Best decision we made--Saint Johns International School

I am reflecting tonight on our decision to place Danny at St.Johns. The background..Jerry stopped in for a quick visit in October when a 2 hour window opened in his packed schedule. Although unscheduled, he was given an enthusiastic tour of the school and met many of the teachers. In November Jerry and I travelled to Brussels to visit 3 schools and make a decision for Danny. St. John's was our second visit, and we cancelled our third; no need to even go on! We felt in our guts that this was the place for the D. But as you all know, reality can be a different story and sometimes the best layed plan...well, you know how it goes! In this case, however, I am happy to report that two months into our first term we could not be happier with this school. It is hands down the best school any of our kids have attended and we are thrilled that Danny is here. Examples from this week ( because last week was a full week off for winter break--Score!!)

Tuesday/ rehearsals continue for the middle school play, The Little Prince, in which Danny is playing the role of The Pilot, and several mime characters which I'm not really clear on! This play will be performed at the PAC with full tech crew, make-up, cast party,etc. Awesome!!  Great theater experience!

Trying out the makeup!

Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 at 19.00 in the theatre MS Spring Production “ The Little Prince” Tickets will be on sale on Monday from Reception and Martine. 5 euro adult and 3 euro student. A show for all the family!

Wednesday afternoon/ Danny and 4 other ms students hop on a bus along with a bunch of high schoolers and several math teachers and head to 

Olympiade Mathmetique Belge if you have a moment! During Danny's first week of school the kids took a math test which was round one of this contest. Danny scored the highest in Grade 8, so he moved on to the second round. He reports that he doesn't think he did very well in this round, but as round 3 is in French and they do not translate the test as they do in the earlier rounds, he is probably finished anyway. Great academic experience!

Wednesday evening/ awards recognition night for the Middle School Basketball Teams. A lovely gathering in the cafeteria with athletes, families and coaches to congratulate the boys and girls on a great season. The MS principal, Doug Lowney, spoke to the kids about teamwork as a concept for life and how school sports can help you learn it. The coaches thanked each student individually and Coach Davis, the HS coach and athletic director, thanked the kids for working so hard and encouraged them to practice over the next few months and try out in high school. Then there was pizza and baked goodies! This team welcomed Danny midway through the season and it was a great way for him to meet kids. Great athletic experience!

Friday/MS assembly. Topic? Traits of character and how to live them. Every student had been identified as having a strength in a particular area and was asked to stand at the appropriate time and receive congratulations. Danny was recognized under Wisdom, subheading Love of Learning. BUT every kids was recognized, and the traits were examined and talked about so that kids could see what the words really stood for and how to act in a new way. MS teachers, guidance and staff all attended and participated. This closed with a brief social time in the cafeteria for the kids with hot fresh waffles and juice! Great personal growth experience!

And this is just Danny...and one week! Never mind the girls and I; working at concessions, singing in the choir, cheering at all the games, well I could go on and on...and probably will in another entry!

But what a place, and how nice as a parent to find yourself here! I am very grateful!

Check out the mission statement of StJ

WHAT MAKES ST. JOHN’S THE PLACE IT IS?

St. John’s is regarded by many as one of the best international schools in Europe. In order to provide the school with a platform to develop in a coherent manner, we have drawn up clear guiding statements supported by a vision, mission and values, which we believe positively differentiates us from other international schools.

Our vision

St. John’s students live our values to impact the world.

Our mission

St. John’s International School provides an English-language education based on Christian values, demands personal excellence and stimulates individual responsibility within a culturally diverse environment.

Our values

St. John's embraces its historical tradition and, in particular, the Christian values of:

Companionship - the gentleness to befriend and strength to accompany 

Integrity - being true to ourselves, to each other, and to our world

Respect - of people, languages, cultures, beliefs and values.

Right?!!

Day Trip To Gouda (yes, the cheese!)

