No school today due to predictions of inclement weather. 

Beginning Sunday evening, January 12th from 6 to 8 p.m., Richard DeFord, Chaplain-BC, is conducting a free class for parents, teachers, clergy and anyone else who works with or cares for children. The class is called, "Helping Children with Loss- The Grief Recovery Method." You will learn an action plan that can help your child to let go of pain following death, divorce, loss of a pet, as well as other losses. This is a four week class. It will be held at Katy Park Baptist Church and is made possible through Fitzgibbon Mary Montgomery Hospice Memorial Funds. For more information, call 660.831.3235. 

The Spirit Award winner for this week is Liana Olefirenko! Liana is a very hard worker and does her best in class. She is a good friend to everyone and a great Christian role model. We are very proud of Liana! 

Thank you so much for doing such a great job selling discount cards for the PTL fundraiser over Christmas break. Students brought in $1310! The winner of the class party was grade 3/4 who have chosen pizza for their party. Next Friday will be another party and classes are competing for their choice of a taco or donut party. Money brought in by Monday, the 13th will count toward that party. We will do the same thing the following week. At the end of January, we will see which two students were the top sellers. First place gets a $50 gift card and second place gets a $25 gift card. Keep up the good work! Our next PT/L meeting is Thursday, January 16th at 6:00 in the school cafeteria. There will be door prizes! Child care is available for the meeting.

If your child is in 4th grade or higher and would like to learn to play an instrument, please let me know. The school has a variety that have been donated they might be able to use. The child would need to begin taking music lessons and will be able to come into our band program as well. The more seasoned students are always willing to help new students learn. 

St. Paul's Honors Choir did a beautiful job today singing "Amazing Grace/Pachelbel's Canon" today at a dinner in our gym for the family and friends of a gentleman from our congregation whose funeral was today. The family was very appreciative. We will be planning another performance in February for two nursing homes. 

Teachers are working on updating the classroom "News" pages on the school website. Just go to "News" and click on your child's class. As a reminder, the school web address is www.sedaliastpauls.net

Important Dates:

January 16: PTL Meeting 6:00 in the cafeteria

January 20: No School- Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 28: Papa John's Pizza Night

January 31: Early dismissal for Teacher Meeting

Families and friends are always welcome at chapel services. Chapel is on Wednesdays at 9:00 in the church sanctuary. You are also very welcome to attend church services here at St. Paul's. If you are interested in learning more about the Lutheran faith, be sure to let me know and I can help you get in touch with Pastor Freeman. Pastor offers information meetings for people who would like to know more from time to time. Services here at St. Paul's are Sunday at 9:00 a.m. followed by a short fellowship in the gym. Bible study for adults meets in the gym. Children go to the cafeteria for their Sunday school opening. Saturday night services are at 5:30 p.m. in the school gym. They are a bit more conservative. Whether you have a church home, or would like to know more, you are welcome to visit us any time. 

God's blessings! 

I hope you've had a wonderful and safe Christmas with family and friends. May God bless you and yours as we begin this new adventure for year 2020! Our Spirit Award winner for the last week before Christmas break was Nazar Tutevich. Nazar is a very cooperative and wonderful student. His teacher says that he is a friend to everyone. We're so happy to have Nazar in our school! 

Thank you so much for your child's participation in the Christmas program. I think the program was a great success this year thanks to the hard work on the part of students and teachers. We are especially grateful to Mrs. Petree for directing us this year. 

Be sure to take orders for the PTL Discount Card Fundraiser. Bring orders and money back to school on Monday, the 6th to count toward your child's class party. There will be 3 parties, one per week. The winning class gets to choose between a pizza party, taco party, or donut party. If your child forgets to bring their order forms/money on Monday, their totals will be counted on the next week. This is a wonderful fundraiser for our school. Thank you for participating. 

Some important dates: 

January 16: PTL Meeting 6:00 in the cafeteria

January 20: No School- Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 28: Papa John's Pizza Night

January 31: Early dismissal for Teacher Meeting

You are invited and are so very welcome to attend church services here at St. Paul's, whether you don't have a church home, or you'd just like to visit. More contemporary services are at 5:30 p.m. Saturday evenings in the gym. Sunday service is at 9:00 a.m. in the church. There is fellowship (coffee and snacks) in the gym following the service. Bible study for adults is in the gym and Sunday school for children is in the cafeteria. High school Bible study is in the church basement. You will find this a friendly and accepting group of people. 

Thank you to Mr. Hession, who has been working during our Christmas break to install four more cameras in the building. Safety is certainly a priority. As a reminder, when you need to enter the building, don't be surprised if Ms. Janice needs to ask who you are. Most of us wear hoods, caps, etc. and she wants to be certain who is in the building at all times. 

Please find the January menu attached. 

God's blessings and Happy New Year! 

Last week's Spirit Award winner was Harper French. Harper was nominated for this award because she is cooperative and a good role model for other students while they practice for the Christmas program. We love seeing Harper's smiles every day. We're proud of you, Harper and glad you are at St. Paul's!

Students are busy rehearsing for the Christmas program! The program is Thursday, December 19th at 6:00 p.m. Your child needs to be in their classroom by 5:45. We expect everyone to participate, but if for some reason, your child cannot, please let their teacher know as soon as possible.

Choir members have a permission form to give you. We are performing at the Sylvia Thompson Residence Center this Thursday, leaving school at 1:15. We need transportation help. 

Band members need to have their instruments (and music) here at school until the Christmas program. We will try to practice for a bit each day. 

On Friday, December 20th, we will have our school Christmas parties. Dismissal is at 11:00 and no lunch will be served. Child care will be available for the afternoon as usual. If your child staying for after school care, be sure to send a lunch with them. I'm happy to announce that this will also be pajama day! Teachers think this will be a fun, relaxing event/reward following all their Christmas program work. 

• Note that our return date from Christmas break is January 6th. This is a change from the original schedule you received at the beginning of the year. 
• The week of January 13th, the church is undergoing some foundation repair. This won't affect the school, except there may be some equipment in the parking lot that week. 
• Note that we do not have a Papa John's Night the month of December. 
• On Wednesday evenings at 5:30 you are invited to a meal (free will donation) in our gym. This is followed by Advent service at 6:30 in the church. 

Congratulations to Mazzy Dobrowski! She was last week's winner of the Spirit Award at chapel service. Mazzy is well behaved and is often a peacemaker in her classroom. Mrs. Brandt says that she is a hard worker and a good student. We are proud of Mazzy! 

Notice that the first week we are back from Thanksgiving break, fall picture retakes will be available. These will be done on Thursday the 5th. You will be able to order online and we also have order forms if you wish to use them. 

The PTL meeting was well attended this month. The merchant discount cards will be printed soon. There is a change in how these will be distributed/sold this year. Each child will bring home an order form and information sheet listing the participating businesses and their discounts. Your family will take orders for cards and collect the money. Once the money is brought to their child's teacher, they will receive the cards. The class with the biggest sales each week, beginning the week of January 6th, will have a party. They will choose between pizza, tacos, or donuts for treats. There will be a party each week for the winning class. 

Associates from Child Safe presented information to parents about a child safety, bullying, and cyber bullying program they will be presenting to kindergarten through 5th grade here at St. Paul's. Once we have a beginning date, you will receive a letter and be given an opportunity for your child to opt out of the classes if you wish. You will also be invited to attend with your child if you wish. 

Students are busy working on the Christmas program. We will begin rehearsing on the stage when we return from Thanksgiving break. Mrs. Petree is doing a wonderful job as our director and the children are certainly enjoying the music. We expect all children to participate. If you know that your child cannot for any reason, let their teacher know as soon as possible. We are in need of 6 stick horses for the program. If you have one or more that we could borrow from your stable, please let us know. I believe there are going to be a few cowpokes in the program. 

Advent services begin on December 4th at 6:30 p.m. in the church. There is a meal served beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the gym for a free will offering. Your family is certainly invited to join us in worship as we await our Immanuel. Saturday night church services are at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday morning services are at 9:00 a.m. followed by Sunday School and Bible studies. 

God's blessings to you and your family as we take time to thank God for His many blessings! Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Some Important Dates; 

December 5:  Fall Picture retakes

December 19: Christmas Program 6:00 p.m.

December 20: Class Christmas parties, dismiss at 11:00. No lunch served. Child care provided. 

December 21-January 6: Christmas break, school resumes January 6

I'm happy to announce that last week's Spirit Award winner was Vesper Dobrowski. According to her teacher, Vesper is a joy to have in 4th grade. She has become a class leader and a great role model. This week's Spirit Award winner was Ellen Scheel. Ellen is a very mature preschooler. She is kind to her classmates and demonstrates doing the right things. Mrs. DeFord says that she encourages the others to get along and play together. We are very proud of these Christian girl leaders in our school! 

Parent/Teacher conferences are next Monday and Tuesday. If you haven't signed up with your teacher yet, please do so. We will dismiss at 12:30. Note that we will be serving lunch those days and child care will be available as usual. While these are specially planned parent/teacher conferences, you are always welcome to set up a time with your child's teacher to discuss any issues, concerns, or ideas. 

