Christmas Bells

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men

Longfellow wrote this poem at a time in his life when he and the country faced great despair. He had lost his wife to a fire two years prior and his son left to join the Civil war on the side of the Union Army without his permission stating, "I have tried hard to resist the temptation of going without your leave, but I cannot any longer," he wrote. "I feel it to be my first duty to do what I can for my country, and I would willingly lay down my life for it if it would be of any good."

Longfellow's son was gravely wounded in battle, and that Christmas Day, the poet wrote one of my favorite poems to capture the meaning of the holidays.

May all of us hear the peal of the bells, loud and deep, during this time and find some much-needed respite. I have been astounded by the love shown by all members of the Eagle Nation in all directions. I hear the bells ringing in their hearts.

Yours sincerely and respectfully and with hope for peace on Earth and goodwill towards All,

Luis De La Garza

Principal Woodlawn Academy.

Over 10 classes across several grade levels participated in this year's Woodlawn Academy annual tamalada. The tradition dates back over 20 years ago and began with just one class, Ms. Olga Valenzuela's class (now retired in 2021). From there it grew to other bilingual classes, and at this point has spread to include any class willing to put in the time and work to participate.

The sweet part... enjoying the tamales with the class at the 2pm mirienda. We hope that this tradition continues to grow within our Woodlawn community. We could not do it without the dedication of our teachers and great help from all the parent volunteers! Buen provecho!

Students kinder-8th grade put on a spectacular show for our Woodlawn community.

The MYP band opened up the night. All of our students are in their 2nd year of instruments and they pulled off a great performance!

Students kinder-2nd performed songs including Dale, Dale, Dale and Little Snowflake while students in 3-5th performed songs including Rocking Around the Christmas Tree featuring soloists. The Choir also performed Carol of Bells leaving the crowd wanting more.

All this contributed for an unforgettable night of music! We thank all the teachers and staff who helped make this night possible. We especially congratulate our Music teacher, Mrs. Rogers and our band director, Mr. Rodriguez for their successful musical night!

We thank Mrs. Rodriguez for the 32 years of service she gave SAISD students! She began her journey student teaching at Woodlawn Hills and finished strong as an eagle at Woodlawn Academy, where she taught for the last 10 years.

A teacher affects eternity [she] can never tell where [her] influence stops. - Henry Brooks Adams

Art III students created their own versions of Talavera masks.

6th graders in Language and Literature (Reading Language Arts) wrote and published their autobiographies.

7th grade Design students planned their own holiday parties!

7th and 8th grade Design students planned and created graham cracker houses.

Thank you to the generosity of USAA and their adoption of our school through the Communities in Schools partnership, many students enjoyed a special gift this holiday season!

CP&Y began their adoption of our school about 6 years ago. They continue to gift our students backpacks filled with things they need and things they would enjoy to spread holiday cheer! We are so thankful for their partnership with us!

If you want more info on CP&Y, click here.

Our Woodlawn teachers and staff came together to gift students their Christmas wish through the Woodlawn Angel Tree. We are glad to take action and spread joy and excitement to our students!

Click the globe for more information and a great calendar to keep you and the kids intellectually active this winter break.

Website: https://schools.saisd.net/page/175.homepage/
Location: 1717 West Magnolia Avenue, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: (210) 438-6560
Facebook: facebook.com/SAISDWoodlawnAcademy
Twitter: @IB_Woodlawn