Annual Monsignor William Irwin Santa's Breakfast.  The morning was a huge success.  As many staff members rolled into school about 7:45 their nostrils were filled with the heavenly scent of pancakes.  Students, staff and parents alike were all wearing their P.J.'s to school to mark the end of a great first term and the beginning of a restful vacation.

Did you know that monks in Mexico in the 17th Century began to include the Poinsettia in their Christmas celebrations?

I looked into the gym the night before just to see what preparations had been made for Santas arrival.  This is what I saw: 

Serving tables.

Tables for students to sit and enjoy their breakfast.

A corner to have a little visit with Santa in!

The next morning the gym was a buzz with volunteers cooking and serving the healthful breakfast.

Ms. Stang's grade two students dug into their wholegrain pancakes, fruit and whipped cream.  Mmmhh!

Mrs. Flanagan's grade threes didn't mind taking a break from eating to talk with Jolly Old St. Nick.

 This is Madame Brassard's grade two class.

Each class posed for a group photo with Santa after asking him for their Christmas wish. 

Reflecting on the empty gym photos and those with the volunteers and children in them it is clear that we are Church.  It is not the building, but the people who are filling it with their love and faith that are making our community grow.

Once again, a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Our Wellness Journey in a "Wordle"!

I found an interesting site that creates "Wordles" or Word Clouds out of words to summarize a concept.  I have linked our blog to this site to create a Wordle to illustrate our journey to date. 

Father Bill's Kitchen in a "Wordle" to Dec. 2010.

Activity and Advent

December's Wellness Theme is "Activity" and for Catholics it is Advent and Christmas!  What better way to wait than being active!

How do we fit in activity with our faith traditions of celebratory meals and family gatherings surrounded by traditional foods?  It is a question most of us ask our selves each year at this time.  I have heard conversations at the kitchen table that go something like this..."Food in December has no calories!" or " I couldn't possibly hurt my host's feelings so I always eat what I am given."   Well it isn't quite as difficult as one would think.   I am not saying go overboard, please try to stick to the Canada Food Guide and if you do (and you will) have a little something extra just be a bit more active to offset the extra calories.  The activity need not be of the variety that takes place in the gym.  Grab a child and try some of these!

I am sure you can think of a few more activities that you and yours would like to try or do together.  And afterwards make sure to toast our winter season with a delicious hot chocolate.  Here's a Father Bill's "healthy" version:

OLD FASHIONED HOT CHOCOLATE

For 2 cups of Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

2 cups of milk

2 tbsp. of cocoa powder

4 tbsp. of sugar

Directions:

On stove top heat milk to steaming but not boiling.  Add cocoa powder and sugar, whisking until combined.  Poor into mugs to enjoy :)

Just as an added incentive have a look at the official definition from Health Canada for "Healthy Living":

Definition of healthy living:

At a population level, healthy living refers to the practices of population groups that are consistent with supporting, improving, maintaining and/or enhancing health. As it applies to individuals, healthy living is the practice of health enhancing behaviours, or put simply, living in healthy ways. It implies the physical, mental and spiritual capacity to make healthy choices. The Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy focuses on healthy eating, physical activity and their relationship to healthy weights.


Now to Advent.  This is a very special time for Christian's as we wait in anticipation of the birth of our Messiah. 

Notice the intentional absence of Baby Jesus?  He will be placed in the creche on Dec. 25.

 There are many ways to wait and reflect on this miraculous event.  One way is to use the Advent Wreath to celebrate the weeks before Christmas. Students at Ecole Monsignor William Irwin School are using a wreath to celebrate Advent while at school.  Each week before Christmas we light a new candle and reflect on a different part of the Christmas story until all the candles are lit.  A fifth candle is often included in the middle of the wreath on Christmas Day to symbolize Christ, the Light of our Life. 

The following link will help you to continue this tradition at home with your children:

Advent Wreath, prayers and scripture readings.

 Some classes have made a Jesse Tree to celebrate the family history of Christ our King.  It is a simple procedure that only requires a branch from a deciduous tree, something to put the branch in, a bible and some paper to make leaves.  If you would like the instructions on how to make a Jesse Tree and what scripture passages are to be read with each symbol please follow this link:   Jesse Tree Instructions.   The time you spend with your children sharing these timeless bible stories might just be your best gift this season!

From Father Bill's Kitchen to you and your family,

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!  And remember...

...he's making a list and checking it twice...!  And don't forget to embrace the flakes!

Hip Hop for Hope and Chicken Soup for the Soul!

Our students are always ready to help out others.

You would think the students and staff of Ecole Monsignor William Irwin School would have been tired after their demonstration of learning and parent/teacher interviews on Thursday night, but they weren't! 

