Elementary Chapel Band

Last year the elementary school started a special program called "Creative Arts". On Wednesday afternoons grades 1-5 divide up into special classes that enable the students to let their creative juices flow!

During the fall all the classes were working towards our school Christmas Program. Groups such as choir, theater, technology, dance, and art all worked on performances or creative pieces that would be presented for friends and family at Christmas! It was lots of fun.

 

This year, we are all working towards our special "Summer Open House", but with a special theme. All groups are exploring the arts through the theme "Around the World". In light of the upcoming Winter Olympics, soccer world cup, and international nature of our school, it is already turning out to be a fun topic!

We asked our students to write down countries that they and their families have lived in to see how many different countries were represented in our school. This year we have just under 100 students grades 1-5 at the elementary school and there are over 25 different countries represented from where our students and their families have lived!

 

I have had so much co-leading the Creative Arts group, Chapel Band for the last few months. These students have the opportunity to try out different basic instruments as well as sing and lead worship during our school's chapel time.



 

 

 

The students enjoy coming up with easy motions for the songs, learning to advance the powerpoint slides with ease, and working with various rhythmic instruments to ensure that all classes and students will be able to participate in our singing time. It is our hope that the students in chapel band begin to understand more and more that their gifts and talents, their singing and their playing, is all for God's glory and to truly praise Him.

What makes our worship time unique is selecting songs in German and in English and seeing the students learn to praise God in both languages. I love hearing the students sing the songs around the school for the rest of the day!

 

 

 

Already, our second group of Chapel Band students are doing a wonderful job leading worship. I am looking forward to finding even more songs that fit our "Around the World" theme and as we remember that all nations and languages can sing praise to God!

 

"Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together."

Psalm 34:3

 

Jesus at the Center

If I'm honest, this was supposed to be a Christmas time blog. Then, I thought perhaps it could be a "Looking at the New Year" blog. And now it's a week after New Years Day and I'm wondering, "Where has all the time gone?"

 

In any case, I'm way overdue for a blog post and I have been wanting to share some adventures from December and the last little bit of school with my faithful blog readers and friends. So here is my first week of January blog that takes a look at focus and direction going into this New Year.

 

It was over a month ago now when second grade had the opportunity to go on a special field trip. Last year we took our kiddos to a special exhibition in a nearby town where the students got to see little replicas of familiar Bible stories outlining the life of Jesus. Because this was a one time exhibit, we knew we wouldn't be able to go back again. (See pictures of last year's field trip here!) So this year when we heard about a special exhibitions of nativity scenes from all over the world that would be in Basel this year, we thought, "How perfect!"

 

With some careful planning we managed to take 22 seven year olds into the nearby city of Basel to get a tour of special manger scenes collected from six continents and many different countries!

Giant rotating nativity in the entry way

The students could walk around and use a handout provided that matched with numbers on the displays to figure out which country each scene was from. We asked questions, made unique observations, and tried to guess which countries the scenes were from before we looked at the paper.

 

After visiting the museum, we came back to school to discuss our experience and the many beautiful pieces of art we were able to see. We discussed what was so different about each one and the ones that were our favorites. We tried to remember all the various materials the scenes were made of and even drew some of our own.

 

Then, we talked about what was the same about each nativity scene. There was one thing that was true no matter where it was made, what it was made out of, or what it looked like. The students knew. They had seen. Jesus. Jesus was at the center of each scene. He was and is the reason many gathered that night so long ago. He was and is the reason we continue to gather to celebrate the amazing gift of His life and death.

 

For some of my students this is a truth they have grown up with throughout their young lives. For others, they are hearing and seeing if for the first time. What an awesome opportunity to show once again the great love of God in the gift of his only and precious son.

Enjoy the photos below!




Unique nativity scene from Africa

Student looks checks his paper to see which country the nativity scene is from

The students loved getting to look at the various scenes. Each was made of unique materials from the region in came from such as nuts, metal, wood, ceramics, glass, and more. The manger scenes reflected elements of each culture including the clothing the people wore, the animals next to the manger, and the overall appearance of each display. For instance, a tiny nativity scene from China had two panda bears coming up to the infant child and one from Peru had the wise men arriving with llamas!
 

Giant camels impress these boys!

Bear nativity scene from Canada

I really enjoyed going around with the students and talking to them about the different scenes and noticing different parts of each one. At times, it was just like playing "Eye Spy!"
 

One of my favorites!

Another special beaded scene from Africa

A scene from Haiti out of a coconut!

