Parent Connection April 30

Are Your Ducks in a Row?

The school district finally approved our use of a track for the meet so I went ahead and invited the other schools to our meet this coming weekend. In my email, I told everyone that I hoped to have “all my ducks in a row” by Saturday. I’m not sure of the background to this idiom but I do know that it means to have everything ready for some purpose or activity.

God assures each of us that He has His ducks in a row when it comes to our lives. When we look to the future, we can’t see things very clearly. Even as we experience life, we have a hard time seeing that God has everything planned out for us. We may even want to question God about His plan for us, especially when our experience is something painful or difficult to endure.

Certainly, the Israelites may have wanted to ask God, “Why?” They had been conquered by the Babylonians and carried off into captivity for seventy years. God reminded them, through the prophet Jeremiah, that He had his ducks in a row. He said to the Israelites, and all believers, “  ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord,  ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give them hope and a future.’ “ Jeremiah 29:11.

Take comfort in the fact that God has His ducks in a row when it comes to our lives, He is in control.

Singing in Church

          Thank you to all parents for having your children at church yesterday to sing during the service.  We love hearing our students’ amazing voices praise God in song. 

Track Practice

          Practice continues on Tuesday and Thursday this week at Cuddy Midtown Park. 

Zoo Visit

          Grades PK-4 will have a ball-python visit us from the zoo on Thursday, May 3rd, at 10:30am.  The cost per student is $3.00.  If you do not want your TADS account charged, please send exact change with your child’s permission slip by Thursday.

Faith Lutheran Invitational Track Meet

The meet will be held Saturday, May 5, at Begich Middle School (7440 Creekside Center Drive) off DeBarr Road just west of Muldoon Road. Students need to be on the field no later than 9:45am. Events begin at 10:00am

We will need many volunteers to help with timing the races and judging the jumps and throwing events. We also will need people to fill out the ribbons for the awards.

Jr. Choir Sings

          Junior choir will be singing this Sunday, May 6th, at King of Kings during the 10:30 am services.  Please be there by 10:10am.

          If you need a ride to the church, please speak with Mrs. Gillespie 907-793-7030.

Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7th – 11th is Teacher Appreciation Week.  This is a great opportunity to let your child’s teacher know you appreciate all their hard work with a heartfelt thank you.  PTF has some activities planned to show our teachers how much we care.  Classroom doors will be decorated and some wonderful lunches and breakfasts will be provided as well.

PTF is also honoring our teachers with a dinner out together and we need monetary donations to make this happen.  You may send your donations with your child or drop off in the office.  Amanda Foster is organizing the week.  Please contact her by phone/text at 907-250-9685 with questions or to help.

Spring Musical

          The Spring Musical will be held on Friday May 18^th at 6:30pm at UAA Mainstage Theater (Located in the Fine Arts Building, 3700 Alumni Drive).  Students will need to be at UAA Theater by 6:15pm.  Practicing for the musical has begun.  It is imperative that all students are in attendance at the musical.  It will last about an hour.

Annual Parking Lot Sale

It is time for spring cleaning and the annual parking lot sale on May 19th, 10:00am – 4:00pm. Setup begins at 7:30am.

First, we need your donation of items for the sale.  Next, we are in desperate need for volunteers to run the sale.  May is a busy month and many of our normal volunteers are not available to help.  So that means we need your help.  No need to stay all day, you can stop by and help for a couple of hours.  There are signup sheets on the bulletin board by the office.  Sign up for a time or contact Sheila and let her know you can help. 

You can start bringing your donations on May 14^th and place in the fellowship hall.  We cannot accept donations before that time.

Blood Drive

Faith is hosting a blood drive Saturday, May 19th, 10:30am-4:00pm. Sign-up sheets with open time slots are posted in the school entrance. If you are unable to donate blood, we need volunteers to provide cookies and facilitate the donation process that day. Email Amy Mozolik at amymozolik@gmail.com or text her at 414-430-7669.

Reading Rendezvous

          Our next school promotional event is Saturday, May 19th 12:00pm – 4:00pm at Loussac Library.  We will have a booth making the same craft that we made at Kids’ Day. 

Volunteers are needed to help man the booth. 

PTF Officers

New officers for the upcoming school year were elected at our last PTF meeting. 

·         President – Chris Stahr

·         Vice President – Jo Stahr

·         Secretary – Jennifer Anderson

·         Treasurer – Gabrielle Bauer

Thank you to these parents for their willingness to serve our school.  Be sure to show your support through volunteering.

