Pilgrim Lutheran School News
February 19, 2016
A little taste of Spring...
...the high winds are bringing us a glimpse of Spring. Hang in there, it is right around the corner.
In the coming week...
...families will be receiving letters concerning Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please look for the sign-up forms in your child’s backpack. If you do not get one by next week Friday, please contact the office. Conferences are a great way to check-in with teachers about student performance, but no one should be surprised by what is said at a conference. We as a staff encourage you as parents to check information on SIS regularly about your child and your child’s class. Please let me know if there are ways that we can improve school-home communications.
Please know that the staff is working hard to stay current in best practices for the classroom. The Upper Grade teachers are attending a workshop this Thursday evening about how to use the interactive whiteboards more effectively in their classrooms. Pastor Kristian and Principal Comella are attending the ELCA Schools National Convention at the Palmer House this week on Monday and Tuesday to learn more about best practice for school administration and non-profit development. We have also been welcoming Concordia University adjunct and former Pilgrim teacher, Mrs. Deborah Suhajda, as an observer and mentor in Miss Huelskoetter’s class. We also continue to enjoy the expertise of the interns from the Chicago School of Psychology in our building. Please let us know if you every have a question about how our staff is keeping things up-to-date in our community of learners.
Wildcat Sports
The Pilgrim 7th/8th Basketball Teams are wrapping up this year’s season. Both boys and girls play today at Midwest Christian Academy. They play again at Luther North on Saturday and Sunday as part of the Lutheran Schools League championship games. Please contact the office about game times. Coaches for 7th/8th Basketball are Carol Schlensker for the girls; Malik Kvamme for the boys. Basketball practices for the 3rd/4th grade teams are lining up. If you have a question, contact Mike Suhajda, Pilgrim Athletic Director.
Pilgrim 3/4 grade basketball - We will hold practice time at Bethany gym on Friday, Feb. 19 and Friday, Feb. 26 from 5:30 - 6:30. Other practices will be added later. At this time we know that the 3/4 grade boys will play in the St. James tournament on March 18/19 and the St. John's tournament on April 9. Other games may be added to the schedule. Thank you to coaches Eric Jones and Jim Volkens!
We are looking for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders for our bowling team. The Lutheran School Bowling Tournament is scheduled for Friday, March 11, the free-day after conferences. If your child is interested, please contact Mrs. Cardo.
Student Council
Student Council has been meeting with homerooms in preparation for ELCA Lutheran Schools Week, the first week of March. They have designated this as Pilgrim Spirit Week, with a different fashion for each day of the week.
Here is what they have declared: Monday, 2/29 = Crazy Hair & Crazy Sock Day; Tuesday, 3/01 = Sports Jersey Day; Wednesday, 3/02 = Rainbow Day, each class wears its own color (Pre-K, red; K, orange; 1/2, yellow; 2/3, green; 4/5, blue; 5/6, purple; and 7/8, black); Thursday, 3/03 = Doppelgänger Day; Friday, 3/04 = Pajama and Flannel Friday.
During ELCA Lutheran Schools Week, we are also opening up the school for our Learning Fair Open House on Thursday, 3/03. Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten have programs for families, starting at 6 p.m.; the rest of the school is open for visitors from 6:30 till 8 p.m. Homeroom teachers will be sending home more information about Learning Fair Open House soon.
Learning Fair Open House
Please invite a prospective family to our Learning Fair Open House on Thursday, March 3. This is our last official Open House for the 2015-2016 school year. We need your help to spread the word! If you frequent a coffee shop or other establishment that allows groups to post flyers, please take some Open House flyers to post. They are available in the school office. We especially need flyers to go up in the neighborhoods a little further from Pilgrim: Rogers Park, Edgewater, Avondale, Old Irving Park and Logan Square. This is a great reason to go for a coffee date in that Kuehl coffeehouse you don’t normally get to. Or, if you attend a church other than Pilgrim, please put a flyer on the bulletin boards there. This is a great grassroots way of spreading the good news about Pilgrim School!!!
Pilgrim Hard at Work
The Pilgrim Church Council meets on Tuesday, February 23, at 7:30 in the 7th/8th Classroom. If anyone would like to part of a task force to expand on our Early Childhood Program, the Council is taking a fresh look at this on-going discussion. We need people who have a passion and a vision for Early Childhood Education and maybe some marketing and/or architectural skills. Please contact Principal Comella or Pastor Kristian for more information.
The Pilgrim Board of Education meets again on Tuesday, March 1. If you would like to review the BOE agendas and minutes, you can find them on the school website by clicking the School Board link under the Parental Involvement tab: http://pilgrimchicago.org/about/parental-involvement/#.VrTKh_krKUk.
Yearbook
We are looking for 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to work on the Pilgrim Yearbook. Pilgrim parents Parul Desai and Laura Pryst are the adult moderators. If your child is interested, please let Mr. Comella know.
