Parent Connection February 25

Jesus Wept

          It has the distinction of being the shortest verse in the Bible and yet what great comfort these words offer us. Jesus experienced everything we face, everything that causes pain and sadness for us. There are three incidents recorded for us where we are told that Jesus cried. There were three different sets of circumstances which brought our Savior to tears but each time his tears flowed because of his love.

          As Jesus stood before the tomb of his friend Lazarus, he witnessed Mary’s and Martha’s deep grief. “He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” John 11:33.  It is rare for Scripture to record our Savior showing such deep emotion. But here he shows his anger over what sin has done to mankind. Physical death is a direct and tragic result of sin. It brings the worst kind of sorrow and suffering with it.

          Then the “King of Love” showed he was also “a man of sorrows” well acquainted with grief. “Jesus wept.” John 11:35.  Jesus knows what deep losses death inflicts on us! He feels the wrenching pain when this monster snatches a loved one from our side. When we cry, he cries with us. Jesus sweetly comforts us.

          But Jesus does more than shed tears and “feel our pain.” He did something about that inescapable enemy called death. On the cross he died in payment for all of our sins. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, our death will not be a tragic end but a glorious entrance into an eternal existence at our Savior’s side.

Thank you!

We want to thank all of those who made our parade entry a success last weekend.  We appreciate each of you, and all that you do for our school!

Indoor Soccer Practice

          Indoor soccer practice is tonight from 5-6:30pm and Thursday 3:30pm – 4:45pm at The Center on Arctic.  Students will be given a ride to the facility but will need to be picked up there after practice is over.

          Our first game will be this Friday, March 1st, at Lumen Christi, time to be announced.

Hot Lunch

          Tomorrow, February 26th, is hot lunch.  The menu for this month is spaghetti, fruit, bread, and dessert.  The cost for the meal is $4.00 cash or check made out to PTF. 

Parents are welcome to join their students for lunch.

Hand Chimes

The hand chime choir will be performing at St. Elias Specialty Hospital (4800 Cordova St) on Friday, March 1st.  We will leave school at 1:20pm and return by 3:00pm.  The performance should take about half an hour, and parents are welcome to come and watch. 

If you haven’t returned the permission slip, please bring it in tomorrow.  We will need drivers to help transport students if you are available.

 

Box Tops for Education

          There are two days left to bring in your Box Tops!  The deadline to send them in for this school year is Wednesday, February 27th.

YMCA Visits

          Grades K - 8th will be swimming at the YMCA this Wednesday, February 27th.

Midweek Lenten Services

          As we begin our journey together towards the cross of Christ, we commemorate Ash Wednesday, March 6th, with a service of imposition of ashes at 3:00pm for our children and parents of Faith Lutheran School.  The service will last a little more than half an hour.  Students will be dismissed for the day at the end of the service.

Spring Break

          It’s almost here!!!  Spring break will begin Friday, March 8th at noon!  There will be no after care that day.

Classes resume on Monday, March 18th. 

Spanish Class

          Classes continue to meet Monday and Wednesday after school from 3:45pm - 4:15pm.  Students who are not picked up at 4:15 will go into after care.

Culture Fair & Spaghetti Dinner

          Don’t forget that mission projects will be presented Saturday, March 23rd.  If you need any ideas or assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask your student’s teacher. 

Parent Connection February 19

How’s School?

          It seems that’s one question that everyone has an opinion about. Some children love it. Some children, well, don’t. Some just shrug their shoulders and say, “It’s OK, I guess.” Even if you are one of those who love school, it may be hard to come up with a good reason why you have to spend those long hours in a desk.

          Think about it for a minute, does it really matter if you can name all fifty states and capitals? Will you ever have to multiply mixed numbers in real life?  Some day when you are a computer technician, will it make any difference whether or not you know the structure of the cell?  Or in the far distant future, when your children are in the middle of raising their own children, will it matter if they know the name of the tallest mountain in North America? And reelee, dus it reeely madder if yu ken spel gud?