19/2/15
We hitched a ride in the Jerry mobile again today, this time it is heading to Gouda (pronounced How-da, fyi)
The kids and I hopped out in the city center and were immediately swept into the winding bustling shopping streets. And there were my favourite Dutch stores--"how I've missed you Zeeman and Kruitvat! Van Haren you darling,cute spring shoes!"  In and out we wandered, scoring little treats like our favourite candies and big finds like the spangly dresses for our upcoming Mo-town choir concert--3 dresses, 1 wig, and a dog toy (don't ask!) for, drumroll please...3 euros!! We arrived in the Markt Square eventually, which has a great Waag (w is a v) a weighing house for the cheese. these days it is a tourist info spot, with a cheese museum on the second floor, which reopens in Apri when the tourists arrive. we walked around the Stadhuis, which is the city hall. This one is the oldest in the Netherlands and was built in 1450! The interior is a venue for meetings,weddings,etc and you can walk around. The wedding room has tapestry walls. on the outside of the building is a carillon with mechanical puppets that pop out a depict the granting of the city charter in 1278==still amazes me just How OLD Europe is! The Thursday markt was going on and we picked up some great fresh spices for our new recipes and enjoyed browsing around. We ate lunch at Le Place, in a sunny table in the window looking out on the square. The wind is quite strong so it was nice to get inside. After lunch we do more walking, down to the harbor and over to the Molen De Roude Leeuw (Red Lion Windmill). There are two windmills in the city centre, one is a private home (how cool, I would love to live there!) and the Red Lion had closed at 14, which was not noted in the guidebook-we are annoyed. One nice thing is all the tea shops around, Danny picks up a couple of new ones to try, Lavendar Mate and knibble,knabble,knubble-based on the Hansel and Gretel story, nibbble,nibble little mouse-remember?! this one is fruity smeeling. He is excited to get home and brew some up. We finish up at Hema-with a stop in the cafe for koffie happy hour-1euro for a small koffie and a pastry from 16-18; unsurprisingly the place is crawling with senior citizens-the Dutch oldsters love a good bargain too I guess! thyen its a good brisk walk back to the office where Jerry has his meeting and a good long ride home. Not the most thrilling day trip, but we had fun and got out of the house!

Stadhuis in Gouda

Waag

carillon

the King is in his counting house...

the girls in the wedding room, note the tapestry walls

cool art made out of paper at a gallery we visited

Lazurus gate, originally was on a leper hospital.

a famous Gouda resident

love those canals!

yeah, just park next to the windmill and come on in!

Charlotte's Birthday! 16/2/2015

So one of my new friends asked me on Saturday what we were doing for Charlottes birthday and I said nothing much. So she invited us to come over to her house for cake today at 3pm. When we arrived it turns out she was having a party for Charlotte! Four other gals we know from school and bible study were there, along with their kids. Jana  baked a beautiful cake and there were cookies, fruit, cheese and crackers,drinks, and Hershey's kisses! Kathy presented Charlotte with a flower, and perfume, and there are cards and singing! I was ready to cry. I cannot believe that this group, that we barely know, have done this lovely thing for my special Charlotte...I am truly feeling blessed by these ladies and this circumstance. We kind of celebrated all weekend...Charlotte chose pizza for dinner Saturday night, she opened gifts from NJ on Friday ( thanks cousins..the donut pants are Amazing!) and her family gifts on Sunday. We had cake and singing Sunday as well. Today we had a 6 mile birthday run with the four of us, and then the party. So hopefully Charlotte feels celebrated!

The cake Jana made, inside it is a checkerboard!

The cake I made, obviously not as skilled with my Belgian oven..note the height difference!

Charlotte and Jana

In Flanders Field Museum Trip, Ypres 14/2/15

The In Flanders Fields Museum presents the story of the First World War in the West Flanders front region. It is located in the renovated Cloth Halls of Ypres, an important symbol of wartime hardship and later recovery. In fact, the entire center square was destroyed during the war, but the village chose to rebuild in the original style.they did not want a modern flair!  The completely new permanent exhibition, which opened 11 June 2012 tells the story of the invasion of Belgium and the first months of the mobilisation, the four years trench war in the Westhoek - from the beach of Nieuwpoort to the Leie in Armentières -, the end of the war and the permanent remembrance ever since. The focus of the scenography is the human experience and calls particular attention to the contemporary landscape as one of the last true witnesses of the war history. In that context, a climb up the 250+ to the belfry, from where you have a view over the city and the surrounding battlefields is amazing. Jerry and Danny were the brave ones, the girls and I stayed below.  Hundreds of authentic objects and images are presented in an innovative experience-orientated layout. Lifelike characters and interactive installations confront the contemporary visitor with his peers in the war, a century ago. After receiving a rubber bracelet with a poppy on it and entering the museum, you scan the bracelet and input personal information like age,sex,nationality. Then throughout the museum you have the opportunity to scan your bracelet to bring up images and stories that more closely relate to you. In my case, a great story about an American nurse who accidentally found herself on the front lines. One of the interactives I found most moving was the depiction of the Christmas Eve ceasefire, as told from the perspective of a British, a German and a French soldier. I told the kids that Pop, Grandpa's Dad, had fought in WWI, and that made it a bit more real I think. 2015 is the 100yr. Anniversary of the first use of gas in war, a horrible addition to warfare.

