"Can you hear me now, or do I need to leave a trail?"

"Go that way! That way!
Wait go left! Your different left, I mean right!"

       This week, we had a wonderful time diving into our material with great hands-on activities! In math we continue to use a lot of manipulatives to discover more about multiplication and division concepts. My students are beyond excited about the concepts and working to improve their previous accomplishments. I actually have a waiting list for who can check out our class sets of flashcards (I only have 2 multiplication and 1 division).

Interphase, Mitosis, Cytokinesis, Woo Hoo!

        In 5th grade science we have made family genetic trait trees! We asked questions of our relatives and displaying them on a family tree to track where our genetic traits come from! We also made 3 dimensional posters to show the process of a cell’s cycle of reproduction through mitosis! The students did a great job on these posters! In 4th grade we acted out echolocation through working with a partner and trying to find our way through a predetermined path around the classroom that only their seeing partner knew. Today we also worked to represent how ants find food and then help to tell this to other ants to find this same food. The first lab activity had one student come into the class to find Nit Wit (my stuffed “slam it” bug). Then in just a few seconds that student must convey where it is to the next students only using motions. The second student then goes to find the bug and then motion to the next person waiting in the hall. Each of these students is timed to see how fast they can find the “food” (Nit Wit). Then we try it again and this time we use pieces of paper as makers to guide the next student. These papers were to represent pheromones. We noticed as a class that it was far easier with the pheronomes to help the next ant navigate to the food!

Echolocationin the style of Miss Weber's
4th grade class!

Prayer Requests:
- We have bed bugs again! This time they are in my roommate’s bed! We also have an increase in bugs as this is the highpoint in the bug season. Despite numerous precautions, we are still struggling with this problem. Please pray that we are physically safe during this time.

- Please pray for our students, we have wonderful students but as at any school many of our students struggle a lot with different challenges.

- The end of the school year is fast approaching. Please pray we get the work needed done and finish this semester well!

Firsts:

- First time given cocaine from a student as a gift! Okay so it is really Coca Tea and made from the leaves that are used to make cocaine. No I had not had any of the tea to drink, still it was very surprising to discover it!

- First time doing Karaoke in Spanish! I didn’t even know the song! That was a lot of fun and very challenging!

- First time seeing Halls cough drop (which is actually considered by most as candy here!) that is Sprite flavored!

 - First two times this week, that I really almost got in bus accidents! No please don’t worry too much we are all fine. One bus hit the curb (or something else but my imagination keeps telling me to think of it as the curb) on a narrow street as turning and lost something out the back. As we still kept driving I can only assume it was not too detrimental. The second came as another truck screeched to a halt less than an inch from the side of our bus in an intersection! Thankfully I was on the other side of the bus!

We also did a lab to see try out how different organisms acquire
their food and nutrients. This student had to be a fish eating
 pasta out of a bowl of water!

Back in the Saddle Again!

It is Spring here and everything is starting into full bloom!

          Camp and parent-teacher conferences have come and gone. They both have gone very well, praise the Lord! We only have a few weeks left in this semester! As we work hard, the time seems to fly faster and faster! This week we have many exciting things going on! In science we are making a family tree of genetic traits, 3-D diagrams of mitosis, and discovering about the body plans and means of acquiring food for different organisms. In math we have just started to dive into multiplication and division for our two grades! A daunting task for some of the students, but we have started well and the students are really getting excited!

Red Team boys from camp! Apart of the winning team! Go RED!

           I have also started to attend a Spanish church regularly and am truly enjoying the community and opportunity to worship in Spanish. Some of the missionary family that attend the school have planted this church and it has been growing at an exciting rate. While it is still rather small more people seem to attend each week. The church is appropriately named, Mi Esperanza, my hope!

Prayer Requests:

Some of my girls being girls!

- One of my students has had to suddenly leave my class on Friday. Her family needed to leave Paraguay and return to the US. Her father is having severe heart problems and is in need of open heart surgery. Unfortunately this decision had to be made quickly and the children did not get to say goodbye to their friends or the class. Clearly this has been hard on the family and their return date in unknown. At this point we are to assume that they will not be returning for the rest of the semester and potentially not the next semester either. Please pray for this family, these students, and their mission here in Paraguay.

- Please pray for wisdom into my students that I can best show God’s love to them and help them grow and mature!

