Saints Keep Shining - Alumni Highlight

After graduating from St. John Lutheran School in 2007,  Paige Lausier has continued her successful golf career at the University of Kentucky and Morehead University.  In 2007, she was a Southeastern Conference All Scholar Athlete, and after transferring to Morehead University was named to the 2008 Ohio Valley Conferece Newcomer of the Year and First-Team All American.  Paige is a senior this year majoring in business, and you can read more about her recent accomplishments at this Ocala.com link:

Paige Lausier, St. John Graduate Golf Success

The Most Popular Spot on Campus

St. John students anxiously await the ribbon to be cut so they can enjoy the new swing set later today at recess.

Past PTL President Kelley Spears & current President
Maureen Quinlan due the honors at the official ribbon
cutting for the new swing set.

Story by Vanessa Baxley
Photos by Vanessa Baxley & Francesca Knutson

We are sure that the most popular playground spot at recess today was the swing set.  The new swing was set in place and completed over the Labor Day weekend, making for a very exciting morning when the students caught a first glimpse of it.  "I like that the swings are really low, so I can kick off and go swing really high," said Sam Morrison, third grader, after recess.  This is one of many generous donations by the Parent Teacher League to the elementary playground.  Funds were raised last year under the leadership of PTL President Kelley Spears through the Sally Foster Gift Wrap Sale which was chaired by parent Kris Strouse.  According to Stan Taylor, Facilities Mangaer, the previous swing set needed some repairs and the location needed to be changed to be up to state code.  The PTL, realizing the need, offered their help by purchasing the new swing set and helping with the fees associated with preparing the new site.  "As a parent, it is my belief that play not only promotes behavioral, social and cognitive development to help our children prepare for life's challenges, but play is crucial to leading a happy and healthy life. We, as adults and children, should all remember to take time for play," said Spears.
     Over the years, PTL has been a contributor to numerous campus improvement projects including gates, fencing, the courtyard cafe and other playground equipment.  Incoming PTL President Maureen Quinlan said, "“The new swing set is a great testimonial of parental involvement. I look forward to our PTL continuing to respond to school improvements for our children. St John PTL Board is planning new fundraisers and fellowship activities for this year. The more parents get involved, the more “swing sets” we can offer!”To view more photos from this event, please click here:  Swing Set Ribbon Cutting Photo Album 9/10

Oh, the Places They'll Go

Story by Kaley Sandlin
Photos by Celeste Wilcox

Gloria Wilcox, kindergarten teacher here at St. John Lutheran, came up with the fun idea of having passports for the kindergarteners. Moving up to kindergarten is a big change for these students. They now wear school uniforms, get to go to the big gym for physical education, take Spanish, art and music. The fun part is they get to travel all over the campus. Mrs. Wilcox didn’t want the students to feel lost or overwhelmed so she came up with the idea of making the kids passports to learn their way around campus.

The passports are little foam booklets personalized with the students’ photo, beads, and coloring that have paper tied inside of them with blank pages for stamps for each place they visit. Watch for our little kindergarteners all over campus. For more photos from our passport travels, click herePassports for Kindergarten 2010

Back to School, Take Two

Some of the many teachers at Back to School Night for Parents

                                       
                                                              Story by Kathy Hossler
                                                 Photos by Vanessa Baxley and Kathy Hossler
          Back to School Night for Middle School and High School Parents was held last night, with great success. Parents who came to the elementary Back to School Night earlier in the week were encouraged to attend this event too since they would learn more about their students individual schedules. This evening began again with an introduction by School Relations Director,Vanessa Baxley, but unlike the elementary introduction, this one was focused on the college preparation they incorporate in the everyday lives of students at school. As the opening at the church ended, the parents headed off to their student’s classes. The administration challenged the parents to make it to their classes on time, like their students, within the four minutes scheduled for class change. In between classes, the parents soon began to joke whether or not they would get a tardy slip or lunch detention for being late to class.
          As the teachers gave grace to the parents who came late, they further illustrated the curriculum and what is to come in the upcoming school year. Some teachers, like Greta Gieseke and Dr. Jim Humprhies, got the opportunity to introduce a new format of the curriculum to parents which are the online textbooks and homework that students use. Also, many teachers let the parents know that they could contact them whenever they want through e-mail and if necessary, by phone. With this event, parents were very communicative, asking the teacher’s specific questions about the curriculum, the progress of the students, and even about their home life, for those who knew the teachers well.
          Teachers took great pleasure in being able to talk with parents and get to know them better. Alumnus of St. John Lutheran and new teacher, Andrew Kaley, said of the event, “For me it’s helpful; it’s great to just get to meet the parents, put faces with names. I think that’s the biggest thing – just being able to talk with parents, let them know my expectations of the students.  That way they’re not just hearing what student’s say about class. They actually get to hear from my perspective what the classes are all about.” He also thought that overall, the parents’ responses were very receptive and good. For Kaley, he feels that it is considerably different coming back as a teacher, but at the same time it seems like home to him since he attended St. John Lutheran for twelve years.
          Another teacher, Rebecca Schaffer, who is the music teacher of the school, believes that Back to School Night for Parents is a wonderful chance to be with parents and get to know them better. She especially likes that it gives parents the chance to get to know who she is, since she is one of the teachers of a special curriculum and doesn't get to see them on a daily basis. The responses of the parents were really positive and they seemed to enjoy going around the student’s schedule. “I think they had fun, kind of experiencing their child’s day and I think most of them were so thrilled to see who the teachers are,” explains Schaffer.
          In addition, parents enjoyed the time to learn more about each student’s classes and teacher(s). Ruth Westol, both teacher and parent, has two graduated daughters from St. John Lutheran and two sons who are currently enrolled as a senior and eighth grader. She appreciates how St. John Lutheran has a family atmosphere with strong academics and caring teachers. She also likes how students have the opportunity to play sports or join clubs. She does wish that there would be more community mission opportunities for the kids so that they could help the homeless. New parent, Lois Hossler, says that she and her husband chose this school because of its high academic standards and achievements of its past students. She takes interest in many things about St. John Lutheran. “One thing that really impressed me tonight were that many teachers made comments about steps that they take to assist in college preparation,"  Hossler noted. So, it isn’t just about doing well in high school, it is about being prepared for college. Personal fitness teacher, Teddy Lausier talked about résumés writing with the students and conducting mock interviews with his classes to prepare them for real life experieces. Vanessa Baxley talked about how tough she is during the editing process of stories in her journalism class, because that is what it is like working with a real editor and print deadlines.  Hossler also appreciates the laptop driven curriculum, since it is a necessity for a college level education.
          To conclude, Back to School Night for Parents ended with a dessert reception in the courtyard, Parent Teacher League and Athletic Boosters information tables, and many raving reviews by both parents and teachers.
To view more photos from this event, click the link MS and HS Parents Go Back To School Album

