Announcing: March-April-May 2017 WattsLine is now posted

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 March-April-May 2017 WattsLine 

  

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May 2017 Summary

Elementary Chapel  - Led by 5th Grade, May 4th

Classes are welcome to lead a chapel program at Faith International Academy (FIA), and my 5th grade language arts class was eager to do so. They had wanted to use puppets on our service / ministry field trip, but doors opened for us to go Davao School for the Blind, where puppets would not be the most effective group tool. Therefore puppets were first on the agenda to share with younger fellow students.

I taught 5th graders basic moving mouth puppet techniques and  coached them to lip sync "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" that has good built-in choreography of leaning many times. Students choose "Our God Is An Awesome God" as their second song for puppets to share.

Fifth graders led other students in action / dance songs, "10,000 Reasons,"  
"I'll Follow Jesus,"  and 
"Building Others Up."





Many mornings before language arts curriculum, devotions included an Bible animal object lesson from one of several books on my Kindle...always with the request to pass the stuffed/puppet animal around.  Chapel was now their turn to share! Each fifth grader choose from several printouts which animal lesson they would present that took a characteristic of the animal/object, related that quality to scripture, then to their audience's lives.

 These students were asked to read their scripture verse directly from their Bible. During rehearsal time I explained that decades ago in children's ministry training, I had been taught the benefits of reading scripture directly from the Bible: 1) to make sure the verse is given accurately, and 2) so your audience knows that your presentation is indeed based on God's Word. 

Don't they look great communicating these Bible truth lessons?  I confess I had ulterior motives for taking the time to teach the how and why of object lessons. I pray that these students will go on to share Bible lessons with children, youth, and adults...Bible in one hand and prop as appropriate in the other hand. My goal is multiplication - teach these students simple techniques to help them share Bible truths with persons I'll never see.

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Elementary Chapel -  'Golden Rule' Theme - May 18th

On May 4th I had the privilege of being the speaker for the last Elementary Chapel of the school year at Faith International Academy.  First, I called students up to dramatize the story of "The Good Samaritan" as I read it from the Bible.

This Chapel also included:

-VIDEO STORY: Sara Tucholsky - An Inspiring Softball Story     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaXVk5GBx-s  5:28 min.

-VIDEO SONG : Steve Green - Do To Others - Matthew 7:12   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUV_uljLekc  1:47 min.

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Teddy Bear craft

PRESCHOOL / HOMESCHOOL STORYTIMES in May included stories, 'show-and-tell,' and crafts related to:

Thursday, May 4 –  PINK

Thursday, May 11 – GRAY

Thursday, May 18 -  BROWN




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FIELD TRIP - Tebow CURE Hospital 
The Tebow CURE Hospital provides pediatric surgical care in Davao City in the Philippines, helping children with treatable conditions like clubfoot and spinal deformities and also treating injuries.  It is a partnership of Tim Tebow Foundation with CURE International.

The fifth graders worked hard with the puppets during the week and half we had to prepare for Elementary Chapel. Why stop there? We planned to share the puppet songs and action songs with children awaiting orthopedic surgery one morning at Tebow CURE Hospital.

In route to Tebow CURE Hospital in the school vehicle. Missing from picture is photographer Mom, Mrs. Wagner.

In lobby of the hospital

 


Our time together with began with introductions of patients that included learning what kind of surgery they were waiting to have that day. Fifth grade FIA students took turns praying for a patient.

FIA fifth graders repeated puppet songs and action/dance Christian songs which they had shared in Elementary Chapel. 

I was delighted that one student asked if they could let patients use the puppets. Of course! Parents joined in using puppets. Staff retrieved some finger puppets to add to the action and smiles.

             

My students wanted me to greet patients with my 
"Grandma Gracie" and "David" puppet voices.

 Several fifth graders had a phone camera that could add cartoon features to photos. They entertained patients by taking their pictures, adding the features and showing the patient their new pic.

Before leaving the hospital, we had a mini-tour including introductions to staff, view of x-ray rooms, and explanations of some of the physical therapy equipment (students enjoyed trying a few pieces out). We also got to visit "Timmy's Playroom" with football motif (for Tim Tebow) where youngsters wait for their turn at the Thursday charity clinic for disabled children and where regular patients play at other times. 

YEAR END FESTIVITIES
After a busy morning at CURE Hospital, students had chosen to return to school for a potluck picnic, water activities, and 'root beer' floats that I had been promising in honor of a compound spelling word.







Without a full-time fifth grade teacher this year, various teachers taught the different academic subjects. We enjoyed having most  of them plus a library reader join as schedules permitted during our picnic lunch (although attention was divided during later part with filling water balloons).

The whole class climbed in the tank after the dunking mechanism stopped working at all for a special Kodak moment..








