COUGAR CHRONICLE

“Nativity Catholic School recognizes each student as a unique child of God, and provides a learning environment that develops each student’s spiritual, intellectual, social, physical and emotional gifts” 1

Inside this Issue PG 2

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Around Campus

Novemberfest

Soccer , Robotics

Pardon this

Interruption

Madison Sigler

NCS News

Spelling Bee

A Look Ahead

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How much good inside a

day? Depends how good

you live 'em. How much

love inside a friend?

Depends how much you

give 'em.”

Shel Silverstein

Altar Servers (left to right):

Brayden Hohman, Angie Pena, Preston Eder and Josiah Salomon before an All School Mass.

A s this edition of the Cougar Chronicle came together, we quickly realized that

this issue should be called the Photo Edition. Thanks to so many Nativity

parents, the Cougar Chronicle is chock full of pictures of our Nativity students

working, playing and serving. This edition truly shows what our students

experience as they progress through the grades at Nativity. Sports, altar servers,

spelling bee, Novemberfest, Robotics… there is something for everyone! We’ve not been

able to include photo credits but we’d like to send a sincere ‘thank you’ to those parents

who answered our call for a few photos. This is no exaggeration. We needed photos for

this issue and with a few requests, our email box was filled. We truly appreciate that. If

you ever have a picture you’d like to see in the Chronicle, please email it to

parentsofnativity@gmail.com

Please look for the information regarding the Great American Teach In on Page 9 and you

don’t want to miss a great article from Madison Sigler on Page 6

Finally, we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a safe, Happy New

Year!

Remember, we don’t come back to school until Tuesday, January 3rd!

Nativity Catholic School Parents of Nativity December 2016 Issue 16

Around Campus

Kindergarten celebrated Thanksgiving with

chicken, corn and some great Pilgrim costumes.

Third grade went to Busch Gardens

this month for a Field Trip.

Is that a parent reading to these Nativity

students? Yes!

Nativity parents are the BEST!

Super Hero Day in PreK4. There are a few

heroes missing from this photo….

The Nativity Teachers!

Chelsea Le takes an up close look at her homework

during her 4th Grade class with Mrs. Power. Tyler spotted the Chronicle’s photographer

sneaking up for a shot one morning.

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2016 was the 47th Annual Novemberfest! So much thanks to

those volunteers that put in all of the hours needed to make

these smiling faces. The Cougar Chronicle would especially like

to thank the many parents who answered our call for pictures.

THANK YOU!

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The Nativity Catholic Robotics teams are part of First Lego League (FLL). FLL was founded in

1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in Science and Technology. It is now

an international organization/ competition that motivates young people to pursue interests in

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life

skills. Robotics is not just about building robots and programming, it is about learning to solve

real-world problems using STEM concepts and creativity to make innovative solutions.

Nativity has two elementary teams and one middle school team. The teams are coached by

dedicated parents. The elementary students have been busy learning STEM concepts, building

Lego creations, and problem solving. They will be showcasing their project models at an expo on

January 28th at HCC Plant City.

The middle school team is called NCS Mindmasters. They have been busy building /

programming robots using Lego Mindstorms while researching/ presenting solutions to

real-world problems while incorporating FLL core values. NCS Mindmasters participated

in field trips to investigate solutions for their project. They have attended tournaments at USF

and Middleton High School where they were presented trophies for Most Team Spirit and the

Judge's Choice Award. These awards are reflective of the team's wonderful work ethic, sacrifice,

and enthusiasm. The Mindmasters have an upcoming regional tournament at HCC Brandon on

January 7th.

Most people would think that robotics is just about putting together Lego bricks, however it is so

much more! It is about tapping into the student's character, creating friendships, and inspiring

them to make a difference in the world.

Nativity Catholic Robotics

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Nativity’s Varstiy Soccer team finished a great season this fall. For starters, this is Nativity’s only Coed team and it is field-

ed by 6th and 8th graders. They finished the season in 4th place with 4 wins, 2 losses and 2 ties. The end of the season was

marked by a game against MTC in which the Cougars lost 0-1

What do you call a cat on the beach at Christmas time?

Sandy Claws

What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet?

The Christmas alphabet has Noel

Ainsley Hamilton holds up her design

for the Novemberfest tee shirts.

