January 15th, 2025
Principal Corner
At Trinity Lutheran School we know the importance of service and having a servant heart. Each grade has ways in which they serve the school, church and community. It is something intentional. Churches and nonprofit organizations do not run without the work of people willing to serve. Board members, ushers, choir members, Sunday school teachers, welcome center volunteers are just a few of the roles of how people serve the church. Yet, there is also importance in the unplanned one on one service opportunities that present themselves to us on a daily basis. After basketball games at Trinity, we have to sweep the bleachers, take down benches and tables and move lunch tables back to the gym. Some days after the game players want to keep shooting baskets in the gym, I tell them if they want to shoot, they need to help with the cleanup. Some help, others just walk away deciding not to help. Some have developed the servant heart while others still need some encouragement. It seems it is that way for all of us at times. Parents that strongly encourage their child to help serve others and do so themselves are setting their children up for a happy and healthier life. In my devotion this morning it talked about what service does for those that serve. In a 2010 study of adults who served 100 hours or more in a year, 68% reported feeling physically healthier, 73% said volunteerism lowered their stress level and 89% said service has improved my sense of well-being. If we all would adopt a servant heart, think about how our families, our relationships, our community and our world would be a better place to live. So do something good for someone today, it is for your own good, and it follows Jesus example of service in this world.
JANUARY CHAPEL
January chapel offering is our yearly classroom competition for Lutheran’s for Life - filling the baby bottles - boys versus girls. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Let the games begin, Heart Heroes! Kids Heart Challenge is here and it’s better than ever! Sign up TODAY to get started on Finn’s Mission - refresh your Hands-Only CPR skills and learn the warning signs of a stroke. Every student who completes Finn’s Mission will earn their very own Heart Hero Cape!
We’re almost there - just a few more students to go before we reach our goal. There’s still time to make a difference. Take action today! Your family can become lifesavers by learning Hands-Only CPR, how to recognize the warning signs of a stroke, understand how the heart works, and by raising awareness and funds to help those with special hearts. Together we can create healthier futures!
Here’s how you can get involved and make a Life-saving difference:
Download the FREE AHA Schools App for Apple or Android and click on “Register Now” then scroll down to join your school's team.
Next, click on “send a text today” to easily reach friends & family!
OR click HERE. and choose “Sign Up” to get started.
We have some BONUS incentives for our students this year: The more that participate and complete Finn’s Mission, the more chances we get for a gym makeover! ALSO top fundraiser gets to pie Miss Minnesota HERSELF! And the top class will get a special surprise.
Thank you for being an integral part of the Kids Heart Challenge, supporting our school and the American Heart Association. Your commitment and involvement truly make a difference!
Miss Minnesota came straight from the Miss America Program to talk to our students about how important it is to keep your heart healthy and to talk about the American Heart Kids Challenge!
TLS 35th Annual Basketball Tournament is NEXT WEEKEND
Jan 24th & 25th See signups below!
SCHOOL DOORS NOW OPEN from 3:05 - 3:15 pm for end of school pick up.
SIDE DOOR USED FOR SAC IS LOCKED!
Please use the code given to you on Monday, the 13th for pick up. If you did not get a code and your child is not a regular, please contact the office for a code BEFORE your child will be attending SAC.
Preschool Parents, PLEASE USE YOUR code before school (before 8:10 am) and after school (after 3:15 pm). The teachers should not and cannot leave the students they are in charge of to open the door. This is why we got a code system, to increase safety in our before and after school programs.
Lost & Found is FULL of hats and mittens and all things winter! Your child is likely missing something. Make sure you take a gander the next time you are in the building. Lost & Found is located down near the soda machine, in the hallway leading to the gym.
ANYONE MISSING A CUP? It was left at the treasure trunk. ———>
GOT BASKETBALL PHOTOS?
Looking for any and all photos of the basketball season so far! We’d love some action shots! Please upload to this Google Album or send them to tlsinfo@trinityschools.us.
LOOKING AHEAD
All HOME games in January - February can be signed up for. We appreciate all of you that have helped so far! This all counts toward parent service hours!
Athletic Calendar is up to date! ALL teams have practices scheduled. CHECK THE CALENDAR HERE . ALL AWAY games will have a bus!
TLS PTL Tournament is right around the corner! PTL is in need of two people to get Thrivent Cards - one for food, one for supplies - for the tournament. Please see Sign Up links down below in PTL Events section or on the website under volunteer, to sign up to get those. Please acquire the Thrivent cards as soon as possible.
AMERICAN HEART CHALLENGE - Raise money for American Heart! The more kids that complete Finn’s mission, the more chances we get entered to win a $10K makeover for our gym!
NO BUSES FRIDAY JANUARY 17TH & MONDAY JANUARY 20TH. PARENT DRIVE DAYS.
NO SCHOOL JANUARY 24TH - we prepare for the tournament that day.
KINDERGARTEN ROUND UP INFORMATION COMING SOON - STAY TUNED!
CHOIR DATES have been added to the Google Calendar and the interactive calendar below. K-2 in Feb, ALL School in March at Lutheran School’s Week Kick Off, 6-8 Choir in April, 3-5 Choir in May.
SILENT AUCTION & PTL BRUNCH - THE KICK OF TO LUTHERAN SCHOOLS WEEK - Sunday, March 2nd - SAVE THE DATE
SAVE THE DATE - TRIBUTE TO TRINITY WILL BE FRIDAY APRIL 4th - Lots of fun and service hours can be attained by being a part of the committee. Anyone interested in joining the committee for Tribute to Trinity should contact the school.
