Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Parent Connection November 27

Are you packed and ready?
          Whenever we plan to go away for a day or two, we have to pack those things we will need for those days.  Inevitably, I get the feeling that I forgot some important item that will turn out being crucial to the success of the trip.  After all my frequent trips over the years, that feeling has not gone away.  Now, I just think that if I have forgotten something, it must not have been that important.
          What I pack will be different depending what the trip is and how long I will be gone.  There are different things to remember if I’m going to a two-day conference or a week-long float trip down a wilderness river.  If I forgot something for the conference, it might be easy to replace at the local store.  But if I’m out in the wilderness, there is no way to replace what you forgot and I better be ready to do without that item for the rest of the trip.
          What about packing for Christ’s return?  When He returns, there will be no time to jump out of bed and reach for the suitcase.  When the only Savior of sinners stands at the door of my life, it won’t work for me to say, “Just a minute while I pack!” I need to be ready before He comes, or I will never be ready when He does come.  Now, while my heart still beats and this world still turns, is packing time for the trip into eternity.
          So what do I need in my suitcase?  What should I not forget?  Only one item – Christ Jesus!  This requires constant packing and regular use of the Gospel in Word and Sacrament which the Holy Spirit uses to keep the Savior packed in my heart.

If He comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ “ Mark 13:36-37.


Basketball Schedule
·         Tuesday, Nov. 28, 3:45-5:30pm at APU
·         Thursday, Nov. 30, Boys’ Tournament Game (Time TBD) at Birchwood
·         Friday, Dec. 1, Girls’ Tournament Game (Time TBD) at Birchwood
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we need a volunteer to help get players to and from practice and games this week.  If you are available, please speak with Mr. Z.

Fees for the basketball tournament:
Adults (18+)                              $5.00/day
Students (6-17)                          $3.00/day
Children (5 & under)                   Free
Seniors (62+)                             $1.00/day
Family pass (3 or more people)    $15.00/day
(Admission fees cover the cost of the gym.)

Handchimes Choir
          We will be practicing at 12:30pm tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 28 because of the field trip on Thursday. 

Spirit Week
Help us cheer on our basketball teams for their tournament by dressing up for spirit week.
          Tuesday:  Tie Dye Day
          Wednesday:  Backwards Day
          Thursday:  Athletic Apparel Day
          Friday:  School Color (Teal & Gold) Day

Do your best to dress in the theme for the day.  If you decide not to participate, you should wear your school uniform.

Chapel Offering Update
          The chapel offerings for the first eleven weeks of the school year totaled $583.61. A check in that amount will be presented to the Klebs family for their use in memory of their son, Gavin.
          The offerings for the next eleven weeks will be directed to Christians Forward-Southeast Asia. This group has provided medical aid to 7,600 patients in Southeast Asia. Along with the humanitarian aid, they also share the Gospel with their patients.

K-8 Field Trip
          Kindergarten through 8th grade will be taking a bus to see A Very Electric Christmas at the PAC this Thursday, November 30th.  

Bake Sale
Start looking through your recipes.  On December 7th, PTF will host a bake sale.  This sale is for homemade, edible goods.  This could be cookies, cakes, jellies, breads, or any other items you make. The items will be available for sale starting at noon on the 7th and continuing until 4:00pm.  If you have any questions or would like to help, please contact Sheila Lillo by cell at 907-229-790.

 Mark your Calendars
PTF will host a dinner with a silent auction on February 23rd.  Please mark your calendars.  This dinner will be free will donation.  If you have any items to donate for the silent auction, or would like to help with coordinating the dinner, please contact Sheila Lillo by cell at 907-229-7901. 

Boxes of Tissues
With the colder weather comes runny noses.  Please consider bringing a box or two of tissues for your student’s classroom.

Meet Your Teachers Monday

The answer to last week’s Meet Your Teacher trivia question was Pastor Ewings. Congratulations to Emma Robbert for guessing the correct answer!  Make sure to check the school’s Facebook page for this week’s question.

Monday, November 20, 2017

Parent Connection November 20

Hey, Coach!
Hey, Coach, what can I do to get open?  Hey, coach, how can I help the team better in the next game?  What can I do to improve my free throws, Coach?  How can I get a faster start in the race?
          Athletes of all sorts seek out advice from their coaches on how to improve their game.  Coaches can usually pick out even little things that can help the student who wants to do better at the given sport.  Sometimes just pointing out one or two small things will help them focus and just that focus will improve their performance.
          In our lives as Christians, God has provided “coaches” to help us along the path of life on our way to heaven.  Parents are the foremost coaches for their children.  As parents, it’s your responsibility to lead by example and correction.  Pastors and teachers are here to help you carry out your responsibilities and reinforce your guidance. God has also provided his Holy Spirit to work on the hearts of these little ones, to guide and recall those who are straying.  All of us working together to carry out God’s plan for each child, His plan of bringing each of them safely into His Heavenly Kingdom.  Be thankful that God has not left us alone in this responsibility!

