Halloween

 

 

 

 

alloween is an exciting day for kids because it means “trick or treating” and lots of free candy. What makes it even more exciting for kids (and a lot of adults) is that it also means dressing up in costume for the occasion!

 

 

alloween fell  on a Friday  this year, and the day was a N.U.T. day (“No Uniform Today”). Everyone was encouraged      to come  to school dressed in costume,    and the more colourful and creative   the outfit, the better!

 

tudents were free to wear almost anything they wanted as long as it didn’t portray anything scary, evil, or inappropriate. Anyone who either had a scary costume or who preferred not to wear a costume at all were asked to at least dress in orange and black. Almost no one did!

 

 

ince the Sadochok students only attend school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and since a Liturgy was scheduled at the cathedral on Thursday, October 30th (the day before Halloween), the Sadochok students came to school dressed in their costumes and paraded around the school on Tuesday, October 28. ………

 

ome of the costumes were purchased from stores, but a lot were apparently home-made. IHMS has some very creative parents because the home-made costumes were funnier and more creative than the store bought costumes, and it was obvious that a lot of effort went into their design and manufacture.

 

 

ince everyone was eager to show off their outfits, it’s been a yearly tradition at IHMS for students to parade their Halloween costumes in front of everyone else in the school. This is done in the form of a procession through each of the classes from Kindergarten all the way up to grade 8. In this way, everyone in the school can show off what they have, and at the same time they can see what everyone else is wearing.

he procession began with the Kindergarten students parading through the grade 1 classroom. As both grades checked each other out, the grade 1’s followed the Kindergarten students into the grade 2 classroom. The grade 2’s then followed the line into the grade 3 classroom, and so on. This continued all the way to the grade 8 classroom, and finally back down into the gym for the Halloween extravaganza.

 

 

uring the extravaganza, students sat with their classmates around the perimeter of the gym, and either watched or participated in a series of beloved Halloween themed games that were organized by the student council:

 

A few of the Halloween Extravaganza activities in the gym

nother Halloween tradition at IHMS is for the staff to come to school wearing identical costumes. This has been a tradition for the past 21 years, and this year the teachers all dressed up as dominoes. The theme was kept a secret until the teachers wore their costumes to school that day.

A group shot of the staff dressed up as dominos for Halloween (enlarge)

 

n order to encourage healthier eating habits, Halloween has been declared a “candy free” day at IHMS. Families who wanted to share a fun treat on Halloween were asked to only bring an inexpensive toy … NO CANDY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

he October newsletter stated “Immaculate Heart of Mary School has been focusing on teaching students to make healthy choices when it comes to diet. Children collecting a bucket full of candy on Halloween is a perfect example of how foods high in sugar and fat contribute to obesity and a poor diet. Adults can promote healthy eating habits to children by limiting foods high in sugar and fat.

 

he students had a lot of fun coming to school dressed up for Halloween. It gave them the opportunity to wear their costume twice – once during the day and again that evening. There are a few other N.U.T. days spread throughout the school year, but most students agree that Halloween is the N.U.T. day they enjoy the most. Thanks to Mrs. Hutsulak and the student council for organizing the gym extravaganza.