Next Thursday, the 21st will be the next Parent/Teacher League meeting. I encourage you to attend all of these that you can, but we have a special guest that evening. Staff from Child Safe is coming to talk with parents and teachers about the education program they do for schools. This program teaches children about bullying, cyber bullying, child abuse, and digital dangers. Our students will be divided into age appropriate groups for these sessions. You will be given the schedule in advance and are invited to attend with your child if you wish. We will send home a letter with an opportunity for you to decline your child's participation. 

St. Paul Singers Honor Choir performed at the Senior Center last week. These students did a wonderful job. Our next performance will be in December at the Sylvia Thompson center. Watch for dates and permission slips. We will need some help with drivers as well. Students are practicing songs for the Christmas program. They are excited about sharing the true "Signs of Christmas" with all of you. 

Beginning Dec. 4th at 6:30 p.m. the church will be offering Advent services for the three Wednesdays before Christmas. A meal is served in the gym beginning at 5:30 for a free will offering. You and your family are certainly invited to attend. As always, you are invited to church services here. 5:30 Saturday evenings and 9:00 Sunday mornings. You will find this a welcoming and friendly congregation. 

Important Dates:

November 18 and 19: Early dismissal at 12:30. Parent/Teacher Conferences

November 21: PTL Meeting at 6:00 in the cafeteria.

November 26: Papa John's Pizza Night

November 27, 28, 29: No school due to Thanksgiving  

Kalvin Wiest was our Spirit Award winner last week at chapel. Kalvin is a hard worker, cooperative, and kind to his classmates. We are proud of you, Kalvin!

Note in the important dates below that there is a Parent/Teacher League meeting coming up on November 21st at 6:00 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know other parents and to help make fundraising plans for the school. The next fundraiser is the selling of merchant discount cards. Every child will be sent home with cards to sell. We will be sending out more details later. 

Thank you to all who supported us during our last Papa John's Pizza Night. I haven't heard from them yet about how much money we raised. This money goes to the school to help the church with financial support. Approximately 49% (depending on enrollment and other factors) of the cost of operating the school comes from the congregation here at St. Paul's. Tuition covers just a part of the expenses. This is why we are so grateful for your help. 

Are you looking for another way to help? We have a program called Scrip. Through this program you can purchase gift cards to a great many businesses. These businesses then, give the school a percentage of the cost of the gift card. There is no extra expense to you at all. Ms. Janice keeps several on hand and can order what you need, This typically doesn't take long, depending on the size of the order. For example, if you regularly shop at Wal-Mart, considering purchasing a gift card from Ms. Janice to use when you shop. Check this website for more information. https://www.shopwithscrip.com/shopwithscrip-retailers. This is a wonderful, easy way to get your Christmas shopping done.  

Speaking of Christmas, I can't believe it, but we are starting to work on our Christmas program. The program is December 19th at 6:00 p.m. We expect all of our students to participate. If you know there is an issue with that date, let your child's teacher know immediately. Watch for more details. 

You should have received a Sign Up Genius notice from your child's teacher by now. Don't forget to sign up for your slot for a parent/teacher conference. These conferences will last about 15 minutes. Any time you would like a meeting with a teacher, just contact them and set up an appointment. You don't have to wait until parent/teacher conference time. 

Some Important Dates: 

October 29: Randy Nadler Presentation 1:30 

October 29: Volleyball at St. Peter's in Marshall 6:00- This is also Papa John's Pizza night!

November 13: End of 1st Trimester

November 18 and 19: Early dismissal at 12:30. Parent/Teacher Conferences

November 21: PTL Meeting at 6:00 in the cafeteria.

November 26: Papa John's Pizza Night

November 27, 28, 29: No school due to Thanksgiving 

Bowie Dobrowski was the recipient of the Spirit Award this past week during chapel service. Her teacher nominated her because of her cooperation and kindness to other students. She is a great peacemaker in the classroom. We're happy that you are here at St. Paul's, Bowie! 

You are invited to join us in the gym tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 for a presentation by Randy Nadler. We have had Mr. Nadler visit us each year for years now. He is a retired teacher who travels to another country during the summer months and takes photos from his trip. He then visits schools over the next school year and teaches the students about the cultures, geography, flora, and fauna of the country. Tomorrow he will be talking to us about Peru and Ecuador as well as the animals of the Galapagos Islands. Thank you to PTL for funding this presentation!

Just a note to new families and a reminder to our returning families, we don't have Halloween parties here at St. Paul's. Please do not send your child in costume, with colored hair etc. While we don't have a problem with the fun behind what families do to celebrate, here at school, our focus is on Christ- teaching the Word and about creation.  We will be having Chess Club this Thursday as usual. 

Tomorrow is Papa John's night. Your child should be bringing home an informational flyer with coupons on the back. The school receives a percentage of the sales from this cause. You just need to give them the code which is KSS008. Also, if a certain amount is sold, we earn 4 pizzas for use here at school. For last month's pizza reward, the girls volleyball team enjoyed a pizza lunch on their recognition day for the 8th grade players. 

If you want to order school shirts, get them in this week! 

Some Important Dates: 

October 29: Randy Nadler Presentation 1:30 

October 29: Volleyball at St. Peter's in Marshall 6:00- This is also Papa John's Pizza night!

November 13: End of 1st Trimester

November 18 and 19: Early dismissal at 12:30. Parent/Teacher Conferences

November 21: PTL Meeting at 6:00 in the cafeteria.

November 26: Papa John's Pizza Night

November 27, 28, 29: No school due to Thanksgiving 

Dear Parents, 

We will be dismissing at 2:00 this Friday, October 18th. The Smith-Cotton homecoming parade route passes our school and begins lining up just about our dismissal time. Many side streets are blocked and our lot is typically full by then. We will be offering child care for this extra hour and until 5:30 p.m. Also, the return date from Christmas vacation has been extended until January 6th. Teachers will be returning on January 3rd to spend a day working on a section of our re-accreditation self study. This also coincides with the public school return date which may help some families. Your child will be bringing home this slightly revised copy of the school year calendar tomorrow. 

We are excited to have David Snyder from Lutheran Bible Translators visit us at chapel services this Wednesday. Our chapel offerings have been going to help support this service that gets the Word into many languages. It's amazing to think in this time, so many people in the world don't have access to God's Word. Our next chapel offering starting in November, going through January, will be to Lutheran Heritage which is providing much needed help with recent flooding victims in Nebraska.  

The Sedalia Fire Dept. will be visiting our school on Thursday, the 17th to conduct a fire drill. They will bring the Fire Safe House for the younger students to tour that day. This is a wonderful way for us to make sure we are being as safe as possible in the event of a fire. It also gives the students a chance to see the fire department as wonderful helpers. 

Papa John's sent special bookmarks for students to use to record the books they've read. Once they read six books and their teacher signs it, they can redeem them for a small one topping pizza. We are also doing the Missouri State Teachers Association's Reading Circle Certificate program again this year. The amount of books to be read varies with the age group. Your child's teacher will be able to tell you more about it. This certificate is given on the last day of school. 

Thank you to everyone who sent in items to prepare "Blessing Bags" for the unfortunate in our community. All the students will be able to help fill the bags next week. This is such a good community service project and helps connect the students with our church family. 

Our new gym doors now have the remote unlock system installed. If your child is on the playground, just press the buzzer and Ms. Hoos will let you in those doors. 

Teachers were very excited about the wonderful workshops they attended during the National Lutheran Educators Conference last week. They came away with many new ideas as well as being refreshed and renewed in teaching God's Word. 

Remember, you are always invited to attend church services here at St. Paul's. You will find this to be a welcoming congregation. Saturday evening services are in the gym at 5:30 in a more contemporary service, or on Sunday mornings at 9:00 in the church sanctuary. Sunday School and Bible Studies are held after a time of fellowship in the gym on Sundays. You and any family or friends are welcome to attend our weekly Wednesday chapel services at 9:00 in the church.

Important Dates:

October 17: Volleyball at Cole Camp 5:00

October 18: Early dismissal at 2:00 due to Smith-Cotton Homecoming Parade Route (child care available)

October 24: Volleyball Fun Night 6:00

October 29: Volleyball at St. Peter's in Marshall 6:00- This is also Papa John's Pizza night!

November 13: End of 1st Trimester

November 18 and 19: Early dismissal at 12:30. Parent/Teacher Conferences

November 21: PTL Meeting at 6:00 in the cafeteria.

November 26: Papa John's Pizza Night

November 27, 28, 29: No school due to Thanksgiving 

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I'm happy to announce that Ashlyn Gerlt was the Spirit Award winner at chapel this past week. Ashlyn's teacher nominated her because of her work ethic, cooperativeness and kindness to classmates. We are proud of Ashlyn and blessed to have her in our school.

The Spirit Award recipient for last week was Ryan Anderson. Whenever any type of work needs to be done in the building, Ryan is always willing to step up and lend a hand. He looks for ways to be of help. Well done, Ryan!

