Monday, August 29, 2016

Parent Connection August 29

Have you ever thought what it would be like to live forever? Say you found a secret that keeps you young forever. Would that be a good thing or not?
In literature in the seventh and eighth grades, we are reading a book about a family who has been through this situation. For this family, this secret becomes a burden. Their friends grow old and turn against them. They have to stay away from people in general and for years they have dreaded the day when someone else would discover their secret.
          That day has arrived and we are learning about some of the troubles that are being caused by that discovery.
          In the beginning, God created the world and everything in it. And it was perfect. God also created man and woman and they were perfect, too. They were meant to live forever in this perfect place.
          But we know that things changed because sin entered the world. God knew that it would not be good for humans to live in this fallen world forever so God separated his creation from that other tree in the Garden, the Tree of Life.
          “He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever….After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the garden cherubim and a flaming sword  flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:22b&24.
          We want to live forever but not in this sin-soaked world. Praise God that we won’t have to. God sent his Son to take on our guilt, and pay the price for that guilt. He removed our sin and with it the curse of eternal death. Through faith we will live forever with our Lord and Savior.
Labor Day
Labor Day is September 5th, there will be no school.  Enjoy your long weekend!

Birthdays this week
Eli Corwin – September 2
Aurora Ewings – September 4
God’s richest blessings on your Birthday!

Boxtops for Education
There are several back-to-school promotions going on with Boxtops for Education right now. Save and turn in Boxtops in the collection container on the bulletin board by the school entrance, or give to Mrs. Zarnstorff. Every little bit helps!

Emergency Preparedness
Every year at this time we review our plan for emergency situations at our school. If an emergency such as an earthquake or other disaster would occur, plans and material supplies are in place to provide for the safety and security of our students, as well as first aid and extended care in the event that students cannot be immediately picked up by their parents.
In order to help us in this, we ask each family to prepare a small “comfort kit” for your child, with small items to provide comfort and to help keep them occupied and calm in an emergency situation. We have included a small zip-lock bag with this newsletter to facilitate this. Pack your child’s comfort kit with a card containing your child’s name and contact information and other small items for your child’s comfort.  Suggestions include a non-perishable snack (like a granola bar), a pair of knit gloves, a family picture, a small toy, and a letter to your child.
Comfort kits can be brought to your child’s teacher at any time, and will be returned at the end of the school year.


Emergency Contacts
Last week parents should have received an email with instructions on setting up your Educate (Cornerstone) account.  Educate is how the school communicates with parents.  This includes general messages such as the Monday Parent Connection as well as emergency messages like school closings for weather.  Please be sure to log on to your account and set your password.  Educate was formally known as Cornerstone and is being integrated into TADS.  Some of the household functions are missing with this transition.  I am working on getting this resolved.  If you did not receive an email last week, please contact the office at FaithLutheran@gci.net.

Safari Adventure
September 17th, 10:00-noon. Come enjoy a fun filled morning! Toddlers to 10 year olds and their parents can come enjoy a devotion, snacks and multi-sensory activities focused around a Safari. Watch for signup sheets next to volunteer for snacks and to help with the activity.

PTF
Parent, Teacher, Friends will have the first meeting of the year on Thursday, September 8th at 7:00pm.  This meeting will focus on volunteers for the Safari Adventure, school t-shirts & sweatshirts and planning ahead for our Health Fair & Trunk or Treat. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Monday, August 22, 2016

Parent Connection August 22nd

Welcome Back to School!
If this is your first year at Faith Lutheran, welcome to our school family! If you are a returning student family, then welcome back! We hope and trust that you had a summer full of God’s grace in hard times and in joyful times.
May that same God of grace richly bless us this school year!

As we begin the 42nd year of education here at Faith Lutheran Church and School, I marvel at God’s goodness to us. Those of you who have been here in the past will see many changes to the building have taken place over summer. Many hours of labor by many volunteers have been put into this project. Many thousands of dollars have been put into the changes that you see. Not everything is complete yet but we will continue to work until it is. This last week has been a flurry of activity to provide you and your children a safe place to learn, a pleasant place to study.
There are other changes that you may have noticed. We have a new Kindergarten teacher, Miss Leah Snyder. She graduated this spring from Martin Luther College, our synod’s worker training school. Again, we can say that many hours of labor were put in by Miss Snyder to prepare for her work among us. Many thousands of dollars have been contributed to her learning and that of the other teachers and pastors the Lord has sent out among his people.
But there is one thing that has not changed at all this summer. That is the reason that this school exists. This school was founded to “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14. You, parents, bring your children to us so that we can work with you to train these children to serve the Good Shepherd. May God be forever praised!
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The Parent Connection Newsletter is our regular means of communication with families. Please look for a weekly newsletter to come home with your child every week, typically on Monday! Monday notes are also sent out via email and are
available on our Parent Connection blog (http://faithparentconnection.blogspot.com/) .
If you are not receiving them via email but would like to, please contact the school office.
If you are a Facebook user, look up Faith Lutheran School, Anchorage, AK and like our page. We use this venue for our parents’ convenience for special announcements, school news, school closures, etc.

