Principal's Epistle

St. Mark’s Lutheran School, 5849 Buckwheat Rd., Milford, OH, 575-3354

www.stmarksmilford.org            http://stmarksmilford.blogspot.com            

rreisenb@hotmail.com or stmarksmilford@yahoo.com

Calendar                   

19 Chapel at 9:15 PM

20 Science Club until 4:15PM, Stacking Club until 4:15, No PK – Parent conf.,

Family Fun Night 6:30 PM

21 Silly String the principal at 12:15, No Pre-4-Parent conf.

23 St. Mark’s has services at 8AM, 10:30 AM and 6 PM with Sunday School at 9:15AM

25 $1 Dress Down Day, No Science Olympiad or stacking club

26-28 No School

Prayer Families

Gus H. (P3), Sohie S. (P2), Katie B. (P4) & Kolbie B. (P3)

Saint Salute

v  A big Saint Salute and thanks to Mrs. McKinney for counting and tabulating all the Walk-a-thon donations.

v A big Saint Salute to those students climbing the AR Wall of Fame

o   Ava B. (4)                    700 points

o   Markus V. (4)          1000 points

Notes

It is time to give thanks.

Our great and loving God who gives us grace, forgiveness, and joy.

Mr. Penry for his expertise in technology that saves me many times and the students love

Mrs. Cartheuser for her many hours of filing forms, making directories, and numerous other

             activities

Mrs. Siekmann for directing the wonderful singing last Sunday and the band

Mr. Postenrieder’s willingness to have so many in stacking club .

Mrs. Mayo’s directorship in numerous plays, musicals, and performances.

Mrs. Reisenbichler’s leadership with Student Council

Mr. Mayo ability to make the 7-8 graders laugh

Mrs. Sherman for taking on the all-day kindergarten program this year.

Mrs. Reynolds’s willingness to stay 3 hours with extended care after teaching a PK class

Mrs. Frey’s leadership in the church and in the preschool

Mrs. Schulte’s joyful and caring heart

Pastor Fenker’s focus on the Word of God

Our wonderful aides – Karen, Elisa, and Paula

Important Dates to Know

24 December lunch order due

26-28 Thanksgiving Vacation

Dec. 16 Preschool Christmas Program (7PM)

Dec. 18 K-8 Christmas Service (7PM)

Family Fun Night

Join St. Mark’s School and the Family Ministries Team on Thursday, November 20 at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall for a wonderful evening filled with activities for all families to prepare for the beautiful Advent Season. Make a special Advent Candle Display, enjoy delicious snacks, and fellowship with other families as we share the message with our children about God’s Greatest Gift of All!

Student Council Cookie Fun Night

St. Mark’s Student Council is sponsoring a cookie exchange on Friday, December 5 in the Fellowship Hall 7-8:30 PM.  Each family is encouraged to bring two dozen (24) cookies.  There will also be games, snacks, and activities.

Happy Birthday

19        Annsley V. (P4)

21        Caleb B. (K)

26        Emma L (P3), Chaz C. (K)

28        Boothe S. (PK), Aaron A. (5)

29        Avery B. (P3), Mikayla C. (PK)

Classroom information

Mrs. Schulte (Pre-2)

Our theme this November is “Bountiful Blessings”, and this week we focused on “Yummy, Yummy Food”.  At Story Time, we shared the book “Growing Vegetable Soup” by Lois Ehlert, and discussed the importance of eating healthy foods.  In Art, we continued our Alphabet Books by filling the letter C with colorful circles (Fruit Loops), and made a plate filled with FIVE A DAY fruits and vegetables.  Our Sensory Table was filled with cooked, colorful noodles. At Bible Time we shared the story of "The Birth of Isaac".

Mrs. Frey (Pre-3,4)

Preschool is studying T for Trains this week. We will learn about the parts of a train and read Freight Train and The Little Engine that Could. 3’s will create name trains and letter T train track artwork. 4’s will create pasta trains and Freight Train artwork using fingerprint stamping. In Bible Time we will begin practicing for the Christmas program. We are eagerly awaiting the celebration of Jesus’ birth!

