April 30

During our chapel this morning we praised God through song, and we practiced for Sunday, when the DCS students will lead the praise singing at Dearborn Christian Fellowship. I hope that almost all of the students will be able to be there!  It's great to see all those young people on stage, and I think seeing our school family together will be inspiring to others at the church--and hopefully other families will want to be a part of our school family next year!  If your child is able to be there, he or she should plan to come at 9:15 if possible to do a little warming up for our worship.

We're wrapping up our study of The Hiding Place.  Today we discussed the ways in which we were impacted by the book and what we learned from it.  The students recogized that the book is not only a good story; it's also an encouragement to give thanks in all circumstances, to keep your faith in God and dependence on Him strong, and to share His love with others around you.  There is so much we can learn, and it really is an inspiring story!  After our discussion, we talked about possible themes in the book.  Students each came up with at least one theme, and we shared them with one another.  Students were then asked to choose a theme and to think of at least three ways in which this theme was demonstrated in the book.  This is in preparation for an essay we will begin writing on Wednesday.

Today we also worked on choosing the right word for the sentence.  We looked at about 20 word pairs (such as altogether and all together) and discussed their uses.  Students then completed some exercises in which they needed to choose the word or words that were needed in sentences.  I believe everyone finished this assignment in class, so the students' only homework today is to read (as always!) and to be prepared with a theme and three examples for our essay on Wednesday.

In closing, let me just say how much I enjoyed Grandparents' Day on Friday.  We had a great turnout of grandparents and special friends, and it was so neat to see students working with and interacting with their grandparents.  I'm so thankful that these special people are a part of our students' lives!

April 23

We began our day with an inspiring chapel!  We sang several praise songs together, and the kindergarteners joined the praise team today with their own instruments.  They played drums, tambourines, guitars, and a keyboard and led us in singing.  What joy they brought to our chapel! It was exciting to see these little ones' devotion to God and to think about the ways in which God leads us and works through us even when we are young.

The last couple chapters we've read in The Hiding Place have talked about Corrie and Betsie's experiences in prisoner camps in the war.  We talked today about their stay in Ravensbruck, the notorious German concentration camp.  We were amazed at how poorly they were treated and yet how thankful and grateful they could be each day.  The sisters used their time in Ravensbruck to witness to others about God's love, and they even prayed for their persecutors.  Corrie wrote that, on the one hand, their physical lives grew ever more difficult, but on the other hand, their lives in Christ grew ever richer.  Their incredible story is such an inspiration!  We wrote today about this interesting dichotomy, and the students used examples from the story to show how the sisters' lives grew both harder and richer.  Students began their next reading assignment: to finish the book! (They have two chapters remaining.)

We look forward to sharing our day with our grandparents on Friday!  We wrote about the things we appreciate about our grandparents and the memories we have of them, and students are preparing to give some grandparent awards on Friday.  It should be a special day for all of us, whether grandparents are able to be present with each student or not!

April 18

Happy Spring!  The students did a fantastic job in their performance of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!  We had a chance to watch a recording of our performance, and the class enjoyed seeing how they looked from the audience's perspective.  In addition, we learned about writing a review, and students took a few notes on their performance and are in the process of writing a review of the performance.  Students created drafts, and today we worked on some specific changes, such as leaving oneself out of the writing and using specific words and descriptions.  We did some revision and worked on our final drafts today, and those will be due on Monday.

We're back to our study of The Hiding Place now as well.  Students read chapter 11 for today, and chapter 12 will be due on Friday.  We discussed the character of Lieutenant Rahms today and saw how Corrie was able to show God's love to this German officer. It's good to get back into this great story and see the ways in which God works!