What We're Reading - December 2020

Happy New (Church) Year! Although November 30th marked the first day of Trimester 2, Sunday, November 29, marked a more important day in our life together at Immanuel. The Season of Advent, meaning "coming" in Latin, is upon us. Advent wreaths can be found in each classroom helping mark this time of waiting to celebrate the birth of Christ, and our waiting for the final coming of our Jesus, who will bring us into His kingdom.

Integral to the life of Immanuel students is the annual cycle of remembering events in the life of Jesus and marking time with unique celebrations. We give thanks for these intentional rhythms and the opportunity to be united with Christians from times past and in the future. Be sure to ask your child about our Advent traditions and look for a small book that came home today (one per family) called, A Simple Explanation of the Church Year. Here you will find short descriptions of major seasons and festivals of the Church Year along with suggestions for incorporating Church Year traditions into your family life.

If you're looking for Advent resources, these may be helpful:

The Family Read-Aloud Advent Calendar

Latin Advent Calendar

November was a busy time, and we are thankful for the many ways our community showed love and service towards our neighbor. As we expanded our traditional “Day of Service” to a month-long effort from our entire school community to showing love for our neighbors through acts of service, we partnered with Christ House in Old Town to collect food to prepare 50 Thanksgiving Meal Kits, collected hundreds o pounds of food in a month-long food drive, and shared love and service to our neighbors all month long in and out of school. It brought us great joy to see the many ways our students and families participated in these activities.

Once again, we’re sharing our "What we're reading..." Blog , with what we hope is a variety of inspiring, thought-provoking or intriguing materials. It is our hope that these pieces continue to help to shape our ongoing conversation about how we create and build our culture together at home and at school. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below as you read these!

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

What We're Reading - November 2020

As temperatures have turned fall-like, we have also passed the mid-term of the first trimester of the year. It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to meet with parents to discuss how we are working together to support your children during our first Parent-Teacher Conferences, and we also loved welcoming parents virtually for our first Lower School Showcase of the year. It remains a blessing that we are able to continue to hold many of these events and traditions that are so much a part of life together at ILS, even if we have to adjust and adapt this year.

Looking ahead to November, we have so many things we are looking forward to sharing together with students and families. We’ll be again hosting our Veterans Day “Salute to Veterans,” and we look forward to sharing the stories of many of our family members and friends who have served or continue to serve our nation in our armed forces. We’ll also be expanding our traditional “Day of Service” to a month-long effort from our entire school community to showing love for our neighbors through acts of service. We are partnering with Christ House in Old Town to collect for Thanksgiving Meal Kits, running a month-long food drive, and sharing love and service to our neighbors all month long in and out of school. We hope that all of our ILS families will join us in participating in these activities!

Once again, we’re sharing our "What we're reading..." Blog series, with what we hope is a variety of inspiring, thought-provoking or intriguing materials. It is our hope that these pieces continue to help to shape our ongoing conversation about how we create and build our culture together at home and at school. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below as you read these!

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

What We're Reading - October 2020

Wow! It is hard to believe we’re already entering our 2nd month of the new school year. As we have all returned to some of the traditional rhythms and routines of school, we are also all still adjusting to new changes we’re all facing this year. While we are all missing some of our traditional opportunities to gather as a community in person and eagerly await the time when those can return, we remain grateful for the ways we are still able to connect and support one another as we serve our students.

We hope that you enjoy our monthly "What we're reading..." Blog series, with what we hope is a variety of inspiring, thought-provoking or intriguing materials. It is our hope that these pieces continue to help to shape our ongoing conversation about how we create and build our culture together at home and at school. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below as you read these!

This month, we are also looking forward to a number of great opportunities to connect with families. We will be engaging in meaningful conversations with our current families during our first trimester Parent-Teacher Conferences. Then, families interested in learning more about a classical, Christian education at Immanuel are invited to attend our first Virtual Admissions Open House on Friday, October 16th. Then, we will finish up the month with our first virtual Lower School Showcase of the year.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

The Labor of Learning: Encouragement for Students from Mr. Barnett

Over the weekend, my wife and I went to the National Arboretum.  In the middle of this urban oasis are columns of sandstone topped by Corinthian capitals which used to grace a portico of the Capitol.  A plaque informed visitors that each capital required six months of labor to carve.  If such an eminent artifact of culture should require such sweat and tears, why would we expect the very basis of culture, a worthy education, to be any easier?  In a piece entitled, "Invitation to the Pain of Learning," Mortimer Adler wrote: "Without thinking, the kind of learning which transforms a mind, gives it new insights, enlightens it, deepens understanding, elevates the spirit simply cannot occur. Anyone who has done any thinking, even a little bit, knows that it is painful." 