Calling all FB users. We need your help! You will notice that we are beefing up our Facebook presence (Instagram soon) and while we work hard to put the content up, it’s you that can make the REAL difference. When you see TLS posts, please take a minute to LIKE, COMMENT on, or SHARE the content. Every time you engage with our FB page it spreads our message further and further. We have something so special here at Trinity and we want everyone to know about it.
PARENT CORNER
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YOUR RESOURCE CENTER
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PARENT CORNER +++ YOUR RESOURCE CENTER +++
Great Communication Tool + More
A lot of staff and parents love using Procare. It’s a great communication tool AND it serves multiple purposes for staff and behind the scenes tracking. It is the required sign in and out needed for our Childcare/Preschool and our SAC programs. It is a great way to calculate and bill and get other invoices paid from families! It has helped streamline many processes for us. One this it is not, is an EMERGENT messaging system. Please, and this has always been the case, if you have a last minute change or message to get to your children, try to call the school and do not be afraid to leave a message. A Procare message is not an alert system for last minute changes. We want our teachers teaching, not staring at their phones for notifications constantly. We encourage you to use it for everything else.
Parent Service Hours
Trinity Lutheran School would not run or function without our families and all your hard work! We strive on showing our students a great work ethic and a drive to help and volunteer! Because of this, we ask that each family completes 10 hours of volunteer hours throughout the school year (if you only have a child in the Preschool, we only ask you complete 5 hours). Many events put on by PTL, Athletics and just helping around at the school provide plenty of opportunity to help out! Please don’t hesitate to check out the volunteer page on the website: https://seal-leopard-8yt2.squarespace.com/volunteer
NEED VOLUNTEER HOURS???
CHECK HERE
HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR CHILDREN
WITHOUT NAGGING
Where do you turn to know if a movie, book or other media is appropriate for my child? One place you can check is Common Sense Media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/, the website lists age levels for books, TV, movies, games podcasts and apps. Check it out at the link.
WEEKLY REMINDERS
When calling the school, please leave a voicemail if we don’t answer. If the phone is not answered, we are on another call or just a few minutes away from the phone. Voicemail is something that gets checked immediately up return to the office.
If you arrive or your children arrive after 8:20, please have them report to the office. We still appreciate them getting signed in with the Procare App but we need a report to the office first. Thankyou.
Please be mindful and help reduce interruptions. If you arrive at the school - go to the office. We will grab the student or deliver an item or message. You may think it’s just a quick visit or you are doing no harm, but a small view of a visitor causes more disruption than you can imagine. Please be respectful and check in with the office, even if the class or teacher, knows you are coming.
Make sure you are notifying the school via Procare or email that your child is leaving early ahead of time or will be absent. We can coordinate best and make the most of your time if we can plan ahead. Middle school schedules are very different than they have been so knowing ahead of time will help reduce delays for everyone.
Jacqie leaves for a break between 11:15 - 12:00 every day. Please try to avoid stopping by at those times if you can help it. If you do, please be patient and wait outside while she answers the doorbell and talks to you via the intercom. Sometimes directions need to be given or information needs to be gathered, so please do not expect other staff to open the door for you. They have their own jobs, caring for their students.
If you are here to pick up your children early or have something to drop off to them, please help minimize interruptions in the classroom by stopping by the office. Same goes with dropping things off for teachers, please stop in the office.
Please wait outside the school until 3:05 pm and have your children come to you EXCEPT for Preschool parents.
Make sure that you are paying Tuition in separate payments from SAC/WAC care. Tuition is reported differently than childcare for taxes. Therefore we ask you do not lump them together when making payments so that we can accurately report your totals at the end of the year. Preschool however, is reportable on taxes as a childcare expense.
Share Your Photos
We are always on the lookout for photos to put in the yearbook and you could’ve captured a great one! Below are the links to add photos to two of our Google Photo Albums! One for the Fun Run and one for everything else! Please don’t hesitate to share! We can always use more photos in the yearbook! This is for staff and parents!
SAC - School Age Care
Welcome back! We are excited to provide care for your kiddos after school this year. SAC hours are from 3:05-5:30pm. Snack and homework help will be provided daily for kids who are here after 4 pm. When picking up, look for the posted sign on the side sac entrance so you can find our location.
What is SAC? SAC is before and after school care for all students, K-8. (Preschool has a separate before and after program, because they have their own childcare license). If you signed up for it during registration, you are all set! You just need to let us know if your child is a regular or not and we have heard from most of you.
If you did not sign up for SAC, here some more information:
AM SAC - just give us a heads up you’ll be using it and show up! AM SAC is from 7:00 am - 7:45 AM. Enter through the gym doors and please sign your child in using the Procare App. ALL students should enter through the gym doors if at school before 8:10 am.
PM SAC - We are available, but because it is after school, with limited staff, we still need to be in a safe student/adult ratio. We request, wherever possible, it be asked about your child getting added to PM SAC a week prior so we can ensure to have enough staff, deadline the Friday before the week you request your child to attend. We do understand that some things happen last minute and we will always try to accommodate. Please check with the school office before you send your child to SAC.
UPCOMING EVENTS!!! See Calendar below! You can also check out the Google Calendar under Parents > School Calendar to subscribe.
JANESVILLE COMMUNITY
PALMER BUS IS LOOKING FOR DRIVERS
Contact Tim Engel for more information. They need drivers for regular routes and possibilities for more hours with other trips!
Tim Engel
JWP - Site Manager
(o) 507.481.6678
(e) time@palmerbusservice.com
