Eagle Info

Fri., Dec. 4, 2020

Principal's Corner

by Donna Laughlin

It's Advent, and our students are preparing to celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus. Their teachers have shared some special joys that I want to pass along to our church and school community.

First graders are learning about the birth of John the Baptist, who foretold the coming of Jesus. They will share many details during their part of the school's Christmas service that will be available on YouTube on Christmas morning. They will tell about Zechariah and Elizabeth and how Zechariah was not able to talk because he doubted that they would have a son. However, he and his wife did have a son, and shortly after the baby was born, Zechariah finally spoke and said, "His name shall be John." The class was working on a sheet about this lesson in class, and Mrs. Dail told the children to turn their papers over and write their names on the back. On student wrote, "His name shall be Ethan."
Fifth graders have three traveling wise men who are looking for Jesus. The traveling wise men appear in a new place every day, much like Elf on a Shelf, except that the focus in on Jesus. The class is is on the edge of their seat each day because they are so eager to find out where they will find the traveling wise men. One day they were in Pr. Kennaugh's office Googling "where to find baby Jesus." Another day they were on Mrs. Janacek's desk reading a map and deciding which way to go.
The middle school students are learning about Chrismons. Some Christians decorate their Christmas trees with these gold and white symbols of Christ as a reminder that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birthday. Many of our middle school students had not heard of a Chrismon or known what some of the symbols meant. They had a lot of fun making their own Chrismons and learning about this tradition.

Important Links

Important information for incoming freshmen at Batavia High School here.
COVID-19 FAQ ilsbatavia.org/covid_faq
Google Classroom help ilsbatavia.org/google_classroom_help
Worship online each Sunday at 8 AM at immanuelbatavia.org/watch
MS chapel Wed., 8:15 AM at Zoom.com, Meeting ID: 721 3247 0187, Passcode: 1zu4eA
K-5 Chapel Wed., 8:50 AM at Zoom.com, Meeting ID: 795 2329 5143, Passcode: 0UfvLk

Noodles & Co. Fundraiser Results

Immanuel will receive a check for $750 in proceeds from the Noodles & Co. fundraiser! Many of the families were worried that their order wasn’t going to be included, so Noodles & Co. very graciously and gave Immanuel additional funds to compensate for any receipts that weren’t turned in or included. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Christmas at Immanuel

Stirred to Love Food Drive

Stirred to Love is a program in which urban and suburban Lutheran schools partner to share experiences and build relationships. Immanuel’s partner school is St. John-Montrose in Chicago.

The school has asked Immanuel to join them in a food drive for the new food bank at Concordia University-Chicago. Collection dates are Nov 11-Dec. 16. We will also participate in a Christmas ornament exchange in which students will make Christmas ornaments each other's school Christmas tree. Other projects are in the works--check the Eagle Info for updates!

Christmas Tree Lane

Immanuel Lutheran School students made ornaments to decorate a tree for the Batavia Park District’s Christmas Tree Lane. Each year the community votes for one of the trees to receive the People's Choice Award; voting will be open to the public Nov. 20–Dec. 21 on the Batavia Park District Facebook page.

A Service of Lessons and Carols Encore Presentation

Grab your snugglies and a mug of hot cocoa, and join us for an encore presentation of 2018's

A Service of Lessons and Carols, featuring Pr. Donald Moll, which will be available on Immanuel's YouTube channel Sat., Dec. 5, any time after 3:45 PM. Go to immanuelbatavia.org/watch, select Encore Lessons and Carols, and enjoy!

School Children’s Christmas Service

Each year our school children lead a special Christmas worship service. This year, we will be recording the service ahead of time and broadcasting it on our YouTube channel on Christmas morning. Our hope is that families will worship together while enjoying other family traditions on Christmas morning. Each class will be separately recording their part of the service at various times throughout the day on Dec. 14. We ask that children come to school dressed nicely that day, much like they would for school pictures [no sweat pants, shorts, or t-shirts with words or graphics].

Drive Through Christmas Family Event

Sun., Dec. 13, 1-3 PM

This free event shares the Christmas story through selected pieces of our outdoor nativity, along with volunteers portraying Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, angels, and the Magi. The story will be narrated by our own Roger Dall and available through our Immanuel Voices podcast. Before you arrive, find Immanuel Voices on Podbean [immanuelvoices.podbean.com], iTunes, and Spotify; or search Immanuel Voices on your podcast app and download the Drive Through Christmas episode. After the nativity, enjoy lighthearted game of Christmas Trivia and a Find the Stars contest as you wind your way through our campus. A special gift will be provided for the first 100 cars and additional goodie bags are being prepared for the first 250 children.

Unexpected Hope

In-Person Advent Sunday Worship

Join us for in-person worship and renew your own hope as you learn of the hope Christ's impending birth brought to Bible heroes Zachariah [Sun., Nov. 29], Mary [Sun., Dec. 6], Elizabeth [Sun., Dec. 13], and Joseph [Sun., Dec. 20]. Please register to reserve your seats for Advent Sundays here or call the church office at 630 879 7163.

