Praise God for a Visa

Thank you for praying for my visa situation.

I have frequently told people about how visas are difficult to get for Bangladesh and how we expect to stay in country while the application process drags out for months. To God, and to whoever heard me talk about this and prayed. THANK YOU. On 27 December 2007, three days before my last visa expired, Luke Sircar who takes care of all our visa applications in Dhaka, got my passport with a visa valid to the end of 2008. Praise God for Luke, too.

 

Christian

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008

All the staff at LAMB school wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2008. May you know God Immanuel.

Pictures of all grades

This is just to let you know that I have uploaded group photos of all the children at the school. Follow the link on the right.

Exams

The children in the picture are tasting or is it testing food. I am sure it is all very good.

During this week all the children at LAMB school are taking their semester exams. Exams are a big deal in this part of the world, and though we think of them as tools to help us tailor our teaching to the children, tools that help us see what the children have learned, many of the children and more noticeably their parents, think of them as tools to see how good the children are.

Please pray for the children that they will know they are valued and loved; for the teachers to be able to communicate to parents what the children have learned; for the parents and children, that they will have hope for their future regardless of whether some children have done better than their own; and for us all that we will be able to use what we learn to make the education even better.

Roof complete

On Monday, 26 November, the roof was poured without major incidents. The day started customarily late, and after less than five minutes the concrete mixer fell of its stand – concrete mixers are quite heavy, not least when they are full of concrete. It was quite a miracle that nobody got hurt. It was soon restored to a better position and restarted. After about twenty minutes the bearings holding the ‘tub’ gave out and only after an hour of welding did the pouring get properly under way.

At about 8:00 pm the roof was complete, the Sardar and his women on their way back to Dinajpur and our masons ready to use the leftover concrete for making concrete slabs. Concrete slabs are always handy to have when there is a hole to cover.

The next big test

As school children all over Bangladesh prepare to show what they have learned this year in their final exams we all have the opportunity to show that since January 2007 Bangladesh is no longer the most corrupt country in the world. As much needed aid pours in from rich friends all over the world, let’s make sure the money doesn’t again end up in marbled apartment buildings in the posh parts of Dhaka; let’s make history by ensuring that every Yen, Riyal, Euro and Dollar that is given to Bangladesh is converted into water, food and rehabilitation for those most effected by SIDR.

Pray for the victims of SIDR and for those involved in relief work.

Cyclone SIDR

Super cyclone SIDR made landfall in Bangladesh Thursday night leaving a deadly trail as it worked its way north east towards the Himalayas. With almost a thousand casualties counted so by Saturday morning this has been a tragedy for many in Bangladesh.

When another cyclone hit Bangladesh in 1991 the death toll stood at about 140.000. SIDR is reported to have been at least as fierce as the cyclone in 1991. In the midst of tragedy we therefore also rejoice that Bangladesh this time was much better prepared and able to reduce the impact. Cyclones will pass over Bangladesh in the future again; Bangladesh is strong and prepared. I often get asked this question by visitors ‘Is the development work making any difference in Bangladesh?’ The preparedness for this storm, and the relatively low impact of SIDR, is a sign that yes in Bangladesh it is not just the same old story.

First wall

Today another milestone in the building was reached when the first bit of wall was built.

Former LAMB Students have Worship Song Recorded

The national praise and worship team, Sacrifice, have used a song by two former students at LAMB School.

Onishim Hasdak and Pia Mollick wrote the song, Amar Dak Sono or Hear My Call, during a seminar led by Sacrifice this spring. The head of Sacrifice was so impressed by the lyrics that he included it on their fourth CD released this October in Dhaka.

 

Pouring rain and concrete

The roof over the 1^st floor was poured during a very rainy Tuesday. We praise God that he kept all the workers safe throughout the day. The bamboo stairs seemed dangerously slippery as the workers carried bowls of concrete the two stories up to the top. One worker slipped at the bottom of the stairs and hurt her back. It was only because we kept her from doing so, that she didn’t go back to work. She didn’t want to leave her colleagues who were still working in the rain.

Reading together

Ovi (Grade 8) listens to Orgha (Grade 3) reading during a Reading class.

An unexpected shortage of teachers forced us to think of alternatives. This solution was great. Both the older and the younger children benefitted as they listen to each other and as they share the treasure that a book can be.

Pizza Party

Grade 3 has conquered the time’s table and are celebrating with a pizza party at Uncle Bimal’s house. Congratulations

Durga Puja and Eid-ul-Fitre

Please note that the school will be closed from 10 through 22 October on the occasions of Eid-ul-Fitre and Durga Puja. We wish all our students, and especially those from Hindu and Muslim families blessed holidays.

 

Gloria Mardi and Sunil Sylvester Murmu

This Friday we celebrated the wedding of our newest female teacher, Gloria Mardi to Mr Sunil Sylvester Murmu.

