Words of Hope for Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Welcome Back by Kristen Okabayashi
I know we have two more weeks of summer vacation left, but with the teachers arriving back in classrooms yesterday and our big staff kick-off, it feels like the school year is rapidly approaching! I hope you all have had a wonderful summer and we look forward to seeing everyone at our Welcome Back BBQ sponsored by PTH next Tuesday night.
Our theme for this year is “Be the Change”, which comes from Ephesians 2:8-10. As we brainstormed and thought about a theme for this year, it felt like this is the year to really encourage our students and families to consider how God can use us personally to be a change in our school, our community, and our world! I believe God calls us to become the healthiest version of who He created us to be, and wants us to then use our gifts He has given us to make our world a better place.
Blessings and prayers as we get ready to launch our new school year; we are so pleased you are all part of our Hope family.
Calendar of Events
Sat. 8/23: 3:00 PM Kindergarten Only Ice Cream Social
Tues. 8/26: 5:30 PM Welcome Back Family Night/BBQ
Tues. 9/2: 8:30 AM First Day of School – Noon Dismiss – P4 Class in Session – ESC Open
Welcome Back Family Night & BBQ – Tuesday, August 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM
Everyone is invited to join us for this fun evening of food and fellowship with our school families and staff. A BBQ will kick off our evening – please bring a side dish or dessert to share in a disposable container – we will then wrap up with visits to the classrooms. Hope you can come! HELP IS NEEDED with this event. PTH is looking for volunteers to help day of including grillers, set up and of course clean up. Please contact Sonjia Barker at sonjiabarker@hotmail.com, or the school office at 206-935-8500. Thanks!
Boys Bathroom Update
Speaking of our theme of being the change, one change I know we would all like to see is a remodeled boys bathroom on our lower floor! As is typical of many remodeling projects, the boys bathroom has been delayed for a number of reasons over the summer break but it is now in the process of being updated. We anticipate the remodel will stretch in the first week or two of school and will update our students and families as that occurs, but we are very pleased to be making progress. Many thanks for Hope parent Jim Burgess and his team for volunteering hours and donating equipment to make this happen, as well as everyone who donated to this fund at the auction.
Staff Addition
Due to middle school growth, we are pleased to welcome Kris Kunkel to our middle school staff in a part-time position. He will teach faith to our older students as well as help out with an elective or two. He will also help out Hope church with a variety of jobs. Kris most recently served as a lead pastor of a Lutheran church in Shelton, WA, where his job included teaching, preaching, and working with students of all ages in the church. Kris also volunteered last year in teaching some faith classes to our middle school students as well as helping with chapel.
NEST Hot Lunch Program
Hope is pleased to again offer NEST Hot Lunch by Café Stellina Catering. Lunches will be provided on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays beginning September 9. Hot lunch is available to all our K-8 students as well as our full day preschool students, at a cost of $4.50 per day, orderable and payable on a month-to-month basis or you can receive a 5% discount for paying ahead for the whole school year. The registration form is on NEST’s website: (http://www.cafestellinacatering.com/NEST-School-Lunch-Program.html) for you to fill out, scan, and email back to them or send it via snail mail.
Washington DC Fundraiser Bowl-a-thon
The WDC fundraising group is pleased to announce a bowl-a-thon. It will be on Friday, Sept. 26th from 4:00-6:00 at West Seattle Bowl. Cost is $20 per person and includes 2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, pizza and pop. More information will come out soon.
School Uniform Drive
We have new and gently used uniforms that have been donated to the school and church. These are available to all families and are now located in the church fellowship hall and then in the school hall the first week of school. Please feel free to take what you need and/or to donate items your children no longer use. Please call the school office at 206-935-8500 with any questions.
PIP Volunteer Opportunities
Office Help/Scrip – We are in need of some year-long bookkeeping help in the office. This would take care of your PIP hours for the entire year. If you have experience with bookkeeping or accounting please apply to Shari Wallace at swallace@hopeseattle.org.
School Crossing Guard is a great way to earn those PIP hours throughout the school year. We are looking for one or two volunteers to help at the corner of Oregon and 42nd street. Hours before school are 8:00 to 8:30 am and after school from 2:45 to 3:15 pm. Please contact Mrs. Wallace at 206-935-8500 if you are interested. Training and crossing materials will be provided.
Support Hope Lutheran Church & School when you shop on Amazon
Hope Lutheran Church & School will receive a portion of the purchase price when you shop at smile.amazon.com at no cost to you. It’s a simple and automatic way for you to support Hope Lutheran Church & School and you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com. To shop at AmazonSmile, simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device, the select Hope Lutheran Church & School – West Seattle when prompted. Hope Church & School operate under a combined budget; Smile dollars received will be recorded in a joint line item in the operating budget. Thank you for your support!