          Allow me to offer two reasons which I believe provide motivation for studying. First, doing well in school is a good way to obey God when he tells us to honor our parents. When we succeed in school, we honor our parents.

          A second reason to study is to honor God. He is the One who gave us our brain and our abilities. God expects the best, our best, at all times. He expects us to use the gifts He has given us for His glory and for our good.  Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Volleyball

Volleyball season has come to an end, and what an exciting end! The Huskies played in the ACSAA tournament on Saturday morning. They played three matches against three good teams. They were blessed to be able to bring home the championship trophy.

Congratulations to the Huskies!

Indoor Soccer

          Indoor soccer for grades 5-8 will begin this Thursday, February 21st from 4:00pm – 5:30pm. Mr. Andy Zanto and Pastor Poa Moua will be working with the team to learn the game and improve the skills involved in soccer.

We will be back at the Mosley Sports Center at APU as soon as I have confirmed that rental.

Box Tops for Education

          It’s time to gather up your Box Tops and bring them to the school.  Please bring them all in by Wednesday, February 27th.

YMCA Visits

          Grades K - 8th will be swimming at the YMCA on Wednesday, February 20th.  If your child needs a car seat, please remember to bring it.

Fur Rondy Parade

The Fur Rendezvous Parade is this Saturday, February 23rd.  Students wanting to participate on Faith’s float during the parade will meet on 8th Avenue between D and E Street by 9:40am.

We encourage students to wear Faith apparel or teal and gold clothing.

Jr. Choir Sings

          Junior choir will be singing at Faith this Sunday, February 24th, during the 10:30 am service.  Please be here by 10:10am.

Hot Lunch

          There will be hot lunch next Tuesday, February 26th.  More information will be forthcoming.

Spanish Class

          We will continue to meet each Monday and Wednesday after school from 3:45pm - 4:15pm.  Students who are not picked up at 4:15 will go into after care.

School Tour Tuesdays

          Next week will be our last time in February to offer tours to parents looking for a school for their children. Tours are open to the public beginning at 9:30am each Tuesday in February. 

          This week will be our final opportunity to take flyers to businesses around the Anchorage area or any place you think people will see them.  Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word!

Parent Connection February 11

His Answers Are Sure

          It was reported that when the great composer Beethoven left this world, he did so shaking his fist at the sky.  How many people in our world approach life the same way? They complain that life isn’t fair. They look for someone to blame and ultimately end up pointing the finger at God. They take into account the constant threat or presence of war, famine, natural disaster, and human injustice, and they conclude that either there is no God or that He is a harsh and unreasonable tyrant. Even we, who are Christians, are often tempted to complain and to question, “Why?”  Why must I suffer in any number of ways, sometimes because we are believers?

          The world cannot supply a satisfactory answer. And where the Bible does provide us an answer, the children of men refuse to accept His answer. Our natural mind of flesh is opposed to God and His Word. Besides this, Satan is constantly at our side feeding our doubt whispering, “Did God really say? Does God really mean that He loves you? Look at all the things you are suffering! Can God really bring something good out of this?”

          When thoughts like this come to us, we need to recognize them as the lies of Satan. God has given us all of the answers we need in His Word. We may not understand all of the events in our life or how they fit into God’s plan for us, nor do we need to understand. We do know that His plans are always best and ultimately for our good. We know that God was pleased to send His Son to be our Savior. We also know that He will bring us safely through this world into His eternal Kingdom!

Volleyball Practice and Game Dates

          Due to our Thursday games (3:00pm-6:00pm), we will only practice on Tuesday again this week. 

The exact times for the games on Saturday, February 16th have still not been determined but will take place between 9:00am and 1:00pm. 

March Cultural Fair

          Please see the additional handout coming home with your student for information about our spaghetti dinner and culture fair event on March 23rd.

Spirit Week

This week is a tournament week for our volleyball team!  To show support for our players, we encourage you to wear the following on:

Tuesday 2/12 – Superhero Costume

          Wednesday 2/13 – Tie Dye

          Thursday 2/14 – Red & Pink

Friday 2/23 - School Colors (or anything

with the school logo on it)

If your student does not wish to participate, please have them dress in their regular school uniforms.

