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Principal’s
Newsletter, Charles Strohacker, Principal
CHRIST
LUTHERAN SCHOOL
4333 CLEVELAND AVENUE
STEVENSVILLE, MI 49127
June 2, 2008
Spam
Well, it is
the end of the school year, and my thoughts naturally turn to spam.
How about you? Do you know what spam is? Now I’m not
talking about annoying, unsolicited electronic messaging. I am
talking about meat – well, at least a little chunk of something
that is like meat…
It was
reported on the national news last Thursday evening that spam sales are
up over 10% in the first quarter of this year. Hormel reported a
14% jump in their profits due to the sale of these little canned chunks
of meat! To me it was an amazing story because the newscaster was
talking about the hard times in our economy right now and then made the
connection over to the jump in spam sales. Spam sells for about
22 cents an ounce…compared to ground beef at 15 cents/ounce, chicken at
10 cents per ounce, and whole turkey at 7 cents/ounce.
Personally, I
am baffled why spam sales are up when it cost three times the amount of
turkey…but that’s another story.
Why do I think
of spam at the end of the school year? Because I was a kid in
Lutheran elementary school during the 1960’s – the days of the Cold War
and the Cuban Missile Crisis. For a number of years, my mom had
to pack a survival kit for me to take to school each fall because of
the very real fear of a nuclear attack. At least three times a
day for 180 days of school, I walked into the closet at the back of our
classroom and there, between two sets of shelves, right above where I
hung my coat, was my name on a survival kit wrapped in brown grocery
bag paper and tied with twine. Somehow we knew even then that
these kits and ducking under our desks wasn’t going to save us.
Are you
worried about things currently going on in our world? I am a bit
prejudiced, but I often think the news media likes to agitate that
worry. After all, why the big deal on spam sales being up?
It’s more expensive than chicken or ground beef!
I realize that
it is easy to get caught up with worry and the things of this
world. I worry, also. But worry over worldly things and
circumstances is not new or unique to us. Our families and
children are indeed blessed, and I pray you will enjoy and give God
glory for those many blessings this summer.
“Therefore, I
tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or
about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important
than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the
birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more
valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25-26
ALL
SCHOOL PICNIC
Tomorrow is
the all school picnic being held out at the Lake Township Park on the
corner of Snow and Gast roads at Bridgman. In case of rain –
which is strongly indicated at this time – the picnic will
be held here at school. Final decision of location will be made
around 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
If we are able
to go to the park, classes will begin leaving with K – 2 at 11:15 a.m.;
Grades 3 – 5 at 11:30 a.m.; Grades 6 – 8 at 11:45 a.m. All
students will need to be returned to school by our regular 3:10 closing
time.
Please bring
any items you signed up to donate in by tomorrow morning.
CLOSING
SERVICE
I invite all
our families to join us for closing Chapel on Wednesday at 10:45
a.m.. Our closing worship service will be led by Pastor
Quardokus. Students are to return to their classrooms after
worship, and they will be dismissed at 11:40 a.m.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations
to Lauren LaBaumbard and her Spelling Coach, Mrs. Gerken. Lauren
was eliminated from the competition last Thursday afternoon, but she
tells us that she had a wonderful time in Washington, D.C.
Welcome home!
VACATION
BIBLE SCHOOL
This summer’s
VBS will be held June 23 – 26. Come along on a Friendship
Trek and join us for the adventure. We will need
volunteers to help out all that week, as well as donations for snacks
and money for t-shirts. Please take a moment to look at the
sign-up sheet out in the Commons Area. Contact Tricia Yack
(556-9708) or Amy Cole (983-0524) with any questions.
LUNCH
TICKETS
Please check
with the school office by Wednesday and clear up any outstanding lunch
tickets your student may have.
ROOM
PARENTS NEEDED
We need Room
Parents for next fall! Please consider volunteering and return
the form sent home last week.
LIBRARY
BOOKS
All
outstanding Library books need to be returned before the end of the
school year. If you have lost or misplaced a book, we ask that
you please replace it with a new book of equal value.
Enrollment
forms for the 2008-09 school year are now due, along with a deposit of
$200 per student of your school fees. Please contact the school
office if you have any questions.
FALL
MAGAZINE SALES
As we finish the school year we are in need of someone to volunteer to head up the Fall Magazine Sale. This is the major PTL fundraiser of the year and supports all of our extra programs. Please pray about this and consider volunteering. Please don’t let this program fall apart. Thank you.
BABYSITTING
WITH CONFIDENCE
Lakeland
Health Care is once again offering their Babysitting with Confidence
class free of charge to anyone who has completed the 5th
grade. The class will be held on Tuesday, June 17, from
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Frederick S. Upton Education Center at
Lakeland Hospital. To register please call Marilyn at 556-2808 or
1-866-260-7544.
Have a Great Summer! Hope to see you all in the fall.
“22!”
“22!” he said
sharply.
That’s the
answer a teacher friend from another school in our community gave me
recently when I asked, “How’s it going?”
“You’ve
started counting?”
“I’ve been
counting since one hundred!”
Ouch, that
makes for a long year.
Those of you
who know me well have heard me say that I don’t start ‘counting down’
until we hit single digits. We’re not quite there yet, but it is
getting close. I’m guessing my countdown will begin after we
return from next week’s junior high class trip. So I’ll probably
be counting down from about three this year. I have indeed been
blessed!
Don’t get me
wrong, I do look forward to summer. I love summer, especially in
our community, and I’ve always looked forward to the many outdoor
activities it brings. I bought a kayak last week (because nobody
in the family seemed too excited about the prospect of canoeing with
me), and I plan to explore and photograph some new waters this
summer. Jenny wants to take up golf with me, too. And I’ve
still got work to do on that trail out back of our house… Again,
I have indeed been blessed.
I pray that
your ‘countdown,’ also, will start in the low numbers and that you have
enjoyed the many blessings of being together in Christ at
Christ Lutheran this school year.
Counting
the days…and counting my blessings,
Mr.
Strohacker
HAPPY BIRTHDAY – MRS. WINTER
Wednesday,
May 21
BAND
CONCERT
The close of
the year Band Concert is this Tuesday, May 20, at 7:00 p.m. in our
gym. I encourage everyone to join us for a wonderful
evening. This closing concert is always memorable, as it includes
saying farewell to 8th grade band members. Another
high point of the evening is hearing how the Beginner Band’s skills
have grown from the start of the year until this closing concert.
And…of course, there is Ice Cream afterwards!! See you tomorrow
night!
Please
remember if you are in 4th grade
or the jazz band that you are responsible to provide donations for the
sundaes.
JR.
HIGH CLASS TRIP
Please keep
our 7th & 8th graders as well as our adult
chaperons in your prayers as they travel to Detroit on Wednesday, and
on to Cedar Point on Thursday. Our Wednesday in Detroit will
include: A tour of the Henry Ford Mansion in Dearborn, a tour of
Ford Field (home of the Lions) and a Tiger game in the evening.
If you are ever in the Detroit area and looking for a good tour, I
highly recommend both of those mentioned above (as well as tours of the
Edsel Ford Mansion and the tour of the Palace at Auburn Hills, home of
the Pistons).
HOT
LUNCH CHANGES!!!
Tomorrow,
Tuesday, May 20th:
NO HOT LUNCH SERVED – please bring your own lunch.
Thursday,
May 22th: No Salad Bar – Broccoli will be served
instead.
Also,
No Hot Lunch on Monday, June 2.
SCHOOL
WILL NOT BE IN SESSION NEXT MONDAY, MAY 26, AS WE OBSERVE THE MEMORIAL
DAY HOLIDAY.
