Watch the Fun at the Talent Show!

For more holiday videos and news click to The Herald's Holiday coverage. 

Happy Hanukkah and Best Wishes for the Holidays and New Year!

Holidays at the White House

Yesterday at the White House, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama had a gathering about Hanukkah celebration at the White House on the second night of the Jewish festival lights.

The gathering was held in the East Room Thursday, December 2 ,2010. The guest delivered traditional prayers while lighting menorahs, or a candle with seven branches. The Obamas looked on as the lighting took place.

For those that don't know, Hanukkah is an eight-day-long Jewish celebration. Over Hanukkah, people commemorate the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The Obama family recently got a Christmas tree for the White House. The tree was brought to the White House by a horse drawn carriage. The Douglas fir is over ten feet tall and thirteen feet wide. It's known as the centerpiece of all decorations.

The following video is from the White House website, and it shows the entire process of decorating the tree through time-lapse photography.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy holidays from the Hillwood herald. Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah.

After this week, The Hillwood Herald will be on vacation until the New Year.

Hanukkah Lantern Card from Nicole Catrett on Vimeo.

Holiday Cards Made by Famous Artists

The Smithsonian has one hundred holiday cards made by famous artists. Only thirty five cards are on their site. The rest are on display in the Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C., where you can visit the exhibit.

Hillwood's Annual All-Day Christmas Party

Every year during the merry month, Hillwood throws an all-day Christmas party for our students and families. The day starts off as normal. At around 10 AM, the whole school gathers in the middle room downstairs. The appointed Deputy of Santa (Eighth Grader Brigette W.) comes along with her helpers (Irene T., Julian F., and Julien G.) to distribute presents around to everybody (the presents are part of a Secret Santa Draw we do in class. Will get on to that in a minute). The Deputy of Santa will use her special "reindeer ears" to determine if each student has been naughty or nice for the year by asking questions such as, "Did you eat your veggies this year?" or "Have you listened to your mommy a lot?" The child will respond with (of course) yes to every question and he/she will receive a present sent by an anonymous student. The party is followed by a short break and lunch. Afterwards, the students host a Talent Show with various acts from grades Kindergarten to Eighth. Parents are invited as the audience of these special performances.

Secret Santa
In each class, a draw for Secret Santa is used. The teacher writes each students' name on a piece of paper and folds it. She puts it in a small container and asks one student to come up one at a time to pick one. Whichever person this student picks, he/she has to present a gift for the child with a limit of $10 on the gift. It's fun overall as you try to guess who is going to give you a present and what it will be. Also, it doesn't leave out anybody who doesn't get a gift. During the Present Time when the Deputy of Santa distributes the gifts, each student will know the sender on the tag.

Talent Show Acts
Ms. Gayle Schmitt, the school's music/singing teacher, conducts a song for each talent show (two annually) with each class. The upper graders will be singing "Jingle Bell Rock", Fourth Grader Faryn D. and Jennifer L. will be dueting the Spanish song "Feliz Navidad", and Brigette W. will be playing a lovely tune on her violin. There is always a variety. Last year, Samantha played the hula hoop and played the harmonica--at the same time! Julien G. is also very musically talented. He was in a band over the summer as a singer and he plays the piano. Zack taught himself how to play the guitar while Anya can perform amazing backflips! Everyone has a chance to show off some kind of talent.

Parents Corner
Parents can look forward to seeing their kids perform in the Talent Show and the Parents' Party. Our wonderful staff of Hillwood will be there. They include: Mr. and Mrs. Grantz, Ms. Kathy Tom, Ms. Sybil Dawson, Mrs. Eileen Woods, Ms. Samantha Caine, Ms. Lydia Cortias, Ms. Gayle Schmitt, Ms. Anna H., and Ms. Martha Yow.

Party Attire
Kids can come in fancy-casual dress. No jeans, t-shirts, and graphic shirts. Otherwise, uniforms as usual.

Picture Source: Google Images