Say Goodbye to Summer!!

Our last full week of August was a very busy one, and yes, it was another hot one.  Since I have been at YISS, the Wednesday of the last week in August the elementary cherubs and teachers celebrate "Say Goodbye to Summer" by having students dress in their favorite appropriate summer outfit as we get ready for autumn!  We had another hot week, but the mornings have been a bit cooler.  The kids and teachers had a delightful time on Wednesday with their various outfits.  I will post a few of the pictures below:

Three delightful young ladies; a second grader and 

two first graders!  They are usually the first to arrive

in the morning!

 This is Lilly!  She is quite the actress!  She is 7 going on 35!  She cracks me up with her many poses!

Three fourth grad girls in their summer outfits!

Mr. Resende, Phys. Ed. teacher, with one of our 4th grade boys.  The sun glasses and hat are actually the student's but he wanted Mr. Resende to wear them for the picture. :-)

The tallest boy is my buddy, Ian.  He always has his

great smile for me.  I saw him leading these first grade

boys down the stairs in the morning.  Ian has come a

long way and it was so wonderful seeing him helping

these little ones when he didn't have to!

One of our second graders reading in her "Going to the Beach" outfit!

This is Hanho all decked out with his beach

attire.  I love the hat on him!

Each day at 3:00 this Ian from 3rd grade comes to the Elementary Office to wait for his middle school brother to pick him up.  Here he is with his summer outfit and Pluto cap in the office. I am in the office with my walkie talkie making sure all of the elementary students are on the right bus, or not on the bus if a parent is picking them up.  I love getting to know Ian this year!

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This past week was also the beginning of our "Lunch with the Principals" for all new students to YISS.  We began this week with our first group of first graders.  They loved spending time having fun with the elementary principals and eating pizza!  They are such a fun group.  We will be hosting many more of these for the next few weeks + we will begin our "Donuts with Dad" mornings for fathers and their sons in the elementary school.  The response has been overwhelming and we are looking forward to these special times during the first semester to have the Dads stop by at the beginning of the day for a time with their sons and the principals.  In second semester we will be hosting "Muffins with Moms" for the mothers and their daughters.

The Elementary Open House was on Thursday evening and we ha a huge attendance of parents to visit their child's classroom and teacher.  They also had opportunity to take a scavenger hunt in the new Elementary Library. (I am so sorry, but I was not able to get any pictures because most of my time was spent in great conversations with parents as well as directing parents to our new first and second grade wing.)  It was a great evening and parents are excited about the school year.

Friday was a busy day in Chapels and the OASIS Assembly.  Our character trait in the OASIS group this week centered on the orderliness.  We had a fun game show ("Is this Your Life?") where I was MC and Mr. Lazor was the contestant.  He was a puppet I gave the name of Wade Hoffsniker!  The kids enjoyed a great time learning about being orderliness and how that is one of the traits we like to see in a YISS Guardian student.  Mrs. Franck, our chaplain, had a wonderful activity where kids from each grade and each house team had to clean the playground and place the equipment in the best orderly arrangement.  There are four house teams and I happen to be on the Blue Team.  The Blue Team received points today for having the most orderly arrangement at the finish of the playground cleanup!

Part of our OASIS Assembly was held outside on 

Friday in the small playground.  Here is Grade 5A

and part of 2A cheering on their house team in the

orderliness clean up activity!

Here are two house teams after collecting playground equipment organizing what they collected in an orderly fashion.

And the winning house team (the BLUE TEAM) seated

around their well organized collection of playground 

equipment!  Students from left to right represent Grade 

1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.  The young lady from grade 5 on the 

far right is one that I call the Smiling or Laughing Lady!

She is always smiling when she arrives in the morning!

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YISS has off school on Monday and our YISS staff is going to a beach area for a Staff Retreat Saturday through Monday Noon!  It should be a great time as we eat, play, relax, and enjoy many conversations with each other.  Thanks for praying for us.

Then on Tuesday After School Activities will officially begin.  Over 25 different activities have over 300 students involved.  Please pray that all goes smoothly as we begin another quarter of After School Activities.

Once again, thank you for all of your love, prayers, encouraging emails and notes, and support. As I mentioned in the email informing you this blog was ready, there is an Agreement of Sale on my home in Bensalem!  I would ask you to pray that all will go smoothly and that the settlement will be able to happen in the near future.  Pray that all of the inspections, etc. will go well. Thanks so much.

Love, Gregg