Pancake Day

According to the Calendar of Silly Holidays and Observances, today is Pancake Day. It is also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday and the church season of Lent. Our "Faith Friends" got together to celebrate this day by making and eating pancakes. Here are a few pictures of the 5th graders and their Pre K 4 "Faith Friends" enjoying some time together making and eating pancakes. The students had a great time helping one another make their pancakes and learning about Lent. We have an amazing Savior who was willing to die for us so that we may have eternal life with him in heaven. What an important lesson for our students to learn!

Thank you to the many parents who attended our first Parents' Meeting last Thursday. We had approximately 60 parents in attendance. We were able to discuss many important issues and receive some valuable feedback. Two items seemed to be at the top of the list for concerns. One was communication and the other was safety. Now we can begin to work on addressing those concerns. Another important outcome of the meeting was the results of a parent survey we took that night. We are busy compiling those results and I will be sharing them with you at our next meeting. Thank you for helping us to make FLS the best school it can be. Even if we don't always agree, working together in Christian love we can accomplish great things. Look for the next Parent Meeting to be held near the end of March. Tell your friends to come as well. Everyone's input is important. By the way, the 5th grade class had the highest percentage in attendance and will have a pizza party in the near future!

Remember to get your registraton in for next year. Open enrollment for new students will begin on Feb. 26. We've had many inquiries and some of our classes may fill up quickly. We have school tours every Thursday for prospective families. If you know of a family that is interested in FLS, encourage them to attend, take a tour and pick up an enrollment packet. I would love to spend some time with them and tell them all what a wonderful place FLS is.

As I mentioned earlier, tomorrow begins the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. Each Wednesday there will be Lenten services beginning at 7:00 p.m. There will be a light supper served before in the Fellowship Hall . I encourage you all to attend as we focus on Savior's great love for us.

God's blessings,
Elaine Popp

The Latest

Last week our JV boys' basketball team traveled to St. Luke's Oveido for their tournament. The boys played 4 tough games against teams from Trinity Orlando, Grace St Pete, St Paul's Lakeland and Grace Winter Haven. They were victorious in 3 of the 4 games and returned home with the trophy for Consolation Champions. Congratulations Boys! Your great team effort and sportsmanship represented First Lutheran well. Thank you also to the parents and coaches who gave up their weekend to cheer us on.

Our preschoolers have been really busy lately. Last week they culminated their Winter/ Bear Hibernation Unit with a Teddy Bear Parade throughout the school. The children decorated their own Bear Box and paraded their favorite teddy bear on the parade. It was a pleasant interruption to our class routines to have the preschoolers visit our classes. The preschoolers will now focus on learning about Lent. They will be learning Lenten songs and completing a Lenten family ministry project with their parents at home.

I encourage all parents to attend our Parents Meeting on Thursday Feb. 15 at 7:30 in Fellowship Hall. It will be an opportunity to hear from our Congregation President and Chairman of the Board of Education. They will be discussing our future plans and goals for FLS. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions or voice concerns. We want and value your input so please remember this date and make your plans to attend.

Our chapel offerings for this semester will be used for the Hearts for Jesus project, Mission India. Hearts for Jesus is a combined effort of all the schools of the Florida-Georgia District. With all of our schools working together we are helping to raise money to be used to spread the Gospel message to our brothers and sisters in India. Just $1.oo will provide a child with Bible lessons and materials so that they may learn about Jesus. Some classes have large money jars in them and the students are challenging themselves to see just how much money we can raise.

Don't forget that Open Houses and school tours will begin on Thursday Feb. 15 and will continue for every Thursday after that through May. If you know of any families interested in a quality Christian education for their child, invite them to attend one of these open houses. We would love to show them our school and talk about our great program.