MOVIE
DAY
Our students in the 4th through 8th grades will be traveling to Celebration Cinema tomorrow morning to view the movie “Prince Caspian”, the new release from the Chronicles of Narnia. Many of you may already know that the author C.S. Lewis is a Christian whose faith comes through in his writings.
ALL
SCHOOL PICNIC
The end of the
school year picnic will be held on Tuesday, June 3, out at the Lake
Township Park again this year. We are in need of donations of
food and paper items for this event. Please signup on your
student’s classroom door if you can help us out with some if the items
we are in need of.
GRADUATION
BANQUET
The 8th
Grade Graduation Banquet will be held on Wednesday, June 4th.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner to be served at 6:00
p.m. Tickets are on sale now in the school office. Adults
(10 and over) are $7.50. Children (4 years to 9 years) are
$5.00. Children under 4 years and our 8th graders are
free! If you purchase your tickets after May 27th,
each ticket will be $1 more. Your ticket entitles you to a
fabulous chicken dinner with potatoes, vegetable, homemade rolls, and
dessert.
LUNCH
TICKETS
Several
students find it necessary to borrow lunch tickets on a regular
basis. Parents, please check with the school office before the
end of the school year and pay for any tickets you student may owe
for. Thank you!
BHLOM
“FLOWER FACE LIFT”
All are
invited to join Machelle Cleveland tomorrow, May 20, 8:30 a.m. here at
school for a day of planting flowers in Benton Harbor. Bring you
gardening tools. Everyone is invited to help, and donations of
flowers would be greatly appreciated.
LIBRARY
BOOKS
All
outstanding Library books need to be returned before the end of the
school year. If you have lost or misplaced a book, we ask that
you please replace it with a new book of equal value.
Enrollment
forms for the 2008-09 school year are due by June 1, along with a
deposit of $200 per student of
your school fees.
Please contact the school office if you have any questions.
SPORTS KORNER
Soccer scores
last week were:
Christ – 1; Grace Christian – 3
Christ – 1; Niles – 3
Confirmation
I look forward
to this week, to the many things it holds but especially to Public
Examination on Wednesday evening and Confirmation this Sunday. It
brings back good memories of a time over 40 years ago. And thank
you for the many invitations to take part, along with your family,
in celebrating this special occasion in the life of your child.
Sometimes I
hear people express concerns about students getting confirmed and then
treating this as an “ending” rather than a continuation of their
Christian life. This can be a legitimate concern, but it
certainly is not new. These concerns, like most others, have been
around throughout all generations.
I’ve seen a
lot of kids confirmed over the years and have observed some “faith
walks” if you will, that were quite close to the Lord while others,
perhaps, meandered. Doesn’t that concern me? Sure it does,
but my experience still makes me confident, and I trust in the Spirit
as He works in the lives of our children.
All the way
back to Luther (literally) concerns about children behaving like they
were “done with” church after Confirmation have not been unusual.
Luther himself
expressed some concern and said this: “I am a theologian who has
attained a fairly good practical knowledge and experience of Holy
Scriptures... But I do not so glory in this gift that I neglect
joining my children daily in prayerfully reciting the Catechism.
“I do not pass
over the words hurriedly, but I carefully observe what the individual
word means. And really, if I do not do this but am preoccupied
with other business, I feel a definite loss…
“I, also, am a
doctor and preacher, yea, as learned and experienced as any… Yet
I act as a child who is learning the Catechism. In the morning
and whenever I have time, I read and also recite, word for word, the
Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, psalms, etc.”
GOD’S
BLESSINGS
God’s
blessings to our confirmands: Lillieanna Andrews, Kaitlin
Cornwell, Allyson Crutcher, Ashley Dale, Chad Ehrich, Ben Gerken, Lance
Harris, Jennifer Jackemeyer, Jacob Kohn, Issac Lausch, Cody Mahler,
Landon Mensinger, Amber Mitowski, Alex Moneta, Aaron Nuechterlein, Kyle
Post, LeAnne Priebe, Nicholas Quardokus, Hailey Schmaltz, Austin
Steffen, Rachel Stemm, and Savannah Ulmer.
Join us for
Confirmation Examination this Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. and
Confirmation on Sunday at 10:45 a.m.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
MRS. SUKUPCHAK!
THANK
YOU
Thank you
to Kara Nicholson for serving as PTL President this past year as
well as previous years of service to P.T.L.
Our new PTL
President for the coming school year is Mr. Vince Virsik, and our new
Vice-President is Mr. Mike Medo. Thank you to both of them for
making this commitment to support our students and school.
Thank you,
also, to Lori Brown who has been serving as PTL Treasurer. We
still are looking for a volunteer to take over this position.
Mrs. Julie Medo continues as our PTL secretary for the upcoming year.
Thank you
to Mr. Steffens and his Choir for their excellent concert last Tuesday
evening following P.T.L.
JORDAN’S
Our 8th grade students will accompany Vicar Steiner to Jordon’s Nursing Home this Wednesday afternoon for the monthly worship service. This will be their last opportunity as a class to witness to the elderly at Jordon’s. Thank you to Vicar Steiner for providing this worship opportunity throughout his year with us.
FIELD
DAY
Students in
grades 5-8 will be participating in the Annual Lutheran Field Day held
at the Bridgman High School Athletic Field tomorrow, Tuesday, May
13. All students are responsible to arrange their own
transportation to and from the event which will begin at 9:30
a.m. All are invited to come on out to Bridgman, support our
students, and enjoy a day of Christian fellowship. In case of
rain, please tune in to our local radio stations for cancellation
information and report to school as usual.
Immanuel
Lutheran will again be offering a concession stand for students to
purchase lunch and snack items, or students can bring their own lunch
and snacks from home.
HOT
LUNCH CHANGES!!!
Monday,
May 19th
: Pizza Dippers instead of Bosco Sticks.
Tuesday,
May 20th: NO HOT
LUNCH SERVED – please bring your own lunch.
Thursday,
May 22th: No Salad Bar – Broccoli will be served
instead.
GRADUATION
BANQUET
The 8th
Grade Graduation Banquet will be held on Wednesday, June 4th.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner to be served at 6:00
p.m. Tickets are on sale now in the school office. Adults
(10 and over) are $7.50. Children (4 years to 9 years) are
$5.00. Children under 4 years and our 8th graders are
free! If you purchase your tickets after May 27th,
each ticket will be $1 more. Your ticket entitles you to a
fabulous chicken dinner with potatoes, vegetable, homemade rolls, and
dessert.
SPRING
BOOK FAIR
The P.T.L.
will be sponsoring a Spring Book Fair this Wednesday through Friday,
May 14 – 16. The Fair will be open before and after school
on Wednesday and Thursday, and open all day on Friday, May 16.
Join us for
the Spring Band Concert Tuesday, May 20 at 7:00p.m.
FIELD
TRIP
The 3rd
grade students will be taking their end of the year trip this Friday to
the Fair Oaks Farm in Indiana. They plan to leave school at 8:00
a.m. and return around 3:00 p.m..
SCHOOL
PICTURES
All spring
pictures - or the money to purchase them - were due
today. Please bring them tomorrow if you haven’t as
yet.
BHLOM
“FLOWER FACE LIFT”
All are
invited to join Machelle Cleveland on Tuesday, May 20, 8:30 a.m. here
at school for a day of planting flowers in Benton Harbor. Bring
you gardening tools. Everyone is invited to help, and donations
of flowers would be greatly appreciated.
SPORTS KORNER
Soccer scores
last week were:
CLS – 3; Brandywine – 1
CLS – 0; Upton 7th – 8
This week’s
game schedule is:
Monday, May
12: Christ @ Grace Christian Watervliet, 6 pm.
$2.00 gate fee will be charged.
Tuesday,
May 13: Niles at Christ (Rocky Weed Fields) 6 pm.
