Hello everyone from LWCS,

What a year it's been so far! In August, the students jumped right into their academics including a few extra activities. One new activity that has been offered this year is Spanish. We have been blessed by Jennifer Parker, who has volunteered every Friday afternoon to teach the language. She uses games and other creative ways to help students grasp the techniques of a second language. A big thank you from us all Jennifer!

Another extra activity incorporated were lessons relating to respect. On September 26th LWCS conducted a mock congressional hearing dealing with the issue of respect not only in the classroom, but in other areas of life. We had an awesome panel of judges to give the students constructive feedback. It was an amazing learning experience for us all.

On October 2nd, we had our annual field trip to Sully's Hill, Fort Totten, North Dakota. We explored the nature trails, looked for wildlife, and toured the new visitor center. The day ended with a picnic on top of the lookout. What a beautiful day it was!

We performed at the McVille Nursing Home on October 21st for the monthly birthday party. LWCS sang songs, recited poems and Bible verses by memory. Most importantly, we shook a lot of hands and made many residents smile! A pizza party followed the program for both the residents and students. We helped staff serve refreshments and finally got in some visiting.

Pilgrims and Indians put on a Thanksgiving feast for their parents and grandparents on November 27th. Hats were worn to help contribute to the festivities. We each brought a separate vegetable to make a huge pot of Thanksgiving soup. Popcorn, rolls, and applesauce was included in the menu. (None of the students volunteered to shoot a turkey.) All that was missing was the pumpkin pie and whipped cream. Austin McKelvey started our dinner with the Lord's Prayer. We were thankful for the food, each other, and the freedom of prayer at LWCS!

December was an extremely busy month. Besides regular academics, we practiced, for our Christmas musical program. We performed at the Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd and Fourth Corporation on December 17th in New Rockford, ND. The following day we performed at Heartland Care Center and The Good Samaritan Home in Devils Lake, ND. We had to make time for other Christmas activities before break. The students enjoyed sewing Christmas socks by hand which were later filled with treats. Gingerbread houses were created out of milk cartons, graham crackers, frosting, and a lot of Christmas candy. Finally, we prepared a spaghetti dinner with huge meat balls and garlic toast in celebration of our much needed Christmas break.

We buckled down on our book work in January. Our regular routine was refreshing after the holidays. We picked right up on our daily memorization of scripture, poems, states and capitals, presidents, and math facts. We have two students that require North Dakota studies this year. A lot of concentration has been spent on the subject. We discuss North Dakota facts before history grade level book work is done. All students are involved in making a North Dakota quilt which will be on display by the end of May.

On January 19th LWCS students were taken by Alan Gleason to explore the Lego tournament held in Devils Lake, ND. They enjoyed the presentations given which involved many other schools in the surrounding area. The creativity shown by other students sparked an interest in our own students for future development in using legos, which may be pursued next year.

Another interesting day this year was on Friday, February 14th. We started our morning making bread dough for our homemade heart pizza in celebration of Valentines Day. What a mess!! What a fun mess!! Everyone prepared and taught a science experiment to the rest of the class while waiting for their dough to rise. We discussed the importance of making a prediction and the actuality of their science experiment. All morning we were in between science and punching down dough, pizza sauce, cheese and accessories for our heart creation of a delicious dinner. Valentines and candy were exchanged in the afternoon along with a few fun games. What a wonderful Valentines Day we had together!

February 19th was Christian School Appreciation Day. Annually, we take one school day to exclude all worship and Bible related activities. The goal is to create an appreciation for attending a Christian School and to help us understand the privilege of living in America. Together, we discuss how other countries and places that don't have the liberty of prayer, worship and Bibles. Hopefully, an impact will always remain in our hearts on what freedoms we have. God Bless America!

We are now looking ahead to our last nine weeks of school. It is one of the busiest times of the year. We will be working hard to complete the grade level book work Testing will be done in May to ensure adequate yearly progress. The students will be completing a few hands on activities such as wood burning, ND quilt making and beading North Dakota on a loom. We will continue to practicing for the musical performances along with scripture memory. Our next performance is on Tuesday, April 7th at the Good Samaritan Home and Heartland Care Center, Devils Lake, ND. We have been invited to perform again at the monthly birthday party at the McVille Nursing Home on May 20th. We have a few end of the year field trips planned to Mercy Hospital, Airport, and the Law Enforcement Center in Devils Lake, ND. We would like to go to the Minot Zoo and Bonanzaville in Fargo if time permits.

All students at LWCS would like to thank Alan Gleason, for involving them in physical activities throughout the year such as baseball, basketball, battle ball, line tag, hockey and more. Thank you to all who have donated time and finances to Living Water Christian School. We are a school that puts God first! Please join us for worship and prayer any morning between 8:30-9:00 or stop in and visit any time. We leave you with a verse from:

I Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, Casting all your cares upon him; for he careth for you.

In Christ's love and mine,
Melanie Harlen
Elementary Teacher grades 1-8