St. John Church

years, we had a bumper crop of bright-eyed kindergarteners, we experienced some exciting field trips, we added a greenhouse to our weekly routine, and we could go on and on. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. (We pray God keep our good start going just a little bit longer.)

VETERANS’ DAY CHAPEL

We have been preparing for our annual chapel service to give God thanks for the men and women who gave their time to serve our great country. Please join us on Tuesday, November 11 at 10:30 to praise God and say thank you. A Chili Lunch will be served after the service. Lunch $5 (Veterans eat for free).

ARK ENCOUNTER/CREATION MUSEUM

The bus is not full YET. There is still room for you to join us. The trip is set for March 16th-19th, 2026. Non-student attendees cost: all totals are per person. Hotel, travel, and museum tickets included. No meals included besides hotel meals- breakfast and dinner at the hotel, Drury Inn. Contact us if you are looking for a roommate.

1 person per room - $770 per person

2 people per room - $540 per person

3 people per room - $465 per person

4 people per room - $430 per person

PORK CHOP DINNER

The PTL is finishing their prep for our annual Pork Chop Dinner. The date is set – November 15th –

workers AND customers are needed.

THANK YOU!

Thank you for your continued support for the ministry happening through SJLS! Your prayers, your time, and your financial gifts are truly a blessing from God.

Mr. Butler, SJLS Principal

MRS. MILLER, KINDERGARTEN & FIRST GRADE

“For God so loved the world that He gave His Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

What a blessing to be a part of a vibrant and JOY-filled community of believers. This fall has been full of exploration, learning, and fun. In October, our K-1 students and their family helpers went to Deana Rose Farmstead in Overland Park. We enjoyed a guided tour of the park and learned about prairie dogs, bison, pigs, and goats. Our students did an excellent job of listening and participating. The field trip aligned with our science work in the classroom. We’ve been focusing on animals and their specific strategies of surviving in the wild.

November brings a focus on voting during social studies. Kindergarten mathematicians will begin skip-counting by 5’s and 10’s and will start adding numbers together. First graders will continue adding and subtracting by making fact families. Our entire kindergarten class scored at grade level or above on our fall assessments, so we are right on track for success! First graders are working with Mrs. Hurla to expand their text comprehension through the use of close reading strategies. Finally, first graders will begin a writing unit in November.

We will be THANKFUL to learn to tie our shoes in November! We hope that every student in K-1 will be shining shoelace winners by the end of the month. Please don’t forget that K-8 students will be singing in church on November 30th. Our first trimester Student Council members are: Brooklynn Thompson, Sienna Bruning, Charlotte Kyle, and Brynn Anderson.

Blessings,

Mrs. Mindy Miller

HAPPY FALL!

The students enjoyed working on their bones last month and are moving on to Native Americans this month. As well, they are learning about settling the Americas. They will be excited to make their beaded Wampaum belts later this month. We are also reading Little House on the Prairie to learn about homesteading in Kansas.

The students have started to work on their parent gifts and are very excited because they get to use hammers! We will also begin working on the Christmas Service this month after Veterans Day.

In math, the 3rd graders have tackled both money and time and will be moving on to geometry with shapes, angles, and lines this month. Second grade is working hard on double-digit addition and even looking toward triple-digit.

In reading, we are looking at some historical texts about immigration as well as scientific texts about animals. We will also start learning and writing some poetry this month.

In Christ,

Mrs. Howard

NOVEMBER GREETINGS FROM MRS. GREENE

In Language Arts, the 4th-8th grade students have been busy learning about the different types of nouns. The 7th and 8th grade students completed the unit over the parts of speech and subject-verb agreement. The students will be learning about the different types of pronouns in the next couple of weeks.

In reading classes, the 4th-5th grade students have been working on reading persuasive articles, while the 6th-8th grade students have been reading informational texts.

In writing classes, the 6th-8th grade students will be learning how to correctly use punctuation and quotations in an essay. The 4th-5th grades just finished the brainstorming process for their narrative writing stories. The students will be focusing on character traits, setting, and the plot of a story.