CONGRATULATIONS
Mrs.
Sukupchak’s Second Grade recently participated in writing Mothers Day
essays for a contest at the Orchards Mall.
Congratulations
to Second Grader Jenna Gathright whose Mothers Day Essay placed in the
top ten (and her mom received a gift). Great job!! And
certainly, congratulations to Mom (Lisa), also. Please take some
time and enjoy the sentiments expressed by Jenna – I’m sure she speaks
for all our kids in expressing her love for Mom.
My mom is funny.
Every night she cuddles with me.
If I do something wrong she forgives me.
My mom calls me spoiled.
I say I’m not but I know I am.
MY MOM’S THE BEST EVER!
Thrivent
Builds
I’ve been
looking at lots of numbers lately. My Sunday School class has
been checking with me regularly to see if they have attended the
required number of times for this year. MEAP scores were
published recently, and I’m very proud of our teachers and students for
how well the 7th and 8th graders performed.
Last week I
reviewed surveys from the CLS class of 2007 graduates, and they rated
the high school preparation they received at CLS very highly.
Soon students will finish up their achievement tests, and by the time
report cards are issued in June, we will also be able to share
standardized testing information on how our students achieved this
school year. All very good things to know.
Some other
statistics from last week… Students concluded two weeks of
collecting money for the upcoming Habitat/Thrivent Builds, and I’m
happy to report that our 140+ students collected over $500.
$520.33 to be exact!
Fourth graders
collected the most money for a single class, $145.64 which also
resulted in their class having the highest per student average of
$10.40. They had set a goal of raising $10 per student and exceeded
it. Congratulations, fourth grade!
Overall,
students in grades K-8 averaged $3.72 per student. Classes
closest to the fourth grade were Kindergarten and second grade, both
averaging $4.97 per student. Well done, all CLS students.
Thank you for participating in this spring’s build. God’s
blessings.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL OUR MOMS
this
Sunday, May 11.
BAND
AT HERITAGE CENTER
The Wind
Ensemble will be performing a concert tomorrow for the residents at the
Lutheran Heritage Center. We’ll leave school at 12:45 and return
before 3:00. Special thanks to the O’Connor family for loaning us
their extra-large van to transport instruments.
Band students,
please remember that Wind Ensemble practices on Tuesday this week and
Concert Band on Wednesday.
P.T.L.
Please join us
for the final P.T.L. meeting of the school year tomorrow evening, May 6
at 7:00 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by the Jubilate Choir
under the direction of Mr. Steffens.
We will also
be voting on next year’s budget as well as electing new
officers. We are still in need of someone who would be
interested in being our treasurer for the next two years. Please
contact Kara Nicholson if you have any questions about the position or
are interested in volunteering.
1st
GRADE AT COOK PLANT
1st
grade students will tour the Cook Plant tomorrow afternoon and, weather
permitting, hike the nature trail. We plan to leave school at
12:15 p.m. and return around 2:15 p.m.
BAND
TOUR
It’s been a
couple of years since the CLS Band last went on a spring tour.
This Friday, May 9, our Band will visit schools in Fort Wayne, IN, the
second time in its history that our Band has toured in Fort
Wayne. Please keep Mr. Farrand, parent chaperons and our students
in your prayers as they travel.
The SCRIP
order form can now be found on the churches website at www.christ-luth.org. Just click on “School” at the
top of the page and look for the SCRIP form.
FINGERPRINTING
A technician
from the Berrien County ISD will be at CLS on Wednesday, conducting
electronic fingerprinting of our Teachers, Pastor, Secretaries and
Cooks - anyone on staff who has not already been fingerprinted using
the newest technology. This is a fairly expensive undertaking,
about $70 per person and is mandated by a new state law enacted last
spring. For many years, the State had required fingerprinting of
adults who work with children, but the old paper and ink method only
provided background checks from the Michigan State Police data
base. These new background checks using digital imagery will
provide a more comprehensive check of the national registry as well as
the FBI data base.
FIELD
DAY
Students in
grades 5-8 will be participating in the Annual Lutheran Field Day held
at the Bridgman High School Athletic Field next Tuesday, May 13.
All students are responsible to arrange their own transportation to and
from the event which will begin at 9:30 a.m. All are invited to
come on out to Bridgman, support our students, and enjoy a day of
Christian fellowship.
Immanuel
Lutheran will again be offering a concession stand for students to
purchase lunch and snack items, or students can bring their own lunch
and snacks from home.
SPRING
BOOK FAIR
The P.T.L.
will be sponsoring a Spring Book Fair on Wednesday through Friday, May
14 – 16. The Fair will be open before and after school on
Wednesday and Thursday, and open all day on Friday, May 16.
VACATION
BIBLE SCHOOL
This summer’s
VBS will be held June 23 – 26. Come along on a Friendship
Trek and join us for the adventure. We will need
volunteers to help out all that week, as well as donations for snacks
and money for t-shirts. Please take a moment to look at the
sign-up sheet out in the Commons Area. Contact Tricia Yack
(556-9708) or Amy Cole (983-0524) with any questions.
SCHOOL
PICTURES
Spring school
pictures were sent home with students last Thursday. Please
return either your payment or the pictures to your child’s teacher by
next Monday, May 12.
SPORTS KORNER
Soccer scores
last week were:
CLS – 3; Lakeshore – 4
This week’s
game schedule is:
Tuesday, May
6, Brandywine @ Christ 6:00p.m. played at the Rocky Weed Fields
Thursday, May 8, Christ @ Upton Middle School 6:00p.m.
Feeling
Good!
I had a
terrific week last week, and I pray you did also. Now, like many of
you, I, too, have begun to feel the rush and time pressures that spring
can bring. I’m sensing that many people, adults and children, are
“ready” for the end of the school year. There is a lot going on
plus the additional activities of spring, but hang in there and
together we will make it through May.
Many of you
know that I refer to May as the month of the 4-day weeks. By that
I mean that class trips, Field Day, Memorial Day and the like will
reduce most weeks in May to just four school days. Add to that
Achievement Testing which begins this week, and it can be easy to
“check out early,” so please encourage your children to maintain focus
on their studies for the hours of school time which do remain this
school year.
My greatest
pleasure last week was the weather – I had been eagerly awaiting open
windows, fresh air and the chance to work in the yard. But last
week also provided many special joys at school.
I was blessed
to be able to share God’s Word in Chapel last Wednesday, and spoke with
our kids about John 14 – Jesus’ promise that He has gone to prepare a
place for us in heaven, that He will return one day to take us to be
with Him, and that He is the Way. Following Chapel, two visitors
spoke to the children and then visited for a while with them by the
Habitat exhibit. Jacqueline and Cassandra, the two moms who will
receive newly built Habitat Thrivent homes this spring, were here to
say ‘thank you’ to our students for all their support and to tell them
what a positive impact these houses will have on their families.
Thursday, the
Jazz Band and Festival Singers from Michigan Lutheran High School were
here do to an assembly, and what a great job they did! Pictures
from Wednesday and Thursday are on the monitors around the building.
INTERIM
6th GRADE TEACHER
And there was
still more to my terrific week… Last Wednesday evening our Board
of Christian Education interviewed Susan Jackemeyer and Kara Nicholson
for the Interim 6th Grade teaching position for next
year. Thank you, to both of our candidates for participating in
this process. After interviews and prayerful deliberation, the
Board was led to select Susan Jackemeyer for this position, and I ask
that you please share your good words of encouragement and offer her
your support.
FINE
ARTS FESTIVAL
Still more
great things from last week… Congratulations to all our students
who participated at the Fine Arts Festival last Friday and earned
excellent scores. Thank you to all the staff members who helped make
this event possible.
