Odds & Ends

Very busy week at the office.   

We have enjoyed our classes this term with class sizes ranging from three to eight.  As you'll see staff are dedicated because after they've put in a long day of teaching, they come to our ITEP class. 

TUESDAYS we have class from 3:15 (right after school) until 5:00 p.m. and another one that evening from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.  

WEDNESDAYS our class runs from 3:15 until 6:15----yes, a three-hour class is long for all of us.  THURSDAYS we have a class from 3:15 until 5:00 p.m.  

WEEKDAYS:  During school hours we prepare and download instruction materials.  We also make a number of class observations, especially for our current two student teachers.  We work hand in hand with the teacher coach who is there to observe, mentor, and guide teachers new to the teaching experience.  It is not an evaluation role and is separate from administration.  This has been a rewarding role.  Our Teacher Coach is a very competent teacher himself with much expertise to share.

Students did not have school Friday so they could participate or attend the rugby and netball tournaments held at Dom Bosco College (high school) here in Savai'i.  Both boys and the girls get to move onto nationals.

A family invited us to attend a dinner Friday evening at their home in honor of their son who just returned from serving his mission in Wellington New Zealand.    It was great to be a part of his family's warm get together with family and friends. 

Elder Salima

Following dinner we attended the church's ward dance held in the hall on campus.  A live band from the north part of the island provided the entertainment.  It doesn't matter how tired a Samoan might be or where they are, if there is a dance, they come alive to the music.  Literally all ages dance and mingle.  Dances are like their favorite thing to do.  We had three little girls holding hands with us in a circle while we all swayed to the island music.  So fun!

The band

Brother Sui Lai getting the dance warmed up.

We've had lots more rain the last couple of days with a rainfall of about 12 inches in 48 hours.  Because the volcanic rock surface is porous, the water drains rather quickly.  Kids still play volleyball no matter how wet.

ONE OF RON'S SUNSETS THIS WEEK:

With the wonder of technology we were able to view our granddaughter's baptism program.  We love and miss our family and friends but remain happy to serve in this Samoan Mission.

Cyclone Gita

You may have surmised that we missed a blog post due to Cyclone Gita which impacted Savai'i, all of Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji.  

Savai'i took the brunt of Cyclone Gita on Friday night of Feb.9th.  It was rated Category 1.  It was frightening to lay in bed and hear the winds with gusts up to 85 mph.  The roof roared and we prayed it would not come off.  We had maintenance come tighten it down since then.  Like one little girl told us, "we didn't sleep all night".  The second night (Sat.) the thunder cracked and the lightening lit up our pitch dark campus.  So we can say we have experienced Samoa and lived through a cyclone.  Missionaries were counseled to stay in their houses for three days.  Many residents around the island still do not have power or water including some of our full time young missionaries.  The other island of Upolu is the same, some without power and water yet.  Nighttime is a frightful time to hear the winds and rain raging and we knew that we were not the only ones praying.  Cyclone Gita was category 5 by the time it hit Tonga and it leveled their Parliament building and many homes.  Our hearts go out to the Kingdom of Tonga.

Campus strewn with leaves, branches, fallen trees, and uprooted shrubbery.

Campus

This pole had to be uprighted on the access road to Vaiola College.

Collapsed Fale

Peeled Roof

Roof ripped off.

Aftermath:  School was cancelled the Friday before it hit because they knew the cyclone was coming and the rain was already torrential, flooding the fords so you couldn't cross.  School was also closed on Monday.  Our church was cancelled Sunday as there were so many families still without power, cutting down fallen trees, and dealing with damaged property, especially in our neighboring village of Tapueleele.  Wednesday afternoon of this week our internet was finally operational after repairs were made to the school's signal tower which was struck with lightening.  Not having TV reception, email, or Facebook for a week put us out of touch with the outside world!   Fortunately we live on a church campus and power outages were minimal unlike our friends, Elder & Sister Deffense who live in a downtown village.  They were without power for a week and came to our home in the evenings for dinner and to do laundry or whatever electrical needs they had.  That means they did not have air conditioning during the day and it's been hot and muggy.  Fortunately, their power was restored yesterday, Saturday, (quite the process)!

