Every year, the Chinese-Filipino students of Xavier School, together with the faculty and staff, look forward to the Chinese New Year popularly known as the Spring Festival. The students anticipate the much-celebrated event with a lot of enthusiasm.

Last February 12th, the Xavier community kicked off the celebration with a Mass celebrated by Fr. Chang. At the same time, the Grade 2 students were in the Lecture Hall watching a short film “三个和尚”－ “Three Monks”. The short film promotes generosity and was positively received by the young viewers.

There was a program after the Mass so all members of the community filled the corridors of the quadrangle to watch various performances by the students. The grade 2 students performed a marvelous dance number which delighted everyone.

In the afternoon, the grade 2 students had 3 different kinds of center activities. These centers were Chinese painting, Noodle making and the Chopsticks game.

The Chinese painting – 中国画 activity was done inside the Gr. 2 classrooms. Enthusiastic parent volunteers headed by Mrs. Vivian Go, along with her mentor Mr. Alex Lim, were ready with the materials to be used; paintbrushes – 毛笔, rice paper – 宣纸, ink － 墨 and, of course, their love for the craft. In this activity, the students became instant Picassos and revealed the inner artists within themselves. The students immediately fell in love with their little works of art. In fact, Mrs. Go had a hard time asking the students to proceed to the next activity since their hands were so busy and their minds were completely focused to this totally new experience.

A Chinese Cooking Master graced the Noodle-making – 手拉面 activity in the Sports Center Function Room. Master Chef Ma showed the students how to make fresh hand-pulled noodles from flour, egg and water. The students were in awe at the expertise of the cook. After the demonstration, the students were treated with a taste of fresh noodles with soup and vegetables. The students’ palates were satisfied with the yummy taste of their afternoon snack.

The Chopsticks game – 筷子比赛，in the Sports Center is probably the most challenging activity for the students. This required teamwork, speed and patience. The students were asked to transfer cracker nuts from one bowl to the other, one at a time. The groups who finished first were proclaimed winners. One cannot help but marvel at the support shown by each student to his fellow classmates. This activity surely helped classmates bond more with one other.

The Grade 2 team would like to thank the level representative of Grade 2; Mr. Wilson Sy together with Mrs. Vivian Sy, and the various parent volunteers in making these activities for the grade 2 students a successful and fruitful learning experience. 恭喜发财！