Ready, Set, GO!!

Monday and Tuesday of this past week teachers and staff were very busy making final preparations for our first day of school on Wednesday, August 17!  Enrollment for this year is up from 125 last year to 140!  After our Open House on August 12, we realized we needed to make a change with our Grades 5 and 6.  Enrollment for these two grades had continued to increase since the close of school last year.  The plan was to combine the students in Grades 5 and 6 in one class in the Middle School. We realized there were too many in both classes and began praying for a Grade 5 teacher, who would teach Grade 5 as a self-contained classroom except for related arts classes.  August is not an ideal time to be searching for teachers!  :-)  We did have a lady who had completed all of the paperwork through our home office, NICS, back in July but the only need we had at the time was for substitute teachers.  We prayed and decided to contact Mrs. Johanna Sigler to see if she would want a full-time teaching position teaching Grade 5.  When I spoke with her on the phone on Friday, August 12, she became so excited and said that she had been talking with her husband and praying about a full-time teaching position!  We had a final interview with Mrs. Sigler this past Monday.  She accepted our offer and then worked with our ES Assistant Principal, Tony Kuhn, on Monday and Tuesday to prepare the classroom!  We are delighted and grateful to the Lord for providing an excellent teacher in such a short time!  Please continue to pray that all of the necessary paperwork will be completed for her Korean visa to allow her to teach full time. Right now she is hired as a substitute teacher, but if all goes well, she should have the necessary visa approved for a full-time teaching position in a couple weeks.

Our new Grade 5 Teacher, Mrs. Sigler, and our Science Teacher, Mr. Sortore, started the year with Grade 5 by having them build rockets, then launching them, and then debrief.  They had fun learning Physics on their first day!

Here are four of the 5th graders and Mrs. Sigler ready to launch their rockets.

This girl ran as soon as she placed her rocket for

                              launching! :-)

My camera didn't catch the complete launch; just    

the trail!  It was probably good that the young girl ran!

Here is the class debriefing.  This is a better picture of our newest teacher, Mrs. Sigler (on the right).  The kids are really enjoying her!

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So, on Wednesday, everything was ready, we were all set, and at 8:00 AM students began arriving! Everything was a GO!  We had a smooth first day with only a few glitches with bus dismissal. However, by the end of the week, the bus situations were all cleared up.  Thank you for praying for our first day! I really enjoyed visiting classrooms, meeting students, and observing our teachers connecting with students!  Below are some pictures from the first three days of classes at ICS-P for 2016-17.  If you wish, you can use the pictures to pray for our students and teachers.

First Day Arrival!

     As elementary students arrive, they go to the 

   cafeteria to wait until 8:25 when teachers come

  to pick them up.  Here Mr. Kuhn, ES Assistant

  Principal, and Mrs. Jacobo, Grade 3 Teacher,

    greet students and have some fun with them.

Our Grade 4 Teacher, Ms. Johnson, greeting students and having some fun with them.

Some more of the students on the first day.  The young man on the 

right seems to be in dreamland! :-)                   

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Kindergarten Looking for the Gingerbread Men

On the first day, Mrs. Cho, our Kinder teacher, read the book, The

   Gingerbread Loose in the School to her cherubs and then they 

 escaped.  Here are the kinder cherubs on Thursday in my office as 

they begin their search for the escaped Gingerbread Men!  They had

 made some paper gingerbread men and Thursday they had escaped.

I asked them to do a "silly" pose after I told them that the gingerbread men had been in my office but left.  They left a note on my chair which I read to them.

Here they are with the note that the gingerbread men left on my chair.

They were so excited to continue the search.  It was such a great way 

to have the children learn where the various places are located at ICSP!

Later on Thursday, they saw the gingerbread men throughout the school hallways!  They were so excited! :-)

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Elementary School Chapel on Thursday

Mr. Kuhn welcoming elementary students to Chapel.  He shared

with them the theme for the year: Putting on the Full Armor of 

                                                  God!"

Here are the elementary students and teachers listening to Mr. Kuhn and preparing to sing some praise songs!

Our Music Teacher, Ms. Kim, brought some student volunteers to  

the front to help her lead the kids in singing some praise songs.  They

are great singers!  This one was "Every Move I Make" and the kids  

were really into it.                                  

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Some Random Class Pictures on Thursday

            MS Bible class with Mr. Kuhn!

Mr. Edwards teaching a Science class. 

Working on a "thinking" assignment with Mr. Edwards.

Ms. Gaul, HS Math Teacher, doing a pre-test with one of her Math classes.

Ms. Hunter, Grade 1 teacher, working with her cherubs on their

                                            journal writing.

Ms. Lee, Art Teacher, had a photography assignment for this HS class.  They were so into it!

Photo assignment for Art.  These girls were having  

  so much fun getting the right pose.              

Another shot of these two young ladies.

These three HS young men were deciding how to 

  get the right photo based on the instructions Ms.

                              Kim had given.

This is one of the poses they selected!

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I had mentioned in a previous post that I had found a new coffee shop for my Saturday morning time of coffee, reading, reflecting, praying, and writing.  I am enjoying visiting BC800 Coffee & Tea on Saturday mornings!  When it is not so hot, I plan on walking to BC800 to enjoy this time.  Yesterday I was greeted at my table by three little friends in a Mason-type jar with a green plant and water in it. I enjoy watching them swim and look at me as I read and write. :-)  Saturday I was able to finally meet the owner and her son - both were working together this Saturday.  I had a really nice chat and hope to continue sharing with them.  Today I asked for coffee and a two small cookies, which I paid for.  When Chang Sik Jang's mother brought my coffee, she gave me a plate with 5 little cookies as well as a piece of coffee cake as a service gift! :-)

   Here is one of the pictures of my new friends at 

  BC800 Coffee & Tea. You have to look hard, but 

                             they are there.

Another view of my fishy friends at BC800!!    

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Saturday I also got my first haircut in the Pyeongtaek area.  As I was leaving the BC800 Coffee & Tea shop the other week, I noticed a hair place that was simply called "GG."  :-)  So I decided today that I would stop and give them a try.  The man and woman who operate the shop were very nice and spoke English very well.  I showed them my business card and before I could explain what I wanted to share with them about the initials in my first, middle, and last names, they already realized that my initials were the same as the name of their shop!  We all started laughing!  I think the young lady did a fine job for my first time.  I think I will be back and it is almost next door to my new coffee shop!

            Here is the front of my new hair cutting place, GG!

Here I am after getting my haircut.  Not the clearest picture, but this

selfie will have to do.  Not bad for the first time at this place!       

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Saturday evening I was taken to dinner by our High School Principal, Charlie Mooney.  We enjoyed some excellent conversation and great Indian food!  I have enjoyed getting to know Charlie and his wife, April, + their two children, Gavin and Addie.  After adopting Gavin and Addie, they are now expecting a child of their own in January!  Please pray for them as they prepare to add this third precious cherub.

GGG with my good friend and HS Principal at ICS-P, Mr. Charlie Mooney, at an Indian restaurant in Pyeongtaek on Saturday evening!  A great time together!

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Once again, thank you very much for your love, care, encouragement, emails, letters, prayers, and support.  Thanks for praying for our Grade 5 Teacher, Mrs. Sigler, as she transitions quickly to ICS-P and that all of the paperwork for her visa would come through in a timely manner!

Love, Gregg