May, June, and July Birthdays

          God’s richest blessings on your birthday and throughout the year.

          Lucas H. – May 7    

Caleb L. – May 9

Mrs. Robbert – June 10

Alaina H. – June 12

Sahara B. – June 14

Mr. Zarnstorff – June 22

Mrs. Koenig – July 15

Gavin M. – July 7

Kennedy M. – July 9

Paityn R. – July 14

Megan L. – July 20

Parent Connection April 23

Let’s Get Excited!

          It’s that time again. The hype has begun to build. Some have been following their team’s performance all season long. Some have checked the news once in a while to see how they are doing. And some wait until the games really matter, the playoffs. Now it’s time to get excited! The farther your team goes into the playoffs, the more excited you get. If your team wins the championship, then the celebrations really begin.

          We have something to celebrate every day. We have different backgrounds, live in different locations, have different occupations, and even different generations, but one blessed name covers us all: “Children of God”. John calls us that in his first epistle. Of course, that’s not what we were by nature. “We were by nature objects of wrath.” Eph.2:3. At conception, the label “children of the devil” and “heirs of hell” were pasted on us. Since our parents were sinful, we were God’s enemies and not his children. Yet look at what we have become. That’s something to get excited about!

          How could such a transformation happen? John is excited to explain it to us: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” I John 3:1. God’s amazing love did the impossible to me and to you. God’s love punished His Son for our sins. God’s love sent the Holy Spirit to seek me out in the surging sea of unbelieving mankind. Through Word and Sacrament, He brought me to faith in the Son as my Savior. God now calls us “My son, My daughter” but only because of His amazing love in Jesus. Your team winning a championship can be exciting, but nothing like being called God’s child and knowing it is true because of His amazing love! Let’s get excited about being His children!

Kids’ Day

          A big THANK YOU to all of you who helped out at our booth.  We estimate that we reached out to over a 1,000 children.

Track Practice

          We will practice on Tuesday and Thursday this week at Cuddy Midtown Park. 

          We leave after school and try to be done at 5:30pm.  Children may be picked up at the park at 5:30pm, or at the school between 5:45pm and 6:00pm depending on traffic.

Soccer Players

          Please return your washed soccer jerseys to Mr. Z. as soon as possible.

Kindergarten Round-Up

Do you know any families looking for a Christian school for their children?  Faith could be the place they are looking for. 

          Invite them to come this Thursday, April 26th, 5:30pm-6:30pm to hear more about what happens in our Kindergarten class.

Half Day on Friday

          School will dismiss at noon on Friday for teacher in-service.  There is no aftercare available.

K-8 Singing at Faith Lutheran

K-8 students will be singing during the 10:30am worship service on Sunday, April 29th.  Please have your children at church by 10:10am.

Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7th – 11th is Teacher Appreciation Week.  This is a great opportunity to let your child’s teacher know you appreciate all their hard work with a heartfelt thank you.  PTF has some activities planned to show our teachers how much we care.  Classroom doors will be decorated and some wonderful lunches and breakfasts will be provided as well.

PTF is also honoring our teachers with a dinner out together and we need monetary donations to make this happen.  You may send your donations with your child or drop off in the office.  Amanda Foster is organizing the week.  Please contact her by phone/text at 907-250-9685 with questions or to help.

Spring Musical

          The Spring Musical will be held on Friday May 18^th at 6:30pm at UAA Mainstage Theater (Located in the Fine Arts Building, 3700 Alumni Drive).  Students will need to be at UAA Theater by 6:15pm. 

          Practicing for the musical has begun.  It is imperative that all students are in attendance at the musical.  It will last about an hour.

Annual Parking Lot Sale

It is time for spring cleaning and the annual parking lot sale on May 19th, 10:00am – 4:00pm. Setup begins at 7:30am.

First, we need your donation of items for the sale.  Next, we are in desperate need for volunteers to run the sale.  May is a busy month and many of our normal volunteers are not available to help.  So that means we need your help.  No need to stay all day, you can stop by and help for a couple of hours.  There are signup sheets on the bulletin board by the office.  Sign up for a time or contact Sheila and let her know you can help. 

You can start bringing your donations on May 14^th and place in the fellowship hall.  We cannot accept donations before that time.

