Week 4

Jr. High Walk-a-thon:

            Zion’s Jr. High teachers and students are gearing up for their annual walk-a-thon, which will be held on Friday, September 26^th.  Each year the Jr. High chooses an organization to serve through a fund raising walk-a-thon in the fall.  This year they are supporting Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s purse.  During the Thanksgiving season students and families will continue to serve this organization through gathering items that will be packed into shoeboxes and sent over seas to brighten many children’s Christmas celebrations.   Our personal goal is to pack 100 shoeboxes!!  Please pray for the Holy Spirit to be alive in our efforts to bring the JOY of Jesus to people around the world.

Operation Christmas Child: 
Check out the information and videos at the Samaritan's Purse website
http://video.samaritanspurse.org/channel/operation-christmas-child/

Mid-Quarter:
Grades for mid quarter reports will be uploaded Monday 9/15 afternoon.  Please look and discuss your child's grades with them; praise where praise is due and encourage where encouraging is needed.  In the occasion of late and absent work "ab" or "mi" are marked in the grade-book.  This adversely affects their overall grade for the time being (a zero is averaged as those grades until a number score is recorded).  You may see one of those codes and the unfortunate math that goes with it. Feel free to email me with specific questions throughout the year if you are uncertain of a grade.

Art:
The seventh graders had a blast mixing primary color paint to make 12 different colors!  They will be creating a color wheel with a design shape of their choice (due Friday the 19th).

High Ropes Course At Camp Wartburg:
20 Jr. High students enjoyed a beautiful Saturday out at Camp Wartburg.  They conquered the High Ropes course, zip-line, and served the camp by cleaning lodging building.

Important Date Reminders:
September 13     Start Fall Worship Schedule
September 18     Noon Dismissal
September 19     No School
September 22     Voters Meeting (Sanctuary) – 7:00pm
September 26     Jr. High Walk-a-thon
October 3            18 AR points due
October 4            Bobcat Shuffle *See past blog posts or the school Banner for more information
October 10          Trunk or Treat

Working together through Christ,

The Day Americans Came Together

Week 2-3

Thank you for coming to Back to School night last Thursday. Mrs. Murray and I enjoyed seeing all of your faces and connecting with you. It is so helpful for us to have the opportunity to get to know you and for you to get to know us. We pray 7th grade will be an awesome year for all of us!

We had a great time Friday afternoon letting the 8th graders dump ice buckets on the teachers! A donation was made from Zion Lutheran School to an non-embryonic stem cell ALS research organization recommended by LCMS. It was great fun!

Reminder: Zion is a peanut sensitive school. Please let your child know if they have peanut  items in their lunches. They are required to sit at the "peanut table" and wash their hands after lunch. This is so important. Especially now, as we share the lunch room with the preschool students and the possibility of younger students with peanut allergies is a serious concern. 

Also, all birthday treats are to be peanut free. If the label states that it was processed in a factory that may contain peanuts, we are NOT allowed to serve it. It is a big bummer to be unable to share a birthday treat with the kids. If you have any additional specific questions about the policy please contact the office. The link below is a great tool to help you choose safe snacks.
http://snacksafely.com/snacklist.pdf

Building Dedication: Please join us on the weekend of September 6 & 7 as we dedicate the final stage of the campus expansion. All of 

 the services (5 pm Saturday, 8 am & 10:30 Sunday) will be held in the gymnasium. A reception following each 

 

service will be held in the commons. You will have the opportunity to tour all buildings at this time. Come join the 

 celebration of God’s Blessings!

Zion PTL Fall Fundraiser: Our first fundraiser event is the  Zion Bobcat Shuffle which will be held on October 4, starting at 8:30 am, at the Cottleville City Park. Sign up  sheets are available in the Welcome Center at the Church or in the school office. You can also sign up via  www.eventcow.org and look under Bobcat Shuffle 2014. Sign up early so we can get the t-shirts ordered.  There will be medals to the 3 fastest runners in the 5K in 4 divisions. We will also have a 1 mile fun run/walk if  you just want to come out and take a stroll.  Also, if you have a business that could offer sponsorship for the event or if you are interested in helping, please contact Jan Vlassos at janvlassos@yahoo.com, or call me at 636-627-9651. We have $100 and $250 levels of sponsorship available. Hope to see you all there.

Walk-a-thon:  The 6th-8th graders are starting to prepare for our annual walk-a-thon and service project.  September 26th Zion's Jr. High students will be walking to raise money for Operation Christmas Child.  Students will be raising pledges both single donations and donations per/mile/lap walked for the next 3 weeks.  Please keep our students mission and Samaritan's Purse in your prayers this year.

Operation Christmas Child:
Check out the information and videos at the Samaritan's Purse website
http://video.samaritanspurse.org/channel/operation-christmas-child/

Congratulations to those elected onto the Jr. High Student Council!!
President: Ashley V.
Vice President: Sabrina B.
Secretary: Maddie B.
Treasurer: Isabella W.
8th Class Representatives: Savanna B. & Evelyn S.
7th Class Representatives: Anna C. & Alex W.
6th Class Representative: Madison N.

Student papers come home on Fridays; hold your kids accountable for showing you their papers.  Ask them questions and check their grades on edline. Uploads of grades happen on Monday afternoons.  I will help you any way I can if you have questions or concerns.

A big THANK YOU to our room parent volunteer: Mrs. Paske!!  Mrs. Burnham & Mrs. Pelletier have also signed up as helpers.  These ladies will be busy organizing our class parties, the Zion auction class item, and volunteers for the 8th grade graduation reception (All parents on deck for the 8th grade graduation reception!).  If you are able to assist Mrs. Paske in any way, she would very much appreciate it.  Please touch base with her.  Many hands make lighter work and ideas for the auction item would be great!