The wedding was at Dhandjuri Church and the feast at Gloria’s home afterwards. There was music, traditional dancing, gifts and food.

The guests were invited to bless the couple by anointing their arms and faces with oil.

In the Santal culture the children will get the fathers last name, but the wife retains her family name even after marriage.

Building Progress

The construction of a structure to carry the roof on the second level has just begun. It is exciting to see how things are progressing. We are about three weeks behind schedule because some materials didn’t arrive on time. The contractor expects to be able to pour the roof before Eid-Ul-Fitr on 14 October.

Farewell for Josh Buning

We have been blessed by having Josh Buning at LAMB school for the past year. I think all the children feel they were Josh’ special friend. One of them asked me just after we had seen Josh off at the station, ‘Do you think we will get another teacher like Josh?’ That is quite a testimony to how he managed to touch the hearts of the children.

 

We pray that God will go with Josh as he returns to his family in the US and that we might see him one day again.

First Floor Pouring Ceremony

Rusho is pouring cement for the first floor Friday, 7 September 2007.
Praise God for progress.

God is Faithful

When two weeks ago recalculations of the budget for the Science building showed that we were US$ 10,000 short we agreed that the only line of action was on our knees. Less than three weeks later donations from Denmark and Germany had made up the difference. Praise God for his provisions. Pray that these added facilities will help us further honour God.

Buuilding Progress

The latest picture from the building site. Please pray for the work on the science lab and class rooms. A reviewed budget for the building has put us US$ 10,000 in the red. Please pray that God will continue to provide for us.

New School Year

We welcome new children at LAMB School. The school has been back in session since 1 August 2007. A new kindergarten with 12 children shows our effort to develop the school. Please pray for the teachers as they adjust to teaching more children in each group.

We welcome Ken Ford-Powell who is covering classes for Uncle Christian. We also welcome Aunty Annabelle who has also returned to help out.

Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills

Please pray for the teachers and other staff members at LAMB as they participate in the 'Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills' seminar from Sunday, 8 to Thursday, 12 July 2007.

June's Newsletter

Dear Students and Parents,

It is time for me to say thank you for another semester at LAMB. Life here is fast and through all that happen we see God’s blessings. I hope you all see them too. I pray that God will be with you during exam week and then a month of well-deserved rest.

Admission

We have more families wanting to enrol their children in the school than last year and will again have to turn some away. Pray for all the families and the children’s educational needs.

Registration fees and Yearly fees

Please note that registration fees will be charged in June. Non-staff parents must pay Yearly fees by 30 June 2007. See last month’s newsletter for details.

Teacher Training

Mr. Bimal Roy spent a week in Dhaka learning about management to develop managerial skills; such as, motivating staff, effective team building, leadership, problem solving and decision making, delegation, staff development etc.

Ms. Lucky Marandy went to Dhaka with a group from LAMB to learn about child protection. This is one step towards ensuring a safer environment for all the children that LAMB comes into contact with.

Teachers

Please pray for visas for Quynh Parlane and for Heather Powel. Give thanks to God for a new work permit for Heather.

Christian will be on home leave until September 2007.

Exams

Grades 1 through 7 have exams from 10 to 14 June. Please pray for the children as they prepare for these tests. A schedule is printed on the back.

The children in preschool and Kindergarten will have classes as usual.

Writing Competition

Anumita Hasda won the writing competition in May.

Science Lab Construction

Md. Sattar, the engineer, is measuring out the area where the Science Lab will be built. Today on Pentecost the work started at on the construction site. Pray that the Spirit of God will be at work in this house.

May Birthdays

We congratulate the following on their birthdays in May;

Rusho, Joy, Naomi, Ashish, Aunty Sumita, Uncle Ian, Suborna, Micha, Silme, Aunty Rahela and Jerin.

May News

Dear Students and Parents,

That was April, with gifts of Easter, and opportunities. May will have new challenges and blessings. Please pray with us as we go on.

Admission

Please note that the school now is open for admission the next school year. Forms are available from the school office and in the mail room. The forms are given out free of cost.

Please remember to apply again this year if your child was not accepted last year.

Children who are enrolled need not fill in the form again.

New fees

The fees have been increased as per project policies, please see the fee schedule on the back of this paper.

Teacher Training

On 23 April, Milon Roy and Lucky Marandy were in Dhaka for training to be better qualified to teach O Levels. Bimal will be in Dhaka for training from 29 April to 3 May.

Attendance

Please note that the school will implement a policy on attendance. According to the new policy children must be present at least 85% of the school days in order to be allowed to sit for the semester and year end exams. This will be implemented from 1 May 2007.

Teachers

We wish to welcome

Ms Gloria Mardi who joined the school on 15 April 2007.

Ms Cari Zylstra arrived from the US on 21 April and will teach English to the teachers and take classes at the school until the end of this semester.

