The fifth grade under the direction of Miss Poglein and Mrs Sanders
got the holiday vacation off to a cheery start with their play, A Christmas Reunion, in which a cast of storybook and nursery rhyme characters get together to celebrate Christsmas cheer.

6th grade Spanish Class made traditional Spanish Christmas foods to share with the third graders.Everyone, cooks and guest, had a great time and enjoyed the snacks.

Under the direction of Band Director Dan Miller and 7th grade teacher, Ellen Petersen, our beginner and advanced bands took  the audience on a magical  tour of the holiday classics. Highlight of the evening was a performance by SPS Alumnus Keith Petersen, now a music major at Youngstown State.

Thank you to 6th grade teachers Miss Astwood and Miss Marshall for a beautiful and spirited holiday presentation.

 St. Philip’s faithful angel, Sr. Annina Fox, S.C., went to God  today from her  residence at Caritas Christi at Seton Hill after a brief illness. Sr. Annina’s devotion to our Parish and School spanned a lifetime. As student, teacher, Principal, Librarian, and aide in our school and as a Parish minister, Sister Annina touched the lives of nearly every parishioner and school child for over 50 years.  We say good bye with sadness but also with great joy that she is at last at home. 
There will be a Prayer Service at Caritas Christi, Seton Hill, Greensburg at 7pm, Friday, December 17.

Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at Caritas Christi, Seton Hill, Greensburg on Saturday, December 18 at 10am. Burial will be in the Sisters' Cemetery at Seton Hill.

Today third grade presented  a play based upon the Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rainforest by Lynne Cherry. Within the play, each student was dressed as a different rainforest animal. They each tried to persuade two men not to cut down the Great Kapok Tree. Each child learned how the rainforest is a habitat to many different animals and how cutting down one tree could affect many. Prior to the play the students created science projects regarding animals' habitats and life cycles. The audience also enjoyed songs about how animals prepare for the upcoming winter and what animals need within a habitat.

 Congratulations to our team members who represented St. Philip at the Mellon Middle School Tournament. The following are the placements in rounds 1 and 2 respectively: Declamation - Maggie Aiello first and third  Drama  - Claudia Jester 2 first, Erin Sheedy first and second , Katrina Zientarski - two seconds Multiple Reading - the team of Louis Worrall, Wayne Sanders, Marissa Pekular, Jack Shorthouse, Joey Feola 2 seconds. The team of Ryley Tarasi, Ana Petrak, Briana Caridi, Connor Gaitens, Hope Grefenstette  first and second. Poetry - Aidan Crossey, two firsts, Miranda Thompson first and third, Kyle Garay 2 thirds, Van Alarcon 2 thirds. Prose - Finn Crossey  second and third,  Breanna Wiegand 2 seconds, Mackensie Cross 2 thirds , Will Alarcon second and third.

Market Day is offering a $250 Borders Gift Card to any school that exceeds the dollar amount of its January 2010 order by 10%. We can do this with a little help from our regular Market Day customers and a few new ones. If you have never tried Market Day, this is a great time to try it. If you order regularly consider ordering one extra item in January to put us over the top.
As a bonus, every order no matter how small will receive  a Book Bag Buddy free. Help with this promotion and boost your rebate earnings at the same time.

Last night's performance of the History of Carols was a wonderful way to begin the holiday season and prepare for Jesus' birth. We thank the first and second grade students and their teachers - Mrs. Druga, Miss Rodgers, Mrs. Ravenstahl, and Mrs. Miller and their accompanist Mr. Miller for a beautiful evening of song and prayer.