Lutheran Schools Week

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. 

Lutheran Schools Week Greetings from Past ILS Faculty & Staff

As we celebrate National Lutheran Schools Week with schools and educators all across the country, we invited former ILS faculty and staff members to share some favorite memories of ILS, Lutheran Schools Week, and more about the importance of Lutheran Schools. We hope you enjoy their responses!

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!

Lutheran Schools Week - Serve Together

As a part of the 2016 National Lutheran Schools Week, members of our ILS faculty shared reflections on the theme of Life Together in Christ. Each focused on the different parts of our "life together" as we play together, serve together, pray together and learn together. In today's reflection, Upper School Lead Teacher, Ms. Kramer, shares insights on serving together at ILS.

Serve Together – Ms. Kramer

As they mature, ILS students are being trusted with more and more responsibility throughout the school: patrol, helping younger grades at chapel, other forms of chapel service, running the Talent Show, developing the culture of the school through our house systems. And there are countless other ways students serve without programs: I can think of two 4th grade students who scan the blacktop and playground every day for left-over trash without being asked, or students who jump at the chance to help a teacher with tasks. We take service seriously at Immanuel, because we are becoming who we are meant to be: members of community, people who will love and care for one another. Is there any more meaningful way to be an image bearer of Christ?

Lutheran Schools Week - Play Together

"And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them" (Mark 10:16 ESV)

With just one day to officially celebrate National Lutheran Schools Week, students were excited to Play Together during a school-wide game hour. We give thanks for our minds and bodies - blessings from the Creator - allowing us to pray, learn, serve, and play. 

Play Together - Mrs. Schmick 

Children + playing = learning. Hands-down, one of the best equations ever. Our days in the Jr.  include a wonderful balance of not only instruction but also play. Whether a student is completing a puzzle inside or participating in a game of tag outside, they are learning. Both surroundings are perfect environments for little minds and bodies to use kind words (Mrs. Schmick, may you please play animals with me?), increase patience (as they wait in line to kick a soccer ball), and build muscle strength and coordination (as they climb steps and ladders and catch footballs).

Lutheran Schools Week - Learning Together

"And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him." (Luke 2:39-40 ESV)

Like the boy Jesus, ILS students are growing physically but also in wisdom. Students (and their teachers alongside them) learn language, mathematics, history, and science. They are also learning the words of Scripture as Jesus did. We pray that that the all of our learning might be to the Glory of God and in service to our neighbor. 

Enjoy this post on Learning Together by ILS 4th grade teacher, Miss Leithart. 

Lutheran Schools Week: Life Together in Christ

Although our full schedule of Lutheran Schools Week activities have been hampered by the snow, ILS and her families still join the nearly 2,300 LCMS preschools, elementary schools and high schools throughout the country celebrating this week. This year’s theme, Life Together in Christ, provides the opportunity to acknowledge that Christ is the creator of our life together and has sustained the our community for more than 70 years.

The theme verse for the week:

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (I Cor. 1:9 ESV)

...focuses our attention on the joyful fellowship we have with one another, centered on Christ crucified.