WOODBURN LUTHERAN SCHOOL PAW PRINTS

On Wednesday May 2^nd the seventh and eight graders went to serve and eat lunch at the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission. It was a good experience and we all learned something new. I for one did not know that there were so many people in Fort Wayne who are homeless or living in poverty. I think we all realized how lucky we are. We all have loaded refrigerators and snacks that we can have whenever we want. At the Rescue Mission they can only give people a small serving of each kind of food. If someone asks for more you have to tell them that that’s all you can give them. We felt like the food bullies, but it was nice giving to people. You could tell by the smiles on their faces that they appreciated what we did. We were happy to help them.

The Ft. Wayne Rescue Mission was founded in 1903 by Christians wanting to start a mission to help destitute men and women of Fort Wayne. In 2006 the Mission provided 36,500 nights of lodging for homeless men and women in Ft. Wayne. They also served over 148,000 emergency meals to those who walked into their facility.

Their mission statement simply states:

“To provide a home for the homeless, food for the hungry and hope for their future, through the love of Jesus Christ.”

This was a very worthwhile trip for the 7^th and 8^th graders and I think taught them a valuable lesson on the importance of education in their future lives. The #1 reason men and women end up having to come to the Rescue Mission they told our student was “bad choices”. We pray that our students will continue to make good choices in their lives as they continue to grow and mature.

Computer Safety – I continue to hear about problems with students in schools about poor choices today’s youth are making when it comes to computer safety. The #1 recommendation to parents about what they can do to keep their children from getting into trouble while using a computer is to know what they are doing and looking at on their or the families computer. Help your children make wise choices by being there and knowing what they are doing on their computers. If your students have a My Space site, ask them to let you see what they are putting on that site for others to read and look at.

Track – There are only a few more chances to see our students compete with other Lutheran schools on the Seminary track. Next Monday, May 7^th will be the last regular meet before the girls’ championships on May 14 and the boys’ championships on May 17^th. They are exciting, come out and support our team.

Pre-Kindergarten Rummage and Bake Sale – We are continuing to fill the gym stage with items for the Pre-Kindergarten rummage sale. This sale benefits the Caitlyn Pyle Memorial Scholarship fund set up to help Pre-K families attend out school with financial scholarships. If you have items that you can donate to help this sale be a big success, you may drop them off in the gym up to Wednesday, May 9^th.

When: Friday, May 11, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 12, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - $2.00 a bag after 11:00 a.m.

Needed: Baked Goods for the Bake Sale and grocery or other types of bags for the Rummage Sale

Stop in – there’s lots of very nice items that have already been donated.

If you are a Pre-K parent and are interested in learning more about this Scholarship fund, please contact our school office.

Chapel News On Wednesday, May 9, our Chapel Service will be held at Christ Lutheran Church, 8:15 a.m., with Pastor Adams leading. Chapel envelopes will be given to K-8 students on Tuesday, May 8. Our chapel offerings for April and May will go to the Concordia Welfare and Education Mission. The amount collected through April 25 is $264.19. Parents, Grandparents, Friends of WLS students – all of you are welcome to join us for any or all of our Chapel Services. Just read your weekly newsletter and your WLS monthly calendars for chapel locations and times.

Monday, May 7 – Cheese Omelet, Hash Brown, Apple Juice, Cinnamon Toast, Milk

Tuesday, May 8 – Johnny Marzetti, Tossed Salad, Mixed Fruit, Garlic Toast, Milk

Thursday, May 10 – Chicken Fajita Salad, California Blend Vegetables, Orange Jello with Oranges, Bread and Butter, Milk

Friday, May 11 – Ham and Cheese Sandwich, Tater Tots, Grapes, Cookie, Milk

Candlelighters for Christ and Zion Churches: Christ, Sunday, May 6, 8:00 a.m. – Derek Gerig, 10:30 a.m. – Kristen Gerig; Zion, Sunday, May 6, 9:00 a.m – Carly Huth.

PSAS FORMS NOW AVAILABLE IN THE SCHOOL OFFICE WLS Student Aid Forms for the 2007-2008 school year from the “Private School Aid Service” are now available in the School Office – see the secretary for a copy of this form. While doing your 2006 taxes (you will need this info for the form) is a good time to complete the PSAS form. Upon completion of the form, send it in by June 30, along with a non-refundable processing fee of $20.00 in the envelope provided – you will have to put postage on the envelope. This summer, before registration in August, the School Board will receive a print-out of the amount of financial aid that you can receive. If you have any questions or need help with the form, please contact a school board member.

