End of the school year

The end of the school year is a very busy time. We have school concerts, conferences, and parties galore. And being expats only compounds the issue because everyone leaves for the summer so there are so many loose ends to tie up at home and at church as well. So this month has been busy with not only school events, but church parties and activities; and on the home front holidays (Mother's day, our anniversary, my birthday,) doctor's appointments, getting organized to lock the door for 7 weeks, and so on. So the calender is about ready to burst. And we missed pictures of most of it, unfortunately. I don't know if it is laziness or craziness.

Maggie had a musical concert at school that was really fun along with a walk-a-thon recently where the 2nd graders walked or ran laps to raise money for several local charities. Maggie has a very philonthropically oriented mind and is always wanting to give things to people (starting at home with her siblings.) She ran 8 laps and walked 8 laps in the 1 hour they had allotted. She tied with one other 2nd grader for the most laps. When she puts her mind to something, she has a surprising amount of endurance. She has also surprised Joseph recently when she has gone running with him. Maggie is wrapping up a fantastic year and has grown a lot. She will say goodbye to "Ms. Fabulous"--that is really what Maggie calls her teacher Ms. Farris, which I concur wholeheartedly.

At the end of the year we go to student-led conferences at the school. This is a chance for the students to lead their parents through their year by sharing a portfolio they put together which represents the year, along with various displays and such in their classroom. We sat down with Abigail at Maggie at their desks and listened to them as they talked to us about their math, reading and writing. Abigail and Maggie also led us around the campus to their "specials" which means art, PE, music, Chinese, and science lab. We visited the art show featuring their art. We played badminton with the girls in the gym, conversed with Abigail in Chinese, listened to Maggie play the gamelon (Indonesian instrument,) and watched Maggie show us how to balance a bird on her nose in the science lab. It really is a highlight for the kids and a chance for them to show us how much they have learned and what they have enjoyed throughout the year.

Abigail had a swim-a-thon event as well and had 15 minutes to swim as many laps as she could to raise money for the 4th grade charitable event. She is not too fond of swimming but she did a great job swimming 14 laps. She also has had a productive year with Mr. Roach, an incredibly energetic and dedicated teacher, who has helped her learn to work hard, challenge herself in reading, research, write with a strong voice, and work independently. I think she was a little intimidated by him and she has worked on overcoming her hesitant nature in approaching others and working in groups.

I also had the privilege to attend Abigail's music concert featuring gamelan instruments from Indonesia. Both girls have a chance to spend part of their music instruction in this room and it is always a highlight. Abigail's 4th grade class did a great job performing traditional Indonesian music.