ASCENSION
DAY CHAPEL
This week’s
chapel service will be held on Thursday, May 1, as we celebrate
Ascension Day. Chapel will be led by Vicar Steiner. All are
invited to join us for worship at 8:45 a.m.
Your
“Thrivent Build” collection banks were due today. If you forgot
yours, please bring it tomorrow.
PEOPLE
BEATEN?
Well, did the 7th
Grade really “beat 42 people” last week? 7th Graders
were involved in promoting and helping with last week’s blood drive,
and they set a goal of exceeding the previous record of 42 donors
(“beat 42 people” is what one poster read). Early results look
like about 17 people were eligible to give blood out of the 24 people
who signed in last Thursday, and we thank those who did. Hey, 7th
graders maybe you can try again next time!
FIVE
PINES
Please keep
our 6th grade students and chaperons in your prayers this
week as they spend Wednesday, Thursday and Friday out at Five Pines for
their annual outdoor Christian education event with students from the
other Lutheran schools in our area.
We also pray
for safe travel for everyone who will be traveling to and from Five
Pines from several locations around the county.
LOOKING
AHEAD . . .
VACATION
BIBLE SCHOOL
This summer’s
VBS will be held June 23 – 26. Come along on a Friendship
Trek and join us for the adventure. We will need
volunteers to help out all that week, as well as donations for snacks
and money for t-shirts. Please take a moment to look at the
sign-up sheet out in the Commons Area. Contact Tricia Yack
(556-9708) or Amy Cole (983-0524) with any questions.
PTL
FLOWER & PLANT SALE
Please turn
your flower orders in by this Friday, May 2. We have order forms
available in the office if you need one.
READER’S
DIGEST FUNDRAISER
Order’s from
the spring QSP Reader’s Digest Gift Catalogs are now due. Please
turn them in this ASAP.
SCRIP
UPDATE
Wednesday,
April 30, is the last date to receive credit from your SCRIP purchases
for the 2008-09 school year. We will get your SCRIP credit
information to you as soon as we receive it. Look for Enrollment
Forms arriving in your mailboxes late this week.
Purchases made
beginning May 1 will be applied to the 2009-2010 school year.
ROGER’S
RECEIPTS
Wednesday is
the last day that receipts can be dated for the Roger’s
fundraiser. Please drop your receipts off in the box behind the
trophy case.
SPORTS
KORNER
Soccer scores
last week were:
CLS – 0; Upton 8th – 5
CLS – 1; ML – 6
CLS – 0; LMC - 5
This week’s
game schedule is:
Tuesday, April 29: Christ @ Lakeshore 6:00pm at the Rocky Weed Fields
Many
Rooms…One Way
“[Jesus
said:] Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;
believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms…And I go
to prepare a place for you…. Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way,
and the truth, and the life.’” John 14
Many rooms (or
mansions)…one way. I will be leading Chapel this week, and my
message will be from Sunday’s Gospel, especially this part about Jesus
being “the way, and the truth, and the life,” the “one way” to
heaven. So without giving too much away about Chapel, let’s take
a look at what Jesus says about “many rooms.”
Jesus assures
us that there are “many rooms” in heaven, plenty of space, but that’s
not all. He tells us that He personally has gone ahead to
prepare a place just for us.
Can you
imagine that? “I go to prepare a place for you.”
Ever watch “Extreme Makeover” on Sunday evenings? This massive
team of expert craftsmen comes together, usually demolishing someone’s
old house that is almost uninhabitable, and in its place is built a
custom home. Everyone’s room is designed exactly to their taste,
interests and, often times, special health needs. Seriously, I
sit in awe and wonder at the talented people who come together to build
these marvelous homes.
Now imagine
what Jesus, The Master Carpenter, is preparing for you and me!
Jesus, who knows us better than anyone, the one who knows what we need
before we even ask. What a room He must be preparing for each of
us!
The above will
be a part of Wednesday’s Chapel message…but only a small part.
More of my time with the children this Wednesday will be spent on
Jesus’ words: “I am the truth, and the way, and the life.”
In a world that pushes for many choices, my time this Wednesday will be
spent on Jesus, The (One) Way to everlasting life in heaven.
Belated
birthday wishes to Mr. Strohacker who celebrated his birthday last
Thursday, April 17.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations
to Amy Koehler, CLS alumna (Class of 2004), on being selected
Valedictorian for the Class of 2008 at Michigan Lutheran High
School. Amy is the daughter of Mitch and Diana Koehler of Coloma,
and they are all members of Christ Lutheran Church.
FINE
ARTS FESTIVAL
This Friday,
April 25, the Lutheran Schools Fine Arts Festival will be held at
Trinity, St. Joe. While in the past this has usually been an all
day event, this year’s festival will be a half day. CLS will
dismiss at 11:40 a.m. this Friday, [NO BUS], as all of our
Teachers are involved in some way at the Fine Arts Festival. All
the best to CLS students participating in the festival, and thank
you to Mr. Farrand and Mr. Steffens for the leadership they provide
to all schools for this event.
HABITAT/THRIVENT
BUILDS
Thank you to
all our students and their teachers who have so eagerly embraced
participating in the upcoming Thrivent Build. Students are
currently raising money to support the construction of two houses in
Benton Harbor this spring. Remember to bring you collection banks
to school next Monday, April 28. Thanks again for all the support!
The
Jubilate Choir will be singing in the 10:45 worship service this
Sunday, April 27.
COMING
UP THIS WEEK:
ASCENSION
DAY CHAPEL
Next week’s
chapel service will be held on Thursday, May 1, as we celebrate
Ascension Day. Chapel will be led by Vicar Steiner.
SOLO
ENSEMBLE RESULTS
Congratulations
to our 7th & 8th grade band students for
their excellent performances in Saturday’s Solo & Ensemble
Festival. Ratings were based on a 1-5 point scale with 1
being the highest.
Receiving
1’s: Jennifer Jackemeyer, Ben Gerken, Molly Dahmer, Neal
Slabbekoorn, Sam Singler, Ryan Everett, Nick Quardokus, and Caleb Meyer
Receiving
2’s: Laura O’Connor, Ryan O’Leary, Michael Welch, and Alex
Moneta
Final call
for Fine Arts Festival fees. Please turn your fees into Mr.
Farrand ASAP.
THANK
YOU!
Thank you to
everyone who baked, brought donations, and helped make the Ladies
League Rummage a huge success. The Ladies League brought in
close to $7000 from the rummage, jewelry and bake sale.
PTL
FLOWER & PLANT SALE
The PTL plant
sale runs through May 2nd. Look for order forms coming
home along with today’s newsletter.
ROGER’S
RECEIPTS
We continue to
collect Roger’s grocery receipts dated through the end of April.
Receipts can be dropped off in the office or in the box located on the
cabinet behind the trophy case.
SPORTS
KORNER
Soccer scores
last week were:
CLS – 0; Buchanan – 5
CLS – 0; Dowagiac – 6
CLS – 4; Fennville - 0
This week’s
game schedule is:
Tuesday, April
22, ML @ Christ 6:00p.m.
Wednesday,
April 23, Christ @ Upton 6:00p.m.
April 14, 2008
Community
Involvement
Our Chapel
leader last week, Mr. Kern, brought in Machael Cleveland of the Benton
Harbor Lutheran Outreach Ministry (BHLOM) to speak with our students
about her work in the community, and she did an excellent job. I
hope your children told you about some of the things she shared or
perhaps the song she taught them to sing.
One item Ms.
Cleveland mentioned in her talk was Habitat for Humanity/Thrivent
Builds, and that was very timely because our students will have an
opportunity to participate in the upcoming “Build” this spring.
Thanks to Mr.
