Tag Archives: school

National Anthem

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One by one, their steps were quick and their faces were brightly smiling. Their arms were stretched out carrying trays of banana bread, muffins, donuts, brownies, cookies, and cupcakes beautifully decorated with colorful sprinkles, as they entered into the auditorium. They were prepared for service. Kids helping kids, they put on their aprons and were ready to raise money for St. Jude children, to help them fight cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

The rush was on. As the other teachers gathered their students to go to class, we had our first customers; one very generous teacher and her group. Then the silence came and the clock was ticking, uh-oh… I thank God for the gift of prayer. We prayed, and as I shared with them what a wonderful thing they were doing to help others, the sound of pitter patter was in the hall and we were up and running once again. When the younger class that came to purchase sat to enjoy their treats, out of the blue, my students started singing…

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?…

This is the beauty of having the privilege to teach. It’s when your students “WOW” you, no money can buy that!

There are times in our lives when we hear a song, a national anthem, and it moves us. As I see our world today and wonder what we will leave behind for our children, I express warm admiration for the words of Mandela in the movie Invictus:

“I couldn’t help noticing the empty offices as I came to work today, and all the packing boxes. Now, of course, if you want to leave, that is your right. And if you feel in your heart that you cannot work with your new government, then it is better that you do leave, right away. But if you are packing up because you fear that your language, or the color of your skin, or who you served previously, disqualifies you from working here now, I am here to tell you, have no such fear. What is verby is verby. What is past is past. We look to the future, now. We need your help. We want your help. If you would like to stay, you will be doing your country a great service. I ask only that you do your jobs to the best of your abilities, and with good hearts. I promise to do the same.”

May God bless our Country and everyone in it always. May God bless our world that there may be peace, happiness and perfect health. May God bless you and me. For we are all a part of God’s great big family, if only we want to be…

Deanna Danielle

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For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

 

 

Advent

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Over 2000 years ago, a light shone in the darkness… giving birth to her firstborn son, she wrapped Him and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn. This baby boy, born in the small town of Bethlehem, was our promised Messiah, “The Savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14

As our class prepares for the Christmas play, I have to say, this is truly a wonderful time of year. It is a time filled with lots of expectation and hope. The season invites us into a deeper relationship with our God, through Gospel stories being read aloud, in school plays, parish functions, and time spent with families and friends.

It was a tremendous blessing to have my daughter home from college this week, to help with our class. It gave me the opportunity to work with Gabriella, Cecilia, and Joseph on narrating the play. Meanwhile, Hannah, Zachary, Alessia, Madeline James, Molly and Frankie practiced their parts.

As my class reflects on the promises of the Lord our God, we are learning and growing. It is my prayer that these incoming weeks of Advent will remind us to set aside some of the hectic business of the holiday season, and quietly remember the reason of the season.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:11-14

Blessings always,

Deanna Danielle

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Can’t Touch It!

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As my students entered the classroom, there on everyone’s desk was a beautiful, freshly picked apple. My first words to them were, “Can’t touch it!” As I saw a few hands get very close, I could only imagine how hard this had to be, after a long day at school. I took advantage of the moment, however, and read them the story of Adam and Eve.

I read how God created heaven and earth, then the garden of Eden, where life began. Next, He created a man and a woman, whom He guided, blessed, and gave them everything they needed, and more. God warned them to stay away from a certain tree in the middle of the garden, saying, “You must not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.” The book followed how life was filled with much happiness, until one day when a very great temptation arose. Disobeying God’s warning, Adam and Eve had the desire for more, and ate from the tree, which resulted in the the fall of man.

After reading the story to them, I said, “You may all eat your apples now.” I believe Cecilia spoke for the class, as a look of concern came over her face as she asked quietly, “Is it okay to eat apples now?” You’ve got to love it! Priceless moments like this say they care.

