ILS Field Day 2019
We couldn’t have asked for better weather for our 2019 ILS Field Day! It was a fun-filled day of races, games, and competitions, including a giant Jenga tournament, soccer, a dunk tank, giant lawn bowling, tug-of-war, sack races, water balloon tosses, face-painting, popsicles and much more! Thank you to all our teachers and parents for helping make the day a memorable one for all our students!
On Learning, Growth & Grades
ILS students have reached the midway point of the 3rd Quarter of their academic year, which means that mid-quarter reports will be shared with parents this week. While grades are simply one type of teacher feedback for student to understand their progress and growth in any given subject, students may sometimes wrestle with how best to apply this feedback in their on-going learning process.
Mr. Shawn Barnett, ILS Upper School Latin and History teacher, shares a brief insight into this struggle in which students engage as they attempt to put the right value on grades in the learning process. He encourages parents to use graded work (or mid-quarter grades) as an opportunity to further encourage and engage students in an ongoing dialogue to deepen their understanding their own learning, mastery and growth. As students grow and mature, parents and teachers work together to help them appreciate a variety of feedback and apply it appropriately to their own growth and learning.
A Look Back at Lutheran Schools Week (and 2019 MathCounts Success!)
As January came to a close, Immanuel Lutheran School students, teachers and families celebrated National Lutheran Schools Week (January 27 -February 2) alongside more than 2000 LCMS schools across the US. With a full week of activities, beginning with the school's annual Chili Cook-off, and concluding with an outstanding performance by the ILS MathCounts team at the Northern Virginia Regional competition, it was a wonderful time for the entire school community.
Throughout the week, students competed in a Penny Wars contest to raise funds for four different missions: former ILS Manager of Operations, Mrs. Ruth Stone, now serving as a missionary in Hong Kong, former ILS Upper School teacher, Mr. Aaron Schultz, now a student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Assist Pregnancy Center, and the ILS Tuition Assistance Fund. Students raised more than $1000 to support these projects.
Two Articles from ILS Faculty Included in Classical Lutheran Education Journal
Last summer, six ILS faculty members were invited to present at the eighteenth annual Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE) Summer Conference. Ms. Katherine Kramer, Assistant Headmaster, and Miss Kristin Malcolm, 5th grade teacher, were then invited to submit their presentations as articles for the CCLE’s Classical Lutheran Education Journal.
Please enjoy these two excellent articles from Ms. Kramer and Miss Malcolm, and to read the entire journal issue, view exclusive videos, and listen to conference recordings, join the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education to receive Member access.
Literacy: "To him who has much, much will be given"
“Literacy is more than simply the ability to decode phonetic symbols. “
In this brief peek into 6th grade at Immanuel, Mr. Shawn Barnett, Upper School Latin and History Teacher, explores literacy in a broader context. Rather than simply the reading of words, deeper literacy involves the understanding of context, which in turn requires a broader basis of knowledge. In helping students to understand the connections between their learning - from language, to history and geography, we help our students to look beyond themselves, our own times and culture as they learn about the world around them. Studying multiple fields of knowledge in an integrated way allows students to develop a deeper literacy and greater wisdom.
Kicking Off National Lutheran Schools Week
Faculty and staff are excited to celebrate with students and parents during National Lutheran Schools Week starting on Sunday with ILS 4th and 5th grade students singing for Divine Service at 10am. All are welcome! Faculty and staff will be hosting a coffee hour for the congregation following the service as well.
Some of the week's activities are favorite traditions, other activities will be new, yet just as meaningful. A school-wide schedule, including special dress days, has been shared with families. Please refer to both the printed and emailed schedule throughout the week.
To serve our neighbors both locally and around the world, all students will participate in a house competition penny war to support four different missions:
Ruth and Lyman Stone serving the Lutheran Church-Hong Kong Synod
Seminarian Aaron Schultz and his family
Assist Pregnancy Center
ILS Tuition Assistance
Follow the week's activities on Facebook and our Instagram page.
We also asked our faculty and staff to share a bit on their own Lutheran schools experiences, as well as what they’re excited for during Lutheran Schools Week. We hope you enjoy their response!
Walk-in-Wednesday: 5th Grade with Miss Kristin Malcolm
Every Wednesday, please visit our ILS Blog for a brief sneak peek from one of our outstanding teachers, highlighting what a visitor might observe when walking into our classrooms on any given morning. This week our “Walk-in-Wednesday” series features a visit to 5th grade, and a delightful look of what might be happening in literature class with Miss Kristin Malcolm, should you pop in for a visit.
Interested in seeing more? Join us each week when we are in school for a Walk-in-Wednesday tour to observe our students and teachers in action and experience a classical, Christian education at Immanuel. Stepping through our red doors, we will welcome you with the joyful sounds of learning, from poems and jingles in the lower grades, to great science experiments or discussions of literature or theology in our older grades. Throughout our building, the wonderful sights and sounds of students and teachers engaged in active learning can be witnessed in person, but if you haven’t yet had a chance to visit us, or you would simply like to get more of a feel for the learning in our different grades, we are now offering a weekly glimpse into our classes here on the ILS Blog.
Please visit the blog each week as we share additional “Walk-in-Wednesday” features, or enjoy looking back to see peeks into other grades and classes!
Meet Us Monday: ILS Student Ambassadors
Immanuel Lutheran School is pleased to announce the selection of seven students to serve as 2018-19 Student Ambassadors. Open to 6th through 8th grade students at ILS, the Student Ambassador program is a highly selective service opportunity for students to engage with visitors and guests to the school throughout the year. Students must apply for the program, and go through an in-person interview process. Student Ambassadors demonstrate an enthusiasm for the school, and the ability to clearly articulate the mission and vision of the school.
Teachers as Students: Reflections from Summer Conferences
Excellent teachers should themselves embody a love for learning and be constantly seeking opportunities to grow and deepen their knowledge of the subjects they teach, pedagogy, how children learn and grow, theology, and the world around us. Immanuel teachers and staff are engaged formally and informally in continued professional development and learning opportunities, and for many, this includes participation in summer conferences.
This summer, six ILS team members traveled to Plano, Texas, to participate in the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education's 18th annual summer conference. In addition to presenting three different sessions, faculty and staff were able to attend a variety of excellent sessions on a wide range of topics. Following the conference, teachers shared their reflections on these sessions and how they may be beneficial in their classrooms in the coming school year.
Miss Marie Landskroener, ILS Music Teacher, shares with us one of her CCLE reflections. We hope you enjoy this insight into some of the learning that our teachers undertook this summer, and how this study translates into action within our classrooms.