January 17, 2020
St. Peter Lutheran School Hemlock, MI
Our students enjoyed the second grade spirit day today: Beach Day! They were able to have a picnic lunch.
Calendar of Events
Jan. 17: End of Second Quarter

Jan. 20: No School (Teacher Development) Child Care Available

Jan. 21: 6:30pm VLHS Jr. Symphonic Band Concert @ St. Peter

Jan. 22: 8:05am Chapel: Mr. Hagenow

Jan. 22: 4:30pm Away Girls Bball @ Bethlehem

Jan. 24: 6:00pm Away Girls Bball @ Faith

Jan. 24: Report Cards Available Via Fast Direct

Jan. 26-31: National Lutheran Schools Week

Jan. 26: 10:30am All Children Sing (Preschool-8th Grades)

Jan. 27: 7:00pm Voter's Meeting
Nurturing the Faith
In Our Prayers:  This week we will be praying for these St. Peter alumni who graduated from our school: Katelynn Howey , class of 2014; Katie Fehn , class of 2014; Kathryn Jacobs , class of 2016 and Kaylee Dilleree , class of 2014.

Devotion of the Week: The Keys to the Kingdom Bible verse for this week is Isaiah 43:1, "But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.'" This is a fitting verse as we celebrate Life Sunday this week. We have been created and formed by our Triune God. All life is precious from the moment of conception until the last breath that is taken. Our secular world tries to lure us into thinking that quality of life and choice determine who should live and who can be discarded. Our sinful world tries to separate us from our Creator, and yet, we have this verse, which points directly to our Maker. God calls us by name; loves us unconditionally; has redeemed us through the precious blood of our Savior; and through our new life in our baptism, we are His and will live eternally in peace and perfection with Jesus. In a sin-filled world, it is such a blessing to hear the calming words of our heavenly Father, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."
Our Condolences: Our prayers are with the family of Mrs. Shirley Pankow as she passed away on Tuesday. Shirley served this congregation as a teacher (and along side her husband, Rev. Edward Pankow) from 1965-1994 and remained a faithful member of our congregation and strong supporter of our school after her retirement in 1994. We are thankful for the blessing that Shirley has been to our congregation for so many years, and as we mourn her death, we know she is now at peace in the heavenly arms of her Savior, whom she taught about to her students every day. May God surround her family with His comfort and grace.
Quote of the Week
"She was my first grade teacher the first year I came to St. Peter."
-Comment from Mrs. Patrice Sherry, our second grade teacher, about Mrs. Shirley Pankow.
National Lutheran Schools Week: Jan. 26-31
NLSW 2020: Our annual celebration of National Lutheran Schools Week will take place Jan. 26-31. The theme for this year is Joyfully Lutheran and the Bible verse is from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” Here are some things happening during the week:
  • Sunday, Jan. 26: 10:30 Church: PS-8 sings
  • Monday, Jan. 27: We will kick off the week with a free breakfast (breakfast burrito, fresh fruit, and candied pecans) starting at 7:45-8:15 followed by pledges and prayer. Parents are invited to attend. Spirit Day: BACKWARDS DAY
  • Tuesday, Jan. 28: We are looking to have an assembly on this day (TBD) Spirit Day: FAKE AN INJURY DAY
  • Wednesday, Jan. 29: Spirit Day: WEAR IT WEDNESDAY
  • Thursday, Jan. 30: Science Fair at 1:15-2:15 & 6:30-7:30. Spirit Day: DRESS UP DAY
  • Friday, Jan. 31: Rock, Paper Scissors Competition with hula hoops at 1:45-2:25. Students will be in multi-grade teams. Spirit Day: PANTHER PRIDE DAY
  • During this week we will also be having a food collection for God's Helping Hands. We are going to make this a classroom competition. The team with the most items will receive a prize. Teams are: 3PS & 2nd, 4PS, Young 5's-K-1st, 3rd-4th, 5th-8th.
In the Classroom
Science Fair: Our Science Fair is just a few weeks away. It will take place on Thursday, January 30 at 1:15-2:15pm and 6:00-7:00pm. We are looking forward to a great event!
Camp Concordia: Dr. Craig Oldenburg from Camp Concordia will be visiting our school this Wednesday afternoon for an assembly. He is the director at Camp Concordia which is a summer camp for students and families. Click here to see their summer schedule.
What's Your Story
This article was found in a file folder given to Mr. Eric Hagenow from Mrs. Shirley Pankow several years ago. The file was filled with school history articles and old bulletin inserts. This particular article was from Mrs. Pankow's 25th anniversary of teaching:

Mrs. Shirley Pankow has been teaching children at St. Peter Lutheran School for twenty-five years. Mrs. Pankow began teaching at St. Peter in 1965. During that period of time, she has taught in grades Kindergarten through Grade 2. That first year, she taught with Mrs. Lorenz Loesel, Mrs. Beatrice Preuss, Miss Darlene Hamann, and Mrs. Beatrice Gross. Her salary was $1,300 for half-days in Kindergarten. The pastor was her husband. Over these twenty-five years, she has taught 550 children. At the present time, she is teaching Grade 1...12.5 steps from the back door of her home! She has been and still is a special gift to the church as her love for children and her creativity have been a consistent force in her teaching. She has dedicated these years of her life to teaching children about Jesus and His love for them. Mrs. Pankow has chosen a highly valued vocation and certainly has laid up treasures in heaven forevermore!

