Salem Lutheran School News

From the Principal’s Desk January, 2018 Hitting the Reset Button It’s frustrating to have problems with an electronic device, especially a computer. My home computer has been giving problems, like taking a long time to open programs, not opening programs and giving me a “spinning beach ball” for what seems like an eternity. I try to back out from these programs and reopen them - sometimes successfully, often not. I wish there was a magic reset button on my computer that would make everything perfect, the way it is supposed be.  My life would be a lot simpler with this magic button. Our lives are very similar to my computer. Things don’t go right for us. We get frustrated. We look for easy fixes to complex problems and often these fixes create bigger problems. We need a reset button that will make everything perfect for us so that our lives will be a lot simpler and less frustrating. What is the source of all of our problems and frustrations? The simple answer is sin. God c...

More Important Notes from Mr. Zolldan: Resolutions One way humans try to reset their lives is through New Year’s Resolutions. A quick search on the internet showed that popular resolutions include: Improve physical well-being (eat healthy foods, exercise, lose weight) Improve mental well-being (think positively, laugh more, enjoy life) Improve finances (watch spending, save more) Improve career (perform better at job, get a better job) Improve education (get better grades, study more, learn something new) Improve self (be more organized, reduce stress, be nicer, less time on video games) Take a trip Volunteer Get along better with people/improve social skills Spend quality time with family members These all deal with mind and body of a person. Our school mission statement is “Equipping the soul, mind, and body for a lifetime in Christ.” Missing from this list is the part that deals with our soul.  Our souls need to be fed and nourished just like our body and mind n...

SCRIP Orders Due Jan. 8  & Jan. 22 Basketball Practices : Tuesdays/Thursdays 7:30 - 9:00 am (Girls), 3:45 - 5:30 pm (Boys) - Refer to                                          Sports Calendar for any schedule changes. Wednesday, January 3 - School Resumes Friday, January 5 - Away - Girls and Boys BB games, King of Grace, Girls 7:00 pm, Boys 8:00 pm Friday, January 12 - Home - Boys only BB game, 6:30 pm, Berea Saturday, January 13 - Girls & Boys BB tournament, Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato Monday, January 15 - No School , Martin Luther King Day Tuesday, January 16 - School in session, NO BUS DAY Thursday, January 18  - Home BB Scrimmage with St. Croix Academy, 4:30 pm & 5:30 pm Friday, January 19 - Away - Girls & Boys BB game, Trinity Belle Plaine, 6:00 pm & 7:00 pm Saturday, January 20 - Teaching Staff  Only - “Love...

Here is the lunch menu to start 2018! January Lunch Menu

Thank you to all who participated in the K- 8 Christmas Service last night. It was a wonderful celebration of the best gift we have ever been given, our Savior! We collected 10 boxes of food which totaled 215 lbs as well as $200 in gift cards. This was delivered to Valley Outreach by Pastor Brohn today. Thank you to all who helped us make someone else's Christmas a little brighter with this donation. Christmas break begins tomorrow, 12/22 through 1/2. Please take note of these special worship services: Sunday, Dec. 24                             10:00 am Advent Service                               5:00 pm & 11:00 pm Candlelight Service Monday, Dec. 25 10:00 am Christmas Day Service (Carol Song Sing before at 9:40 am) Saturday, Dec. 30  5:00 pm Sunday,   Dec. 31  8:00 am & 10:30 am The Staff at Salem ...

The Christmas service led by the children has been posted to YouTube.  The service is also available on CD.  For the link on YouTube or to order your copy of the CD please contact the school office.

K-8 Salem Parents, Please have your children here and in their classrooms by 5:45 pm unless they are performing preservice music (those students should arrive by 5:20 pm). Preservice music will begin at 5:30 pm. The service will begin at 6:00 pm. See you tonight!

Parents, If your teen would like to be involved in Salem's Youth Group, please remind them to stop by the school office and give us their contact information. We need to update our list to make sure everyone is kept up to date on activities that are planned. Thank you!

Clarification on Christmas Break! Our break for Christmas begins this Friday, 12/22/2017 and ends on 1/2/2018 . Classes resume on Wednesday, 1/3/2018 . Sorry if this caused any confusion!