"Play"-ing in Class

                                          

Written by

Alysha Burnett              

Usually, you would think playing with play dough was mainly for kindergarteners, but last Friday, Mrs. Fontaine’s High School Earth Science students were having a great time unleashing their inner child while making mountains, valleys, hills, and landscapes out of bright colored play dough. While the students were studying maps and contour lines, Mrs. Fontaine thought of a fun activity that the class would enjoy and also learn at the same time. First, the students tried to make their mountain extremely hard for anyone else to re-create and if they were successful they were the winners. Next the students used fishing line to slice off parts of their mountains to show the levels. All of the students used cardboard boxes to hide their creations so no one could steal their ideas. Two students that were successful at the activity were Sophie and Dustin. Both students were very creative about showing their levels for the other students to re-create it accurately. Dustin said “it felt like I was 10 again” and Sophie agreed. This activity helped the students learn their maps and contour lines in a fun way. Earth Science Photo Album

Sweet Science

 Seventh grade students enjoyed working on the science experiment.

Compiled by Kathy Hossler and Jake Radford

Photos by Kathy Hossler

The excitement was building in Mrs. Mennicke’s room as the students were anticipating their first class science experiment, “Keeping Flowers Fresh.” The students put flowers in two test tubes, one filled with water and sugar, while the other was just filled with only water. The students were very engaged by the experiment and really seemed to be enjoying it. “They felt that the test tube filled with both sugar and water would keep the flower fresh the longest,” said Mrs. Mennicke. For the results of the experiment, please check back later. We’ll keep you posted on the results.
To view more photos of this science experiment click the link Middle School Sweet Science Photo Album

Elementary Parents Go Back to School

St. John Parents Looking At Their Children's Work

                                                        *Story and Photos by Kathy Hossler*
          This is the first year St. John Lutheran organized a Back to School Night for Parents so that they can learn more about their childrens classroom. This year’s Back to School Night started off with an introduction by Vanessa Baxley who explained the format of the evening. When the opening session at the church concluded, the parents were able to experience a day in the life of  their child at school. Parents visited their children’s classes which gave them the opportunity to see what goes on at school and how their students classrooms operate on a daily basis. They also got an inside look at the classroom curriculums, student schedules, and what the students are working on in each subject. This event effectively creates a bridge between the teacher and the parent(s), because parents ask questions and get more involved with their child’s education.
          Parents enjoyed the opportunity to have an up close look at classroom policies. “I like the family environment, parental involvement, quality education, and the small classes here at St. John Lutheran”, says Maureen Quinlan, Parent Teacher League President. From this occasion, she also gained more knowledge about Edline, the schools online information source, and how it is a really great tool for parents. One thing that Quinlan would change about St. John Lutheran is seeing more parents committed to promoting the school on a daily basis. A new parent to St. John Lutheran, Art Hallgren, also likes how the school is warm and loving and the technology that the teachers incorporate into class.
          The teachers also appreciated the opportunity to share with parents at Back to School Night. Third grade teacher, Ruth Westol, states, “This event was very helpful in order for me to inform the parents about my class policies and expectations of the students.” It also allows her to have general communication with parents. Another teacher, Denise Abbatiello, appreciated how this event gave her the opportunity to explain class policies and let parents ask questions. Both teachers thought that the reactions of the parents to this event were positive and supportive.
          The night wrapped up with refreshments, where parents were further able to talk to teachers and other parents, and St. John’s PTL. All in all, this night was very successful for both teachers and parents.
To view more photos form this event, click the link Elementary Parents Go Back to School