Connecting People to God's Grace

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

Dear Grace Families,


Hard to believe it is the last week of October! God has certainly blessed us with a beautiful fall, and continues to give us many blessings here at Grace Lutheran School. This upcoming week, we are going to celebrate the blessings of Christian education. I want to start by saying thank-you to each and every one of you for choosing to provide full-time Christian education for your children at Grace. How wonderful it is to share God’s Word and grace with our students each and every day! During this upcoming Christian Education Week, we have a lot of special activities planned to help highlight the blessings of Christian education! 


Monday - Grandparents’ Day. The day begins with breakfast sponsored by our PIE group. Come anytime between 7:50 and 8:50. The official start to grandparents’ day is our special chapel service at 9:00. For the rest of the morning, different activities are planned. All students will be dismissed at 11:45. We still need more parent volunteers in order to make this day a success! 

Tuesday - Lunch with the Principals. President Herbst and Principal Leifer from Michigan Lutheran High School will be with us at lunchtime. 

Wednesday - Titan Huddles Activity

Thursday - Faculty v. 8th Grade Volleyball Game, beginning at 2:15.

Friday - TOTT Reward Activities. Teachers will participate in an egg roulette challenge. NOTE: we will not be going to Michigan Lutheran High School in the afternoon. 


Glenlord Road Construction

Glenlord Road west of our campus will be closed next week, starting on Monday. Here is a link with details for the project. I have been told that everything will be open Monday morning when school begins, but will be closed by the time school is dismissed at 11:45 on Monday. Please allow extra commute time in the morning and afternoon during drop-off and dismissal times. 


Parent-Teacher Conferences - Parent-teacher conferences will take place on Thursday, November 5 and Friday, November 6. Please watch for a special email with sign-up instructions. 


Call News

  • Last Sunday, our 7th-grade homeroom teacher and middle school AD Chris Avila received a divine call to serve as principal and upper grade teacher at Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Burton, Michigan. Please reach out to him with encouragement and keep him in your prayers. 
  • This past Wednesday, our church and school called Pastor Phil Hunter to be our next pastor. If he accepts this call, he will be the main school pastor. Pastor Hunter and his wife Andrea are blessed with five elementary school aged children. He is serving as pastor at Citrus Grove Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Feel free to reach out to Pastor Hunter to encourage him and tell him about the ministry here at Grace (pastor@citrusgrovechurch.com). 
  • 

In the WELS, when a new pastor or teacher is needed, a church and school work with the synod to get a list of names of eligible people to fill a vacancy. When someone receives a divine call, it is like a job offer. The person then takes about a month to learn about this new place, pray about it, and decide if it is the right place for them to serve our God. A person either accepts or declines the call. Right now, both Mr. Avila and Pastor Hunter have the opportunity to stay where they both are or go to a new place. 


Upcoming Events

  • Sunday, October 25 - All students sing at 10:30 worship service
  • Monday, October 26 - Grandparents’ Day
  • Saturday, October 31 - Fall Fest at MLHS, 2:00-4:00pm
  • November 5-6 - Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • November 13 - End of 1st Trimester


In Christ,


Mr. Reich


Meditation for the Week

Thought of the Week

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

THIS WEEK AT GRACE

Sunday, October 25, 2026

Sunday Worship Service 8:00 and 10:30 am

Bible Study and Sunday School 9:15 am

Grades PK - 8 sing at the 10:30 Worship Service


Monday, October 26, 2026

Christian Education Week

Grandparents Day

Early Dismissal at 11:45 am



Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Christian Education Week

Lunch with the principals

Chick fil A

MLHS Volleyball Invite Night


Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Christian Education Week

Titan Huddles

Chicken Nuggets


Thursday, October 29, 2026

Christian Education Week

Faculty vs 8th grade Volleyball game at 2:15 pm

Subway


Friday, October 30, 2026

Christian Education Week

TOTT Egg Roulette

Chapel

Pizza



Saturday, October 31, 2026

Men's Morning Basketball - 7:00 - 8:30 am

MLHS Fall Festival



IN THIS NEWSLETTER YOU CAN EXPECT:


  • 2026-2027 School Calendar
  • Help needed for Hot Lunch
  • Grandparent's Day
  • Grandparents Day Volunteer Sign Up
  • Grandparents Day Schedule
  • MLHS Fall Festival Day
  • Children's Christmas Shop Information
  • MLHS Volleyball Invite Night
  • Year Book Volunteer and Information
  • October Hot Lunch Calendar


🍎 Help Wanted: Hot Lunch Volunteers!


