Summer is Here!

Springing into Summer!

It never ceases to amaze me every year how the days get longer and the end of the year pops up seemingly out of nowhere. So many things changed this year that it is hard to think back to the mask wearing days or the social distancing or all the things we couldn't do before, that are normal once again.

We got to have our spring concert for both secondary and elementary. We got to participate in our normal end of the year field trips, graduation and picnics with no restrictions.

Learning about Insects

We got to go to the butterfly exhibit and see the butterflies and also watch mealworms turn into beetles.

 

Elementary Adventure Activity Week

Due to Covid challenges we were unable to do our annual elementary swim camp. However, we took this change in plans in stride and planned a series of field trips and labelled it Elementary Adventure Activity Week! Over the course of 6 days we went on different excursions including: climbing at a high ropes course, a nature scavenger hunt at a nature reserve, exploring an amusement centre, jumping our hearts out at a hop arena, making chocolate at a chocolate factory, enduring the rainy weather with a pyjama movie party and seeing the animals at the Prague zoo. These days allowed for building skills in patience, team work and exploring the wonder found in God's world. Many great memories were made during these days as we learned all the valuable things you can learn when you play.

Rope Climbing Park

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Mirakulum - Adventure Park

  

Hop Arena

 

Chocolate Factory

Rainy Day Pyjama Party, Games and Movie

When the weather doesn't cooperate you postpone the zoo, put on your pyjamas, play games and make a classroom movie theatre.

To the Zoo!

Goodbye 2021-2022 School Year

Traditions kept alive as we went on our river paddle boat trip after the picnic

 

Summer Plans

Originally I had planned to head back to Canada this summer but plans changed and I will be staying here and Lord willing will be back for a visit in December. I will be dog sitting for the month of July, doing another English camp and preparing for our next school year. Be praying for our new teachers as they raise support and prepare to come. Pray for the needs we still have for middle school teachers in Science, English and History. Pray for our returning students as well as our new families. We have the highest re-enrolment we have ever had and looking at having just over 140 students. It looks like I will be teaching another split class of 16 students. Praying for one more elementary teacher but extremely thankful for the two new teachers joining our team.

Springing Forward

 Dragging and Zipping Along at the Same Time

April is here already and I look at the past few months and see all the many things God has been doing. From a pandemic to a war we have been through a lot in the past few years. People have been asking how the war in Ukraine has been affecting us here. Refugees are pouring into the train stations and the people of Czech Republic have responded with compassion. There have been protests in the larger squares, Ukrainian flags flying from major landmarks and support being provided from many charities and organisations. 

Our school has been partnering with a Christian tutoring centre (school) from Kyiv that is relocating to a small town just about two hours northeast of Prague. They have about 30 families that are coming and we have been helping provide supplies for these families to set up their apartments, and once they find a building, supplies for their school. Please pray for these families and this school as they prepare to set up a life in a foreign country for an unknown length of time. 

 

In the Classroom

We Celebrated our 100th day of school in February. Always a milestone for our little ones as 100 of anything seems like a lot!

Air and Weather

We learned about air and weather and we got to experiment with kites, pinwheels and bubbles to discover how this invisible thing that moves things and is everywhere works. 

Miss Rose

This quarter I was blessed to have a student intern from Germany, who is in her second year of study in education. She was a breath of fresh air as she brought great joy and enthusiasm to our classroom. She helped remind me to find the humour in the ridiculous things the kids say. To find the joy in the little things and to once again find the wonder in this amazing world that God has created. Sometimes we get weary and burdened with all the things happening that we miss sight of the precious joy that can be found in the every day mundane. From pandemics to war we can be buried under a weight of all the negative and yet there is this inconceivable joy that comes when we rest at the feet of our Saviour.

 

Spring Break - Stay-cation

Due to the uncertainty of Covid restrictions I decided to have another stay-cation for our Spring Break. Restrictions in the last month have been loosening rapidly and most places have very little requirements, however when plans needed to be made this was not the case. However, God knows exactly what we need and finding rest in my own city seems to be exactly what was needed.

Answers to Prayer

We have been praying all year for more elementary teachers and our prayers are being answered one person at a time. We have now hired a teacher for grade 3 and another for grade 4 for this Fall and are praying for at least one more to complete our elementary team. However the pendulum has a way of swinging and due to totalization requirements a number of our teachers will be on leave next year and we are in desperate need for middle school teachers! Praise the Lord for the teachers who are raising support and gearing up to come this August. Please pray for the needs we still have for English, History and Science teachers in both the middle school and high school.