ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH
(The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod)
Alma, Kansas
A family united by faith in Christ gathering around God's Word and Sacraments.
To reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
“Endure” Hebrews 12:1-3
“Providing a foundation in Jesus Christ and developing the God-given talents of learning.”
2025-2026 THEME: Let’s Make A Joyful Noise from Psalm 98:4. We are going to have some fun with this theme in chapel and throughout the whole school year – even in the upper grades where it isn’t always cool to act silly and excited about school.
STAFF: We are excited to welcome two new staff members for the 2025-26 school year – Anita Hurla
(teacher’s aide) and Debra Osif (cook).
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Thank you to Mill Creek Baptist Church in McFarland as they are providing school supplies for students at SJLS (and USD 329).
ARK AND CREATION MUSEUM TRIP: Plans are continuing for a Spring Break 2026 trip to see the Ark and Creation Museum (more details coming in September).
GREENHOUSE: A few trees have been cut down and gravel and stone will be brought in to create a level surface for our Greenhouse!! Thank you to everyone who has helped bring this dream to completion. We hope to have it in place by the start of the school year.
ENROLLMENT: We are planning for 59 students (31 families) on the first day. This will be a 28% increase over last year! More students (and families) hearing God’s life-saving message each and every day. God is great!
BUS DRIVERS: We are looking for an additional bus driver for Wamego route. The morning route picks up at Mt. Calvary at 7:15 AM and the afternoon route drops off at Mt. Calvary at 3:45 PM. Contact Mr. Butler or the school office if interested.
DATES:
In-service - August 4 (AM) and 5 (PM)
Registration - August 4 (PM) and 5 (AM)
Back to School Night - August 18
First Day - August 19 (12:55 early dismissal)
Principal’s Conference - September 4 and 5
School Yard Sale - September 12
Mr. Butler, SJLS Principal
GREETINGS FROM MRS. MILLER’S CLASS
Welcome to the 2025-26 school year! This year, “Let’s Make A Joyful Noise!” as we grow in Christ our Savior. We hope to make a joyful noise as we celebrate together in worship, in the classroom, and in the world. Please join us.
St. John Lutheran School will be welcoming 14 new Kindergarteners, and their families, into our fold this year. We will meet for our third annual Kindergarten Boot Camp on Thursday and Friday, August 14th and 15th from 8:00 – 12:00 noon. Students will participate in Bible study, a tour of the school, STEM activities, and outside fun. On August 18th , we will have Back-To-School Night for all of our families. Please look for information to come. Finally, the first day of school for the 25-26 school year is Tuesday, August 19th and students will be released at 12:55 p.m.
Parents of K/1 students: Please be sure to send your students to school with a complete change of clothes, a spill-proof water bottle, and tennis shoes. It will be hot at the beginning of the year, so please
be sure that students are dressed appropriately for the weather.
We look forward to starting SJLS Student Council and Student Choir in September, so please look for those handouts the first few weeks of school. We are excited to see everyone in church and Sunday School each week. We want everyone to have an opportunity to make a joyful noise.
Let’s make this year the best one yet!
Blessings,
Mrs. Miller
SUMMER GREETINGS FROM MRS. GREENE’S CLASS
Summer Break is flying by so quickly, and a new school year will be upon us before we know it. I am looking forward to another year of teaching at St. John Lutheran School. I hope the students are enjoying the summer weather and gearing up to start another fabulous school year.
I have been busy spending time with my grandchildren and visiting my daughters over the break. It has been such a blessing to have this time to spend with my daughters this summer.
I wanted to extend a grateful “Thank You” to St. John Lutheran Church for the new flooring going into my classroom. I will be busy reorganizing my classroom in the next few weeks in preparation for the new school year. I have spent time this summer reviewing the Language Arts Standards, school curriculum, and various novels to prepare for the upcoming school year.
I recently finished looking over the Social Studies curriculum for the upcoming year and started making plans for some awesome field trips for the new school year. Next, I plan to work on creating some new activities for Reading Club.
I look forward to seeing all of the students at our Back-to-School Picnic which will be here before you know it. I look forward to seeing all of the families of St. John Lutheran School very soon. Enjoy the rest of your summer break; however, it will soon be time to start a new season of learning.
In all things, trust the Lord
Mrs. Greene
ST. JOHN LUTHERAN SCHOOL
MISSION AND ACCREDITATION
We are accredited by the NLSA (National Lutheran Schools Accreditation) commission and by the KSDE (Kansas Department of Education). Our teachers are highly qualified and meet certification standards for the State of Kansas. The dedication and love, which comes from this staff, show in every area of our instructional and social programs – making St. John Lutheran School a respected and nurturing environment from which children learn and grow into leaders.
We have the great pleasure and honor of emphasizing Christian teachings and activities that develop in our students a strong, secure, and independent child who knows the importance of a faith walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This allows Christ’s teachings to guide them in their daily lives.
he academic program at St. John Lutheran School concentrates on allowing children to reach their full academic potential. We continually evaluate our educational programs and will make changes, as needed, to keep our students performing at levels above grade level expectation.
If you would like more information about St. John Lutheran School, please contact us by phone at 785-765-3914 or schoolofficestjohnalma@gmail.com.
SCHOOL REGISTRATION
Registration for the 2025-2026 school year will be held on Monday, August 4 from 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, August 5 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. A summer mailing of information and forms (to be completed) was sent to school families to bring back for this day. Our school day is 8:00-3:30.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Everyone is invited to the Opening Chapel for the 152nd year of education ministry at St. John Lutheran School. We will begin at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, August 19 in the church sanctuary. If you are unable to attend, we would appreciate “prayer warriors” who will lift up not only students/staff of St. John Lutheran School, but also all students/staff wherever they may be attending. Our theme for the year is: “Let Us Make A Joyful Noise” –Psalm 98:4
CLASSROOM TEACHERS
Classroom teachers for the 2025-26 school year will include: - Mrs. Mindy Sanders-Miller - kindergarten/first grade teacher; Mrs. Whitney Howard - second/third grade teacher; Mr. Harmon Butler – fourth – eighth grade Math/Science; Mrs. Rebecca Greene – fourth – eighth grade Language Arts/Social Studies teacher.
Mrs. Gayle Grimm will be the Office Administrator and Mrs. Anita Hurla will be Teacher Aide assisting in the classrooms, especially the primary grades.
LUTHERAN PARENT TEACHER LEAGUE
WAYS TO SUPPORT
ST. JOHN LUTHERAN SCHOOL
STOP TO SHOP: St. John Lutheran School now has a Kickback Card at Stop 2 Shop! When you check out, just tell them you would like to use the SJLS Kickback card and then key in 7-8-5-7-6-5-3-9-1-4 (the school’s phone number). It’s so easy…be sure to participate all year long!
DILLON’S COMMUNITY REWARDS: We encourage anyone who is a Dillon’s PLUS card shopper to please take a couple of minutes to sign up for the rewards program. This is a program offered by Dillon’s to give back to local schools. Each time you make a purchase using your PLUS card, a percentage of your sales is donated back to SJLS in the form of cash. There is no extra charge to you, it is simply a donation by the Dillon’s company. Please use the following link to add your PLUS card to the rewards program: www.dillons.com/communityrewards and use the code AU093 to support SJLS.
In This Month's
St. John Witness
AUGUST WITNESS
The Eagle Cry