Bob Dixon of our congregation, our students will be able to support the
next building project through monetary donations as well as some other
unique ways. Bob is currently putting together a package of
materials that Teachers will be sharing with their classes. There
will be a DVD that students will watch to become familiar with the
local builds that have taken place. Also, Bob has come up with
visual aids that show students things like: How many pounds of
nails it takes to build a house. How many 2 x 4’s go into a
home’s construction as well as the cost of a 2 x 4. How much
paint, etc.
Teachers will
be working with the classes to set some goals for what the students
might like to provide to the upcoming build. Perhaps they’d like
to donate enough money to buy all the nails for a home, paint a room,
etc. Bob also has some activity sheets appropriate to various age
levels, and I’m guessing you can already see the way Math can be tied
in to computing how much it might cost to paint a house or supply 2 x
4’s. It sounds like a neat opportunity to serve as well as tie
things in to education.
At the
conclusion of the project, Bob plans to make 2 x 4’s available to
classes which the children can sign, decorate with art work, write
prayers on, etc. and these would then go into the homes being
built. I’m excited about that hands-on and personalized touch and
will be encouraging students to certainly put their prayers into these
new homes.
There also is
a possibility after the homes are built that one of the recipients of a
new home might visit our students to share with them how this project
has changed her life and the lives of her children. Please keep
everyone involved in this next “Build” in your prayers, as well as our
students, and take time to talk with them about their involvement in
helping others in our community. Thanks.
THANK
YOU
Thank you
to our teachers, students, cooks, and everyone else who gave up time in
the gym last week to make room for the Ladies League Rummage Sale.
TEACHER
VACANCY
In case you
have not heard yet, last month our Board of Christian Education and
Christ Lutheran Congregation granted 6th Grade Teacher, Mrs.
Terri Gerken, a one year leave of absence for the 2008-2009 school
year. The Board of Christian Education reviewed resumes at their
meeting last week as they seek to fill this teaching vacancy for next
school year. The Board shortened the list of applicants to two,
Susan Jackemeyer and Kara Nicholson, and plans to interview these two
ladies next week. Please keep both candidates as well as our
Board in your prayers as the Holy Spirit leads us through this hiring
process.
TUITION
AND SCHOOL FEES UPDATE
The Voters
Assembly recently voted to not raise tuition costs for the 2008-09
school year for both the dayschool tuition students as well as the
preschool programs. Dayschool tuition will remain at $2600 for
the first all-day student with discounts for each additional
student. The Preschool tuition will remain at $85 a month for the
3-day program and $60 a month for the 2-day program.
Voters did
approve an increase of $25 per student to the registration/school fees
for day school students. This will bring the per student fee to
$340. Registration forms will be put in boxes by May 1.
Fieldtrip -
1st & 2nd grades
will be touring Kilwin’s tomorrow afternoon.
CONGRATULATIONS
Pats on the
back for a job well done to our junior high teachers and 7th
and 8th graders. The State last week released MEAP
scores from last September’s testing, and I am now able to share how
very well CLS students performed. There are 4 levels of
achievement in the current MEAP’s. A score of 4 = Not
Proficient; 3 = Partially Proficient; 2 = Proficient;
and 1 = Advanced. In almost all categories, 100% of CLS students
scored at level 1 or 2. A comprehensive report of all school
districts in Berrien County, along with CLS and State averages is
available on the Visitors’ Center in the narthex of the church.
Great job!
SOLO
& ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL
Blessings and
best wishes to our band students who will be performing this Saturday
at the annual Solo & Ensemble Festival held each year at
Southwestern Michigan College.
GUYS
& DOLLS
Five former
CLS students will be performing in the upcoming production of “Guys
& Doll” this weekend at Michigan Lutheran. Tickets are
$5.00 each for seniors and students, $10 for everyone else. Liz
Ross will be happy to get you tickets. Just let Mrs. Schmaltz in
our school office know how many you would like.
THANK
YOU
Thank you for
your generous gift of $677.82 which will help us share Christ’s love in
the Philippines. Your gift will bring the staff and children that
much closer to the dream of a new home and for that we are so very
grateful.
Everyday God
gives us the opportunity to share His love through words and
actions. Please share the thoughts of a grateful District with
your families, students and teachers. May God richly bless the
remainder of your year as you work together to make the world a place
where everyone has a home where they feel the love of our awesome God.
Bruce Braun, Superintendent
Michigan
District – LCMS
TESTING
Well, spring
is here and so is annual standardized testing in most schools.
CLS is no exception. Please avoid unnecessary absences in the
coming weeks as students usually perform best when taking these tests
in the regular classroom setting with their classmates. Cognitive
Abilities Testing for grades 3, 5, and 8 will take place the week of
April 21. Achievement Testing for all grades will take place the
week of April 28.
FINE
ARTS FESTIVAL
School will be
in session only until 11:40 a.m. on Friday, April 25, to allow our
students to participate in the Fine Arts Festival at Trinity, St. Joe,
in the afternoon. We will not have bus service at the
11:40 dismissal time.
Fine
Arts fees are now past due - please pay ASAP to Mr. Farrand to
participate in the festival.
PTL
FLOWER & PLANT SALE
The PTL is
again sponsoring a Spring Plant and Flower Sale beginning April 1
and running through May 2. It is as easy as filling out the
order form and returning it with your payment. Forms were sent home
prior to Spring Break. Additional order forms are available in
the office and out on the Visitor Center. You will then receive a
voucher good at Barbott Farms & Greenhouse which can be redeemed
for the flowers of your choice. You will have 6 weeks to mix and
match whatever combination you would like when you shop at Barbott’s.
PTL
SPRING GIFT SALE
We have again
been offered the opportunity to make a 70% profit off of the QSP
Holiday Gift catalogs. Look for catalogs and information coming
home today with your student.
SPRING
PICTURES
Spring school
pictures will be taken tomorrow, April 15. All students will be
photographed and will receive a package of pictures to preview before
making any purchase unless you chose the Prepaid
Package Discount Deal explained on the picture forms sent
home last Monday.
SPORTS
KORNER
Soccer games this week are:
Tuesday, April 15 – Buchanan @ Christ @ 6pm
Wednesday, April 16 – Dowagiac @ Christ 6pm
Friday, April 18 – Fennville @ Christ 6pm
All of the Christ home games are played at the Rocky Weed Fields.
For the
Birds!
Mom liked the
term, “That’s for the birds!” and used it often. While I always
knew what Mom meant by the context in which she used the phrase, I’m
not sure I ever really have understood what that saying actually means.
In Matthew, it
seems like being a bird is a pretty good deal. “Look at the birds
of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet
your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable
than they?” (Matthew 6:26) And “Are not two sparrows sold for a
penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the
will of your Father.” (Matthew 10:29).
I’m not the
best person to give advice about worry. Sometimes when the ladies
at my house find me awake during the night, sitting in my chair out in
the living room (without the television on) and ask what I’m doing up,
I tell them, “I heard the cookies calling to me.” The truth is
I’m probably worrying about something – hey, somebody has to stay up
and do the worrying…
Maybe it’s not
always worrying, perhaps at times we are just….wondering. Yes,
“wondering” – that’s a better word. I wonder how much snow we
will get tonight…and if that freezing rain will come…and about
tomorrow’s trip and if…and if…and if that will have any effect on the
economy or gas prices… Yeah, right, just “wondering.”
In both verses
above, Jesus is speaking about worry. Mom didn’t seem to
worry much. In fact, if she were still with us, I imagine she
might say something like, “Chuck, worrying is for the birds!”
But I think Jesus would say, “Hey, even the birds don’t have to
worry. I’m taking care of every one of them, and I’ve got them
all accounted for.”