We are happy to announce that this week’s Spirit Award recipient is Hailyn Sutton. Hailyn shows Christlike friendship to her classmates and students throughout the school. She is a hard worker and an example for all of us. Well done, Hailyn!

Chess Club is beginning next week on Thursday, right after school until 4:00 p.m. We are very grateful to Mr. Hession who has volunteered to sponsor the club this year. The club is open to any child who knows the rules. Students who don’t know how to play will be invited to a special session at a later time where our seasoned players will teach them.

Our first PTL (Parent/Teacher League) meeting is next Thursday, September 19th at 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. These meetings are a wonderful way to meet other parents and find out how to get involved here at St. Paul’s. Childcare will be provided in the gym.

About your child’s progress:

Throughout the school year, teachers use a variety of ways to track your child’s progress. As students enter kindergarten, or enroll in our school, they are screened to provide a general picture of developmental level. Teachers of the younger grades have a series of checklists of skills that they track. Besides assignment grades we use a portfolio system to make informal observations and keep samples of work, etc. Each spring our 3rd through 8th grade students take the Stanford 10 achievement test. They are tested in different areas of math, language, social science, listening, reading, and science. Their scores are compared to national norms.

 You may be wondering what we do with this information. Of course, we want to help parents see their child’s progress, but we also go over the scores of each classroom and focus area to determine if progress is being made. We look for areas that need improvement and plan our curriculum accordingly. For example, in the 2018 scores, we were concerned about the language section. While they were above the national norms, we noticed that they could be improved. After some careful consideration, we ordered a new language series. Excited to see the scores from this spring, we were able to see a definite upward curve in this area. Each content area is routinely considered on a yearly rotating basis as well. There is a plan and a purpose to everything we do. We want to continue helping students improve by improving our school

More important than test scores and preparation for the next level though is the reason for the school, the mission of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church which is sharing the love of Christ and His work for us on the cross. We are humbled to be a part of your important charge as parents- raising your child in the “way he should go.”

Important Dates:

September 17: Home volleyball game against St. Paul's Concordia beginning at 5:00 p.m.

September 19: Parent/Teacher League Meeting 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria

September 20: School Picture Day! 

September 24: Papa John's Pizza Night- Purchase pizza and give our school code. School gets a percentage and free pizzas at a certain level of sales.

September 26: Away volleyball game at St. Paul's, Concordia at 6:00 p.m.

September 27: Early out at 12:30 (following lunch) for staff meeting.

Congratulations to our newest Spirit Award winner, Ethan Snyder. Ethan’s teacher describes him as hardworking and cooperative. He works to get along well with his classmates. Ethan is a fine Christian leader in our school. We’re proud of you, Ethan!

Thank you to all who have gotten in your child’s information to Ms. Janice. She is preparing for a records audit. If you haven’t provided what she needs, please do so quickly.

Chapel services are Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. Families and friends are always welcome. When parents attend, students are welcome to sit with them for the service. Our school divides into "Chapel Families" each year with a 7th or 8th grader being the head of each family. Families are made of all age groups, so it is a great way for them to develop relationships with each other. These families sit together at chapel services. We do activities throughout the year with our chapel families as well. Note- chapel offerings for Sept.-October are for the Lutheran Bible Translators. 

Notice in the Important Dates section below, we have an early dismissal on September 27th. The purpose is for staff training, planning, and work on this year’s accreditation renewal. Childcare will be available for the afternoon.

About Safety:

Staff were trained in adult, child, and infant CPR just before the start of school. They were also trained to use an AED unit (ours is in the gym near the outside double doors) and how to appropriately occurrences where they or children could come in contact with blood borne pathogens.

Our school has an Emergency Operations Plan in place that was reviewed and discussed with staff before school started. We are working on scheduling someone from law enforcement tour our building and classrooms with us to help us prepare in the event of an intruder situation. Because of differing layouts, each classroom has a plan for this circumstance, but having someone from law enforcement go over them with us is important.

Our lock down system helps provide building security as well as the implementation of the first wave of our new camera system that will eventually be throughout the building and playground. Students are told that they cannot open any outside door to anyone, including their own parents. It’s vital that we know who is in our building at all times. We realize it takes time to sign in at the office, but it is for everyone’s safety. As another safety precaution, our street level windows have ballistic film as well. Plans for the future include either new classroom doors or implementation of safety mechanisms for these doors. I’ve had a couple of suggestions that I will discuss with our trustees.

Important Dates:

September 12: Home volleyball game with St. Peters at 6:00 p.m.

September 17: Home volleyball game against St. Paul's Concordia beginning at 5:00 p.m.

September 19: Parent/Teacher League Meeting 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria

September 20: School Picture Day! 

September 24: Papa John's Pizza Night- Purchase pizza and give our school code. School gets a percentage and free pizzas at a certain level of sales.

September 26: Away volleyball game at St. Paul's, Concordia at 6:00 p.m.

September 27: Early out at 12:30 (following lunch) for staff meeting.

Congratulations to Zoe Fragoso for being the first Spirit Award winner of the year! Zoe was nominated by her teacher because of her kindnesses to fellow students, her work habits, and happy attitude. We're proud of you, Zoe. 

All of our school moms are invited to participate in a free women's retreat here at St. Paul's on Saturday, September 24th from 8:30 to 2:30 p.m. in our school gym. Fill your bucket with topics such as women's health, stress management, exercise, and spiritual health. Lunch will be provided, free will donations accepted. Please let me or Barbara Desmond (660-221-9454) know if you want to attend and you can get registered. Registrations are taken through September 5th so that food can be planned. This sounds like a fun and informative event. 

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Don't forget to get your school tee shirt order in this week. We're excited to get them ordered. 

Smith-Cotton High School Cheer leaders are sponsoring a cheer clinic for grades K-8 on September 16th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The cost is $20 and includes a tee shirt. The participants will learn many new skills and a routine that they will perform at the Jr. Varsity game after the clinic. Contact Christine Cook if you have any questions or your child needs transportation. 

We are in need of a Chess Club Sponsor this year. Mr. Weber's schedule won't allow him to do volunteer to do it for this school year. You don't have to be a chess master, just willing to help the students as they play one another. 

Following are some important dates for September:

September 3: Home volleyball game against LSA Cole Camp. Begins at 5:00 p.m.

September 12: Home volleyball game with St. Peters at 6:00 p.m.

September 17: Home volleyball game against St. Paul's Concordia beginning at 5:00 p.m.

September 19: Parent/Teacher League Meeting 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria

September 20: School Picture Day! 

September 24: Papa John's Pizza Night- Purchase pizza and give our school code. School gets a percentage and free pizzas at a certain level of sales.

September 26: Away volleyball game at St. Paul's, Concordia at 6:00 p.m.

September 27: Early out at 12:30 (following lunch) for staff meeting.

Greetings Parents!

We've had a great first week of school. All of us are beginning to get into a routine and are prepared for a wonderful year. I wanted to let you know about something we've began doing last year and are continuing. Each morning, teachers meet together for prayer and devotion. We pray for 3 children and their families each day with their teachers giving the rest of us insight so that all of us can make personal connections with them. This year, when we've prayed for your child and family, we will be letting you know. Please keep our school in your prayers as well. 

Some important information:

• If you haven't turned in your parent permission page, please do so. I have pictures of our first week that I want to share. I won't do that until I know I have your permission. For you new families, look up our school on facebook. Remember that we have a website- www.sedaliastpauls.org. 
• We've received several tee shirt orders. The last day to order will be next Friday, August 30th. 
• You can find our lunch menu posted on the school website. Each day, there is a choice to substitute the entree with either a turkey or ham and cheese sandwich. On Fridays, we have a cold treat available for $1.00- usually ice cream bar, fudge bar, and Popsicles. Let your child's teacher know if your child can't have this, otherwise, if they tell us they want it, we will give it to them. The cost will be included in your lunch bill. 

We will start music classes next week. Band or Music Appreciation will be on Wednesdays. On Fridays, we will have an honor choir this year made of 4th through 8th grade students who love to sing and want to travel in town to perform during school time. We will likely sing during at least one church service here at St. Paul's this year. Please drop me an email if you are interested in your child's participation.  

We had some wonderful parent feedback last spring about more options for students. We loved that idea too and have a plan to offer two choices of elective classes for grades 5 through 8. This trimester, the choices will be Cooking (nutrition, meal planning, actual cooking etc.) and Life Skills (getting along with peers, study habits, etc.). The oldest students (8th graders) will get first choice, then 7th grade, 6th, then 5th. Thank you for your input, parents! We are excited about putting this suggestion into practice. 

Mr. Weber has sponsored Chess Club for the past several years. This year he is offering this opportunity to someone else. If you would like to lead Chess Club, please let me know. Even if someone would alternate weeks with Mr.Weber, that would be helpful. Please give this your prayerful consideration. 

Beta Club will begin meeting on Tuesday during our lunch time. Beta Club is a club for academic excellence, leadership, and service. It is open to 6th through 8th grade. Your child must maintain be on the A/B honor roll to participate. If they are off for a trimester, they have some grace time until grades come out again. 

