February 7 Home Communicator – “OHHH, now I get it!” Have you ever had one of those moments when the light bulb just clicks on in your brain? When you think to yourself, “Now, I get it!” Or you suddenly come up with a great idea? One part of my job that brings me great joy…
January 31 Home Communicator – Writing this introduction, I began asking myself “who reads this anyways and what is the point?” Like so many things in the world, is this simply a collection of words and stories vying for my attention? For some, it’s like directions on a middle school worksheet–something to skip over so I…
January 24 Home Communicator – Last week Thursday we had the privilege of having our Early Childhood Exploration Night Open House. It was a night where current and new families learned about our early childhood programs, toured classrooms, and met teachers. The best part of the night, though, was hearing the ways God is at work…
January 17 Home Communicator – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 Last Thursday, I had the privilege of stopping into Mrs. Havert’s Young Fives class to let them know that God had answered one of their prayers.…
January 10 Home Communicator – “Schools shape your kids to a great extent. The environment and exposure they get in school directly affect their future. They learn to adjust between a group of people, interact with them, react in various situations.” This powerful sentence concluding an article I was reading hit me hard and prompted me…
December 20 Home Communicator – “He shall reign, forevermore, forevermore.” These are the words I heard sung with zeal from 2nd graders as I walked past their classroom a few weeks ago. Like many of our elementary students, they were preparing for last week’s HCS Christmas Celebration at Fair Haven Church. The event was a wonderful…
December 13 Home Communicator – Walking into the elementary building on the morning of December 1, I was greeted by a chorus of students telling me they had already found a wandering wise man! They could hardly contain their excitement. Every morning since then has been the same…”Miss Staal! I found a wise man!” Throughout the…
December 6 Home Communicator – On Thanksgiving weekend, we have a tradition of digging into a box of Christmas books and movies with our boys and so begins the full-on anticipation of Christmas. One of my favorite little stories in our stash of Christmas books is about a little mouse who takes up residence in…
November 29 Home Communicator “I can’t do this.” These were the words I recently heard a student say when I was in their classroom. The student felt overwhelmed- they were tasked with a challenge that felt difficult and overwhelming to them. Thankfully, this student’s teacher overheard and responded quickly and calmly- “I believe in…
November 22 Home Communicator – A few months ago, after witnessing a chapel where students spent the morning reading Scripture, I wrote about how I should “act a little more like a middle schooler”. People thought I was crazy, yet appreciated a perspective that challenged typical assumptions of middle schoolers. Here’s another crazy idea. Last Wednesday…