Christmas Blessing!

Thank you for all of the joy, celebration and energy you have poured into making this week, celebrating Christ's birth, a memorable one for our kids! From Christmas programs to posadas, advent devotions to Christmas Around the World...so many meaningful learning experiences to shape the kids' world view and understanding of the gift of the Christ child in our world. I continue to marvel at and be challenged by the giving spirit of our children. We are called to equip minds, nurture hearts and transform the world for Jesus Christ. Their selfless giving has certainly transformed pieces of our world that are hurting. Thank you for encouraging your students to give from their heart. The words of the song take on renewed meaning to me: "What can I give Him...I can do my part...What can I give Him...Give Him my heart." May you enjoy the change of pace, your family and friends and renew your walk with God in the upcoming two weeks. 

Staff Meeting

Please note that we will have a staff meeting starting at 11:45 on Thursday, January 14. In our first 10 minutes, we will be treated with a visit from a special guest. Please try to be in the staff center as close to 11:45 as possible to hear our guest's message for your. 

Lunch and Learn

In the interest of moving forward with Love and Logic in the Classroom we may need to hold an additional session from time to time reserved only for more learning. Let's set aside lunch on Thursday, January 28, for eating together and working through another section of Love and Logic.

SPARK

We're finally going to get the rubber to hit the road with our SPARK experiences. SPARK provides a very meaningful and tangible way for our students to learn that God asks us to use the gifts He has blessed us with to bless the world and bring His kingdom. I apologize for the two months we have missed. Please refer to our Google calendar for details on the event assigned to your class for the month. The last Wednesday of each month has been designated SPARK day. Events that need scheduling: My Brother's/Sister's House visit and Life House visit, have already been scheduled. The military contact information can be retrieved from Pat. The rest of the experiences are up to your class' creativity and/or your ideas. Please don't hesitate to ask me if I can help you brainstorm an idea. If you run into a conflict with your scheduled event, please let Pat or let me know. We'll reflect the necessary change on the calendar. 

Walk for Warmth/Wellness Wednesday

Our students demonstrated such compassionate hearts during our World Renew collection. They impacted families and children around the world. There is also value in children understanding that children and families right in our own community need to be blessed, prayed for and shared with through a challenging time as well. To that end, we'll do a penny drive in February to collect money which will pay for a family's energy bill to prevent their heat at home from being discontinued. More details will be forthcoming after break. This is a new initiative for us. If you have any creative, bright ideas to help make this event meaningful, please share! 

Refrigerator Clean Out

Please take a moment today or tomorrow to clean out your goodies (particularly if they're green or now hairy and weren't supposed to be). It's going to go through a purging process before break begins. Thank you!

Learning Labs

Things are shaping up for our learning lab on January 28:

Cohort 1 - Lesson at 11:00

Sarah Becksfort - covered by Miska beginning at 10:40 through lunch

Sandy Johnson - coverage from 10:40 through lunch

Sheri Hunderman - covered by Michelle starting at 10:40

Amanda Bohle - coverage from 10:40 through lunch

Cohort 2 - Lesson at 2:00 (preconference over encore time)

Jenna Ritsema - coverage from 2:00 through end of day

Michelle Dreyer - coverage from 2:00 through end of day

Karen Strikwerda - coverage by Danielle

Karen VanMeeteren - coverage from 2:30 through end of day

Natalie Sapp - coverage from 2:00 through end of day

Mary, Did You Know...

that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters....the sleeping child you're holding is the Great I Am.

Those words stir my soul. To hold a baby, new life, particularly at Christmas time (particularly if said baby is not crying) moves my heart to Mary's, to the extent to which it can. What was it like to hold the tiny fingers of the Christ child? How does a human being raise, care, feed and develop God's own Son? As Karen shared with our students during Friday morning praise time, truly, the Christmas announcement is the greatest news in the history of the world. It is the fulfillment of God's promises. The redemption of the world in the messy birth of a tiny child. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Learning Lab

Notes thus far for January 28's Learning Lab date (subject to change if you so desire!):

Cohort 1 - Lesson at 11:00

Sarah Becksfort - covered by Miska beginning at 10:40 through lunch

Sandy Johnson - covered from 10:40 through lunch

Sheri Hunderman - covered by Michelle starting at 10:40

Amanda Bohle - covered from 10:40 through lunch

Cohort 2 - Lesson at 2:00 (preconference over encore time)