We are always looking for additional stories to share. Please click here to send us your story to be published in the Panther Press .
News & Notes
Book Fees & Tuition: Final payments for Book Fees and Tuition are due by February 10, 2020. Thank you for your timely payments.

No School on Monday, January 20: There is no school on January 20; the teachers will be at VLHS for their annual conference with other Lutheran school educators. Child care is available. Children (PS-8th grades) that will be here through the lunch hour will need to bring a lunch from home. The cost is $15/child half day (if dropped off and picked up by noon or dropped off after noon) or $30/child (for all day). Toddler Care remains the same.

Help Needed: One of our families in our school is in need of in-home child care for their infant. If you know of anyone who would be interested, please contact Mrs. Amy Brenner at 989-482-3496. Care is needed from about 10-3 on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Thank you for your help.
Youth Director Needed: St. Peter Lutheran Church is accepting applications for the position of part-time Youth Director. The ideal candidate will:
  • Possess a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and will display that faith in his/her life in the church and community.
  • Support the mission of St. Peter Lutheran Church and the congregations ministry as it is defined in its Constitution.
  • Have a love for the youth of the congregation and community and encourage ministry to the youth and their involvement in the church.
  • Be willing to work with the staff and to cooperate with the needs and schedule of the church and school. The position is for 30-35 hours per month. A full job description is available from the Church Secretary in the school office.  
LEAP News Nugget: In recent years, twenty-two Great Lakes Bay Region LCMS churches/schools have joined together in various “LEAP” (“Lutheran Education Advancement Plan”) workshops known as “LEAP-Shops” where they seek to “Advance Christ-Centered Education through Collaboration.” These events have involved lay church and school leaders and other representatives of our churches and schools coming together to learn, grow, and plan together. Another such LEAP-Shop is scheduled to occur on March 17 at Valley Lutheran High School, particularly involving education board members and other representatives of our Lutheran schools who will meet together at VLHS around such topics as selecting board members, evaluating administrators, developing effective board policies, caring for and supporting school administrators and staff, and maintaining and growing our Lutheran schools. May God bless the learning and planning together which will occur at the March 17 LEAP-Shop!

Library Events: Raucholz Memorial Library has several events planned for January and February. There are fliers in the school office if you are interested.
Athletics
Girls A-Team Basketball: The girls had another close game last Friday against St. Paul. The girls played tough and had a shot to tie it at the end of the game, but they lost to the Wildcats 19-20. S corers for the game were Isabella Curry (7), Keirstyn Curnutt (5), Brooke Swanson (5) and Ana Rodriguez (2). The Panthers did not have any games this week but will be back in action this Wednesday.

Eighth Grade Parents' Night: We will honor our 8th graders between the 2nd-4th grade game and our girls A-Team game on Friday, January 31. All 8th graders received information about this today.
PTL Event for ALL Parents
Save the Date: On March 5, 2020, the PTL will host several assemblies for our students and parents on internet safety. Our K-4 and 5-8 students will have a presentation on that Thursday afternoon. Parents are encouraged to attend the presentation of Protect Young Eyes on March 5 starting at 6:00pm. This is a topic that will benefit all of our students and pare nts! Mr. Kyle Smith , principal at Immanuel, Frankentrost said, " We had Protect Young Eyes at Immanuel this fall and it was VERY worth it!"  Here are two summaries of what the presentations will consist of:

Parent Presentation: Equipping Kids to Thrive in an Increasingly Hostile Online World: We love technology, and we know kids do, too. This popular presentation will address YouTube (can it be controlled?), social media (our expertise), pornography (let’s talk about it!), gaming addiction (is this a real thing?), screen time (what’s the right amount?), tricky people (stranger danger in the digital age). and so much more. Participants will leave with a whole list of steps they can implement immediately to better equip their kids to make better online choices. Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to hear from internet safety experts on Thursday, March 5 at 6:00pm. Anxious to start receiving the latest digital trends information from PYE? Just text the word PROTECT to 66866 to sign up. It’s so simple!
 
Student Presentation: The Digital Life: Students live in a digital world. They snap, post, chat, text, game, and stream constantly. And although many teens use tech well, there are unfamiliar people, digital places, and app features that pull on young people, creating potentially life-altering situations. The PYE Team deeply desires a world where more young people make awesome, positive online choices. Their positive and energetic student presentations will take place on Thursday March 5 at 12:30 (K-4) and 1:30 (5-8).
PTL Information
PTL Annual Auction: This year's auction will take place on Saturday, April 18 at Swan Valley Banquet Center with the doors opening at 5:00pm. Donations are starting to be collected so you may either drop these off in the school office or contact Mrs. Becky Swanson at 989-245-5633. We are looking forward to another great event this year!
PTL School Carnival: Our PTL will be hosting a family fun night on Friday, February 21 starting at 6:00pm with our first School Carnival. Games, prizes, and treats will be part of the festivities for the evening. Mark your calendars! More information will be provided soon.

Alumni Help: The PTL is looking for additional help for our carnival. If any of our recent graduates need service hours, this would be a great way to earn those. Even if service hours are not needed, we would be excited to have some of our alumni back to help with this fun event. Thanks for considering. Those of you who are interested, please contact the school office or Mrs. Amy Hyatt.
St. Peter Lutheran School
(989) 642-5659

2440 N. Raucholz Rd.
Hemlock, MI 48626
WORSHIP TIMES:
Saturday at 5:00pm
Sunday Morning at 8:00am & 10:30am

Sunday School & Bible Class at 9:15am Sunday Mornings