The Start of the 24-25 School-year!
The 2024-2025 school-year has begun! Before we jump into our newest updates, we thought we’d touch base with you all about the last few months…
A few months ago, I hosted an Adult Ceramics Class Fundraiser. The proceeds from the class bought a new slab roller, which evenly flattens large amounts of clay (a very practical tool for the classroom setting). The old slab roller had broken beyond repair.
I have been so impressed by the support of the community to help improve the classroom through participating in the fundraisers we have run. Sixteen adults attended the adult ceramics evenings. The class registration filled up very quickly. I needed an extra knowledgeable ceramic artist in the room, so I asked one of my advanced students to be my teaching assistant for the evening. Kristen invited two of her German friends to come to the class with her, who are interested in art and ceramics and is continuing to build into these relationships that began two years ago.
**The slab roller has been getting used daily in my classes this semester.
Adult Ceramics Class Fundraiser - the new slab roller arrived for our second day of class
Making dishes during the adult ceramics night.
Summer Updates:
Kristen and Rachel completing a painting job in the Health Office at BFA.
Watching European soccer with Germans is so fun! This summer the Euro Cup took place in Germany. When the games were on TV we would hear people cheering from their houses and outdoor watch parties. The outdoor parties also included horns and lots of festive German decorations and food.
Kristen’s friend, Rachel came for a visit in late June, while our kids were still finishing up the school year. They spent some quality time together and also painted the sickbay in the BFA health office for a much needed update. (We will share the finished look of the room soon!)
During the summer we drove down to a campground in Italy for a week of rest and recharge. This was certainly a highlight of the summer for the whole family! For some of our kids, this was the first time for them to experience the ocean. It was also neat going to this campground, as Kristen had been there with her family as a kid (while her parents were missionaries in Austria).
July and August were very full months in the health office for Kristen and her co-worker, Sarah, who were preparing for the upcoming year. They manage the medical care and medical info for the dorm students and all students during the school day. Two new staff arrived for the health office in July (praise God!). They put together a first aid course for the Res Life Team (dorm staff) and taught two other courses for the staff and teachers at the school.
This past July, I offered to go to the kindergarten and run two ceramics lessons. This was not something that had been done there before. The staff and parents were very appreciative of this experience for the kids. The Kindergarten even hosted a small art show to showcase the kindergartner’s artwork at a parent night before the end of the school year. We have enjoyed building and deepening our local German connections and friendships.
This is a picture from the second day where we glazed the animals that the kids had made.
The art show display for the parent's night at the Kindergarten.
All-Staff Training at BFA began the week of August 12th with over 40 new staff joining the various roles to make this school run.
During this time, Kristen and I had help caring for our kids from her parents, Paul and Sharon. This allowed us to both to be able to be present for our work responsibilites for the start of the year. Kristen is spending more time in the health office during the beginning of this year to help things run smoothly and to assist with the process of getting the new staff on-boarded. She will back down to part-time in a few weeks and will continue helping schedule medical appointments and follow-ups in the area when needed. Paul returend to the States the other week and Sharon will be staying in Kandern to help with our kids (and as a volunteer at BFA) until the second week of October. We are so grateful to have had the help & support during this busy start of the school year while our kids have been home and also now adjusting to their new different schedules!
Kristen during the BFA staff health training.
The 2024-25 BFA Staff
The Start of the 2024-2025 School Year
The new school year began last week with the BFA opening ceremony. Similar to the Olympics, students carry in flags to kick off the school year, representing the countries that the student body population is from or where their families are serving- It is very moving. This year, over 60 countries are represented amongst the student body at BFA.
Updates from the Classroom
This semester I am teaching two sections of Ceramics 1, two sections of Ceramics 2 and (new this year) an art class for the 5th graders (which happens to include Joelle). It’s exciting to start the year with a lot of new faces in the classrooms and see the student’s excitement to create their own art out of clay.
Our first projects are warm-ups, where students get their hands on clay and have a chance to learn techniques for the first time (Ceramics 1) or to refresh their skills (Ceramics 2). The kiln is mostly filled with decorative dishes made by the Ceramics 2 class and small lidded pinch pots made by the Ceramics 1 class. We’ll get an experience with doing the first glazing of the semester next week. This first week has been great for setting the tone for the semester and for getting to know each student better.
Besides the classes I teach, I will be the department chair again for the Visual and Practical Arts Department. We meet before school every three weeks to discuss everything from new policies to scheduling needs. My goal is to represent the amazing teachers in my department and to help advise on keeping BFA running smoothly; all for the larger goal of better student outcomes (everything from their academics to their whole school experience)
Family Updates
Joelle is going into 5th grade and will be in the BFA middle school this year! During the summer she participated in a volleyball camp. Joelle also loved swimming at the local Kandern pool this summer and boogie boarding during our time at the campground by the beach in Italy. She enjoys playing the piano and will also be learning to play the violin this year in the middle school strings group.
Amber just started 3rd grade at the same bilingual school she’s been attending and was very excited to go back to school. She also spent many hours in the local pool this summer. Amber enjoyed watching the Olympics and then trying the water sports like swimming laps and synchronized swimming with her sisters and friends. She likes the high-dive, but wasn’t quite ready to try the double or triple flips that she saw on TV during the Olympics.
Kara is starting 1st grade tomorrow! She will go to the same bilingual school that Amber is attending (and that Joelle just graduated from) Tomorrow they will start the day with a celebration where all the first graders come for part of the school day and bring a “Schultüte”- a large decorative cone filled with school supplies, candy or little goodies, followed by the traditional German “Kaffee und Kuchen” (afternoon coffee and cake time) . She can’t wait to learn how to read and write.
Nathan just started back at the same Kindergarten in Holzen this past Monday. He will be there without Kara this year, but was very ready to be back and playing with his friends. His German has significantly improved and feels confident in starting up conversations with his peers. A highlight from his summer was a turtle eating some of his ice cream on his birthday…ask him about it sometime. ;)
Prayer Requests
With the start of the school year, please pray for the new students that are adjusting to living in a new country and going to a new school; especially those in the boarding program that they would thrive this year at BFA. Pray for the staff to be able to minister well to each of the students we are caring for and educating.
There are several new health office staff that arrived this year. Praise God that they are here now! Pray for them as they are stepping into their new roles in an international school setting. Pray for it to be a place, not only where students come to have their healthcare needs met, but also where the staff can speak words of life and encouragement over these kids.
In October our church is having an outreach event for elementary students called the Lego Bau Tage. Pray that this event can bring in many new kids that don't know about Jesus and that their hearts will be soft to the messages that are shared.
Thank you all for your generous support of our ministry here at BFA. We would not be able to do the work here without your support both prayerfully and financially.