Due to a funeral that is scheduled for this Wednesday, there will be a swap (Tues. and Wed.) in the lunch menu.  Tuesday, Dec. 19 will be french toast and Wednesday, Dec. 20 will be sub sandwiches. Thank you!

On Friday, the Salem Saints girl’s basketball team battled Christ-North St. Paul. We came out strong with a quick 4 points by Avery. I was so proud of the team for getting some quick baskets since that has been one of our struggles this year. The scoring started to get away from us in Christ’s favor-they seemed to make every shot, and were a decently sized team. Our girl’s played well against their 2-3 zone defense, by driving to the basket and taking outside jump shots. Almost everyone on the team was able to get a shot off, and you could really see the improvement and confidence the girls have gained throughout the season. Hannah made 2 awesome 3 point shots and Emilie and Meade were able to get a lot of great jump shots off near the free throw line. We ended the game with 13 points to Christ North St. Paul’s  50 points. I am so incredibly proud of these girls for their confidence, energy, and enthusiasm. These girls are up against some tough competition, and it never seems t...

Dear Salem Parents, We could use some help setting up the gym for Wednesday's Christmas service. Please stop to help after school tomorrow if you are able. Thank you!

Saints Second Half Surge Comes up Short In the last regular season game of 2017, our Saints took on the Christ Cougars from North St. Paul in front of the home crowd on Friday. Going into the game, the entire team embraced the challenge of playing one of the better teams in our conference. After years of rebuilding, it is neat to see that Christ Lutheran is having an awesome season, coming into this game with an impressive 4-1 record, with their only loss coming against Bloomington. Right from the outset, the Cougars unique, unorthodox style of defense confused and stymied our young basketball team.Their defensive game plan was a smart strategy, which consisted of man-to-man pressure against our point guard, while playing a zone on the interior against our posts. This kind of defense thwarted our usual offensive sets and forced our young team to improvise, which led to an ugly offensive first half for our Saints. After both a stern speech and some words of encouragement from ...

Here are some important things to remember for next week: Food drive collection through the week to support our local food shelf. Items can be dropped off in the church or school entrance. Tuesday, Dec.19 @ 10:00 am will be the dress rehearsal for our preservice music for Wednesday night's K-8 Christmas Service. Piano students 10:00  - 10:40 am, band students 11:00 - 11:30 am and Jubilate students 1:00 - 1:20 pm. All are invited to attend the K - 8 Christmas Service on Wed., Dec. 20 @ 6:00 pm. Please have the children to their classrooms by 5:45 pm. Piano students should arrive and be in their seats by 5:20 pm. Preservice music will begin at 5:30 pm. Don't forget to bake something yummy and bring it in to school by Wednesday afternoon for the bake sale that evening. Money collected will be used for the bleacher fund. There is no school on Friday, Dec. 22 - Jan. 2 for Christmas break. Classes resume Wednesday,  Jan. 3. Have a blessed weekend!

There will be a Christmas Bake Sale on Wednesday, December 20, before and after the K-8 Christmas Program. Please drop off any baked goods in the school office by the 20th. Donations for the baked goods will be used for the school gym bleacher fund. Thank you!

Saints Run Out of Gas at Coon Rapids     Last Saturday (Dec. 9th), our Salem A boys basketball team traveled to Coon Rapids to take on the Cross of Christ Cougars. Coming off an exciting, well-played home game the night before, both Neal Anderson and I knew it would be a great challenge to get our young team to bring the focus and intensity for this Saturday game. Cross of Christ is a very physical, much improved basketball team from last year. Right from the opening tip, the size and experience of the Cougars wore down our young Saints. Although we were without two key post players (sickness and injury) for nearly the entire game, our undersized Saints battled hard right until the bitter end. When the final buzzer sounded, the physical dominance of the Cougars resulted in a 20-42 defeat for our Salem boys.     In our practices this week, our boys have played with a rejuvenated demeanor as we prepare for our big home game against Christ Lutheran of No...

