A Message from the Principal
What’s Hurting Our Kids?

I am sure you have heard it many times, “Screen time is hurting our kids.” The faculty and I are passionate about helping parents understand the reality of this. Unfortunately, we see the effects in our classrooms on a daily basis. Even in this small population here at St. John’s, we have a notable amount of children diagnosed with anxiety, ADHD, ADD, and they seem to increase each year.  I am attaching a link to an incredible article that shows when these changes began. I ask you, for the wellbeing of our children, that you take a few minutes to read this article. Think about what changes might need to be made in your home.   This isn’t about everyone else’s kids. Our students are not immune! We are here to help, so please reach out to us. May God bless your parenting.



In His Name,
Teri Lyn Mannes
Flu Epidemic
As we hear about schools in our area closing for 3+ days at a time due to massive numbers of student and faculty absences, we want to remind everyone to please keep your child(ren) home if they exhibit any symptoms of the flu .
This is for the safety of your child as well as everyone else.
Eagles in Action
PHIL'S FRIENDS
The 7th graders' Eagles in Action for the month of February is Phil's Friends. Phil's Friends is a Christian organization dedicated to bringing Hope to people undergoing cancer treatments. This week the entire school will be tying blankets and decorating cards which will be included in the Hope Packages that are sent the patients across the country. In addition to the blankets, we will be collecting FUZZY SOCKS for women and PLAYING CARDS for men. You can get both of these items at the Dollar Store. All donations and items will be delivered to Phil's Friends later this month when the 7th graders go to pack and decorate Hope boxes. Please pray for us and for the people who will receive these boxes.

Announcements
ENROLLMENT
Last week, all current St. John’s School families received enrollment information for the 2018-19 school year. Information was sent home with your youngest child. We want to know your intentions about enrollment by March 9th to be able to plan next year’s budget. If you enroll on or before that date, the enrollment fee is $150 per family. After March 9th the enrollment fee will be $250 per family. Additional enrollment forms, along with the 2018-19 Tuition and Fees can be found on the website at www.stjohnslagrange.org/forms/
 
We encourage you to share St. John’s Lutheran School with friends and neighbors! Our Recruitment Incentive Program will be in place again for the 2018-19 school year. Refer a new family to St. John's and receive $1,000 tuition credit for each student that enrolls in and attends St. John’s during the 2018-19 school year. 
This applies to preschool through Eighth Grade with an exception for Kindergarten, Second, Fourth and Fifth Grades. Families referring students enrolling and attending those grades will receive a $1,500 tuition credit per student.  

So Kids, Sew!
St. John’s sewing club is for students in grades 6-8. We meet Mondays from 3:30 – 4:30. We hope you will join us!
Our next session starts Monday, Feb. 26 and continues for 3 more weeks: Mar. 5, 12, and 19th. Students will learn to apply borders and how to put the layers of the quilt together. They will also start a second quilt using the same pattern as the previous session but with different fabrics. We hope to have some of our experienced sewers return for this session, but new sewers are also welcome. Please see Mrs. Starr for permission slips.
We congratulate the following students for earning Accelerated Reader Certificates:

Ready 5: Jaxson Garbarz


Keep up the good work!
Candy Donations Needed:

An Egg-citing Easter activity is rolling out that will involve our church, school and neighbors. Candy donations are needed to fill 2,400 plastic eggs and will be greatly appreciated. Please drop off bags of candy in the narthex (next to the coffee hour area) or in the school office between now and March 1st. Email j.strasser@sjlagrange.com with questions. Thank You!
We will be placing TRIP orders for your shopping needs on these upcoming dates:
·         March 5th and 19th
Have your order in the green order boxes, in either the school office or church narthex by the Sunday prior to the order date to participate.

Click the button below for more information:
Shamrockin' for a Cure
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Friday February 23, 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM
For more information, please click the button to view the flier:
The LaGrange HIGHLANDS LIONS CLUB is sponsoring an Early Childhood Vision Screening event, Saturday, March 10th, 9 AM - Noon at Highlands School.   
 
This screening is open to all area families; it is not a school-sponsored event. All pertinent information is on the attached flyer.
 
The screening is FREE, sponsored by the LaGrange HIGHLANDS LIONS CLUB. There is no cost to the parent, and all children between six months to six years are eligible. Studies show that 80% of children's learning is visual. Failure to address learning issues of sight and sound as soon as posible lead to both academic and behavioral problems.

PTO News
Snow Day Pizza refunds
Due to last Friday’s Snow Day, refunds will be issued to those who pre-ordered pizza for the day. If you do not receive a refund and believe you should have, contact Debbie (see below). Please be patient as it will take some time to get the refunds processed.
If you would like to donate your refund toward the 7 th /8 th grade Washington D.C. trip, please text or email Debbie (630-888-4188 or bankerref@comcast.net)
as soon as possible.
Thank you for your support of the 7 th & 8 th grade
Pizza Friday fundraiser!
Hot lunch orders for Bill’s Place (February 26 th )
due on Wednesday, February 21 st
Family order forms are going home this week with the youngest student in each family. Order forms are available via the button below, and can also be found on the SJL website at stjohnslagrange.org→Parents→Forms, or in the school office.
Lunch orders are due next week: no later than 3:15 pm on Wednesday, 2/21.  
If we have extras, there may be individual bags of chips available for 50¢
and cookies for 25¢ each.
Please contact Debbie with any questions about this lunch: bankerref@comcast.net,
630-888-4188(text) or 630-321-0427(home). 
NEW PIZZA ORDER FORMS (green) ARE AVAILABLE!
Order forms are available outside the school office; on the SJL website at stjohnslagrange.org→Parents→Forms; or by clicking the link found in this issue of The Wings.
As a reminder: Pizza should be pre-ordered to guarantee that your student receives his/her preferred type and quantity of pizza. Pizza orders are due by 9:00 am on Wednesday for Friday’s lunch. There are usually extra slices of pizza available for sale on Fridays at lunch. However, students with pre-orders are served first and there is no guarantee that there will be leftover pizza to sell.
Pizza Fridays are a fundraiser to help cover the costs for the 7 th & 8 th grade classes’ trip to Washington, D.C. in May. Thank you for your support!  

