Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Virtue of the Month- Compassion


Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; 
love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous. - 1 Peter 3:8

To begin our virtue of the month for December, this year, #givingTuesday fell on the first Tuesday of December (#givingTuesday is always the Tuesday following Thanksgiving). For our school, we chose to support Sts. Mary and Martha Philoptochos at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in their “Grab and Give” bag ministry for those experiencing homelessness. Families either donated items or money to purchase items that the children put together in a Ziploc bag. We were able to put together 48 bags! 

I shared the following with the children while they were putting the bags together:

Mrs. B: How many of you ate breakfast this morning? (raise your hand)
How many of you brought lunch to school? 
How many of you have a snack when you go home after school? 
How many of you know that you will have dinner tonight? 
How many of you eat a snack before going to bed? (not quite as many hands raised)
Mrs. B.: I drive by a gentleman standing on the street corner a few times a week. When I am able, I give him one of the Grab and Give bags. One day, this gentleman told me that sometimes, the bag that I give to him is the only food that he eats that day. We are given so much and our faith teaches us to show compassion to one another. 

These bags are located under the ASA bulletin board. Please take a few, keep them in your vehicle, and when you encounter a person experiencing homelessness, give them a bag. This is a small act of compassion that we can show our fellow man. 

May it be blessed!
Christina Blankenstein

Monday, November 18, 2019

Fr. Thomas Hopko on Gratitude

The OCA website has Fr. Thomas Hopko's (of blessed memory) book The Orthodox Faith available online.
Here is a link to his section on Gratitude:

https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/spirituality/the-virtues/gratitude

May it be blessed!
Christina Blankenstein

Virtue of the Month November- Thankfulness

Thankfulness: expressing gratitude to others

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
-1 Thessalonians 5:18

November and Thanksgiving- it seems like a natural virtue for this month to focus on Thankfulness. At a recent staff meeting, we were discussing ways that we were thankful for our own parents. Virtues that they instilled in us from a young age. The “battles” that they chose in our upbringing. Based on these staff conversations, we will be adding a “My Upbringing” section to our Monthly Messenger. There were times, when I was a child, that I was not thankful for the things that my parents made me do or the rules that they made me follow. As an adult with my own children, I am thankful for the values that my parents instilled in me and we, God willing, are passing on those same virtues to our own children. 

My hope and prayer is that you will also see value in our sharing with you tidbits from our upbringing. And if you have something you would like to share, please let me know. 

In closing, and not related to my upbringing, I am thankful for all of you - the children, the parents, the staff. It is a great blessing to be part of the ministry of Agia Sophia Academy. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve. 
May it be blessed, 

Mrs. Christina Blankenstein

Virtue of the Month October- Honesty

Here is a condensed version of  Fr. Thomas Hopko’s writing on Honesty from his book, The Orthodox Faith which you can find online at https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith

Honesty

The wise man who has knowledge lives according to the truth through a totally honest life. Honesty means, first of all, to speak the truth and never to “bear false witness” (Ex 20.16).
This basic scriptural teaching is also that of the apostles.
For we pray to God that you may not do what is wrong . . . but that you may do what is honest . . . for we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth (2 Cor 13.7–8).
Honesty also means to act truly and openly, without pretense, or the presentation of a false image of oneself. It means, in a word, not to be a hypocrite.
Above all things, Christ the Lord hated and condemned hypocrisy, lying, and deceit. He accused the devil himself, first and foremost, of being a deceiver and liar, pretending to be other than he is, presenting himself and his teaching as totally other than the falsehood and wickedness that they actually are (cf. Jn 8.44–47). This is the way of all the false prophets, and of the antichrist himself.
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist (2 Jn 7).
In His fierce condemnation of the evil of the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers, Christ was most violent against their hypocrisy. Of all the evils of men, the most vile in the sight of the Lord is undoubtedly hypocrisy.
The spiritual person is not a hypocrite. He shows himself honestly for what he is, and does not pretend to be what he is not. He reveals himself to all exactly as he actually is. He does not say or do anything that would lead people to have a false impression of him or of anyone or anything. He is utterly honest and pure in all that he thinks, says and does, knowing that God sees all and judges with righteousness all those who “walk-in integrity” (cf. Ps 26.1, 11).