Need help for this coming Wednesday, October 28 
and the month of November.


Grace Lutheran’s Christmas Shoppe is changing this year, and we urgently need volunteers to keep this tradition alive! Due to our growing school, the fellowship hall is now a permanent classroom. To adapt, the entire event will take place on Friday, December 4, 2026, in the gymnasium.


This staple tradition lets students experience the joy of giving by shopping for loved ones, while raising vital funds for local and worldwide mission work. Because all students will now shop on a single day, we need all hands on deck. If we do not get enough volunteers, we will not be able to host the event this year.


How You Can Help

We need committed volunteers for the following roles:

  • Donations: Collecting and organizing items ahead of time.
  • Thursday Night: Late-night setup.
  • Friday (All Day): Shopping helpers and gift wrappers.
  • Friday Night: Take down and cleanup.

Take Action

  • Sign up to volunteer: Please click [this link] to submit your availability.
  • Questions? Contact Stephanie Crowder at (989) 400-7791.
  • 

Thank you for helping us support our kids and our missions!


A Invitation from Michigan Lutheran High School-


MLHS' Volleyball team invites all of the grade school and middle school volleyball players to Michigan Lutheran for a grade school volleyball night to meet and greet the players, enjoy a JV and Varsity game, and cheer the Titans on to victory!


Coaches and Players can get in free that night! Please wear your grade school/middle school jersey to the game or your NEW MLHS T-Shirts (coming to all schools soon)!


DATE - October 27


Arrive at 4:45 - Meet and Greet the Lady Titan Varsity Volleyball Team

5:00 - JV Game - Sit behind the bench with the varsity team and learn their in-game cheers



6:00 - Varsity Game - Go on the court for introductions and the National Anthem. Sit behind the varsity bench and cheer the Titans on to victory!!


Please have your coach RSVP to lheston@michiganlutheran.org so that we can be prepared for you and have all of our giveaways ready ahead of time.  


Thanks and GO TITANS!!


HOT LUNCH

PARENT CONVERSATIONS

Providing Support on Your Parenting Journey

Parent conversations:

The "mosts" of Motherhood


 



NEWS




School Contact Information:


Mr. Nathan Reich /reichn@gracestjoseph.org / 920-461-2822

Mr. Justin Wiechmann / wiechmannj@gracestjoseph.org / 262-203-6053

Mr. Chris Avila / avilac@gracestjoseph.org / 608-769-1979

Ms. Hannah Schneekloth / schneeklothh@gracestjoseph.org / 507-475-1428

Ms. Kennedy Doble / doblek@gracestjoseph.org / 248-309-7949

Mrs. Anne Thorson / thorsona@gracestjoseph.org / 269-926-8503

Mr. Gregory Rush / rushg@gracestjoseph.org / 269-588-9008

Mrs. Nancy Leifer / leifern@gracestjoseph.org / 253-625-6272

Mrs. Nicki Barabas / barabasn@gracestjoseph.org / 269-635-7592

Ms. Elizabeth Graham/reimerse@gracestjoseph.org/269-930-3822

Mrs. Hannah Mueller / muellerh@gracestjoseph.org / 920-242-0407

Pastor Paul Jenkins/ jenkinsp@gracestjoseph.org / 309-433-5807

Mrs. Mary Duehlmeyer/ duehlmeyerm@gracestjoseph.org/269-313-5940

Mrs. Sandy Sempert / school@gracestjoseph.org / 269-449-4102


Middle School Athletic Director

Mr. Chris Avila / avilac@gracestjoseph.org / 608-769-1979

Grace Lutheran School
St. Joseph, MI 49085