Principal's Pennings

I enjoy watching the tv show The Office.  In an episode, one of the salesmen, Dwight, is asked to leave the office, he begins working for Staples.  It is not long before Michael Scott, the manager, learns about the little stuff that Dwight did in the office, like watering the plant and organizing his desk.  He quickly sees that Dwight is more valuable than he realized and asks him to return to the office.  

This week is volunteer appreciation week.  We have the joy and privilege of trying to recognize all who help make MLA a wonderful community.  Pastor Danny led chapel on Wednesday and used 1 Corinthians 12 - One Body with Many Members as his focus for the message.  The passage, even though written 2000 years ago, still applies to us today.  Even though there are individuals at MLA, the focus of nurturing our students spiritually, emotionally and academically is a constant focus for our entire community.  After chapel, one of the upper grade students said she didn’t realize how many people volunteered at MLA. The blessings our school has received is not because of any one individual, but   because there are many who serve throughout the course of the year.  

Thank you!  You are amazing!  We are blessed to have many servants at MLA, and it would be very difficult to recognize all the different ways that people have served and are serving.  Whether your volunteering is big and bold or small and behind the scene (like watering a plant), thank you for blessing MLA and serving our Lord. Paul writes in verse 24, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”  Let us rejoice together in serving Him and those around us. Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been reviewing Lutheran teacher resumes.  Last week Mrs. Maas and Mr. Drews interviewed 3 teachers to help fill two classroom openings.  This week the Executive Council extended a call to two teachers.

The first call was extended to Katrina Celmer for 1st grade.  Ms. Celmer is currently teaching at a Lutheran school outside of Detroit.  She will be visiting MLA on Monday morning.

The second call was extended to Rebecca Denney.  She is currently teaching in Leavenworth, Kansas.  She will visit MLA at a future date.

Please keep these teachers in your prayers as they consider their current position and the teaching position that we have called them to fill.  

Wednesday in chapel, Pastor Reiser talked to us about clothing.  He shared how Adam and Eve were sinful when they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  They no longer focused on God. Their focus shifted to themselves. “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:10. Pastor Reiser proceeded to tell us how God clothed Adam and Eve in “garments of skins and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21. One of the points that Pastor Reiser shared was that these garments of skins had to come from somewhere and this most likely was the first atoning “sacrifice.”

Thousands of years later, we still fall into the trap of it’s all about me, the “I” in the center of sIn. We live in a culture of whatever feels best for me is okay.  Just watch the news or look at social   media. The past couple of weeks I have had the privilege of  listening to Mrs. Haase teach in religion class, and Pastor Cal preach at church, on how everything we have is from God.  Our clothes, food, water, health, even our children are from God. We are God’s. We are His children through baptism, and the sacrifice God made by sending Jesus to the cross and the resurrection that followed.  God has blessed us with much and tells us to use his blessings to serve others.

The 7th and 8th grade class designated the 4th quarter chapel offering.  The donations collected will be used to purchase items for Homeless Care Kits. Throughout the quarter we will ask for specific items for the kits too. There are many people who struggle, and these kits will help to provide basic needs for them.  

In the beginning, even though Adam and Eve sinned, God provided for all their needs.  He modeled what it means to love. I pray that as we finish the school year, we can model this same love to those around us.  

Real. Present. God.

Wednesday in chapel, Pastor Reiser talked to us about clothing.  He shared how Adam and Eve were sinful when they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  They no longer focused on God. Their focus shifted to themselves. “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:10. Pastor Reiser proceeded to tell us how God clothed Adam and Eve in “garments of skins and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21. One of the points that Pastor Reiser shared was that these garments of skins had to come from somewhere and this most likely was the first atoning “sacrifice.”

Thousands of years later, we still fall into the trap of it’s all about me, the “I” in the center of sIn. We live in a culture of whatever feels best for me is okay.  Just watch the news or look at social media. The past couple of weeks I have had the privilege of  listening to Mrs. Haase teach in religion class, and Pastor Cal preach at church, on how everything we have is from God.  Our clothes, food, water, health, even our children are from God. We are God’s. We are His children through baptism, and the sacrifice God made by sending Jesus to the cross and the resurrection that followed.  God has blessed us with much and tells us to use his blessings to serve others.

The 7th and 8th grade class designated the 4th quarter chapel offering.  The donations collected will be used to purchase items for Homeless Care Kits. Throughout the quarter we will ask for specific items for the kits too. There are many people who struggle, and these kits will help to provide basic needs for them.  

In the beginning, even though Adam and Eve sinned, God provided for all their needs.  He modeled what it means to love. I pray that as we finish the school year, we can model this same love to those around us.  

Real. Present. God.

This is the week before Spring Break.  The first full week since the last week in January.  There is a sense of relief in the air but also a sense of...spring?   

 The 16th Annual MLA Auction was held on Saturday (3/2) and God was exalted!  While walking around the auction I observed our guests were visiting and bidding.  Our students and their parents were doing a great job of serving our guests. There were many volunteers here to help.  The auction committee worked hard to make sure everything went smoothly. The Lord blessed us with hundreds of items for bidding. The class projects were beautiful, and the class baskets were unique and fun.  The Fund A Need for the science equipment went great, and there were some wonderful live auction items. Saturday night was a wonderful experience and MLA was and is blessed. Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  We pray that as we use what God has provided us through the auction that He is exalted in the earth.  

 Another reason for the sense of relief is that our accreditation self-study is about 98% completed.  The document started off at about 180 pages; some of the pages were instructions, all the pages needed responses.  The document right now is 134 pages long, completed responses, hundreds of links to evidence of our amazing school. The self-study consists of standards and substandard, evidence, and practices.  The document has been proofed, proofed and continues to be proofed. This document will be shared with the visiting team (April 23-25) who will join us at MLA to validate the information collected. Reading through this document, we can identify some strengths and areas of weakness.  A few of the areas of improvement are cleaning up our governance policies and establishing new ones. Another area of improvement will be utilizing our resources more effectively for the growth of our students. A strength is our faculty and staff. MLA has a wonderful faculty that have been teaching for about an average of 29 years all together.  Many of these years have been in Lutheran education. They demonstrate what it means to be a strong Christian educator in and outside of their classroom. The students graduate from MLA and attend high school where they are in National Honor Society, Baccalaureate program, National Merit Finalists and many other academically related achievements. Overall, this yearlong self-study has demonstrated to me, what a blessing MLA is to our community. Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  When I cannot see the end, I know that we have a Real Present God who can.