September Virtue of the Month- Obedience

Obedience- Willingness to follow the commands of another

Welcome back to school! 
Why we do the Bible verses and virtue of the month…

For a number of years, Agia Sophia Academy has promoted weekly Bible verse memorization. These Bible verses are based on specific virtues. Each month has a designated “virtue of the month”. These two Faith curriculum activities support the ongoing mission of the school- to provide “a rich academic and arts curriculum grounded in Orthodox Christian values…”. Our Bible verses for the upcoming weeks will be published in our Monthly Messenger newsletter. Clip it out- post it on your refrigerator- keep it in your car and have your child practice every day. There is proven value to memorization. This article “In Praise of Memorization” provides ten reasons why it is important to practice the art of memorization. 

Now, take those memorization skills and apply it to the Bible verses that are based on our virtues and we have given our students a tool to quickly remember something from their childhood when they are faced with making those virtuous choices in their lives. If you have questions about Bible verse memorization or when your child’s class will be reciting their verse, please ask your child’s teacher. 

On obedience: Fr. Thomas Hopko, of blessed memory, said, 
There is no spiritual life without obedience...Our obedience to God’s commandments and discipline is the exclusive sign of our love for Him and His Son.” 
We have many opportunities to practice obedience- children to our parents and teachers, parents to our families and work, all of us to one another. 

May we always strive to be examples of virtue to our children every day. 
Have a blessed school year!

Mrs. Christina Blankenstein

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

2019 Graduate Speech #6 - A.M.


Hello, my name is A.M., and I have been at this school for six years.
I have some really special memories I want to share with you.
My first memory is in first grade when we hatched chicks with Mrs. Blankenstein and at fifth grade when the Metropolitan came at this exact school, it was outstanding to see him in person.
Now, I want to thank some very important people that helped me to come all this way.
First, I would like to thank my family for driving me all this way to this magnificent school and for paying to make me learn at this school.
I would like to thank Mrs. Powell for making me exercise at P.E. and creating the Christmas play and graduation night, you are the best music and P.E. teacher I can have.
Thank you magistra Downs for teaching me Latin and Latin history I really enjoyed it.
Our art teacher Mrs. Perussi gave me a huge experience of creative art, but most of all
I will never forget about the glass icons we made, I really appreciate it.
Thank you Kyria Maria for teaching me Greek, that I will keep with me my whole life and Kyria Thespina for teaching me Greek Byzantine chant that sounds awesome with the whole class.
Tow of our very important people I would like to thank are Mrs. Blankenstein for being the school principal and my first and second grade teacher, and Mrs. Makenzie, the secretary of the school and healing my scars on my leg after I fell down.
Mrs. Padma and Mrs. Rusodan always start my day by giving me a hug and when Fr. ED is not here they sub for him because they are both great teachers.
Last but the best is Fr. ED - our main teacher. Thank you for teaching me enough and giving me extra homework to get me ready for sixth grade. You are the best teacher I have had for three years and I will never forget you.
 Thank you all for coming and I hope you enjoy it.

2019 Graduate Speech #5 - A.G.


Hi, my name is A.

I have been at this school for almost 5 years.
During these 5 years, I've made lots of wonderful, exciting memories.
I still remember the time I fell and every one ran to ask if I was okay.
I also remember one day we were playing mountain ball and I kicked the ball so far, everyone congratulated me.

