On Wednesday I was able to go with the grade school class and we went and visited a Filipino school. We wanted to have our students see what it was like in a public school. It is so different from our school. The class sizes are above 65 in a classroom. The students are very well behaved to be in that setting. The teaching style is so different as well. It was very interesting to see.
Below are some pictures of our kids sitting in on a Filipino class.
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On Friday was the first ever Cuatro Christian School Talent show! The students have been looking forward to this night for over a month and there was definitely excitement hanging in the air. At the children's home the kids were all getting ready, boys put in hair gel and girls got a little lip gloss for the special occasion, so much fun!
The second floor of the school was decorated with bright parachutes making a beautiful stage for the students to perform. With a very laid back feel, we invited parents and family members of CCS to simply come and enjoy the entertainment. When it was all set and done we had about 30-35 community members watching the students perform. The even began with the singing of the Philippine national anthem. The night was full of singing and dancing and what a great job done by all the kids. We had some soloists, some hand motions to popular worship songs, and of course a rendition of one of the songs from the famous High School Musical. It was fun to see all the students to use some of the gifts they have but don't get to use on a regular basis at school.
Over all the night was enjoyed by all and hopefully the students were encouraged to use their gifts for others in the future.
Kaitlyn
I think the bottom line is that kids love puppies. It's so simple. Rachel's parent's have two dogs, and when a new litter of puppies comes along, they graciously let groups of the kids go up to their place to play with them. The kids absolutely love this. For some of them, it's playing with a puppy that gets them out of their shell, making them more excited and expressive than usual. This is a favorite activity and a great chance to get out and do something fun with a handful of the kids at a time. Here's pictures from the most recent puppy adventure:
DJ and Rachel
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We have a great staff that are interested in taking great care with our kids. Today we were able to go through a refresher Red Cross CPR course at our newly acquired YMC building. Ate Laling's cinnamon rolls were a big hit as was lunch, the youth group from our local church provided back up at the children's home watching and caring for the kids.
Nurse Marilyn and her visiting Nurse sister Patsy also supervised and made sure all the little and not so little bundles of joy were well cared for..
The 'BIG" kids got to go to Faith Academy in the afternoon to watch Kuya Kyle play soccer and then they had a big swim in the Faith pool... Compliments of Uncle Ted and Aunt Rhonda McMillin who are paving the way for many cool things around the children's home already! Its been great having supporting board members surround us with lots of love. Thanks for praying for us and making ALL things possible as we seek to serve Jesus, the kids and the community around us.
Jeff for the team
At school things are going great. Our grade school kids will be going to another school tomorrow to visit and see what other students are doing and how other schools are run. Some exciting news at school is that in the last 2 weeks we have had a couple students move up.
Rene finished the third grade and now is working at the fourth grade level. He does very well in Math and Bible. Language and Science are a little tougher for him but he loves to learn and is doing great.
Angel Miles was able to move up to our Kinder A
class from the Kinder B class. She is ready to start
reading!
Jan Andre another one of our kids was able to move up to Kinder C on Monday. He is starting to put letters together to start reading simple words. And he is doing well in learning to write as well.
We look forward for more students moving up in the ranks soon. Thanks for all your support for Cuatro Christian School.
Kim Courtright
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Last weekend the Children's Home staff got to spend a quick weekend away in Baguio, the "summer capital of the Philippines" to say goodbye to Jhett, one of our social workers. Jhett is heading to Vietnam to spend 13 months volunteering in program development for children with HIV/AIDS. For the better part of this year Jhett has already contributed so much to the home with her expertise and experience. With her leadership we received a key accreditation needed from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and she also helped pave the way for the first adoptions to happen in the near future. While we will miss Jhett, we are thankful for her months of service here and wish her blessings on her work in Vietnam. Plus, what we lose in Jhett we gain in our two new social workers Richelle and Sci. Along with Mae, we now have a dynamic team of three working hard every day for the kids.
Baguio was a great bonding time with the staff in a beautiful setting (and much cooler temperatures than Manila). We had fun seeing the sites in the city and also going out to spend an overnight at Jhett's family home, a 1920's traditional stilt house in the middle of mountains and rice terraces. We picked and ate plenty of fresh fruit, planted a rice terrace, and enjoyed each other's company out in the boondocks - literally. That expression actually comes from the Tagalog word for mountain, bundok. That's exactly where we were. Goodbye Jhett and thanks for all your hard work. And hurry back to Manila!
DJ and Rachel
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