What We're Reading - December
Blessed Advent! Advent, meaning "coming," is a season during which Christians observe a time of repentance, waiting, and quiet prayer. We pray for the reappearing of Christ and anticipate the upcoming celebration of Christmas, when we recall Christ coming to earth to dwell among His people. We also give thanks for Christ's presence in His Word and Sacraments.
At ILS we follow the Church Year calendar as a way to teach the Good News of Christ. We give thanks for these intentional rhythms and the opportunity to be united with Christians from times past and in the future.
ILS parents are warmly invited to join us for our December First Friday Coffee, which will be held on Friday, December 9th at 8:30am. Join us as Upper School Literature teacher, Miss Carissa Davis, leads us through a discussion of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens as a glimpse into how our students engage with literature in the Upper School at Immanuel. Our ILS 8th grade students read A Christmas Carol each December as part of their year-long exploration of the theme of redemption.
If you would like to order a copy of The Trinity Forum's short reading selection of A Christmas Carol, please complete this form today! Limited selections of teacher recommended books for children and parents, perfect for Christmas gifts, will be available for purchase during the Coffee.
Thank you for the many ways you participated in our ILS Month of Service throughout November. Together we collected food for and prepared 62 Thanksgiving Meal Kits to share with neighbors in our community through Christ House. Additionally, you shared more than 2,000 non-perishable food items to refill the Christ House food pantry.
Please take a moment to enjoy our December"What we're reading..." blog. It is always our hope that these articles spark on-going conversation and engagement with our community as we work together shaping and nurturing our culture at school and at home.
Are there things that you have read that you think others in our community may enjoy? Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!
What We're Reading - November
It’s November, which means it is once again time for our ILS Month of Service! Love and service toward our neighbor is an important part of our life together in Christ. This month is a time when our school community comes together to recommit to intentional actions to demonstrate this love and service. Learn more about our Month of Service activities and how you can participate throughout the month! We are also looking forward to welcoming parents, grandparents, and friends for our Salute to Veterans this month, as they share with students more lessons about service and sacrifice.
Please also take a moment to enjoy our November "What we're reading..." blog. It is always our hope that these articles spark on-going conversation and engagement with our community as we work together shaping and nurturing our culture at school and at home.
We are also excited that the PTL is working to engage families in more conversations with their Book Club. Please consider joining us in reading these selections and participating in some of the conversations throughout the year! The first book club discussion will be held on Thursday, November 17th. We hope you will join us!
Are there things that you have read that you think others in our community may enjoy? Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!
Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us!
What We're Reading - October
We’re one month into the school year, and it is delightful seeing the return of all the rhythms and routines of the school year! September was filled with many wonderful ILS traditions - our annual Constitution Day celebration, Oktoberfest, our First Friday coffees, fall parent socials, and more! We are looking forward to ongoing conversations with families during our fall Parent Teacher Conferences, welcoming guest for our first Lower School Showcase of the year, and planning ahead to our November Month of Service and our Salute to Veterans on Veterans Day next month.
Every month, we share our "What we're reading..." blog, filled with a variety of articles and news. This is one of the many ways we endeavor to spark on-going conversation and engage our community. As we think about and work together at shaping and nurturing our culture together at school and at home, we hope that these articles may be inspiring, intriguing, encouraging, or thought-provoking, and that hopefully they will spark further conversations and dialogue.
We are excited that the PTL is working to engage families in more conversations with their Book Club. Please consider joining us in reading these selections and participating in some of the conversations throughout the year!
Are there things that you have read that you think others in our community may enjoy? Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!
What We're Reading - September
Our new year is underway! We’re so thrilled to welcome back all of our returning families, students, and staff, and to greet all of the new members of our Immanuel community! We’re delighted to begin this new year together, and we look forward to seeing you at all of the back to school events over the coming weeks.
One of the things we look forward to discussing as a faculty and with our families in the coming year is the idea of habit building. We enjoyed the conversation around this topic at our First Friday Coffee, and we look forward to building upon this throughout the year.
Our monthly "What we're reading..." blog series is one of the ways we engage in this on-going conversation as we share a selection of articles. As we think about and work together at shaping and nurturing our culture together at school and at home, we hope that these articles may be inspiring, intriguing, encouraging, or thought-provoking, and that hopefully they will spark further conversations and dialogue.
Are there things that you have read that you think others in our community may enjoy? Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!
Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us!
What We're Reading - August
We hope that our ILS students and families have been enjoying a restful and relaxing summer. While it is certainly quieter on campus, our faculty and staff have kept busy - participating in the CCLE summer conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and continuing to work on may projects for the upcoming year. We are delighted that a number of our families have joined us in our ILS Summer Book Club as we’ve enjoyed Anthony Esolen’s “Life Under Compulsion: Ten Ways to Destroy the Humanity of Your Child.” (We’d love to have you join us for our final conversation on Thursday, August 18th!)