First, I'd like to thank my parents for bringing me to this magnificent school.
Second, I'd like to thank all my teachers for giving me a great education.
My language teachers, Magistra Downs and Kyria Thespina, for teaching me 2 great languages, Latin and Greek.
Mrs. Powell for teaching me PE and music 3 days a week.
Mrs. Farris for teaching me to be quiet in public libraries.
Mrs. Perusi, for teaching me art and art history.
Mrs. Blankenstein for running this school and helping me with problems that I couldn't fix on my own.
Mrs. Rice for helping me realize that being corrected was not so bad.
And last but not least, Fr. Ed, for teaching me so many subjects that I couldn't keep track, out of which my favorite subject is math.
And also, for helping me be a better Christian.

It will be very sad to leave my teachers and all of my fellow students.
God helped me make great friends in this school and I thank Him greatly.
Thank you everyone for coming!


2019 Graduate Speech #4 - S.I.


I would like to thank all of you: the teachers, the students, the parents, and volunteers, for helping support ASA. Here, at ASA, you are all important, whether you are an adult or a student.
Friendship, truth, kindness, and prayer are what we have here at ASA, we work hard at achieving goals high in the sky with our feet on the ground. Every day we learn something new.
We might not have a playground, but we sure have an imagination. My favorite quote is “imagination sets you free to be just who you want to be.”
Once again, I’ll thank the teachers: Fr. Ed for being by teacher the longest and he’s the funniest teacher I have ever had. Ms. Padma and Ms. Rusudan for being my first teachers, Kyria Maria and Kyria Despina, for being my Greek teachers, Mrs. Perussi for teaching me art, my favorite subject, Magistra Downs for being my latin teacher, Mrs. Faris for being our librarian, Mrs. Powell for teaching PE and Music, Mrs. Lekas for being my literature teacher, Mrs. Rice, Ms. Lubliner and Mrs. Blankenstein for all being my principals and teaching me. And last but not least, Mrs. Hunt, thank you for teaching my little brothers.
As you might know I have 2 big sisters J. and C. as well as 2 little brothers, S. and T. Me, S.I., being the middle child is hard but my family was very supportive over the years of my education here.
I am standing here, in front of this microphone to thank you and say goodbye.

2019 Graduate Speech #3 - S.G.


It all started when I walked through the Agia Sophia Academy doors at three years old to the Montessori classroom. I was immediately wrapped with love. The children all kind and sweet. Ms. Padma and Ms. Rusudan were my Montessori teachers. They taught me many things such as, reading, writing, and the talent of not crying. Thank you ladies for teaching me and starting me on my journey of learning.  
Mrs. Blankenstein was one of my two first-grade teachers. She was a great grammar and math teacher. If we had completed all of our assignments when the day was over Mrs. Blankenstein would read out of her Winnie the Pooh book. History was a favorite in first grade I had a blast learning about the ancient Egyptians and reading all about them. Thank you, Mrs. Blankenstein.  
Mrs. Rodan, was my second first grade teacher. She was always teaching us new hymns during prayers. She was a great reading and writing teacher. Thank you, Mrs. Rodent, for your lessons.
Mrs. Rice taught me in second grade as my main teacher and in third grade she was my math teacher. In second grade I remember when my class was taught about Vikings and ancient Rome. It was enjoyable when Mrs. Rice had a movie night with a movie about our history subject. In math I loved the way Mrs. Rice would explain things. Thank you, Mrs. Rice for your many lessons.
            At ASA we have many specialty classes. Greek, Latin, art, literature, library, P.E, and music. Eight wonderful women taught the classes.
 From Montessori to fourth grade I had Kyria Maria. Greek is my second language but Kyria Maria was always teaching me something new. Many thanks to Kyria Maria for your lessons and love.
Kyria Despina taught me Greek byzantine chant for fifth grade. In this class I was always exited to learn the new symbols.  Thank you Kyria Despina for helping me carry on a tradition of a thousand years.
Magistra Downs taught me Latin from second grade to fifth. She was always looking on the bright side and pushing us to work a little harder. I always loved your end of year parties. Thank you for your lessons.  
Many thanks to Mrs. Perussi who taught me art from Montessori to fifth grade and being my art inspiration. If I am sitting on a chair trying to draw a picture I think, what would Mrs. Perussi do.
Thank you, Ms. Leakus, for improving our reading skills in literature during fifth grade. I really enjoyed your book choices and reading with you.
Thank you to Ms. Farris for being our school librarian all my years. You always picked out a good book to read. I will keep rereading the books you recommended.
Mrs. Powell was my teacher from the very beginning to the end. She taught me both P.E. and Music. She was the one who taught me to play a lot of different instruments. She was the one who gave me daily exercise. Thank you, Mrs. Powell for your lessons and effort.
Fr. Matthew is this churches priest. I thank him for teaching me more about my faith and giving the best homilies during liturgies. He always says hello to any class walking by. He is always there for the children. Thank you, Fr. Matthew.
Ms. McKenzie is our school secretary. Let’s say it is an enjoyable and sunny day and I fall outside. I get hurt. Owwie! The teachers direct me to the front office and Ms. McKenzie is there to bandage me up. I am thankful that she helps around the school with this and many other tasks. She is very devoted to her job as are all the teachers and priests. Thank you, Ms. McKenzie. 
For all of Upper Elementary Fr. Ed was my teacher. When I first started third grade, I was a little anxious as I always had been to meet my teacher. Fr. Ed cracked a few jokes and that anxiety vanished. I have had the best days ever in the Upper Elementary classroom. I will always remember the science unit, magnetism and electricity. Fr. Ed would give a hint and we would have to figure it out. It is a good thing Fr. Ed won’t stop driving of fright when I get a driver’s license. Fr. Ed has well prepared me for the years to come. Thank you, Fr. Ed, for your lessons loaded with humor.
Last but not least I give a big thanks to my parents for driving forty minutes one way to get to school and paying my tuition. Thank you for making a sacrifice and taking me to this exceptional school.
This school has given me a great foundation surrounding me with my religion and having me attend the liturgies. I will always miss being able to walk down the hall and high five a priest on my way. I promise to you now in this blue hat I, S.G., will forever treasure the moments here at this school.


