Back to School (Part 6): Back in the Classroom?!

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday, while we were on a family walk, I got a text message from Omaha Pubic Schools (OPS) saying that I needed to check my email for an important announcement regarding a return to school for OPS students. We knew that the "all virtual" school was only guaranteed for the first quarter of school, so I figured that the email was about the decision for the second quarter. 

When I checked my email, I saw that OPS was going to be returning to the original "3/2" model that we were supposed to be doing for this year. Starting October 3, Ezra will be going to physically in school on Thursdays and Fridays, along with every other Wednesdays. On Mondays and Tuesdays, he'll have a check in with his class but then it'll be online assignments for the rest of the day. 

This decision has brought up a lot of different thoughts and emotions in me. 

- I'm glad that Ezra is going to be able to experience in person school and interact with other kids

- I'm a little nervous that Ezra is going to be interacting with other kids

- The days he is in school are going to free up Megan and me (especially Megan) because we won't also have to keep an ear out to make sure Ezra is paying attention in school

- The days he's NOT in school are going to be a little more chaotic (again, especially for Megan)

- We don't know how Thaliea is going to react to this either

So, as we take the next 2 weeks to prepare for a new transition, please continue to pray for us. We need wisdom, peace, and plenty of grace in the family. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Final Sprint Numbers!

Hello, friends! 

We're 2 months past June 30, when we finished our Region-wide MPD Sprint but now it's OFFICIALLY OVER. What changed? Well, during the month of June, we set out to make a lot of invitations to partnership, whether it be through Giving, Advocating, Partnering, or Serving. The truth is that oftentimes, folk need some time to make decisions, which we are totally cool with. Knowing that, the hope was that our staff team would spend the months of July and August "closing asks," which means getting a confirmation of a "yes" or "no" to the invitation to partner. 

Praise the LORD, we had ourselves quite a Sprint! Here are our final numbers:

- Asks: 875 (Goal 750)

- Yeses to partnership: 467

- New pledges: $260,000+

Praise the LORD for his provision! 

The piece of this that I'm most proud of is our Full Jars Initiative that we implemented for this Sprint. Our theme passage for the Sprint was out of 2Kings 4. When Elisha was helping a widow who's husband had just died, he told her to go ask her neighbors for all the jars they could spare. Then, God filled those jars with oil so she could sell them and make enough money to live. It's an amazing story that highlights our need for interdependence and God as provider. 

In response to this passage, we decided that every staff, regardless of how much was actually pledged to them, would get a minimum "Full Jar" amount. This was our way of trying to address some of the iniquities that come from our funding model. We had just about $260,000 in pledges for the 35 staff who participated in the Sprint, meaning that the average amount was $7500. For the Full Jars initiative, that means that every staff who received below $7500 in pledges will get a grant to make up the difference. Those who received more than $7500 in pledges will keep all their pledges. 

Friends, while this isn't perfect, I am really proud and excited about our Full Jars. The staff team worked so hard and we saw God come through in amazing ways during our Sprint. I'm proud to be a part of this team and honored to be in the role I am. 

Sprint complete, for real this time! 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Back to School (Part 5): A Parent's Perspective

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday, I took a 15 minute nap. It wasn't intentional. I was laying down next to Thaliea because she needed a nap and just kind of dozed off for a bit. Normally, Thaliea can take naps by herself but yesterday she was pretty emotional and needed someone with her. All through lunch, she was sobbing, yelling, "I MISS MY BROTHER!" Spoiler alert, she wasn't talking about Jonah, who was next to her. =0). 

Virtual school has been interesting these past few weeks. I'd say that our three kids have taken to our current arrangement at different levels. 

Jonah: Jonah's great. He has no idea what's going on and that's OK. All he knows is being home with us, so that works out fine for him. 

Ezra: Ezra is enjoying kindergarten, even if his focus isn't great at times. The harder thing has been for us than it has been for him. We know that he's missing out on the best possible kindergarten experience but he doesn't know that. We need to remind ourselves that he's growing and doing just fine because for him, this is normal. Of course, we'd like it if he paid attention a little bit more but he's also 5, so what can reasonably be expected? We also plan on buying something for his teacher because that woman is working HARD and we can see it. =0). 

Thaliea: This has been the hardest on Thaliea. There are some days when she's fine. There are other days when she's crying because she misses her brother. There are still other days when she's crying because, "I WANT TO BE IN KINDERGARTEN!!!" Her world has definitely changed the most. When Ezra is downstairs in school, she has to be upstairs. She's lost her number one playmate and sometimes it's just her and the sitter. It's been a rough go for her, for sure. 

For Megan and me, we're making it work. Of course, we'd love it if Ezra was on campus and we could put Thaliea and Jonah in daycare so they'd be getting some socialization and more focused learning too but that's just not possible right now. We understand that and want to keep our family healthy above all else. 

So, that'w where we are right now. Overall, I'd say we're doing well, or as well as can be. If you're the praying type, please pray for Thaliea and that she'll be able to cope and adjust well to this new normal.

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Back to School (Part 4): The Interviews

Hello, friends! 