Our preschoolers will be telling us the news of Jesus' birth tonight at 6:00 pm. Please join us in the church sanctuary to hear how even a candy cane tells us the Gospel News! We will also begin collecting non-perishable items to help families in the community this Christmas. Please help us by dropping off your items from now through Dec. 20th. Hope to see you tonight!

Dear wonderful people of Salem, I was told many people were asking about me and figured I’d give an update on my health.  For those of you who don’t know, I have been experiencing problems with both of my legs.  Excruciating pain shoots through both legs (though the left one is usually worse) at almost all times.  My legs also can become very stiff so it is hard to walk.  I have been going to doctors who are trying to figure it out.  I went to a general practice doctor, then a physical therapist, then a chiropractor, and then a neurologist.  All of these doctors have tried various things within the extent of their abilities with very few results.  I have even had an MRI and an EMG (shock nerves to see how they respond and then put needles in muscles to test responses) with nothing abnormal showing.  However, there has been some progress.  It seems that I am slowly getting better with continual chiropractic care focusing on the tailbone and ...

Reminder that the Saints play at home again this Friday, Dec 15th against Christ.  The girls game starts at 6:30 pm and the boys game follows at 7:30 pm.  Join us to cheer on the teams!

Saints Display Remarkable Improvement in Close Home Loss On Friday, the Salem A boys competed in front of the home crowd for the second time this season. All week long, our boys practiced with a sense of excitement that made me confident we would battle hard to defend our home court. Having the opportunity to play against the 3-0 Raiders from Crown of Life, our boys embraced the challenge of competing against one of the top teams in our conference. As has been the case in every game so far, our Saints faced a great size disadvantage. While the great length of Crown of Life led to many blocked and contested shots, our boys showed remarkable improvement at playing through the contact and finishing at the rim. While our Saints trailed by only five points at halftime, Crown of Life came out of the intermission shooting the lights out from outside. The great size of the Raiders interior forced us to double team every post touch, which obviously led to many open shots from the guards....

Don't forget the bake sale tonight during the girl (6:30 pm) and boy (7:30 pm) basketball games. You can also still bring goodies to sell. Just bring them along when you come. The sale will benefit Salem Athletics. See you there!

In looking through the records for the athletics we have noticed that there are some that have not yet paid the sports fee if you have not done so yet please do so promptly.  The fee for basketball is $50.  If you have questions on this please talk to Mrs. Noack.  Thank you for supporting Salem athletics.

A bake sale will be held during the games this Friday, Dec 8, to help fund our Athletic Department. Please help by bringing baked goods to school to help support this effort. We would appreciate donations dropped off at the school office by  Friday. Thank you!

Mrs. Grobe's class desperately needs cool whip lids for a project.  If you have any please bring into the school office.

The Saints play at home on Friday, Dec 8th.  The girls start at 6:30 pm with the boys following at 7:30 pm. On Saturday the 9th the Saints will travel to Cross of Christ in Coon Rapids, MN.  The girls will begin at 11:30 am and the boys will play right after at 12:30 pm.

Salem A Boys Come up Short at Good Shepherd     Our Salem basketball teams traveled to Burnsville last Friday to square off against the Good Shepherd Panthers. Coming into the week well-rested after a relaxing Thanksgiving break, our boys were excited to get back to Friday night basketball games! Good Shepherd, the defending TCLGSAL and New Ulm tournament champions from last season, graduated a couple of outstanding eighth-grade basketball players. Similar to us, the Panthers basketball team this season is composed of many younger players. However, Good Shepherd’s starting five possessed much better size than our Salem Saints. As has been the case so far this entire season, our boys did not back down one inch. We may have been undersized, but we certainly did not play undermanned.     As soon as the game tipped-off, it was easy to tell it was going to be a fast-paced, chaotic contest. Although our Saints matched the Panthers physicality and effort leve...

Watch Channel 4, 5, or 9 for school closing announcements. Anytime Stillwater Area Schools (District #834) are closed due to bad weather, Salem will also be closed. If we decide to not follow the district and cancel school because of the distances our families and some of our staff drive, watch for the following in the closed school listings: Salem Lutheran - Stillwater or Salem Lutheran - Washington County (WE ARE NOT SALEM, GREENFIELD) If we do close school you will also be able to check the Parent Portal Tab on our website (www.salemlutheran.org/school) where this will be posted as well. If we have a late start due to the weather, there will be NO Morning Care and NO AM Preschool.