2019 Graduate Speech #2- L.K.


Hi, my name is L.K., I have been here for 6 years.  I remember the first day I walked into this wonderful school to shadow.  I remember having to be in the choir, that was the most terrifying part of the day.  At the end of the day I said to my mom, “Mom, I want to go to this school.” Thankfully, after the summer my mom signed me up to Agia Sophia.  Thanks! Mom for taking me to ASA.
          I have had some of the most enjoyable and educational experiences at ASA. The Spring Fine Arts night is one of these times. Some of my favorite things about the Spring Fine Arts night were practicing in class to get ideas, using a lot of team work if we wanted our skits to work out and rehearsing was always fun, exciting and challenging.  I’d really like to thank Mrs. Powell for setting up the Spring Fine Arts night. She always helped us with our teamwork and never let us give up.  I would also like to thank all of the students in the school for working together and making it so fun.  An educations thing that we learned while practicing for tonight was that Funga Alafia is a welcome song from Africa.
          At this time I would like to thank a few people who have been a big part of my life these past 6 years.  I would like to thank Mrs. Faris for volunteering at our library.  I remember always wanting to spend time with Mrs. Faris, so I would ask if I could read to her.  Thank you Mrs. Perussi for being a wonderful and kind art teacher.  I will remember when I would hug her and sit right next to her during our art lessons.  I would like to thank my language teachers, Magistra Doans and Kyria Maria for being wonderful teachers and always making sure I knew what I was doing.  On top of that, thank you Kyria Thespina and Kyria Theadora for being the best substitutes Greek teachers.  Kyria Thespina taught us the animals and Kyria Theadora taught us the byzantine chant.  I’d like to thank Mrs. Powell especially for keeping my strength up and always being the best music teacher ever.  One of my favorite teachers who taught me in kindergarten and first grade is Mrs. Blankenstein.  I was very lucky to have her as my teacher. I remember in the afternoon Mrs. Blankestein would shake our hands and say “good afternoon”.  This would make me feel so welcomed and joyous. Next I would like to thank all the Principals I have had over the years, Mrs. Rodent from kindergarten to second grade, Mrs. Rice in 3rd and 4th and Mrs. Blankenstein in the 5th.  Lastly, I would like to thank my most favorite teacher. Fr. Ed. He is the funniest teacher ever.  He taught us a lot, especially in science.  We learned how to conduct electricity from one place to another.  When it came to math, I got confused, but Fr. Ed never gave up and spent time with me to make sure I understood it.  I’m going to miss Fr. Ed the most, but I will remember all his humorous sayings and that he never let us give up.
          The most important thing to me about tonight is that everyone has a blast and I would like to congratulate all the other 5th graders and wish them good luck in their new schools.  I will miss this school very much but will never forget all my teachers and all of the students at ASA.

