The holiday spirit is all around on Broom Street! The decorated tree is out in front of our school to welcome all. Our Advent Wreath and Creche are on display in our lobby as well as a bulletin board highlighting the different weeks of Advent. Of course our train set is set up in the front hallway, a long standing Padua tradition.
While we are a Catholic School, we understand that our students may have differing religious backgrounds. We also have in our lobby a menorah that is updated each day of Hanukkah and a bulletin board that gives a detailed insight into Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
The Student Council planned Christmas themed days during the last week of classes prior to exams and we will also have a Christmas Prayer Service before break. During this Advent and holiday season, let our hearts be filled with anticipation and prepare us for the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus.
Other Holiday Padua Traditions:
Blue Gold Christmas Party
Padua's Blue Gold Club joyfully hosted its annual Christmas party the first weekend of December for the Down Syndrome Association of Delaware (DSA), Special Olympics Delaware (SODE), and DFRC Blue-Gold families. The event featured pictures and gifts from Santa, storytelling with Mrs. Claus, student-led crafts and games, a scavenger hunt for Padua's Christmas train and village, and snacks. The annual celebration not only brings immense joy to the participating families but also highlights the commitment of our Pandas to making a positive impact in their community.
Annual Tree Trim
December 7th, the entire student body gathered in the cafe, where the Student Council kicked off the festivities with a fantastic performance by the Broom Street Belles. Then, each grade was called up to adorn the tree with themed ornaments crafted by their homerooms. A sing-along echoed through the cafe between each grade's turn creating a heartwarming atmosphere of unity and Christmas spirit.
It’s Always Christmas in 302 Club
In "It's Always Christmas in 302 Club," they had a Christmas party during activity period to kick off the holiday. Students were wearing their Christmas colors, eating Christmas cookies and treats, and listening to the crackling fire when, what to their wondering eyes should appear, but Santa himself, all dressed up in red gear! That's right, Santa Claus was at Padua and spent the activity period with these students, Mrs. Holladay and Mrs. Iacono. He told us about his history, answered questions, and passed out presents before grabbing another chocolate chip cookie for the road and heading off. It is a busy time of year, you know!
Chemistry Ornaments
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.... as our Honors Chemistry class decorated their chemis-tree with the elements! Students chose an element to design an ornament for, researched their element, and created a fact sheet with their elemental information that looked like a gift tag. Each element ornament had a meaningful shape, the element name, symbol, and atomic number visible. Once completed they were hung on the tree.
Other Events
We also held our 2nd Annual Sip & Shop which was a lovely event for the Padua community to come together, get some shopping done, and enjoy a drink & snacks. Other holiday events include the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Mass, a visit from St. Nicholas on his feast day, the Broom Street Belles a cappella concert, and Claus for a Cause.