Enjoying the candles and scenes

Student checks his paper to see where the next one comes from

As I go into this new year, I want my focus and my direction to be like these nativity scenes: focused on Christ. I often get distracted, side-tracked, and lose sight of what is really important. My needs, wants, and desires start to take priority over others. And I forget who is supposed to take the center place.
Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, wise men, sheep, donkeys, cows, even panda bears, llamas, and angels all knew where to look. They put their focus in the right place. The baby Jesus took priority. He was the King of Kinds and Lord of all sent right in their very town and lives and was destined to change the world. Later in His life Jesus reminds me, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33

 

May this be your focus too as you go into this New Year!



"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."

Luke 2:10

Thanksgiving Fest

"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High."

Psalm 7:17

Thanksgiving Fest happens at CSK every year in between German, Canadian, and American thanksgiving. It's a fun morning at our school where the parents put on fun thanksgiving activities for the students to participate in. 

Last year I was sick and missed this day at school and so it was great to be able to enjoy this day with the students. We had so many wonderful parent volunteers who organized the entire program. 

We started our day with a whole school lesson on the American thanksgiving story as told so beautifully by Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Sally, etc. After the historical film by the Peanuts gang, the students were divided up into different groups to participate in the morning's events!

I compiled some of my favorite pictures from the day to capture a bit of what the day was like!

The kids are ready in their groups for the morning activities!

A fun relay game outside where the kids had to knock over the standing bottles. Thankful for great weather!

Students playing games inside.

Making cute, paper pumpkins

Her pumpkin looked great!

Decorating turkey cookies!

CB and a student color place mats before the meal is served.
(The place mats were a brilliant idea to keep the kids occupied before lunch!!)

Looking forward to trying some traditional American Thanksgiving food!

Sweet friends :)

The boys with their Thanksgiving lunch.

Special friends. 

One of the fun parts of the day was when multiple parents who were organizing activities or leading groups came up to me during the morning and said, "I don't know how you do this every day!" Of course I love my job, but it was great for the parents to get a glimpse into the busy life of a teacher and managing all our students! I told the parents that I am so thankful for all my students, but I certainly am tired at the end of every day!
   

Here are some of the many things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

• Students who make me laugh and smile
• Wonderful co-workers
• New books in the library
• The first snow!
• My roommate, Amy
• FaceTime and Skype with friends and family in America
• Hot chocolate and cookies

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Martinstag

November 11th is a special day in most parts of the world. While many countries are celebrating Veteran's Day or Remembrance Day, here in Germany people are celebrating St. Martin's Day or Martinstag. 

St. Martin's Day is a day to remember St. Martin, a famous European Saint who became a monk and gave to the poor. He is known for giving his cloak to a beggar and saving him from the cold of night. That puts it quite simply, but is the story in summary!

St. Martin's Day continues to be celebrated in different ways. I got a taste of how it is celebrated in this part of Germany. This year was my first time participating in a lantern parade with parents and students from our community. In school this fall we made special lanterns with our students. Many of the students have these special handmade lanterns from Kindergarten as well and now have several lanterns they can use every year! 

We met in front of CSK where students and families sing traditional "St. Martin" songs before beginning the parade through the village. Then we began the parade!

I never finished my own lantern in our class and so a student lent me one of hers so that I could carry a lantern as well!

Then, throughout the parade we stopped at different points to sing many St. Martin's Day songs. We had practiced some in school and so I was familiar with many of the songs. Luckily, there were word sheets as well to help!

It was so fun to walk with many of my students and their families throughout the night. Here are some of my fun second grade girls with their handmade lanterns!

After the parade it was back to the front of the school for hot German sausage in rolls and warm punch. We tried to warm our hands in our lanterns and enjoyed time with students and teachers outside of school. 

It's always fun to learn new traditions and to share special memories with great kids and their families!

Einkehrtage- "Retreat"

Two weekends ago I had the chance to go on a retreat with the German teachers from our partner German school. As many of you know the school I work at Christian School Kandern (CSK) is a joint school program from Black Forest Academy and Freie Evangelische Schule (FES), a German school in the nearby town of Lörrach. The English speaking and German speaking schools have combined to make our lovely, bilingual school of CSK. 

The German school (FES) invited the English teachers of our school to come along on their annual retreat into the beauty of the Black Forest for a weekend of relaxation, conversation, and professional development. 

I didn't know what to expect going on the retreat, but was excited for a chance to meet new people and get to know the mission and vision of FES during the weekend. The theme of the weekend was "What does it mean to be called a Christian School?" The speakers and small group discussions times gave us opportunities to discuss ways in which we can be integrating faith into our school and into our classrooms in a way that is both authentic and meaningful. 

What is really neat is that this is a theme that BFA has been discussing in professional development times as well this fall and clearly is a message that is on the hearts of both schools. In addition, integrating faith into the classroom is a challenge that has been set before the teachers of these schools as they seek to show Christian character both inside and outside of the classroom. 