          Thank you.

2019 Graduate Speech #1 - T.S.


Reverend Fathers, parents, ASA teachers, and everyone present,
  My name is T. S. I’ve been in this school for 2 years, but in that short time, I’ve had an amazing experience. In my whole life, I’ve been in four states and three schools, but I can say undoubtedly that this one was the best. I just can’t believe that I’m leaving. I feel like, so little time ago, I walked nervously into the classroom. But as soon as I saw the welcoming faces of Mrs. Rice and all of my new classmates, I was immediately relaxed.
  Before I go on, I would like to thank God, for the way that he worked through others to guide me and my parents to this school.
  I would like to thank my amazing parents: my Dad, for working day in and day out for us, and my Mom, who takes care of all the boys at home, and always asked us how are day was when we sat down to the amazing snack she made.
  The next people that I will thank are my classmates. I remember when I fell once, and some of you where even on the other side of the parking lot, but you still ran over and saw if I was okay. I’ve heard that in a small Christian school like this, you always feel like family by the end of the year. Well, I do.
  Next, I would like to thank all the amazing teachers and staff: Mrs. Powell- the best music and PE teacher this side of the Mississippi, Mrs. Perusi the art teacher- who could paint a masterpiece more detailed than the Mona Lisa, Mrs. Farris, the librarian, who always knows the book you need, the Greek teachers- Kyria Despina, Prezvytera Theodora, and Kyria Maria, who knew more Greek than Plato himself, and the Latin teacher, Mahistra Downs, who knew more Latin than Julius Ceaser.
  Thank you also to 3 teachers who work very hard with the younger students- Mrs. Hunt, Mrs. Padma, and Mrs. Rusudan.  
  Another two people that are very important in the functioning of this school are Mrs. Blankenstein, and Mrs. McKenzie.
 I have had a wonderful time here and learned many life lessons. One of the most important was the spirit of brotherhood, that we were all like a big family. These lessons will help me in the years ahead greatly. Another lesson that this school has taught me is to pray. To pray, (as in the words of Kyria Despina) not only when things get hard, but when they are good too.
 Thank you also very much to all the benefactors and supporters of ASA, those who participated in events such as the Greek open, the 15th Anniversary Gala, and my Grandparents.
 There are also others who helped in various ways- substitutes, previous principals and teachers (i.e. Mrs. Rice, Mrs. Chiprout, and many others.)
But the teacher that had the most impact on my life was the one the only………………….
FR. ED!!!! Thank you, Fr. Ed, for teaching me so many life lessons that will last me a lifetime. You taught me to never give up, you taught me how to be obedient. If anybody has 3rd, 4th , or 5th Grade students, I would strongly recommend you to Fr. Ed. With all sincerity, thank you Fr. Ed.
 Thank you again everyone. And farewell.

Monday, June 17, 2019

The Ascetic Lives of Mothers

This is a book review on the audiobook. I was gifted a copy of this audiobook for an honest review.