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Last Day of School Reflections and Prayers

Early morning sharing time on the last day of this school year will long be etched in my mind.

One of the things I asked students was what special memories did they have of their fifth grade school year. Several students mentioned "field trips." YES!!! They got it!
 My theme verse in preparing students for trips to Davao Blind School and Tebow CURE Hospital had been Philippians 2:4 -  "Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in other, too."  A deep desire of my heart is to help others (especially children, early in life) to experience the joy of outreach and serving, of sharing God's love with others.

During our devotional time, I suggested 'pop corn' prayers of  popping up to thank God for our school year together and asking God's guidance and blessings as they entered the new season of life called "middle school.'  My heart was deeply touched by their profound, insightful, powerful prayers for each other. Amen! (So be it!)  
I continually pray for God's special blessings and guidance on each of you Daniel, Emily, Irene, Peace, Saem, and Simeo.

God's Storm Provision & Protection in Philippines

There are times in our lives when we recognize God's hand of provision and protection when we unintentionally find ourselves in a potentially dangerous position.

Good Samaritans push a stalled jeepney along a flooded JP Laurel Avenue
 in Davao City Wednesday night (3 May 2017). MindaNews photo by Manman Dejeto

One evening I was at Gaisano Mall on JP Laurel Avenue to get a much needed cell phone load card when an extremely heavy rainstorm came that lasted hours. It is always hard to catch a taxi during rain, and this evening there were shoulder-to-shoulder people waiting for a taxi, jeepney, or tricycle (motorcycle outfitted with a one-wheel side cab/3 passengers).

I was blessed to see Claire, our music teacher, also trying to catch a ride home...and her six foot plus tall brother Curtis visiting from a China university. Glad she invited me to join them. We had to walk a block away from the mall to a corner before we finally caught a tricycle that slowly plodded through waters. The second time we had to turn around because water was too deep for the tricycle...Curtis had to push it up a small slope for it to be able to continue driving. THANK YOU Curtis - flash flooding rescue angel #1.

This was our street...and we had to go forward to get to our respective homes. I had suggested earlier that if got to the place we could no longer ride through the water, that the three of us link arms and slosh on (me in the middle of course as I need the most support for balance!). 

We were at that place of no longer riding our breezy, wet but much appreciated tricycle...but God was in control of the "little" details. Exactly when we could ride no further, right snack dab behind us was the high riding SUV of friend/teaching colleague/neighbor Steve St. Clair - flash flooding rescue angel #2. After dropping off Claire and Curtis, Steve insisted on driving me half a block back to my apartment building. OK,..walking through water for one in early 60's with definite mobility issues was risky. (A Davao City oncologist had ordered me: "Do not fall!")

A family of friends shared on Facebook their seven inches of water in their living room, 13 inches in their bathroom, 38 inches on the street in front of their house, BUT they had no tap water.  After taking most things upstairs and raising the rest to keep them dry, they went to help the neighbors. I was shocked when I saw them the next evening at an event and the weary but cheerful couple reported they were all cleaned up...thankful for a "super duper" helper and a garden hose through the window to wash things off.  

That was the only time in my experience that this area next to Faith International Academy had flooded even a few inches. I never would have guessed that a simple trip to the mall needed the help of two flash flooding rescue angels for me to remain standing and to get home with no broken bones...but God knew and provided via two big-hearted big guys.

April 2017

My first EASTER in the Philippines

Preschool / Homeschool Storytime craft during the week 
before  Easter.  One hand of each child was traced and cut 
out, fingers spread to represent rays of the sun, 
placed behind a cross on a hill.

Easter Lunch Bunch. These friends and colleagues associated with Faith International Academy shared an Easter potluck lunch. 

Thank you Symanzik family for hosting us.

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Faith International Academy, Teacher Appreciation Luncheon - 

5th Grade Team (missing: Troy Taylor).  

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Terra Nova Testing. April 18-21 was the week for the 2017 standardized testing at Faith International Academy.  I administered the Terra Nova test to the 5th grade, assisted by Jona Mae. 

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Snowball Toss in tropical Philippines

In addition to an Easter theme, April Preschool and Homeschool Storytimes also included stories, show-and-tell, craft, and wearing the colors black or white.

What is Ezra Jack Keats, The Snowy Day without a snowball toss and making imaginary snow angels on the carpet?

Snowball Basketball. The children thought it was a game;
my objective: clean-up.

After days of elementary school snowball tosses following snow stories in January,  a kindergarten mother spotted two that  had been missing in action back under picture book shelves and told her son to throw away the 'paper wads.' He quickly replied, "No Mom, those aren't paper wads. Those are snow balls!"  He brought them to me for storage (saved for this group).