Happy Reformation

What does it mean to be Lutheran?
That question was asked of the 4th & 5th graders last week. They responded with, "We believe like Luther did." True, but my heart tells me it's deeper than that.

• To me, being Lutheran means: 

• I know that I am saved by grace. (For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Eph. 2:8,9); 
• Jesus lived the perfect life that I could not. (We have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Heb. 4:15)
• Jesus lives eternally in heaven, and so shall I. (Because I live, you also will live. John 14:19); 
• No matter what happens, the Lord is at my side. (The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Ps. 121:8)
• Jesus has given me more promises than I can count. Some of my favorites come from Psalm 91.

God bless you this Reformation Day.

News, Notes, etc

As I sit at the computer this beautiful Saturday morning, I think about all that the Lord does to sustain each of us. The glorious sunny sky and the crisp fall temps are the things we see, and perhaps take for granted. But the Lord has provided so many blessings, that counting them would be impossible.

A short list however:

1. Miss Opperman got to New London safely.
2. My neighbor used his spare time to blow the leaves from my lawn to the curb.
3. The 4th and 5th graders have been very healthy this year.
4. On the whole, the class has been faithful in completing their assignments on time.
5. Four of the 5th graders are taking on the challenge of the annual 5th & 6th grade FVL Math Bowl.

Items to note:

1. Miss Opperman has started "taking" some of the subjects. She started with devotions, handwriting, spelling, and math. This week (all two days of it) she adds Christ Light for the 4th graders.
2. Parent teacher conferences are this Monday-Wednesday. If you've not signed up for a time, you can still call or email me. We can find a spot for you.
3. Thursday and Friday there is no school for Emanuel, as the teachers will be in Milwaukee for the annual WELS State Teachers' Convention. My favorite part is the opening service. Having about 1000 teachers singing is so cool. Sometime I just stop singing and listen. It brings me to tears. Tears of joy that I can sing with these people now and in eternity, praising God for all Jesus has done for us. 
4. And, yes, we're continuing with Speed Stacks…and getting faster each day!

God bless…

Isaiah 46:4

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

October 15

This past week:

1. On Thursday, we watched an Electronic Field Trip from Colonial Williamsburg, entitled A More Perfect Union. It was about the creation of the US Constitution. An electronic field trip means that we see the video via WPNE. 
1. There were three segments each consisting of ten to twelve minutes of the video, followed by live questions asked of the experts. The live questions come from children all over the nation that were watching the show. The man that portrayed Patrick Henry was very convincing!
2. On Friday, we started our Bucket Buddies Pond Water Investigation. 
1. First, the students made a hypothesis: Will pond water macroinvertebrates be the same all over North America?  
2. Then we looked for macroinvertebrates found in pond water. 
3. A BIG thanks to the parents that supplied the water. We had some of the most disgusting, smelly water found near New London. But that is exactly what I asked for. The more yucky the water, the better the chance of finding macroinvertebrates. 
4. We were so busy looking for and FINDING creatures, that I forgot to take pictures! We found about 300 of God's little creatures. 
5. We'll finish the investigation this coming week.
3. The first ever Emanuel Lutheran Speed Stacking Tournament ended with Logan being the 4th grade champ and Taya being the 5th grade champion. Then those two squared-off with Logan becoming the first ever grand champion! Congratulations!

Speed Stacking Via Animoto…
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

This coming week…

1. Miss Opperman starts on Monday.
2. We have a second Speed Stacking tourney set up. We will start that this week.
3. The 5th graders go to FVL for the play, A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas. Then they're headed to the Fox River Mall to eat lunch at the Food Court.

God Bless you and yours.

Isaiah 26:4

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.

News and "what-not" from room 216

I came across this Bible verse the other day:

Isaiah 48:17

This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.

I'm sure that I don't always listen and/or pay attention as the LORD teaches me. I know that His direction is the one to follow; the path where the LORD teaches me is the way that I should go. But I get a bit stubborn…not a good idea! I need to keep praying about that.


Speed Stacking
The students are still enjoying Speed Stacking, as am I. Some of the students are getting really fast on what is called the cycle. Ask your child about it. We started a tournament this past week. The process isn't taking as long as I had thought. I think we'll finish this tourney within a few days. Then I think we'll start another one. We take the Speed Stacking Sport Pack to PE each class. We use the stacking cups in team relays, personal cardiovascular, and teamwork activities. 


The loaner pack of Speed Stacks goes back in about two weeks. That's OK. The one I was able to purchase with some classroom monies came today, Friday, October 7, after school. The "gear" that various students ordered should be in next week. 

Harvest Fest
For this weekend's Harvest Fest, the 4th and 5th graders made fall leaves using coffee filters. They traced various patterns, painted them with water colors, and then cut out numerous leaves. The filter paper allowed the colors to "run" into each other, creating beautiful fall leaves. We started to glue them onto twigs that I picked up from my lawn, but we ran out of time. Thanks to two nice ladies, all of the leaves got hot-glued to the twigs. Look for them on the tables for Harvest Fest.


God's blessings.

Whoa! It's October!

At lunch one day this past week the girls that I was sitting next to decided that the year was going by quickly. Indeed! September 30th was mid-quarter; that means 1/8 of the school year is already over. WOW!

Our schedule was a bit "messed up" because of the Terra Nova tests. Part of this coming week will also be slightly different from the regular schedule, since we're not quite down with the Terra Novas.

The Lord provided a lovely day to explore Mosquito Hill. The 4th graders saw many of God's creatures from numerous wooly bear caterpillars to snakes and eagles. The 5th graders may have come home and told their parents that they want a compass. The 5th graders didn't do true "orienteering" at Mosquito Hill, but they did learn the basics of using an orienteering compass.

I think that orienteering would be a really cool "enrichment" activity. So Friday night I did some research via Google. An orienteering kit for a class of 12 students is on sale for $194.00. A kit for 24 is on sale for $309.00. The kit I'd really like is on sale for $369.00. I don't think I'll be investing in that enrichment activity right now, at least not full-fledged. Individual compasses are about $13.00, so I might get a few and start to build my own "kit" for orienteering. How hard can it be? Get some books from the library, learn the basics, invest in a few compasses at a time…

God bless you and yours.

One of my all-time favorite passages…

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.