After answering the call to pick an Ancient Faith audiobook to review, I was drawn to the title of this book. I am a mother. Therefore, I probably need to read this book. But, I did not read the entire title. The Ascetic Lives of Mothers: A Prayerbook for Orthodox Moms. Imagine my surprise as I began listening to this book. It is another hectic afternoon. I have finished working for the day (part time Orthodox school principal). I am at home, earbuds in, ready to dive into an audiobook when I realize- this is about prayer. And that this book is actually a prayerbook. And, this is exactly what I needed to hear on this challenging day. When I realized what this book really was about- I paused and made the decision to spend time really listening to the prayers, quotations from our Church Fathers, direction, and advice. Normally, I will listen to an audiobook for a few hours at a time (those precious hours when the boys' are at school, my husband is in his home office working, and I am doing the mom thing). This prayerbook needed more time to digest. I listened in short bursts of time over a few weeks. I found that by listening to this book while working around the house helped to keep me focused on praying while working. The book is divided into chapters with a special focus on a specific topic, prayers for different occasions, and daily prayers. The author's voice is soothing to listen to which is especially important in audiobooks.

And, listening to the audiobook now has me wanting to purchase a copy to keep in my prayer corner as the audiobook (at least on my kindle) does not have chapter names listed. 

This book was a delight and a surprise! I look forward to re-listening to it in the future. 



Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Virtue of the Month- Humility


“Humility is the mother of all virtues; purity, charity and obedience. It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not put yourself on a pedestal.”

It is fitting that at the end of the year, our focus is on humility; the mother of all virtues as Mother Teresa describes it. From September to now, we have introduced a different virtue to our students each month. Our deepest desire for all of our students at ASA is that they go on to lead lives of virtue and that they, outside of our walls, will be an example to others of what it means to lead a virtuous life. We provide them with these tools based on our Orthodox Faith that when they are grown, they will remember the words and example of the ASA staff and of you, their parents, in order to persevere in the virtues.
“We suffer because we have no humility and we do not love our brother. From love of our brother comes the love of God. People do not learn humility, and because of their pride cannot receive the grace of the Holy Spirit, and there for the whole world suffers.”
-St. Silouan the Athonite
May we always strive for humility in all areas of our life.
Mrs. Blankenstein


Monday, April 8, 2019

Virtue of the Month- Patience

 


And so let us be glad and bear with patience everything the world throws at us, secure in the knowledge that it is then that we are most in the mind of God. – St.Basil the Great

Every month, I attempt to write an article on the Virtue of the Month. As I think on what to write, I search for a quotation from the Church Father’s to hopefully inspire me as I write this. Sometimes, the simplest quotation seems to convey the exact message that I am looking to pass to you and our students. This month, St. Basil the Great, beautifully writes (better than I ever could write) the importance of patience. As we enter the last few weeks of Lent, let us be mindful and continue our struggle with patience as that will be when we “are most in the mind of God”. Kalo Pascha!

May it be blessed,

Mrs. Chrstina Blankenstein

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Thank you!!!



Thank you to the nuns of Paracletos Monastery who donated a beautiful icon of our Feast day to the school!

Check out all their fabulous images at https://www.orthodoxmonasteryicons.com/collections/festal-icons/products/midfeast-of-pentecost-icon.


Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Virtue of the Month- Generosity


“When a man really considers his neighbor as himself, he will never tolerate having more than his neighbor. If he does have more, but refuses to share things generously until he himself becomes as poor as his neighbor, then he will find that he has not fulfilled the commandment of the master. He no longer wants to give to all who ask, and instead turns away from someone who asks of him while she still has a penny or a crust of bread. He has not treated his neighbor as he would like to be treated by him. In fact, even if a man had given food and drink and clothes to all the poor, even the least, and had done everything else for them, he has only to despise or neglect a single one and it will be reckoned as if he had passed by Christ and God and He was hungry and thirsty.”— St. Simeon the New Theologian