Pre-Registration for 2016-2017
Pre-registration letters for 2016-2017 have gone out to all current Pilgrim School families. If you have not received one. Please contact Halley Williams in the School Office. If you know that your family will not be returning to Pilgrim for 2016-2017, please let me know. Transitions are natural in school communities and we all understand that. An accurate count of returning students helps Pilgrim leaders plan budget and staffing needs for the coming school year. Thanks for your help by letting us know your plans.
Please note if you are the parent of a 3-year-old or know someone interested in the 3-year-old class for the 2016-2017 school year: after much discussion, we are making spots available to 3-year-olds in the morning class, but unfortunately, we will not be able to offer an all-day option for these 3-year-olds, due to space and room limitations. We are also inviting parents of children who are eligible for the 4-year-old class in 2016-2017 to consider the option of sending your child to the afternoon class for 2016-2017. Our Early Childhood staff truly believe that a mixed 3- and 4-year-old class both in the morning and in the afternoon is going to be a stronger learning environment for all the children.
Auction News
Planning for the Pilgrim Auction 2016 is well on its way! If you would like to make a donation, there is a box available in the school office for drop-off, or contact parent Samantha Doerfler. Sam is also happy to answer questions if you are not sure what or how you might contribute to the Pilgrim Auction. Save the date of April 30 for the best party of the year!
Jr Rams Basketball
Parent Workshop
DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES RESOURCE FAIR™ @ DEPAUL COLLEGE PREP · MAR 13, 2016
To RSVP for this event, please use this link: http://www.npnparents.org/events/2372
Our 5th Annual Fair dedicated to providing Chicago families with school options, service providers, and other resources in one place that focus on serving parents of children with developmental differences. Categories of needs include, but are not limited to, developmental delays (i.e., speech, motor skills), sensory processing disorder, autism, ADD/ADHD, PDD-NOS, mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, Down Syndrome, and physical disabilities. The event is geared toward families with children ages infant through 8th grade. Open to the public. Free admission. RSVP below to expedite your check-in process. Note: We recommend, where possible, to make this an adult-only event. This convention style event and workshops are not ideal for children. Free workshops to be announced soon.
If you are interested in exhibiting, please register here. If you would like to see a list of current exhibitors, click here.
Have a question or topic you want addressed during one of the workshops? Please email schoolfairs@npnparents.org.
Location: DePaul College Prep
Address: 3633 N. California Ave Chicago, 60618
When: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM · Mar 13, 2016
Who: Members & Non-Members - Children welcome
Parking: Attached lot & neighborhood street parking.
Cost: Free
Coordinator: Christa Reed Email:christa@npnparents.org
Gift Cards
Gift Cards—We have many cards available, which we usually have to order, such as, $25 cards for: Bass Pro Shop, The Children’s Place, Super Cuts, Best Buy, Applebee’s, Sweet Tomatoes, Lou Malnati’s (also in 10’s) and $10 Bath and Body Works. We also have our usual restaurant cards. We will be selling on Sunday in the church lobby and, Monday and Friday from the school office.
Don’t forget to renew your magazine subscriptions throughout the year to support Pilgrim. Our account number is 2633014 through www.gaschoolstore.com. Reordering this way starts or continues your subscription faster than through the publishers and Pilgrim earns 40% of your order. Contact Anne Barsano at cbarsano@aol.com or 773-472-6037 with any questions.
Thank you to everyone who uses their Red Card at Target. Pilgrim earned $1,191.60 for the past 11 months because of your participation. Please continue to support Target as they give generously for all schools.
Lent
Lent at Pilgrim 2016 “40 Days of Creativity”
Because we are all made in God’s image...we are creative! (Genesis 1:26) Our Lenten Theme is “40 Days of Creativity”. Join us this coming Wednesday for a community dinner at 6:15 p.m, followed by an opportunity to confess your sins and celebrate God's forgiveness through playdo! Thank you to Judy Daniel for coordinating this project!
Save the Date
Saturday, March 19th at 10 a.m. Wunders Cemetery Egg Hunt
Collaging/Vision Board Activity
We are blessed to announce that Bianka Hardin will be leading people of all ages in a collaging/vision board activity on Wednesday, March 9th following our All Pilgrim Dinner at 6:15 p.m. This activity is fun and helps us reflect on our identity and journey, and can lead to new insights and connections! Please bring images, magazines, old calendars, etc. so we will have materials for this wonderful intergenerational project.
You are always welcome in classrooms, and I welcome your feedback and questions. Feel free to contact me (ccomella@pilgrimchicago.org) whenever something arises. If you would like to become involved in events and activities hosted by the Parent Teacher League (PTL), please contact either Anna Lambros or Carrie Goerne. Parents are also welcome to attend weekly chapel services. The students are always happy to see you there!
Chris Comella, Pilgrim School Principal
Pilgrim Lutheran School
Email: office@pilgrimchicago.org
Website: pilgrimchicago.org
Location: 4300 N Winchester Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Phone: 773-477-4824
Facebook: facebook.com/pilgrimlutheranchurchandschool