What a fantastic experience. Jerry and Danny plan to return to Ypres in the spring with their bikes and stay overnight. They will ride the peace trail through all the battlefields.

Since it was Saturday we also happened on the markt on the Grote Square, and picked up some delicious fresh produce along with sausage broods and jambon/fromage sandwiches. I think the girls like that part the best! But too bad, they will be dragged along, and who knows what they will learn?!

View from the bell tower

I will add more pictures....

Chateau de La Hulpe

Friday 13/2/15

It's a sunny day in Belgium! And winter break begins at 15:00,Let's celebrate! I have been wanting to get to La Hulpe since we arrived. Everyone we talk to in Waterloo asks if we have been there, especially when they find out we are runners. Apparently this is the place to run, bike or, my favourite British term, Ramble, in the area. I have the car for one more day and I, going to take advantage!

Molly and I pick up Danny at school, walk home and grab Charlotte and motor off to La Hulpe. It certainly is as advertised. A kensington in MI like setting, grounds,paths,woods and ponds. There are people of all ages strolling everywhere,moms and tots feeding the ducks and carp, ladies in their 80's with arms linked chattering away, serious runners in their European style pro running clothes( no old torn college sweatshirts or 10 years ago 5K shirts here!)  and the occasional cyclist are all here. We have about an hour before the sun starts to set, so we just head to the chateau and stroll around, next time we will choose a mapped out walking route.

Originally, the estate was an integral part of the Sonian Forest. In 1833, Marquis Maximilien de Béthune bought 341 ha of forest, which he partially cleared to lay out a park. He built three warden's cottages and two farms, then he began construction on the château (completed in 1842), which he entrusted to the French architect Jean-Jacques Nicolas Arveuf-Fransquin and to the Belgian Jean-François Coppens.

Erected at the top of the hill, in the Flemish neo-renaissance style then at its height of popularity, the château, dressed in red brick with lines of natural stone was flanked by four towers and four turrets. The marshland at the bottom of the hill was turned into a pond.

While he was alive, Ernest Solvay left his property to his children. The Domaine de La Hulpe was divided between his two sons, the north part going to Edmond and his eldest son Armand received the château and the bottom part of the property, which together make up the current Domaine Solvay.

Armand Solvay, and later his son, Ernest-John made significant alterations to the estate, giving it the layout it has today. 

The architect Georges Collin made major changes to the appearance of the château. The turrets, central steeple and the glass canopy were removed; the spires on the towers shortened and the red brick was covered in light-coloured render.

Ernest-John built a belvedere with 140 steps leading up to it. A French garden was created on one side of the château. Opposite the main façade, an opening turfed along 800m in a straight line through the forest culminated in a 36m high obelisk topped by a golden sun. He planted exotic species that are still there to this day. 

Concerned by the prospect that in the future the estate would be broken up, he was successful in listing it as a protected building in 1963 and some years later, he decided to gift it to the Belgian state under the condition that it would not be divided and that cultural exchanges and events would be developed. After Ernest-John died in 1972, this 227 hectare property became open to the public.

The cool map above is the whole set up, and as you can see there are tons of areas to explore. Can't wait for spring! I think the chateau building is an office of some kind, and is used for weddings and special events--can you imagine getting married there?! I will share a few more photos I took and close, unable to figure out why my iPad is insisting that the second half of my entry be Blue And Underlined! I love technology!!

Basketball!

March madness and it's only February! Danny had a game on Wednesday at ISB and then 2 games Friday night and 2 games on Saturday morning against ISH(Int. School of The Hague). He has been playing on both the A team-8th grade varsity and the B Team-mostly 7/6th grade JV. For Danny, the idea is play as much as he can so this has worked out perfectly. But what a week! He won a bunch, lost a couple and had a ton of fun! Jerry actually got to see 3 games and really enjoyed that( accept for the part where he wanted to be coaching! He kept muttering things like " just give me 10 minutes with your big men and this game will change! and the like!). The girls LOVE cheering on their brother, decked out in the St. John's Spirit Wear--Go Lions!