We have reached the beginning of Lent. This is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our journey in our Faith and whether or not we are leading lives of virtue. Our virtue of the month for March is generosity. Be kind to everyone you meet. Give to all- not only to those who are less fortunate but give of ourselves (time, patience, love) to everyone that crosses our path. At Agia Sophia Academy, our staff strives to instill in our students the importance of giving to one another as one of the highest of virtues. We must continuously teach our children through our own example of giving and generosity to all.
By the way, this Lenten season, remember to pick up a “grab and give” bag to hand out to those in need. And, please look at our Food Barrel Friday list for those in need. These are all simply and easy ways to share what we have with our neighbors.
Kali Sarakosti! Have a blessed Lent!
In Christ,
Mrs. Christina Blankenstein

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Virtue of the month- Love


Our virtue of the month for February is love. When we think of February, we think of chocolates and hearts, cards and flowers; the exchanging of gifts with those we love. Growing up, my dad always gave us boxes of chocolate covered cherries for Valentine’s Day and even though they weren’t my favorite candy, this gift was a small act of love from my father. At other times, he sat next to me almost every evening while I practiced piano. This was not a material gift but a gift of his time. While both gifts have value, which gift is of greater value?
"A child needs a lot of love and affection, and much guidance. A child needs you to sit by his side, listen to his problems, caress him and kiss him. If a mother takes an upset and mischievous child into her arms to caress and kiss, the child will calm down. If the young child is filled with affection and love, later that child will be strong and able to face the problems of life." – St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain
Our goal at ASA is to guide our students through love so that they, as St. Paisios said, “will be strong and able to face the problems of life.”

May all our interactions with our children be blessed,

Mrs. Christina Blankenstein

Saturday, February 9, 2019

I Live Again- Audiobook Review...


As I listened to this audiobook, my mind kept returning to one thought... Princess Ileana, during the time of the war, exemplified the Proverbs 31 woman:
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
This book is not about her monastic life or the establishment of the monastery. This book is a journal of the events of Princess Ileana's life during a very specific time period- her life during WWII and after- leading up to her family leaving Romania. How she "lives again" as she transitions from being a princess of Romania to the Archduchess of Austria to the time of WWII, and, finally, to when she is forced with her family to leave her country. 
Princess Ileana was not idle- her ability to learn nursing, build hospitals, give to the poor, and convince communist officials to support her endeavors were inspiring. 
As I finished this audiobook, I was inspired by her untiring example of giving to others and helping her fellow man. And, her adventures, which she writes about very matter of fact (almost as if she believes that anyone else would have done the same thing which shows her true humility). I am eager to learn more about how Princess Ileana became Mother Alexandra of blessed memory, how she "lives again" in monasticism. 
Technically, this audiobook is very well done. The quality of the recording is amazing. The narrator, Kristina Wenger, does an excellent job- I almost believed it was the voice of Princess Ileana herself! 
The one downside to the audiobook is that the published book does contain illustrations and photos of Princess Ileana and her family. But, that is the downside to audiobooks, especially autobiographical books, is that there is not a way to convey the photos or artwork. We happen to own a copy of the book and I was able to look through the photos/illustrations (but I waited until after I finished listening to the book in order to write a review of the audiobook). 
I was gifted a copy of this audiobook for an honest review. Purchase your own copy of the audiobook through Audible.com or purchase the printed book through Ancient Faith Publishing

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Virtue of the Month- Self Control

Our Virtue of the month for January is Self-Control.
What is self-control?
According to the dictionary it is
the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the
expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations.”
Self-control is the control of how we express our feelings.
In order to do this, we need grace from God and a lot of practice
to gain self-control.
Throughout our school day, and even at home, we are presented
with challenges to our self-control and we must decide
how we will respond to those challenges.
Do I yell? Do I insist on doing things my way?
Montessori teaches uses the phrase “self-regulation” in place of “self-control”.
The greatest way to teach this is modeling.
We, as parents and teachers, show our children what
“self-regulation” or “self-control” looks like.
And, within our faith, we have the examples of the lives of the saints to guide us.
Following are links to three articles on self-control-
one Orthodox Christian and the other two are Montessori.
May we all grow in self-control and be the models to our children
that they need for us to be.
May it be blessed,

Mrs. Blankenstein

Friday, January 18, 2019

Quotation on education...

