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!
In All Things …
he 2021-22 school is in full swing. Classroom routines, daily assignments, and weekly projects are falling into place for students and teachers alike.  With our theme for the year, In All Things…, we have a greater intentionality towards service.  Students are completing projects at school and at home and in the community throughout the year.  Our character building flows as our Christian response to God’s merciful gift of eternal life through the service of Christ.  Students may be looking to some of you for service projects to help them grow, to say thank you for your support, and to simply help you as fellow Christians.
Math, Science, PE…We have gotten past the honeymoon/review phase of our Math curriculum and it’s time to dive into fractions, long division, larger multiplication problems and the dreaded word problems to name a few of our challenges.  Science continues with plant life with the younger students and rocks & minerals with the older.  I have enjoyed my two periods a week with K-1 and exploring the world around us in science.  P.E. is wrapping up Pickle Ball with a couple of doubles tournaments.  

CHOICE DOLLARS:  The following Thrivent members have directed Thrivent Choice Dollars to St. John Lutheran School: Rose Debler, Darwin Diehl, and Joyce Diehl.
                              Blessings in Christ,
  Mr. Butler

1st and First Grade News:
The Kindergarten and First Graders have settled into the routine of school. The review is finished, and we are now learning new things. In Religion, we have been learning all about Moses, the Passover, the Dead Sea, the Ten Commandments,  and  wandering in the desert. In October we will learn about the judges. In Reading, Kindergarteners are learning sight words and beginning to blend simple words while learning the alphabet in-depth at a rate of one letter per week. First Graders will be reviewing short vowel sounds and learning to blend consonants together. They will also be working on how to write a sentence. In math, Kindergarteners have been working on learning their numbers, and beginning addition concepts and will continue that through October into November. First Grade just finished learning about addition facts up to ten, and now will work on subtraction facts from ten. In Social Studies, we have been learning about safety, and will be learning about our communities. Mrs. Greene has been teaching art, Mrs. Howard has been doing P.E., and Mr. Butler has taken up Science with my class while I teach music to other grades. They have been learning about plants.
In Music, we have been learning solfege (do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti-do) and rhythm. Students take tuns composing simple four beat rhythms or four note melodies while the others sing or tap them. K-1 has begun working with the Kinder bells, 2-3 the chimes, 4-5 the recorders, and 6-8 the handbells. We have been working on music for Veterans Day. In October, we will begin working on Christmas music. I’m looking forward to this Christmas season.
In His tender mercy,
Mrs. Gray

2nd and 3rd Grade News:
Fall Greetings,
The first month of school has been great! This month is packed full with our first field trip of the year to the Pumpkin Patch, Harvest Parties, and the end of the 1st quarter.
In Religion we are working on who is the Holy Spirit and how he helps us. We are still working on looking up verses in the Bible on our own and reading it instead of always using story Bibles.
In Reading we are working on some biographies and non-fiction stories and how to use text features such as diagrams and maps to help understand stories. We are also working hard on writing good sentences with both  full subjects  and  predicates  as well as not being a run on. Using a bigger word selection especially focusing on synonyms has been another focus in writing.
Second Grade math is moving on from addition and subtraction to how to apply this in word problems. As a class we are working very hard on getting our math facts memorized, and I have already seen an increase in the speed at which my 3rd graders can do 4- and 5-digit addition. The 3rd graders have been working hard on learning the properties of both addition and subtraction which we will later carry over into multiplication and division.
In Social studies we are going to review landforms from last year as we work with animal habitats in science. The students have really enjoyed growing both plants and mold this last month.
They are also working on a special Auction project to be shown at a later date!!
In Christ,
Mrs. Howard

