Graceful Evening:
It can be hard to feel a sense of community in a time of unprecedented isolation and uncertainty. Not only do we worry for the health and safety of our family and friends, our everyday way of life is being re-shaped into a new normal. Many essential businesses continue to support us, but many have shuttered their doors to protect us. In doing so, many members of our community will face another potential hardship that will have long lasting effects after the novel coronavirus - financial hardship.
Graceful Evening, our annual fundraiser, has traditionally brought our church and school community together both socially and financially. And now, more than ever, we feel the necessity to continue its purpose and re-purpose our Fund-A-Need to reflect Grace's strong commitment to its families and community.
We invite all families to join Graceful Evening to reconnect with one another; anyone can sign up to participate in auctions and donations.
This new virtual event runs now through 9:00pm on Saturday
. The Peaceful Bodies, Productive Minds Fund-A-Need has been put on hold until next year. Our new
"Fund The Needs"
will ensure school pledges can be met without hardship for Grace families. Follow us on
F
acebook
and register to bid or donate at
graceful2020.givesmart.com
Questions?
gracefulevening@graceriverforest.org.
Remaining Contribution this year, Fees and Tuition for next year: At Grace Lutheran Church & School we realize that this pandemic has altered the income level for some of our parents. In response, the Fund a Need part of Graceful Evening this week is dedicated to supporting Grace School families in financial crisis by helping them complete their pledge for this school year or providing support in other ways. Please contact Principal Koehne if you need assistance.
Earlier this month many of you received an invoice for the first half of fees for next school year. If you need more time to make this payment, we understand. Please email Principal Koehne.
Variable Tuition for next school year: Families that are still experiencing financial crisis in July should contact Principal Koehne to discuss a change to their tuition level for next school year. We will work with all families in this situation.
We don’t want anyone feeling like they need to leave Grace School due to financial hardship.
If your income has not been altered significantly, we ask that you complete your pledge and pay fees for next school year. We are continuing to pay all of our employees at Grace, so maintaining a healthy revenue stream is important. If your finances are stable, please consider giving an additional gift in this time of need by donating to Fund the Needs to support our Grace School families. Use this link to get to our Graceful Evening page.
http://graceful2020.givesmart.com/
Open House:
Grace Lutheran School will host a Virtual Open House for prospective families on Thursday, April 23 at 4:00pm. If you know a family that should consider Grace School for their children, please pass this information on to them. The event will be recorded and available on demand at our website for people who are not able attend it live.
Register for Virtual Open House
Enrichment Activities from our “Specials”:
Our teachers of art, German, music, physical education and technology have provided activities for your students to do when they complete their math and language arts work. Here is information on how to access this work. Art: Use the link
https://glsart.weebly.com/
for projects in Grades 1-4 from Mrs. Hammer.
German: Mrs. Lyle sent emails to parents on April 13 with German activities. Music: Use the link
Music Activities
to access music activities from Ms. Dennen. PE: Use the link
PE Activities
for ideas from Mrs. Underhill Technology: Use the link
https://www.gracelmc.org/
for technology in Grades 5-8 from Ms. Holm.
Spirit Week - Virtual Style:
We are 5 weeks into this eLearning, and the fatigue factor on our students is starting to set in. To add a little pep, some of our teachers came up with a virtual spirit week that we are going to do next week. Check the list belowfor the spirit days. Teachers will share how it will work at their grade level.
Support for Illinois Families
: The Illinois Department of Human Services has launched a support line called Call4Calm that is reachable via text. Individuals who want to speak with a mental health professional can text the word “TALK” or “HABLAR” (for Spanish speakers) to 552-020. Within 24 hours, that individual will receive a call from a mental health professional employed by a local community health center.
People can also text other terms, like “unemployment” or “food” or “shelter” to the same number to receive information on how to navigate and access supports and services. Call4Calm is free, and individuals who use it can remain anonymous. We encourage you to share this resource with anyone that may be in need.
Remainder of the School Year
: You may have heard that Governor Pritzker announced today that schools in Illinois will remain closed for in-person learning through the end of the school year. Look for an email next week with information on how this announcement will impact the remainder of our school year at Grace.
