VL Spring Sports are in full action. To keep up to date on athletic contests view the school calendar on the VLHS website.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Hebrews 13:8

April

27-29 Spring Play-The Tempest 7PM each night, VLHS Gymnasium

May

6 SAT 8AM

8-12 Spring Fling (Spirit Week)

10 Parents in Prayer 8-9:30AM

16 Fine Arts Festival 6PM, VLHS Gymnasium

19 Lutheran Grade School Music Festival - No School - VL students may asked to host.

23 Spring Concert 7PM, St. Lorenz Worship & Event Center

24 Service Day

25 Senior Banquet 6PM, Swan Valley Banquet Center

26 Senior Skip Day - Seniors Excused from Classes

29 Memorial Day - No School

Student Progress Reports!

Teachers have released student progress reports by 5 p.m. this evening (Monday, April 24). These progress reports can be found in your parent portal.  To see the reports, use these instructions:

• Click on the "More" button to the right of your student's name.
• Click on "Classroom".
• Click on "Progress Reports". A drop-down menu will list all of your students' courses.
• Select each course to view that individual progress report.

If you have any questions about a particular class, please contact the teacher for that course. If you have questions about accessing your portal contact Dr. Meyers ([email protected]).

Valley Lutheran is Recommended for Continued Accreditation

An outside team of 6 educators and one pastor visited Valley last week to review the results of our year-long self study.  They met with various stakeholders, observed classes, and ultimately unanimously recommended to designate VLHS as accredited for the next 5 years.  

Our self-study followed the protocol by National Lutheran Schools Accreditation (NLSA) and evaluated our program in 7 important areas:  Purpose, Relationships, Leadership, Professional Personnel, Teaching and Learning, Student Services, and Facilities.  Thank you to all of those who participated in surveys and interviews, providing such rich and helpful information to us and to the accreditation team!

In addition to validating the high quality of our school in their exit interview, the team highlighted the following individual strength areas:

• Christ-centered school culture and mission
• Freshman home visits as positive relationship building
• New Hall of Arts wing and Hall of Science wing along with the quality programs within
• New Physical Education program and equipment
• High level of training for faculty (100% masters degrees along with numerous hours of professional development)

Official accreditation will be granted in July by the Michigan District Accreditation Commission and the NLSA National Accreditation Commission.  At that time, VLHS will also receive accreditation through Cognia (the largest global accreditation organization) as they recognize successful NLSA schools for meeting the highest standards for educational institutions.

VL Announces Class of 2023 Valedictorians, Salutatorian, and Top Ten

The Valedictorians of the VL Class of 2023 are: Nik Nisidis, Claire Katenhus, Zeke Pearson, and Danielle Harding. They will have the honor of speaking at Graduation.

The Salutatorian is Sarah Mills; she will address the class at the Senior Banquet.

The remaining top 10 students are: Gavin Girard, Addi Smith, Marge Shaw, Christy Smith, and Nora Strieter.

We are proud of these students and their academic achievements across the last four years!

Valley Lutheran Spring Play

VLHS Drama presents The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Limited tickets are available in the school office for this weekend's production. Showings are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Tickets are $8/adults, $5/students, or $26 for a family. Remaining tickets will be available at the door.

VLHS Global Awareness Club Collections

The VLHS Global Awareness Club will be collecting personal hygiene products to support the mission and ministry of Elli’s House in Detroit. Elli’s House is an organization that fights human trafficking in Detroit and those impacted by it.  The Global Awareness Club will be assembling Personal Hygiene Kits that they can use as a part of their street ministry.

The Global Awareness Club is in need of the following items:  toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, soap (bar soap or small containers of bath gel, etc.), body wash, deodorant, washcloths, shampoo/conditioner, chapstick, tampons, and wipes. Gallon size ziplock bags in which to package items are in need as well.

Please bring items to the entryway at VLHS and put them in the “Global Awareness Collection” bin. The collection will run through the end of April. Please direct all questions to Patrick Winningham ([email protected]).

VL Business Office Update

June 7th marks the end of the 2022/23 School Year. Please make sure that your account is settled. Contact Bill Ankoviak at 989-790-1676 or [email protected] with concerns or questions. Thank you for your cooperation.

Middle School Summer Camps at VL

Please share this information with middle school students in your family or families of middle school students that you know!

Middle school students are invited to join us for a summer camp at Valley Lutheran this June! With many favorites returning and new offerings in Baking and Trap Shooting, it's sure to be a fun summer! Head to www.vlhs.com/camps to view the full schedule and to register. Camp sizes are limited so sign up today! Contact Tasha Mulder, Summer Camp Coordinator, at [email protected] with any questions. 

VLHS in Search of Freshman Volleyball Coach

If you are interested in or know someone who may be interested in the Freshman Volleyball Head Coach position vacancy at Valley Lutheran, please contact Tyler Yahn, Valley Lutheran Athletic Director. Candidates should send a cover letter and resume to [email protected].

