October 6, 2017
Dear Parents,
Many of us have heavy hearts this week and we wonder how is our child(ren) dealing with this most recent tragedy. I caught my 18 year old son this morning watching the local news with all the most recent videos and pictures of the Las Vegas tragedy and all I could say is, "Why are you watching that?" 
As I left the house I thought to myself what I should have said, what kind of conversation should I be having with him and my 13 year old. I was confused,
so I looked for help and this is what I discovered.

They are safe with our Savior. Though we can't understand why bad things happen, and we can't change them, no matter how much we wish we could, we know that here on earth, and later in Heaven where we'll still run, we are always, always safe with our God.

It's often at these times when the "why" seems so hard to grasp, and our minds can't quite wrap around such senseless acts, that I'm reminded of some of the most important things in life. Those things we might take for granted many days.
  • Life is precious.
  • Hug your kids and those you love.
  • Tell your family how much you love them.
  • Thank God that you have today.
  • Make every day count, for Him.
And it's in these reminders, that some of us may start to struggle, in the aftermath of the grief and tragedy.
This overriding, pressing question begs for an answer, "So, what do we tell our kids?"

7 thoughts that may help:
  1. Turn off the news. Be careful not to surround yourselves constantly in media hype. Be protective over how much your children hear from all the "outside noise" and in what you're choosing to listen to. 
  2. Be honest. Don't feel the need to cover truth in order to protect your kids, but be wise and careful with what or how many details your share. Often kids just want to know "what happened," they're not really asking about all of the details surrounding the event. Ask God for wisdom as you share. Follow your kids lead as to what specifically they are asking to know.
  3. Go on with normalcy, as much as possible. As tough as it may be while you work through your own grief, remain calm and secure with them. Kids are such expert "readers" of our emotions, it's OK to be sad, reflective - that's honest. But resist the urge to be overly anxious and fearful, constantly talking about the story. They take their cues from us, as parents.
  4. Remind them that they are safe. Remind them that even though we live in a world where, unfortunately, hard things sometimes do happen, we can fully trust in the fact that God is always with us, and in that reminder, is a deep sense of security that the world can't provide. We are never outside His care. We do not have to walk in fear.
  5. Validate their feelings and thoughts. Listen to them. You may not even want to talk about difficult things, but make sure you've given them some time to work it through. Often for kids, based on their ages, we may find that simply drawing a picture, writing a note or letter, and being able to ask more questions as the days go by, brings healing, comfort, security. Resist the urge to just quickly sweep things under the rug.
  6. Remind your kids how incredibly important they are to you, and to God. Hug them. Tell them you love them. Remind them that you are strong together and that you will be there for one another no matter what.
  7. Keep conversations open-ended. Remember that, like many things in life, having ongoing conversations are sometimes more important and meaningful over time than just one "big" conversation. Don't be afraid to talk about hard topics. Fear. Death. Eternity. Heaven. Open the doors for more discussions. You don't have to have all the answers. You don't have to be a Bible scholar. It's OK to say, "I'm not sure, but that's such a great question, let's search for the answer."
In the midst of this crazy world, the fear level raises. But we can be confident that we do not have to walk in a spirit of fear. We live with a deep awareness that in this world, there is good, and there is evil. We're in a spiritual battle and real suffering does exist.

Yet one Truth still shines through in it all, God is greater.
And in the end, evil will not win.
  • Praying for God's mercy to cover us...always.
    We are safe with Him. Our children are safe with Him. He is close. And He knows and sees all.
  • "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4
  • "Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
    I will fear no evil..." Psalm 23:4
  • "For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." Luke 8:17

In His Service,
Jo Graham Scortino

In This Issue

The 2017-18 
Major Date calendar 
Click here  to access it.

 

Apple Pie Pick-Up and Serving Opportunities

All of the pie orders are in, but the HCLS Apple Pie Fundraiser is not done yet! 
Pie pickup is on October 27, from 3:45 - 5:30pm and October 28, 9 - 11am at the Janesville Road campus . Donated pies do not need to be picked up, we will make sure they get delivered.  We are actively recruiting some helping hands to do a variety of tasks to help make the 2017-18 Apple Pie Fundraiser a success.
From reminder calls and set-up to pie assembly, packaging, pick-up and more,  there is plenty to do to help pull this off and we couldn't do it without our generous volunteers. If you are looking for an opportunity to serve, we need lots of hearts and hands to help fulfill all of the apple pie orders for our fundraiser. Please  sign up via the Signup Genius link or contact Kara Woida at  [email protected] or 414-975-8250.
A big thanks to those who have ordered pies to support HCLS and a thank you in advance to all those who pitch in to help!
Keep the Houston Donations coming!

The response to our  Joy for Jessup collection has been overwhelming and its only been a week.  Our collection runs through Tuesday, October. 17.  We are still in need of the items below, especially diapers and formula.  