HELP WANTED
for the Sock Hop
on February 23rd!

The Sock Hop is one of our most loved annual events. Admission is free to SJL school families, as are hot dogs and root beer floats! There will be a raffle of fun prizes and plenty of room to hop and bop.
This is such a fun night but needs a lot of volunteers to make it work.

Please visit this sign-up genius link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0c4ca9a928ab9-sock

or contact the coordinator as soon as possible to sign up:
desiree.trapp19@gmail.com or 708-699-3406.
We can’t do it without you!
Winter Session for Hot Shots Sports

The second session of Hot Shots (for 2 nd 4 th grades) will begin February 22 nd . The deadline for registering is Wednesday, February 21 st . Forms were already sent out on pink paper. Please click on the attached link if another copy is needed. If capacity is reached, priority for 2 nd  graders will go to those who did not already participate in the November Hot Shots class. If you have any questions, please contact Desiree Trapp at  desiree.trapp19@gmail.com  or  708-699-3406

WANTED: PTO HOT LUNCH COORDINATOR
FOR 2018-19
For the past several years, the PTO has arranged for monthly catered lunches for our students and staff from local restaurants. A new coordinator is needed for this program for next school year (2018-19). The advantage to starting during the current year is that the current coordinator can train you! The primary responsibilities include:
  • Help choose dates and vendors for monthly hot lunches at the beginning of the year.
  • Communicate with restaurants to arrange dates, prices and place orders.
  • Prepare, distribute and collect lunch order forms each month.
  • Keep accurate records of hot lunch orders for correct distribution on hot lunch days.
  • Solicit and coordinate parent volunteers to help serve lunch each month.
  • Coordinate distribution of lunches.
If you are interested, have questions, or would like more information, please contact Debbie Cloutier 630-321-0427 or bankerref@comcast.net.  
FEBRUARY SMART LUNCHES CALENDAR
The calendar showing lunch options for February can be accessed by clicking on the link below. If you have not yet tried Smart Lunches, and would like to, just visit www.smartlunches.com  to create an account and get started!
Helpful hints: If you’re interested in ordering lunch more than once per week, you should sign up for a “meal plan” (2 – 3 days per week or 4 – 5 days per week) to get the best pricing, rather than ordering “ala carte” (sporadically). If you decide to change your meal plan for any reason (you want to reduce the number of days per week; only order sporadically; or your kids don’t like the food), you can make those changes online and will receive a credit to your account to be used for future orders. If you decide to completely cancel your service and would like a refund for unused meals, simply contact customer service. NOTE: Meals must be canceled or changed at least 2 days in advance of the delivery date.
All days off, Pizza Fridays, and PTO Hot Lunch days will be blocked on the Smart Lunches ordering calendar to avoid conflicts.
Questions? You’re welcome to try Debbie at 630-321-0427 or bankerref@comcast.net for questions about Smart Lunches at St. John’s. If you have specific questions about Smart Lunches, their friendly customer support team can help! Give them a call at 1-888-25-SMART or send an email to support@smartlunches.com .
When submitting pizza orders, hot lunch orders, registrations for extracurricular classes, etc. PLEASE remember to include your child’s grade on the form! This makes processing the forms much faster.
Thank you!
Calendar

Week of February 19, 2018

Monday, Feb 19 President's Day - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, Feb 20 TRIP Orders Due
  • 7:25 AM Jubilee Bells
  • 4:00 PM Varsity Girls Game AWAY - St. Luke, Itasca

Wednesday, Feb 21
  • 7:40 AM Prayer Warriors
  • 3:30 PM Varsity Coed Practice
  • 6:00 PM Lenten Dinner
  • 7:00 PM Worship w/ Communion

Thursday, Feb 22
  • 7:25 AM Joy Bells
  • 2:30 PM Early Dismissal
  • 2:30 PM Echoes of Praise
  • 2:30 PM Sticky Fingers Cooking Class
  • 2:30 PM Hot Shot Sports

Friday, Feb 23 Cool School Day!
  • 6:00 PM PTO Meeting
  • 6:30 PM Sock Hop

Saturday, Feb 24 No Events Planned

Sunday, Feb 25



Week of February 26, 2018

Monday, Feb 26
  • 3:30 PM So Kids, Sew!
  • 3:30 PM Chess Scholars
  • 4:00 PM Varsity Girls Game HOME - St. Paul, Brookfield

Tuesday, Feb 27
  • 7:25 AM Jubilee Bells
  • 4:00 PM Varsity Boys Game HOME - Trinity, Lombard

Wednesday, Feb 28
  • 7:40 AM Prayer Warriors
  • 3:30 PM Varsity Coed Practice
  • 6:00 PM Lenten Dinner
  • 7:00 PM Worship w/ Communion

Thursday, Mar 1
  • 7:25 AM Joy Bells
  • 2:30 PM Early Dismissal
  • 2:30 PM Echoes of Praise
  • 2:30 PM Sticky Fingers Cooking Class
  • 2:30 PM Hot Shot Sports
  • 6:30 PM Intermediate Grades Science Fair

Friday, Mar 2 No Events Planned

Saturday, Mar 3 No Events Planned

Sunday, Mar 4


Want to see more calendar information? View the school and church calendar on our website HERE :
708-354-1690
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