In social studies, the 4th-5th grade students are currently learning how to add pictures to their Early Civilization Projects. The 6th-8th grade students are currently learning about the North and South before starting a unit over the Civil War.

In art classes, the 4th and 5th grade students are learning to make pop-up cards to send to their pen pals. The 6th-8th grade students are starting a creation of the solar system using different textures.

Recently the students enjoyed a field trip to Sea Life where the students participated in classroom activities over the habitats of marine animals and how they defend themselves from predators. The 4th and 5th grade students are having a great time learning how to play “Stable Forlorn” and “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” during ukulele practice. It is great to see so many students learning how to play a variety of string instruments in the 4th-8th grades.

In all things, trust the Lord

Mrs. Greene

FIRST QUARTER HONOR ROLL 2025-2026 HONOR ROLL

The following St. John Lutheran School students have received recognition for 1st quarter Honor Roll:

Principal’s Honor Roll (4.0 or higher)

Ivy Anderson (3rd Grade)

High Honor Roll (3.99-3.50)

Sienna Bruning (3rd Grade) Madeline Mayer (3rd Grace) Kylee McClusky (3rd Grade) Charlotte Kyle (4th Grade) Kathran McClusky (4th Grade) Athena Shedrick (4th Grade) Maggie Hurla (4th Grade) Lane Seematter (4th Grade) Logan Haynos (4th Grade) Finnley Bruning (5th Grade) Reagan Shannon (5th Grade) Belle Howard (5th Grade) Kooper Runnebaum (6th Grade) Brynn Anderson (6th Grade) Allison Hurla (7th Grade) Haley Shannon (7th Grade) Berkli Wealthall (8th Grade)

Honor Roll (3.49-3.00)

Barrett Maike (3rd Grade) Clarence Lynch (4th Grade) Kade Mayer (6th Grade) Samuel Hurla (6th Grade) Baylee Howard (7th Grade) Ellinor Pfannenstiel (7th Grade) Theodore Walton (8th Grade)

Congratulations and God’s Blessings on your academic accomplishment!

The mission of St. John Lutheran School is to “provide a foundation in Jesus Christ and to develop the God given talents of learning.”

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.

The 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.

VETERAN’S DAY OBSERVANCE AT SJLS: All Veterans of the Alma and Wamego communities and surrounding area are invited to St. John’s Veteran’s Day Observance on Tuesday, November 11th. We will recognize all who have served and/or who are currently serving in the military of our Armed Forces during our chapel service at 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary. We invite everyone to join us for lunch immediately following this observance in our school gym. We ask that everyone planning to attend call the office at 785-765-3914 for reservations by Thursday, November 6th.

LUTHERAN PARENT TEACHER LEAGUE

WAYS TO SUPPORT

ST. JOHN LUTHERAN SCHOOL

2026 LPTL MEETINGS:

Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.

(A meal and child care are provided.)

PORK CHOP SUPPER & SILENT AUCTION LPTL FUNDRAISER:

When: Saturday, November 15. 2025

Time: 4:30pm – 7:00pm, Dinner & Silent Auction

Where: St. John Lutheran Church, Memorial Hall,

218 West 2nd St., Alma, KS

Menu: Pork chop, scalloped potatoes, green beans, roll, and dessert. Dine in or to go.

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.

SCRIPS GIFT CARDS: NEED A CHRISTMAS GIFT OR BIRTHDAY GIFT?? St. John School’s LPTL is once again placing orders for RaiseRight/Scrips Gift Cards during the month of November and December. You will find the order on the table by the secretary’s office or from Gayle Grimm. If there is another gift card you are interested in you may look on the raiseright.com website for all the cards available or contact Gayle. We will also have a selection of cards on hand that may be purchased. Gayle will be placing orders on Nov. 16 and Dec. 7. Please contact Gayle (765-3607 or schoolofficestjohnalma@gmail.com) if you have any questions. Thanks for supporting StJohn Lutheran School with your purchases!

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!

In This Month's

St. John Witness

NOVEMBER WITNESS

The Eagle Cry