Dear Parents, We have an abundance of lost and found items that need their owners. Please check the front entrance of school at your earliest chance to see if you may find something that belongs to your family. We will give these items to a thrift shop by the end of the month if they are not picked up. Thank you!

More wonderful news for our school! Dear Salem Lutheran Church and School, Psalm 31:3 says, “Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.” God is my rock to lead and guide me. I trust that he works everything out for our good. Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” I trust that God’s good purpose is that I accept the call to be a full-time preschool teacher at Salem Lutheran School. I have seen countless blessings in my life and the lives of others around me these last few months at Salem. I cannot wait for what God has planned in the months ahead. I want to use my life honoring my Lord and I cannot think of a better way than to teach His little lambs to know Him better and love Him more. I am honored and humbled to be able to teach God’s saving truth to the little ones in my care. Thank you for this great opportunity. Please keep me in your prayers as I continue serving G...

We received this news from Mr. and Mrs. Klatt today. We thank the Lord for leading them to accept our call, and look forward to meeting them. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We pray this letter finds you well as you prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After many conversations and much prayer, our Lord has led Jessica and I to accept the call as Principal and Kindergarten teacher at Salem Lutheran School. We look forward to working together with you to further God’s kingdom and continue to teach his little lambs the saving truths of God’s Word. Please continue to keep First German and Bethany in your prayers as they now begin the process of calling to fill the positions of Principal and Kindergarten teacher. God’s Blessings on the rest of your school year. In Christ, Ryan and Jessica Klatt

Reminders for the Month of December SCRIP Orders Due Dec. 4 & Dec. 11 Friday, December 1 - Jump Up Day -  All of our students will spend the morning as if they were in their next grade. Each classroom will spend 1/2 of the day in the next grade up.  This is a great opportunity for students to become familiar with the teaching staff here at Salem.  After lunch, classes will resume their regular schedules.  We chose this day because our 8th grade class will be “jumping up” to 9th grade by participating in Crusader for a Day at St. Croix Lutheran High School. Our teachers are excited to meet their future students! Basketball Game - Away Girls play Good Shepherd @ 7:00 pm and boys play @ 8:00 pm Heritage Lutheran, 13401 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd, Apple Valley, MN Saturday, December 2  - Basketball Tournament @ St. Croix Lutheran Middle School 9:00 am (Boys) & 10:00 am (Girls)/ Worship Service 5:00 pm Sunday, December 3 - Worship Services 8:00 & ...

Winter Reading Coping with Stress Volunteering These are some of the topics in the December issue. Happy reading! December Home and School Connection

From the Principal’s Desk December 2017        A "Sola" Christmas                                                       December is here!  Time to get ready for Christmas - the shopping, the decorating, hearing special music, the special foods, planning family gatherings, hoping you receive the gift you are dreaming about - all these and more occupy our time and energy. It is a very exciting time and a very exhausting time. Notice I have used the word “time” quite a bit. This is something that seems to be in very high demand in December yet it has a limited quantity. How we use the time that God has given us is important. We need to recognize that Christmas is the celebration God’s gift of salvation to us through the birth of his son, Jesus. The November From the Principal’s Desk  focused on the Reformation and its m...

                                           We would like to introduce you to the great staff we have at Salem! During the 2017-2018 school year, Calla teaches Salem’s Middle School students. Her classes include Spanish, Algebra 1 and Science. Calla’s fondest memories from her school-age years include playing lightening at recess with a big group of students as well as attending horse camp with her sisters. Calla enjoys the Science Museum of Minnesota both with students and without. She feels that the hands-on exhibits really bring God’s amazing creation to life.

On Wednesday, Dec. 6, Pioneer supporters and the Youth Group will serve soup, salad, bread, crackers and dessert between Advent services (4:00 pm & 7:00 pm). If you can help support this meal by making your favorite crockpot of soup , please let the church office know or contact Jodi Otto (651-208-5217) as soon as possible. The free will donation from this meal will be used for the sanctuary roof fund and also to buy gifts for the Caring Committee Tree. Thank you for your support of these two groups!