Our school families are always welcome and invited to join us in worship either on Saturday evenings in the gym at 5:30 or Sunday mornings in the sanctuary at 9:00. Bible study for adults follows Sunday church service in the gym, children meet in the school cafeteria, and 7th graders through high school meet with Mr. and Mrs. Nail for Bible study in the church basement (beginning in Sept.) You will find this congregation to be open and friendly. 

God's blessings! 

Dear Parents, 

This week marks the last Chess Club of the year. We are very grateful for Mr. Weber's sponsorship. Encourage your player to keep practicing at home.

This Wednesday, April 3rd, the teachers are hosting a dinner at 5:30 in the gym. We will be serving fried chicken, a variety of salads, hot rolls, and dessert for a free will offering. The Lenten service follows in the church at 6:30. We invite you and your family to attend. Our national Lutheran Educator's Conference will be in St. Louis next year and the teachers are trying to help with cost. We would love your support.

Students have really enjoyed being able to have a breakfast snack in the morning before school. They also seem to really like the choice of having a sandwich for an entree. Ice cream Friday has been a bit hit as well. Thank you for your continued support of the lunch program. We're excited that Ms. Joann has agreed to be our school cook again next year. Her April menu is posted below. 

April Menu

1st chili dog/buns, corn chips, mixed veggies, pears

2nd chicken nuggets, potatoes/gravy, green beans, peaches

3rd meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, corn, fresh fruit

4th mac & cheese/ham, peas, biscuit w/jelly, applesauce

5th quesadilla, potato chips, tossed salad, mixed fruit

8th corn dogs, tater tots, carrots, fresh fruit

9th “Taco Tuesday” California blend, warm apple slices, cake

10th spaghetti/meatballs, garlic bread, green beans, vanilla pudding

11th burrito/cheese sauce, broccoli, cookie, pineapple

12th tomato soup, grilled cheese, peas, mixed fruit

15th eggroll, rice, corn, Easter brownie

16th chicken & noodles, ½ peanut butter sandwich, vanilla cookie/pudding

23rd riblets, noodles, peas, pears

24th sausage, egg pattie, French toast, fresh orange

25th quesadilla, tossed salad, tomato macaroni, applesauce

26th beanie weenies, corn, butter/bread, peaches

29th burrito/cheese sauce, broccoli, macaroni salsa, pineapple

30th cheeseburger/bun, pickles, French fries, California blend, applesauce

May 1 Potato tot casserole, peas, raw veggies, caje

May 2 chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes/gravy, green beans, mixed fruit

May 3 breakfast pizza, tortilla chips, biscuit/jelly, fresh oranges

Thank you so much for everyone who donated jewelry for Monarch Jewelry during (and after) Lutheran Schools Week. Our penny war netted $588 with grades 1 and 2 being the winners of the traveling trophy. They beat preschool with just 2 cents per child. Half of this money will go to Monarch Jewelry and the other half toward paying for yearbooks for each child. 

There is an opportunity for your child to participate in a choir at the Marriage and Family Conference that will be held at Trinity in Cole Camp on April 26-27. The children's choir would sing on Friday evening, the 26th. Please let me know if you are interested in your child participating. 

Tomorrow is the first day of spring and we are looking forward to putting winter behind us! Since we had another snow day, the Board of Christian Day School wishes to assure that students are receiving a quality educational experience, so we will be making up another day and a half to help further that goal. We will be holding a full day of school on Friday, May 24th (our original last day of school). We will be observing Memorial Day on May 27th as planned. There will be a full day of school on Tuesday, May 28th, with our last day planned for Wednesday, the 29th.

We are making plans for May  28th. Katy Park shelter has been reserved for us and we have arranged some special guest speakers with learning activities for that day. There will be a picnic lunch and we will of course, save some time for end-of-the-year fun and fellowship in the Word. Your child's teacher will be sending more detailed information closer to the date as we make final arrangements. 

Our last day of school will be Wednesday, May 29th. On the last day of school, we begin at 8:00 as usual with child care available before and after school. Chapel service and awards are at 9:00 in the church. Families and friends are welcome. Students may leave with their parents then, or may stay in afternoon child care. Children who stay for child care will need to bring a lunch.   

April 1st is the last day to apply for tuition scholarship through LESA. You must have applied for this opportunity before the Board of Christian Day School is able to consider your family for any additional funds. I've attached the information once again to this letter in case you need it. 

Thank you to all who have let us know of your intention to enroll for next year. If you haven't done so, please let us know. Replying to this email is just fine. 

God's blessings! 

Dear Parents, 

     We've had a fun Lutheran Schools Week. Since we were out of school on Monday, we will have pajama day this coming Monday, March 11th. We will continue the Penny War on Monday as well. We plan to collect jewelry for Monarch Jewelry all next week. Thank you so much for coming to the breakfast and chapel and inviting grandparents to attend as well. We think we had a record crowd this year. We are looking for ways to improve this event for next year, so if you have ideas, let us know.

     The PTL Spaghetti Dinner and school Talent Show is scheduled for May 16th. There will be a short PTL meeting at some point during the event as there will be an election of new officers. The two offices open are for president and treasurer. If you are interested in participating, let Shane Weber or Megan Page know. Our next PTL meeting is March 21st, 6:00, in the cafeteria. 

     We are making up some snow days on April 15th and 16th. The church is presenting the Living Last Supper and the Crucifixion in the school gym that week so we won't be able to use the gym. You will need to drop your children off in front of the double glass doors and they will head to the cafeteria where they can play board games before school starts. Pick up will still be from the playground gate.

     If you haven't been to the presentation of the Living Last Supper and Crucifixion, you should put it on your calendar. It is being presented on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 16th and 17th. Doors open at 6:30 and the curtain goes up at 7:00. There is no charge, but there will be a basket for a free will offering at the door. You will find it a quite moving representation. 

     Lenten services are Wednesdays at 6:30 with a free will dinner served in the gym starting at 5:30. You certainly invited and encouraged to attend these. 

God's blessings! 

Dear Parents,

Thank you so very much to all of you who have let me know about your enrollment plans for next school year. If you haven't done so, please do let me know. Email is just fine. A couple of grades will be filling quickly as we also are getting calls from people new to our school. We want to give current families every opportunity to secure a seat first. Remember that the $100 paid registration guarantees your child's slot.

The basketball team, parents, pastors, and friends had a wonderful basketball fun night this week. The eighth grade players were recognized and the boys gave cards and a gift certificate to Coach Weber. We are so grateful for her volunteer time. The boys worked hard and definitely improved their skills as they learned about teamwork and sportsmanship. Thank you, Mrs. Weber!

Our spring photos were taken last week along with sports, music, and chess club. You may still order these online.

Preschool through 4th grade were treated to a program presented by Delta Dental this week. The students loved it! These people present a very entertaining program free of charge. They do this every other year for us.

Our Lenten services start next Wednesday at 6:30 in the church. Different groups host a dinner on the Wednesdays in Lent that begin at 5:30. These are free will donation. You are invited to bring your family for dinner and then join in the Lent service afterward. Teachers are hosting the dinner on April 3rd to help pay for next year's national Lutheran teacher conference that will be in St. Louis. Our menu will be fried chicken, a variety of salads, dinner roll, and dessert. We typically only send one or two teachers to the national conference, but since it is in St. Louis, we want everyone to go and it will be expensive.

We've had two successful Schoolstore fundraisers this year. Thank you so much to everyone who participated. We will probably take next year off from doing this and may try something else instead.

As I hope you've heard by now, we have had to postpone the PTL Spaghetti Dinner/Bake Sale due to the weather forecast for this weekend. We are going to combine it with the spring talent show on Thursday, May 16th which is also the date of the last PTL meeting of the school year. The talent show is always well attended and this should work well for the fundraiser. Everything else should go as planned for our celebration of Lutheran Schools Week.

Lutheran Schools Week Celebration March 3rd-8th

• Scholastic Book Fair all week in the art classroom. Open during the Grandparent (and parent) Breakfast, and after school until 3:30.

• Service Project- We will collect used costume jewelry to donate to Monarch Jewelry, an organization at a Lutheran church in St. Louis that remakes jewelry to sell to support a rescue house. Each child will bring home a sandwich bag with a white label on the front. Parents can donate any costume jewelry, broken or otherwise and sign their name on the label (so that we make sure everything in the bag is okay to donate). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J2JLkCyNkMo is the link you can watch to learn more about this project.

• Penny War - The Penny War lasts from Monday through Friday. Each classroom participates in collecting pennies, which count as a positive. They put other coins and bills in other classroom jars which count as a negative. This year the money collected will go toward the purchase of yearbooks for each student and the other half as a cash donation to Monarch Jewelry.

• Lutheran Hour Ministries Mission trip to Peru all week. Children will learn about life in Peru, the geography of the country, and how Lutheran Hour Ministries helps share God’s word there.

Monday- “Real Grace”  Amazing Grace opening in the gym.  Wear your pajamas and each classroom will watch a movie.