Blood Drive

Faith is hosting a blood drive Saturday, May 19th, 10:30am-4:00pm. Sign-up sheets with open time slots are posted in the school entrance. If you are unable to donate blood, we need volunteers to provide cookies and facilitate the donation process that day. Email Amy Mozolik at amymozolik@gmail.com or text her at 414-430-7669.

Reading Rendezvous

          Our next school promotional event is Saturday, May 19th 12:00pm – 4:00pm at Loussac Library.  We will have a booth making the same craft that we made at Kids’ Day. 

Volunteers are needed to help man the booth. 

PTF Officers

New officers for the upcoming school year were elected at our last PTF meeting. 

·                                           President – Chris Stahr

·                                           Vice President – Jo Stahr

·                                           Secretary – Jennifer Anderson

·                                           Treasurer – Gabrielle Bauer

    Thank you to these parents for their willingness to serve our school.  Be sure to show your support through volunteering.

Parent Connection April 16

Judgment Day?
          That’s what some people call April 15. Others will recognize it as Tax Day, the day that Americans are required to have their taxes for the previous year figured out, filed, and paid. At the very least, you have to have your taxes paid even though you may have filed for an extension to file the paperwork. Some people like to get their taxes taken care of as soon as possible in January, others try to put it off as long as possible. Sooner or later we all have to pay our fair share.
          But “Judgment Day”? Is there any comparison between tax day and the end of the world? I’m certain that some people have gotten away for years without paying their taxes, or they may have found loopholes to get around paying them. No one will escape the judgment that will take place when their existence here on earth ends. When a person leaves this world, their soul will be judged and their time in heaven or hell will begin. Then on the day when Jesus returns ‘to judge the living and the dead’, the souls and bodies of those who have died previously will be reunited and the judgment that has already taken place will be revealed to all. At stake here is not money to pay the government but your eternal future. Jesus said, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his own soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26.

PTF Meeting
         PTF will be meeting this Wednesday, April 18th.  The agenda includes the upcoming Parent’s Night Out, Teacher Appreciation Week, Parking Lot Sale, School Picnic, and electing officers.
         We need volunteers for President, Vice-President, and Secretary.  If you are interested in supporting our school this way, please contact Sheila Lillo at 907-229-7901

Track Practice
          We will begin practice on Thursday, April 19th. We will be practicing at Cuddy Midtown Park at the skating oval. If any parents would like to help with practice, it would be greatly appreciated.
          We will leave after school and try to be done with practice at 5:30pm. Children may be picked up at the park at 5:30pm, or at school between 5:45pm and 6:00pm depending on traffic.
          Permission slips were sent home with students in grades 5-8.  Please sign and return them by the end of the day Thursday.

Hot Lunch
          Hot lunch will be served this Thursday April 19th.  The menu for this month is Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza, Salad, Fresh Fruit, and Dessert.
          The cost for the meal is $4.00.  Please return the permission slip and money (cash or check made out to PTF) to your child’s teacher by Wednesday, April 18th in order to assure we have enough pizza for everyone.

K-4 Field Trip
          The students in K - 4th grade will go to the Atwood Concert Hall for the 10:00 am performance of “Peter & the Wolf” on Thursday, April 19th.

Parent’s Night Out
          Bring the kids this Friday night, April 20th, 6:00pm-9:00pm, for a fun evening with activities based on The Love Bug movie featuring that fun-loving Herbie.
          Parents can drop off their preschool (potty-trained, please) through 8th graders for a night out.  Free-will donations will be accepted.

Kids’ Day at the Dena’ina
          Faith Lutheran School will be hosting a booth at Kids’ Day this Saturday, April 21st.  The event runs 10:00am – 4:00pm and highlights programs for children in Anchorage.  We need volunteers to help throughout the day. Please let Mrs. Z know if you can volunteer for an hour or two to help with crafts at Faith’s Booth.

K-8 Singing at Faith Lutheran
         K-8 students will be singing during the 10:30am worship service on Sunday, April 29th.  Please have your children at church by 10:10am.

Kindergarten Round-Up
         Do you know any families looking for a Christian school for their children?  Faith could be the place they are looking for.
         Invite them to come Thursday, April 26th, 5:30pm-6:30pm to hear more about what happens in our Kindergarten class.

April Birthdays
God’s blessings on your birthday and throughout the year.
          Caroline K. – April 21

Parent Connection April 9

You Should Have Been Here!