I’m writing
this almost two weeks before you read it, before Spring Break even
begins, trusting that God will watch over us and bring us back safely
together for this last quarter of the school year.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. WALLACE!
Tuesday,
April 8
and…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. ULMER!
Thursday,
April 10
BASKETBALL
TOURNAMENT
What an
awesome weekend we all had at the National Basketball Tournament as we
started into Spring Break! Thank you to all of our families
who supported our 7th and 8th grade teams at the
tournament – looking around there must have been over two hundred of
you there.
Special
congratulations to our 7th/8th girls for bringing
home the 2nd Place trophy for the second year in a
row. They out-played 30 of the 32 participating girl’s teams from
across the United States.
Top honors and congratulations also go to LeAnne Priebe for being
chosen as a member of the All-Tournament Team.
CHAPEL
Machael
Cleveland, Director of the Benton Harbor Outreach Ministry, will be our
guest Chapel leader this week. Please join us on Wednesday
morning at 8:45 a.m.
JORDAN’S
Students in 1st
and 2nd grade will be traveling out to Jordan’s Nursing Home
this Wednesday afternoon to sing to the elderly. Thank you once
again to Vicar Steiner for going along with our students and conducting
the service.
GYM
CLOSED
Please note
that the gym will be in use for the Ladies Rummage Sale this week,
Wednesday through Saturday (April 9-12). As was done last year
when the Rummage Sale was held during the school day, the Ladies have
security set up to keep visitors down at the south end of the building
by the gym on Friday. I know that was a concern last year, but
things went really well, the Ladies and I making sure that all guests
in the building stayed down by the sale, and I trust things will go
smoothly again this week.
Due to the
Rummage Sale, there are some Hot Lunch changes. Thursday we will
be serving a Sack Lunch since there will be a lot of activity in the
kitchen already preceding the Rummage Sale. On Friday, the actual
day of the Sale, we will not be serving Hot Lunch, and
students will have to pack their own lunch that day. Milk and
juice will still be available and brought to the classrooms.
FINE
ARTS FESTIVAL
The sign-up
deadline was March 28, but we will still accept registrations and
fees this week. Mr. Farrand will fill out forms for band
students, Mr. Steffens for vocal, and piano students are on their
own. Forms are located on the cabinet outside of Mr. Farrand’s
room. Fees are $5.00 for solo and $3.00 per student for group
entries. Make check out to Lutheran School Fine Arts Festival.
Bring forms and fees to Mr. Farrand ASAP.
LADIES
LEAGUE RUMMAGE SALE
Donations of
items for the rummage can be brought in anytime before Friday and left
on the stage. Baked good items for the Bake Sale should be
brought to the All-Purpose Room on Friday morning. Please
consider baking something for the sale even if you didn’t
pre-register. All items are welcome!
PRESCHOOL
OPENINGS
We still have
several openings for enrollment into our 2-day Preschool
program. This program runs on Tuesday and Thursday
afternoons from 12:30 – 2:45 for a cost of $60 per month.
Please pass our name along to your friends and neighbors who are still
shopping for a program.
PTL
FLOWER & PLANT SALE
The PTL is
again sponsoring a Spring Plant and Flower Sale beginning April 1
and running through May 2. It is as easy as filling out the
order form and returning it with your payment. Forms were sent home
prior to Spring Break. Additional order forms are available in
the office and out on the Visitor Center. You will then receive a
voucher good at Barbott Farms & Greenhouse which can be redeemed
for the flowers of your choice. You will have 6 weeks to mix and
match whatever combination you would like when you shop at Barbott’s.
SPRING
PICTURES
Spring school
pictures will be taken next Tuesday, April 15. All students will
be photographed and will receive a package of pictures to preview
before making any purchase unless you chose the Prepaid
Package Discount Deal explained on the picture fo rms
coming home with students today. Please look over the forms
carefully.
LAKESHORE
SOCCER CLINIC
Lakeshore High
School is having a 1-day Soccer Clinic this Saturday, April 12, for
boys and girls from ages 6 through 14. The cost of $10 per player
includes a t-shirt and a free admission ticket to a Lady Lancer Varsity
Soccer game.
Registration
forms are available in the school office. For more information
please contact Cindy Mitowski at 428-5094. Hope to see you
there!
SPORTS
KORNER
Girl’s soccer
begins this Thursday, 6:00p.m. at the Rocky Weed Fields vs.
Dowagaic.
******************************
Any items
that are still on the Lost & Found table on Thursday morning will
be taken down to the rummage to be sold. Please check for items
that may belong at your house.
******************************
God’s
Nature
I
brought along several pieces of 3rd Grade Easter artwork for
last week’s Chapel message, and Mrs. Kern assisted me with the lesson.
She and I pretended to be “parents in the hallway” looking at the
artwork and commenting on it. Mrs. Kern found beauty in every
piece and heaped praises on all the student art…while I found fault
with the children's work, even holding some pieces upside down.
Remember, we were pretending.
I
asked the children, “Which of us is the parent of the children who
produced the artwork?” The kids guessed Mrs. Kern
right away. “Why?” Well, it was obvious - she was the
artists’ parent because regardless of the quality of the work, she was
loving and accepting.
Matthew 21 was the basis of last Wednesday’s lesson, the account of
Jesus’ Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem. If you read all the
way down through verse 16, you will hear the Pharisees complaining to
Jesus about the children's praise on Palm Sunday. They challenged
Jesus as to why He allowed the little children to sing praises to
Him.
As I applied
the text to our little skit, the children pegged me right away as one
of the Pharisees, and Mrs. Kern was Jesus, scolding the Pharisees and
quoting the Psalms in His acceptance of the children’s ‘perfect praise’
because after all…these were His children doing the singing!
I recall a
hairdo gone wrong one prom season when Jenny was in high school.
“Honey, it’s beautiful, you’re beautiful.”
LUNCH
MENU CHANGE!!!
This Thursday’s lunch menu will be:
Mini Corn Dogs
Potato Chips
Corn
SPRING
BREAK
Please
remember that Spring Break begins at the close of the school day this
Thursday, March 27. Classes resume on Monday, April 7.
NATIONAL
B-BALL TOURNAMENT
The
cancellation of school this Friday, March 28, is to enable our families
who wish to attend the National Lutheran Basketball Tournament at
Valparaiso University to do so without having to miss school or split
up their families on that day.
Congratulations
to our Girls and Boys Teams for both making it into this year’s
tournament. Our Boys first game is Friday, at 11:15 a.m. (CST)
against Redeemer, Wauwatosa, WI. The Girls first game is Friday
at 4:15 p.m. (CST) against Immanuel, Giddings, TX...
Mr.
Wallace has an information packet available in the office which
includes the tournament schedule, maps, directions, reminders about
spirit-wear etc. We have attended this tournament many times over
the years, and it has always been a most enjoyable time of Christian
fellowship. Last year, the CLS Girls made it all the way to the
Championship game, finishing second while CLS players and fans also
brought home the Christian Sportsmanship trophy. Come on down to
Valpo this weekend, and cheer on our teams!
ALL games may be viewed live on the Internet. Find the schedule of games at the www.lbaa.org website and then go to www.moosevision.com to view the games using Media Player.
TEACHER
VACANCY
At
the March Voters meeting, Christ Lutheran congregation accepted a
recommendation by our Board of Christian Education to honor a request
by 6th Grade Teacher Mrs. Gerken for a leave of absence from
teaching for the 2008 -2009 school year. Mrs. Gerken’s leave will
begin on June 16, 2008, and the Board has an agreement with her
regarding a date next January by which she must make her intentions
known as to whether or not she wishes to return to teaching for the
2009-2010 school year. I am grateful that our Board and Voters
have seen fit to grant this request, and I pray God’s blessings on Mrs.
Gerken’s time and deliberations during next school year.