Dr Ian Cochrane left after another three months of training teachers. We wish to thank Uncle Ian for his input and welcome him back next year.

The Solar System, Grade 3 and 4

Grades three and four researched, wrote about and made models in the proportions 1:100 000 000 (one to one hundred million) of the planets in our solar system.

The sun is rising

All the children are holding up their planets. (Timothy is holding Pluto down near maintenance.)

Ashish and Rusho are on a different planet altogether.

Writing Competition

The winners of this April’s writing competition, Omika G5 and Lima G4

Due to technical problems with viewing Bangla font the writing will not be posted on this blog.

Farewell for Uncle Ian

Dr Ian Cochrane from Friends of LAMB in Australia (Folia) with the teachers at his farewell on 24 April 2007.

Over the past three years, ‘Uncle Ian’ has sat in on more than 150 lessons; he has held weekly in-services and taught Maths O Levels to teachers.

We are thankful to Uncle Ian for his input and to FOLIA for their contributions to LAMB School.

All foreign staff at the school have visas

Getting visas doesn't ever seem to be straight forward or simple for foreigners at LAMB.
With Christian's visa, which we got yesterday, 16 April 2007, all foreign staff at the school now have visas for Bangladesh.
Praise God for His provisions.

Susanna and Atul

From the Celebration in Rajshahi, 13 April 2007
Susanna Hemalini Murmu who worked at LAMB School for 6 years was married to Atul Manda.
We wish them God's blessing on their married life.
Susanna was the first national teacher to work at LAMB School. She joined in February 1997. Susanna and Atul now live and work in Dhaka.

Building Progress

While the children were away on Easter Holidays, the brick breakers crushed 20,000 bricks.

Calendar April 2007

Science Lab - The first load of bricks

The first load of picket bricks arrive

Mueed and Aunty Popy break the ground for the new science lab on 18 March 2007

Talia, Aunty Quynh and Aunty April left on 1 March 2007.

Children living with Fairness Entries (Bangla)

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Children living with Fairness Entries

Fairness For Everyone.

One Friday morning Protik woke up. He realized it was his movie day. He jumped out from bed then he brushed his teeth and ate his breakfast. He climbed up his desk and choose his movie. The movie was called “Meena”. Meena lived in a village with her Dad, Mum, little brother Raju and her little sister Rani and her pet parrot Mithu.

Raju always went to school Meena’s dad didn’t allow Meena to go to school. One day Mithu went to school, the children were learning 2 times tables. Mithu also learned it. Mithu taught Meena. Meena learned 2 times tables from Mithu.

Meena had 6 hens. One day one of them got lost. Meena knew it was stolen. They got the hen back. At last Meena was allowed to go to school.

I learned many things from here. Also my parents encouraged me. I taught these things to people in villages and I became a boy star.

By Protik (4th Grade)

Newsletter April 2007

Dear Students and Parents,

March has been a busy month. Nearly every week has had its own schedule. The teachers and students have had to show great flexibility as they adjusted to not only new schedules, but also new classes.

Thank you all for your willingness to take up new and extra challenges.

Groundbreaking

On 18 March we officially started building the new Science lab. Thank you to all who participated and join us as we give praise and glory to God for making this next step possible.

Things go missing

We wish to thank whoever returned three envelopes containing little teaching aids for Maths. We hope and pray that the parents, with the help of God, will be able to teach their children not to steal again.

Teacher Training

On 23 March five teachers went to Lalmonirhat to train 32 teachers. We are proud to be able to share some of the blessings we have here with more teachers and thereby with more children in Bangladesh.

.

Teachers

We welcome Tarcisius Hasdak who started teaching on the 15 March. We are pleased to have him with us. Tarcisius has many years of experience teaching in Dinajpur and we look forward to having him work with us here.

Aunty Quynh left to go on home assignment on 1 March. We hope to have the whole Parlane family back in time for the new school year on 1 August.

Aunty April who had come to visit the Parlane family left with them on 1 March.

Shaun Hutson’s last day teaching Science and Maths at the school was 21 March. We thank him for his work here.

Easter and Eid-E-Miladun-Nabi

The school will be closed for Eid-E-Miladun-Nabi and Easter from 30 March. The first day of school in April will be Tuesday, 10 April 2007.

Competition

The winners of the competition in March are Protic and Suborna.

Competition

Competition

If children live with honesty

They learn truthfulness

Write a paragraph to explain the lines from the poem ‘Children Learn What They Live’ by Dorothy Law Nolte and win Tk 50.

Entries may be in English or Bangla. The winning paragraph will be printed in the next newsletter.

Submit entries at the school office by Sunday, 18 April 2007.

Welcome to LAMB School - Bangladesh

This is the first page of LAMB School - Bangladesh.
I will come back with more postings as they become available.

Christian
Headmaster