Ron and I cleaned out the Agriculture Fale after the cyclone.  It is a big open outdoor classroom building on our campus.  It had two heavy teacher desks in it and they along with all the chairs and desks and file cabinets were literally blown from one side of the fale and bunched up on the other side.  Books and scriptures were soaked from the rain that were in the file cabinets knocked over and papers were strewn.  We picked up rubbish and tried to make some semblance of a classroom.  While out Saturday morning picking up, one of the homes had a hymn wafting outside, "Nearer My God to Thee" .   How fitting.  You really know who is in charge when subject to the elements and we are grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for His protection of so many wonderful Samoan people.  

Lots of trees around the island were uprooted.  Breadfruit trees took the hit and banana trees were folded in half.  Leaves were stuck on ours cars and buildings.

Sample of the MANY uprooted large breadfruit trees.

Once school resumed so did our ITEP classes which kept us on the go but it is a good kind of busy and we're glad we can teach them.  We have two student teachers this term, two Teaching Certificate classes, and one Administrative track class.  Class rosters have gelled and registrations are in place.

At Friday faculty meeting this week (held at 6:30 a.m.) we presented an in-service on English Fluency with emphasis on vocabulary and practice.  Since we are an English immersion school, this is an ongoing focus.

For Valentine's Day, I made heart shaped chocolate chip cookies for dinner and made Valentine place cards with puffy heart stickers that our daughter had sent.  Elder Deffense arranged a beautiful floral bouquet of native flowers for us and Sister Deffense made a sweet Valentine card.  The four of us took time to go out for dinner Saturday evening and afterward watched a movie at their home.

This weekend we held our first movie night of the school year for the dorm girls and showed Agent Cody Banks which was a hit. 

School Starts 2018 & Super Blue Blood Moon

Students have returned to campus!  Monday was Orientation; faculty members and new students were introduced and the school rules were shared.  Rules covered attendance, dress code, hair cuts, policies, and everything in between.  When classes started Tuesday, students were finding classrooms, working through schedule glitches, figuring out transportation, etc.    

A new family from Australia is attending Vaiola College this year.  Brother McKenna purchased and presented the school with new uniforms for the rugby team.

Brother McKenna's son showing the uniform---so appreciated!

This year the 9 Be's are being incorporated into homeroom where students will repeat them each morning with the corresponding hand motions.  The 9 Be's are:  Be Grateful, Be Smart, Be Clean, Be True, Be Humble, Be Prayerful, Be Positive, Be Still, and Be Involved.

Teachers presenting the 9 B's.

 It is great to welcome back dorm boys and girls who arrived from the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu as well as the surrounding areas of Savaii too distant for a commute.  We love hearing laughter again and seeing volleyball, rugby, netball, and soccer practices underway.

Saturday laundry is a sure sign the kids are back.

What is our part in all this?   We are making preparations in anticipation of ITEP classes starting up next week.  We've solidified a syllabus for each of the four ITEP classes that will run concurrently, a very robust endeavor.  Initial contact with teachers indicates full participation.  We continue to work with BYU-Hawaii applicants, especially since Feb. 1^st was a deadline.  

Students loved the welcome back activity on Friday---a dance all morning.  Prior to the dance portion, they had inspection which means each must show their school uniform, their matching flip flops, and scriptures; the boys must have appropriate hair cuts.  They were dressed in their Sunday best and with encouragement from teachers, all were eventually on the floor dancing.

Group of girls waiting for their inspection.

Yep, they have everything.

 Waiting for the Dance:

Let the dance begin! 

 

Wednesday night to early Thursday morning was the Super Blue Blood Moon.  Ron took some great pictures:

Saturday presented an opportunity for us to attend a baptism of a young boy.   The baptism font sits outside in the middle of the church grounds located in the village of Puapua.  We've become acquainted with that family who operates a store, decorates cakes, and rents motorcycles for tourists.  

Just for fun from Grandpa---ants carrying a Gecko.

Church today was packed with the dorm kids filling the pews.  They are like a built in choir.

Additionally, I pay tribute to a beloved friend, Jane Barton, who passed away this week.  She was one of my mother's best friends while growing up in Nevada and I was greatly blessed by her kindly influence.