A Busy Time of our Year...

Things are starting to get busy here. We've got a lot of exciting things on the calendar in the next few weeks. Here's a partial list. Be sure and check in with your student about all of these "learning opportunities" as we mix the classroom based work with plenty of interactions with our larger community...

• Obert Skye, Well known author of books for children and young people will be visiting with 5th-8th graders in our school library on Thursday, April 10. Mrs. Theis has been working to help students prepare for this special visit.
• Delegations from Finland and China to Arrive A delegation of students from Torkinmaki School, our partner school in Kokkola, Finland will arrive next Monday, April 14 for a two-week stay. Shortly after their arrival, the delegation from Long Cheng Middle School in Liuzhou, China will arrive on April 17. It will be an exciting time as Nativity students share experiences with new friends from China and Finland.
• Cincinnati Zoo Math Days Field Trip The sixth grade will take a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo for Zoo Math Days on Thursday, April 17. We'll spend the day enjoying the zoo while working our way through a variety of mathematical activities prepared by the staff at the zoo. We will need two parent volunteers for this trip. If you would like to join us, please contact me as soon as possible.
• Walk-a-thon Update Congratulations to Katie and Meg Tobin, 5th and 3rd graders, for winning the $50 1st place prize in the walk-a-thon t-shirt design contest. All the entries were terrific and the decision was as difficult as ever. Thank you to everyone who submitted entries for their wonderful artistic efforts. The walk-a-thon is only 2 weeks away (Friday April 18) so please keep working on obtaining sponsors. An additional sponsor sheet is including in this week's home newsletter. Top 2 fundraising students will each win a brand new Wii console. Other prizes including a Sports Plus birthday party, an i-tunes gift certificate, Showcase Theater movie passes and more. Sponsor sheets are due in the school office by 3pm on Thursday April 17. We can always use more parent volunteers. Meet at the school parking lot at noon on Friday April 18th to help out. Thanks! Susan Stegman (702-7897) and Jamie Cusick (673-5033).
• LEGO Engineering Onsite Field Trip Coming to Nativity In a creative way to explore math and science concepts, Nativity will host the LEGO Engineering Onsite Field Trip the week of April 21. Students in K-8 will build a motorized race car from scratch using advanced LEGO parts and pieces from kits not available in stores. Working in small groups and following detailed instructions designed by a LEGO engineer, students will work as a team to build the race car and add an electric motor to race them. The class, intended for K-8 students harnesses the motivational effects of LEGOs to teach math and science (simple machines, forces in motion, gear rations), learning mechanical vocabulary, 3 dimensional shapes, comparing and contrasting objects, extending patterns and listening and following directions. The students from Finland and China will join us. It promises to be an exciting week at Nativity.