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I love the days when I get invited to see the creativity and enthusiasm of our teachers at work!   A few weeks ago, you may have caught the video on FB that highlighted the 4th graders working on a lesson about inference in my office where they had to solve the mystery of my disappearance.  Last Friday, I got to spend an hour in the 4th grade classroom listening to their speculative stories about what happened to me.  It was duly hilarious and comforting to know that they are very obviously my defenders!  Mr. D., Ms. Cadie, and Mr. Peterman were [...]

When I have the opportunity to do so, I love to share with parents about ways in which our teachers and staff are working to grow and learn through professional development.  Our preschool staff is a great example of this devotion to professional growth:   Mrs. Tori Kuehne, our preschool and ESP director, is currently enrolled in a program through Child Care Aware called a Director Credential. This program “offers valuable information in the areas of administration, supervision/management, and leadership. Is is offered in collaboration with the Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children (MnAEYC), is recognized by the National Association [...]

Each Wednesday, our pastors take time out of their busy schedules to visit all of our classes, and yesterday I had the pleasure of joining Ms. Fuhrman’s class during their special time with Pastor Johnson. At first, Pastor Johnson practiced some basic liturgical responses with the group, as well as the Apostles’ Creed. It wasn’t too long, though, before one little hand after another started shooting up, wiggling and waving to get Pastor’s attention. “Pastor Johnson, is that Jesus on the cross?”  “Pastor Johnson, is the Holy Spirit with Jesus?”  “Pastor Johnson, Jesus loves all the people in the next city!” [...]

Dear Families, If you have not yet experienced our fall Gala, please buy your tickets and come!  This event is a highlight for me personally every single year.  The ambiance of Rush Creek, a classy night out with other adults, the bidding war entertainment, the heartwarming video from our students, the crazy fun of the dessert dash… it’s simply wonderful.  The generosity and celebration of all God’s good gifts to us flows freely at the Gala, and I feel blessed to see and be a part of that every year. With the new auctioneers, I’ve heard that it will be “classy [...]

I recently came across this side-by-side chart describing a “can’t” versus “can do” attitude.  I thought about how well some of these comparisons truly highlight a simple, but helpful shift in how we approach an obstacle, a negative mindset, a problem, etc.                CAN’T We’ve never done it before. We’ve never done it that way. We’ve already tried it. They won’t listen. We’re afraid. It’s too complicated. We don’t have the resources. It’s a waste of money. We can’t compete. We don’t know how. It’s good enough. I don’t know. Let someone else do it. It’s [...]

Prepare for Parent/Teacher Conferences Parent/Teacher conferences will be held over the course of the next two weeks (Oct. 18-29) for every child in K-8th grade (preschool conferences are available at this time by request).  Your teacher will be the one to communicate how to sign-up for this time according to his/her availability.  You have the option to request to meet in person, and the teacher reserves the same right as needed.   I share the same reminders every year so that everyone can properly prepare for this time together! Conferences allow teachers and parents to partner regarding each child and his/her [...]

The following article from Reading Rockets (readingrockets.org) entitled “Simple Yet Powerful Things to Do While Reading Aloud” may be helpful to parents of students in preschool and our younger grades: Most parents recognize the value of reading to a child. Books are a terrific way to share the joys of reading: interesting words, beautiful illustrations, and the keys to unlocking the mysteries of letters, sounds, and words. Recently, several researchers published work that helps us understand that very simple, small actions during reading can have a big impact on what a child takes away from sharing a book with an adult. [...]

Today, our students were able to surprise our beloved retired PreK and Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Schutte, who is in hospice care at her home at this time.  Over the past weeks, our students created a personal video and made cards for Mrs. Schutte.  Today, we shared these with her along with a huge display of hearts for her front lawn to show our love and gratitude for our sister in Christ and faithful servant to the Lord.   Sue, you have given your life to the ministry of St. John’s Lutheran School.  We are grateful to God for the big and small [...]

Would you like to know a secret? Preschoolers can oftentimes be better for the soul than chocolate. I’ve been reminded of that a couple of times this week, and I’m so thankful for those reminders. Take today, for instance. I snuck into Ms. Fuhrman’s vibrant classroom and watched as her students learned about the letter A and it’s sound, worked together to figure out the word armadillo, and wiggled with joy when they all remembered how to correctly sign apple in ASL. Yesterday, I sat in Mrs. Koosman’s joyous room during their special visit from Pastor Moss. Listening to that little [...]

Assuming you would appreciate an update prior to Monday, Mrs. Dolan will communicate via an all-school email and/or individual class emails by the end of the week. Stay tuned! It is still the intention to resume school for grades K-8 on Monday, September 20th. We appreciate you as parents and students for your patience while we worked through distance learning. We fully understand (as parents and teachers ourselves) what sacrifices it requires! Mrs. Dolan is still working to respond to any individual emails she has received regarding questions or concerns. We are praying for all of you, and we are so [...]