Here at VVA it is important to us that our children are not only getting an excellent education, but to also learn about the community they are in and how to contribute to it. Let’s talk with one of our 2nd grade teachers to hear about something the 2nd graders have been studying this month.

VVA Reporter: I heard that you did a fantastic project in social studies this past month. What was it?

Miss Sarah: Yes! We were able to study about and make models of different kinds of communities. After that, we studied what it means to be a good citizen in a community.

VVA Reporter: Why is it important for students to learn about communities?

Miss Sarah: Learning about communities is important because it gives them a context in which to learn about the place that they live. They also get to learn ways that they can help those around them.

VVA Reporter: What were the main goals you wanted them to learn?

Miss Sarah: The goal of the project was to help the girls really understand what these different kinds of communities look like and give them an opportunity to think about the things that make communities great.

VVA Reporter:  What could you see that your students liked about this project?

Miss Sarah:  They loved being able to go through the many stages of building their community.  At first they wanted to jump right into building them, but when they slowed down, they really enjoyed the brainstorming and planning stages.

VVA Reporter:  Thanks Sarah!  The models they made look great too.  I’m sure they will remember many things about this unit and the project.

Kethia:  I liked making the different houses.  I learned that it is important to do things well, to help my community, and to respect others around me.

AnnaMarie:  I liked making the people to go in my community model.  It’s important for me to know more about the place that I live in.  Also, I learned that to be a good citizen in a community means to be kind and to do things that help other people.

VVA Reporter:  Wow!  Sounds like you two are on your way to really understanding your community and being model citizens.

It’s just a drill, drill, drill!

At 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, my voice interrupted the usual VVA classroom routines.  “FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!” I yelled and then blew the ear-splitting whistle three times.  I kept on yelling and blowing the whistle for three minutes.  As our students and teachers calmly evacuated the school building, I checked each classroom, bathroom and closet to ensure the building was completely evacuated.

The students, teachers, administration, and staff gathered at the “Assembly Point” on the grass in front of the school building to await the “All Clear” announcement. After verifying that everyone safely exited the building, I proudly gave the “All Clear” and congratulated all on our first successful “Fire Drill.”

Fire Drills are important because students and teachers must know the proper way to react in the event of a fire.  Any emergency situation can be scary and cause panic, especially in young children.  However, if you’ve practiced the scenario, you can react with confidence, ensuring the safety of yourself and those around you.  Additional emergency scenarios such as an earthquake, and a lockdown will be practiced by teachers and students in the future.

~ Julie Reagan

In 6th grade science class, we’ve been learning all about space! We started with lessons about galaxies and stars, then moved on to learning the theories of early astronomers, and then began learning about our solar system! We read about the size of all of the planets, and learned how far each planet is from the sun, but it’s still hard to grasp those facts. For example did you know that you could fit over 1,000,000 Earth’s into the Sun? And Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is over 57,000,000 km away from the sun! It’s hard to really picture the size and distance of the planets, so we decided to make a scale model! The second grade class was also learning about the Solar System at this time, so we were able to work with them on this project! We scaled down the size and distances of the planets to inches and centimeters, so that it would be easier to work with, and we mapped it out on our hallway wall. This allowed our whole school to see just how vast and grand our solar system is!

~ Sarah Wheeler

Last month, 11th graders Abby Miller and Stephen Crowson traveled to Kigali to sit for the PSAT Exam. The PSAT Exam is a preparatory exam for high school students in the 10th and 11th grades who are planning to take the SAT exam and apply to American universities. Abby and Stephen dedicated one afternoon a week for specialized PSAT practice and study. Abby, who also took the PSAT last year, noted her improvement in Math sections. “Last year my Math scores were low. But, after another year of Algebra and Geometry, plus extra practice with PSAT math questions, I’m confident that my math score will improve significantly.” Stephen added, “Now that the PSAT is over, we are focusing on building our English vocabulary and taking small SAT practice exams each week.” High scores on the PSAT and the SAT can lead to university scholarships and acceptance to the top American university. Abby and Stephen will continue to meet once a week for SAT practice and will take the SAT exam for the first time next term.

~ Julie Reagan

To kick off one of our recent units on geography, parents joined their children in preschool for an International potluck to celebrate the diversity among our students. Together we sampled food (brought by parents) from various countries. While we have six different countries represented among our ten preschoolers, we are excited to add to our numbers and nationalities as we welcome new students in January.

Looking back at these last few months of school, I am amazed at how much these students have already grown and changed! They love to participate and class, and can hardly contain themselves when it is their chance to be the, “classroom helper.” I look forward to watching them continue to grow and learn throughout the school year.

~ Mary Clayton

On Dec. 6, VVA hosted the first annual VVA Festival. This was a wonderful time of food, fun, and connecting for students, parents and staff of VVA and people from the surrounding community. Thank you to all of the parents who donated snacks and drinks for the festival and to our teachers and staff who put so much work into preparing. Our hope is that VVA can be a blessing not only to our students and their families, but to our entire community. We want VVA to be a place where many different kinds of people can come together and find common ground helping to contribute to the unity of our city. We are already looking forward to the 2015 VVA Festival and hope to see all of you there!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the 2nd grade! We have been blessed to continue learning and excelling in our studies.

Science class has taught us about the sun, wind, and weather. We’ve also learned about natural resources and what we can do to help protect those resources for future generations. We live in a beautiful place and want to keep it that way.

Math took a creative turn when we learned how to read the measurements in a recipe and made some special cookies during classtime! Mmmmm, good.

One thing that these two girls are great at doing is writing creative stories! Every Friday they have time during class to write freely and creatively. They also using their writing skills to give encouraging notes to many teachers and students at school. God wants us to put our words and skills to use to glorify Him!

We really enjoyed helping to prepare for and participate in our school festival. We met many new people and it was a super fun day!

Blessings to you all.

~ Love, Mrs. Andrea

On December 16th, we took an exciting VVA field trip! The primary school and secondary school went to a concert put on by a group of local Korean volunteers. They performed traditional Korean songs, a few Beatles songs, and a round of Christmas carols to finish it off! We were also introduced to a Korean instrument, the gayagum, which was played by a woman in a traditional Korean outfit. It was a great afternoon for all of us, but especially for our 2nd graders. They are currently learning about Geography in their Social Studies class, so before we went to the concert we located South Korea on a globe and talked about where it is in relation to Rwanda!

As an American International school, we are eager to expose our students to as many cultures as we can, not just American and Rwandan.  It’s a treat that we can have these kinds of cultural experiences right here in Musanze!

~ Sarah Wheeler