Tuesday- “Real Praise”  Wear your faith (Christian jewelry, tee shirt, etc.)

Wednesday- “Real People”  Dress your best day. Grandparent Breakfast (parents welcome too) A continental breakfast will be served from 7:15 to 8:00 for a free will donation. Everyone is invited to complete a color page during the breakfast which will be sent to a member of the military. This is a volunteer project for the non-profit group, Color a Smile.  A special chapel service will begin at 8:15 in the church with students participating.

Thursday- “Real Time” Chapel family relay races in the gym followed by snacks. 2:15-2:40 Races. Snacks 2:40-2:50. Show your school spirit and wear school shirts, or you can wear gear in support of your favorite sports team.

Friday- “Real Places”  Patriotic Day- Wear red, white, blue. Today’s focus will be on missionaries. Chapel families will meet together and learn about a particular missionary and will pray for them.

Dear Parents,

Our basketball season had a wonderful night at St. Peters in Marshall. Both teams won their games. The season will end on February 26th at 6:00 with the Basketball Fun Night. The boys play parents, pastors, and whoever else would like to play. The eighth graders will be recognized at this game as well. We really appreciate Ann Weber for coaching these boys and we appreciate Shane Weber for managing the concessions.

We will be having school on Monday, the 25th. Lunch for that day will be turkey and noodles, corn, butter bread, and brownies. There is a slight change in the menu on Tuesday next week. We will be having chicken breasts instead of chicken nuggets. Everything else remains the same

February 28th is the end of our second trimester. Grades will be sent home March 4th. Delta Dental will be at our school to provide a wonderful, interactive program for our younger students about dental health. 

Thank you so much for all the responses indicating enrollment for next year. If you haven't done so, please do reply to this email or the original if you want and let me if you plan to enroll for next year. This is such a help in our planning. We also appreciate you sharing information about our school with friends, neighbors, and coworkers. You are our best advertisers! 

PTL is having a spaghetti dinner fundraiser and bake sale/auction on Sunday, March 3rd after church/Sunday school (more info below). We need each family to donate baked goods for this event. Items should be in the gym kitchen by Saturday, the 2nd if at all possible. If you'd like to help, contact Shane Weber. 

Information about our Lutheran Schools Week is below: 

Lutheran Schools Week Celebration March 3rd-8th

• Kickoff Sunday, March 3rd. PTL is sponsoring a spaghetti dinner and bake sale/auction. The dinner starts after church (9:00 a.m.) and Bible study/Sunday school, around 11:30. All students will be performing to begin the dinner. They should be in the gym by 11:20. Band students should put their instruments together and meet in the 5th/6th grade room. Be sure to let your child's teacher know if for some reason, they won't be able to participate.

• Scholastic Book Fair all week in the art classroom. Open Sunday during the spaghetti dinner, Grandparent Breakfast, and after school until 3:30.

• Service Project- We will collect used costume jewelry to donate to Monarch Jewelry, an organization at a Lutheran church in St. Louis that remakes jewelry to sell to support a rescue house. Each child will bring home a sandwich bag with a white label on the front. Parents can donate any costume jewelry, broken or otherwise and sign their name on the label (so that we make sure everything in the bag is okay to donate). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J2JLkCyNkMo is the link you can watch to learn more about this project.

• Penny War - The Penny War lasts from Monday through Friday. Each classroom participates in collecting pennies, which count as a positive. They put other coins and bills in other classroom jars which count as a negative. This year the money collected will go toward the purchase of yearbooks for each student and the other half as a cash donation to Monarch Jewelry.

• Lutheran Hour Ministries Mission trip to Peru all week. Children will learn about life in Peru, the geography of the country, and how Lutheran Hour Ministries helps share God’s word there.

Monday- “Real Grace”  Amazing Grace opening in the gym.  Wear your pajamas and each classroom will watch a movie.

Tuesday- “Real Praise”  Wear your faith (Christian jewelry, tee shirt, etc.)

Wednesday- “Real People”  Dress your best day. Grandparent Breakfast (parents welcome too) A continental breakfast will be served from 7:15 to 8:00 for a free will donation. Everyone is invited to complete a color page during the breakfast which will be sent to a member of the military. This is a volunteer project for the non-profit group, Color a Smile.  A special chapel service will begin at 8:15 in the church with students participating.

Thursday- “Real Time” Chapel family relay races in the gym followed by snacks. 2:15-2:40 Races. Snacks 2:40-2:50. Show your school spirit and wear school shirts, or you can wear gear in support of your favorite sports team.

Friday- “Real Places”  Patriotic Day- Wear red, white, blue. Today’s focus will be on missionaries. Chapel families will meet together and learn about a particular missionary and will pray for them.

God's blessings!

Here it is, snowing again. The Board of Christian Day School met last evening and one of our discussions was about make-up days for the time missed due to inclement weather. The state minimum requirement is 174 days or a total of 1044 hours of teaching time (does not include lunch). This school year, if we don't miss any more days, we are at 169 days and 1067 hours. We still are above the state minimum requirement.The key word here is minimum. For accreditation purposes we are expected to meet or exceed minimum requirements. We will be making up some days.

The make up days are as follows: 

Monday, February 25th

Monday, April 15th

Tuesday, April 16th- This will be an early out with dismissal at 12:30.

The rest of the calendar remains the same. Let's hope that the weather settles down and turns into spring soon. I appreciate your patience with our "snow days." Whatever we do, there are always people who have differing opinions or who are inconvenienced. I will always try to err on the side of caution for both children and staff. We do not have late starts nor do we release early due to inclement weather, but if doing either of those keeps your family safe, then know that we support parents doing what is best for their children. 

We are gearing up for our celebration of National Lutheran Schools Week. To kick off the celebration, PTL is holding a spaghetti dinner and baked goods sale/silent auction. This will be Sunday, March 3rd following church and Sunday school. The dinner begins at approximately 11:30. All students in the school will be performing and we want to make sure they are in attendance. We certainly invite your family to attend church and Sunday school. Church is at 9:00 a.m. followed by Sunday school and a Bible study for adults. Be sure to let your child's teacher know if for some reason, they won't be here. This is a wonderful way for our school children to show appreciation to the church members who support the school. The tuition paid by families typically funds between 50-55% of the cost of your child's education. The school is an important mission of the church and we are grateful for the support of this congregation. We will be having a Scholastic Book Fair during our Lutheran Schools Week celebration and have a parent/grandparent breakfast and special chapel service planned to honor grandparents. I'll be sending out information about specific dress up days, etc. It's always a fun week. 

Thank you for supporting the discount card sales. The preschool classroom won the pizza party contest. They sold 6.5 cards per child. We also appreciate your support the Schoolstore campaigns. We received around $1000 in donations to purchase items for classrooms. 

Following are some important dates: 

February 18- Presidents Day, No School

February 21- Spring Pictures, Sports, Chess Club, Choir, Band, Cheerleading

Also February 21- Basketball game at Marshall 6:00

February 22- Dismiss at noon, Staff Mtg. 

February 25- Make-Up Day

February 26- Basketball Fun Night 6:00

Dear Parents, 

     It is wonderful being back in school with our students. Let's all hope the bad weather is at an end. 

     We are launching the 2nd half of our Schoolstore fundraising campaign this week. Your child will be bringing home an envelop with a booklet inside. If you complete at least 3 of the entries with names/addresses of people who might be supportive (other than you), your child will receive a prize. The first page is the golden ticket form with your child's name to be filled out. This is for $100. Send the booklet (no pages torn out) back to school and your child will also be entered to win a tee shirt or a remote controlled Minion. 

     Thursday, February 21st is our spring picture day. We will also be taking photos of Chess Club, Band, Choir, Basketball and Volleyball, and Cheerleading. Watch for information coming home soon. 

God's blessings! 

Parents, 

     Monday, the 21st is Martin Luther King day so we won't have school. Mid term grades/progress reports will be sent home on Tuesday. We also have a basketball game scheduled with Trinity Lutheran, Alma here on Thursday, the 24th at 5:00.

     Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the PTL meeting this week. Plans were made for the spaghetti dinner fundraiser and bake sale on March 3rd. This is on a Sunday and will begin serving around noon, maybe just a bit before. Students will be performing that day so be sure to put it on your calendar. We will be asking for each family to contribute baked goods to be sold. Let your child's teacher or Shane Weber know if you are willing to help cook, set up, serve, and clean up. This is the big fundraiser for the year, so we need everyone to pitch in. 

     Thank you to everyone who has sold their discount cards! Remember that you need to either send back the money for the cards or turn them back in to your child's teacher. The contest for the classroom selling the most ends February 1st. The winning class gets a pizza party! 

     January 29th is Papa John's Night for our school. When you order pizza there, give them our code, KSSOO8. 

      I'm going to be sending out a parent survey next week through Survey Monkey.It is very helpful for us to get feedback in order to keep planning on ways to improve the school. You don't have to sign up anything to complete the survey and your answers are anonymous. 

     New sinks were installed in the restrooms off the cafeteria. These look wonderful. They were made possible through a generous donation to the school. 

