Church Bulletin Article

The fourth grade finished up October with lots of different cultural experiences. We went to the opera to see Mozart's Magic Flute, and celebrated both Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Our Day of the Dead experience included making ofrendas after interviewing people about a relative who has passed away, visiting the National Museum of Mexican Art, coloring in skeletons for the classroom, and making skull masks with our preschool buddies. Below is an article that talks more about these activities that will be published in the church bulletin this Sunday.

Opera and Ofrendas in Fourth Grade
The fourth grade has had the opportunity to learn about many different cultural experiences lately. Two favorites have been going to see Mozart’s Magic Flute and learning about the Day of the Dead.

The 3rd through 8th grade went to see Lyric Opera perform The Magic Flute in a version meant just for students at Lake View High School on November 29th. To prepare for this, the 4th grade read about the life of Mozart, discussed the plot of the opera, and brought in “birthday gifts” for their favorite characters. The opera was beautiful, with many arias, an evil queen, and even a dragon that was hiding in a bedroom closet! Marcos said, “It was funny and pretty cool. I liked when the dragon came out the second time and Tamino hit him with his wand.” The students also looked wonderful, dressing up for the event in dresses and suits.

Another big event in October is the celebration of the Day of the Dead. All of the grades participate, bringing in objects to remember loved ones, making pop-up books about the celebration, or creating skull masks. In 4th grade, our celebration centered around remembering someone from our family who has died. Each student chose a relative and interviewed two people about him or her. They then wrote a paragraph about the life of the loved one and brought in objects to create a shoebox ofrenda, or altar. We decorate dthe ofrendas with feathers, tissue paper flowers, glitter, and pictures that the students had drawn, and then we displayed them in our classroom for other classes and parents to see. The students had a great time learning about their family and decorating the altars. Paul said, “I liked the paintings in the museum, and I learned more about my great-grandma.”