Allowing
a leave of absence means that it is our intent to keep Mrs. Gerken’s
teaching position for her to return the following year and as such, the
Board is currently seeking a certified teacher to fill the 6th
Grade position (some departmentalization in 7th and 8th
Grades) for a period of one school year, the contract beginning on
August 15, 2008 and running through June 15, 2009. If you are
interested in being considered for this teaching position, please
submit a resume and current State of Michigan teaching certificate to
Mr. Strohacker by April 9.
FINE
ARTS FESTIVAL UPDATE
Any piano
student who is currently taking lessons or has had at least one year of
lessons is eligible to play for the Fine Arts Festival on Friday, April
25. Please turn in a registration form to Mr. Farrand by this
Thursday, March 27.
FIELD
TRIPS
1st
and 2nd grade students traveled to the Whitcomb this morning
to perform their musical for the senior citizens living there.
4th
grade students will visit the Berrien Springs Historical Court House
this Thursday to view a mock trial.
PRESCHOOL
OPENINGS
We still have
several openings for enrollment into our 2-day Preschool
program. This program runs on Tuesday and Thursday
afternoons from 12:30 – 2:45 for a cost of $60 per month.
Please pass our name along to your friends and neighbors who are still
shopping for a program.
PTL
FLOWER & PLANT SALE
The PTL is
again sponsoring a Spring Plant and Flower Sale beginning April 1
and running through May 2. It is as easy as filling out the
order form and returning it with your payment. We are sending order
forms home again today for your convenience in ordering.
Additional order forms are available in the office and out on the
Visitor Center. You will then receive a voucher good at Barbott Farms
& Greenhouse which can be redeemed for the flowers of your
choice. You will have 6 weeks to mix and match whatever
combination you would like when you shop at Barbotts.
LADIES
LEAGUE RUMMAGE SALE
Clean out your
closets and basements for the upcoming Ladies League Rummage Sale
scheduled for April 11 and 12. Please sign up near the trophy
case if you can help during the rummage or are able to donate baked
items for the bake sale.
LOOKING
AHEAD . . .
Spring school
pictures will be taken on Tuesday, April 15. All students will be
photographed and will receive a package of pictures to preview before
making any purchase.
SPORTS
KORNER
Final
volleyball scores of the season were Christ 8th – 2 and
Christ 7th – 1.
March 17, 2008
The
Pieman
Simple Simon met a pieman going to
the fair…
Remember that nursery
rhyme? Let’s skip down a few lines…after Simon asks the pieman
for a pie.
Said the pieman to Simple Simon,
“Show me first your penny.”
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
“Indeed I have not any.”
Lots of people
are talking about the economy these days. In the old nursery
rhyme Simon learned the economic facts of life: No penny.
No pie. You pay for what you get in this life. No free
lunch.
Suppose God
worked that way. Many people think that He does. They
expect to earn heaven by doing a certain number of good deeds, by going
to church or praying. Now don’t get me wrong, we do teach our
children to do good to others, to attend church and to pray. And
these are indeed God pleasing.
But there is a
problem when people teach us to do these things in order to earn
heaven. What does God need from us? The pieman needed
Simon’s penny to stay in business and make a profit. But what
does God
need from us in return for His love and forgiveness? God
needs nothing. He is God.
Obviously, we
don’t give God anything – not just because He doesn’t need anything but
because we have nothing to give. We are like Simon – we have no
“penny” to pay God for His blessings.
That is why it
is so pleasant to hear the words of Isaiah 55 regarding God’s grace,
His pure and underserved kindness toward us. Isaiah is often
called the Gospel of the Old Testament, and this week, Holy Week, we
appreciate these words more fully because we see this grace fulfilled
as we witness God giving His Son to us and of Christ’s suffering and
death on the cross…all for us.
Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live.
Isaiah 55:1-3
(Portions of
the above from The Days Before Easter by W.A. Poovey, Augsburg
Publishing)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. GERKEN!
SNOW
DAY
I’ve taken out
my crystal ball and predict a “snow day” for Friday, March 28.
Even the weatherman can’t forecast with that kind of accuracy!
Seriously,
please mark Friday, March 28, as NO SCHOOL on your
March calendar. As in years past when one or both of our teams
made it into the National Lutheran Basketball Tournament at Valparaiso
University, once again I am canceling school for the Friday of
tournament weekend in order to allow our families to attend the Friday
games without having to miss school. That means Spring Break
officially begins at the close of the school day – 3:10 p.m. on
Thursday, March 27.
ROUND-UP
TIME
Last week Mrs.
Kern hosted a Preschool Open House as well as Kindergarten
Round-Up. I am pleased with our numbers, and there is still room
for additional children. Now is the time to get those
applications in and secure a spot in next year’s classes. Please
also let your friends and neighbors who might be looking for a program
know about Christ Lutheran School and Preschool.
Join us
this week for Holy Week worship at . . .
7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday
12 Noon & 7:00 p.m. Good Friday
7:00 a.m. or 10:45 a.m. Easter Morning
- [8:30 Breakfast between services]
VALPO
TOURNAMENT
The National
Lutheran Basketball Tournament is upon us and, once again, CLS is proud
to announce that both our Girls and Boys Teams have qualified to
participate. Some of you might recall that last year’s Girls Team
made it all the way to the championship game and brought home 2nd
place. What an exciting time we had, and I look forward to this
year’s tournament very much.
In addition to
the 2nd Place finish for our Girls, CLS also won two other
top honors. LeAnne Priebe was named to last year’s All Tournament
Team, and CLS fans and players, as a group, were awarded The Christian
Sportsmanship Trophy!
I know that
many of our families will again be in attendance at Valpo the weekend
of March 28-30, and I pray that you have safe travel and a very
memorable and enjoyable weekend. For those who have never
attended, it is a great weekend of Christian fellowship and athletics
in which many new friendships are usually made. I know of CLS
students who played years ago and still keep in touch with kids they
played against from other teams across the nation. We have
information about the tournament schedule in the office, or you can
speak directly to Mr. Wallace.
FIELD
TRIP
Students in
the 7th and 8th grades will be traveling to
Chicago via the South Shore train tomorrow to visit Shedd
Aquarium. We pray for safe travel and good weather for all who
are going on this adventure.
CHAPEL
UPDATE
Thank you to
all the students who turned in their Hearts for Jesus
offering boxes. We were able to forward $677.82 to the Michigan
District to support this year’s project. March Chapel offerings
will be sent to Lutheran Bible Translators.
YARD
HELP AVAILABLE
Sophomore
students from Michigan Lutheran High School are holding work days on
Saturday, April 19 and April 26. Pick a date and some students will be
happy to clean or work at your house/yard. Donations will be
accepted toward raising money for their senior class trip. To
request workers, please call 429-7861, Ext. 214, and leave your name
and phone number. Someone will get back in touch with you to
finalize details.
PTL
FLOWER & PLANT SALE
The PTL will
again be running a Spring Plant and Flower Sale beginning April 1st.
It is as easy as filling out the order form and returning it with your
payment. You will then receive a voucher good at Barbott Farms
& Greenhouse which can be redeemed for the flowers of your
choice. You will have 6 weeks to mix and match whatever
combination you would like. For more information see the order
form coming home with today’s newsletter.
CONGRATS
TO BAND STUDENTS
Congratulations
to Jennifer Jackemeyer, Laura O’Connor, Neal Slabbekoorn, Molly Dahmer,
Ben Gerken, Nicholas Quardokus, and Caleb Meyer for being chosen to
participate in the First Annual Middle School Honors Band held at
Andrews University. They were part of a very select group from
Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties. They represented our school
and faith in a way that we can be extremely proud. Way to go!!!