Nativity students created designs

during their Art classes. Ainsley’s

winning design was revealed in front of

the school during the Novemberfest Pep

Rally in October.

This unidentified and pixeled Nativity

Cougar was spotted during the November-

fest Pep Rally. He or she seems to be think-

ing about something. Do you have a funny

caption for this photo? What is he thinking

right now? Email your funny caption to

parentsofnativity@gmail.com and

we’ll print the winner in the next Chronicle!

Pardon this interruption...

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Outstanding Cougars!

The True Value of a Catholic Education

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?

It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.

Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.

Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

–Matthew 5:13-16

Earlier this school year, the eighth grade representatives of the Student Leadership Board had the opportunity to

visit St. Peter Claver Catholic School in Tampa. We donated around 700 math books for their use in school. This

was such a blessing to their community because they do not have as many resources, and other luxuries, as we do.

This trip truly served as a great reminder of the many blessing in our lives, which we often take for granted.

During the day, we visited many of their classrooms and met some of the students. We visited their science lab

which was really neat to see, as well as many of the younger students’ classrooms. At lunch, we sat with the third

graders and enjoyed talking to them. One child was even teaching us some sign language he had learned from his

after-school club. Every day after school, most of the students go to the Boys and Girls Club across the street until

their parents are off work. We also learned from the principal, Sister Maria, that all her students are provided

with three meals a day. The students at St. Peter Claver were so grateful for our donation and were truly some of

the happiest children I have ever met.

After lunch, we went back to the classroom with the third graders. We even played a round of “Heads up, Seven

up” with them! We very much enjoyed our time there and hated to leave. This time of year serves as a great time

to reflect on all the good things we have done this year, as well as count the many blessings in our lives. This

Christmas season, try to do something nice for someone you wouldn’t usually do anything for, remembering the

true reason for the season, Jesus Christ. This was a very memorable trip for us and we look forward to visiting our

friends at St. Peter Claver again soon!

Merry Christmas,

Madison Sigler

SLB Catholic Life Chairperson

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Looking

for a Great School?

2017-18

Enroll Now!

PreK3 – 8th

Grade For information or

to schedule a tour of

our beautiful cam-

pus, please contact

the School Office at

813.689.3395

NCS Cougar News

School Office Hours

Monday—Friday

7:35a.m.—3:30p.m.

NATIVITY CATHOLIC SCHOOL ALUMNI

Please email Therese Alonso at dosa@nativitycatholicschool.org to let us know what you have been doing

since your time at Nativity and give us your most up-to-date email/address. We love pictures and stories!

Mission Statement:

“Nativity Catholic

School recognizes each

student as a unique

child of God, and pro-

vides a learning

environment that de-

velops each stu-

dent’s spiritual, intel-

lectual, social, physi-

cal and

emotional gifts.”

Is conflict an inevitable part of the human condition? Eighth grade students

addressed this essential question as they responded to the summer reading

assignment of The Outsiders – an award-winning classic.

Students agree that conflict – a part of human nature - is present in personal

lives, in communities, and in society on a regular basis. They also believe that chal-

lenges can be handled in a positive way which allows for people to learn and grow.

The country at present is at unrest. The students would like to share a quote by

Ponyboy Curtis. "We all watch the same sunsets." An important lesson they learned

through this novel is that people are the same on the inside - economic status, race,

religion, political party - everyone watches the same sunset. From a Catholic

perspective, human dignity requires that everyone is treated with respect and

equality.

Please enjoy the shared pictures of the students culminating the unit by dressing

as Greasers and Socs. The two social groups put their differences aside and joined

together in a fun day while viewing the video "The Outsiders" and munching on some

tasty popcorn. Through love and tolerance, all things are possible!

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This fall, Nativity students began studying to compete for our third year participating in the Scripps National Spelling

Bee. Bees were held in grades 1st through 8th with students earning 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. All first place winners—17

students - will compete January 20th at Nativity to determine our school winner who will go on to Scripps’ Regional

Bee.

Congratulations to these students!