Next month our hallways and classrooms will again be filled with the delightful sounds of children and teachers as we kick-off the 2022-2023 school year! We are all looking forward to seeing all of our returning families and welcoming many new faces to our Immanuel community. September will be a busy month with Back to School Nights, Constitution Day, Oktoberfest, and more!
Returning families will be familiar with our monthly "What we're reading..." blog series. Each month we share a brief selection of articles with our community. As we think about and work together at shaping and nurturing our culture together at school and at home, we hope that these articles may be inspiring, intriguing, encouraging, or thought-provoking, and that hopefully they will spark further conversations and dialogue.
What are you reading this summer? Are there things that you have read that you think others in our community may enjoy reading? Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!
Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us!
What We're Reading - March
The first hints of spring are in the air, and we looking to warmer days and Spring Break just around the corner!
Ash Wednesday (March 2nd) marked the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. As we received the cross of ashes on our forehead and heard the words "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," we were reminded of our sinfulness and the life and hope we have in the crucified and risen Savior.
In February, we very much enjoyed holding admissions meetings with families who applied to ILS for the 2022-2023 school year. It was wonderful to hear more about what attracted them to Immanuel, and so much of what they shared centered both on the type of culture and community we have here at ILS, as well as the emphasis we place on the role of parents in the education of their children. We are excited to welcome a number of new families to join our Immanuel community in the upcoming school year!
Every month, we compile a "What we're reading..." blog post with a selection of articles that we would like to share with our community as we think about shaping and nurturing our culture together at school and at home. These are pieces that our faculty and staff have found recently to be inspiring, intriguing, encouraging, or thought-provoking. Are there things that you have read that you think others in our community may enjoy reading? Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!
Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us!
What We're Reading - February
January was quite the busy month between our return to school following Christmas Break, our final Admissions Open House of the year followed by our admissions application deadline, the March for Life, some snow days, and National Lutheran Schools Week!
As we meet with families applying to ILS as part of the admissions process, it is wonderful to hear more about what attracted them to Immanuel, and so much of what they share focuses both on the type of culture and community we have here at ILS, as well as the emphasis we place on the role of parents in the education of their children. It is a delight to meet so many families who share these values and desire to see their families become a part of this community.
Every month, we compile a "What we're reading..." blog post with a selection of articles that we would like to share with our community as we think about shaping and nurturing our culture together at school and at home. These are pieces that our faculty and staff have found recently to be inspiring, intriguing, encouraging, or thought-provoking. Are there things that you have read that you think others in our community may enjoy reading? Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!
Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us!
What We're Reading - December
Happy December and Blessed Advent!
Sunday marked the first day of a new Church year, and the beginning of the Season of Advent. Advent wreaths around the school are helping mark the time we wait to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas, and our waiting for the final coming of our Jesus, who will bring us into His kingdom.
We are beyond thankful for all the ways our Immanuel community participated in our ILS Month of Service throughout the month of November. Your generosity abounded in supporting our Thanksgiving Meal kits and food collection for Christ House. Families generously shared their time in participating in our Salute to Veterans program, along with serving as recess volunteers, classroom readers. And of course the ILS teachers and staff were incredibly blessed by the incredible Thanksgiving lunch shared by so many families before the Thanksgiving holiday.
At Immanuel, we truly believe that parents have the primary role in the education of their children. This is why we fundamentally believe that the relationship between home and school is so vital in the education and nurturing of children. It is a joy and a privilege to work so closely together with our families as we share in this important endeavor. Together with you we engage in the work of shaping our culture at school and at home. Each month, we compile a "What we're reading..." blog post with a small selection of articles that our faculty and staff have found recently to be inspiring, intriguing, encouraging, or thought-provoking. We always love to hear your thoughts on these or other things you’ve been reading as well.
Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!
Meet Us Monday: The Barnett Family
We are continuing our Meet Us Monday Blog series - now re-introducing two former ILS teachers who are now pursuing studies at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This year’s Chapel Offerings are supporting the Schultz and Barnett families.
Today, we are introducing you to Mr. Aaron Schultz, his wife, Katie, and their four boys, Canon, Ben, Sam, and Gus. Mr. Schultz was the Upper School Math, Science, and PE teacher, as well as the ILS Athletic Director from 2013-2018. The Schultz’s oldest son Canon attended Jr. Kindergarten at ILS in 2016-2017 and Kindergarten in 2017-2018. Mr. Schultz in in his final year of studies at the Seminary.We are continuing our Meet Us Monday Blog series - now re-introducing two former ILS teachers who are now pursuing studies at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This year’s Chapel Offerings are supporting the Schultz and Barnett families.
Today, we are introducing you to Mr. Shawn Barnett, his wife, Molly, and their two children, John Ambrose and Elise Adair. Mrs. Barnett taught fourth grade and piano lessons at ILS from 2013-2019 then only piano lessons from 2019-2021. Mr. Barnett taught Latin, History, and Theology from 2017-2021.