Basketball Schedule
·         Tuesday, Nov. 21, Game
4:00pm Girls, 5:00pm Boys
at Birchwood Christian

National Geography Bee
          Congratulations to Emma Robbert for winning the Geography Bee.  Her next step will be to take the qualifying test after Christmas to determine her eligibility for the Alaska State Geography Bee. 

No School
Thanksgiving is this Thursday.  There is no school on Thursday or Friday.  Chapel will be held on Wednesday.

Hot Lunch Donations
Thank you to all who donated food, especially Village Inn for the apple and pumpkin pies, for the hot lunch last week!  We had plenty of delicious food with leftovers for the potluck on Sunday.  Thank you to Fred Koenig, Scott Anderson, and Krys Traver for preparing and serving the food on Thursday.
We collected several items for the Brother Francis Shelter this year.  Thank you to all who donated.  We collected:  66 pairs of socks, 16 underwear, 5 gloves, 20 hand warmers, 30 razors, 37 toothbrushes, 23 tubes of toothpaste, 14 dental floss, 7 bars of soap, 440 band aids, and over 70 shampoo, lotion, and body washes.  What a blessing when we all contribute to a cause!

No More Slick Floors
          A special thank you to Brady’s Floor Covering for donating the new mats in the school hallway.  They look great and will help us keep our students and parents safe from falls.

Thanksgiving Worship Service         Thank you, parents, for bringing your students to church last Sunday to sing and play the handchimes.  The congregation really enjoyed their performances.

K-8 Field Trip
          Kindergarten through 8th grade will be going to see A Very Electric Christmas at the Alaska Jr. Theater Thursday, November 30th.

Bake Sale
Start looking through your recipes.  On December 7th, PTF will host a bake sale.  This sale is for homemade, edible goods.  This could be cookies, cakes, jellies, breads, or any other items you make. The items will be available for sale starting at noon on the 7th and continuing until 4:00pm.  If you have any questions or would like to help, please contact Sheila Lillo by cell at 907-229-790.

Mark your Calendars
PTF will host a dinner with a silent auction on February 23rd.  Please mark your calendars.  This dinner will be free will donation.  If you have any items to donate for the silent auction, or would like to help with coordinating the dinner, please contact Sheila Lillo by cell at 907-229-7901. 

Meet Your Teachers Monday
The answer to last week’s Meet Your Teacher trivia question was Ms. Snyder. Congratulations to Sarah Klebs for guessing the correct answer!  Make sure to check the school’s Facebook page for this week’s question.

November Birthdays
God’s richest blessings on your birthday!
Ms. Snyder             11/21

Evangeline G.         11/24

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Parent Connection November 13

A Time of Giving Thanks
          The time of the year is very evident in all of the ads in the media.  Everything that you need to celebrate Thanksgiving seems to be on sale.  There is talk about being thankful. But what does this mean?  What is thanksgiving?
          Some people would say that maybe we say “thank you“ too much.  We say it so much that it has lost its meaning.  And when someone says it to us, we are more likely to respond with “No, thank you” rather than “you’re welcome”.  In fact, we have many phrases that have become trite because of over use.
          When we say thank you to God, do we recognize God as the source of all that we have and enjoy here on this earth?  Do we also recognize our total unworthiness of any and every blessing of God?
          When we say thank you to each other, do we truly appreciate what the other person has done on your behalf? Do we assume that the other person is acting out of love for God and for you?
          May God bless our celebrations of thanksgiving this week and every week until we will thank him face-to-face in Heaven.

Basketball Schedule
·         Tuesday, Nov. 14, 3:45-5:30pm
at APU
·         Thursday, Nov. 16, 3:45-5:15pm
at APU
·         Tuesday, Nov. 21, 4:00pm Girls,
5:00pm Boys at Birchwood

Early Dismissal
          On Friday, November 17th, school will dismiss at noon for teacher in-service.  There will be no aftercare that day.


November Hot Lunch
Hot Lunch will be this Thursday, November 16th.  The menu is:
Ham
Mac N Cheese
Green Beans
Rolls
Pies
If your child needs a gluten free option, please note this on the hot lunch slip.
This meal is provided by donations from PTF.  In lieu of collecting money, we will be collecting items for the Brother Francis Shelter.  The program provides shelter for homeless men and women as well as showers and services to help them transition off the streets.  This time of year they are in need of razors, tube socks, warm gloves, travel-sized toiletries, Band-Aids, lotion, underwear, and hand warmers.  You may bring your donation items to the office anytime this week.
Please return the attached signup sheet by Wednesday so we know how many meals to prepare.

