Running the Race
We have passed the mid-point of the school year! Our Lower School students and teachers recently celebrated the 100th Day of School, but we also recognize that all of our students are facing some of the hardest work of their school year. Upper School teacher, Mr. Shawn Barnett, recently shared encouragement for parents and students as we push forward, keeping up our stamina and maintaining good habits through the remainder of the academic year. We hope that his words encourage you and your students in the weeks ahead!
I often liken the school year to a long-distance race. This time of the year, students have hit the half-way point, but the finish line isn't quite in sight. At this point, however, bad form and a poor stride really start to flag one's stamina. It gets hard to lift the knees and push off the toes, but bad footing can lead to a nasty fall. So it is with bad habits. This is the time of year when they really start to show. The temptation for many students is to rely on their memory instead of keeping a record of upcoming assignments and assessments. Some students content themselves with mediocre work that's good enough to get a passing grade.
As parents, you can't run the race for your kids, but you can do more than cheer from the sidelines. Once place to start with encouraging your children and keeping them accountable is the red folder, aka the "parent communicator." Students should be taking their work home on a weekly basis in their folders and, ideally, they should be discussing it with you. Looking back at returned assignments can be useful for students in recalling to mind what they have learned, correcting misunderstandings and errors, and for evaluating how to improve.
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.
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.
Walk-in-Wednesday: 8th Grade Math with Miss Danielle Davis
This fall, we launched a new series on the ILS Blog offering visitors a sneak peek of our classrooms from each of our teachers. Just as we do with our in-person tours each week, this feature is designed to provide families more of a feel for a classical Christian education at Immanuel and what that looks like in action in our classrooms.
This week, Miss Danielle Davis, our Upper School Math Teacher, continues our “Walk-in-Wednesday” series in the new year with a peek into her 8th grade math class and some of the joyful learning and delightful problem solving underway should you stop by for a visit.
We hope that you are encouraged by these snap-shots to visit us in person to see us in action, and we warmly invite you to visit us for a Walk-in-Wednesday tour or our final Admissions Open House of the year (Thursday, January 10th). Stepping through our red doors, you will be welcomed by the joyful sounds of learning, from poems and jingles in the lower grades, to great discussions and debates in our older grades. Singing and music ring out from the music room, and the wonderful sights and sounds of students and teachers engaged in learning can be witnessed throughout our campus.
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!
Walk-in-Wednesday: Latin II with Mr. Shawn Barnett
Interested in experiencing a classical, Christian education at Immanuel? We warmly invite you to attend an Admissions Open House or join us for a Walk-in-Wednesday tour to see us in action. You may also visit us each week here on the ILS Blog as we offer a virtual sneak peek into our classrooms from each of our teachers. Every Wednesday, we’re sharing a glimpse of what a visitor might observe when they walk into our classrooms at any given moment.
This week, Mr. Shawn Barnett, our Upper School Latin teacher, continues our “Walk-in-Wednesday” series with a peek into his Latin II class and the delightful scenes you might observe if you were to stop in to visit one of his classes this week!
We hope that you are encouraged by these snap-shots to join us in person to see us in action. Stepping through our red doors, you will be welcomed by the joyful sounds of learning, from poems and jingles in the lower grades, to great discussions and debates in our older grades. Singing and music ring out from the music room, and the wonderful sights and sounds of students and teachers engaged in learning can be witnessed throughout our campus.
Walk-in-Wednesday: Music with Miss Marie Landskroener
Interested in learning more about a classical Christian education at Immanuel? Curious what this looks like in action? We would love to have you join us during one of our Admissions Open Houses, or stop in on week for our Walk-in-Wednesday tour to see for yourself the joyful learning happening at ILS. If you can’t make it for a tour, or just want to experience more of this for yourself, each Wednesday, our ILS blog is introducing a sneak peek from one of our teachers, highlighting what a visitor might observe when they walk into our classrooms.
Enjoy this a virtual tour here on the ILS Blog through our “Walk-in-Wednesday” series, and we hope it provides more of a feel for what you might experience at Immanuel. This week, join us in our music classroom, as Miss Marie Landskroener shares more about some of the delightful moments you may encounter in one of her many music classes every week.
We hope you enjoy, and please visit the blog each week as we share additional “Walk-in-Wednesday” features!