Menu for the rest of January: 

January 22: cheese burger/bun, baked beans, potato chips, pineapple

January 23: grilled ham/cheese, tater tots, corn, banana

January 24: spaghetti/meat sauce, garlic toast, mixed vegetables, cookie

January 25: mac & cheese, green beans, bread/butter, pears (ice cream or frozen treat available for $1)

January 28: corn dogs, French fries, peaches, brownie

January 29: tacos, rice, corn, fresh fruit

January 30: grilled chicken breast, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, apple crisp

January 31: chili/crackers, corn chips, 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, vanilla pudding

February 1: pizza, garlic toast, raw veggies/ranch dressing dip, mixed fruit

Dear Parents, 

     For some reason, the body of the announcement was lost somewhere between the writing and sending. I'll try this again. Sorry to clutter your inbox.

     This Thursday, the 17th, is our January Parent/Teacher League meeting at 6:00 in the cafeteria. Child care is provided in the gym at no cost to parents. Discount cards are still being sold. Each family needs to either sell them or return the ones not sold. 

      The menu for the rest of this week is as follows: 

Wednesday- chicken strips, mashed potatoes/gravy, green beans, fresh fruit

Thursday- Meatloaf, oven fried potatoes, sweet carrots, mixed fruit

Friday- fish patty, French fries, peas, peaches (Ice cream/frozen treat for $1)

*Turkey or ham and cheese sandwich offered in place of entree each day.

     On the 22nd, weather permitting, older students will walk to the court house to attend the Right to Life presentation and will lead the participants in singing "God Bless America."

     Thank you from Ms. Janice and teachers for all the kindnesses and gifts given to us at Christmas this year. It is our pleasure and joy to serve in this place. 

God's blessings! 

Mrs. Tull

Dear Parents,

I’m hoping you and your families have had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s holiday season full of memory making for everyone.

Things have been happening around here during our break. The school kitchen was remodeled! New wallboard was installed with ceiling and trim painted. The steam table valves were updated as well. Ms. Joann is excited about coming back in to work in her new kitchen. Following is the menu for our first week back:

Monday- Corn dogs, French fries, baked beans, and applesauce.

Tuesday- Chicken and rice soup, grilled cheese sandwich, banana, and chocolate pudding

Wednesday- BBQ Riblet, tater tots, green beans, and pineapple

Thursday-  Beef stroganoff with noodles, peas, pears, and bread/butter

Friday- Pizza, garlic bread, raw veggies/ranch dressing, peaches    

* We offer either ham and cheese or turkey sandwich in place of the entree for each day.

* Ice cream or other frozen dessert is available for $1 on Friday.

We will have a change in our music program for grades 3 through 8 this first week back to school:

• I will be teaching band and music appreciation for these grades on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each of these classes will be 30 minutes both days. If your child has been in band, I expect them to continue in band and music appreciation is not necessary. In music appreciation, students will sing hymns and traditional Americana songs. They will learn the basics of reading music. They will also learn about different instruments-the orchestra, concert bands, jazz bands, etc. They will be exposed to a large variety of music and some music history. There will be a few days that band members will be asked to participate in music appreciation.

• There is a third option. Students in these grades can opt for membership in St. Paul’s Singers which will be offered on Wednesdays for 1 hour. If your child wants to be in St. Paul’s Singers, music appreciation is not necessary. Students who are in band may also be in St. Paul’s Singers. Students in St. Paul’s Singers will be traveling locally, during school time, to perform at various places. There will be a few days that St. Paul’s Singers will be asked to participate in music appreciation.

• Beginning band will start on January 17th and will meet with regular band each Thursday. If your child is interested in beginning band and you haven’t talked with me about it, please do so. The school has some instruments available for those who are interested. I am hoping to find a trombonist, saxophone players, and clarinet players especially. Your child cannot come to beginning band until I hear from a parent. Beginning band students are still expected to participate in either music appreciation or St. Paul’s Singers.

• When not engaged in a music class, students may have study hall time.

Our first basketball is this Tuesday, the 8th at 5:00. This will be the first Panther Cheerleading experience for the school year as well.

God’s blessings!

Mrs. Tull

Dear Parents,

I wanted to post once again the message that our Christmas program has been changed to Tuesday the 18th at 6:00. Please make sure your student/s are here by 5:45. They need to go directly to their classroom. Once band students have on their costumes, they need to go to the music room to assemble their instruments and warm up with Mr. Faaborg. The children have been working hard on their Christmas program. I think it’s something everyone will enjoy and most importantly hear about the good news of Jesus’ birth.

Thank you to everyone who was able to donate to the class Christmas baskets that PTL is  selling them at silent auction before the program. These will make wonderful gifts to give someone special on your Christmas list! As always, we are very appreciative of the efforts of our parents.  

I want to let you know that Mr. Faaborg has decided to resign as choir and band director as well as cook. We will still offer these programs. I plan on once again directing the band. There may be a change in how choir is offered. I will send out more information when the details are determined. If your child is interested in learning to play a band instrument, we will be having beginning band after Christmas. The school does have some instruments available for children to use. Please let me know if your child is interested.

We are looking forward to the new year and have plans for the children to learn about birds and how to recognize our backyard birds in Missouri along with making feeders for outside our classroom windows. Mrs. Katzing has scheduled this program to begin in January with a visit from the Bird Sanctuary program out of Marshall.

There will be no chess club next week.

God’s blessings!

Dates:

December 18- School Christmas program. Begins at 6:00. Children here by 5:45.

December 21- Christmas Parties! We will dismiss at 11:00. No lunch served. Child care   

                       Available.

December 22-January 6th. Our first day back from break is January 7th

January 3- Basketball practice 4:00-5:30

January 8- Basketball game with cheerleading at Applewood here in Sedalia. 5:00

Dear Parents,

Thank you so much for your patience with our “time off” during November. An explanation of how this month falls might be helpful. Our first trimester ends and we are required to hold parent/teacher conferences. I think we’ve done this differently each year that I’ve been here in an effort to find the perfect formula. We try to accomodate parent schedules as much as possible, so we opted not to hold them all in one school day because we don’t want parents to have to leave their work. The half days allowed us to count both days as being “in session” and to help schedule parents without having meetings late into the night.

The other “time off” issue is the Missouri District teachers conference held during Thanksgiving week. We don’t have control over that and are again required to attend. We had Wednesday, Thanksgiving, and Friday off for the holiday. We could hold school on Wednesday and Friday, but this won’t work for families traveling for the holiday and our attendance would be very low those days. Unfortunately, we had a snow day on Monday. In retrospect, we likely could have had school, but we can’t be certain about this until we actually see how the weather plays out.

This Friday, we have an early out for teacher’s meeting. I considered canceling it because of our snow day, but in order to finalize plans for our Christmas program (and several other things such as accreditation work), we really must have a meeting that gives us time to plan. These programs take quite a lot of coordinating with all staff.

Parent/Teacher League meeting will be this Thursday at 6:00. Be sure to join us. This is a wonderful opportunity to get involved in your child’s school and to network with other parents.

Important Dates:

Nov. 29- Basketball Practice 4:00-5:30, Cheerleading Practice- 4:00-5:00

Nov. 30- Early out at 12:00 following lunch

Dec. 4, 6, 11, 13, 18- Basketball Practice 4:00-5:30, Cheerleading Practice- 4:00-5:00

Dec. 20- Christmas Program at 6:00. Children need to be here by 5:40.

Dec. 21- Christmas Parties, Dismiss at 11:00, no lunch served.

Dec. 24 through Jan.6- Christmas Break

Jan. 8- Basketball game at Applewood (here in Sedalia) Game at 5:00

School is closed Monday, November 26th, due to inclement weather. 

It’s hard to believe that it is November already and we have our first snow today. Our first trimester ends on Monday. You should have received information from your child’s teacher about scheduling parent/teacher conferences next Thursday and Friday, the 15th and 16th. Please do respond if you haven’t done so yet so that we can try to get sibling conferences back to back if possible. Note that we are dismissing at noon following lunch on those days. The next week teachers will be at our Lutheran Educators Conference followed by Thanksgiving break.

I apologize for the late notice about our 2:00 dismissal today due to the Veterans Day parade (of which I was unaware). We will have child care available this afternoon.

Preschool through 4th grade will be attending the children’s play at State Fair Community College Friday morning, the 16th. We hope we are able for these classes to attend. Right now there are not enough drivers signed up for all grade levels. We have to know by Monday if you can drive or are planning to attend. Our seats are limited and we have to be able to take a check to pay for tickets. If you are driving just your child, that is certainly fine, but be prepared to pay for your own ticket. The plan is to begin loading carseats and kiddos at 8:15.

I encourage you to take advantage of the school lunch program. We do not participate in the federal school lunch program for many reasons, so we try hard to provide healthy lunches that are convenient and affordable to our families.

We have picked out the school Christmas program this year and will start working on it next week! Your child may be in costume, so you might want to wait before purchasing that adorable new “Christmas dress” or suit. The name of the program this year is “Shepherds, Sheep, and a Savior.” This will be a fun program that points to the birth of our Christ. PTL will be sponsoring a class basket silent auction during the program as well. Your child’s teacher will be sending out information about their theme. Teachers will be looking for a parent/s to put the basket together too.