Jenna Ritsema - coverage from 2:00 through end of day

Michelle Dreyer - coverage from 2:00 through end of day

Karen Strikwerda - coverage by Danielle

Karen VanMeeteren - coverage from 2:30 through end of day

Natalie Sapp - coverage from 2:00 through end of day

Pack Up the Classrooms/Kids with Principal before Christmas Break Times
Following the South Side tradition, here are the times and dates I will take your kids (and I look completely forward to it, btw!):

Thursday, December 17 I'll take Sandy and Sarah's classes from 10:30-11:30
Friday, December 18 I'll take Karen S's class from 10:30-11:30
Friday, December 18 I'll take first and second grade from 2:00-3:00
Friday, December 18 I'll be at happy hour somewhere from 5:00-7:00 (j/k...sorta)

Makers Week

Sheros, Lego Quest, Electrical Circuitry, Claymation Movie, Lego Movie...what's your pleasure? Please list it here.

Discovery Night
Just so we're all on the same page for this year, our Discovery Night will be held on Tuesday, January 19. Per our decision, we'll be on our own to eat that evening before the event. Please plan to be in place and meet in the staff center at 5:35. We'll review the plan of action and man our posts by 5:45. Courtney will inform each of us regarding our roles that evening.

Please know too that your request has been heard and notes have been made. This will be the last Discovery Night that steps on the toes of report cards! Thank you for being so patient. That's an unfortunate oversight!

Oprah's Favorite Things

And on that exciting note, guess what we have on Thursday...

OK. On a more serious note: a little recap from this morning's devotions.

"God did not say, "Let there be..." as He had for everything else. When He dreamed of a face like yours, His voice filled with the gentlest love, and He smiled. "Let us make human beings..."

God the Father gathered close with God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit, and all the glory of the Trinity gathered close when They imagined the masterpiece of you. And God in three persons scooped a handful of dust together and knelt down, and together They kissed warm life into God's children with the breath of His love." Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. Ann Voskamp

Oh boy. It's humbling to be reminded of this truth. You are God's masterpiece. Your students are God's masterpieces. God has placed you in their lives and they in yours. He has charged you with growing His masterpieces by calling upon your faith in Him and utilizing the gifts He has blessed you with. No wonder there is such joy on your face when I get to peek in and watch you teach. You are where you were called to be. God is with you. Immanuel. His masterpieces are in the right hands and they are realizing the potential God has intended for them. So, yes, bring on the meetings and the PD dates. You're His growing masterpiece as well. Thank you for being the very best YOU!

World Renew Collection and Chapel
Our World Renew collection will run through next Friday, the 11th. If you are able to give your money and orders to Pat or to me by Monday, the 14th, we'll have a grand total and fund allocation for our chapel on the 16th. There may be wisdom in reminding parents of the final week of collection for World Renew in your next classroom blog post.

Makers Week
I'm starting to shop :) If you are ready and able, please place your project ideas and materials here if you haven't already done so. If you need help, feel free to scan what other teachers are doing or talk with me. We'll come up with a doozy!

Lunch and Learn
Our next staff meeting will be Thursday, December 10. Please bring along your Love and Logic booklet. Lunch will be provided! YIPPEEE!

Lunch and Massage....wait, WHAT?!?!
Yep. That's right. A lunch and a massage. Back to Health Chiropractic is offering free lunch and tension checks (tick...tick...no problems here!) for local teachers. They make the rounds on Fridays. They have offered to bring lunch to us and evaluate our tension (don't ask me why they chose teachers in December!) on Friday, December 11.

Christmas Tea with Board
After school on December 9 at the high school cafeteria.

Christmas Tea with Parent Team
Morning recess on Wednesday, December 9. What a treat! You are appreciated!

Pack Up the Classrooms/Kids with Principal before Christmas Break Times
Following the South Side tradition, here are the times and dates I will take your kids (and I look completely forward to it, btw!):

Thursday, December 17 I'll take Sandy and Sarah's classes from 12:45-1:45
Friday, December 18 I'll take Karen S's class from 12:45-1:45
Friday, December 18 I'll take first and second grade from 2:00-3:00
Friday, December 18 I'll be at happy hour somewhere from 5:00-7:00 (j/k...sorta)

Rubicon
Thank you for all the planning, collaborating and hard work you have put into documenting the goals you are teaching. This has taken a lot of time to get placed into Rubicon. Our ELA Rubicon clean ups for K-2 are almost complete. PHEW! Please let me know if there are any ways I can assist you in taking this off your to-do list.