Saturday, November 8, 2014

Quarter Two After School Activities Begin; Teaching in OASIS and Chapels!

The first full week of November was our first really chilly week this season!  It is my kind of weather, but many of my Korean friends at YISS and from SYME days think it is very cold! :-)  We had some beautiful weather and our fourth grade and kindergarten classes enjoyed some excellent field trips this week! Kinder cherubs were able to take their walk and enjoy the changing colors of the leaves throughout Namsan Park.

    Some of the beauty the Kinder cherubs enjoyed on their Field
                  Trip through Namsan Park on Thursday!

Two of the Kinder teachers with some of their delightful kids enjoying Namsan Park on Thursday's Field Trip!

More of the beauty of Seoul in Autumn!!                   
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It was also the first full week of After School Activities and it was busy, but after some rough edges on Monday with bus dismissal and a few other little situations, we had a great week and everyone got safely to the appropriate ASA class.  I want to highlight two new activities plus one that is a favorite of many of our kids that is returning this quarter for the first time this year.  Two new ones that the kids are really enjoying are "Quilting and Sewing Made Easy" and "Cookie Decorating."  "Compassion Club" has always been a favorite with our elementary cherubs and they are already working on various acts of kindness within the school and planning the annual Bundle Up project. This is where they go to Seoul Station and deliver warm clothing to the homeless who have cardboard shelters in the underground tunnel walkways at Seoul Station.

Some of the 4th and 5th grade Cookie Decorating girls
            getting their cookies ready to decorate!

More of the students getting their cooled cookies off the rack so they can then decorate!

Isyss preparing her cookie dough for baking!

Catarina showing her beginning layout for her first quilting project!

    Two more girls in the Quilting & Sewing activity 
   getting their needles ready to go to work! They are
                             loving this class!

And some more beginning their sewing!

   Compassion Club member preparing her
   special notes of encouragement that will 
be placed on Middle School students' lockers!

Another CC member getting her notes ready!

This is James sitting on one of our new "chairs"   
for some of our hyperactive students!  They love    
them, and so do teachers!  We are looking into getting
more of them!  James has come soooo far since he 
came to YISS in 1st Grade; now in 4th! Here he is 
preparing his notes for MS students!            

A 5th grade young man working on his notes!

More cherubs busily preparing their notes.  It was so much fun to
watch them go to the Middle School lockers and decide on which
                    lockers they would place their notes!

A sample of one of the notes of encouragement.  Students had so much fun coming up with their own encouragement sayings!
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Students in Grade 3 are studying the Korean War (1950-1953) in their Social Studies classes and are preparing for their visit to one of my favorite museums in Seoul: The Korean War Memorial.  I was invited by Ms. Everett, grade 3C teacher, to come and observe her class working on a large floor map and actively showing the progression the the Korean conflict. The kids were so engaged and very interested in learning more about this conflict - a war that still has no peace treaty.

   Grade 3C made this floor map of Korea so they could move the 
    pieces to show the progression of the Korean conflict.  Yellow
    pieces represent North Korean and the green are South Korea.

One of the 3C girls with her table group completing the progression of the Korean Conflict in the little book, Ms. Everett had created.

Ms. Everett working with this little man to explain more
of the progression of this conflict.               

The class gathered around the map and then took turns moving the pieces to demonstrate to everyone how the war progressed.
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Friday was extremely busy for me!  I am asked to teach in Chapels and the OASIS assembly 2 - 3 times a year to assist our Elementary Chaplain, Mrs. Carol Franck.  Friday was my first time this school year.  I was asked to share the lesson on God as our Great Provider!  I was teaching to grades 2 and 3 at 8:10 AM; Kinder and Grade 1 at 10:00; Grades 4 and 5 at 12:10; and then sharing on the character trait of humility in OASIS assembly for Grades 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, and 5A.  I always worry a lot and usually prepare too much, but God always provides and it was such a joy to share in each of these sessions.  I wish I could show you some pictures of bread raining from heaven in Chapel and pictures of students who I dressed up as Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and a lamb!  The kids were having a great interactive time and many were very interested in hearing more about the ultimate way God provided by sending His Son, Jesus to redeem them.  Thanks for your prayers.  I will show one picture of one of my Moses' students.  His name is Mattia and he is in Grade 5.  Mattia and I have developed a great relationship.  In the picture below, Mattia is actually in his "Cookie Decorating" ASA.  He was a great Moses for me and the kids loved the costume I dressed him in and they all loved being involved in the story as Israelites!

This is my buddy, Mattia, in Cookie Decorating ASA following his performance as Moses in 4th and 5th grade Chapel on Friday!  He did a great job both in Chapel and in his cookie making.  I was even given some of the broken pieces to enjoy! :-)
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Earlier in the week I noticed outside our elementary gym a number of pictures of our staff at YISS. One of our Elementary Physical Education teachers, Ms. Buster, had asked faculty and staff to hold up a little white board with one of their favorite healthy foods.  She then displayed these outside the gym so that students could see and enjoy.  They are currently studying about eating healthy!  Here are a few of those pictures!

     Mrs. DeHart, Elementary Art Teacher, loves 
                                  broccoli!

This strange man enjoys very much Cheong-gook Jang!!  It smells like dirty gym socks, but is so healthy and so yummy!! :-)

Mr. Williamson, Grade 5A teacher, loves Durian! 
This is another nasty smelling food but the taste is  
often described as "heavenly."               

And K-3 Music teacher, Ms. Weir loves blueberries!!
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As always, thank you so much for taking time to read this post.  Thanks for encouraging me, praying for me, loving me, and supporting me.  You are very special!

Love, Gregg

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