Staff Blog
I was rummaging through old files the other day and came across a file titled "CSC Kids' Work." Inside I found a set of poems written by four CSC "kids" from the school year 2006-2007. The four guys had each written a poem using the same format of a poem they had read in their reading material. The title of their poems was the same, If You're Not From CSC..., but the content was original for each of the guys. At the time the poems were written, the boys were actually young teenagers. Since that time, three of the guys have been adopted and they have graduated from high school. Julieto was one of the poem writers and the last of them to graduate from high school just last Friday in Cebu. Jules, as he is affectionately called, has gotten other press time recently, but after coming across those poems, I could not pass up the opportunity to share his education story with you. His story illustrates the miracle that takes place when some of the CSC kids graduate from high school.
Julieto came to CSC when he was 10 years old. He had never been to school, so he started off at the beginning of the learning continuum with letter recognition. He attended Children of Hope School through the 2006-2007 school year and he was in fifth grade by that time. He was also in his mid-teens and a bit tired of being in elementary school as a teenager. He felt he needed to move on. We cautioned him about not finishing elementary education, but he wanted to try something else. So with help from some people at CSC, Jules got a job on the construction crew building the new Duterte home. He loved the job and worked for a year and a half on the project. By that time, Julieto had thought long and hard about his future and he decided he wanted to go to high school. Well, he needed to finish elementary school first, so he returned to our school as an older teenager! That in itself took a lot of courage. After his final year at CCHS, Julieto started high school. Four years later, he is a new high school graduate with plans for his future!
What an incredible journey it has been. Lots of people have been in on Jules' journey, encouraging, tutoring, advocating for him, but he is the one who has stuck with it. Pretty miraculous! Congratulations to Julieto and the other current and former CSC "kids" who are graduating from high schol this year.
If you're Not from CSC...
By Julieto Sido
If you're not from CSC
You don't know Christmas
You just can't know Christmas.
Christmas is the best time for me.
I can dance, sing, and be happy as can be
With lots of gifts from foster friends and Santa Claus
And many parties in the house.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know Christmas.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know discipline
You just can't know discipline.
In CSC we have rules to obey.
They are made to help us grow OKEY.
If we don't obey the staff will get sad
Because they don't want us to be bad.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know discipline.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know sports
You just can't know sports.
Sports is our way to have fun
We jump, we throw, and run.
Basketball, baseball, and soccer.
We play with one another.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know sports.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know kindness.
You just can't know kindness.
Kindness for me is to share and care.
That's what we do here.
Children share with each other
And the staff and house parents care for one another.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know kindness.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know ME.
You just can't know ME.
You have not experienced what I had
The fun, the laughter, the good, and the bad.
The kindness, the love, and the discipline I had here
Will stay with me even when I go somewhere.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know ME.
Love is a verb
Actions speak louder than words...
I see this adage lived out every day by our workers. They care for our kids in a way that goes above and beyond what is outlined in their job description. They do their job---whether it is preparing a meal, overseeing bathtime, homework time, changing diapers, or making sure our vehicles are safe and in good running order---with heart and dedication to the ministry of CSC. They love these kids and it shows!
How our Uncles love...
Taking care of our homes
Celebrating a special day
Playing with them
Holding them---even though it means you will get sticky in the process!
Praying over them
Helping them play safely
How our Aunties love...
Helping with homework
Meeting a need
Encouraging cooperative play
Laughing with them
Being one of our children's first teachers!
Providing one-on-one attention
And the list goes on....
I believe we learn how to love and how to be kind to others from how we are loved and treated by those around us.
It warms my heart every time I see one of our kids loving another one of our kids, but what else would you expect when they have such good teachers? :)
How our kids love each other...
We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19
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Snack Time
Every day after school the kids come home and eat a snack before going out to play. I was in the Eicher home today while snack was being made and thought I would show you some photos of snack time. Cheese bread is always a hit!
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Happy Birthday!
"Happy Birthday!" is something that we say a lot at CSC. We work hard to make each birthday a special occassion for each of our kids. Really, all our kids have of their own is their name and their birthday, most other things have been taken from them.
