September 22, 2023 | N 5-23-24
A call to build our community
Community is opportunity! The opportunity to put together our interests, passions, strengths, skills and dreams. The opportunity to add value and shape the way we relate to others.
The past two weeks, we have seen our community come together, interacting in ways where diversity keeps on strengthening our mission. May the following highlights and reminders encourage you to keep on building our community.
HIGHLIGHTS
TOK Exhibition
Last week, the Grade 12 IB Diploma students conducted their TOK exhibition which filled our hall with so much excitement.
The TOK (Theory of Knowledge) Exhibition is a required internal assessment that explores how "TOK manifests in the world around us." Students had to choose one (of 35) high-level questions and three objects (physical or digital) as a base for their exhibition and demonstrate how each object connects to the question and knowledge in general.
One interesting example was the project of Giryeong Park, who chose Angkor Wat, Korean chopsticks, and traditional Korean clothes (Hanbok) to answer the question "What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?" In his view, culture shapes our knowledge, and learning abilities require context, making this relationship undeniable and necessary.
With similar questions, we were impressed by the analysis and thinking these students demonstrated in their TOK exhibition. Overall, it was a valuable learning experience for Grade 12 students, staff, and lower-grade students to share and discuss their arguments, ideas, and experiences.
Sahakom, Community Cafe
Sahakom means Community in Khmer and it got 23.5% of the final survey conducted on Social Media. Out of 222 voters, Sahakhum, was the only Khmer option that was selected for the new name of the coffee shop; amazingly, this was submitted by an anonymous person. What a great name we got! Our favorite spot of the school is the right place to welcome everyone to the HOPE community, chat, hangout, and say hello and goodbye.
A banner with the name will be placed soon, and we invite everyone to refer to our coffee spot with its new name!
A table Tennis encounter
Last Saturday, a group of table tennis players and missionaries from South Korea visited Cambodia. Among them was the Gold medalist Olympian Yang Young-Ja, who encouraged our community with a powerful testimony, recalling the challenges she and her partners achieved in the 1988 Olympic Games celebrated in Seoul.
The coaching took place at the Kei La Park Sports Club for HOPE Students, who gladly played 3 hours with the team. We thank Micah Webb for facilitating this encounter through our Sports Department. Go Koupreys!
ACADEMICS
Extracurricular.pdfKOUPREYS | SPORTS
HOPE vs Logos Friendlies
This week we had our first friendly games against Logos at HOPE. These events are great fun to watch and to connect with the community. Friendly games are an opportunity to prepare for the Grading and Final Tournaments. If you are keen, please add the HOPE Sports Calendar to your devices so you can stay updated with training, game, and tournament times. Many thanks to C9, who have offered to keep the cafe open for these events!
Cross Country Training & Friendly Games
It was great to see 35 Grade 4-12 students, along with four parents and staff at the first Cross Country training on Wednesday morning. Cross Country training will continue until December to help students prepare for HOPE and ISSAPP Cross Country.
Next week after school, we will have volleyball friendlies on Wednesday and basketball friendlies on Thursday against Asian Hope. Please take a look at the calendar for details.
CAMPUS
A safe environment
At HOPE, we aim to establish an environment where every student feels safe and protected. We adhere to the standards outlined in our Child Protection Policy and encourage our entire community to participate in our efforts.
Here are some action points in which parents can take active roles in developing the safe environment we want at HOPE.
Pick-up and drop-off times
Primary students need to arrive after 7:40 and Secondary students need to arrive after 7:30. This helps our staff create a safe and organized environment and ensures that our students receive the best possible education and care.
We truly appreciate your cooperation and your ongoing support.
Digital Privacy for children
We share a helpful article for parents from the Child Safety team. The report is from Defend Young Minds, and it concerns the topic of digital privacy for children.
Sign-in at the Front Office
We are always blessed to welcome volunteers and visitors in the school; we kindly ask for you to check in and out at the Front Office every time you come on the campus outside of pick up and drop off times. This simple step helps ensure everyone who comes in to maintain accountability. Thank you for keeping our school community safe.
Health care & updates on C9 Menu
There are new updates in the C9 menu. Please note that they give details of the food served during break and lunch to prevent allergy issues. C9 can provide alternatives if you need it. Please contact them.
The C9 menu will remain available for your reference on our website under the Parents section.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Study in the USA
On September 18, HOPE will host a College Admission Informational Session for students aspiring to study in the USA. Our guest speaker is Mr. Anis Qourzal, the Senior Director of International Admissions at Baylor University, and he will present on how to tackle the admission process, financial aid, and academic life. This is a public event and everyone is invited.
We are looking for...
Friday of Early Dismissal
Next Friday, we will have an early dismissal at 12:00 noon due to Staff In-Service day. The campus will be closed for the afternoon for teacher meetings.
Hats at the HOPE Shop
Hats help protect us from dangerous UV rays. Find these cute and useful hats at our HOPE Shop every Friday from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Photo Days
Last Tuesday and Wednesday we got our photos taken! Students, new staff, and Board members got their pictures with our iconic brick wall as the background.
If you missed this activity, a makeup photo day is coming this Wednesday. Be ready!
FROM OUR CHAPLAIN
My portion forever
Psalms 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
This week's verse comes from a psalm that speaks life to our hearts and flesh as we fail when confronted with the evil of our enemy. This world is filled with demons, and their power can be discouraging. But it is so, so temporary. Verse 16-17 states “When I thought how to understand this, it seemed a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I discerned their end.”
Seeing the evil at work in our world, I felt the wearisome task. My heart cried out, and this psalm brought me back to His sanctuary. Seeing the words ‘forever’ and ‘glory’ reminded me that greater is He within me than he that is in the world. That this evil is temporary, and His glory will go on forever. I was forced to recognize I was putting my faith in my strength, and thus, my discouragement was a direct result of forgetting that God is my strength.
Reading further, verses 23-26 reveal His heart for us: “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward, you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Do not be discouraged by the evil of this world; it will come to an end. Rely on Him, be empowered by Him, His work will be done in His timing. How wonderful is it that we get to be a part of His work? He holds our right hand and He guides us. We may fail, but He is our strength and portion forever!
Mark Kramm, Chaplain.
Take time to pray for...
Students' hearts and minds as we prepare for FLAG week.
Safety as students compete in sports.
Our staff: Primary, Second grade—Amera Gardose, Kristi Ashmead, and Hany Chay. Secondary, Social studies—Eric Wolthuis, Michael Henderson, Nathan Kramm, Megan Holmes, Business—Andy Staunton
Parent Resource Page
C9 Menu, calendars, SEQTA, and more! Our Parent page on the website is meant to be a one-stop-shop for most information you would need. You can access that HERE, or by going to our website and clicking on "Parents".
Can you Bring One?
We always have room for more! Help us bring in more qualified, Christian teachers and staff to be a part of our HOPE community. All current openings can be found HERE.
Have a great week!
