Mother's Day Tea

Elementary students recently hosted a Mother's Day Tea. All moms were invited to come have tea, juice, and pastries with their child(ren) and be guests of honor as each class performed a short program expressing how much we love and appreciate our moms. Our theme for this year's tea was "Queen for a Day". Each student made a crown for their mom to wear at the tea.

For those whose mothers were unable to attend, teachers filled in as substitute mothers. These girls were my adopted daughters for the morning - we jokingly called ourselves the Stevens family. Our fifth grade class opened the Mother's Day program with an original skit called "Best Mom in the World." We staged a game show in which six contestants sought to prove that they were the best mom in the world. In the end the audience voted and the results proved, with each student holding up one letter of this message, 'ALL MOMS ARE WONDERFUL!'

Austrian Labour Day

Today is Labour Day in Austria. Political groups and representatives from each district in Vienna marched in a parade at the city hall this morning. Bands played and speeches were made. Many Austrians wore red and white, while flags and balloons were flown above. All stores, banks, schools and offices were closed today in honor of this holiday.

Elementary Field-Day

On Friday, VCS elementary students enjoyed Field-Day! The students rotated between six different events, testing their speed, strength, and coordination. The Tug-O-War was one of the students' favorite events at Field-Day. In this photo, fifth graders - the BLUE team - use their muscles and a little bit of strategy to pull their way to victory.

At the Sack Race event, students hopped in a sack to the end of the mats and back. Once back at the starting line, the sack was passed to the next teammate and the race continued. The winning team was the first to get all members back across the starting line.

The Sponge Pass was one of the most exciting Field-Day events. Students stood in a line with a full bucket of water at the head of the line and an empty bucket at the end of the line. The first player soaked a sponge in the full bucket. The sponge was then passed in an alternating fashion over one person's head and between the knees of the next person. The last person in line squeezed the water left in the sponge into the empty bucket. When the time limit ended, the team with the most water in the "empty" bucket won.

High School Musical

So you've heard I am playing a percussion part in the VCS spring musical, High School Musical, and for those of you who thought "Liz? Percussion?" (I admit I thought that too!), here are the pictures to prove it's really true. It's been a blast to develop a new skill and to jam with the rest of the pit band as I've watched thirty-some students sing and dance their way from cliques to teamwork from behind.

Here's the full cast photo including directors, set and costume designers, and pit band members. The musical is sold-out and runs Thursday and Friday evenings, with a matinee showing on Saturday.

4th Grade Geometry Fair

The fourth graders recently held a geometry fair and invited classes from our school and our Austrian "sister" school to attend. The fourth graders issued tickets to their fair and manned a wide variety of geometry activity booths. The timing of the fair was perfect for our fifth grade class, as we are just beginning our geometry unit in math class. Here several fifth graders work on a geometry activity led by a fourth grade student (in blue).

My cousin, Susanne, came from Switzerland to visit me over Spring Break. We had a great time together, touring Vienna and Bratislava and catching up on life. Here we pose with Schonbrunn Palace in the background, which was the summer home of Austria's ruling family, the Hapsburgs.

One day Susanne and I toured Stephansdom Cathedral and climbed 300+ steps up the south tower to an observation deck. The view of Vienna was spectacular! We also took a tour of the catacombs underneath the cathedral, where some of Austria's bishops and black plague victims rest, along with organs from the Hapsburg rulers.

Another day, Susanne and I took a day trip to Bratislava, which is one hour away from Vienna by train. It was a cold and windy day, and we found that many of the historical attractions were closed for renovations, but these smiles on our faces are evidence that we had fun being together and exploring the city. Behind us is the Bratislava castle.

Frohe Ostern!

The Easter markets are open in Vienna and the colorful eggs seem to be a sign that Spring is arriving. The main attraction at these markets is an abundant selection of hand-painted eggs (yolks blown out) showing exquisite design and handiwork. Each egg has a hole drilled in it and a ribbon tied through the hole. Many Austrians place pussy-willow branches in vases and hang these decorative eggs from the branches, to create festive "egg trees" in their homes, offices and store windows.

Other Easter market specialties include egg-shaped candles, wooden egg ornaments, live bunnies (for viewing only), jewelry, baskets, and various pastries and food delicacies.