Wednesday 11/2/15 is his last game followed by an award presentation after winter break. I am super proud that he entered school and by the next week was on the team and the following week traveling off to Germany to play a road game. What a kid, what a school, what a great experience!

School conferences

I used to dread these as a kid...mine were always filled with comments like "Kerry might understand math better if she would stop reading the book she has hidden inside her desk and pay attention" or 

"She never stops talking, that's why she doesn't know what to do for homework"  ah, youth!

We just returned from student led conferences at Saint John's, you register on line with each teacher, a ten minute slot, and your student has work in a portfolio from each class to share during each meeting. I am thrilled that Jerry is back in town and able to attend before heading to work. Each teacher talked about how well Danny seems to be adjusting to his new school which made us very happy. The English teacher commented that it seemed like he has always been there, which he thought was great. English also mentioned that you can see how much reading Danny does through his writing and class participation...Go Reading!! Maths teacher is also happy, he scored the highest in the 8th grade on the all Belgium math exam, and has been selected to a 3 person math team that will be competing in France at the end of March! Go Danny(and Jerry--we all know I can't take any credit for that one!).  Science teacher explains to Danny that he is far above his classmates and he needs to come in and talk to her about what interests him and they will come up with a sublimental curriculum to challenge him and move him forward. "Never be bored" she tells him. Wow! I have been waiting a long time for a teacher to tell him that. His German teacher feels he is coming along fine, she says that she will have him ready for the year exam by June. "You will work hard" she says..typical German! The biggest surprise is the art teacher, who specifically told Danny that we needed to see her. She explained that on the first day ( 1/2 way through the art rotation when Danny came in) Danny told her that art was "ok" but he didn't have much interest in art classes and he didn't think he was particularly talented in art". Well, she is flipping out to us about his botanical drawings, his still life pepper drawings, how yesterday they had a lecturer in on Chagall then did drawings "a la Chagall " and Danny was riveted, paid such close attention, seemed to love it,etc. She has even photographed his peeper picture to show us! She talks about Art as it relates to the whole curriculum, critical thinking,attention and focus, details, architecture,science, engineering, how Danny should consider doing IB Art in 11th grade, she jumped over the table at us! Wow! What a cool surprise that was! 

So needless to say Danny need not have worried about his conferences as I used too, his love of learning anything and everything and his good use of his God given talents seems to be carrying the day!

Tuesday Field trip

Danny has a day off today(Tuesday) and I decide we need to do something cultural. I let Danny pick and he chooses MIM.

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is a music museum in central Brussels.  It is part of the Royal Museums for Art and History and internationally renowned for its collection of over 8,000 instruments.

Originally attached to the Royal Conservatory of Brussels with the purpose of demonstrating early instruments to students, the MIM collection was created in 1877 with a collection of a hundred Indian instruments given to Belgian King Leopold II by Rajah Sourindro Mohun Tagore in 1876 and the collection of the celebrated Belgian musicologist François-Joseph Fétis, purchased by the Belgian government in 1872 and put on deposit in the Conservatory, where Fétis was the first director.

Its first curator, Victor-Charles Mahillon, greatly expanded the already impressive collection so that, by the time of his death in 1924, the MIM consisted of some 3,666 articles, among which 3,177 were original musical instruments. He was noted of his astute judgments in obtaining these large augmentations by calling on philanthropists, mixing with erudite amateurs who sometimes became generous donors, and through friendly relations with Belgian diplomats in foreign posts, who sometimes brought back instruments from beyond Europe.

Among the notable pieces of the collection are the famous Rottenburgh Alto recorder, instruments invented by Adolphe Sax, a unique set of giant Chinese stone chimes, and the only existing copy of the luthéal, an instrument used by Ravel.

That is the basic description. We enjoyed the audio guide, which consisted only of music. You hang it around your neck and it picks up its cue from the floor in front of the display case. As you approach, music which features the instruments on display begins to play! It is really neat and enhances the experience greatly. 

The building itself is a work of art. The museum's current location, as of 2000, is in the former Old England department store, built in 1899 by Paul Saintenoy out of girded steel and glass in the art nouveau style as well as an 18th-century neo-classic building designed by Barnabé Guimard. The interior is all exposed steel girders, a cool cage elevator and beautiful wood. 

The temps outside and a slightly aggravated knee from a long run yesterday prevent   further Brussels exploration today, but spring is coming! At home we enjoy a tasty lunch and a relaxing afternoon filled with No School!

And Cake!!