I now asked them why Jesus died on the cross. The responses from most of my students were great on how He died. On the other hand, even though James could not find all the words, he knew the reason why He died, and it had something to do with our sin. Gabriella also got it right when she said, “He died so we can go to heaven!” As we read and meditate on the living word of God in the Bible, we can truly see how it is an invitation to a beautiful way of life. The story of Adam and Eve is not the end, it is just the beginning. God let it be known that He would never leave us, or forsake us, if we call upon Him.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” When I think about all that God has done for us, I could not put my words together any better than the singer, Big Daddy Weave, in his song, Overwhelmed.                                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiGb14tTaH4

Wishing you all God’s beautiful blessings,

Deanna Danielle

Picture taken by Ben

Picture taken by Ben

A Leader, A Hero, A Life Changer

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I’ve heard it said, “Inside every child is a leader, a hero, a life changer.” I have to say, my class proved that to be true. As we filmed 201 Boulevard, our 2014 class video, I saw some extremely impressive moments. Picture this. Twenty first-graders, after a long day in school, arrived at religious studies class. When I took them to the pre-K classroom, they were surrounded by a huge collection of “old-fashioned” toys, just imagine, blocks, cars, action figures, puppets, dolls, doll houses, forts, legos, etc! And me, with script and a little video camera in hand, trying to capture their attention in less then an hour and a half!

Nonetheless, through all the craziness, I saw the leader, the hero, the life changer who wowed me as I looked around and through the small lens of my camara. As Nicolas got up to read his lines, and hesitated a bit, Ryan jumped up to help him. When I asked Gianni to read, Ella came to me asking to read with him because his sister wasn’t there to help him. Ella’s a twin, and so is Gianni. Ryan, too, is also a twin. I don’t want to forget to mention, the continued leadership of all the kids helping not only each other learn their lines, but also helping me, make this film happen. The compassion that I saw was more then mature, it simply blew me away.

When I view life, this is how I believe it should be, with each of us using our God given gifts  to serve one another. The best part about film, is you don’t miss a moment. I’m very proud of my first grade class, with all of their big hearts. They did an excellent job! Speaking of which, I would like to like wish all the Moms a very blessed Mother’s Day. In you all is the little girl who became the great leader, the super hero, the life changer and I want you to know that, your doing a great job!!

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:25-30

“See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:10

May God bless you always,

Deanna Danielle

Artwork done by Gianni

Artwork done by Gianni

 

New Kids on the Block

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It’s that time of the year again. You can smell the fresh apples and pumpkins as you walk into the grocery stores. The leaves are starting to fall from the trees, and yellow school buses are bringing in that crisp feeling of a brand new school year. Curiosity fills the air. What will my teachers be like? Who will my friends be? Will I get too much homework? These are some of the thoughts of children. The thoughts of teachers may be: Who are my students? What will they be like? Will this planned lesson grab their attention, touch their hearts and inspire them to want to learn more?

Three sets of twins, and one twin solo. There must have been something in the water six years ago, for this is seven of my seventeen new students this year. As we introduced ourselves to each other and shared a little bit about our families, I was amazed to hear how many children were in the individual families of our class this year, and they are all awesome.

I thought to break the ice in class this year, I’d write them a little story they could relate to. It’s about a little boy who was very shy, and afraid of his own shadow. How he wanted so badly to go and play with the other kids, only he was too afraid. Until, one day when he felt the Holy Spirit of God wrap around him like a big hug, he heard these words, “Don’t be afraid, I am here with you, and I will be with you wherever you go.” I called this story Johnny. As I shared the title of this story, I heard this sweet and surprised voice speak out and say, “Hey, that’s my name.” No money can buy the smile that kids can put in your heart.

As the day continued and the children were drawing, I saw tears falling from one of my student’s eyes. “Why are you crying?”, I gently asked her. All of a sudden, this innocent little voice sitting next to her says, “She doesn’t want to share the crayons.” I love these open doors to teach bigger lessons. That, the only reason we cry when we don’t share is because it makes us sad. However, God teaches us that sharing brings us joy. As she looked at me and smiled, I knew that after when I would read to them the story of David and Goliath, that she would deserve David’s stone. For she was the one who knocked out the Goliath in this day, as she made up her mind that it is more fun to share.

So, I am looking forward to spending this year learning more about the love, mercy, and grace of our Lord with our 1st grade class. The new kids on the block. Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” – Luke 18:16

Many blessings,

Deanna Danielle

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As we Learned about the Holy Family, all the Kids held on to this yellow string. I used this string to represent, how we are all part of that same family. We are brothers and sisters in our Lord, Christ Jesus.