          Have you ever had an experience where you missed out on something because you were in the wrong place at the right time? Maybe it was a party that you missed because you were sick. Maybe it was the big game against your arch rival, and your team won at the last second. Maybe it was a night out at a local establishment where a celebrity showed up and sat in with the local band for a few fantastic songs. You should have been here! It was a night to remember, the night of a lifetime! Do you feel left out? Do you feel like your friends are just “yanking your chain” by making up stories?

          I wonder if the disciple, Thomas, had some of these same feelings?  We have no idea where Thomas was that first Easter evening but we know that he missed out on something truly exciting, something that truly changed the lives of those who witnessed it. When Thomas came back and heard that Jesus had appeared to the rest of disciples, he demanded proof before he would believe. One week later, Jesus gave Thomas exactly what he had demanded: undeniable truth. He invited Thomas to put his fingers into the nail holes in His hands, to reach out and place his hand into the spear hole in His side. With this proof, we are told that Thomas believed.

          Sometimes we may wish that we could have been there, too. With Thomas, we would like to have tangible proof for what we believe. Jesus tells us, “Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.”  He is talking about us! We have been blessed with faith to trust in Jesus as our Savior. That is truly a blessing for which to be thankful!

Alaska Spelling and Geography Bees

          Emma Robbert represented Faith at the Alaska State Spelling Bee on Mar. 29th and at the Geography Bee on Apr. 6th.  Thank you for all of the time and effort you put into preparing.  Congratulations on a job well done!!

Indoor Soccer Practice

There is soccer practice on Tuesday and Thursday this week.  The games on Wednesday start at 4:00pm vs. Lumen Christi and 5:00pm vs. Holy Rosary

Saturday’s tournament times have not yet been announced.  Players will be given more information when we have it.

PTF Meeting Rescheduled

          Due to the soccer games this Wednesday night, the PTF meeting has been moved to Wednesday, April 18th at 6pm.

Spirit Week         

          Let’s show our Huskies soccer team support for their tournament this weekend.  Starting tomorrow, we are wearing different outfits each day (unless you’d rather just wear your plain, old uniform!)

          Tuesday:  Wear a tie day

          Wednesday:  Crazy hair day

          Thursday:  Wear your class color day

                             Preschool:  Blue

                             Kindergarten:  Red

                             Grades 1-4:  Green

                               Grades 5-8:  Black

Friday:  Wear school colors teal & gold

Parent’s Night Out

          Herbie the Love Bug Night – Friday, April 20th, 6:00-9:00pm.  Parents can drop off their preschool (potty-trained, please) through 8th graders for a night out.  Free-will donations will be accepted.

More details will be available next week. 

Kids’ Day at the Dena’ina

          Faith Lutheran School will be hosting a booth at Kids’ Day on April 21st.  The event runs 10:00am – 4:00pm and highlights programs for children in Anchorage.  We will need volunteers to help throughout the day. Please let Mrs. Z know if you can volunteer for an hour or two to help with crafts at Faith’s Booth.

PTF Needs Parents

It is time to get involved with your child’s school.  Over the past few years, parent participation in our school and PTF has declined.  PTF is a great way to support your child and our school with activities such as hot lunch, parent’s night out, Trunk or Treat, and also to provide our school with needed equipment through fundraisers.  The best way to start would be by attending our next PTF meeting on Wednesday, April 18th.  The agenda for this meeting includes the upcoming Parent’s Night Out, Teacher Appreciation Week, Parking Lot Sale, School Picnic, and most importantly election of officers. 

For the coming school year, we need parents to volunteer for the positions of president, vice-president, and secretary.  If you are interested in supporting our school this way, please contact Sheila Lillo at 907-229-7901.  I would be happy to discuss what the duties are and how much time they really take.  None of the officer positions consume too much time, and all have been held by parents with full-time jobs.  This is a great opportunity to be involved in your child’s life.

Pennies for Patients Amount Collected

          Woo-hoo!!  All of your donations have been counted, and here are the totals:

          Grades 1-4:            $177.47

          Grades 5-8:           $172.11

          Preschool:              $122.75

          Kindergarten:         $101.83

Thank you for everyone’s participation. Together, we are able to send $574.16 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to benefit patients who have been diagnosed with a blood cancer. 

Open Enrollment

Enrollment for the 2018/2019 school year is now open.  Please enroll your student if            he or she will be returning next year so we can begin preparing for next school       

year. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to stop by, email, or call the office 

563-3499.

