Eagle Express

St. John Lutheran School exists to nurture children in faith and intellect, equipping them for Christian lives of service.

"Be kind and compassionate to one another,

forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven us."

Ephesians 4:32

Recently, the voters of St. John held a special meeting to call a teacher for the vacancy that we will have next year in our 7th-8th grade classroom. Our synod provided us with a list of candidates, and the Holy Spirit guided us to call Mr. Seth Arps. Seth is currently teaching at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church and School in Watertown, SD. Seth teaches 8th grade, and he also serves as the school’s technology director. He is single, and he has served at St. Martin’s since he graduated from Martin Luther College in 2019.

We pray that the Lord will guide Seth as he reviews the needs of our ministry as well as the needs of his current school. May the Holy Spirit lead him to clearly see where he might best use his gifts to serve God’s people.

If you would like to reach out to Seth, even if it’s simply to introduce yourself and let him know that he is in your prayers, please feel free to do so via email: seth.arps@stmartinschurch.com.

Come and cheer on the boy and girl pioneers at the St. John Pine Car Derby. Event starts at 4:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall, and should run to about 5:00 pm. There will be awards for boys and girls in speed and style. All are invited to attend. We hope to see you there!

Today is the last day to RSVP!

The St. John Daddy Daughter Dance is back! Dads and daughters are invited to join us for an unforgettable event on Sunday, February 23, 2 to 4pm. This event will include music, dancing, games, a dessert bar and MORE! If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Lofsness (sarah.lofsness@stjohnslib.com).

Enrollment season is open at St. John Lutheran School for the 2025-2026 school year!

Do you know a family whom you’d love to see attend St. John?! Recommendations and referrals from our families are our best source of meeting new families who value Christian education at St. John like we do.

Please direct your friends and family to our website information page at https://www.stjohnslib.com/contact.phtml, send an email to David.Retzlaff@stjohnslib.com or call David Retzlaff, Principal, at (847) 362-4424. Thank you!

Join your St. John friends and family on Saturday, February 22, from 4-6 PM for snow tubing as a group up at Crystal Ridge in Franklin, WI. We have 30 allotted tickets, so first come first serve. There is no minimum age requirement, but all tubers must be at least 36 inches tall. If you are coming, you will need to fill out a waiver in advance. To purchase tickets and for more information, please either scan the QR code below or go to the following website:

https://shop.crystalridge.com/groups/details?gc=StJohn

Today is the cutoff date for signing up. Please be sure to sign up by the end of the day!

Contact Paul Massey with any questions: paul.massey@stjohnslib.com or 847-275-6222

Thank you parents and volunteers for your support of the Scholastic Book Fair! We had a total sales of more than $2,400 so far. These purchases go towards Scholastic Dollars which teachers may use to obtain materials for their classrooms and special projects!

The fair will be open through February 23rd online and 25% of sales directly benefits our school! Use up eWallet funds here!

Kids Books, Books for Children | The Scholastic Parent Store

shop.scholastic.com

How many bookworms? 13!

Winners Grace Haak and Joseph Parker -both from 8th Grade

Book drawing winners: Sawyer Kolch 7th grade and Sebastian Penaloza 2nd grade. Each win a Scholastic gift card for $10!

Thank you for participating!!

On Tuesdays Mr. Kopczynski is offering a 15-minute after-school fun run as he has done the past couple of years. We will always meet in the 5th & 6th grade classroom and then, weather permitting, head outdoors for a run. All 3rd - 8th graders are welcome to join the fun!

St. John Families, please join your Parent Teacher Partnership at the Libertyville Culver's (803 E. Park Ave.) for a FUNdraiser! We will earn a portion of all sales from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Students in preschool - grade 2 have their Entertainment Night at 6 p.m. so make an evening of it and come for dinner before Enterainment Night or celebrate after with ice cream!

Volunteers from grades 3-8 are needed to help us serve at the Culver's Night. We must have a minimum of 4 adults present at all times to run food to tables from the register.

Sign up coming soon! If you know now you can help out, feel free to let Lisa Kolch know.

It should be a fun night, and we can't wait to see you!

Questions? Contact Lisa Kolch - lisascriver@hotmail.com or (262) 331-3140

Registration for the 2025/2026 school year is open!