The 8th graders of Salem Lutheran School are selling Butter Braids to help them fund their 8th-grade class trip to Chicago. If you would like to place an order, please contact an 8th grader or call the school office before December 4th .  651-439-7831 (school.office@salemlutheran.org) They will also be serving taco in a bag and taco salad between Advent services (4:00 pm & 7:00 pm) on  December 13th . Please use either of these opportunities to support the 8th-grade class. Thank you!

The game times for the games against Burnsville will be, girls at 7 pm and the boys will play at 8 pm.

Advent by Candlelight 2017 Please join us this Sunday, December 3rd 2:00 til 4:00 P.M. as we welcome the Advent Season. We invite ladies from Salem Lutheran School (5 years and older) and their friends to join us for an afternoon of fellowship, finger food, and dessert as we prepare our hearts for the true meaning of Christmas. To register your daughter(s) or friends outside of Salem, please specify the number of guests that will be attending in the drop-down section of the form or just contact the church office with information on who is attending. Fill Out Form Here

Sharon Ronning already has the information for her students that will be playing preservice music for the December 20th K - 8 Christmas Program at Salem. She needs to know what other piano students would like to play a piece that evening. The children are limited to one sacred piece no longer than 2 minutes. They would need to be available to play before the 6:00 pm service time (probably starting 5:15 - 5:30pm time frame). If your child would like to play and has a piece that meets that criteria, please email Mrs. Ronning the title, composer and the length NO LATER THAN MONDAY, DEC. 4 . (ronningdesign@yahoo.com) Thank you!

This Friday Salem's basketball teams will be on the road to play against Good Shepherd.  The games will begin at 6 pm for the Girls and 7 pm for the Boys.  Come and cheer on the teams at Heritage Lutheran Church, 13401 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd, Apple Valley, MN 55124.  On Saturday the Saints will travel to St. Croix Lutheran Academy (1200 Oakdale Ave. W. St. Paul, MN 55118)  to participate in a mid season tournament.  The boys will start playing at 9 am and the girls will begin at 10 am.  This will be an exciting day for the teams to bond and have a great time.  Play Hard Saints! 

Reminder!! No school Nov. 22-24 due to Thanksgiving break. If you are staying here for the holiday, please come worship with us! Wednesday, Nov. 22 Worship Service 7:00 pm Thursday, Nov. 23 Worship Service 10:00 am Blessings and safe travels to all!

Here is next month's lunch menu: December Lunch Menu

Last Friday, the Salem girl’s basketball A team faced the Bloomington Eagles, who have always been a tough opponent. All week, the girls practiced on running our plays, man defense, and some of the rules of the game, since we have several players that are new to basketball. Alex and I, along with the team, wanted to make sure we were as prepared as we could be to face this tough opponent. The team came out strong, and Sophia led the team with her enthusiasm and hustle. I could not be more proud or pleased with the effort and hustle the girls had. We only have eight players, and even though the team was tired, and had to play long minutes before getting a break, they never gave up. Due to the Eagle’s size, we were at a huge disadvantage for rebounding. Due to this, we struggled to get defensive rebounds, and Bloomington began to pull away in the second half. Despite the score differential, the girls kept up a positive attitude, and left it all on the court. We ended up losing 1...

Saints Lose Hard Fought Battle with Eagles     On Friday, Salem’s boys basketball team took on the Eagles of Bloomington Lutheran in our first home game of the season. Going into the game, our boys were excited for the opportunity to play against such a well-coached Bloomington basketball team. Throughout the entire week of practice, our young team embraced the idea of playing against a team that could compete on the high school level.     Although our boys were at a total size disadvantage, I was very pleased with our effort level throughout the entire game. Bloomington’s tremendous length and athleticism fueled their suffocating team defense, which held the Saints to just two first half points. Despite our first half offensive struggles, I thought our team defense, led by eighth grader Houghton , did an excellent job of matching the physicality of Bloomington, which forced them into many difficult shots.     In the second half, the S...

