What We're Reading (June edition)...

It’s the last week of school, and we’re just days away from the start of the summer break! The year has flown by, and we are grateful for all our ILS families and students helping to make this a most wonderful year.

As we head into summer, we’re sharing the last edition of "What we're reading..." for the 2018-2019 school year! Don’t worry, we’ll continue to post over the summer, and as always, we hope that you’ll continue to share any articles or news that you’ve found interesting that we should include in an upcoming edition.

Want to join us for some summer reading?

This summer, ILS is pleased to host a Summer Book Club! Parents and friends of ILS are invited to join us each month as we read and gather to discuss a short selection. Please use the form below to let us know if you will be able to attend one or more of these discussions!

Join us on Thursdays at 7 pm. Reading selections and options to order, included via the links below.

June 13: The Golden Key by George MacDonald 
July 11: Revelation by Flannery O'Conner 
August 8: Leaf by Niggle by J. R. R. Tolkien (copies available in the ILS office)

Let us know if you can join us!

4th Grade Student Poem: "Summer"

We take delight in seeing how our students’ imaginations are sparked by what they are learning and discussing in their classrooms. Inspired by reading the novel The Wind in the Willows in literature and learning of the character, Ratty's, penchant for poetry, two ILS 4th grade students, Linden and Caroline, were motivated to jointly compose their own original piece. The class has also been discussing literary devises such as alliteration, which readers will find plentifully in their poem, metaphor, and personification. Enjoy!

"Summer"
By Linden & Caroline (4th grade)

I remember when I was young
The sunny Saturdays in the celestial sun
The waving water so cool and refreshing
On the blowing breath of the morning breeze. 

Now I sit in the dusty dungeon of winter
Thinking of those sonorous summers
Wishing I could be there now
And seeing the drawing dawn of day.

But now the summer has come
And I see my full self again!
The weather's warm, the sun is singing,
And I hear the cuckoo's cry again. 

I see the sunflowers, I pick the plums.
I hear the crowing cock that cries
And see the ripe, red strawberries
And the blue birds flying over me.

And now this poem has come to an end. 
But do not be sad.
For summer will come again. 


What We're Reading (May edition)...

It is hard to believe that we have already begun the last full month of the school year and are sharing our next to last edition of "What we're reading..." for the 2018-2019 school year!

As we do throughout the year, our feature includes a wide variety of articles and sermons that we have found to be interesting. This month, we explore education, a look at summer screen time for kids, vocation, black holes, history and duty. We conclude with sharing Pastor Esget’s sermon from Easter 2019.

Have you read (or written!) anything recently that you think we and other ILS families may enjoy? We always welcome you to share any articles or blogs with use to consider including in future blog features.

What We're Reading (April edition)...

Spring has arrived, and our journey through the penitential season of Lent continues. Once again we bring you our latest edition of "What we're reading..." with variety articles, sermons, and news that we have found intriguing or interesting these past few weeks.

For April, Pastor Esget kicks us off asking the question of “Do You Believe in Monsters?” Also included is an article from Mrs. Marie Greenway, ILS Music Teacher.

Have you read (or written!) anything recently that you think we and other ILS families may enjoy? We always welcome you to share any articles or blogs with use to consider including in future blog features.

A Stone's Throw: January - February 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.

What We're Reading (March edition)...

As we prepare to enter the penitential season of Lent, our latest edition of "What we're reading..." includes some resources and family devotions for the season, as well as a variety of other articles we have compiled on a variety of topics.

This month, we include a selection of articles on beauty, hospitality, art, fair tales, and more! Also included, the latest article from our own ILS Music Teacher, Mrs. Marie Greenway, writing on keeping reverence in church.

Have you read (or written!) anything recently that you think we and other ILS families may enjoy? We always welcome you to share any articles or blogs with use to consider including in future blog features.

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.