Dear Warrior Families,

It’s been a joy to see so many children bringing in Christmas shoe boxes in the mornings.  As I’ve been watching the stacks of brightly wrapped shoeboxes grow higher and higher this past month, I’m reminded of 2 Corinthians 9:7, which says: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  Our students are certainly cheerful as they bring their gifts to the Service Learning Office!  You can see the pride and happiness that they are contributing to something bigger than themselves, and something that will help others.

One of our mottos at ICS is "Inspire, Connect, Serve," and seeing our children start at a young age (thanks to guidance from home), to recognize that service is valuable and part of our calling as Christians is encouraging.  There are many ways for our elementary students to serve.  Whether it is through giving Christmas gifts or visiting the home for the elderly here in Shek Mun, we want our students to care about others and reach out to those in need.  

ICS encourages service learning, which is an intentional integration of what students are learning academically with applying their knowledge and skills to help the community around them.  Recently, I’ve been excited to speak with Mrs. Kimberly Chan, one of our elementary counselors, who is working to embed service learning opportunities in her Grade 3–5 lessons. Some different areas of focus will include elderly outreach, supporting underprivileged families and children, and learning about and assisting community members with disabilities.  These experiences will help students live out compassion, empathy, and respect in real-life contexts. 

By building relationships and serving those around us, our students aren’t just learning about compassion and empathy in theory, they’re living it in daily life. These experiences help our children grow their God-given abilities, see the value in every person, and become the kind of thoughtful, Christ-anchored leaders that our world needs. 

Elementary School Google Calendar:

Whenever we make a change to the calendar it will appear on the Elementary School Google Calendar.  Parents can view the Elementary Google Calendar from the school's website.  On the My ICS page, simply scroll down to the calendars, find the Elementary School calendar, and click the Google Calendar icon on the bottom right of the calendar.