5a

1st place...Jennalise Tia

2nd place ... Patrick Cseh

3rd place... Aidan Rao

3b

1st place... Charley Belloso

2nd place... Madeline Beiter

3rd place... Shelby Bray

4a

1st place... Madeline Gordon

2nd place... Anthony Orsillo

3rd place... Tiana Thomas

4b

1st place... Fausty Belloso

2nd place... Daniel Gonzalez

3rd place... Patricia Condon

8a

1st place...Maddie Hampton

2nd place...Nick Reifschneider

3rd place...Christian Farrell

8b

1st place...John Waldron

2nd place...Matthew Cseh

3rd place...Roland Baudoin

7b

1st place...Emily Chacko

2nd place...Laura Gardner

3rd place...Alexandra Sigl

7a

1st place...Theo Chapuis

2nd place...Angela DelToro

3rd place...Angelo Otero-Quinonez

6a

1st place...Christian Beiter

2nd place...Jude Soriano

3rd place...Alexandra Platt

6b

1st place...Andre Botero

2nd place...Aiden Ehringer

3rd place...Olivia Feldman

5b

1st place... Anna Steed

2nd place... Ryan Lavallee

3rd place... Keyna Gascon

1a

1st place... Santiago Timbol

2nd place...Tyler Dittebrand

3rd place...Abigail Bray

1b

1st place...Eli Fraser

2nd place...Chase Green

3rd place...Zealand Ploch

1c

1st place... Robbie Martin

2nd place... Jaime Henshall

3rd place... Jake Barrett

2a

1st place... AJ Brazel

2nd place... Filipe Ubar

3rd place... Wagner Pena

2b

1st place... Jack Rice

2nd place... Johnny Adams

3rd place... Sam Sullivan

3a

1st place...Sabella Parwani

2nd place...Preston Jomon

3rd place...Hayleigh Perez

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MARCH

3… Charity NUT Day

6… Home & School General Meeting

6-17… Iowa Assessment Testing

APRIL

4… Registration Day

13… NOON INDOOR DISMISSAL

14… NO SCHOOL—Good Friday

April 17—April 21… Easter Holiday

24… Classes Resume

28… 7th / 8th Grade Dance

29… NCS Gala

MAY

5… Charity NUT Day

26… Last Day of School—INDOOR DISMISSAL

Gala. From the old French ‘gale’

which means ‘rejoicing’. Also from the

Italian and Spanish word ‘gala’ which

means ‘showy dress’.

Hopefully you’ve marked your calendar for April 29th and you are plan-

ning on rejoicing with us in your showy dress while we Run for the Ros-

es!

If you’re interested in helping with the Gala planning, please contact

Lisette Moore in the Volunteer office.

The Parents of Nativity is a group of parents who strive to bring exciting and enhancing events into

the classroom. We organize and coordinate several events on campus such as the Scripps Spelling

Bee, Great American Teach In, Hillsborough Fire and Rescue, Seeing Guide Dogs, and the Cougar

Chronicle. Additionally, we bring guests to speak to the students to introduce them to walks of

life they might not have otherwise considered. Last year, we welcomed authors, scientists, and

even a soldier from the US Special Forces.

You can follow us on Facebook, and you’ll find when our next meetings will be. Please consider

coming and learning more about what we do and how you can get involved!

Look for the registration information online and in the weekly eBlast for this year’s Great American

Teach In. Just as in past years, this year’s Teach In will be held on Tuesday January 31st during

Catholic Schools Week.

The success of the Teach In depends on you—parents of Nativity students. Please consider spending

some time with us to share your profession and career choices.

If you have any questions, please contact Vince Belcher…. Vince.Belcher@verizon.net

DECEMBER

2… Charity NUT Day

15… Christmas Program

16… NOON DISMISSAL

CHRISTMAS BREAK Dec 19—Jan 02

JANUARY

3… Classes Resume

9… Home & School General Meeting

13… Charity NUT Day & 7/8th Grade Dance

16… No School—Martin L King Jr. Day

31… Great American Teach In

Catholic School’s Week Jan 29—Feb 3

FEBRUARY

3… Noon OUTDOOR Dismissal

8… NO SCHOOL—Diocesan In Service

20… NO SCHOOL—President’s Day

24… Munchkins with Mom

24… 3rd Annual Cougar—a—thon

CALENDAR

A Look Ahead...

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