Nikolaus

Nikolausfest 2017

German School of Madison

This was the first time St. Nikolaus visited us at our new location. Not only did he bring little gifts for all children, he also told them the story of the historic St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra.

And St. Nick did not come alone! He was accompanied by an ensemble from the Wisconsin Chamber Choir, who led us through the singing of some German Christmas carols.

It was a lovely event and our warm thanks go to everybody who helped with the organization, especially Krista Spiro.

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We also thank the Clasen Family (of Clasen’s European Bakery) for their generous donation of cookies and other delicacies.

 

 

We wish everyone a peaceful holiday season! Thanks for celebrating with us and thanks for supporting the German School of Madison.

Nikolausfest

German School of Madison

Der Nikolaus kommt!

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You are cordially invited to our annual Nikolaus-Fest Potluck Celebration with guests from the Wisconsin Chamber Choir and a visit from St. Nikolaus. All welcome!

Date: Saturday, December 2nd
Location: Lake Edge United Church of Christ, 4200 Buckeye Rd, main celebration hall, 2nd floor.
Time: 3-4 pm: Arts and crafts for younger children (Entchen and Spatzen) including ornament making and drawing, 2nd floor, main hall.

  • 4 pm: Story time with St Nikolaus (in German and English) with treats for the Entchen and Spatzen.
  • 4:45pm: Other classes end, proceed to 2nd floor main hall.
  • 5pm: Songs from the 4 members of the Wisconsin Chamber Choir and a visit from St. Nikolaus, main celebration hall.
  • 5:30pm – POTLUCK DINNER
  • 7pm – event ends

Please bring a contribution to the potluck (main dish, salad, bread, dessert). We will have plates and plasticware available, but you are welcome to bring yours from home, if you would like (less waste).

We will sing a welcome song (“Lasst uns froh und munter sein”) for St. Nikolaus as a group. See below for the text or follow this link to YouTube.

If your children play an instrument they are welcome to bring it and play one song, possibly two songs for background music after they have finished eating. There is a piano available

We look forward to seeing everyone!

Lasst uns froh und munter sein

Lasst uns froh und munter sein und uns recht von Herzen freun!
Lustig, lustig, traleralera! Bald ist Nikolausabend da, bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Dann stell’ ich den Teller auf, Nik’laus legt gewiß was drauf.
Lustig, lustig, traleralera! Bald ist Nikolausabend da, bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Wenn ich schlaf’, dann träume ich, jetzt bringt Nik’laus was für mich.
Lustig, lustig, traleralera! Bald ist Nikolausabend da, bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Wenn ich aufgestanden bin, lauf’ ich schnell zum Teller hin.
Lustig, lustig, traleralera! Bald ist Nikolausabend da, bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Nik’laus ist ein guter Mann, dem man nicht genug danken kann.
Lustig, lustig, traleralera! Bald ist Nikolausabend da, bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Weihnachtsfeier mit dem Nikolaus

German School of Madison

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There were happy faces at our Nikolaus celebration on December 10.

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There was story-telling…

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…there was music 

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…there was glitter

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…there was food

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..there were games

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And there was, of course, St. Nikolaus himself

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…who shared the story of the historical St. Nicholas 

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..and brought small gifts for all children


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Parents also had a great time!

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We thank everyone who contributed to this lovely afternoon — parents, kids, teachers, friends, and especially our volunteers. We couldn’t do it without you.

May your holiday season be filled with light and friendship!