You are invited to join us for Registration Night on Monday, March 17, 3-6 p.m. You can sign-up here for a time to talk with our finance team and get your packet of forms from Mrs. Schubert. It is helpful, but not mandatory to sign-up for a time slot. Please feel free to still attend Registration Night even if you don't sign-up for a specific time. If needed, an alternate day and time can be scheduled. We will also have an Irish-themed dinner available during this time.

Thank you for your partnership. It is a true joy for us to serve you and your family through the ministry of St. John Lutheran School. We look forward to another great school year!

Last week the school had a WELSSA visiting team come to observe our school in action, interview a wide variety of people, and delve into our self-study documentation. Thank you to all the parents who took time to be interviewed! Your input was valuable.

WELS School Accreditation (WELSSA) is a process in which the school evaluates its current educational practices and seeks sound methods to build on its strengths and determine new ways to grow and strengthen the educational ministry of the school for the benefit of the students and parents to the glory of God. WELSSA operates under these three core values: continuous improvement, distinctly Lutheran, and discerning accountability. There are 162 WELS and ELS schools and early childhood ministries currently accredited, and St. John is one of them.

What does the visiting team check on? There are 15 standards with various aspects that are reviewed. They included such items as planning documents, communication with parents and church members, outreach plans, legal requirements, religious identity, public relations, enrollment procedures, administration details, Christian climate, role of the School Board, faculty involvement, curriculum, school activities, physical building maintenance, safety codes, and filing systems. That’s quite a list!

Preparing for an accreditation visit is a huge undertaking. We were challenged by the fact that the last visit was in 2019, and since then there were two years of dealing with COVID issues, and two years of having a principal vacancy. In spite of those challenges, our accreditation visiting team was impressed with our school. There were 284 total standards to evaluate. A school must meet 85% of those standards to stay accredited, and our school met 93%. We have a couple of mandatory conditions that still need to be met, and we will get those accomplished by early summer. Official accreditation approval is scheduled for September. We will then follow through on given recommendations, continue to work to improve our school, and get ready for our next visit in the 2030-2031 school year.

Thanks to all who help make St. John such a great school!

St John congregation is hoping to host a blood drive this spring to service our community and help reduce the ongoing shortage of blood supplies. This is a great way for us to show our Christian love. In order to book a medical van, we must have a minimum guarantee of participants. Your help is needed! The drive would be held on a Sunday, beginning mid-late morning. The exact date is not determined, but we are hoping to solidify a date if we can guarantee that we will have enough people. If we can count on you to be a blood donor, please let Mr. Retzlaff know, or contact Amy in the school office by March 1st. Thank you for whatever help you may be able to provide.

Wish you could help your neighbors a little more? Can you occasionally spare 3 hours during the week? The Pregnancy and Life Resource Center in Mundelein is in need of volunteers and St. John would love to assist. The center is open 2 days each week and provides items to parents in need. Volunteers check these customers in and assist with maintaining the clothing and baby supplies – simple work with happy results! Any help at all is appreciated - one shift/month, even 3-4 times/year. What a wonderful way to show our Christian love to the community! Contact Mr. Retzlaff, and he will have our St John colleague connect with you.

Chapel Offerings so far: $1,337.05

Friday, February 21: School Spirit Day and Year Older Day, End of Trimester 2

Saturday, February 22: Tubing Event, 4-6 p.m.

Sunday, February 23: Daddy Daughter Dance, 2-4 p.m.

Friday, February 28: No School, Teacher Inservice

Monday, March 3: NO Pioneers

Tuesday, March 4: Fishbowl Piano Recital, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 5: Ash Wednesday Worship, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.,

Supper served between services

Wednesday, March 12: Lent Worship, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., Students in Preschool-Grade 2 Singing in 3:30 Service, Supper served between services

Monday, March 17: Registration Night and Supper, 3-6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 19: Lent Worship, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., Supper served between services

Thursday, March 20: Preschool - Grade 2 Entertainment Night, 6 p.m.

Culver's Night, 5-8 p.m.

Monday, March 24 - Friday, March 28: No School, Spring Break

Wednesday, March 26: Lent Worship, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., Supper served between services

Monday, March 31: NO Pioneers

Email: info@stjohnslib.com
Website: stjohnslib.com
Location: 501 West Park Avenue, Libertyville, IL, USA
Phone: (847)362-4424
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stjohnslib/