School Uniforms
A reminder that school uniforms are worn Monday through Thursday. The uniform is either a blue or black uniform polo along with khaki (light brown/beige) pants or skirt. Fridays are casual days – students may wear “regular clothes”. Please remember that our dress code does still apply with regard to footwear, etc. Please refer to the school handbook for details.

Mandatory Parent Meeting
We will be having a mandatory parent meeting this Wednesday night from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. to discuss school policies and procedures.  Parents, Teachers, and Friends (PTF) will also tell you ways in which you can be active in the life of the school. The meeting will be limited to one hour.

Chapel Services
Our school chapel services are held every Thursday this school year, starting next Thursday, September 1, from 8:30 to 9:00 p.m.  Parents and friends are welcome! Our school and chapel theme this year is “Fully Committed”.
          As part of our weekly worship service, we will gather an offering. We encourage the students to use the offering envelope attached to the Monday note each week. In the coming weeks, the students will be given some choices as to where to send these offerings. The students will decide where to send these offerings.
          Also this year, in the time before and after the chapel services, I am going to provide a selection of coffee and snacks for those parents able to join us at these chapel services. Hopefully, this will give us a chance to get to know one another better as members of the Faith family.

Pick Up- Drop Off    
Please be aware of children, your own and others, when dropping off and picking up before and after school. Be aware of traffic flow in the parking lot. If you wish to just drop off your child, please drop them off at the CHURCH entrance and have them walk back to the school entrance in order to keep the corner clear, or park in the lot and walk your children in, especially if you have little ones. Please also maintain control of your children in the lot, and BUCKLE LITTLE ONES IN before you take a minute to visit with other parents. Let’s all work together to avoid accidents and keep our children safe!

Boxtops for Education
            Please save Boxtops form various products for our school.  Each top is worth 10¢ given to our school.  Watch for a list of products from which they can be cut and turned into the school.

Before School Care
Families using Before Care, please note that Before Care students should enter the building through the ramp door (playground side). This will help us maintain a secure facility. After 8:10 a.m. students should enter the building through the regular school entrance.
The ramp door will be open for those children being dropped off between 7:30 and 8:10 a.m. in the morning. Those being dropped off at this time should go directly to the fellowship hall for Before Care.  Mrs. Koenig will excuse the children to their classrooms at the appropriate time.  

After School Care    
Children who have not been picked up by a parent or designated adult by 3:45 p.m. will be sent to aftercare (3:45 until 5:30 p.m.).  Please remember that you will need to go in to aftercare to sign your child out.  Students will be in the fellowship hall with the aftercare supervisor. Please use the ramp entrance. 

Absences   
Please call or send a note with your child to school to let us know if your child will be absent.  If you plan to pick up your child early for an appointment, please let the school know ahead of time to give the teachers proper time to prepare work for that student’s absence. 

Happy Birthday and God’s blessings to
Karlee Hackmann (August 20th)

Morning Phone Calls
Parents phoning the school early in the morning:  Please be aware that the teachers have devotion together from 7:20-7:30 a.m. Please avoid calling at this time, or leave a message on the answering machine if necessary. Thanks!

School Doors Locked   
During the school day the church and school doors will be locked at 9:00 a.m. for security reasons.  If you need access to the school after this time, please ring the doorbell at the school entrance (Lake Otis Parkway side). Also, please be patient, as sometimes it takes a minute or two for someone to get to the door.

Medications  
If your child has to take medications (including over the counter) during the day or on an as needed basis, please let the teachers know, via a signed note.

Junior Choir
            Practice will begin in the coming weeks for those in the 3rd-8th grade who want to participate.  Watch for signup sheets coming soon.

Cross Country Running  

Faith will again be participating in cross-country running. Mrs. Sarah Zanto will be working with those interested in running this fall. It will be limited to just a few weeks as they get ready. Anyone interested in helping us out are asked to speak to Mr. Zarnstorff. Students, boys and girls, must be in the 5th through 8th grades for Cross-Country. Mr. Zarnstorff will send permission slips home with those students who are interested in participating in cross-country running this week.