Principal's Pennings
Principal's Pennings
7 December
History is one of my favorite subjects. I love looking in the past and seeing how civilizations rose to power and how they fell from this power. I also love examining the scientific achievements that were discovered during their rise and how these advances helped them become great. Looking historically, many civilizations become dominant because of an advance in weaponry, mobility, and defense. This advance only last as long as the other side did not learn from that advancement. I believe that the major reason that these ancient civilizations fell from power is that the leaders eventually thought they were gods and could do whatever they felt like doing.
Looking at the Bible, strictly as a historical book, you learn how since Cain killed Abel there has been violence in what is now the middle east. How some of the ancient civilizations were descendants of the sons of Noah (Genesis 10). How the rise of the Roman Empire and their greatly improved transit system provided a means for the Christian faith to be spread all over the known world. I also enjoy studying:
- · How even during the fall, God has a plan for the world? Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
- · He has a purpose for us. Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
- · He promises us a Savior. Luke 1:31-33, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
- · He promises to come again to take us to heaven. John 14: 1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
30 November
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year, With the kids jingle belling, And everyone telling you be of good cheer, It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”
I am sure you will hear this song repeatedly over the course of the next couple weeks until you can’t stand it. The song was written in 1963, and much of it still holds true today. There are parties that people attend, there will be mistletoe, holiday greetings, stories about previous Christmases with loved ones, and caroling. (Don’t forget, we will be caroling with Christ Lutheran on Saturday, December 9th at 2:00pm.) These things are still true 54 years after the song was written, but do they really make it the most wonderful time of the year?
Sunday starts the season of Advent in the church calendar. Advent means “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. Over 2000 years ago, the magi and shepherds were preparing for a notable person as was King Herod, they were just for different reasons. Why were they looking forward to the arrival of this baby? They were looking forward to a Savior. One who would deliver them from captivity. Two-thousand years ago, these men did not yet know the Truth. Jesus was born to deliver ALL the world from death and the devil. So why do we continue to celebrate the season of Advent in the church? The reason is not only because of baby Jesus, but we also celebrate as we look forward to His second coming.
John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place I am going.”
Jesus is the Way and He tells us, “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” The advent season is not just about the birth of Jesus, but also the excitement of the arrival of Jesus during the second coming. The peace that comes knowing He has a place prepared for all who have Him in their heart. The knowledge that salvation came through the birth of Jesus and the preparation of His return to take all believers to heaven is what truly makes this, the most wonderful time of the year!
9 November
Two years ago, enrollment growth was recognized by the NLSA Board as key. The area needed to be improved, and they believed it was important enough to fill this unique position. MLA is blessed to have a very special person in this job. The position is especially significant because there are many private schools that do not have this position nor an energetic, outgoing, do-anything-to-help person. Many of you have seen her at different functions, seen her in the morning or in the afternoon, and probably have received multiple texts from her. Mrs. Martens is that person for MLA. She was hired a little over two years ago as the Development/Admissions Director. After two years of working for us, I believe she continues to be as fired up for MLA and her Lord as she was on day one. She is continually working in the community so others will know about the gifts we have at MLA.
MLA is also blessed to have a dedicated staff that works hard to help every student succeed. They work behind the scenes to help bring new students into the MLA family. The staff helps the new families/students to feel welcome and grow academically and spiritually so they may face the challenges of the world. These wonderful teachers play an important role of making sure the children are in a safe, academic atmosphere, and that they are excited about school daily.
MLA is blessed to have wonderful parents. You play a huge role in the success of your child(ren) and MLA. Your encouragement and prayers for the faculty, staff, leadership, and children are enormous. Mrs. Martens and the staff have critical roles in the growth of MLA, but word of mouth is an even bigger component. A personal invitation to a family to attend an MLA event literally opens the door for them to experience a small taste of what MLA has to offer. A positive post on Facebook, GreatSchools, Google, and the many other digital media sources available provides others with positive feedback.
Thank you for being part of the MLA family, as well as, the present and future success that the Lord has in store for MLA.
15 November
Over the existence of MLA, we have been blessed with multiple facilities that have allowed us to complete God’s work in nurturing students and families spiritually who have entered our doors. We are currently blessed with enough classrooms to hold up to 7 classes, a designated computer lab/library, and an art room. With additional students we have the option to convert the Library & art rooms into classrooms. We have a cafeteria that can seat 75 people, and a top-notch gym that has an amazing basement that is used for storage and shelter in cases of emergency. MLA has a playground the kids love to play on. We will be adding basketball goals and other games in the parking lot.
I remember the first time my whole family visited MLA. My kids were playing on the playground and as I watched them, I was envisioning the need in the future for the area be converted into classrooms and thinking about other areas that could be used for playgrounds. As I spoke with family members and longtime supporters shortly after, many of them voiced a similar vision and their thoughts on solutions to the challenges these changes would make.
I pray that we continue to increase in our student population. I shared last week about many of the key people that we have in place that will help with that growth. As we gain students, I pray that we face the problem of where to fit all the classrooms and are faced with the possibility of expanding in a way that the students continue to have a place to learn and play safely. My prayer is that the Lord will provide us with clear answers as to His will for us and how we are to proceed with the facilities that we have been blessed.
2 November
I have thoroughly enjoyed observing our Martin Luther Academy teachers lead and teach the children they have been entrusted. I have seen lessons where all students are engaged in what is being taught and are following along great. I have observed students who are able to take initiative to start their task and complete it well. The teachers have provided clear expectations for their students and work with them when this expectation is not met. So why would I include academics in our strategic planning?
As educators, we are always told to be lifelong learners. We are constantly working to improve our craft, so we can best meet the needs of the students we teach. We do an excellent job educating our students in grammar. I have heard multiple stories of our alumni's’ success in writing classes in high school and into college. We recently implement a new reading curriculum that will help students to learn reading strategies that will help them to become stronger readers. At the upcoming Professional Church Workers Conference that we will attend in a couple of weeks, all the teachers signed up for a class on using various parts of the Google suite in the classroom. We will continue this study throughout the remainder of the year and will be working towards the students being able use these suites effectively on classroom assignments. We will be taking a long look at what concepts we want our students to learn over the course of the year and the best way to achieve this mastery. As with any profession, we are always trying to improve our craft.