December always seems to come sooner than expected. It seems like we were just planning for the school year to begin, re-connecting with our colleagues and getting to know our new friends. With report cards and conferences, American Education Week and Thanksgiving Break, the November days and nights passed quickly.

We'd like to thank our Parent Faculty Association for sponsoring the wonderful assembly on Parents' Day - The Wheel of Wisdom. It was certainly impressive to see the breadth of knowledge our Palos East community had during the trivia challenges! The children and adults in attendance enjoyed visiting the classrooms, some adults even made it to PE, Art, Music, and recess!

In the spirit of giving, Palos East, with the support of our student council, is sponsoring a holiday drive to benefit The Alliance for the Children. This group supports children in impoverished areas throughout the country where assistance is unavailable. To support this worthy cause, please read further in this newsletter for suggested ideas.

Next week, the 5th and 6th grade band will perform at Palos South on Tuesday, December 6th at 7:00 pm. We will have a dress rehearsal that same morning at 9:05 in our Palos East gymnasium. The Palos East Choir, and Junior Cardinal Choir, will perform for our community on Tuesday, December 13th a wonderful presentation entitled "Paint the Town December".   Our daytime rehearsals, at 9:45 and 1:55, will take place in the gymnasium at East for the children at school. You are welcome to attend either of the performances if you are available. As December wanes, we look forward to our annual movie Friday, on December 23rd.  Our winter recess this year runs from December 26 through January 6, with classes resuming on Monday, January 9th, 2012.  

We offer our sincere gratitude to all who make our school such a wonderful place for learning and success for all! However you celebrate the season, we hope the winter recess allows you and your families time to re-connect, re-energize, and remember the importance of family.