Visit the Holy Land in 2024!

Walk where Abraham and King David did. See where Jesus preached to the crowds. Ride a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Visit Jerusalem and the site of the temple. Mr. Patrick Winningham, a Valley Lutheran High School teacher, will lead a trip to Israel (with an optional extension to Jordan) in June of 2024. Contact Patrick Winningham ([email protected]) for more details. Details, itinerary, and trip registration can be found here.

CUAA Trinity Time Retreat

Concordia University-Ann Arbor is holding their annual overnight retreat for students considering church vocations on July 23-24. It is free this year, and would be a great opportunity for students to get to consider church work as a calling as well as think about Concordia for their college education. If interested, please see the information below.

Upcoming Senior & Junior Events

See below for some brief information on upcoming events and significant dates at Valley Lutheran. We hope this is helpful in your planning as you look towards the busy 4th quarter! More detailed information will be coming through emails and the Parent newsletters.



Friday, May 19 - No school due to hosting the Lutheran Grade School Music Festival. Some students may be participating as hosts.

Tuesday, May 23 - Spring Music Department Concert held at St. Lorenz Worship & Event Center. Time TBD.

Thursday, May 25 - Senior Banquet held at Swan Valley Banquet Center. Watch for your invitation and RSVP in the next couple of weeks.

Friday, May 26 - Senior Skip Day. Seniors are excused from class this day.

Sunday, June 11 - Graduation held in the VLHS gym at 2:00pm. Doors open at 1:00pm. No tickets are required, open seating, no maximum, no assigned seating.

Portal Notes:

- Please continue to use your Parent Portal for the school calendar. As a reminder, for privacy and safety reasons, we put only those dates that are for public knowledge on the www.vlhs.com website. Internal events related only to students are on the portal calendar.

- The Directory in the portal lists family addresses. These are helpful for sending out those grad party invites!

Applying for Financial Aid for 2023-24 School Year

Financial aid applications for the 2023-24 school year can be accessed here. All awards are based on demonstrated need. Tax documents are required to complete your application. Please contact Heidi Behnke in the school office (989-790-1676) if you have any questions.

Advance Notice for Excusing Students

Parents, please call ahead when excusing your student early (i.e. doctor, dentist, misc. appt.). This gives the front office time to locate students and provide a pass to come to the office prior to the time of the excused dismissal. 

Grade School Track Meet Assistance

Valley Lutheran is looking for volunteers to assist as parking tenants for the upcoming grade school meets at VL on 5/6, 5/13, and 5/20.

If you are interested in helping, please reach out to Tyler Yahn at [email protected]. Thank you.

Boosters Assistance

Please consider supporting our Boosters by volunteering your time to help during the upcoming spring activities at Valley Lutheran. Head here to sign up.

PSAT and SAT Scores

Scores from this past month’s SAT exam are expected to be released about two weeks from the exam date. (ACT WorkKeys and M-STEP scores are not released until August.) As a school, we are not given access to scores until mid-summer. 

You will need to create a CollegeBoard account to log in and see these scores. If you already have an account, be sure you have the correct username and password available. (How to create a CollegeBoard account) Keep this information in a safe place - you will use it often in the next few years. If you do not see scores, try using the CollegeBoard Matching Tool. Don’t forget to link your score to Khan Academy for personalized and targeted SAT practice!

Class of 2024 Junior Meetings

Individual meetings will begin soon with current juniors to talk about the future - career ideas, college ideas, senior year classes, etc. Meetings are being held alphabetically by student’s Academic Seminar hours, so patience is appreciated as we work through the alphabet. Encourage your student to come prepared with questions or ideas. There are also great resources for college and career searches on their Big Future site - http://bigfuture.collegeboard.org.

Dual Enrollment Process

Students intending to Dual Enroll should all be working towards the process of registering for next year’s classes. Some Delta classes that are popular with dual enrollment students are already at a waitlist status. If your student has not yet brought home a purple Dual Enrollment contract for you to sign, they have not started the process. Questions can be directed to Mrs. Mueller at [email protected].

Career Center 2023-2024

Valley Lutheran will be receiving confirmation from the career centers in the next few weeks with placements for our students. Due to the high interest across Saginaw and Bay Counties, there is a chance that students might be placed in their 2nd choice programs while they sit on the waiting list for their 1st choice. We will do our best to communicate with students and families and work together to come up with solutions for next school year if a student is not placed or does not want to attend their 2nd choice program.

Important Links

SAT Information & Registration - www.sat.org

ACT Information & Registration - www.actstudent.org

Khan Academy (free test prep) - www.khanacademy.org/sat

VL Scholarship Page - http://bit.ly/VLScholarships

Chocolate Milk Powers Valley Lutheran Athletes

The United Dairy Industry of Michigan has granted Valley Lutheran funds to help power our athletes with "Nature's Sports Drink". Visit milkmeansmore.org to learn more about health nutrition for athletes.