Mrs. Reynolds (PK)

This week Pre-K is learning about the letter T. We will be discussing the first thanksgiving and what it means to be truly thankful. In Bible we will be learning about people who were thankful to God and why we should be thankful to God for all he has blessed us with. We will be making a thankful tree and making a list of the things we are thankful for. We will also be making turkeys this week. We will not have Pre-K on Thursday as we will be having Parent-Teacher conferences. 

Mrs. Sherman (K)

The unexpected snow day on Monday made for an extra busy week in Kindergarten as the boys and girls worked to complete their Thanksgiving projects and activities.  The class heard about life as a Wampanoag Indian, decorated a vest with Native American symbols, solved turkey addition problems and create a thankful quilt.  During reading workshop, Kindergarten sorted rhymes, wrote CVC words, played a letter matching game and read an emergent reader.  The full day students also played a word game called "Run, Turkey, Run" and graphed turkey feathers.  They practiced the play "Hurray For Thanksgiving" and are excited to share it with their families!  At Bible time, the class heard about Joshua and the battle of Jericho. God was in control and won that battle.  Kindergarten rejoiced and thanked God.  They are confident that God is with them!

Mrs. Reisenbichler (1-2)

This week the first and second graders learned about Solomon's prayer and how to make wise choices.  The second graders continued to work on their book A Long Way to a New Land.  Last week they had biography presentations on famous Americans.  Their presentations were very well done.  This week, they have a relief map project due.  You will be able to view these in the hallway.  First graders started a new book, Where the Wild Things Are.  In this book, we will cross the curriculum to learn about good manners and healthy food choices.  We also got started on our first STEM project of the year. Their challenge was to drop a pumpkin from ten feet and keep it from breaking.

Mrs. Mayo (3-4)

We continued to read about the exodus of the children of Israel this week during religion.  In grammar we worked on those tricky irregular verbs.  In math the 3rd graders worked with multiplication fact families and did other multiplication activities.  The 4th graders also worked with multiplication - but with larger numbers.  In social studies, we learned about the Archaic Indians in Ohio.  In science we learned about energy.  In Spanish, we continued to work with food words by playing a few games.

Mr. Postenrieder (5-6)

In our Bible time this week we learned how we can offer our blessings back to God. We also began to work on a bulletin board on the names of Jesus. In 5^th grade math we began to work with fractions. In 6^th grade math we enjoyed our 7^th test! We also worked with percents and finding equivalent fractions. In our Language Arts time we continued to read and work with the book: The Great Gilly Hopkins. We built our vocabulary and worked on understanding characters through character perspectives.  In Social Studies we began to put together power points on West Africa. In Science we began our study of plants.  In Spelling we studied words with consonant alternations both silent and sounded.

Mr. Mayo (7-8)

We are enjoying reading Lord of the Flies.  Discussion of the book has settled into the 7&8^th grade lunch table.  It’s fun to watch them discussing things in the book over lunch.  They try to figure out the kinds of things I’ll be asking questions about.  They’re thinking much more deeply now.  It’s fun to watch them grow!  God has blessed them with keen minds.  I pray they continue to use them to the best advantage.

Mr. Reisenbichler (7-8)

In religion we will study what God’s Word says about miracles.  In 7^th grade math the students are adding and subtracting mixed numbers, and converting using unit multipliers..  The 8^th grade is solving rate problems and graphing transformations.  In science we are studying the effects of mutations.  The students are planning and making a car in STEM that goes fast down a hill but climbs up another smaller one.

Principal's Epistle

St. Mark’s Lutheran School, 5849 Buckwheat Rd., Milford, OH, 575-3354

www.stmarksmilford.org            http://stmarksmilford.blogspot.com            

rreisenb@hotmail.com or stmarksmilford@yahoo.com

Calendar                   

12 Chapel at 9:15 AM, Market Day

13 Science Club until 4:15PM, Stacking Club until 4:15

14 Principal’s meeting in Dayton

16 St. Mark’s has services at 8AM, 10:30 AM and 6 PM with Sunday School at 9:15AM,

            Grades 1-8 sing at 10:30 AM service

18 Picture retakes 10:30-noon, Science Olympiad until 4:15PM, Stacking Club until 4:15

19 Chapel at 9:15 PM

20 Science Club until 4:15PM, Stacking Club until 4:15, No PK – Parent conf.

21 Silly String the principal at 12:15, No Pre-4-Parent conf.

Prayer Families

Tristin T. (P4), Boothe S. (PK), Haley K. (6)

