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It's All About the Heart!

by Principal Sue Palka | May 24, 2019

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5

As parents, there are times when it would be extremely helpful if God provided an owner's manual for each child that He entrusts into our care. On occasion, it would be so convenient and helpful to look up such things as "Why does my child cry when he/she wakes up from a nap?", "Why does she fight with her brother so much?", "How do I stop my child from rolling his/her eyes when I tell them to put his/her cell phone away?", or  "How can I make them go to sleep at night?"
 
As we are preparing for the 2019/2020 school year, one question that is frequently asked is "How do I know if my child is ready for Kindergarten?"...

God Always Sees the Big Picture!

by Principal Sue Palka | May 17, 2019

"For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28

Our school is recognized as an accredited school through the Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools (MANS), as well as the National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA).

Our most recent NLSA Site Visit took place in January of 2015.  During this process, not only were we granted accreditation status, but we were also awarded the title of an  "Exemplary Lutheran School" by the Michigan District, based on four distinctive findings that the NLSA Visiting team identified.

Reaccreditation occurs every five years, so we are currently in the process of preparing for our 2020 Visit. As nine teams are diligently working on various components of this cumulative report, our "Facilities Team" came up with an extremely creative way of using a drone to video and capture our dismissal process as a method of providing evidence that we have a safe and functional dismissal process.

On the selected day for filming, the weather was beautiful!   The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and all seemed right with the world until the dismissal bell rang. And from that point forward... everything fell apart...

Hey... Unto you is Born a Child!"

by Principal Sue Palka | May 10, 2019

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." - James 1:17

There are some things that are just very exciting to announce! This list could include: losing a tooth, obtaining a driver's license, a graduation, a first job, an engagement, etc. But one of my favorite announcements is sharing that a new baby is coming!
 
A couple of months ago, I was over at my son and daughter-in-law's house playing with my granddaughter when my daughter-in-law handed me an envelope and said, "I forgot to give you Emilia's school pictures. Look through them because they are pretty cute!"
 
As I began flipping through them, I thought... "Oh that's a sweet one of her standing... Oh that's an adorable close up... That's a cute one with some stuffed animals.... Oh that's weird...why did she put her ultrasound picture in here???... Oh that's a cute one of her sitting...WAIT A MINUTE... Ultrasound picture? "WHOSE ULTRASOUND PHOTO IS THIS?" I asked....

Come Celebrate Christmas in May as St. Matthew Lutheran School proudly Presents "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!"

by Principal Sue Palka | May 3, 2019

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." - James 1:9

A basketball in my hands is worth about $25.
A basketball in LeBron James' hands is worth about $440 million.
It depends whose hands it's in.
 
A baseball in my hands is worth about $6.
 A baseball in Mike Trout's hand is worth about...

Come Celebrate Christmas in May with us!

by Principal Sue Palka | April 25, 2019

On May 3rd and 4th, come and hear the story of six misfit children who volunteer to star in their town's Sunday School Christmas Pageant, and end up teaching their town about the true meaning of Christmas as St. Matthew Lutheran School proudly presents "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!" This show is based on the popular and best seller children's book, and promises to make you laugh and reflect of your own Sunday School pageant experiences!

He is Risen!

by Principal Sue Palka | April 18, 2019

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He is risen!"       Luke 24:5

Family traditions can create very special memories. Perhaps your family has very distinctive ways in which you recognize birthdays, honor special occasions, or celebrate holidays.
 
Our family has numerous traditions, and one Easter tradition that still occurs to this day is that each child looks for his/herbasket before we attend Easter morning church service. Throughout his twenty-three years of existence, our middle child always knows that no matter what state we happened to be in or what relative's home we happen to stay at, somehow, he can always find his basket on top of the car in the garage.
 
However, somehow over the past ten Easters, we have fun reminiscing and laughing about the year that my husband forgot about this particular tradition...
 

Me Do!

by Principal Sue Palka | April 12, 2019

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."   Romans 5:8

For years, one of my greatest anticipations and aspirations was to be a grandma. Now that I get to fulfill this role, I can't describe the joy that comes from watching your child be a parent... especially while you get to enjoy the benefits of unconditional love from this tiny person.
 
We are very blessed that our Emilia lives locally, and Spring Break provided additional time for "Nana" and Emilia to hang out together. Even though I have spent a majority of my life in the educational realm, I am just fascinated watching her progress through the age appropriate developmental stages. After spending time with her last week, it is very apparent that she is entering into the "independence" milestone... more affectionately known as the "Me Do" stage.
 
The first signs appeared when we were going for a walk, and I told her to get her shoes...

Our God is the Lord of the Dance!

by Principal Sue Palka | March 28, 2019

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

Do you have a case of the common "March" fever that currently seems to be infecting our population? Symptoms may including hiding your phone at the dinner table, utilizing headphones at work, or staying up late at night watching highlights on ESPN? Do you find yourself split screening your TVs so that you can watch numerous games at a time or noticing that you haven't showered in days because you've been so consumed by watching basketball? If so... then perhaps you have a serious case of the "March Madness" fever?
 
Staying true to tradition, Mr. Topel sent out brackets last week to the staff, as well as the 6 - 8 grade students. The stakes are high...

If You Give a Mouse a Paintbrush...

by Principal Sue Palka | March 22, 2019

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come."     2 Corinthians 5:17

It started out so simple... Ken's brother, who is a painter, shared with us last week that he had some open days... so let's repaint one of the kids' bedrooms?
 
Have you ever had a project that started out small but in the blink of an eye evolved into a huge "Extreme Home Make-Over" endeavor?
 
As soon as I started clearing out the childhood lime green bedroom that was destined to be repainted, it was as if...

Remember Your Shoes!

I remember when my three children were younger and what a challenge it was to go anywhere for an extended period of time. The van seemed to be vacuumed-packed with "stuff" as I squeezed the very last item into the trunk. I recall smiling to myself as I did my mental checklist while driving down the highway. With each item that I thought of, I could confidently recall bringing or packing it. And then that humble moment of truth would arrive when we finally made our first stop... one child would discover that he didn't bring any shoes!
 

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