Salem’s Impressive Second Half Comeback Falls Short On Friday night, our Salem A boys made the long trip to Delano to compete in our first basketball game of the season against the Mt. Olive Crusaders. After three long weeks of hard practice, our boys were excited to finally play our first game of live action. The game opened with a chaotic pace as the Crusaders came out with early defensive pressure, which disrupted our offensive sets. Although I was pleased with our hustle and effort level in the first half, we had far too many turnovers. We trailed at halftime by a score of 21-7. Down by 14 points at halftime against a physical opponent, it would have been easy for our boys to give up. The second half resiliency of our Salem Saints was extraordinary. Through solid team defense and attacking the hoop on offense, we outscored Mt. Olive 14-7 in the second half. Even though our comeback fell just short (final score: 28-21 ), I am so proud of the heart and desire of our boys that ...

Come and cheer on the Salem Basketball teams this Friday night for their home opener.  The Saints will be playing the Eagles from Bloomington.  The girls game will begin at 6:30 pm and the boys game will follow at 7:30 pm. Go Saints !

The boys and girls basketball teams headed to Delano to play the Crusaders of Mt. Olive. The girls started the night off with a great scrimmage.  The girls showed that they are quickly becoming a team with good passing and rebounding.  The girls shots however were not falling in for them, and they lost this exabhition game. The boys closed out the night with a high energy exciting game.  The boys started off by feeling out the other team with a quick defense and good passing.  As the game went on all the boys settled in and the offense started to come through and the scoring heated up.  Even though this team is young they played a big game.  Sadly the boys lost by just a few points.

Our students in grades 5-8 recently finished the second round of the Martin Luther College Meet Math competition. You can see our school and individual student results and rankings by visiting https://portal.mlc-wels.edu/meetmath/results/view . Our Salem fifth and sixth-grade students are in the B-5 category, and our seventh and eighth-grade students are in the A-4 category. Categories are determined by school size. Other test dates this year are the week of January 14, and February 26. Meet Math is a service club at Martin Luther College that provides mathematics contests for students in grades 5-12 who are enrolled in WELS or ELS schools. This club also maintains school and individual statistics that are the basis for various awards presented at the end of the school year. For more information about Meet Math, visit https://portal.mlc-wels.edu/meetmath/home/about .

We are so proud of the 13 students from grades 5-8 who participated in the Public Speaking Festival at St. Croix Lutheran Academy. They were all very successful and everyone won a ribbon or medal. Congratulations!!

We are proud of all of our students as they work hard to use their God given talents! We also want to congratulate these 6th - 8th grade students who achieved Honor Roll for the 1st quarter of our school year: Ethan Laura Elijah Avery Jonna Sophia David Hannah Meade John Caysie Addison Zachariah Houghton Hannah Dorian

Veterans Day Presentation Salem Lutheran School had a special presentation on Thursday, November 9,  to recognize veterans and pay tribute for their service to our country. The speaker was David Zolldan, a sergeant in the 34th Division of the Minnesota National Guard. David attended Salem Lutheran School from preschool through eighth grade so this presentation was special to him and the staff members that had him as a student. Sergeant Zolldan spoke about the historical significance of Veterans Day and why it is important for us to remember the veterans of our country. He served with 34th Division Military Police Company in Iraq from 2009-2010. His slide presentation of Iraq and other places he has been with the National Guard gave the students an excellent image of what military deployment and service are like. He was joined by Mr. Jeff Ross, who is a former member of the Air Force.  Mr. Ross gave a brief talk to the third and fourth grade students before the all-school pre...

