Letters and pictures! AND school at the Orphanage!

We are so excited to hear that we will be receiving a letter from Ejigayehu in the mail soon. On e of our new online friends was in Ethiopia and is sending one to us. I am thrilled. I will be in Illinois when we receive it but am just thrilled. We have sent several letters their way. The last one was sent to them with 6 self addressed envelopes in hopes of a letter to be returned to us from them.

Also last week we received some very sweet pictures of the kids....So things are going well. We are doing some last minute cleaning to get our house ready to be on the market in two weeks.

Our new house is coming along but still hasn't gome to dry wall yet.

I am cutting and pasting this information on our kids school experience while they are at the orphanage. Yared and Kidist are in two different kindergarten classes. Kidist's class is a little more advanced than Yared's. Ejigayehu is in a first grade class. Sound like an excellent program considering it is an orphanage. Here is the info:

"There was a question a couple of weeks ago about the Layla School and I asked
Ivy, who coordinates things at Layla House, to write about the school for you.
I want to add one comment, that is that Julie Hehn has been working for the past
year and a half to upgrade the school, suggesting and bringing cirriculum,
providing training for teachers helping with things like establishing files for
the kids and improving the reporting. The school has come a long way since it
was held in a narrow dirt floor lean-to with no lighting at the old Layla House.

Here is what Ivy wrote:

School at AAI Layla House



Many parents/potential parents have expressed interest in learning about the
school at AAI Layla House. Julie Hehn is the curriculum consultant for AAI and
has put together quite an impressive school at AAI Layla House. We have a staff
of 11 extremely well qualified and dedicated Ethiopian teachers that teach a
wide variety of subjects. The school curriculum was created with the knowledge
that the children will soon enter into the American school system, therefore
classes are taught with that goal in mind. Subjects include: English, Math,
Science, Library, Music, History, Geography, Amharic, Computers, Sports/P.E.,
Crafts, Family, Ethics, Health, Religion and America Class.



Currently, we have 2 kindergarten grades and 6 elementary school grades. The
elementary school grades are not necessarily grouped by age, but more by
academic ability and school experience of the child. The school runs throughout
the year because of the transient nature of AAI Layla House and runs on a 3
month semester schedule. The school day starts at 9am and ends at 3pm with an
hour break for lunch. All classes are 45 minutes long, except for computer lab
and crafts which are 1.5 hours long. All classes are taught on the Layla House
compound with the exception of computer lab which is just down the road from
Layla House.



English and Math are scheduled every day. Library, music, crafts and physical
education are scheduled twice a week. Other classes are scheduled once a week
for each grade level. In computer class the students get hands-on experience
using a computer and running software programs. They use special software
programs designed to teach them English and other programs designed to teach
basic computer skills, including Rosetta stone.



One of the unique classes at Layla House is America Class. This class is
currently taught to the older grades (maybe others in the future) and is taught
by our American volunteers. In America class, the students are taught many
different topics dealing with American culture such as what a school day in
America would be like, going to doctors in America, safety issues in America,
family life in America, recreation activities in America, etc., anything the
volunteers come up with that will help the students get a feel for what American
life will be like.



We've recently started a scheduled games class where the children learn to play
with games such as puzzles, legos, play food, dishes and utensils, dolls, match
box cars, cards, and board games. This helps them learn to play together,
share, and put the toys away in a neat and orderly fashion. We are fortunate
that many games and toys have been donated for these activities.



After school we have set aside an hour for homework, tutoring and reading. The
children all sit together in the dining room to do their homework, read library
books, get tutored by the volunteers, and attend math club or English club run
by the tutors.



At the end of every semester, the students are tested and evaluated, report
cards are written, and the students are promoted to the next grade if warranted.
We also have an awards ceremony where the top 3 students from each grade level
receive a certificate of achievement and a gift acknowledging their hard work
and good grades. This serves as incentive for students to continue in their
academic studies and strive to become the best students they can be.



Before a child leaves for America, he or she is given an exit exam. The exit
assessment and report cards are designed to assist parents and the future
American school system place the child in the correct grade level.



AAI is dedicated to teaching our children and to help them be successful in
their new life in America. We strive to create a great school system and are
constantly improving our curriculum and classes to reach our goal of successful
integration of our children in American society.



We would like to point out that most of the school supplies, many many books,
craft supplies, computer and programs, teaching supplies, and other items that
are needed by the school have been donated by adoptive parents and carried to
Ethiopia in luggage. We are very grateful as these items enhance the learning
experience greatly."



Ivy Dash


Merrily Ripley
Adoption Advocates International
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