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...
Another summer is quickly slipping away. The start of another school year is right around the corner and, as most summers go, there are several little projects to complete, teaching duties and daily schedules to finalize, student to visits, and last minute additions to supplies to order – your typical end of July first of August to do list. This summer has had a few additions to this typical list of projects.
STAFF. We said our goodbyes to the Gray family at the end of the school year. Thank you to Mrs. Gray for the two years she served at St John and God’s blessing on her family as they reunite in Iowa.
In the time since Mrs. Gray announced she would not be returning for the 2022-23 school year, the board has been searching for a replacement and exploring options. The board has made calls, placed ads, and followed up on leads submitted by church members and school parents. In June the board began exploring a plan B – hiring an experienced and capable teacher who does not hold a Kansas teacher’s license. Several names were on our list of plan B candidates. The board continued to search for teaching candidates through mid-July when it was decided to offer the position to Mrs. Julie Butler for the 2022-23 school year. Julie brings 7 years of preschool and kindergarten teaching experience.
DEPARTMENTALIZATION. Enrollment for the fall is currently 41 with 16 students in kindergarten and 1st grade. As a result of the additional students, 1st grade will join grades 2-3 for English/Language Arts (ELA) classes (Mrs. Howard & aide). Mrs. Greene will teach additional Math while Mr. Butler will add Art classes (4-8). Mr. Altevogt has volunteered one morning a week for recorders and hand bells. All of these changes are designed to free up additional small group instructional time for our primary grade students. Kindergarten/First grade homeroom will be in the Northeast Classroom, with the 1st Grade moving upstairs after morning recess, and back downstairs after afternoon recess.
TEACHERS’ AIDE. In conjunction with the shift in teacher duties, the board has authorized the hiring of an aide to help during the morning portion of the school day (3hrs/day). Juliann Manka has been offered (and accepted) the position. The vast majority of her time will be spent assisting Mrs. Howard during ELA. Welcome back Juliann! (graduate and former aide/volunteer)
BUS ROUTE. Over the past three or four months we have been exploring the possibility of using the school/church bus to transport student who live outside the USD 329 district boundaries. The majority of these students live in Wamego with one family in Paxico. Mrs. Shelia Walton is willing to drive the bus Tuesday through Friday. The annual expenses ($13k-16k) would be covered by bus riders – a full bus works out to $1200 to $1400 per rider ($120-140/month.)
COOK. Mrs. Walton has agreed to serve as head cook for the lunch program – she will prepare menus, order/purchase food, and complete all required paperwork. We may have a cook lined up. James Walton subbed in the kitchen in the past and is considering our offer.
2022-23 School Year Theme
“Making Disciples for Life” Matthew 28:19-20
SCHOOL REGISTRATION
Registration for the 2022-23 school year will be held on Monday, August 1 from 12:00 p.m. –7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, August 2 form 7:00 p.m.—12:00 p.m. A summer mailing of information and forms to be completed will be mailed to school families to bring back for registration.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Everyone is invited to the opening chapel for the 149th year of education ministry of St. John Lutheran School. We will begin at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, August 16th in the church sanctuary. If you are unable to attend, we would appreciate “prayer warriors” who will lift up not only students and staff of St. John Lutheran School, but also all students and staff wherever they may be attending.Blessings to all,
Mr. Butler
PTL HAPPENINGS...
The school year will soon be in full swing and so will happenings of the PTL! We are excited, as we have lots of great events planned to start the school year that we would like to share with you all.
Back to School Picnic & Pool Party: Please plan to join the PTL on Sunday, August 7th at 5:00 p.m. at the Alma City Park for our annual BTS Picnic & Pool Party. The PTL will provide hot dogs, table service and drinks…everyone else is asked to please bring a side dish and/or a dessert to share. We are looking forward to kicking off another great school year at St. John Lutheran School!
1st Quarter PTL Meeting: Our first meeting of the year will be on Wednesday, September 21st at 6:00 p.m. We will begin with pizza supper followed by a meeting that will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. Come learn about and be a part of a very important group to the school, the PTL.
Save the Date: We will be hosting the Annual Pork Chop Dinner again this year on Saturday, November 19th. Mark your calendar and plan to enjoy a delicious meal supporting our school.
WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL:
Amazon Smile: The PTL is signed up with AmazonSmile, which is perfect for Summer getaways shopping and all year through! This link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/48-0554347 will take you directly to smile.amazon.com in support of St. John Lutheran School. When you shop using this link, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible smile.amazon.com purchases to SJLS. Thank you so much for your support!
Box Tops: Box Tops have changed to fit today’s families! Scan your receipt in the new and improved Box Top mobile app. The app will instantly find participating products and add the earnings to our SJLS account. No more cutting, sorting and counting Box Tops. Scan any receipt from Dillon's, Hy-Vee, Aldi’s, Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club, etc. This is simple, easy money for our school. Box Tops for Education helps teachers purchase supplies for their classrooms, art/music/science/PE supplies and much more!
Get the app today and start scanning! Encourage neighbors, family and friends to get the app as well. Let any of the PTL Officers know if you have any questions or need help! We will continue to take paper Box Tops so please keep saving them too. You can continue to drop your paper Box Tops off at the school, or contact a St. John PTL member and we would be happy to pick them up from you. Or you may give them to your favorite SJLS student to bring to school. So far, our 17 supporters have raised $37.00 in 2022 through Box Tops! Thank you for your support!
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.
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 summer long!
In This Month's
St. John Witness
AUGUST WITNESS
The Eagle Cry