Firsts:


Marshmellows are both expensive and
 very rare here. So having them at camp was
 a highlight for many of my students.

 - First Parent- Teacher conferences! This last Friday, I had my first set of conferences for both my 4^th and 5^th grade students. It was quite the day with most of my conferences needing a translator into Spanish and half of those needing a translation from Spanish into Korean, Chinese, or Taiwanese! Not only had that but my team teacher for 4^th and 5^th grade also met in the meetings, since the students have both teachers. This opportunity provided a good team to meet with the parents as we were able to discuss and confirm material together. So each conference was quite the party with so many people in the room! Still the Lord was good, and I do believe that the conferences were able to appropriately convey the information and help us to work together more and build up the relationships together!

The RED GIRLS: First to be ready for chapel to add more point
 for our team! Not that we were competitive or anything! : )

Camp has come and gone!

Camp went wonderfully! The students had a blast and really enjoyed the break from the classroom. From the pool to water games, soccer tournaments, volleyball, crafts, and chapels the students were able to learn and grow together! We did have some surprises and a few challenges, but the Lord is good and we were able to flex and adapt through the challenges. Thank the Lord also for Summer’s Best Two Weeks as I was able to integrate a lot of the wonderful memories and experiences from that camp into this one. For instance at the end of the trip as we were loading onto the bus we discovered that the last group on the bus had a great party and had vomit all over the back of the bus. So as the drivers to the bus away for an hour to clean, we taught them almost 2 dozen songs with motions as we waited in the side walk for the bus to return! Most of these songs the students had already learned from our morning exercise time and of course the students can’t stop singing these songs! I also started the meal greetings with the clapping, singing and jumping around. I was the head captain of …. The red team ( sound familiar (Go ROMANS!))! I may have taken the competition and excitement of the team competitions to the next level as you can see in the pictures! We definitely adapted several of the Roman cheers to match the red and some of my Roman gear and crafts (necklaces and headbands) also were included this year! Go RED!!!!! (We haven’t officially found out who won….. but I am nearly positive the best red team came out on top!!!!!).

My crafts and games that I organized also went well and the students have plenty of picture frames and friendship bracelets. I wish that I had time to tell you all the stories and great memories, but that would take hours and will have to wait until I see you next.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers!

Prayer Requests:
- Parent-Teacher conferences are this Friday! Please pray that they go smoothly, that the needed information is conveyed and in the best manner. We will be using translators and sometimes this can present a hard challenge in allowing good communication in a potentially challenging situation.

-Please continue to pray for the regular prayer requests.

 
Firsts:

- First time really seeing the stars in Paraguay! The country is beautiful as is the air! I was able to breathe clearly without the intense pollution that is in the city.

- First time leading a camp for my classroom students! It was different to carry our relationship and interaction to a different setting, but also so wonderful to see them in a more casual situation and to get to know them all better.

- First time having my bread show mold! I have been trying to get this bread to show mold since school started (July!!!) and this is the first time any mold has appeared on the bread despite our best efforts to provide the perfect environment for mold to grow. It turned into quite the science experiment. GO PRESERVATIVES!

Off to camp we go!

        I have been very busy getting ready for this week of camp! That is why this post is coming early and is short. I promise to write and tell all about our time once I return. But for now I will tell you that my day off was a much needed rest for all of us! I ventured into downtown taking my roommate on the adventure and we bought three little flowers that now grace one of our balconies along with my hammock. The weather has been perfect the last week with temperatures in the 60s to 70s and a nice breeze throughout the day. I have so much enjoyed swinging in my hammock on this balcony in the morning as I have my morning devotions.


Well I must be off as our time sprung forward yesterday and I need my rest for the week ahead!


Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for camp! Pray for protection for everyone during this time, that opportunities will arise to help my students grow in their relationship with Christ, and that everything will go smoothly!

Firsts:
- First time seeing a stuffed animal that was a combination of a giraffe, cow, and moose.

- First time walking past a loose phone line/or electrical line laying in a puddle of water on the side walk today. It was right by a construction crew and no one seemed too concerned. I thought about crossing the street to avoid it, but crossing the street is far more dangerous at that spot and time!
- First time knowing more about the current news of international fútbol (a.k.a. soccer), than American football! (Truly, what is going on?) Those of you who are Steelers fans would be proud to know that I have all of my students capable of correctly answering what the best football team is!
- First time planning and directing a camp in PARAGUAY!!!!!!