ASA is Ready; Read-A-Thon Coming Soon; Reading Activities, etc.!!

Another cold, busy, and exciting week in my life in Seoul!  After School Activities (ASA) for elementary students is all set and ready to begin for Quarter Three on Tuesday!  On Monday, students have a day off while teachers, administrators, and staff have a day of In-Service activities centering in on grade-level meetings and working technology seminars!  One of the big happenings in the elementary school in February is our annual Read-A-Thon!  The PTO does a great job in organizing this and working with classroom teachers to provide excitement for reading.  I am continually impressed that our students still like to read a lot, and still enjoy reading with a book where they have to turn pages!

The excitement of Read-A-Thon begins on February 4!  I can't wait for "Mystery Readers' Day," "PJ and Pancake Lunch Day," and "Caught You Reading" but not sure about the final assembly day when the results of the students are announced and I may have a new look!

I probably should prepare you for a possible event that may happen at the conclusion of our Read-A-Thon! When I was Headmaster at MCA in Trenton, NJ, I was always asked to do some strange thing to give incentive to have students read.  I have had pies (with lots of whipped cream - a requirement) smeared in my face, my hair styled in corn rows with an obligation to go out to a public event with my new style, my Santa Fe car written and painted on (with paint that is washable), etc.  Well, in a very weak moment I have agreed, along with the elementary Principal, to have my head shaved if our cherubs reach their reading minutes' goal!  The last time I had a "GI haircut" was as a sophomore in high school.  I was finally allowed to let my hair grow and it has been ever since - although there is less of it in spots. If the goal is reached, we will have our heads shaved at a public assembly in front of the kids!  Maybe it is time for me to retire! :-)

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Third grade teachers were preparing for the Read-A-Thon in their Reading and Writing classes with some Readers' Theater pieces!  I had the pleasure of seeing a couple classes as they performed their Readers' Theater selections.

Mrs. Herman's 3A cherubs performing one of their Readers' Theater selections!  Loved it!

Here are some of Ms. Everett's 3C cherubs doing a selection for readers' Theater!  They also did a great job!

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Last Wednesday was our Fun Day for January.  It was "Career Day."  Students and teachers could dress in an outfit that showed the career they want to have when they grow up, or if a teacher, the "other" career she/he would like in addition to teaching.  It is always a fun day and students love to show their future careers.

I love Ms. Weir's (2A) and Mrs. Birmingham's

(Assistant El. Principal) "other" career outfits!

Aren't these two first graders so cute?  One wants to be a baker and the other a doctor!

A fourth grade budding artist!!

I liked these fifth graders in their white coats; a chef, a couple doctors, an engineer and a scientist!

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Wednesday night I received a text from a former SYME student, Dennis (Youngkwang), asking me if I had time on Thursday evening to have dinner with him and do some grammar checking of a business presentation (in English) he needed to present on Friday.  (These delightful young men get great delight at asking me to assist them at the last minute!!  I actually love doing it!)  It was my privilege and joy to meet with Youngkwang to help him.  He thought it would take only a few minutes, but he didn't realize how long it would really take.  So Thursday night I went to bed later than my usual bed time, but it was worth it!

Here I am with Dennis (Youngkwang) at Wang Thai

in Itaewon catching up on former days as well as helping

him with his business presentation and enjoying some 

excellent Thai food!

You know you wanted to see a close up of our tasty

Thai meal! :-)  I know you would love it!  So good!!

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Friday was an exciting day of sharing in parts of Chapels and OASIS assembly!  Part of our time is helping our students learn to respect and love people who are different than they are.  This is all leading up to a very special and exciting opportunity our fifth graders (all 75 of them) will have on Thursday, January 31!  The Special Olympics is being held in South Korea this year and our fifth graders have been asked to help.  I am soooooo excited!  I have always wanted to be involved in the Special Olympics, but the timing has never been good.  I will be going along with them and can hardly wait!  Please pray for all of us as we travel to the Special Olympics for a long day on Thursday!  We leave at 8:00 AM and will get back at 8:30 PM.  Parents are also very excited about this opportunity!  I hope I can share lots of pictures and perhaps some reflections from our students next week.

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I was invited to a special author's visit at my favorite bookstore, "What the Book?" in Itaewon on Saturday!  I had the privilege of meeting a new author as he read his book and interacted with children at the What the Book? bookstore on Saturday morning!  His name is Darren Farrell, from Hoboken, NJ.  Darren has married a Korean lady and is living now in Seoul.  He shared his first book, Doug-Dennis and the Flyaway Fib!  It is a neat book and he did a great job reading it with great expression to the children and parents who attended!  What I really like is that he not only writes his books, but also illustrates them himself!  I loved how he involved the children.  He finishes his second book in two weeks and then it goes to the publisher.  He is very excited about the possibility of coming to share with our kindergarten and first grade cherubs at YISS!  I hope that it can all work out!

I had the privilege of being present at Darren Farrell's

first author visit in Korea with his first book, Doug-Dennis

and the Flyaway Fib!  I liked how he signed my book:

"Honesty is the best policy; highfiving a jellyfish, not the 

best policy!"

 Here is Darren getting to know the children before he begins reading!  I loved how he interacted with the little ones throughout the story and also at the end when he did some drawing for them using their input!

 It was so much fun watching the expressions of the 

children as Darren read his book to them!!

 Another picture of the children as they listened to the reading of Darren's book!

These two girls were priceless!  Their expressions as

well as their questions and input throughout!  I loved

them!

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Saturday evening I had a wonderful and refreshing time with my awesome friend, Gunmo!  I love our times together!  We are able to talk freely and encourage each other and pray for each other!  We had a delicious dinner at Ho Lee Chow (above picture) and then I introduced him to Ben's Cookies!  We took our cookies and walked to Starbucks where we talked and talked and talked and enjoyed our yummy cookies!  Gunmo now loves Ben's Cookies, too! :-)  Please pray for Gunmo as he helps prepare his second sister's wedding on February 23.  Continue to pray for his father's salvation!  Gunmo was delighted that his grades for this last semester were even better than the previous one!  Continue to pray for him as he finishes his university and his job!

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I thought you might enjoy seeing some of what we had for lunch at Choir rehearsal today after the church service. :-)  My typical Sunday routine is:

8:30 - 9:55 AM:     Choir Rehearsal

10:00 - 11:15 AM:  Worship Service with Choir singing

11:15 - 12:15 PM:   Lunch with Choir Members

12:15 - 1:30 PM:     Choir Rehearsal

At lunch today we enjoyed two of my favorites: Kim Bop and Chock Pile (that is probably not the correct spelling but that is how it sounds phonetically).  What is Chock Pile?  Yummy Pigs' Feet!!  I really like it dipped in the tasty Korean red sauce!

Above is what remained of the Pigs' Feet

after choir members had a yummy feast! 

Above is my good friend, Rebecca, a soprano in Choir getting all of the meat from the Pig's foot that she can!  She made herself look so greedy in this picture!  She is a wonderful young lady and she and her hubby, Joseph, have been so encouraging to me.  She also loves Chock Pile!!

Above is Joseph, Rebecca's hubby and my 

tenor friend in Choir, enjoying some Chock 

Pile!  Don't you want some? :-)

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It returned to very cold weather again as we approach the end of January!  I am ready for warmer weather!  I never tire of thanking you for your encouragement, prayers, love, and support!  Thank you so much!  I trust you are enjoying a great 2013!

Love,
Gregg