The past few weeks, you've heard from me about how school has been going. Now, you get to hear from the kids! Below are 3 quick interviews with each kid on how the past 2 weeks of having Ezra at virtual kindergarten has been going. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Back to School (Part 3): The Lessons Have Begun!

Hello, friends! 

Well, the day finally came! Tuesday was Ezra's first day of school! We moved his desk downstairs, set up his school issued iPad, and he was ready to go! 

Friends, Ezra has been a champ. As much as a kindergartener can sit still, he's been able to focus. He's doing his assignments and enjoying the learning. Of course, it's been not just learning for him, but learning for Megan and me too. Here are a few lessons we've picked up after the first few days: 

- We did the right thing by putting Ezra in kindergarten now. Since Ezra was born in July, we had the option of enrolling him in kindergarten this year or waiting until next year. Especially after COVID hit, there was a real temptation to wait until next year but we decided to go for it this year. We're really glad that we did because at this point, he is crushing the academic material. Of course, it's just the first few days and everyone thinks that their child is a genius, but we're sure that if we waited a year, he'd be bored out of his mind. 

- Kindergarten teachers are superheros. Ezra's teacher, Miss Long, has the patience of a Zen master. All throughout the day, we're hearing kids interrupting the lessons and asking questions. Miss Long has been doing a great job of being patient with the kids and keeping them on task. Megan and I both agree that it's a job we probably wouldn't be able to do well. 

- Remote learning is full-time work for parents too. Tuesday and Wednesday, Megan was on Ezra duty. Today was my day. I was still able to get some stuff done but it certainly wasn't as much as if I was just working today. I moved all my meetings off today and I'm glad that I did. Ezra's schedule goes roughly 60 minutes on then 20 minutes off with a homework assignment before each break. During the 60 minutes on, Ezra does a great job. During the 20 minutes off, he still does great, but he needs a little help with his homework and getting a snack. Keeping up with him isnt' hard, it's just time consuming. 

Right now, with a few days under our belt, we're trying to figure out what the best path forward is for the rest of this first quarter. We have another family we know who is in a similar boat and so we may try to coordinate something together. What we do know is that Ezra appears to be doing well and everyone is learning a lot. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Back to School (Part 2): Another Change in Plans

Hello, friends! 

Well, things certainly have changed a bit, haven't they?! 

Last week, I wrote about how we didn't know that Ezra's school start date had been moved up a week and how we were scrambling to get him ready for school. Well, apparently, the law of the land right now is, "hold all things loosely." 

On Thursday, we went to Ezra's Back to School night. He picked up his mask, met his teacher, as well as the school nurse, counselor, and administrator. Omaha Public Schools was on a "3/2" schedule, meaning Ezra was going to be in class Thursdays and Fridays, as well as every other Wednesday. 

Friday, we got the news. Due to a spike in cases in Omaha, OPS decided to move the start of school back a week and be completely virtual for the first quarter. It was a big disappointment for us but we trust the OPS administration and agree with their assessment. 

So, we have one more week to prepare for life witha  kindergartener at home. We got a rough look at his schedule today from his teacher and it looks like he'll be in front of the school-issued tablet for a good chunk of the day. We aren't excited about it but we know there are no perfect answers. 

Please be praying for us. Pray that Ezra will still have a positive kindergarten experience. Pray that we'll be able to figure out all the logistics that come from him being at home while in class. Pray that Omaha will be able to get a handle on this pandemic so he can go to school in person during the second quarter. Pray for peace for Meg and me as we try to navigate all this. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Back to School (Part 1): An invitation

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday, Megan and I got automated calls from the principal of the elementary school Ezra will be attending this year (Go Rose Hill Rams!) with an invitation to their Back to School Night and instructions on how to do iPad pickup next week before school starts. 

As we were listening to the message, a question popped up for us: Is school starting next week instead of the week after? The answer, YES! 

It appears as though in between the beginning of the summer when we checked the calendar and the point when we realized that we weren't on the Omaha Public Schools (OPS) email list, OPS decided to change the schedule and move everything up a week during the first semester and extend winter break a week, seemingly to limit potential COVID exposure during normal flu season. 

Meg took Ezra to do some back to school shopping after dinner while Thaliea and I made chocolate chip waffles with Jonah hanging out in his jumperoo. Apparently, Ezra was pretty stoked about shopping and picked up a sweet backpack-water bottle-lunch box combo (Spiderman in the house!). 

Next week I'll give you the run down of Ezra's first day of school: how it went, who cried, etc., but first, I wanted to invite you to a back to school event that InterVarsity is hosting with a number of other minstry groups from around the country. 

EVERY CAMPUS BACK TO SCHOOL is going to be pretty great. Christian artists from multiple genres will be performing. We'll have words from professional athletes. There's even a WashU professor who will be making an appearance (Go Bears!). Once we're done with Ezra's Back to School Night, you'd better believe that we'll be tuning in for the show. 

We hope you'll be able to join us tonight @ 8pm Central. Whether you're a college student yourself, a parent of college students, or someone who just believes that college is a place where God can and has done some amazing things, my hope is that tonight is an encouragement. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam