What we're reading (January edition)...

Happy New Year! We hope that all of our ILS families and friends enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing Christmas break, and while we all enjoyed the time celebrating the season with family and friends, we are also so excited to be back at school and see all the smiling faces back in the classrooms!

We are ringing in the new year with a brand new edition of "What we're reading..." for January! As we do each month, we’ve gathered a collection of articles that we’ve found to be interesting or thought-provoking recently, and we hope you enjoy reading these as well.

What have you read lately that you think we, or other ILS families, may find interesting? Please keep sharing links and articles for us to enjoy!

Walk-in-Wednesday: 3rd Grade with Mrs. Anastasia Krumwiede

It’s time for our last “Walk-in-Wednesday” feature of the calendar year before we take off the next two weeks for our Christmas break!

Each Wednesday when we are in school, we have been sharing a sneak peek from one of our teachers, highlighting what a visitor might observe when walking into our classrooms. This week our “Walk-in-Wednesday” series is from our 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Anastasia Krumwiede. She shares a bit of insight into the special community formed by our 2nd and 3rd grade students as they share some time together each day.

Join us each week when we are in school for a Walk-in-Wednesday tour to see our students and teachers in action and experience a classical, Christian education at Immanuel. Stepping through our red doors, you will be welcomed by the joyful sounds of learning, from poems and jingles in the lower grades, to great discussions of literature or theology in our older grades. Throughout our building, the wonderful sights and sounds of students and teachers engaged in active learning can be witnessed in person, but if you haven’t yet had a chance to visit us, or you would simply like to get more of a feel for the learning in our different grades, we are now offering a weekly glimpse into our classes here on the ILS Blog.

We hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and we look forward to welcoming you back to our blog series (or for an in-person visit!) again in January!

Sermon: The Marriage of Yonas Mekonen and Stephanie Lange

On November 18th, our ILS Lower School teacher, Yonas Mekonen, and our Immanuel Lutheran Church Kantor, Stephanie Lange, were united in marriage at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Pastor Christopher Esget performed the ceremony. Please join us in extending best wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Mekonen!

Pastor Christopher Esget
November 18, 2018

Immanuel Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Virginia

I imagine that from the time she was a young girl, people were saying that Stephanie sings like an angel. She looks like an angel, too – the kind you might find at the top of the Christmas tree, or in the sky singing to shepherds at Bethlehem. 

But those of us who know Stephanie know that she’s no angel. If she was, she couldn’t be part of the seraphim—they’re the angels of fire. Fires have a way of getting out of control around Stephanie. (It’s a good thing Yonas is a good cook.)

Besides, does an angel make her sisters sing backup while she cranks out love songs from Titanic?

But the truth is, Stephanie’s spectacular. Once she’s in your life (or your balcony!), you don’t ever want her gone. Yet here’s why Stephanie is no angel: because angels in the Bible are completely different from today’s sentimental images. Angels are not sweet but scary. Angels are not feminine but masculine. Their voices don’t soar to the top of the church but rumble low, shaking pillars. God’s angels are big and strong. Angels look more like Yonas than Stephanie.

You know I’ve joked about putting stickers on the church with your picture on them, Yonas – you know, the body-building picture where you’re flexing your muscles. They’d be perfect at the door, like a security sticker that says “Protected by Yonas.”

Sermon: The Marriage of Jason Stegman and Rebekah Reistad

On November 17th, our ILS 2nd grade teacher, Rebekah Reistad, was married to Mr. Jason Stegman at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Pastor Christopher Esget performed the ceremony. Please join us in extending best wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Stegmen!

Pastor Christopher Esget
November 17, 2018

John 2:1-11

Immanuel Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Virginia

Jason and Rebekah, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jesus says to His mother, “Woman, what does this have to do with me?” Jason, don’t try this at home.

It’s not so offensive as it sounds. The language calls to mind the first woman, the mother of all humanity. “Woman” evokes creation.

God’s created order is predicated on self-giving. The world itself is gift to mankind. Man and woman are then made to be dependent on one another. The woman’s life derived from the man’s body. God made her from man’s side, so she is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. And she in turn would give her body to him. These two, becoming one flesh, giving themselves to each other, find then a third—a child—who receives life from their union.

Walk-in-Wednesday: 5th Grade with Miss Kristin Malcolm

Every Wednesday, please visit our ILS Blog for a brief sneak peek from one of our outstanding teachers, highlighting what a visitor might observe when walking into our classrooms on any given morning. This week our “Walk-in-Wednesday” series features a visit to 5th grade, and a delightful look of what might be happening in literature class with Miss Kristin Malcolm, should you pop in for a visit.

Interested in seeing more? Join us each week when we are in school for a Walk-in-Wednesday tour to observe our students and teachers in action and experience a classical, Christian education at Immanuel. Stepping through our red doors, we will welcome you with the joyful sounds of learning, from poems and jingles in the lower grades, to great science experiments or discussions of literature or theology in our older grades. Throughout our building, the wonderful sights and sounds of students and teachers engaged in active learning can be witnessed in person, but if you haven’t yet had a chance to visit us, or you would simply like to get more of a feel for the learning in our different grades, we are now offering a weekly glimpse into our classes here on the ILS Blog.