Our next PTL meeting will be on Thursday, the 29th of November at 6:30. This meeting had to be moved from its normal date due to conferences.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is providing a Thanksgiving Eve service on Wednesday, Nov. 21st at 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. You are invited to come and worship with your family and join us in giving thanks for all the good things God has provided, especially the gift of His Son.

Events:

Nov. 15/16 Parent/Teacher Conferences, dismiss at noon

Nov. 19-24 No School

Nov. 29 @ 6:30 PTL Meeting

Congratulations to Estelle Heimsoth, this week's Spirit Award winner. Estelle demonstrates kindness and cooperation in her classroom. We’re proud of her!

Parents and volleyball players had a wonderful night of volleyball in celebration of a wonderful season. Today, the girls are being treated to a special pizza lunch with Coach Sprinkle. These girls showed a great deal of growth in their skills and consistently demonstrated Christian sportsmanship. On to basketball season! Mrs. Weber will be coaching our boys basketball with some help from Mr. Weber from time to time. We are so grateful for these volunteer coaches who spend so much time with these students. Notice the practice schedule for the first part of November.

Randy Nadler is coming once again this year to share information with the students about his summer trip to India. Parents and friends are invited to attend. This is Tuesday, October 30th at 1:30.

Thank you to Mrs. Snyder for compiling the PTL catalog sales. Thanks to all of you who helped get orders for us. We are hopeful that the items will be delivered before our Thanksgiving break.

Watch for more information about parent/teacher conferences!

Important Dates for November-

6th, 8th, 13th, 27th, 29th: Basketball practice 4:00-5:30

15th and 16th: Parent/Teacher Conferences-dismiss after lunch at noon. Child care available

19th through 23rd: No school due to Lutheran Educator Conference and Thanksgiving

27th: School Picture Make-Up Day

30th: Staff meeting, Dismiss at noon after lunch, child care available

We have had several Spirit Award winners. Congratulations to Emma Shull, WJ Campbell, and Makenna Gerlt! These are fine young Christian leaders in our school. We are so happy to have all three of you here.

Our volleyball season is quickly coming to a close. Monday, the 22nd is our last home game. These girls have had a great season. We appreciate seeing the new skills they’ve learned and their demonstration of Christian sportsmanship.

We will be sending sign up information soon so that you can sign up a time for your parent/teacher conference. Note that we have two half days designated for conferences, but those of us with larger classes will likely add some evening times in as well.

Christmas time is coming! Don’t forget that Ms. Janice has Script cards in the office to sell. Just about any business you can think of participates. She keeps several on hand but can order what you want. These work like gift cards and a percentage of each card earns money for the school. If you order one, they typically arrive within a week. She can answer any questions you may have. This is a wonderful and easy way to do your Christmas shopping!

Chess Club is going well! Make sure that your child wants to be in Chess Club before sending them. Some of the younger ones have wanted to go to child care instead. I’ve asked Mr. Weber to send them to child care if they say they want to go, and we will keep you updated.

Thank you for helping with the PTL catalog sales. Monday is the last day to bring orders and money. Our hope is that the items arrive before Thanksgiving break so that you can give ordered items to their owners.

Thank you to all the parents who were able to bring their children to represent our school at the Chamber of Commerce Business Expo.  We had several awesome singers who did a great job. Zachary Weber also played a trumpet solo. Several students told me how much fun they had. Well done!

October 22- Catalog sales (Kleinhenn) money and orders due

October 22- Home Volleyball game with St. Peters, Marshall 6:00

October 26- Dismiss at noon (after lunch) for staff meeting. Child care available until 5:30

October 30- Randy Nadler to present program about India, 1:30 parents invited

October 30- Papa John’s Pizza Night- 25% of sales with this code, KSS08, goes to St. Paul’s!

November 15 and 16- Dismiss at noon for parent/teacher conferences.

November 19-23- No school, Lutheran Educator Conference and Thanksgiving Break. No child care.

November 27- School Picture Make-up day

November 29- PTL Meeting 6:00

November 30-Dismiss at noon (after lunch) for staff meeting. Child care provided.

Congratulations to Isabella Cowan, winner of the Spirit Award at our most recent chapel service. Isabella is a model student, well-prepared, kind, and cooperative. We are proud of you, Isabella!

Your child is bringing home a large envelope from SchoolStore. The envelope has instructions for you to go to a site online and register your child. They have emails that you can send to friends and family inviting them to view the online catalog or make a donation to your child’s class. We are asking students to bring back their envelopes as soon as possible. They will get a stuffed animal backpack clip on just for having sent some emails. If people you send to make purchases, your child can earn other prizes and the school makes money. One of the envelopes we send home will have a “golden ticket” worth $100. The holder of the ticket must be registered with the site to win it. We earned around $1000 last year. Our school participated in this fundraiser last year and it was pretty successful.

Note that we will dismiss at 2:00 this Friday, October 5th. This is because we are on the route of the homecoming parade. Child care is available until 5:30 as usual.

Mid term grades will be sent home this Friday. Note that these grades are not part of the permanent record and there is time for students to make improvements. At the end of the first trimester, we will hold parent/teacher conferences (November 15 and 16). Any time you wish to meet with your child’s teacher, don’t hesitate to let them know so a meeting time can be set.

At our staff meeting last Friday, teachers participated in staff development focused on ways that students of today (screen agers) may learn most effectively. We had two trainers from the Missouri River Bird Observatory group based in Marshall provide information on how to begin teaching our students about birds. We will be partnering with them further to help us teach students about birds, identification, field guides, etc.

Volleyball practice this week is Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 to 4:30. The next game is at LSA Cole Camp, on the 18th. These girls have done an outstanding job this year. Come out to support them! We are appreciative of Coach Sprinkle for volunteering her time to coach these girls.

On October 11th, the fire department will be here to observe an all school fire drill. They will bring a pumper truck to show the younger students as well as a “fire house” for 1st and 2nd graders.

Chess Club has begun and is going strong. If your child would like to learn to play, they are welcome to come to a meeting where one of the seasoned players will teach them. Mr. Weber has a fine group of students who are becoming avid chess players. Thank you, Mr. Weber, for volunteering your time and energy to this wonderful group of players.

Congratulations to Olga Tutevich, our Spirit Award winner for this week. Olga is kind, helpful, and cooperative. She is a hard worker and brings joy to our school.

Thank you to all who attended Open House and the first PTL meeting of the year. PTL voted to do the catalog sales fundraiser again this year. Thank you to Mrs. Snyder for heading this up for us. Watch for information soon. We will also be selling discount cards, but will wait until December to sell these. Classes will be putting together theme baskets for a silent auction held during the school Christmas program. Watch for more information on all of these activities.

If your child is in grades 3 through 8, they have the opportunity to perform with their classmates at the Matthewson Center on the fairgrounds on Saturday, October 13th at 10:00 a.m. If your child is unable to participate, you must let Mr. Faaborg or your child's teacher know. Everyone who participates earns extra credit in music class! The benefits are that your child will have an opportunity to perform as part of a group and most importantly to share a gospel message with the community.

We will be dismissing at noon (following lunch) on Friday, September 28th. Child care will be available for the afternoon. 

Come out to watch our volleyball team play Cole Camp at our home game on September 25th! These young ladies are doing a wonderful job. 

September 25th is also Papa John's pizza night. Our school earns money for the amount of pizzas sold using our school code. 

You are invited to attend chapel services each Wednesday at 9:00. These are provided by either Pastor Freeman or Pastor Tessone of Our Savior.

If you are interested in attending an event at St. Paul High School in Concordia, we have some tickets! This is a great way to check out the school and see the kind of activities they offer. See Mrs. Tull or Mrs. Brandt.

Below are some important dates:

September 25- home game with LSA Cole Camp 5:00

September 28- Dismiss at noon (following lunch) for staff development, child care

                        provided until 5:30 p.m.

October 2 and 4- Volleyball practice.

October 5- Early dismissal due to the Smith-Cotton Homecoming parade. 2:00 dismissal

You are invited to attend church services here at St. Paul's. There are two services- Saturday evenings at 5:30 (more contemporary and held in the gym) and Sunday service at 9:00 a.m. in the church sanctuary. Fellowship followed by Sunday School for children and Bible study for adults begins after Sunday services in the gym. Sunday school is in the cafeteria.

We are proud of Yarasdi Duenas for being the Spirit Award recipient this past week. Yarasdi is a kind and caring student. She is a hard worker and a great classroom friend. Congratulations Yarasdi!

The volleyball team is going strong! They play at St. Peter's Catholic School in Marshall this evening at 6:00. They played well against Johnson County Christian Academy at their first home game of the season last week. Thank you to Mr. Weber and Mr. Snyder for running the concession stand.We are also grateful to Mrs. Snyder for taking the door offering for us. The money from these helps support the sports program in many ways. If you are willing to help do either of these things, be sure to talk to Mr. Weber or Mrs. Sprinkle.

