Week 20

We had a busy week last week that ended with a 7th grade spelling champion. Congratulations Isaac C. on a exciting win! 8th grader Grace W. came in second place. Check out Zion's facebook page for pictures.

7th Graders Islam Unit:

The 7th graders finished their Islam Unit in World History this week.  They were able to move all of their "What I want to know about Islam" questions to the "What I know about Islam" side of the board.  Ask them what they learned!  Students also dove into how the Islam faith compares to their Christian faith.

National Lutheran Schools Week:

Change War for Pastor Sam and the Christian Resource Center in India:

Each classroom will have a tub outside of their door throughout NLSW for students to add change (positive) and dollar bills (negative).  The classrooms (prek-3 & 4-8) with the most positive amount by the end of the week will receive a Pizza Party!

2015 NLSW Dress Up Day Descriptions

January 26 – 30, 2015

Help guide your children in their choice of dress. If they do not want to participate in the dress days, standardized dress is required.

Monday: P.J. Day

• Wear pajamas/sweats
• May bring one stuffed animal/pillow
• May wear slippers (bring change of shoes for outside)

Tuesday: Wacky-Tacky Day

• Mix it up with mismatched clothes
• Jeans optional

Wednesday: Western Day

• Dress up like a cowboy/girl
• plaid, cowboy hat, cowboy boots, bandanas, etc.
• Jeans optional

Thursday: Spirit Day

• Show your Zion spirit – Red, White, and Black
• Jeans optional

Friday: Fairytale/Superhero Day

• Dress up like a fairytale or superhero character
• Jeans optional

Dates to Remember:

Sundays, January 8-March 15, 9:30-10:30  Love and Logic Classes
Love and Logic helps:

• By being a trusted leader in the market for over 35 years
• Parents raise really responsible kids by giving specific strategies, tools/techniques and the actual words to say

• People see that they can enjoy healthy, happy relationships

It is not too late  to join the Bible Class on Love and Logic.  
Due to the class size we will be meeting in the Family Life Center (lower level of the church.
Sunday, January 25  Zion Open House
This is a  perfect chance for your friends, neighbors, and coworkers to see the Christian education we provide. Teachers and parent tour guides will be on hand between 1 and 3 pm to show visitors and members our wonderful school.

I hope you enjoyed the MLK weekend,

Optical Design Art Due Friday, 1/23

7th grade students -- please use this website to help guide your art project.  Remember to take your time and follow the directions closely.  Pick whatever color patterns you like!

http://juliannakunstler.com/art1_opt_des.html#.VLfA9mTF8vE

Week 19

New Year Letter:

Greetings seventh grade parents,

I hope this letter reaches you in good health and happiness during this joyful Christmas/New Year/Epiphany Season.  As we celebrated the Savior’s birth we continue to prepare our hearts and minds for His second coming when He will take us to our eternal home.  I continually keep you and your children in my thoughts and prayers as we begin a new year.  I pray for healing and comfort to those in need and praise God in thankfulness for the blessings He has given me through my students.  I love all of the stories students share with me; please encourage them to keep me “in the loop” on family and outside happens.  

The year is flying by and both the students and I are still smiling!

In the last quarter we finished reading “A Christmas Carol” in Literature.  The students had a blast reading their lines and doing their best to get into character.  The students also worked on a creative writing project connected to this story as well as enjoyed the original film.

In Art class students designed and created Christmas wreaths.  I hope these were a special addition to your home’s decorations this season.  They also learned about Illuminated Manuscripts and created Christmas messages by beautifully designing each letter.  Pictures of student artwork can always be seen on our class blog.

zion7c.blogspot.com

In World History we have just completed a unit studying the Arabian Peninsula and the religion of Islam.  The students are very curious and full of questions relating to this topic.  We have had a number of great discussions on what it means for someone to be Muslim.  In contrast, we also discuss what it means for us to be Christians and the importance of sharing the Gospel in our world today.  Students discovered many similarities and differences between these two religions. One interesting video the class watched was one made by a Christian about the Muslim Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah). The creator of the video calls all Christians to pray for the Muslim population that they may learn about Jesus as their Savior (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZwGT2K8JH8).

During the third quarter we will be studying the Missouri Constitution on “Constitution Fridays.”  This will be a great setup for our spring trip to Jefferson City.

Science started out with a brand new lab for this year. The seventh graders got their hands dirty and dissected a clam. They were well prepared for this adventure through notes, lecture, and videos. When it came time to see the real thing, they were very excited. I believe they learned a lot, not just about clam anatomy, but how to work as a team, lab expectations, and using technology to assist them in finding an answer. It was a great success. I will send along in on my blog link a set a pictures of this dissection.  

http://zionmurrayclassblog.blogspot.com/

Coming up, we will finish our animal studies with Reptiles, Birds, Amphibians, and Fish and then we move on to the human body. Most classes find the study of the human body very interesting, and also challenging. There is so much to discuss and learn about our bodies! Looking forward to a successful third quarter in science. -Mrs. Murray

I have truly enjoyed attending choir and band concerts as well as athletic events.  It is wonderful to see students display and develop their talents in and outside the classroom.

I hope you and your family had a fun and relaxing Christmas break, spending time with loved ones in your homes and praising our Savior in worship.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  Luke 2:14

Welcome Back!

The 7th graders have had a great start to their 3rd quarter!  They have been focused and positive participants during class, while laughing and having fun with their peers at break times.

Report Card:

Second quarter reports come home today, Friday January 9th. Please be sure to look at your child's report card and discuss it with them. If you have any questions please let us know.

Looking Ahead:

• Love and Logic Parenting class will be offered on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am beginning January 11th. Love and Logic® provides simple solutions, tips, and practical techniques to help adults with kids of all ages to raise responsible kids, have more fun in their role, and strengthen the relationship with the kids in their life. The class will also give you tips, advice, and real solutions. The class will be held in Discipleship Room 1 on the lower level. We hope to see you !
• Donuts for Dads is Wednesday, January 14th.  Join us at 7 AM in the church basement for donuts & coffee.   Dads you are invited to stay for chapel.

• January 16 Spirit Day & Spelling Bee (Congratulations to Lily & Arianna from 7C and Isaac and Will from 7M who will represent the 7th graders!)
• Big Cat Classic is held January 15 thru the 17^th.  Friday night the 16^th will be a pack the gym night.  8 boys teams and 8 girls teams will compete at Zion and Messiah that weekend.
•  January 19 No School – MLK Day
• January 29 LHS Spelling Bee (Lily, Arianna, Will and Isaac will compete here also.)
•  January 26 – 30 National Lutheran Schools Week
• February 4 Noon Dismissal (professional development)
• February 7 Zion's Trivia Night
• February 16 No School - President's Day
• February 20 Spirit Day
• March 6 AR POINTS DUE -- Please encourage your child to ALWAYS have an AR book with them.  They should be bringing it to school and having it at home to read every evening.  The quarter always moves faster than we think.  It's great to see students accomplish their goal before the deadline!

Praise and Glory to God this New Year,