Friday Basketball Games at Delano Please take note that the game times and location to enter have changed to: Girls game 6:30 pm Boys game 7:30 pm Location: Delano Public School                 700 Elm Ave.                 Delano, MN 55328 The main entrance is closed due to construction. Use the Middle School entrance . There will be signs directing you. This is a different location than we have gone to in the past. Thank you! Linda Noack

Plan ahead for these St. Croix Lutheran Academy Events Thurs. November 9    Eighth Grade Parents are Invited to Meet the Principal from 7- 8:30 pm at SCL Sat., November 18     Children's Theatre " Snow White and the Seven Fairy Godmothers " with public                                     performances on Saturday, November 18 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm at SCL Fri., December 1        Crusader for a Day for 8th Graders 8:30 am - 2:00 pm at SCL

Reminder! Parent/Teacher Conferences are this Wednesday evening, Thursday evening and Friday morning. If you do not yet have a conference scheduled please call the school office (651-439-7831) or contact your child's teacher if you need other options. SCHOOL IS NOT IN SESSION ON FRIDAY. Salem Wear! There is a table in the school entrance for you to drop off any Salem wear that your child has outgrown. Please feel free to take something from the table if you do not already have one that fits your child or you. We have plenty of shirts for adults too. No charge! Wear your Salem Saints' shirts with pride!

Advent by Candlelight 2017 Please join us Sunday, December 3rd 2:00 til 4:00 P.M. as we welcome the Advent Season. We invite ladies from Salem Lutheran School (5 years and older) and their friends to join us for an afternoon of fellowship, finger food, and dessert as we prepare our hearts for the true meaning of Christmas. Please use the form below to register by NOVEMBER 26!  *To register your daughter(s) or friends outside of Salem, please specify the number of guests that will be attending in the drop-down section of the form. Fill Out Form Here

Just a reminder there is no bus service tomorrow. School is in session.

There have been some updates to the basketball schedule.  First, both the girls and boys teams will open the season on Nov 10th against Mount Olive. The girls game will start at 7 pm and the boys follow at 8 pm in Delano. Salem's first home game is Nov 17th.  Home games will now start at 6:30 pm with the girls and the boys will follow at 7:30 pm.  Note that this is a time change from what was previously communicated. Information about the St Croix tournament in December and all the times have been updated on the Salem sports calendar, so be sure to check it out.  Go Saints!

Watch Channel 4, 5, or 9 for school closing announcements. Anytime Stillwater Area Schools (District #834) are closed due to bad weather, Salem will also be closed. If we decide to not follow the district and cancel school because of the distances our families and some of our staff drive, watch for the following in the closed school listings: Salem Lutheran - Stillwater or Salem Lutheran - Washington County (WE ARE NOT SALEM, GREENFIELD) If we do close school you will also be able to check the Parent Portal Tab on our website (www.salemlutheran.org/school) where this will be posted as well. If we have a late start due to the weather, there will be NO Morning Care and NO AM Preschool.

Reminders for the Month of November Basketball Practices Begin Tues./Thurs. A-Team Girls 7:30-9:00am, A-Team Boys 3:45 - 5:30 pm Friday, November 3 - No Bus No Bus. School is in session - Report cards sent home. Sunday, November 5 - Reformation Festival St. Croix Lutheran Reformation Service at 4:30 pm. Students participating in the mass concert choir should be there by 3:00 pm. Monday, November 6 - Luther Prep Presentation Luther Preparatory School will give a presentation to grades 3 - 8 in the church sanctuary at 1:30 pm. Visitors are welcome to attend. Wed. & Thurs., November 8th & 9th - Parent/Teacher Conferences Conferences 4 - 7 pm.  Please sign up at our newsletter blog online or contact the school office to sign up for a time to meet with your child’s teacher. Friday, November 10  - No School Parent/Teacher Conferences 8 am - 12 pm. No school this day. Friday, November 10 - Basketball Game - Away  A-Team Girls play Mt. Olive Luthera...

From the Principal’s Desk November, 2017   Our Great Heritage This year we observe the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  In 1517, Martin Luther wanted to debate some questionable practices of the church.  A custom of this time was to use the doors of the church as a “bulletin board” where notices would be posted.  Luther nailed 95 theses, or propositions, to the doors of the Castle Church of Wittenberg to announce his intentions to discuss these issues in an intellectual debate.  The basic themes of his position were Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone, and Christ alone.  It is by God’s grace alone that we receive our forgiveness of sins, not by anything we do.  Through faith alone we are deemed righteous in God’s eyes, even though we continue to be sinners.  All we believe and preach is from Scripture alone, God’s Holy Word, not words of people or societal norms.  There is only one that saves and that is Jesus Christ alone....