National Geography Bee
Students in the 3rd through 8th grades will be participating in the National Geography Bee. After preliminary work in the classrooms, the finalists will compete on November 15th at 1:15pm in the Fellowship Hall. Parents are invited and encouraged to join us for the final competition.

All-Church Thanksgiving Worship
          K-8 students will be singing and Handchime Choir will be performing during the Thanksgiving worship service this Sunday, November 19th.  Please have your children at church by 10:10am.
 There will be a potluck following the service.  Please make plans to join us.
Parent’s Night Out
          Thank you to everyone for your donations.  We collected almost $400 for future PTF projects!

Meet Your Teachers Monday
The answer to last week’s Meet Your Teacher trivia question was Ms. Mittelstadt. Congratulations to the Hackmann family for guessing the correct answer!  Make sure to check the school’s Facebook page for this week’s question.

November Birthdays
God’s richest blessings on your birthday!
Ms. Snyder             11/21
Evangeline G.         11/24


Thursday, November 2, 2017

Parent Connection November 1

Signs
          To a certain extent, I think that our lives are controlled by signs. Certainly, while driving we need to be aware of and obey all of those triangular, rectangular, square, and octagonal signs along the roadway. We need to pay attention to those flashing signs, too. Pedestrians do well to obey those signs placed there for their protection.
          There are other types of signs which we would do well to heed also. Minor aches and pains could be signs of bigger problems in the future. Dimming eyesight could be a sign of a cataract or other malady.
          At the time when Jesus was on earth, the Pharisees asked him to perform a miraculous sign to prove he was the Messiah. Jesus knew their hearts and told them that the only sign he would give them was the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was in the great fish for three days and nights, Jesus would be in the belly of the earth for three days and nights. He continued to tell them that the people of Nineveh, the people to whom Jonah preached, would stand in judgment against this generation because they had repented when Jonah preached to them. Now someone greater than Jonah had come; but they would not believe. They could have seen the signs all around them but they refused to believe.
          What about us? There are signs of the times all around us. They tell us that Jesus is coming back to destroy this world and to take those who belong to him home with him. Dare we not heed the signs and prepare ourselves for that Day? The only way to be prepared for that day is to have faith in your heart, believe that Jesus is your Savior and you will be saved.

Basketball Schedule
·         Nov. 2 Anchor Lutheran at The Center   4:00pm Girls 5:00pm Boys
·         Nov. 7  at Birchwood                  4:00pm Girls 5:00pm Boys
·         Nov. 9 at Peters Creek Christian            4:30pm Coed
·         Nov. 21 at Birchwood                 4:00pm Girls 5:00pm Boys
Thank you!
          Thank you to all those who volunteered and donated for the Trunk or Treat!  We had a spectacular turn out from the community.

K-4 Field Trip
          Kindergarten through 4th grade will be going to see Journey to Oz at the Alaska Jr. Theater tomorrow, November 2nd.  They will leave school at 9:25am and return around 11:30am.

Library trip
          The fifth through eighth grade will be going to the library on Friday, November 3, 2017. Our next book will be a fiction book, preferably science fiction or fantasy. We will also be going out to lunch. 

Set Your Clocks Back
          Daylight Saving time ends at 2am Sunday morning.  Before you go to bed Saturday night, remember to set your clocks back one hour. 

Spirit Wear
The deadline to order t-shirts and sweatshirts is Monday, Nov 6th.  If you need an order form, they are located in the box by the office door.

Insect Invasion
Toddlers to 4th graders and their parents are invited to come and explore the wonders of God’s creation with devotion, crafts, and snacks on Saturday, November 4th, 10:00am - 12:00pm at Faith.   

PTF Meeting
          Join us on November 8th at 7pm for the next PTF meeting.  We will be planning spring activities and a Christmas bake sale.

Parent’s Night Out
          Drive In Movie Night – Friday, November 10th, 6:00-9:00pm.  Parents can drop off their preschool (potty-trained, please) through 8th graders for a night out.  Movie goers will decorate a “car” then enjoy a movie and movie-time snacks.  There is a signup sheet in the school hallway beside the water fountain.
          If you have boxes big enough to make “cars” with, please drop them by Ms. Snyder’s classroom.

Lost and Found
          There was a school uniform skirt size 8 left in the Fellowship Hall last Thursday, October 26th.  If this is your student’s, please pick it up in the office.

Meet Your Teachers Monday
The answer to last week’s Meet Your Teacher trivia question was Mrs. Tegen. Congratulations to Connor Klebs for guessing the correct answer!  Make sure to check the school’s Facebook page for this week’s question.

November Birthdays
God’s richest blessings on your birthday!
          Evangeline G.         11/24