WOH for Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Lessons from the Talent Show by Kristen Okabayashi
As I write about last Wednesday’s talent show, let me just say up front that it’s one of my favorite events of the entire year. I love the excitement, the bravery of the students who perform, and the opportunity to showcase talents in front of the entire school. It’s one of the only events that I personally organize, partly because I feel so passionate about the talent show’s importance in our school community.
Mrs. Hartley and I are the ones who lead auditions each year; we like to call ourselves the “talent scouts”, which is maybe a bit of a stretch. But to give you some background, during my first year at Hope, Mrs. Hartley and I auditioned a total of 12 acts, including 8 pianists, 1 guitar player, 1 vocalist, 1 magic trick artist, and one group who performed a skit. While there was quite a bit of true talent in that group, it was not the most exciting of shows to watch and was over very quickly due to the brevity of students performing. By comparison, this year we had 24 individuals or groups perform, including a wide variety of acts such as skits, vocalists, lots of dancers, a Star Wars movie, and many others. Several years ago we made the wonderful addition of having our 8th grade students lead the talent show itself, including announcing, telling jokes between acts, helping with sound and equipment, pulling the next few acts to the “on deck” area, and welcoming everyone at the door.
The talent show is a very sweet show that you can invite your friends and family to watch with you, but it is much more than that. The talent show teaches our students to manage their time and meet deadlines, as they must turn in their registration form on time, practice so they are ready for auditions, and then practice even more for the show itself. It teaches them to push through their nerves as many performers are nervous at auditions, and almost 100% are nervous before the actual show. Performing allows students to perform in an area of passion, showcasing the gifts God has given them, whether it is dance or song or comedy, or something else completely. All of these skills will serve them well later in life, as they sooner or later head off to high school and college.
I realize that some of my favorite acts over the years have been ones that students create and perform themselves, including Allie’s incredible dance performance last year and Addie’s inspirational song this year. I also enjoy those performances that students give, despite being almost paralyzed with fright! Mrs. Hartley and I both especially appreciate watching the change in performance from audition time to talent show time, as the performers give the talent show performance everything they have in them. I also love how the students support each other through all of it, including this year’s fifth grade class as they led the audience in clapping along to some of the music.
As you can tell, the show is a highlight of my year, and if you haven’t attended before, I hope you can join us all next year! Thanks to our performers, the 8th grade class, Mrs. Hartley, Mr. Allen, and Seattle Lutheran High School for letting us perform in their gym.
Calendar of Events – Click Here
Wed. 3/29: 8:40 AM Chapel led by Grade 1 – The Prodigal Son, Luke 15
Thurs. 3/30: Noon Dismiss / ESC “XTRA” Open / 1:00 to 8:00 PM P/T Conferences
Fri. 3/31: No School / ESC “XTRA” Open / 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM P/T Conferences
April 3 – 7: Spring Break! NO School & NO ESC
April 7 – 14: East Coast Trip for 7th & 8th Grade
Mon. – Fri. 4/10 – 4/14 Holy Week: 8:40 AM Daily Chapel Services
School Clubs – Click Here
PIP Opportunities – Click Here or go to http://www.signupgenius.com/
Track Coaches needed – season runs April thru May. Help also needed at our annual golf tournament on Saturday, June 3rd. Contact Mr. Allen at tallen@hopeseattle.org.
Track Coaches Needed!
Earn those PIP hours or a small stipend if your hours are completed. Season runs from April 18th until May 23rd and includes 4 Saturday meets and 1 Tuesday Meet. Practices will be Tuesdays (or Mondays if it works better to coach) and Thursdays after school at Hope, 3:15-4:45. No experience needed. Please contact Mr. Tim Allen if you are interested at tallen@hopeseattle.org.
Eagle Classic Golf Tournament – June 3rd
Dust off those clubs and polish them up for the 15th Annual Eagle Classic Golf Tournament. Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 3rd 8:00 AM for the shotgun tee off. More information to come soon so start getting your team of 4 together! Bring your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. If you need PIP hours, we need help! Questions? Email Athletic Director Tim Allen, tallen@hopeseattle.org
Save the Date- Mom & Son Fun – May 13, 2017
Calling all moms with little men!! Put on your camo (and running shoes) for Mom & Son Event. Enjoy an afternoon of Nerf games, snacks, raffles, and more at Tag Zone in Des Moines. Space is limited, and all participants must be age 6 or older! Look for pre-order forms after Spring Break. Note: Any special adult such as an aunt or grandmother is welcome to accompany each little gent on this fun afternoon. All proceeds benefit Parents and Teachers of Hope (PTH) programs.
Hope School Summer Camp – Registration Open
Registration forms are now available online at www.hopeseattle.org under our “ESC” link.
This summer, Hope is pleased to offer 5 weeks of summer camp, June 19th to July 21st, for students ages 3 through age 12. Our younger preschool camp is intended for students who have finished preschool 3s or finished preschool 4s, and our older camp is for students who have finished kindergarten through age 12. With weekly themes and field trips and lots of fun activities including art, water day, and science, kids will have a great time together. Families can choose from 2-5 days per week.
Hope Auction Spring 2018
Earn PIP hours while helping plan the most anticipated biennial event that helps fund extra supplies in the classrooms, subsidize school program, as well as organizing events that you know and love such as Grandparent’s Day, Donuts with Dad, Back to School BBQ and more! We need one or two volunteers to oversee the committees, and keep the team on schedule by setting expectations, motivating, and empowering the team for success! Most of these duties can be done from the comfort of your home. We also need volunteers to assist with projects, procurement, childcare, check-out, advertising, and many more opportunities for general volunteers. Why not grab a friend and do it together? Contact PTH at pth@hopeseattle.org for more information.
PTH Board 2017-2018
There are over 3 months left of school, but it is never too soon to start planning for volunteering during next school year. Parents and Teachers of Hope (PTH) are looking to fill two board positions for next school year:
- Secretary
- Treasurer – The majority of the work can be done on your own schedule – after the kids are in bed, during the day, after work, whatever suits you. Start the transition before May 31, 2017 and you can earn PIP for 2016-2017 school year too!
For your successful service in an officer position, you will earn 100% of your PIP requirement for the school year. If you are interested or have questions, please contact PTH President Sonjia Barker at sonjiabarker@hotmail.com.
Improved Access to Hope Campus
We are pleased to share that we worked with the City of Seattle to add a 2 hour parking limit to our existing school zone on 42nd Avenue SW (in front of the church and school). This change is intended to improve accessibility to Hope’s campus including preschool pickup and drop off times, lunch and recess volunteers, and visitors to the church. The procedures for school drop off and pick up have not changed, nor have the school zone times, which are Monday through Friday from 8am to 9am and 2pm to 4pm. Please contact Julia Doerr, Parish Administrator, at 206-937-9330 if you have any questions.
Thank you to everyone for supporting the WA D.C. Enrichment Program at the Spaghetti Dinner and Art Show last Friday. It was a great success and fun seeing so many familiar faces. Thank you to Great Harvest Bakery and all the volunteer students and parents, who served, cooked and cleaned up as well as the amazing artists right here in our local community: Audrey D., Kory Davidson, Bruce Flemming, Mike Jensen, Stephanie Jensen, Shawne Lidstrom, Janet Manuta, Nicole Pepper, Jason Schrage, Eva T. and Marie Tornow.