When I am reading a book- any book- I keep a log of quotations that inspire me or cause me to pause to think for a moment (or more). While reading a book for a book group I belong to, I came across the following quotation: 
"A boy is told that the object of his life is to "get somewhere," and that means to get money; that it is up to him to "make good," and that means to make money. From his tenderest years he is submitted to nerve-racking tests of his potential money-making capacity. The school examinations have come to mean that; he must pass well because otherwise he will not get a good job, in other words, a job with a good salary. Education is no longer primarily intended to teach him to serve God, or to enrich his life, but only to give him a passport into the commercial scramble. Many sensitive boys break down under the strain of examinations, not because they are wanting in the knowledge to pass, but because each one they do pass brings them a step nearer to the world of competition, in which, they know instinctively, so much that is fine in them will perish." The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander (originally published in 1944)
This book is a reflection on parts of The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God. The title of the chapter in this book is "Fiat"- Let it be done.The author, in the prior paragraphs, writes about how money has become the all important, all encompassing item in our lives. We are constantly pushed to have more, do more, make more money. And in that pursuit, something is lost inside all of us. And this begins when we are very young. What is the purpose of our education. Is it to serve God? To guide us along our path to salvation? Or is it to get ahead, make more money, achieve more things than those around us? 


Tuesday, January 8, 2019

I Live Again... next book review for Mrs. B.

For my next Ancient Faith Publishing book review I will be listening to the book I Live Again: A Memoir of Ileana, Princess of Romania and Archduchess of Austria. This will be my first audiobook book review and I am very excited to listen to it!
Check back soon for two book reviews written by ASA students for Shepherding Sam!

May it be blessed,
Mrs. Blankenstein

Monday, January 7, 2019

Kind Words...

Happy New Year! I am including a card that we receive from a monastery. In July one of the first things that I did was to write to all the Orthodox monasteries in the United States and ask them to pray for our school. We added their addresses to our mailing list to keep them updated on our school and to continue to ask for their prayers. Here is a lovely response from our Christmas card. Prayer is vital to the success of our school.
May it be blessed!
Mrs. Blankenstein

Saturday, January 5, 2019

The Barn and The Book by Melinda Johnson- Book Review

The Barn and the Book by Melinda Johnson

Please go here to read my review of Shepherding Sam by the same author.

The Barn and the Book is the follow up book to Shepherding Sam, both by Melinda Johnson. I highly recommend reading Shepherding Sam prior to reading The Barn and the Book- only because you are introduced to the characters in the first book and I believe that it makes the ending of The Barn and the Book that much more powerful after having witnessed Sam's struggles in the first book.

We follow Sam and Saucer on another adventure at the monastery. Sam is a boy who struggles with spending time at the monastery, going to church services, and, now, staying focused in Sunday School. Saucer is a corgi who continues to look for opportunities to herd- whether it be animals or children (especially Sam). This book takes place during the Nativity season and there is an opportunity for the children to publish a story in the anniversary book about the monastery. The children in the book all have ideas for their stories except Sam who is completely focused on a story he heard. The story is that on Christmas Eve, all the animals are able to speak at midnight for one hour. Sam wants to know what Saucer is really thinking and makes it his mission to stay up until midnight at the monastery.

This is an excellent follow up to Shepherding Sam. Sam continues to make strides in his ability to focus at the monastery through Saucer's help. Plus we are introduced to some new children and nuns who are each going through their own struggles, too. Sister Anna is a wonderful character that both adults and children can relate to with her struggles of finding her gifts to use at the monastery for the Glory of God. I especially loved the story around Sister Anna and, of course, the very wise Gerontissa! And the book is written in a way that I believe children would be able to identify with her struggles as well as the struggles of all the characters.

To find out if Sam is able to hear Saucer speak, purchase this book! Great for all ages- especially 5 years old and up (including adults). This book would make a great read aloud but I highly recommend reading Shepherding Sam before The Barn and the Book.

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase your own copy at Ancient Faith Publishing