Please visit the blog each week as we share additional “Walk-in-Wednesday” features, or enjoy looking back to see peeks into other grades and classes!

A Stone's Throw: November Update from Mr. and Mrs. Stone

Responding to a call from the Lutheran Church - Hong Kong Synod, former ILS Manager of Operations, Mrs. Ruth Stone, along with her husband, Lyman, are now serving as missionaries in Hong Kong. Mrs. Stone serves as a missionary and English teaching assistant in a local Lutheran school, and she and Mr. Stone together volunteer their time to support school extracurriculars, church functions and Sunday school classes, Bible study, and evangelism with the Mission of Christ Network.

Throughout the year, we’ll be sharing regular updates from the Stones as they embark on their work in Hong Kong.

Please join us in praying for Mr. & Mrs. Stone as they live and serve in the Lutheran Church-Hong Kong Synod, and especially the children, faculty, and parents in its’ associated school system.

It is also Mrs. Stone’s birthday this week, so please join with us in wishing a very happy birthday to her!

Walk-in-Wednesday: Latin II with Mr. Shawn Barnett

Interested in experiencing a classical, Christian education at Immanuel? We warmly invite you to attend an Admissions Open House or join us for a Walk-in-Wednesday tour to see us in action. You may also visit us each week here on the ILS Blog as we offer a virtual sneak peek into our classrooms from each of our teachers. Every Wednesday, we’re sharing a glimpse of what a visitor might observe when they walk into our classrooms at any given moment.

This week, Mr. Shawn Barnett, our Upper School Latin teacher, continues our “Walk-in-Wednesday” series with a peek into his Latin II class and the delightful scenes you might observe if you were to stop in to visit one of his classes this week!

We hope that you are encouraged by these snap-shots to join us in person to see us in action. Stepping through our red doors, you will be welcomed by the joyful sounds of learning, from poems and jingles in the lower grades, to great discussions and debates in our older grades. Singing and music ring out from the music room, and the wonderful sights and sounds of students and teachers engaged in learning can be witnessed throughout our campus.

What we're reading (December edition)...

Happy New Year! As we enter the season of Advent, the church celebrates a new year as we prepare and await the celebration of the birth of Christ, and also anticipate His coming again. Join us on Wednesday, December 19th, as we celebrate with our all-school Advent Service.

While the new church year may be just beginning, we are nearing the mid-way point in our academic year, and we’re kicking off December with another edition of "What we're reading..." and a collection of articles that we’ve found to be interesting or thought-provoking. We hope you enjoy perusing these at your leisure.

This month, we’re sharing articles on topics including: information on celebrating Advent, teaching reading through phonics, a look at the most important skills for the next industrial revolution, wasting time and human happiness, finding great books for your kids and for yourself, and much more!

What have you read lately that you think we, or other ILS families, may find interesting? Please keep sharing links and articles for us to enjoy!

Walk-in-Wednesday: 2nd Grade with Mrs. Rebekah Stegman

We hope everyone enjoyed a restful and wonderful Thanksgiving! At ILS we are extremely thankful for our outstanding teachers and the joy and enthusiasm they bring into each of their classrooms. Our teachers truly love what they do, and their love for teaching and learning is experienced daily by our students. We hope to capture just a bit of this each week in our “Walk-in-Wednesday” blog feature so that you can get a sense for the delightful learning happening at ILS.

This week, we are visiting 2nd grade, as Mrs. Rebekah Stegman presents a peek into the delights of her 2nd grade classroom during a history lesson.

Every week our ILS blog features an update from one of our teachers highlighting what a visitor might observe when they walk into our classrooms. Whether you are unable to join us for a Walk-in-Wednesday tour to see our students and teachers in action, or you would just like to get a better feel for what the experience of a classical Christian education is like at Immanuel, we hope this feature creates a picture of just some of what you might observe if they were to peek into Jr. Kindergarten, or 3rd grade, or Upper School Latin, or any one of our classrooms at ILS. 

Please enjoy, and check back each week as we share additional “Walk-in-Wednesday” features!

Walk-in-Wednesday: 4th Grade with Mrs. Molly Barnett

Happy Thanksgiving Week! We are on break today (November 21st), but we wanted to still share a “Walk-in-Wednesday” for you to enjoy a sneak peek into our ILS 4th grade classroom.

Every week our ILS blog features an update from one of our teachers highlighting what a visitor might observe when they walk into our classrooms. Whether you are unable to join us for a Walk-in-Wednesday tour to see our students and teachers in action, or you would just like to get a better feel for what the experience of a classical Christian education is like at Immanuel, we hope this feature creates a picture of just some of what you might observe if they were to peek into Jr. Kindergarten, or 3rd grade, or Upper School Latin, or any one of our classrooms at ILS. 

This week, join us in 4th grade, as Mrs. Molly Barnett presents a snap-shot of the delightful teaching and learning you may observe if you were to step into her classroom.

We hope you enjoy, and please visit the blog each week as we share additional “Walk-in-Wednesday” features! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!