In Our Prayers: We are praying for our St. Peter boards, committees and organizations. This week we will be praying for St. Peter Trustees.

Devotion of the Week: This past week was the funeral service for Mr. Joe McQueen who died after a long battle with ALS. Joe was known for many things: a devoted, faithful, and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, and friend to many people. He served St. Peter Lutheran Church for 44 years as a Trustee and spent many hours taking care of the church and school. He was a wonderful supporter of Christian education as all of his children went to St. Peter and VLHS, and all of his school-aged grandchildren are currently attending St. Peter. There are not enough good things that can be said about him. At his funeral service on Tuesday, we were reminded that he is now at eternal rest in heaven with his Savior. It is a blessing to have Christian funerals that focus on Jesus because through Him comes the comfort and peace of our eternal salvation. What is just as comforting is that the students in our school hear the same words on a daily basis that were spoken at the funeral service. They are continually reminded of Christ our Cornerstone. Death is the worst enemy that we will ever face. Knowing that Jesus has defeated sin, death, and the devil is a promise that we cling to daily. Thank God for the blessing of Christian education as we prepare students for life on Earth, but much more importantly, as we prepare them for eternal life which has been freely given to us through the death and resurrection of our Savior. These same words that were used at Joe's funeral service, are the same words our students hear, read, sing, and speak in our school:

Our Condolences: We remember the family of Mr. Joe McQueen upon his death on December 30, and the family of Mrs. Cheryl Morris upon the death of her father, Mr. Elton Gruenhagen, on January 1. May God give His comfort and peace to these families as they mourn, but also as they rejoice in the new life in perfection that their loved ones have with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Vice-Principal to Take Office: Miss Isabella Curry will begin her duties as the vice-principal on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Her term will last for one day. Isabella's family had the highest bid at last year's auction for her to be "Vice-Principal for the Day". Vice-Principal Curry selected January 13 as her day because it is also her birthday! Her first official act for her one day term was to declare Comfy Day on January 13 for her Spirit Day choice. Students are encouraged to wear their most comfy clothes. She also selected chocolate chip cookies for the lunch dessert. Isabella will be working with Mr. Hagenow throughout the day doing an administrator's job. We look forward to having Miss Isabella Curry as our VP.

Enjoying the Snow: Our students really enjoyed playing in the snow this week at school! 

Alumni Building PCs: Last year, Mr. Neumeyer had the opportunity to build a couple of computers for the school in his 7th-8th grade class. Two of our alumni used that knowledge to build their own PCs this year. Ana Rodriguez and Nick Rapini each built their own computer from scratch. Ana sent Mr. Neumeyer the specs along with this note, "My dad and I took all the parts to his work (Wineman Tech.) and assembled the computer there. I mainly installed everything, as I was wearing an anti-static bracelet on my wrist, and he monitored. It took about 3-4 hours and a lunch break, but it was fun nonetheless. As an added bonus, the computer turned on and ran on it's first try! I also wanted to thank you, Mr. Neumeyer. I didn't realize it at the time, but when we assembled the school's computers for technology class, I was retaining info that I didn't know I would actually use in about a year. From that whole project last year, I was more easily able to pick out parts, install them, and generally have a better understanding of what I would have to do. So thank you."

Giving Back to Our School: This week we received a PayPal donation from an alumnus of St. Peter who attended our school in 6th-7th grade a few years ago. After contacting him to thank him for his donation, here was his response, " I remember all the help you guys did for me and my family when I was younger. I wanted to show my appreciation and keep showing the Way. God bless you and the church and the school. Have a great day!"

America & Me Essay Contest Entry: Our 7th-8th graders were asked to write about someone in their life that has given them strength and encouragement during these ever-changing times in our history.  This week's essay is from Samantha Hales, 8th grade.

Picture Reminder: If you have not submitted a digital picture of your child to Mr. Hagenow yet, please email or text him a picture of your child at eric.hagenow@stpeterhemlock.org or 989-475-2808. A collage will be made of each class for our celebration of National Lutheran Schools Week (NLSW) the last week of January.

Spirit Day: Kindergarten and Young 5's have chosen Crazy Hair Day for their spirit day on Friday, January 15. Come up with your craziest hairstyle ever! Their lunch choice is confetti pancakes with scrambled eggs, bananas and ice cream sundaes for dessert. 

Thank You: Thank you to Mr. Andy Wolgast, Quality Engraving, for making the name plate for our vice-principal, Isabella Curry. We appreciate all the engraving that Mr. Wolgast does for our school.

Better Communication: In an effort to improve our communication with our parents, the Panther Press link will be texted to all parents with children in our school (TC-8th grade) starting with today's Panther Press. The text will include a link. Contact Mr. Hagenow if you have any questions.

No School: There is no school on Monday, January 18. The teachers have a professional development day. Child Care is available. Children that will be here through the lunch hour will need to bring a lunch from home. The cost is $20/child half day (five hours or less) or $35/child for all day (more than five hours).

Sunday Morning at 9:30am and

Thursday Evenings at 6:30pm