LADIES
LEAGUE RUMMAGE SALE
Clean out your
closets and basements for the upcoming Ladies League Rummage Sale
scheduled for April 11 and 12. Please sign up near the trophy
case if you can help during the rummage or are able to donate baked
items for the bake sale.
SPORTS
KORNER
Volleyball
scores last week were:
Christ 6th – 2; St. Paul II – 1
Christ 5th – 2; St.Paul I – 1
Christ 6th – 1; Grace – 2
Christ 7th – 3; Trinity, SJ – 0
Christ 6th – 2; Grace – 1
Christ 5th – 1; St. Paul – 2
The volleyball
season winds-down with tonight’s match of the 8th girls vs. 7th
girls here at Christ at 6:00 p.m.
Congratulations to the 6th grade girls who won 1st Place on March 8th at the “B” girls League Tournament.
“In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all
things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been
made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men…The
Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen
His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father full
of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4 & 14
The text above
is one of my favorites. I love the first chapter of John and so
very much of John’s Gospel, and last week I had the opportunity to
cover John 1 with our 8th grade class. What a joy to
study John’s words about the Word becoming flesh!
Origen, in the
third century, had a great analogy. He told of a village with a
huge statue – so immense you couldn’t see exactly what it was supposed
to represent. Finally, someone miniaturized the statue so one
could see the person it honored. Origen said, “That is what God
did in His Son.” In Christ we have God in a comprehensible
way. In Christ we have God’s own personal visit to the planet.
“He is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For
by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is
before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is
the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn
from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the
supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in
Him and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things
on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed
on the cross.” Colossians 1:15-20
Jublilate Choir sings this Wednesday at the 4:30 Lenten Worship Service.
Thank you to everyone who made Lutheran Schools Week last week so very memorable. Thank you, also, to the P.T.L. for once again sponsoring a Teacher Appreciation lunch. As always, your thoughtfulness and generosity is greatly appreciated. God bless.
Congratulations
to Mr. Farrand the CLS Wind Ensemble on their fine performance at Lake
Michigan College last Thursday. The Wind Ensemble scored all II’s
for their Main Stage performances and a I, the highest score on
the very tough Site Reading portion of the competition! Great job!
KINDERGARTEN
ROUND-UP
Our
annual Kindergarten Round-up evening will be held this Thursday, March
13 at 7:00 p.m. Please pass this information on to your
friends and neighbors who may be looking for a Kindergarten program for
their child. Mrs. Kern and Mr. Strohacker will be available
to give you an overview of our program and answer you questions.
Registration packets will also be available. This evening is for
parents only – perspective Kindergarten students will have an
opportunity to visit later in the spring.
FIELDTRIPS
Students in
grades 1 and 2 will be performing their musical “An Evening with
Walt Disney” at the St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Center on
Thursday. Parents and grandparents will get an opportunity
to see the musical this Friday evening.
Third grade
students will be participating in the monthly worship service at
Jordan’s Nursing Home this Wednesday. Thank you Vicar Steiner for
conducting the service.
SCHOOL
SAFETY INITIATIVE
The Berrien
County Sheriff’s Department with the assistance of the Michigan
National Guard will be photographing all Berrien County school
buildings this week. A National Guard helicopter will be used to
photograph each school from several angles. These photos will be
used by the Sheriff Department’s school safety planning program.
SPORTS
KORNER
Congratulations
to both our 7/8th girls and boys
basketball teams for winning the first ever State of Michigan Lutheran
Basketball Tournament. Scores from the girl’s games were:
Christ – 46; St. Michael, Wayne – 26
Christ - 48; Trinity,
Utica – 47
Scores
from the boy’s games were:
Christ – 53; Trinity, Reese – 28
Christ – 47; St. Paul, Saginaw –
31
Special
congratulations to Kaitlin Cornwell, Erika Priebe, Alex Moneta, and
Cody Mahler who were all given the honor of being selected to the
All-Tournament Team.
Next stop is the
National Tournament held each year at Valpo running from March 27 –
March 30.
Volleyball
scores last week were:
Christ 7th -2; Trinity, SJ – 1
Christ 6th – 2; Paw Paw – 1
Christ 5th – 3; So. Haven - 0
Christ 8th – 3; ML 8th – 0
Christ 7th – 3; ML 7th – 0
Christ 6th – 2; Grace – 1
Christ 5th – 1; St. Paul – 2
This week’s VB
game schedule is:
Monday, March 10
St. Paul, Stev. II @ Christ 6th @ 3:45
St. Paul, Stev. I @ Christ 5th
@ 4:30
Tuesday, March 11
Christ 8th
@ Christ 7th
@ 5:00
Christ 6th @ Grace
@ 3:45 – make-up game!
Thursday, March 13
Grace @ Christ 6th @ 3:45
Christ 5th @ St.Paul, Stev. II @ 3:45
Christ 7th @ Trinity, St. Joe @ 5:30
March 3, 2008
The Future
Brian Larsen, Editor of Christianity
Today
wrote recently:
“I was shoveling snow for the umpteenth
time last week when I noticed behind my car a streak of yellowish-green
fluid in the snow. When I took a closer look, I saw that the streak ran
the full length of the car.
Uh-oh, I thought, looks like my radiator is leaking. My
heart sank at the possibility of spending hundreds of dollars on a new
one. I drove the car to the shop and took a seat in the waiting room.
An hour later the service man appeared and sat down comfortingly beside
me. In his hand was a sheet of paper that had a list of things to talk
comfortingly about. You don't want auto service people to come with
lists. His list would set me back over $1,300. I stuck to the critical
item, which set me back about $700.
“If you own a car long enough (nine years and counting), you regularly are reminded that eventually everything wears out. Everything dies. Joshua, as he faced death, put it this way: “I am about to go the way of all the earth.”
“On an earth like this,
groaning under the curse of death, there's only one hope: resurrection.
And what a hope it is! A new, immortal body. A new heaven and new
earth. A new Jerusalem. A new creation. And it all began with Jesus
walking out the conqueror—The Man—from the tomb.”
The theme for this school year and for
this week’s National Lutheran Schools Week is Securing Each
Child’s Future. While we certainly strive to prepare our
children for their future in this life, we know that ultimately, like
the writer’s car above, we will go the way of all flesh. More
than ever during Lent, we are reminded that death and decay are all
around us and await us.
Thanks be to God that in our Lutheran
school we also share with children the news of God’s grace and His
gospel message of salvation through faith in Jesus. Now that is a
Secure Future!
LUTHERAN SCHOOLS WEEK
The celebration of National Lutheran
Schools Week has been around for over 20 years, and I invite everyone
to join once again not only in the special activities this week offers
but also in keeping Lutheran schools and especially our children in
your prayers. What a blessing it is to work daily with our dear
children as well as with our faithful Pastors, Teachers, Staff, and
Parents! God’s blessings to all this week and as we continue on
through this school year.
SPECIAL
DAYS
Monday
– Spirit Day Show your school pride by wearing red
and white! Afternoon volleyball game – the Faculty vs. All Comers.
Tuesday
– Dress Alike Day Dress alike, twins, triplets,
etc. You and your friends dress alike!
Wednesday
– Sports Apparel Day Who is your favorite team or
NASCAR driver? Wear their sweatshirts, jerseys, caps, colors, etc.
Thursday
– Movie/Comfy Day Wear those comfy clothes, lounge
pants, etc. and bring a snack for afternoon movies in the classroom.
Friday
– LSW Worship Join with neighboring Lutheran school
students at Immanuel, Bridgman, for a special worship service at 10:00
a.m. Dress up nice for church. School dismisses at 11:40
a.m. Teacher Appreciation Luncheon, courtesy of the P.T.L. in the
afternoon.
BAND CONCERT