One of the most daunting aspects of the labor of learning is the slow pace of the arduous work and the incremental, but often paltry results.  Yet, therein lies one of the greatest prizes of a true education: intellectual humility.  In his essay "The Parthenon and the Optative"--which I cannot recommend enough--C.S. Lewis describes two types of education:  "The one begins with hard, dry things like grammar, and dates, and prosody; and it has at least the chance of ending in a real appreciation which is equally hard and firm though not equally dry.  The other begins in "Appreciation" and ends in gush.  When the first fails it has, at the very least, taught the boy what knowledge is like.  He may decide that he doesn't care for knowledge; but he knows he doesn't care for it, and he knows he hasn't got it.  But the other fails most disastrously when it most succeeds.  It teaches a man to feel vaguely cultured while he remains in fact a dunce.  It makes him think he is enjoying poems he can't construe.  It qualifies him to review books he does not understand, and to be intellectual without intellect.  It plays havoc with the very distinction between truth and error."

To our endless woe, the latter form of education seems to have prevailed in our culture at large.  Not at ILS. As this third week of school begins, the demands of learning have begun to make themselves felt for ILS sixth graders.  Now is the time for students to shake off the lethargy of summer dissipation and roll up their sleeves. The mountain they are climbing is steep at times, but the view at the top is unrivaled.

Meet Us Monday: Ms. Diane Curcio, P.E. Teacher

As the 2020-2021 school year gets underway, we’re continuing our Meet Us Monday Blog series to introduce you to our outstanding ILS teachers and staff. Check in each week to meet or better get to know one of our new or returning faculty members.

Today, we invite you go get to know ILS P.E. Teacher, Ms. Diane Curcio, with her recent “Meet Us Monday” interview.

Ms. Curcio returns to ILS this year after being away for a year. She teaches physical education to all students in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Meet Us Monday: Miss Abby Leithart, Kindergarten Assistant Teacher

As we begin the new 2020-2021 school year, we have re-launched our Meet Us Monday Blog series to introduce you to our outstanding ILS teachers and staff. Check in each week to meet or better get to know one of our new or returning faculty members.

Today, we invite you go get to know ILS Kindergarten Assistant Teacher, Miss Abby Leithart, with her recent “Meet Us Monday” interview.

A member of Immanuel Lutheran Church for three years, this is Miss Leithart’s first year teaching at ILS.

What We're Reading - September 2020

It is a great joy to begin our 2020-21 school year and welcome all of our new and returning families to our ILS community. One of the cornerstones of our our Immanuel community is the strong partnership between parents and school, and we value the opportunities for conversation and dialogue as we work together to serve our students.

Each month, we share a "What we're reading..." Blog post with a variety of articles, sermons, or other materials that we have found inspiring or intriguing. It is our hope that you will find value in these and that they will help to shape our ongoing conversation about how we create and build our culture together at home and at school.

Another opportunity for engaging in these conversations is our monthly First Friday Coffee. Parents are invited to join us each month for informal conversation and discussion on different topics. Our first Coffee of the 2020-21 school year will be held on Friday, September 11th via Zoom. Join us to discuss the habit of prayer at home and school and the blessing we have in this community to pray with and for one another.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and for engaging with us in these ongoing conversations and for sharing items you have read that may be inspiring to others in our ILS community! Please feel free to share a link in the comments to email us any time!

Meet Us Monday: Mr. Josh Pautz, 2nd Grade Teacher

In preparation for the 2020-2021 school year, we have re-launched our Meet Us Monday Blog series to introduce you to our outstanding ILS teachers and staff. Check in each week to meet or better get to know one of our new or returning faculty members.

Today, we invite you go get to know another new member of our new ILS faculty, 2nd Grade Teacher, Mr. Josh Pautz, with his recent “Meet Us Monday” interview.

Meet Us Monday: Mrs. Laurie Honig, Jr. Kindergarten Teacher

In preparation for the 2020-2021 school year, we’re re-launching our Meet Us Monday Blog series to introduce you to our outstanding ILS teachers and staff. Check in each week to meet or better get to know one of our new or returning faculty members.

Today, we invite you go get to know ILS Jr. Kindergarten Lead Teacher, Mrs. Laurie Honig, with her recent “Meet Us Monday” interview.

Mrs. Honig is beginning her 11th year teaching Jr. Kindergarten at ILS. She is also the parent of 4 ILS graduates.

History Portfolio Project: Seneca Falls Furthers Women’s Suffrage Movement

Portfolios are projects ILS students complete to showcase their learning. Students in the 7th and 8th grades complete one portfolio project each year. Beginning in the fall and extending through the academic year, students work through a nine-step process to reach their final result. Working individually with a single faculty member, students first must have their proposals approved, then develop a thesis statement and source list. Students spend much of the year in reading, studying, experimenting, and taking robust notes on their given topic. Faculty review and approve initial outlines, then students begin writing the first of three drafts. Their final products are diverse reflections of student personalities, interests, family backgrounds, and aptitudes.

Immanuel's faculty note that not all learning is best represented or imagined via written papers. However, the rigorous and creative process of working on a major project to completion guides students to value excellence and produce their best academic work. This honors the intellect and abilities of the individual student, pushing all to learn and grow, believing all are capable of such in depth work. While no student projects are ever perfect in the end, we celebrate each student's sense of wonder and delight, demonstrated through their dedicated efforts throughout the course of the year.