This weekend also gave me an inside to see the mission of FES. The school not only offers a quality education to students, but also reaches out to many students and their families in the area. They value the importance of serving their students and following the example of Christ as they teach and serve. The school reaches 100s of students in the nearby area at all grade levels and in all tracks of the German school system. This weekend also provided the opportunity for us "newcomers" to hear amazing stories of God's faithfulness as students and families have come to know God's love through the work of this school. 

It was so special to feel a part of this wonderful community and to understand even more fully the role that we (the teachers at CSK) have in their mission as well. Above is a picture of the many wonderful teachers at FES that was taken at the retreat. (I'm somewhere in the middle in the third/second row!)

On Friday evening there was a "Variety Show/ Talent Show" that the teachers look forward to each year. This year the theme was "The Wild West" and so the teachers of CSK decide to prepare a little something to show the rest of the FES teachers what our school is all about. We had so much fun coming up with a skit that included some of the unique attributes of our school: speaking two languages, cultural differences between Germany and America, some funny "kid" quotes, and of course all in a western setting! 
I was able to borrow some costumes from the BFA costume closet which added to the old saloon atmosphere. At the end of our skit we danced the "Cotton-Eyed Joe" and had a blast teaching everyone to dance along. :)

Not only was the retreat a wonderful time to enjoy the beauty of God's creation, continue to reflect upon my roll as a Christian teacher, and to be able to dress up in some Western gear, but it also was a great chance to connect with new and old German friends. It was great language practice too as the entire weekend was in German of course! I was so grateful for the chance to go on a hike, worship together, and to just "get away". It is such a blessing to work and serve with such wonderful people and to be connected with a school that truly values sharing Christ's love in such a real way. 

Here are the first, second, and third grade German and English teaching teams from our school. We stopped for a photo on the way down the mountain!

"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus"

Philippians 2:1-5

Happy Fall

Fall is such a wonderful season. 

While I love all the seasons, how they are each so unique and different, there is something special about fall that I appreciate more and more each year. Perhaps it is watching the trees slowly change from greens to brilliant yellows and oranges. Maybe it's the seasonal foods like fresh apples and pumpkins straight from the field. Or perhaps what makes fall so special is the many traditions that occur in different places that communities and individuals look forward to each year! 
Experiencing fall here in Germany has been so much fun. There are many things about fall in Germany that are very similar to coming from a Pennsylvania fall. The colors of the trees, different festivals, produce from local farms are definitely pretty similar. But, every place has unique seasonal activities that are fun to be a part of. 
Here are some pictures that document some of my fun fall weekend adventures!

Every fall, the town of Kandern where I live has a wonderful pottery festival where potters from the area sell their beautiful work in our town center. 

 I really enjoy walking around and looking at all the different styles and pieces from the various artists. Too bad it's too expensive to buy much! I like it all!

Here is the pretty creek that runs by my house where now the leaves are starting to change color. Here they are still pretty green. 

 On October 3rd, Germany celebrates Reunification Day and not only is it a chance to celebrate a unified Germany, but it also is a day off from school! On that Thursday I had the chance to travel a little over an hour away to the cute French town of Colmar where we walked around and enjoyed a beautiful fall day!

 Another fun festival in the area is in the village of Holzen. Here we had some of the favorite pumpkin soup and fresh apple cider! It's so good! Last night Amy and I made our own pumpkin soup from scratch and it was SO GOOD!

They were pressing the apples right there for the apple juice. It was some of the best I've ever had!

A new fall tradition I experienced this year is watching the cows come home! Every fall, after spending the summer up in the mountains, it's time for the cows to come back down to different pastures. The lead cows wear wreaths on their heads and the herdsman keep them all together as they walk in a parade-like formation down the mountain. In German it's called, "Viehscheid".  It was lots of fun to be part of this traditional celebration in the beautiful setting of the Black Forest!

 One of the lead cows with the wreath on his head. Afterwards, the wreaths are auctioned off to eager buyers!

A look at the hillside in Münstertal

 After the parade of the cows, there is a big celebration complete with a traditional band and delicious German food!

There are lots of fun things to do for fall. I enjoy bringing some traditional fall activities into the classroom as well as we learn about leaves, apples, and the seasons. This Thursday our class is going to go to the local apple orchard to learn some more about pressing and harvesting apples. It should be a blast!

One thing that I appreciate is that every year the Lord brings each season, but with new experiences, new lessons to be learned, and new people to share life with. I'm so glad that our seasons of life don't continue endlessly. Instead, God faithfully brings us through different seasons of life so that we continue to learn from His loving and guiding hand. While some seasons of life may be sweeter than others, each offers the goodness of walking with the Lord through each day. 

May you have a blessed and beautiful fall wherever He leads you!