4th -- 8th Language and Social Studies
In English Language Arts we have been busy reading realistic fiction, historical fiction, and expository texts. The students have been reading Bible Stories to practice identifying elements of a story. The students have been rereading texts, using context clues, and note taking strategies to improve comprehension of difficult texts. In Language Arts we have been working on writing and identifying subjects and predicates, nouns, pronouns, and conjunctions. We will be working on simple sentences, compound sentences, and when to use commas in the next two weeks.
The students continue to expand their vocabulary and spelling skills by creating their own memory games to practice vocabulary definitions and correct spelling of new words. In writing the fourth and fifth graders are still working on cursive writing and narrative writing. The sixth, seventh, and eighth graders have been busy with journal writing and editing paragraphs. The 4th-8th Grades will be starting a unit on Letter Writing. I am very excited for the students to improve their writing skills by writing letters to family members, church members, and school staff in the coming weeks ahead.
     In Social Studies we have completed our Unit on Maps Skills and started learning about Early Civilizations and Early Farming. The students were challenged to experience what a hunter-gatherer civilization would be like by building a shelter with limited supplies, searching for food, and overcoming obstacles encountered on their journey. During Art Class students are currently completing Water Color Art Weaving projects. The sixth-eighth grade students are participating in Art Buddies and Book Buddies with the Kindergarten and First Graders on Fridays. They are really enjoying reading with the younger kids and helping them with Art activities. I am really enjoying the opportunity that the Lord has given me in teaching students at St. John Lutheran School.
    It is hard to believe that September is coming to an end and we will be moving forward into October and the beautiful fall weather it brings. Fall is my favorite season of the year with the cooler temperatures and the changing colors of nature. I find it so refreshing to see the beauty of God’s creation during the fall months. I know many of the students are looking forward to some cooler temperatures to enjoy when outside running around with classmates. The students still begin their week with a new word and verse of the week. This week’s word of the week is NOW and our verse of the week comes from 2 Corinthians 3:17. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
In all things trust the Lord,
Mrs. Greene

PTL Happenings:
Fall is upon us with lots going on in your PTL!  We are excited as we have lots of great events planned this year that we would like to share with you all:

Wamego Community Foundation Match Day: The PTL is excited to participate in the Wamego Match Day on October 7, 2021!  During that day, the Wamego Community Foundation will match donations that have been made to our fund.  All donations received will be used toward updating our campus for the upcoming 150th Anniversary Celebration with the first priority being paving the alleyway so kids can safely play at recess.  Donations can be made by check or prior to October 7th or online donations will be accepted on October 7th from 12:00 a.m. through 11:59 p.m.  There is also an in-person or drive-thru option the day of for check donations at Iron Clad in Wamego.  Please refer to the enclosed letter and donation form or www.wamegomatchday.com for further information.  Or reach out to Erin Debler at (620) 363-2687 or randallanderin@hotmail.com with any questions.  Thank you for your support!     

Alpine Farms: The PTL will be selling high quality, long lasting natural products (wreaths, garlands, etc). The fundraising goal is to fully fund the Accelerated Reading program. With this reading program every student participates, many of our school's own library books qualify, and certainly the benefits of childhood reading will last a lifetime. Sales will begin mid-October, products will ship late November, and recipients should expect products to last well through the holiday season. Be on the lookout for additional details in mid-October!

Thankful: Grateful: Blessed: The St. John Lutheran School Benefit Dinner & Auction is returning this year!!! It will be Saturday, November 6th in Memorial Hall.  New this year, Memorial Hall will be open from 1:00 to 3:00 so that bids can be accepted if you are unable to attend in person that evening.  Doors open at 5:00 p.m. with a Silent Auction including many gift baskets!  Enjoy a delicious dinner of Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Corn Salad, Roll, and Dessert all catered by Stop 2 Shop.  The evening will wrap up with a Live Auction including beef, pork, weekend getaways, memberships, and something for every outdoor enthusiast and lots and lots of other great items being added daily!  Check out our Facebook event page as all items available will be posted there! 
Any and all donations would be gratefully accepted as would your presence.  Don't miss out on a fun evening for a great cause, remodeling our campus for the St. John Lutheran School 150th Anniversary Celebration!  Tickets are only $20 per person and can be purchased from Erin Debler (620) 363-2687 or Ashley Seematter (785) 207-8896. 
Kids over 3 are welcome to join in the fun this year, we are having a "Night of Fun" including games, pizza, popcorn and a movie in the school gym, feel free to wear you PJ'S and bring a pillow and blanket!!! Babysitting will be provided by the junior high St. John students.  Please RSVP by October 29th to Erin Debler at randallanderin@hotmail.com or (620) 363-2687 if your child(ren) will be attending the Night of Fun so we can plan accordingly.  Free will donation to help offset costs. 

















In This Month's
St. John Witness
OCTOBER WITNESS
The Eagle Cry