Last March the National Achievement Test (NAT) for Grade 6 was administered by the Department of Education. This is a nation-wide test given to all students in their last year of elementary school. This was the first time we had any of our students take the national test because we had been exempt from taking it in the past. The rules changed recently so we had two students who qualified to take the test. To be honest, we did not have a good feeling about what the results would be because of a planning glitch in the Department of Education. We had not been informed of the exact day the test was going to be administered, so we had to scramble the day of the test.
The results of the test did not come out until about 6 months after they were taken. Cris Tabra, the principal of our school, was attending a private school administrators meeting a couple of weeks ago and she noticed one attendee looking at a print out of the results of the NAT. She started looking at the back of the list of results for private schools in Cebu City. When Cebu Children of Hope School did not appear on the back couple of pages, she kept turning forward to the first page. There was the name of our school third on the list! Our students had done well enough to rank third out of 98 private schools in the city. Wow!
The girls were excited they had done so well. Their efforts at school paid off in a big way. The teachers might have been even more proud and excited than the girls. What a great encouragement for all. As teachers we are thankful for the children's achievement. We are also very thankful for the reading and math curriculums we use. Both programs expose the children to a broad knowledge base and prepare them to think critically. Thank you for being a part of Cebu Children of Hope School, praying for the students and staff as we gather each day to learn and grow.
Our Third Place Girls!
Workers' Christmas Party
Check out these pictures from our workers' Christmas party on December 1. It was a great night of fun, gifts, prizes and recognition of the great contributions of our workers.
Trust His Heart
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His Heart
-From a song called "Trust His Heart" by Babbie Mason
The view out of my classroom window on a recent rainy day.
Human as we are, we have lots of worries in life. As we worry, some questions come up in our minds. What will my future be like? Will I be able to sustain the needs of my family? What kind of life will my children have? How do I meet the needs of my students, especially those who are struggling? How will I deal with the difficult situations I will be facing in the future? Do the things that I strive to do matter? Am I making a difference in my workplace? Am I on the right track? Is this the will of God for me? I don't understand God's plan for me, what should I do?
Upon worrying and doubting, we sometimes forget that there's someone up there who is bigger than our worries. When our mind is clouded with worries instead of trusting the One who is sovereign over everything, we see the uncertainties. May the message of the song above encourage both you and me to put our full trust in Him who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient amidst uncertainties.
May we hold onto His promise and command from Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV that says, "
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
40 Years of Hope and Blessings at CSC
CSC will celebrate 40 years of ministry in Cebu City in June of 2019. Our friends and supporters are warmly invited to attend the festivities in Cebu on June 28 and 29. Everyone is invited to see historical videos, pictures and accounts from the past 40 years here on this website and on our Facebook page.
This is from Christmas 2007:
One Great Afternoon at CCHS!
The United Nations Day celebration is one of the exciting activities at CCHS. It is always fun and informative. Children and teachers look forward to this event every year.
The day before the event, all the teachers put in great effort to prepare lots of things for the kids. Everyone stayed late that night just to make their country booth really captivating. There was the sharing of minds on what to display and how to arrange things in the booth.
The celebration started with the singing of the Philippine national anthem at the shelter followed by a parade heading to school. After the parade the children visited the the different countries: Belgium, Norway, Italy, and the Netherlands. Each group was given twenty-five minutes to stay at each booth and learn about the country. There was important information shared by the teachers, crafts to do, and food to eat.
After the country tour was the jeopardy game. Questions were asked to each group to test how well they remembered the things that were shared earlier. It was really fun to hear the students help each other think of the correct answers.
The event ended with a surprise thank you program for the teachers prepared by Teacher Eunice. It was indeed one great afternoon at CCHS!
Habitat Turnover
Habitat Turnover 60 homes for our workers were turned over to the homeowners on October 2 7 in an emotional ceremony in Talisay, Cebu. After many delays this project was completed and our workers will soon be moving into their new homes. All of these workers will be owning a home for the first time, a dreams that would have gone unfulfilled if not for Habitat for Humanity and Paul Reasoner, who led the fundraising.