Saint Salute

v A big Saint Salute and thanks to Mrs. Laird for washing so many of the preschool toys and materials.

v A big Saint Salute and thanks to Mrs. Boedecker for the beautiful turkey in the hallway.

v A big Saint Salute to those students climbing the AR Wall of Fame

o   Tyler F. (6)                   1200 points

Notes

I have decided to give you a few notes from John Rosemond.  I am not saying I agree with everything he says – some of it is insightful, though.

“The new ideal in American fatherhood is that of being the child's best buddy. Yesterday's dad was an authority figure, a mentor. He taught his child magic tricks, how to ride a bike, use a hammer, train a dog, and the like. He and his child had fun together, but he was not his child's friend. He knew that parenting came before friendship, and that one could not be a good friend when the time came - after the child's emancipation - if parenting issues were still begging for resolution.  Yesterday's parents were married to one another. They knew, intuitively, that their relationship had to be stronger than either of their relationships with their children. In today's all-too-typical family, the parent-child relationship is stronger than the husband-wife relationship, which is a clue to why so many marriages dissolve after the emancipation of the last child.  Yesterday's parents were attuned to the voice of common sense, which is why they did not complain that raising children was the hardest thing they'd ever done. For today's parents, the voice of common sense has been drowned out by a deluge of psychobabble, which is why so many parents tell me that raising even one child leaves them emotionally and physically exhausted at the end of many a day.  Yesterday's parents took child rearing, but not their children, seriously. Today's parents - the ones who are likely to read this column, at least - take both child rearing and their children seriously. The former is essential; the latter is a form of self-oppression that drains all humor from the enterprise and turns it into drudgery.  Why are today's parents having so many more behavior and school performance problems with their children than did parents just two generations ago?

Important Dates to Know

12 Market Day

16 Grades 1-8 song in church at the 10:30 AM service

17 Operation Christmas Child boxes due

18 Picture Retakes 10:30-noon

26-28 Thanksgiving Vacation

Walk for Resources

The results of the Walk-a-thon are in. 
Total Donations      $8,778
Preschool                    614
Kindergarten             1,261
Grades 1-2                1,768
Grades 3-4                2,678
Grades 5-6                1,854
Grades 7-8                   582
Classes with 100% Participation: 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 8th
Top Seller      Jake Schepmann (6th)

None of the money collected is needed to pay any expenses including prizes.  Thrivent provided all the money to cover all the expenses.

Family Fun Night

Join St. Mark’s School and the Family Ministries Team on Thursday, November 20 at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall for a wonderful evening filled with activities for all families to prepare for the beautiful Advent Season. Make a special Advent Candle Display, enjoy delicious snacks, and fellowship with other families as we share the message with our children about God’s Greatest Gift of All!

Student Council Cookie Fun Night

St. Mark’s Student Council is sponsoring a cookie exchange on Friday, December 5 in the Fellowship Hall 7-8:30 PM.  Each family is encouraged to bring two dozen (24) cookies.  There will also be games, snacks, and activities.

Increment Weather Notice

St. Mark’s may have days this year that require us to have a delay or be closed.  The best means to find out the situation is to watch your email.  Another way is to view channel 9, WCPO.  Another way is to go to www.wcpo.com.  If Milford is closed, so is St. Mark’s.

Picture Retakes

Those wishing retakes for their school pictures must be here between 10:30 AM and noon on Tuesday, November 18.  Students in K-8 may dress up that day for retakes.

Happy Birthday

13        Grace Anne K. (P4)

15        Roman M. (P3), Peyton K. (K)

17        Caleb B. (PK)

19        Annsley V. (P4)

Classroom information

Mrs. Schulte (Pre-2)

Our theme this November is “Bountiful Blessings”, and this week we focused on “Friendship”.  We continued share pictures of our families and displayed them in our classroom.  At Story Time, we shared the book “A Splendid Friend, Indeed” by Suzanne Bloom, and talked about friendships and how to be a friend.  In Art, we continued our Alphabet Books by filling the letter B with blue marker and bubble paper.  At Bible Time, we shared the story of "Noah and the Flood" and sang, O Be Careful.