We have the big event on the exact date of their birthday....even if that means we have three different birthday parties in one week. The kids know exactly what to expect. They like to wear red on their birthday. Their birthday will be celebrated in their house, all the staff are invited and each of the kids get to invite two more people...usually one kid from each of the other two houses, but sometimes they invite their teachers from school. If we happen to have two birthdays on one day that just means the party doubles, we usually have it outside because all the kids from two houses are included. Most often the first thing that happens is the kids are presented with a printed copy of all the greetings that were posted on FaceBook for their Birthday - they especially love looking at each of the tiny FaceBook profile photos! They do read the notes as well. We always have a rousing (read LOUD) birthday song and lots of table banging (trust me - it goes with the song). Following that we all have to tell the birthday child "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and expect a "Thankyou" in return. Then is time for a special prayer for the birthday child, the child gets to chose a staff person to pray for them. We are always certain to thank God for bringing this child to CSC and for each of the talents that we know this child has. Then...time to eat. The kids love to have chicken and spaghetti! Sometimes the menu varies (and that makes the staff happy.) After everyone has eaten all they want (and that usually does not include vegetables when they get to fill their own plates) it is time for Ice Cream and Birthday Cake, but first they have to have their picture taken with their specially ordered birthday cake. The birthday child is usually the first one done eating. The last big event of the evening is getting their gift! They are so excited to get their birthday gift...CSC kids are appreciative and happy with what they receive. It is a blessing to watch their face as each thing is pulled out of their bags...okay, clothes usually get tossed aside rather quickly, but they are happy to wear them the next day! Then it is time to pack everything back in the birthday bag and bring it upstairs to their bedrooms to find special places to keep each thing (usually that will be in their bed with them for a few nights at least). Yep, we love birthdays at CSC. Each and every one of them.
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Recent School Activities
There are always lots of activities going on at the school. Conferences, morning meetings, and programs. It has been a very busy last few weeks. Here are some of the programs we've had lately!
Level A2 Morning Meeting:
Two weeks ago Level A2 presented a morning meeting about different types of weather! They did a cute skit in which a boy took pictures of the kids acting out all of the seasons. That was followed up with the students explaining several different types of weather. Then they danced to the song "Beautiful Day" before closing up the morning with a game. For the game, two kids had to form a house with their arms. A third child sat inside as the "baby". Whenever there was a storm, the houses fell apart and everyone had to run around to form a new house with a new baby. There was a bit of confusion during every "storm", but lots of laughter as well!
Science & Math Day:
Last Thursday, our school held our annual Science & Math Day. The program was split into two different parts. The first part was the math quiz bowl. The kids were all quite excited about it and many had asked their teachers in advance to PLEASE help them practice. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, number comparison, and fractions were just a few of the topics covered. They all did a great job and it was fun to see the teamwork and encouragement that went on within the teams! The second part of the program included presentations from each of the science classes. Group 2 shared about plants and how they grow! Group 3 explained potential & kinetic energy. Then they used a roller coaster to demonstrate those types of energy. Group 4 showed examples of energy transformation! After all of the science presentations, the kids were clapping and spontaneously yelled out, "Science rules!!" It's fun to see their love for science! The day ended with two math dances put on by our older kids! Here is a short video that we showed about group 4's energy creations. They had to create something that would move a Ping-Pong ball as far as possible!
Level B Morning Meeting:
Last Friday, Level B presented their morning meeting. It started off with the girls performing a fun dance to the song "Show Jesus" by Jamie Grace. Then they did a cute skit about camouflage. The rabbit kept running into things that were hidden in the grass, trees, and flowers! The program ended by acknowledging the March birthday celebrants!
Check out more pictures from these events!
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Math Girls
I never loved math as a student, but every year my love for teaching math grows a little bit more. And this year my love for teaching math is at an all time high because of my hard working and motivated students! I have never had students who are so excited to not only know if they got it right or wrong, but WHY they got it right or wrong. Sometimes they interrogate me - in a good way - "Why, teacher Lindsay? Can you show me number 6 again?" It's like a teacher's dream come true.
Not only do they love to work on their assignments in class, they will gladly accept homework and even get excited about "extra challenge" assignments. They truly hunger for knowledge and academic challenge, and it's such a privilege to be their teacher.
They even sing songs about math!
I'm so proud of these girls. :)
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