Chapel offering this school year will support the Christian Resource Center in India. This center helps to spread the Good News of Jesus in a country that is 97% non christian.  Pastor Sam Thompson gave a chapel message this past Wednesday and taught us a Christian greeting from India - Namaste!  Pastor Thompson works at Christian Resource Center and is currently studying at Concordia Seminary.

Enjoy the cool weekend,

Week 1

We made it through our first week with smiles on our faces!  I am very please with the way my students have stepped up into their bigger "7th grade shoes" and are ready for the year ahead.  God has great plans for us!

The first day of school, look at all these beautiful smiling faces!!
"What was your favorite part of this week?"
- Teachers
- Friends
- Reading
- Eating lunch with besties :)
- No homework

Academics:

• Student's gmail and AR accounts are up and running.  Students need to have an AR book at school everyday (first book check will be Monday 8/25).
• Bible Memory work is different this year for 7th graders.  Memory is due Tuesdays and Fridays; one verse chosen by their teacher and one verse personally chosen by the student.  Students will also be spending time meditating on their verses in the form of a devotional composition book.  I am excited to see what verses students choose!!

These 7th graders are excited about serving our school by collecting recycling bins!! 

News & Notes:

• I look forward to seeing parents at Zion's Back to School Night Aug. 28 when I will share more about what to expect in 7th grade.  Sessions will run from 6:30 to 6:50, 7:00 to 7:20 and 7:30 to 7:50.  The first session will include a time for new families to meet in library with Mr. Debrick to review basic procedures.

• Dedication weekend for Zion's new commons & EC wing is September 6-7.  All church services will be celebrating!!  5:00 Saturday, 8 and 10:30 on Sunday services all held in the gym.  Monday service will be regular service in the church.  A ribbon cutting will take place at the end of each service and a small reception will be held in the commons.  All rooms in all buildings will be open after services for viewing.  Please come and celebrate with us as we see God's hands working here at Zion!

• Hot Lunch Program – Food Allergies:  Since Zion participates in the National School Lunch Program, we are reviewed by the state every 3 years.  Last spring we had our Administrative Review with the state, and it was brought to our attention that we need a note from a doctor when a student require substitutions for lunch – milk included.  Please send a note from your doctor or chiropractor to the school office specifying which foods your student can’t have.

I hope you have had many great conversations with your child this week about everything new this year.  Ask them about the lunch commons, the bobcat pit, their teachers, classes, friends, etc.

I hope to see you at Back to School Night and would welcome you to any of Zion's worship services this weekend!

Zion's Church Services:

In Christ,

Welcome to the 2014-2015 School Year at Zion!

Welcome 7th grade students & parents to our class blog!

I am excited to welcome you to your 7th grade year here at Zion.  The teachers have been preparing for weeks and the time is finally here.  This year, like all, will bring new information to learn, new friends, new books, new goals to achieve, new mistakes and forgiveness, and most importantly new growth as a child of God.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to spent time with your child in such a wonderful place.  I pray God blesses our school year and your families.

Our Class Blog:

This is our class blog where I will communicate with you weekly.  I do my best to send out an email with each blog link I post, somewhere between Friday and Sunday.

 

Mrs. Murray and my 7th grade blogs may be different from class blogs you have read in the past. For the most part, we do not include academic information such as due dates, project information, or upcoming tests.  We are attempting to transition 7th grade students into independent students who practice open communication with you at home.  Another example of this is the use of an assignment board in the classroom only during quarters 1-3. By the 4th quarter the board is no longer used and we continue to encourage the use of students' daily planners.

 

So why have a 7th grade blog?  We want YOU to see what is going on in your child's classroom.  You will see pictures, event information, and some school information.  This give you a great way to start the conversation with your sometimes reserved junior high kid :) We will also use email for more time sensitive information.

 

Open House:

It was so great to see you at Zion's Open House last Thursday.  Many of you I had not met before, and I look forward to working together this year to prepare your child for 8th grade and beyond!

 

First Day:

Students will receive a new Zion Lutheran School shirt with our theme verse for the year. They will be able to change into this new t-shirt the first day of school when they arrive.  This shirt is great marketing tool and a way to show off your Bobcat spirit!  We will ask students to wear these shirts on a number of occasions throughout the school year.

Chapel:

Chapel is held every Wednesday at 8:10am in the church sanctuary.  I want to personally invite you to any of these times of worship.  I love hearing the children sing praises to Jesus!!

 

Back to School Night:

Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 28 starting at 6:30. There are three 20 minutes sessions (you only need to attend one) where you will receive a fast orientation to 7th grade from Mrs. Murray and me. We have additional information for you that night (AR, field trips, curriculum information) and after several days of school we are available to answer questions you may have.

 

I can't wait to have another great year at Zion Lutheran!

 

Blessings,

Please email me or any of your child's teachers if you have any questions throughout the year.

Teacher/Admin. Emails:

 

Marc Debrick: mdebrick@zionharvester.org

Brandon Marolf (PE, Athletics): bmarolf@zionharvester.org

 

Kim Cluck: kcluck@zionharvester.org

Jami Murray: jmurray@zionharvester.org

Karen Beaty: kbeaty@zionharvester.org

Micah Braddy: mbraddy@zionharvester.org

 

Carla Rutledge (Spanish): sncrutledge@msn.com

Teresa Thoelke (Band): tthoelke@zionharvester.org

Mark Thoelke (Choir): mthoelke@zionharvester.org

Kathryn Crumrine (Music): kcrumrine@zionharvester.org