Boys' clothes sizes 5, 6 and 18 (socks & underwear also) Shoes: size 5
Girls' shirts and pants sizes 6, 7 and 13
Baby Formula (Similac advanced -the blue one), diapers size 4,  baby wipes

Women's clothes size Large (shirts) Pants size 9-10, Shoes: size 8
Women's size small, pants 3, Shoes size 7

At the Grange Campus, collection boxes will be located in each classroom.  At the Janesville Campus, there will be a collection box located in the school office.  

Thank you in advance for your continued prayers and support.

__________________________________________________________

Wildcat Sportswear 

Our HCL Team store will be closing on Sunday, October 8. Now's your last chance to place your order!  Thank you for your support!  Details on a special FLASH SALE featuring short sleeve items will be coming soon!
Upcoming Events
October 10:   4th & 5th Gr. Fire Prevention Program - JC
October 16:  No School 
October 17:  5th Gr. Bible Smugglers Experience
October 18:  6th Gr. Bible Smugglers Experience
October 19:  7th Gr. Bible Smugglers Experience
October 20:  8th Gr. Bible Smugglers Experience
October 26:  4th Gr. Bible Smugglers Experience
                      5th & 7th Gr. Vision Screening - JC
                      Parent Teacher Conferences - JC - 4:00-7:00 PM
October 27:  Pie Assembly
                      Pie pickup - JC - 3:45-5:30 PM
October 28:  Pie pickup - JC - 9:00-11:00 AM


Middle School Sport Events
October 7:  Wisconsin State Lutheran Cross Country Meet - Concordia University, Mequon
October 19-21: 6th & 7th Gr. Volleyball Tournament - Immanuel Lutheran, Brookfield
October 20-21: 7th/8th Gr. "A" Volleyball Tournament - St. John's Lutheran, West Bend
October 21:      National Lutheran Cross Country Meet - Concordia University, Mequon
October 27-29:  State Volleyball Tournament

PLEASE See our Sycamore Calendar for all sports games, dates, times and destinations.
Upward Sport Ministry - Registration Begins Sunday

Upward is an outreach sports ministry for children in grades 1st through 8th grade for basketball and cheerleading. It strives to create an equal playing field for all participants, teaching teamwork, sportsmanship, effort, and Christlikeness. Athletes build character and self-esteem while learning the fundamentals of basketball and cheerleading.  Open to all children from any school or church. 

Registration for the upcoming season begins this Sunday, October 8, and is done online at http://www.upward.org/leagues/491876207/Basketball. Registration will close on October 31.  If individual divisions fill up, they will close before the Oct. 31 deadline.

November 2017:
  • Tues 11/07 or Thu 11/09 6:00pm - 7:30pm (Community Center)  - Coach/Referee Training; FOOD SERVED
  • Sat 11/11 3-6pm or Sun 11/12 1-4pm  - Player Evaluations 
December 2017: 
  • Late December Rosters Distributed
Please contact Andy or Heather Oxborough for basketball information at  [email protected]  or Cretia Heinz for cheerleading at 
 [email protected] .  More schedule information is available on our website at  www.hcl.org/upward .
Grange Campus NEWS
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Forms were sent home last week for you to indicate a requested evening or time frame for the upcoming parent-teacher conferences at the Grange Campus. If you have not already returned the forms that were due today, October 6, please make sure they are handed in Monday morning, October 9.  We will be scheduling conferences next week and will confirm your time then. We look forward to meeting with you and working with you this year!
Janesville Campus NEWS
Parent-Teacher Conferences at the Janesville Campus
Mark your calendars for October 26, November 1 and 2 for Parent-Teacher conferences for grades 4 - 8 at the  Janesville Campus . Conferences will be held from 4:00-7:00 pm.  You will be receiving an email via Constant Contact 
and through our Wildcat Wire next week with a link to a sign up genius that allows you the opportunity to reserve your time  preference for your conferences.  
The signup genius will go live on Friday, October 13.
Grades 4-5 will be scheduled in 15 minute increments and grades 6-8 will be scheduled in 10 minute increments. 
We look forward to the dialog in assisting your child to become whom God wants them to be. 
Lutheran High School News and Information

Lutheran High School Association
LHSAGM.ORG
2017-18 School Year Theme  - "Stand Firm and Speak Truth"  2 Thess. 2:13-17
 
Martin Luther
15th Annual Root River Run  - Saturday, October 7   Click this link to register.

Open House - October 26, 6:00 pm
Tour the facilities. Meet the administration, faculty, and coaches. Talk to current students and parents.

Job Opening: Looking for a fun job and summers off? Martin Luther High School is looking for a cafeteria assistant. The position is 22 hours/week during the school year and includes a discount on tuition. Responsibilities include cashiering, food prep, serving and clean-up. Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs. Contact Sandi at 414-421-4000, ext. 237 or apply online at WeTeachTruth.org.

Milwaukee Lutheran
Milwaukee Lutheran High School is seeking individuals qualified for substitute teaching for the 2017-2018 school year. Requests are for daily or short-term classroom assignments.  Applications may be obtained from the MLHS main office.