It was a great week to kick off our March Reading Month from celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday on Monday to all of our spirit days!

In Our Prayers:  This week we will be praying for these St. Peter alumni who graduated from our school: Morgan Strzynski , class of 2013; Nathan Neuenfeldt , class of 2014; Nathaniel Mueller , class of 2016; and Nolan Kackmeister , class of 2014.

Call Extended: At a special congregational meeting last Sunday, the Voters' assembly extended a Call to Mr. Anthony Wolter to be our teacher starting next school year. Please keep Mr. Wolter in your prayers as he deliberates our call. He is currently a student at Concordia University, Nebraska and is finishing his student teaching this semester. He also grew up in this area where he attended Holy Cross, Saginaw and Valley Lutheran High School.

Devotion of the Week: The Keys to the Kingdom Bible verses for this week are Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." As we are in our March reading month in school, it is a wonderful blessing to be able to read. In today's digital age, there is more than enough information for us to take in on a daily basis. There is actually so much information, that it is hard to decipher what is true and what is not. Are eggs good for you or not? What is the safest mode of transportation? How likely are we to be infected by a certain disease? We are daily bombarded by information, and we have to find ways to process it all. And yet, in today's Bible reading, we can basically clear our entire internet browser, put the newspaper into the recycling bin, and mute the television. When we allow worldly information to influence our thinking, that is when our paths will curve, turn, twist, and lead us to dead ends. Our understanding of the world around us comes through God's Word. When we can see the world through the lens of the Bible, the world around us becomes much clearer because we are able to see that we live in a sinful world, inhabited by sinful people, including ourselves. Our inclination is always to lean on our own understanding because we are all infected with sin. But our heavenly Father has rescued us from our sin-filled state by sending His only Son into this world to take on the punishment of our sins. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to trust in the Lord with our hearts and not lean on our own understanding. Christ makes our paths straight because through the faith given to us in our baptisms, our path leads to eternal life of peace and perfection in the presence of our Triune God. During this reading month, enjoy your time reading God's Word so that you may lean on His promises and comforting words of grace and mercy.

St. Peter Bulletin: If you would like to read this weekend's church bulletin, you can now view it digitally by clicking anywhere on this article.

Helpful Resources : There has been a lot of news over the past couple weeks regarding the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). As more is being learned about the virus and its potential, we want to share some resources with you. The Michigan Association of Non-public Schools has gathered a number of resources for schools to use while setting up precautions. You may click anywhere in this article to link to the COVID-19 resources.

"Put it down and tell someone!"

-This was a repeated comment by our students and our presenter on Thursday from Protect Young Eyes. These are two things children should do when they are on their devices and come across content that is inappropriate.

"Technology is a blast but be careful!"

-This was another repeated comment by our K-4 students and our presenter on Thursday.

Continuous Enrollment: This is just a reminder about our continuous enrollment process. Re-enrollment is assumed unless your family notifies the school by March 13 that you choose not to re-enroll. Continuous enrollment saves you time and reduces paperwork while creating a more seamless process. This process is extremely beneficial to our school with staffing, planning, and budgeting. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Eric Hagenow .

First Grade Doctors: The First graders learned about -er and -or suffixes by reading patient files and filling in patient charts last Friday as their classroom was turned into an Emergency Room (ER) for the day. They also performed many surgeries including: contraction surgery, removing blends from our patients, transplanting organs by solving math problems, and fixing broken bones from x-rays.  

Dorothy of Oz: The kindergarten through second graders went to the Temple Theater on Tuesday to see Dorothy in Oz . The play had only four actors and actresses who played many different roles throughout the play. The kids were super fortunate and were able to sit in premium seating on the second floor of the Temple Theater. All of the students had a wonderful time at this fun event.

Online Store for Spirit Wear: Our online store for spirit wear will be open until March 15. There are lots of different items to purchase. This will be the last time this store will be open this year. Contact Mr. Hagenow if you have any questions. Click below to gain access to the store.

At our preschool information night this past week, a parent commented on why he wants to have his child attend our school. He simply stated, "We want her to have a Christian education and to learn about Jesus every day."

We are always looking for additional stories to share. Please click here to send us your story to be published in the Panther Press .

Parent/Teacher Conferences: Conferences are Thursday, March 12. Grades 5-8 teachers will be available from 3:00-6:00 to meet with parents. Mrs. Hagenow , Mr. Neumeyer and Mr. Heinlein will be in their classrooms; Mr. Bryne will be in the conference room and Mr. Hagenow will be in the office. If you want to schedule a specific time, contact your child's teacher. You may click anywhere in this article for the schedule. Bus transportation will be provided to and from school on both days for grades K-8. Please note, we will still offer SPLASH and Child Care on our half days of school. The cost for Child Care will remain the same. The cost for SPLASH is as follows: $5/child until 12:00, $15/child until 4:00 or $18/child until 5:40. Lunch will not be provided; children will need to bring a lunch from home. 