Salem Wear Swap Shop Bring in your gently used and still wearable Salem t-shirts, sweatshirts and other Salem clothing to the school office anytime between now and November 8th. We will have a table in the school entrance for parents to "Swap" and "Shop" during Parent Teacher Conferences the week of November 6. Want Something New? You can purchase new Salem wear by shopping with the link found on the Salem Blog Menu. It is also avaiable here for your shopping convenience. Salem Wear Website

Tips on Homework Being a Good School Citizen Sparking Curiosity These are just a few of the topics covered in the November Home & School Connection. Please take some time to read this helpful resource for parents! November Home & School Connection REMINDER... Have you signed up for Parent Teacher Conferences yet? Please do so today! Parent Teacher Conference Sign-up

Parents of middle school students, we invite and welcome you to bring your middle school students to our upcoming conferences. Bringing your student will enable parents, teacher, and child a chance to discuss issues from each of our unique perspectives. We look forward to seeing you on November 8, 9, or 10.

November is almost here! Here is the November Lunch Menu Salem Blog Lunch Tip: If you want to find the last lunch menu quickly in the Salem News Blog, just search on "Lunch Menu". You will get to the lunch menu quicker than scrolling through the blog to find it. :)

Be sure to join us Sunday with your favorite dish to share at the Harvest Cook Out immediately following the late Sunday Worship service.  Hamburgers and Hot dogs provided!  Bounce house and other games!  Fun for all!

Thank you for participating in Caps for Kids by wearing your favorite hat to school and bringing a dollar for children with cancer.  It was great seeing the students and teachers wearing their favorite hat!

The first quarter of our school ends on October 27. It's a great time to discuss the progress of your student. We’re scheduling conferences to be held after school on Wednesday, November 8, Thursday, November 9,  and the morning of Friday, November 10. (We have no school on November 10.) Preschool conferences are scheduled for 30 minutes. Conferences for Kindergarten through Grade 4 are scheduled to last 20 minutes.  Conferences for Grades 5-8 are "walk-in" style. These teachers will be at tables in the school lunchroom. Parents can be seated while they wait for a particular teacher. Parents can visit all the teachers or select which ones to visit. With many middle school students, teachers will meet with each family for 5-10 minutes.  If you need additional time, please contact the teacher to arrange another time to meet. All parent in preschool and K-8 are encouraged to sign up for a parent-teacher conference. Families with multiple children...

Attention 4th - 8th grade girls!  Mrs. Sames has graciously volunteered to coach a cheerleading team.  Interested girls should text Mrs. Sames at 715-410-4647 as soon as possible.  Practices will be Tuesdays or Thursdays after school from 3:40 - 5:00 pm.  The start of practice will be Thursday November 2nd.  Uniforms are limited and will be issued on a first come basis.

The Jubilate Choir will be singing at the 10:30 service this Sunday, October 29.  We will meet in the conference room at 10:05.  We sing near the beginning of the service so we will sit in reserved seats in the back of church until it is time for us to sing.  Singers will go sit with their families for the remainder of the service after they sing their song.  Please make every effort to join us.  Remember that the Harvest Cook-Out will be following the 10:30 service. Thank you.  Mrs. Raasch

Salem Basketball practices start this week!  Practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays.  The girls will be in the mornings before school (7:30 am to 9:00 am) and the boys will start right after school (3:45 pm to 5:30 pm). Be sure to come prepared for practice in proper clothing and footwear!  All of the practice and game information is on the athletic calendar. 

Participating in the 2017 Cross Country Meet were eight students from grades 5-7.  It was a beautiful day with almost perfect weather and fall colors surrounding the Maple Heights Park.  Two students came home with medals, with Avery giving it all to take 1st in the 6th grade girls race and Griffin with a home stretch sprint to finish 3rd in the 7th grade boys race.  Isaac and Lars, who ran their first meet, had excellent finishing times.  Meanwhile, Luke, Meade, John, and Reese all improved their finishing times from prior years.  Thank you to all the runners and Mr Collins looks forward to another great meet next year!