Mrs. Frey (Pre-3,4)

Preschool will learn about letter B for boats this week. We will create Mayflower pictures, practice sink or float tests, and list different types of boats. 3’s will enjoy exploring buoyancy in the water table. 4’s will create aluminum foil boats and test their strength by counting the number of pennies that the boat can sustain. At Bible Time 3’s will learn about Gideon and how he put his trust in God. Even though they used no weapons, Gideon and his army were able to defeat the Midianites. 4’s will hear the account of Israel in the desert and how the Israelite people had to learn to rely on God to meet all their needs.

Mrs. Reynolds (PK)

This week Pre-K is exploring the letter B with boats and buses. We will be learning how to write a Bb and what sound it makes. We will talk about things that float and things that sink as we make boats out of apples. In Bible we will be discussing the fruits of the spirit patience and goodness as well as beginning practice for our Christmas program. We are also studying sight words and this week we are learning about "have". How to spell "have how to write "have" and how to build and read with the word "have".

Mrs. Sherman (K)

During Bible time, the class will hear about the Israelites crossing the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land.  God miraculously stopped the flow of the water so that the people could safely cross.  Kindergarten excitedly looks forward to Thanksgiving.  Many of their activities and projects focus on the holiday including counting by 10's as they add feathers to a turkey and practicing

capitalization,  punctuation and spacing as they write about their disguised turkeys.  The boys and girls will also make a nonfiction book about the first Thanksgiving. 

Mrs. Reisenbichler (1-2)

This week the children are learning about David and his friendship with Jonathan.  In language arts the second graders are working with suffixes, long vowel sounds, and question writing.  Our book crosses the curriculum into learning about immigration and landforms.  Friday they made presentations on famous Americans.  The first graders are finishing up their unit on bears.  They enjoyed a video on Polar bears.  In math, first graders learned to do frames and arrow puzzles.

Mrs. Mayo (3-4)

In religion we read the accounts of the plagues before the Exodus, especially the Passover.  In grammar we began verbs and verb phrases.  We're halfway through There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom and are noticing that the main characters personalities are changing.  In social studies we learned about Ohio's earliest peoples.  In science we continued with force and motion by doing some experiments.  In math the 3rd graders began a multiplication chapter.  The 4th graders worked with metric measures and ended the week with a chapter test.  In Spanish, we began learning food words.

Mr. Postenrieder (5-6)

In our Bible time this week we learned why God blesses us and how we can offer those blessings back to God. In 5^th grade math we continued to work with division algorithms. We also enjoyed our 4^th test. In 6^th grade math we worked with fractions, decimals, mixed numbers, square roots, and using 0 as a place holder. In our Language Arts time we continued to read and work with the book: The Great Gilly Hopkins. We built our vocabulary and worked on understanding characters through character perspectives.  In Social Studies we began our study of West Africa. In Science we completed our study of Protists and Fungi.  In Spelling we continued to look at words adding the suffix -ation.

Mr. Mayo (7-8)

We have finished our study of life on the plains, and the Westward Expansion of our country.  Now, we’re moving on to the Industrial Age, when now-familiar names like Rockefeller, Vanderbilt,  Ford, and Morgan come to the fore.  I enjoy most periods of U.S. history and this is another of my favorites.

We’re learning to look for clues to characters’ personalities through reading our latest novel.  Golding gives tantalizing clues as to one of the characters as a Christ figure.  We’re learning to spot them, as well as signs of civilization’s decline and the rules of society.

Mr. Reisenbichler (7-8)

In religion we will study what God’s Word says about angels and demons.  In 7^th grade math the students are dividing decimals, solving rate word problems, and calculating with powers of ten.  The 8^th grade is solving rate and scientific notation problems and graphing functions.  In science we are studying the mutations.  The students are planning and making a structure in STEM that stands tall and holds a lot of weight.