 We are hoping that you can attend Open House this Thursday. It is from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. We meet in the cafeteria for the first PTL meeting at 6:00. Child care is provided in the gym.

If your child is in grades 3 through 8, they have the opportunity to perform with their classmates at the Matthewson Center on the fairgrounds on Saturday, October 13th at 10:00 a.m. If your child is unable to participate, you must let Mr. Faaborg or your child's teacher know. Everyone who participates earns extra credit in music class! The benefits are that your child will have an opportunity to perform as part of a group and most importantly to share a gospel message with the community.

We will be dismissing at noon (following lunch) on Friday, September 28th. Child care will be available for the afternoon. 

Picture Day is this Friday! Your child is bringing home an envelope for purchasing pictures. There is also information about how to order online. Be sure to watch for it!

You are invited to attend chapel services each Wednesday at 9:00. These are provided by either Pastor Freeman or Pastor Tessone of Our Savior.

Below are some important dates through September:

September 17- away game, St. Peter's in Marshall, 6:00

September 20- Open House 5:00 to 6:00  PTL meeting in cafeteria 6:00

September 21- School Picture Day

September 25- home game with LSA Cole Camp 5:00

September 28- Dismiss at noon (following lunch) for staff development, child care provided until 5:30 p.m.

You are invited to attend church services here at St. Paul's. There are two services- Saturday evenings at 5:30 (more contemporary and held in the gym) and Sunday service at 9:00 a.m. in the church sanctuary. Fellowship followed by Sunday School for children and Bible study for adults begins after Sunday services in the gym. Sunday school is in the cafeteria.

September 7, 2018

Congratulations to Esther Kornev who was given the Spirit Award at chapel services this week. Esther is an 8th grader this year. She is hardworking, happy, and cooperative. We are happy to have her as part of our St. Paul’s family.

The volleyball team played their first game of the season last night against Johnson County Christian Academy. They had a wonderful time, demonstrated good Christian sportsmanship, and had the chance to put some new skills into practice. Least of importance, but certainly fun for them...they won the game.  Congratulations to these girls and coach Sprinkle! Their next game is a home game against Johnson County Christian Academy at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, the 10th.

Chess Club starts next week on Thursday, the 13th, right after school in the cafeteria.The club is open to students in kindergarten through 8th grade. If your child doesn’t know how to play, our seasoned players will be happy to teach them. We appreciate Shane Weber for sponsoring Chess Club.  

The school’s Open House event will be held on September 20th from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Parents, friends, and extended family members are invited to tour the hallways and classrooms to see what their students have been learning in school. The Open House will be followed by the first Parent/Teacher League meeting of the school year. It begins at 6:00 in the cafeteria.There will be child care in the gym during the PTL meeting provided at no cost by the PTL. Meetings occur in September, November, January, March, and May. Dates are on the school website calendar. This evening will be a great time to meet other parents, visit your child’s classroom, and get involved in the school.

We have an exciting opportunity coming on Saturday, October 13th for band and choir students, grades 3 through 8. The Chamber of Commerce is having an event at the fairgrounds that day and have asked our students to perform. We will let you know details as soon as we have them. You will want to put this date on your calendar. The plan is to try to set it up for mid morning so families have the rest of their Saturday.

There are some telephone poles that edge the playground. A few of them have spikes that need to either be removed or pounded down (sledgehammer?). We also need two pieces of knotted nylon rope replaced in the pyramid climber. If you are able to take on one or both of these projects, please let me know.

Our first staff meeting is September 28th. We will dismiss after lunch that day. Child care will be provided.  Staff will receive some training from an agency in Marshall that tracks Missouri birds. They will help us begin a schoolwide program to help even the youngest students learn to identify our backyard birds. Cynthia Green, our local MO Dept. of Conservation Education Consultant arranged this for us.

You are invited to attend chapel services each Wednesday at 9:00. These are provided by either Pastor Freeman or Pastor Tessone of Our Savior.

Below are some important dates through September:

September 10- home game w/JCCA 6:00

September 17- away game, St. Peter's in Marshall, 6:00

September 20- Open House 5:00 to 6:00  PTL meeting in cafeteria 6:00

September 21- School Picture Day

September 25- home game with LSA Cole Camp 5:00

September 28- Dismiss at noon (following lunch) for staff development, child care

                        provided until 5:30 p.m.

You are invited to attend church services here at St. Paul's. There are two services- Saturday evenings at 5:30 (more contemporary and held in the gym) and Sunday service at 9:00 a.m. in the church sanctuary. Fellowship followed by Sunday School for children and Bible study for adults begins after Sunday services in the gym. Sunday school is in the cafeteria.

Good afternoon,

It has been a great first full week of school. Students are doing well learning and relearning school schedules and expectations. Congratulations to Brooks Heimsoth who was given the Spirit (Fruits of the Spirit) Award at chapel services on Wednesday. Mrs. Brandt nominated Brooks because of the kindness he demonstrates to everyone around him. Brooks is also cooperative and works hard on his assignments. We are so grateful that Brooks is in our school! 

I wanted to give a "heads up" and will get this on the school calendar today, but we will dismiss at 2:00 on October 5th. This is because of Smith-Cotton's homecoming parade. The parade lines up on Massachusetts and some cross streets. We will have our students on the playground no later than 2:00 so that you can get them picked up. We ask that you pick them up promptly so teachers can leave the building too. The parade is usually very fun to watch, but have a plan to escape. It is difficult to get out and by 2:30 it very difficult until the area is mostly cleared by 4:30. We will have child care beginning at 2:00 and provided until 5:30 as usual.

School picture day is September 21st. We will be sending home order packets if you'd like to order. I believe you will be able to order online as well. 

Mrs. Hagan, who sometimes substitutes for us, recently returned from a mission trip to Melowi in Africa. She brought the school back a beautiful gift of a hand carved Noah's Ark filled with animals and of course, Noah. Each classroom will have a day to enjoy the ark, then it will stay in my office until needed for a lesson or a teacher wants to use it. If you'd like to see it, just stop by. I'll set it out for our PTL meeting and Open House on September 20th. It really is a work of art. 

We will be sending home a form for you sign that gives us permission to post a picture/s of your child (or not). I'll get that sent out next week. I will attach it to the announcement and send home a paper copy for you. Until that time if you don't want your child's picture posted, just let me know. I typically post pictures on facebook, especially of Spirit Award winners for the week and a variety of classroom activities. 

You are invited to attend chapel services each Wednesday at 9:00. These are provided by either Pastor Freeman or Pastor Tessone of Our Savior. Pastor Morris Meseke from Faith Lutheran in Warsaw presented chapel services this past Wednesday. He enjoyed teaching the lesson and hearing the children's answers to his questions. We thoroughly enjoyed the service.  

Below are some important dates through September:

September 3- Labor Day, no school

September 4- volleyball practice

September 6 -away game, Johnson County Christian Academy (JCCA) 6:00

September 10- home game w/JCCA 6:00

September 17- away game, St. Peter's in Marshall, 6:00

September 20- Open House 5:00 to 6:00  PTL meeting in cafeteria 6:00

September 21- School Picture Day

September 25- home game with LSA Cole Camp 5:00

September 28- Dismiss at noon (following lunch) for staff development, child care 

                         provided until 5:30 p.m.

You are invited to attend church services here at St. Paul's. There are two services- Saturday evenings at 5:30 (more contemporary and held in the gym) and Sunday service at 9:00 a.m. in the church sanctuary. Fellowship followed by Sunday School for children and Bible study for adults begins after Sunday services in the gym. Sunday school is in the cafeteria.

You will find the weekly announcement posted on our website- sedaliastpauls.org under the heading, Announcements each week. If you haven't been to the website yet, check it out. Monthly menus and the calendar will be most helpful to you. You will also find a link to the handbook. Parts of the handbook are updated often.

St. Paul's Lutheran School also has a facebook page. Search for St. Paul's Lutheran School Sedalia. 

We've had a great first week of school! Students and staff are settling in to a new routine. 

If you haven't turned in paperwork from "Back to School Night," please make sure to do so as soon as possible. 

Volleyball practice is off to a great start. We appreciate Mrs. Sprinkle volunteering her time to coach these players. 

You are invited to attend our weekly chapel services on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m.

Below are some important dates through September:

August 28- volleyball practice (3:00-4:30)

August 30- volleyball practice

September 3- Labor Day, no school

September 4- volleyball practice

September 6 -away game, Johnson County Christian Academy (JCCA) 6:00

September 10- home game w/JCCA 6:00

September 17- away game, St. Peter's in Marshall, 6:00

September 20- Open House 5:00 to 6:00  PTL meeting in cafeteria 6:00

September 21- School Picture Day

September 25- home game with LSA Cole Camp 5:00

September 28- Dismiss at noon (following lunch) for staff development, child care 

                         provided until 5:30 p.m.

We are currently enrolling for the 2018-2019 school year! Give us a call at (660)-826-1925 to schedule a tour. Our registration forms are linked at the top of this page for your convenience.