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St. Nick Celebration

German School of Madison

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You are invited to our annual Nikolaus Festival Potluck Celebration

Date: Saturday, December 10th
Time: 2pm-5pm
Location: Shorewood Hills Community Center, 901 Swarthmore Court, Shorewood Hills
  • Please bring a contribution to the potluck (main dish, salad, bread, dessert).  We will have plates and plastic-ware available, but you are welcome to bring yours from home if you wound like (less waste).
  • We will sing a welcome song (Lasst Uns Froh und Munter Sein) for St. Nikolaus as a group around 2:30pm. See below for the text.  Youtube link : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LtIAm_EM7kM
  • St. Nikolaus will read to us and give a small gift to the children. 
  • The potluck will start around 2:45pm.
  • There will be an arts and crafts table for the kids to make ornaments in the back room.  If your children play an instrument they are welcome to bring it and play 1, possibly 2 songs for background music after they have finished eating.  There is a piano in the back room.
  • Of course, there is no German school on that day.

Looking forward to a wonderful celebration with everyone!

Lasst uns froh und munter sein

Lasst uns froh und munter sein
und uns recht von Herzen freu’n!

Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
 Bald ist Nikolausabend da,
 bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Dann stell’ ich den Teller auf,
Nik’laus legt gewiss was drauf.

Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
 Bald ist Nikolausabend da,
 bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Wenn ich schlaf’, dann träume ich,
 jetzt bringt Nik’laus was für mich.

Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
 Bald ist Nikolausabend da,
 bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Wenn ich aufgestanden bin,
lauf’ ich schnell zum Teller hin.

Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
 Bald ist Nikolausabend da,
 bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Nik’laus ist ein guter Mann,
dem man nicht genug danken kann.

Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
 Bald ist Nikolausabend da,
 bald ist Nikolausabend da!

Nikolausfeier 2015

ImageGerman School of Madison

The night before Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas’ Day), many German children put out a boot, hoping St. Nicholas will fill it over night with sweets. (The Austrian version, Krampus, is less benign.)

We had a fabulous Nikolaus celebration on Dec. 6 (St. Nicholas Day)!  Christmas songs were sung, delicacies enjoyed, and heaps of praise and mild admonishments were delivered. The highlight, of course, was a visit from St. Nick himself. He had brought his Golden Book and seemed to know everything about our students’ behavior in class.

Iris Hengst led us in singing German Christmas carols, accompanied on the piano by a Deutsch 3 student.

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And then it was time for our special guest: Nikolaus called up each child by name and congratulated them on their accomplishments  — but he also let them know where there was still room for improvement (top three: clean up your room, be nicer to your brother/sister, speak more German). Most children took their conversation with him in stride.

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Everybody was handed a little gift bag.

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And then it was time for our potluck dinner. While in line, guests could study the Krampus pictures produced during our weekend class.

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A big thank you to our volunteers for all their work in making the event happen, our teachers for providing St. Nick with important information, and, of course, to St. Nick himself for taking the time to visit our school.

Wir wünschen allen eine schöne Adventszeit!

(If you ordered t-shirts or hoodies with our logo, we will notify you by email when they arrive.)

NIK-Gruppe

Der Nikolaus kommt

German School of Madison

nikolaus-liestYou are invited to our annual Nikolaus Potluck Celebration!
December 6, 2015 Sunday, Shorewood Hills Community Center, 901 Swarthmore Court

PLEASE BRING:

  • a contribution for the potluck meal (main dish, salad, bread, dessert or drink — anything is welcom),  a microwave, oven and stove are available
  • plates, cups and silverware for your family (if you care about the environment), we will also have paper goods/plastic cutlery available

The program will start at 4:30pm with a  welcome by our president, followed by some inspired singing of Advent songs (music provided).

If your child is participating in our project class that day (Deutsch 1/2/3 and DaF), he/she will meet St. Nikolaus during class. All other children (guests and siblings) will have the opportunity to meet St. Nikolaus during the celebration.

PLEASE NOTE: If your children are not attending our weekend class, we kindly ask that you reply to this email and let us know the number of children you are intending to bring. This information will help us plan better and ensure that a small treat is available for every child!

All are invited – this is an event for the entire German-speaking/German-interested community in the Madison area.

If you signed up to be a volunteer at the event, please report to the Community Center at 4:00PM

We are looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday!