ILS Field Day 2019
We couldn’t have asked for better weather for our 2019 ILS Field Day! It was a fun-filled day of races, games, and competitions, including a giant Jenga tournament, soccer, a dunk tank, giant lawn bowling, tug-of-war, sack races, water balloon tosses, face-painting, popsicles and much more! Thank you to all our teachers and parents for helping make the day a memorable one for all our students!
Class of 2019 Meet Us Monday: Lucas S.
We hope you are enjoying our Class of 2019 “Meet Us Mondays” series as we hear from our 8th graders in their own words their favorite ILS memories and traditions, words of wisdom they remember from their teachers, highlights from their 8th grade year, and where they’ll be heading to high school in the fall. It is hard to believe that we’re just a month out from the end of the school year, and it is even harder to believe these students will soon be graduating. We truly appreciate our Class of 2019 taking the time to reflect on their time at ILS and share some great memories with us all here on the blog!
Class of 2019 Meet Us Monday: Tyreke F.
Our “Meet Us Monday” series continues this week as we profile the members of our Class of 2019 in the weeks counting down to graduation. As we approach this milestone, we have been asking each of our wonderful 8th grade students to reflect on their time at ILS, as well as share some of their future plans, which we will be sharing these final weeks of the school year in this special series. We hope you enjoy getting to better know our wonderful students in the ILS Class of 2019 as they reminisce about their favorite memories and ILS traditions, and we thank them for taking the time to respond to our interview questions!
Class of 2019 Meet Us Monday: Abigail A.
With the start of the 4th Quarter of the 2018-2019 school year, we begin our countdown to graduation for our Class of 2019! To celebrate and recognize our soon-to-be graduates, we will once again be running a "Meet Us Monday" series introducing you to each of the members of our ILS Class of 2019.
In this series, our wonderful 8th grade students have been invited to reflect on their time at ILS and share both favorite memories as well as some of their future plans. Please enjoy getting to better know our delightful ILS Class of 2019!
On Learning, Growth & Grades
ILS students have reached the midway point of the 3rd Quarter of their academic year, which means that mid-quarter reports will be shared with parents this week. While grades are simply one type of teacher feedback for student to understand their progress and growth in any given subject, students may sometimes wrestle with how best to apply this feedback in their on-going learning process.
Mr. Shawn Barnett, ILS Upper School Latin and History teacher, shares a brief insight into this struggle in which students engage as they attempt to put the right value on grades in the learning process. He encourages parents to use graded work (or mid-quarter grades) as an opportunity to further encourage and engage students in an ongoing dialogue to deepen their understanding their own learning, mastery and growth. As students grow and mature, parents and teachers work together to help them appreciate a variety of feedback and apply it appropriately to their own growth and learning.
A Look Back at Lutheran Schools Week (and 2019 MathCounts Success!)
As January came to a close, Immanuel Lutheran School students, teachers and families celebrated National Lutheran Schools Week (January 27 -February 2) alongside more than 2000 LCMS schools across the US. With a full week of activities, beginning with the school's annual Chili Cook-off, and concluding with an outstanding performance by the ILS MathCounts team at the Northern Virginia Regional competition, it was a wonderful time for the entire school community.
Throughout the week, students competed in a Penny Wars contest to raise funds for four different missions: former ILS Manager of Operations, Mrs. Ruth Stone, now serving as a missionary in Hong Kong, former ILS Upper School teacher, Mr. Aaron Schultz, now a student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Assist Pregnancy Center, and the ILS Tuition Assistance Fund. Students raised more than $1000 to support these projects.
Two Articles from ILS Faculty Included in Classical Lutheran Education Journal
Last summer, six ILS faculty members were invited to present at the eighteenth annual Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE) Summer Conference. Ms. Katherine Kramer, Assistant Headmaster, and Miss Kristin Malcolm, 5th grade teacher, were then invited to submit their presentations as articles for the CCLE’s Classical Lutheran Education Journal.
Please enjoy these two excellent articles from Ms. Kramer and Miss Malcolm, and to read the entire journal issue, view exclusive videos, and listen to conference recordings, join the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education to receive Member access.
Literacy: "To him who has much, much will be given"
“Literacy is more than simply the ability to decode phonetic symbols. “
In this brief peek into 6th grade at Immanuel, Mr. Shawn Barnett, Upper School Latin and History Teacher, explores literacy in a broader context. Rather than simply the reading of words, deeper literacy involves the understanding of context, which in turn requires a broader basis of knowledge. In helping students to understand the connections between their learning - from language, to history and geography, we help our students to look beyond themselves, our own times and culture as they learn about the world around them. Studying multiple fields of knowledge in an integrated way allows students to develop a deeper literacy and greater wisdom.
Kicking Off National Lutheran Schools Week
Faculty and staff are excited to celebrate with students and parents during National Lutheran Schools Week starting on Sunday with ILS 4th and 5th grade students singing for Divine Service at 10am. All are welcome! Faculty and staff will be hosting a coffee hour for the congregation following the service as well.
Some of the week's activities are favorite traditions, other activities will be new, yet just as meaningful. A school-wide schedule, including special dress days, has been shared with families. Please refer to both the printed and emailed schedule throughout the week.
To serve our neighbors both locally and around the world, all students will participate in a house competition penny war to support four different missions:
Ruth and Lyman Stone serving the Lutheran Church-Hong Kong Synod
Seminarian Aaron Schultz and his family
Assist Pregnancy Center
ILS Tuition Assistance
Follow the week's activities on Facebook and our Instagram page.
We also asked our faculty and staff to share a bit on their own Lutheran schools experiences, as well as what they’re excited for during Lutheran Schools Week. We hope you enjoy their response!