Spanish Class

          We will continue to meet on Monday and Wednesday after school from 3:45pm - 4:15pm.  Students who are not picked up at 4:15 will go into after care.

YMCA Visits

          Grades K - 8th will be swimming at the YMCA on Wednesday, February 13th.  If your child needs a car seat, please remember to bring it.

Float Work Day

          There will be a float work day here at Faith this Saturday, February 16, at 10:00am to begin decorating our Fur Rondy Parade float. 

If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Foster at akfosters3@gmail.com

No School

          In observance of President’s Day, there will be no school next Monday, February 18th.  

Jr. Choir Sings

          Junior choir will be singing at Faith on Sunday, February 24th, during the 10:30 am service.  Please be here by 10:10am.

School Tour Tuesdays

          We will continue offering tours this week to parents looking for a school for their children. Tours are open to the public beginning at 9:30am each Tuesday in February. 

Parent Connection February 4

Security Check

          Have you ever been in a group where you felt you didn’t belong? Not because you shouldn’t have been there, but because you just didn’t feel like a part of the group? It seemed like everyone else knew each other and you were the stranger, the outsider. Maybe you realized that you didn’t have anything in common with the rest of the crowd. Did you feel uncomfortable, uneasy, uncertain, unsure?

          Sometimes we may feel that way about our relationship within the family of God. The devil likes to use our worries, sins, and weaknesses to lead us to question our standing in that family. Do I really belong? Am I really one of God’s children? Is God really my loving Father?

          So much of what we do and say in our daily lives is connected with those emotions we call our “feelings”. We may look at the crowd around us and say, “I feel I’m not really welcome here, not wanted, I don’t belong.”

          Sometimes we may make the mistake of carrying over this emphasis on feelings into our spiritual lives.  We could get the impression that you must “feel saved” in order to be saved. That might be fine during the high points in our faith lives, but all too often our faith is weak, doubts are prevalent, questions remain unanswered, guilt over our sins plague our conscience, and our spirit wanes and fails. At those moments in life we have a vital and eternally true assurance that comes from God himself. It is not based on how we feel but on how God feels about us! Over and over again He says, ”You may feel unlovable, but I love you! You may feel like an outcast, but I have adopted you as my child. You belong to me!”

Volleyball Practice and Game Dates

          We will only have practice on Tuesday this week.  The Center is not available on Thursday. 

          Our games on Friday, Feb 8th, will be played at Anchor Lutheran at 6:20pm and 6:55pm, please arrive by 6:00pm.

          The times for the tournament games next Thursday (Feb 14th) and Saturday (Feb 16th) at Lumen Christi have not yet been determined.  We will let you know as soon as we have them. 

           

Spanish Class

          You should have received a text message today about the start of our Spanish Class.  In the hustle and bustle of last week, we forgot to let you know that we would be starting tonight, Feb 4th, from 3:45pm - 4:15pm.  Class will continue weekly each Monday after school.

YMCA Visits

          Although the permission slip said Tuesdays, grades K - 8th will be visiting the YMCA Wednesday, February 6th and subsequent Wednesdays through March 6th.  Each child will be charged $3 per visit even if they do not swim.  You will see the fees added to your TADS account after March 6th.

          The gym remains closed due to earthquake damage so the 5th – 8th grades will not be able to use the basketball courts.

Zoo Visit

          This Thursday, Feb. 7th, at 10:30am, we will have The Alaska Zoo visit us to teach the preschool-4th grades some biological facts about animals using their “Skulls & Furs” presentation.

          The cost for each student is $3.00.  If

you do not want this fee charged to your TADS account, please send exact change with your child.

PTF Meeting

          PTF will meet this Thursday, February 7th at 6:00pm.

School Tour Tuesdays

          Following in the footsteps of Anchorage School District, we are opening our school for tours by parents looking for a school for their children.  Tours will take place at 9:30am each Tuesday in February. 

No School

          In observance of President’s Day, there will be no school on Monday, February 18th.  

February Birthdays

          Oliva Z. – February 6

          Elijah E. – February 10