April Birthdays

God’s blessings on your birthday and throughout the year.

          Caroline K. – April 21

Parent Connection April 3

Fear…..Not!
Put yourself in their place for a moment, wouldn’t you have been filled with fear? You had been with Him for three years. You had been called by Him to travel and see and learn. As you walked the dusty trails of Palestine, you witnessed many of those miracles that awed the people of Palestine. You saw the water changed to wine, you saw sick people healed from all kinds of terrible ailments. You saw blind people become able to see, you witnessed lame people stand up and walk. You saw dead people brought back to life. These, and many other ‘proofs’, convinced you that this Jesus was no ordinary man.  He was the Promised One of the Lord, Messiah.
  Then came the unthinkable! Jesus was betrayed by one of your own, Judas. Jesus allowed himself to be taken captive by His enemies. He was brought before an illegal court at the High Priest’s house and condemned as a blasphemer because He claimed to be God. Why didn’t He use that power that you had witnessed in Him so many times?  It was all so confusing and yet He had warned each of you about us all running away in fear.
We stood by silently as He was taken to Pilate and condemned to death. Some of us were ‘strong enough’ to watch in the crowd as He was crucified. But did any of us help carry His body to the tomb? Did any of us rest peacefully that Saturday evening behind those locked doors? Didn’t we fear every strange noise in the streets? Didn’t we listen for the footsteps of the soldiers we knew were going to come for us next?
Talk about fear and confusion! Even as He miraculously stood among us, our first thoughts were ones of fear, we thought we were seeing a ghost! ‘Peace be with you!’ Oh,
what precious words those were to us! Fear….Not! There would be nothing to fear for the rest of our lives. He has conquered all our fears! He has crushed all our enemies! He has risen!

Indoor Soccer Practice
         Soccer practice continues on Tuesday and Thursday this week.  We still do not have dates or times but there are games tentatively scheduled for Wednesday and Friday. 

Pennies for Patients
The last day to collect donations for our Pennies for Patients fundraiser is Wednesday, April 4th.  Please bring your boxes on Wednesday.

Classroom Filming
On Thursday, April 5th, we will have a film crew here taking video in each of the classrooms for our upcoming advertisement campaign.
Except for preschoolers, students are still required to wear their uniforms.

Jr. Choir Sings
Junior choir will be singing this Sunday, April 8th, at Shephard of the Hills during the 10:30 am services.  Please be there by 10:10am.
If you need a ride to the church, please speak with Mrs. Gillespie 907-793-7030.

PTF Notes
        It is time to get involved with your child’s school.  Over the past few years, parent participation in our school and PTF has declined.  PTF is a great way to support your child and our school with activities such as hot lunch, parent’s night out, Trunk or Treat, and also to provide our school with needed equipment through fundraisers.  The best way to start would be by attending our next PTF meeting on Wednesday, April 11th at 6pm.  The agenda for this meeting includes the upcoming Parent’s Night Out, Teacher Appreciation Week, Parking Lot Sale, School Picnic, and most importantly election of officers. 
        For the coming school year, we need parents to volunteer for the positions of president, vice-president, and secretary.  If you are interested in supporting our school this way, please contact Sheila Lillo at 907-229-7901.  I would be happy to discuss what the duties are and how much time they really take.  None of the officer positions consume too much time, and all have been held by parents with full-time jobs.  This is a great opportunity to be involved in your child’s life.

Mission Offerings
Over the past four months, we have been collecting offerings during chapel to send to Christians Forward Southeast Asia.  The total amount we are sending is $570.87.
For the remainder of the year, we have chosen to dedicate our offerings to Kingdom Workers in Malawi, Africa.  The workers train and support the people of Malawi who care for disabled individuals in surrounding villages. 

Kids’ Day at the Dena’ina
Faith Lutheran School will be hosting a booth at Kids’ Day on April 21st.  The event runs 10:00am – 4:00pm and highlights programs for children in Anchorage.  We will need volunteers to help throughout the day. Please let Mrs. Z know if you can volunteer for an hour or two to help with crafts at Faith’s Booth.

Open Enrollment
         Enrollment for the 2018/2019 school year is now open.  Please enroll your student if he or she will be returning next year so we can begin preparing for next school year. 
         If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to stop by, email, or call the office 563-3499.

April Birthdays
God’s blessings on your birthday and throughout the year.
Jacob T. – April 7
Caroline K. – April 21