Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The main theme of November is thanksgiving. For you, our American friends and partners, it is obvious – Thanksgiving has been your national holiday for more than a century. This year’s celebration was perhaps different because you were not able to meet your families and friends as usually; more vacant spots around tables and more leftover turkey for sandwiches. It was hard to see your loved ones only through a screen. However, there are still multiple things we can be thankful for. Continue reading →
The Lutheran Elementary School students used art to thank war veterans for their service. They did so to commemorate Veterans Day which is annually observed all over the world on November 11.
The symbol of the red poppy flower, which became associated with this day, was used for the first time in a poem by a Canadian doctor John McCrae who had fought in Flanders (Belgium) during WWI. Even though McCrae served as a brigade surgeon, he could not reconcile himself to seeing his patients suffer. Writing poetry became a remedy to his pain. In one of his poems, McCrae described bright red poppies which grew on the places where the fallen soldiers had been buried. Afterwards the red poppy flower quickly became a universally recognised symbol of war veterans. Nowadays people of different backgrounds and nationalities who want to remember those fallen in war conflicts wear a poppy on November 11. Continue reading →
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Last month was hard on our school. September was still OK, even the COVID-19 virus was closing schools and businesses around us. Starting in October, all Slovak high schools had to switch to online education because of the government order. Shortly after we had to close the kindergarten and then the secondary school (grades 5-9) because several teachers, administration staff and students there were COVID positive. The kindergarten resumed normal operation by last week of October, while the secondary school and high school students remained online nationwide. The elementary school is the “Last of the Mohicans” that has enjoyed old-fashion education since September without interruption.
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Dear friends of CCE,
Finally, our school is back in session. Because of the pandemic, life is less predictable now and even common events like the opening of a school year is an uncommon good news. With restrictions in place, the opening worship service could be held only for one class of first graders with their parents. For the rest of the students and teachers, the worship service was streamed to their classrooms. Masks are a challenge especially for teachers but they overcome it with humor. We are blessed to have 726 students this school year and 107 teachers and other employees. Again, every chair is taken and there is a waiting list for every grade. Praise God!
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Dear friends,
The month of August is the peak of the so-called dog days of summer. Our schools are not in session and our teachers are enjoying their holiday. However, even in this slow season, we have been busy with successful projects.
The first one was the Robotics Training Center. Its story illustrates the vibe and spirit of our school. By January 2020, the proposal was ready and by February we had registered several pledges for its financing. Then COVID-19 broke out and the promised sources of finance dried up. However, our teachers did not give up. They made some adjustments and even with a very limited budget ($8,000) they completed the first phase. Now two labs plus one office are ready! Starting this September, our students will have a space where they can enjoy robotics and computer science classes. Of course, there is a lot of work ahead, equip these premises with all the necessary robotic units, accessories, plotters, etc., but the seed has been planted and is ready to grow. Our plan is to develop this space into a regional center for innovation in computer science and robotics.
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Dear friends,
God is good! Here in CCE it was confirmed again this summer. Despite of the COVID-19 threat, we were able to have a weeklong VBS. The theme of the week reflected our reality: our life may be a rocky railway, but Jesus’ power pulls us through. Keeping a few restrictive measures, we were learning, singing, dancing, playing and having fun. In addition to the standard VBS activities like class, sports, and crafts, our teachers added an escape room robotics, fun physics, a drama studio, and creative photography workshop. The team of 12 leaders and over 20 teenage helpers from our school brought the gospel to over 80 children. It was wonderful although we all lacked the unique contribution of you, our American partners this year. Let us hope that our next VBS and all the summer activities in 2021 will be enjoyed together again.
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