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What We're Reading - October 2020

Wow! It is hard to believe we’re already entering our 2nd month of the new school year. As we have all returned to some of the traditional rhythms and routines of school, we are also all still adjusting to new changes we’re all facing this year. While we are all missing some of our traditional opportunities to gather as a community in person and eagerly await the time when those can return, we remain grateful for the ways we are still able to connect and support one another as we serve our students.

We hope that you enjoy our monthly "What we're reading..." Blog series, with what we hope is a variety of inspiring, thought-provoking or intriguing materials. It is our hope that these pieces continue to help to shape our ongoing conversation about how we create and build our culture together at home and at school. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below as you read these!

This month, we are also looking forward to a number of great opportunities to connect with families. We will be engaging in meaningful conversations with our current families during our first trimester Parent-Teacher Conferences. Then, families interested in learning more about a classical, Christian education at Immanuel are invited to attend our first Virtual Admissions Open House on Friday, October 16th. Then, we will finish up the month with our first virtual Lower School Showcase of the year.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

What We're Reading - September 2020

It is a great joy to begin our 2020-21 school year and welcome all of our new and returning families to our ILS community. One of the cornerstones of our our Immanuel community is the strong partnership between parents and school, and we value the opportunities for conversation and dialogue as we work together to serve our students.

Each month, we share a "What we're reading..." Blog post with a variety of articles, sermons, or other materials that we have found inspiring or intriguing. It is our hope that you will find value in these and that they will help to shape our ongoing conversation about how we create and build our culture together at home and at school.

Another opportunity for engaging in these conversations is our monthly First Friday Coffee. Parents are invited to join us each month for informal conversation and discussion on different topics. Our first Coffee of the 2020-21 school year will be held on Friday, September 11th via Zoom. Join us to discuss the habit of prayer at home and school and the blessing we have in this community to pray with and for one another.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

What We're Reading - August 2020

While we are definitely missing our students and families, we hope that summer break continues to be restful and a time of intentional leisure for each of you. Our ILS administrative team has remained busy as we plan for a safe and healthy return to school. We have enjoyed hearing from many of you over the summer, and we remain deeply grateful for your continued prayers, support and encouragement in these challenging times.

Our August edition of "What we're reading..." is now available, and as always, we hope that these articles will inspire and shape our ongoing conversation about how we create and build our culture together at home and at school.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

What We're Reading - July 2020

We hope that the summer break is continuing to be restful and a time of intentional leisure for our students and our families. It has been wonderful to hear from and see a number of you over the past few weeks as you have checked in and shared how summer is going. In June, we gave thanks as we were able to celebrate our Class of 2020 and hold our 2020 Graduation Vespers Service. At the end of the month, ILS faculty and Staff participated in the Society for Classical Learning’s virtual summer conference, hearing from a wide variety of educators and other speakers, and engaging with educators from across the country.

The July edition of "What we're reading..." is now available, and as always, we hope that these articles will continue our ongoing conversation about how we shape our culture together at home and at school.

If you are interested in learning more about classical, Lutheran education, the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE) is making available online videos from their past summer conferences. Find links for that, as well as summer reading and other activities, at the bottom of this post.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

What We're Reading - June 2020

We have reached the end of the 2019-2020 school year! Though our year ended much differently than we had anticipated when we started out back in September, we remain so grateful for this special ILS community. We give thanks for the relationships and partnerships we have with our families and for the countless ways you have worked together with teachers and staff to support your children over these last months of the year.

We are grateful for the ways that our Immanuel community came together to support one another as we navigated this new path and figured out new rhythms and routines for our families. From Zoom class parent chats, Zoom class lunches, Facebook Live events for our Science Fair and Oration Showcases, to our online virtual Auction event, we have loved the creative and fun ways that we have been able to connect and engage as a community even while physically distant.

As we head into the summer months, which we hope will be restful and a time of intentional leisure for our students and our families, we have our June edition of "What we're reading..." We hope that these articles will continue our ongoing conversation about how we shape our culture together at home and at school.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

What We're Reading - May 2020

As we near the end of the 2019-2020 school year under circumstances that no one could have ever predicted when the year began, we still give thanks for the relationships and partnerships we have with our families. We are grateful for the ways that our Immanuel community continues to come together and support one another as we navigate this new path and figure out new rhythms and routines for our families. While seeing photos of your Learn at Home days, videos of students learning with siblings, or checking in via Zoom can never replace the joy and delight of our days together in the classrooms and on the playground, we are grateful for the ways that we are still able to connect and engage with one another and continue on the path we began in September as we started our year.

We wanted to continue our "What we're reading..." series for May and include some articles our faculty and staff have found inspiring or encouraging in these uncertain times, and that we hope will continue our ongoing conversation about how we shape our culture together at home and at school.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

What We're Reading - March 2020

As we end the second trimester of the 2019-2020 school year and enter the final third of the year, it is delightful to observe how much our students have grown and learned. We hope you will join us this Friday, March 6th, for our First Friday Coffee as we come together to discuss how we can continue to encourage and support good habits that will help our students finish the year strong.

We have also entered the season of Lent and our journey towards Easter. We invite you to join us each week for our Wednesday morning Chapel services, or on Wednesday evenings for Lenten services at ILC.

Our latest "What we're reading..." feature includes a new selection of articles that we hope will inspire and engage you in our ongoing conversation about how we shape our culture together at home and at school. Thank you for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

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.  

What We're Reading - February 2020

It was such a joy to finish the month of January celebrating Lutheran Schools Week together! It was a delightful and spirited week of fun traditions, special time of fellowship, and giving thanks for this wonderful ILS community and for being a part of the broader community of Lutheran schools across the country. Thank you to the PTL for launching the week with a wonderful Chili Cook-off on January 25th., We loved seeing the great literary character costumes our students and teachers selected on Monday along with the Bible characters on Thursday, and delighted watching the Lower School students decorating their classroom doors all week. The competition was fierce as Upper School House teams worked on their Peeps Dioramas, and participated in the Academic Bowl. Seeing the Lower School students enthusiastically participate in their House Teams was so much fun, and we all enjoyed a change of pace with Teacher Swap Day on Wednesday. Your generosity was tremendous as you supported our 4 missions throughout the week in the Penny Wars. And we loved watching the community come together to conclude the week with both the Lower School Showcase and the Upper School Talent Show.

As the new month begins, we’re bringing you our latest "What we're reading..." feature with a new selection of articles and features that we hope will inspire and engage you in our ongoing conversation about how we shape our culture together at home and at school.

We give thanks for each of our families, and the wonderful opportunity to partner with you in the important work of educating and nurturing children. Thank you for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

What We're Reading - January 2020

Happy New Year! We pray that all of our families enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and a restful break. It was delightful to see everyone return this week and hear fun stories about travel, traditions, time with family, and celebrations of the season.

Kicking of the new year, we will continue our work to support and inspire intentional discussions on culture-building and culture-shaping within our school and homes. Our monthly "What we're reading..." feature includes articles and other resources that we hope you find of interest.

2020 also marks that 150th anniversary of the founding of Immanuel Lutheran Church and School. Throughout the year, we look forward to sharing more about the school’s history in Alexandria, and together looking forward to the future. We are inviting ILS alumni and their families, as well as former teachers, to share their stories and photos from your time at Immanuel. Please contact us if you have pictures or stories you would be willing to share!

We give thanks for each of our families, and the wonderful opportunity to partner with you in the important work of educating and nurturing children. Thank you for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!