Still Here! - Left from the Fish Fry – Two blue glass pie pans. If these are yours, please let us know which church to take them to or stop in to get them.

Spring is Here – and the school parking lot is sure showing the wear and tear. We need to add more stone to the parking lot. We are requesting donations for this project. Please check into the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Matching Funds program for your donation as well. Extra money not needed for the parking lot project will be used to fund other needed maintenance updates.

PTL News - Officer candidates for the 2007/2008 school year are now needed. If you are willing to submit your name for a PTL office, please call Linda Rekeweg at 632-4039.

PTL MEETING, MONDAY, MAY 7, 7:00 P.M. – ELECTION OF 2007-2008 OFFICERS AND VOTING ON THE 07-08 BUDGET AND COMMITTEES.

Spring Plant and Flower Sale Extended – Sponsored by Grades 5 & 6 for the Class Trip Fund: Mother’s Day is just around the corner – make sure you order your flower certificates this coming week! And, with all the warm weather in the forecast, now is the perfect time to get your flower and vegetable beds planted. The plant and flower sale has been extended, but don’t wait too long. There’s still a great variety to choose from at “The Greenhouse Effect” – lots of bedding flats, hanging baskets, annual plants, and more. Order forms are available in the school office and flower orders may also be placed at Christ and Zion Churches for the next few weeks. Thanks for your support!

There’s only Four (4!) more Weeks of School left! – Lots of papers will be coming home soon – information and requests for end-of-year items. Among them are:

1. Gym Clothes Order Form This will be sent home with each current grades 4-7 student on Monday, May 7. Each grades 5-8 student for 2007-2008 will need a gym outfit for next year. Return your order forms and money by the last day of school, May 4. If you have any questions, call the school secretary; if you want to try on sizes, stop in the school office.

2. PTL Committee Form for 2007-2008 This will be sent home with grades K-7 students after the PTL meeting on Monday, May 7, when committees will be finalized for next year.

3. Lunch Account Update for the End of the Year Early next week, you will receive an update of what you owe for lunches until the end of the year.

Family Bowling Day Report – Our annual PTL Family Fun Day was held at Woodburn Lanes last Saturday, April 28. We had a great turn-out – over 100 people bowled and were treated to pizza, bread sticks, and a pop. Everyone seemed to have lots of fun and we thank the PTL for this special treat! Co-chairs: Deb Lindberg and Wendy Knapp

Another Thank You to the PTL! All year long the PTL Teacher and Staff Appreciation Committee has been bringing refreshments for each Faculty Meeting, but this week they have outdone themselves! It’s Teacher Appreciation Week this week and with a special thanks to one of the Committee members, Susan Wiley, all of us have been treated royally this week with the following goodies: Monday – Sweet Rolls and Candy; Tuesday – Quiche and Beautiful Roses; Wednesday – Cookies and Subway Coupons; Thursday, Sweet Rolls (Big Ones! – Yum!); and Friday – a Mixed Variety of Muffins and Fresh Fruit! Next Tuesday, May 8, they will treat all of us to breakfast at Bob’s! Many thanks to the PTL Executive Board members (Linda Rekeweg, Kris Meyer, Shelly Buuck, and Pam Huth) and to the Teacher and Staff Appreciation Committee members: Joel and Shelly Buuck, Rex and Kelly Moore, Larry and Mariah Betz, David and Stephanie Gerig, Kevin and Tiffany Heckley, Mark and Christine Hoeppner, Jeff and Karen Jackson, Gary and Wendy Knapp, Todd and Susan Wiley, and Nicholas and Jenny Wyss. We thank and appreciate all of you!!

Art on Wheels On Tuesday of this week, our grades K-8 students met in the gym to hear Jocelyn Selleck from the Fort Wayne Art Museum talk about Skateboard Art. This program is designed to introduce a variety of art to students, including Skateboard Art, and show them how art can be incorporated into their daily lifestyle and/or career. Skateboarding is a big business now and student and professional artists design skateboards that reflect history and culture, among other things, and also for the advertisers they promote. Skateboard designers can make up to $50,000.00 per year. Pictures were also shown of people using the Lawton Park Skateboard Park and of the design of park before it opened.

7 – PTL MEETING, 7:00 P.M.; ELECTION, BUDGET, AND PROJECTS SELECTED FOR 2007-2008