The state of Illinois has a law commonly known as Erin’s Law which states that a comprehensive health education program shall include age-appropriate sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention education in grades PK - 12. The key term is age-appropriate. As we have done the last few years, our social worker, Lisa Guagenti, will introduce this topic for PK-6
th grade through an age appropriate storybook followed by a conversation with the students centered on awareness as well as what to say and who to talk with if they ever feel uncomfortable. Her schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Nov 5: PK & 1
st
Friday, Nov 8: JK
Tuesday, Nov 12: SK
Friday, Nov 15: 2
nd, 5
th, & 6
th
Tuesday, Nov 19: 3
rd
Friday, Nov 22: 4
th
A presentation to 7
th & 8
th grade will be made at a different time.
The books used by Mrs. G. are available at the school office for your review. We encourage you to talk with your students both before and after their session in order to prepare them in advance and have dialogue afterwards about what they learned. We also encourage you to look at the storybooks we use. Several of them have helpful tips for parents. Feel free to contact me or Lisa Guagenti if you have any questions regarding how we approach this sensitive, but important piece of education.
The children’s Christmas Eve service preparations have begun. It is important for us to know which students will be participating in the services. Last week you received an email to designate your child(ren)’s participation. Please use the link in that email, or the button at the bottom of this page to let us know about participation for each of your students. Even if your child is not participating, we ask that you complete the form so that we know for certain. Please complete this by next Friday, Nov 8. Thank you!
Bill Koehne, Principal
November 1, 2019
November 3-8
Sunday Church Service, 8:30 & 11:00am
All Saints Sunday, see below for more information
Sunday School, 9:45-10:45am
Monday Varsity girls basketball practice, 3:00-5:00pm
Tuesday Varsity girls basketball practice, 3:00-5:00pm
Erin’s Law discussion: PK and 1
st
Wednesday Chapel service led by 3
rd grade, 8:30am Parents welcome.
Dismissal at 2:15pm
Thursday Varsity girls basketball practice, 3:00-5:00pm
Friday Support the Sports pizza lunch
Erin’s Law discussion: JK
Special Invitation for All Saints Sunday, November 3
All Saints Day (November 1) and All Saints Sunday (November 3) are celebrations in the church year of both the saints who have died as well as our own sainthood in Christ. At Grace, we light candles in worship while naming aloud the saints of our community who have died in the past year.
As an additional way to honor and give thanks for the saints on All Saints Sunday, this year we invite our Grace community to bring an item of remembrance of a loved one who has died. For the children’s sermon, children will bring forward their items, and we will talk about the gift of our ancestors and our shared sainthood in Jesus Christ.
Adults who have brought items can also hold those objects while sitting in the pews. Together, we will pray in thanksgiving for the saints who have gone before and are now at rest in Christ, as well as our own sainthood which God bestows so graciously on each of us.
Following the 11am worship service on All Saints Sunday, we will gather in the Memorial Garden for a brief liturgy of Commemoration of the Saints.
All are invited to join us for this special day of remembrance and celebration of eternal life in Jesus Christ.
Grace students are writing thank you letters to our veterans.
If you have a Veteran or military personnel in the family that would enjoy a letter, please share their address with us. Please send to
kwashburn@graceriverforest.org
It is the tradition of our 5
th
and 6
th
grade unit to pack Christmas stockings for those struggling with poverty or homelessness.
We work with an agency called
The Night Ministry
www.thenightministry.org
to do so. Congregational members sew the stockings and we work to raise money through a school wide game called “Penny Wars.” We ask for donations of everyday essentials that fill the stockings (see list in link) and we use the funds to fill in whatever else is needed. It’s always a meaningful experience and one that could not be possible without your help. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Here are the details.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/night_stockings
It's Time for a Penny War!
Bring your pennies or other coins for next week. PK, JK, SK, and grades 1-2 are collecting coins. Grades 3-8 are having a Penny War.
The war will rage from November 4-8. Put pennies in your own jar and all other coins or bills in your rival's jar. Pennies are positive points and dollar bills and silver coins are negative points. The class with the most points earns a treat. All proceeds are for The Night Ministry. Thanks for your support.
1
st
and 2
nd
Grade Parents: The 1
st and 2
nd Grade Choir will sing for worship Sunday, November 10 at 8:30 a.m. Students will meet in the 1
st grade classroom at 8:00 to warm-up and rehearse. Students are asked to wear white on top and dark on the bottom. Please meet your child at the 1
st grade classroom following the service (approximately 9:45). Parents are invited to enjoy coffee and pastries in the atrium prior to the service. Please contact Janel Dennen at
jdennen@graceriverforest.org and let her know about your child’s participation.
November 1-3, the Walther Drama Department will be presenting their fall play,
James and the Giant Peach.
Come see Grace alumni Gracie Leininger (Aunt Spiker) and Darryl Norwood (Officer) on stage. Crew members include Grace alumni Dan Kibler, Aiden Koehne, Kirsten Steiner, and Lars Viise.
Families are invited to a pancake “breakfast with the bugs,” on November 2 where they can meet James and his friends and then watch the show in a safe, slightly less formal environment. Breakfast begins at 9:30 a.m. with a 10:30 a.m. performance. Tickets are $5 per person, which includes both breakfast and the show. Additional performances are November 1 & 2 at 7:00 p.m. and November 3 at 3:00 p.m. $7 Adults, $4 Children Age 3 – Grade 12. Walther Christian Academy is located at 900 Chicago Ave. Melrose Park, IL 60160.
This year's Graceful Evening will include a Whiskey Pull in addition to our traditional wine pull.
To kick it off, you're invited to join us for a Whiskey of the World tasting as we collect donations for the event this spring! We will have a sampling of whiskey on hand for tasting as well as small bites and other drinks. The link to the evite is
http://evite.me/6HJy2mUzSW
PLEASE BRING AN UNOPENED BOTTLE OF WHISKEY, SCOTCH OR BOURBON, VALUED AT $30 OR MORE, TO DONATE TO THE GRACEFUL EVENING EVENT
.
Questions? Please contact Emily Hartung (emilyhartung@gmail.com) or Amanda Steelman (
amanda.steelman@gmail.com
).
Show your School Spirit:
Car magnets have arrived! If you have not received a car magnet please stop by Ms. Maggio’s desk and pick one up! It's a great way to display your school spirit throughout your neighborhood and beyond.
First Look Friday:
Do you know a family who may be interested in learning about Grace? Invite them to
First Look Friday
on November 15th, from 8:30 to 10:00 am. It's an open house format that allows flexibility for parents to attend.
We are looking for someone to fulfill two part time positions here at Grace
. The job opportunities are Technology coordinator and Audio-Visual coordinator. They can be two separate jobs or combined into one position. Please click
here
for more information.
Bus Driver needed:
We are looking for someone to drive a bus for field trips. If you know of someone available during school hours, aged 21-70, and willing to obtain a license to drive a 24 passenger bus, contact Principal Koehne for details.
Volleyball players and Cross Country Runners-
Please turn in your clean uniforms in a bag marked with your name to Mrs. Maggio.