Christmas Questions

Midweek Advent Devotions and In-Person Christmas Worship

Join us at immanuelbatavia.org/watch for online Midweek worship Wednesdays beginning at 1 PM. This series will consider Christmas Why? [Wed., Dec. 1], Christmas How? [Wed., Dec. 8], and Christmas What? [Wed., Dec. 15].

At in-person* Christmas Eve worship we will consider Christmas Who? Join us at 1 PM, 4 PM, and 7 PM in the gym and an 11 PM service with Holy Communion in the sanctuary. Please register to reserve your seats for Christmas Eve services here or call the church office at 630 879 7163.

As a special treat, Christmas Day worship will be provided online at 8 AM Christmas morning at immanuelbatavia.org/watch and will feature our Immanuel Lutheran School students sharing their annual Christmas service.

Immanuel Troop 12 Christmas Tree Sale

Through Dec. 19, 411 S. River St. [Rt. 25]

For 60 years, Immanuel’s Boy Scout Troop 12 has sold Christmas trees to our community. All

proceeds stay local and benefit our Scouts. Please consider supporting these young men this year. Hours are Mon.-Thu.: 5-8 PM, Fri.: 5-9 PM, Sat.: 9-9 PM; Sun.: 9-8 PM. The tree lot is adjacent to the Batavia Skate Park.

Immanuel Spirit Wear

Whether an Immanuel Eagles fan or a church member who would like to proudly wear our colors, there is something for everyone! Items are either screen printed or embroidered. The link to shop and order is stores.inksoft.com/ilbspirit/shop/home.

Helping Others

Feed My Starving Children

Fri., Dec. 18, 9-11 AM, Fri., Nov. 20, 9-11 AM

We know how COVID is effecting us in the US; the impact for developing countries is tragic and the need for food is great! To learn more or sign up, please email Linda Fass at fasslinda@yahoo.com.

Northern Illinois Food Bank

Tue., Dec. 8, 6-8 PM

Team Immanuel packed 384 holiday meal boxes on their Nov. 10 monthly shift. This represents 3,994 pounds of food, which will provide 3,328 meals for our hungry neighbors in Northern Illinois.

Interested in helping feed hungry neighbors in Northern Illinois? Contact Bill Pietsch at bdpeach@me.com for complete information.

Worship Anew

[Formerly Worship for Shut-Ins]

Donations of $25 ensure this program runs on BATV for one week. Sign up calling the church office to support this community service.

Supporting Immanuel

Scholastic Books

Orders Due: Thu., Dec. 10

Order reasonably priced books through Scholastic books online earn free library and classroom books for Immanuel! Visit clubs.scholastic.com/home and be sure to use Immanuel's code: 2KI7W. Book orders are due online on the second Thursday of each month. Questions? Contact the school office at school@immanuelbatavia.org.

ShopWithScrip

Support Immanuel and save money on everyday purchases! ShopWithScrip® allows families to do both while purchasing items such as gas, groceries, and clothing. Retailers offer a rebate percentage and 55 percent of it goes to ILCS and 45 percent is refunded to purchasers at the end of the school year. A list of retailers and and sign-up instructions are available at shopwithscrip.com or click the Get Started Post-It. Use the Enrollment Code 96A591B555773.

Signing up for PrestoPay allows purchasers to receive gift cards immediately and with no need to write and drop off a check. ShopWithScrip Dates: Dec. 7, 14; Jan. 11, 25; Feb. 8, 22; Mar. 8, 22; Apr. 12, 26; May 10, 17

Giving With Amazon Smile

Make a difference this Christmas. Shop for gifts at smile.amazon.com/ch/36-2683484 to generate donations for Immanuel Lutheran Church and double your gift giving!

Thank you for supporting our ministries using AmazonSmile. Track your personal impact throughout the year at your My Impact page.

Community News

The Center for Gifted

Our, in-person 2020-2021 weekend programs in Elmhurst and Glenview are for K-G10 from Nov. through May. The grade levels served at our programs vary per program category and locations. Please check out our summer program as well. All COVID requirements followed, masks required, hand sanitizer, and 10 students per class. Please see our website to register and for class information, locations and details at thecenterforgifted.org. We are a Northern Illinois University partner. We look forward to a fun, inspiring, and educating winter and spring with your children!

Immanuel School Committee

School Committee Provides Open Forum for Parents

Each month prior to their regularly scheduled meeting, the Immanuel School Committee will host an Open Forum to give parents an opportunity to become involved in our school by sharing their ideas. These Forums will be held on the second Monday of each month from 6:30-7 PM. A form must be submitted in advance to Erin Riddell, School Committee chairperson, to reserve your spot. Hard copies of the reservation form are available in the school office. These can be completed and the information emailed to schoolcommittee@ilcsbatavia.org. An online reservation form is also available at https://bit.ly/3lkZiLW.