Church Extension Fund (CEF) Stamp Program: Don't forget to purchase your stamps! This is a wonderful opportunity for your child(ren) to start a savings account while also helping to support the building of churches and the construction of additions on Lutheran churches and schools. Every Tuesday from 7:30am-8:15am,  Mrs. Sheila Bauer is located by the main entrance to sell stamps in increments of $.25 or $1.00. Students will receive the stamps and a booklet to keep track of their investments. Quarterly statements will be available through CEF. For additional information, stop by on Tuesday mornings and speak with  Mrs. Bauer.

Soup Suppers  The 7 ^th  and 8 ^th  grade class will be serving soup suppers on Wednesdays through April 1 ^st  prior to the 6:30pm Lenten services. This will be a fundraiser for the 7/8 ^th  grade class trip to Washington D.C. this spring. Supper with be served from 5-6pm before each Wednesday's Lenten service; a free will offering will be taken.  Always on the menu is chicken noodle soup plus one additional soup of the week, sandwiches and dessert.  Please come and support the 7 ^th  and 8 ^th  graders and enjoy some tasty soups and Christian fellowship!

Food Drive: St. Peter Lutheran School is having our quarterly collection, a food drive to benefit God's Helping Hands of Hemlock. We will be collecting nonperishable food items from March 9 until March 20. There will be tables in the main hall to place your donations. Thank you for your generosity!

The Men’s Club Fish Fry: Our annual Men's Club Fish Fry will take place on Friday, March 13 from 4:00–7:00pm (take outs available 4:00-6:00pm). Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $5 for children ages K-8; ages 4 and under eat free. Volunteers are needed to help. Please call the church office to find out how you can help, 642.8188.

5th-8th Grade Dance:  Bethlehem Lutheran School 8th graders are putting on a dance which is on Friday, March 20 from 7:00-10:00pm at Bethlehem Lutheran School, 2777 Hermansau Rd. The cost is $7 per student and concessions will be available. Wear red, white and blue. This is a fundraiser for their Washington D.C. class trip. A permission slip is going home with students today.

Baby Items Needed: Our Sunday School is sponsoring a drive to aid a local pregnancy center. Thank you for the donations so far! Donations of new or clean, gently used baby clothes (newborn to 3T), pajamas (bigger sizes appreciated), long sleeve onesies, socks, winter clothing, as well as diapers (any size-but larger sizes appreciated) and formula are needed. Collection baskets are in the church narthex and in the main hallway at the school. Donations will be taken through March 15. Thank you!

Annual Chili/Dessert Cook Off on March 15:  Come to taste. Come to support. Come to compete. This year the cook off will be benefiting Kaitlin Keel . She is a member of our congregation and a 2006 alumnus of our school undergoing treatment for a rare, aggressive form of abdominal cancer. The cook off will be held in the school cafeteria. If you would like to compete with a chili or a dessert, the food must be in the cafeteria by 9:30 am. There will be three prizes each for dessert and chili. If you would like to come and taste, it will begin at 11:30 (after 10:30 church). A free will donation will be taken to help Kaitlin with her medical expenses. There will also be a couple of quilts up for silent auction. Chicken noodle soup and peanut butter sandwiches will also be served as an alternative to the chili. See you there!  

Girls Basketball Open Gyms: Coach Curnutt is going to have several open gyms during the month of March for all girls in 3rd-8th grade who would like to practice their basketball skills. They will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45-4:30 until spring break. The only date that there will not be an open gym is our half day, next Thursday, March 12.

Girls Soccer Practice: The girls soccer team (grades 4-8) will practice on March 19 & 26, April 7, 9, 14, & 16 from 4:30-5:30 to get ready for their April 18 tournament.

Thank You: Thank you to our PTL for sponsoring our assembly this week, Protect Young Eyes. If you would like to join their free newsletter, simply text PROTECT to 66866. Here are four tips that were given to our 5th-8th graders:

Box Tops: Our run of collecting Box Tops has come to an end. This was a wonderful fund raiser for us for a long time and we appreciate everyone who cut and clipped these out throughout the past years. Thank you to Mrs. Julie Ryan for counting and sending these in regularly.

St. Peter Lutheran School

(989) 642-5659

school@stpeterhemlock.org

2440 N. Raucholz Rd.

Hemlock, MI 48626

WORSHIP TIMES:

Saturday at 5:00pm

Sunday Morning at 8:00am & 10:30am

Lenten Worship: Wednesdays at 6:30pm

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