Bright and early Friday morning the students made donations to participate in a Hip Hop Dance to raise money for The Sign of Hope.  Kindergarten through grade two took to the dance floor for the first thirty minutes of moving their bodies to touch the minds and spirits of those less fortunate then themselves.  Grades three through six were next.  If one looked closely into the crowd at either session, they may have even seen an enthusiastic staff member shaking their booty for charity!

The morning of vigorous dancing sure worked up an appetite, so it was a good thing it was also our third Hot Soup Day.  Friday, November 26th's Healthy Hot lunch featured a favourite recipe of parent volunteer Mr. Haughian. Give it a try, the students loved it!

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 whole rotisserie chicken, meat removed

3 litres of chicken stock

4 stalks of celery, sliced

6 medium carrots peeled and sliced

1 cup of frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup of lemon juice

1tsp. black pepper

1tsp. salt

2 cups noodles ( soba noodles preferred)

Boil 5 cups of salted water. Add broken noodles to water and reduce heat to medium high.  Cook noodles for 8 minutes, strain and set aside.  Bring chicken stock to a boil.  Add lemon juice and cinnamon sticks to the broth ad continue to boil for 5 minutes.  Remove cinnamon sticks and discard.  Add chicken meat, carrots, celery, peas parsley, salt and pepper.  Cook soup on medium heat for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add noodles to bowls and pour soup over noodles.

This is Mr. Haughian and his daughters Cidney and Chloe.

The Soup Days rely heavily on volunteers to prepare, serve and and clean up.  The students of Monsignor William Irwin greatly appreciate the effort and love put into creating a delicious hot meal for them.  It isn't just the food that is appreciated but the dedication to building a strong and caring school community. Here are only a few of the volunteers that make this initiative work.

Parents and Grandparents work side by side to make the nutritious lunch.

From morning until noon volunteers work together in various parts of the school to provide a pot of soup and sides for the meal.  These volunteers have set up in the art room.

Each month 5 different students are selected from each class to help prepare a part of the hot lunch, but not before washing up!

These students are creating fruit kebabs for the dessert portion of the lunch.

 Fridays balanced lunch menu; Chicken noodle soup, baby carrots, a fruit kebab and a yogurt tube.

Matthew and Michael love when their mom volunteers at school.

Thank you to each and every volunteer! 

November is Colour Your World with Fruits and Veggies, Plus meet our Dietetic Intern!

Monsignor William Irwin is a colourful place!

That is certainly evident if you have seen the bulletin board outside our Nutrition Hut.  November is the month we dedicate to eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables to increase our energy and health.  From November 26th to December 13th we will be holding , "The Great Produce Challenge of 2010" to demonstrate our commitment to Health and Wellness.  The challenge was master minded by a very crucial individual to our Wellness Team, our newest dietetic intern, Amanda Nhan.



Recently I had the opportunity to ask Amanda a few questions about her interesting career choice as a dietitian and the journey she is on to complete her degree.

Father Bill's Kitchen: 

"Amanda, how did a dietetic intern find herself in an elementary school?"

Amanda:    

 "I find myself here at Monsignor William Irwin Catholic Elementary School for six weeks     (November 8-December 17) as part of the University of Alberta’s Integrated Dietetic Internship Program. I have completed four years of course work at the university and I am now working toward completion of all of my internship placements, after which I will convocate with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition (Dietetics)."

Father Bill's Kitchen:     

"Wow!  That is so interesting!  What other placements have you had helping people to increase their wellness?"

Amanda:

"Prior to starting at this school, I spent a month at the Lacombe Hospital and Continuing Care Centre learning introductory clinical dietetics before moving to Westlock for 12 weeks to develop my skills in food service management.  The work I am doing here at MWI is part of my community nutrition placement."

Father Bill's Kitchen:

"You are certainly doing a great job at educating students through the classes you teach and and the Produce Challenge you have created for the students.  What are you going to do after you leave here in December?"

Amanda:

"After Christmas I will spend another six weeks practicing community nutrition in Red Deer before moving on to my fourth and final placement in advanced clinical dietetics. Once I have finished my internship and have convocated, I can apply to the College of Dietitians of Alberta to become a registered dietitian and begin my career!"

Father Bill's Kitchen: 

"Well Amanda we at Monsignor William Irwin wish you the best of luck and God's Blessings for your future.  Do you have any parting words?"

Amanda:

"Thank you for inviting me into your school and for the positive attitude towards your heath, and I invite you to take a little challenge to see if you can guess some important fruits and vegetables to include in your eating."

Can you name these vegetables and fruits?

Were you able to name them all?  Now, how about eating them all?