Jeremy May, Pastor David Birnbaum, Principal Sunday Services: 8:30, 11:00 School: 580-762-9950 Sunday School: 9:45 a.m. website: flspc.org Church: 580-762-1111 E-mail: lutheransecretary@yahoo.com www.flcspc.com Child Care: 580-762-1124 FastDirect: fastdir.com/flcspc

December 3, 2014

CARDINAL CHATTER 12/6 FLC&S Christmas Market! 9-4 1:00 K-4th sing @ Christmas Market 12/10 Advanced Band to Nursing Homes; 12-3:15 12/11 8th Grade to Vo-Tech

Deadline for Elks Essay Contest (5th-8th) 12/12 4th – 8th Christmas Program, 6:30, Gym

12/14 K - 4th Christmas Program, 6:30, Church 12/15 Band Concert @ FLS, 2:30, Gym 12/16 1:30 & 6:30 Band Concert, St. Mary’s 12/19 Last Day before Christmas Break 1/5/15 Classes Resume

PRINCIPAL – Mr. Birnbaum: Only two and a half weeks left in this first Semester. That means only a few

days left to get grades up and keep them up. This Saturday (Dec. 6) is also our Christmas Market. There will be vendors set-up throughout the gym and cafeteria, with a homemade cookie mart in the Middle School hallway, a scavenger hunt for the kids, pictures with Santa, and Christmas musical performances throughout the day. The booth money goes to our School Scholarship Fund. Come out and shop.

Many thanks to our Pie Partners Martin Jean and Jackson and Stolhand Heat & Air for sponsoring our Red Ribbon Week and providing us with our Red Ribbon Handout goodies!

3RD ANNUAL CHRISTMAS MARKET—THIS WEEKEND!: The 3rd Annual Christmas Market Oklahoma Festival will be held Saturday, December 6, 2014 on our church and school campus. Booth fees benefit the FLS Scholarship Fund. We are currently accepting applications from artisans, crafters, and vendors. If you, or a church/school group or class would like to have a booth to raise money for a specific need, we would be delighted to have you participate. For more information, please contact Mr. Birnbaum (762-9950) or Shirley Zimmerman (761-4657).

COME HEAR OUR KIDS SING!: Our Kindergarten through 4th grades have been working very hard on their songs for the Christmas Program, and they will be singing them this Saturday, December 6 on the stage at the Christmas Market at 1:00. If your student is in grades K-4th, please dress them warmly as the stage is outside (in case of inclement weather, the singing will be moved to the church). If your student is not in K-4th, but knows the songs and would like to join in, they are welcome.

DAYCARE SIGNUPS FOR CHRISTMAS BREAK: Daycare is currently taking sign-ups for the Christmas Break period, to see if there is enough interest to keep daycare open. They will be closed on December 24, 25, 26, and January 1. If you are interested in having your students attend Daycare December 22, 23, 29, 30, 31, and/or January 2, please sign up in Daycare or call them at 762-1124. The deadline for sign-ups is Monday, December 15. Note that if you sign up for daycare, you will be charged whether you bring your child or not.

DAYCARE NEEDS TOY DONATIONS: Daycare is running short on toys for 3-year olds & up. If you have some age-appropriate gently used toys that need new homes, please drop them at daycare or in the school office. Thanks!

PO-HI BASKETBALL SCHEDULE: We have several former students/church members on the Ponca City High School Basketball Team. Freshman Girls - Shaylynn Cloud, Alexis Redwine, Ashley Robinson, and Bree Brice (out because of surgery). Freshman Boys - Ben Turvey, Kelby Cross, and Max Jackson. Varsity Girls – Kenzie Lyons, Claren McCormick, and Camenda Osborn. Varsity Boys: Jacob Birnbaum and Brendon Cook.

You can get a High School Basketball Schedule from the School Office or go online and search Ponca City High School Schedule. Come root on our alumni.

ESSAY CONTEST FOR 5TH – 8TH GRADE: The Elks Lodge is sponsoring an essay contest on the subject of “What the Pledge of Allegiance Means to Me”. Flyers about the contest details were handed out November 20; additional flyers are available in the school office. Entry essays are due back to the school no later than Thursday, December 11, and there is a cash prize for the winner!

THE FAMILY PROJECT FROM FOCUS ON THE FAMILY is a 12 week DVD and discussion series starting on Sunday, December 7 from 9:45-10:45. Turn in $10 per family (checks made to FLS) by November 25 to register. Check out www.thefamilyproject.com for more information.

GIFT CARD/SCRIP SALES: If you would like to order scrip/gift cards for Christmas Gifts, we will be placing an order soon. Please drop your orders by the school office as soon as possible!

CHILDREN’S BOOK DRIVE: My name is Jessica Barnard, and my mission is to make sure that any child who wants to read, gets books to read! I need your help. Do you have any unused children’s books lying around? Please consider donating them to local and surrounding area children. I will be collecting books through Friday, December 12, 2014. Please call or text me @ 580-761-4094 and I will come to you to pick them up. Trini, with The Bag Lady, has also graciously offered to use her business as a drop-off location at 205 E. Grand. You can drop your books there Tuesday’s – Friday’s, 10-6, or Saturday’s, 10-4. The BOOK DISTRIBUTION DATE is set for Saturday, December 13, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the First Lutheran Church & School cafeteria. Thank you to the FLS Cheerleaders who graciously have agreed to help out with this event.

*STILL* COLLECTING PONCA CITY SANTA BUCKS! – So far we have 528 Santa Tickets contributed; thanks you so much for your donations, and keep them coming! To donate yours to the school, please drop them by the school on or before December 19; the earlier the better so that we can get them organized for the big night.

BASKETBALL SEASON PASS: We have season passes available for home basketball games for the 2014-2015 school year! They will be $20 for adults, $15 for Senior Citizens, and $10 for students. These passes will be good for home games only, not including tournaments. If you would like to purchase one, the passes may be purchased in the school office.

CHAPEL OFFERING: Chapel offerings this month go to purchase Angel Tree Gifts. To donate, send your donation with your students on Wednesday’s to donate during Chapel!

PRE-SCHOOL – Mrs. Herard: Hope everyone is refreshed and refueled after our break. We will be very busy this month as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This week we are learning about the season of winter, the color white which symbolizes purity, and angels that heralded the good news to all the earth of our newborn King. SHOW AND TELL is this Thur/Fri the 4th/5th. Book orders due Fri. Blessings!

PRE-KINDERGARTEN - Mrs. Kelly: Happy Birthday Kinley! Grandparents' Day was wonderful! Thank you parents that sent food or drinks and our parents that helped serve and greet the Grandparents! You did great bringing cans for the food drive! This month our chapel offering is to buy gifts for the Angel Tree, please consider giving this month for the children in our community that may not receive other presents. Book orders are in backpacks today, and need to be returned to me or order online by Monday, December 8th. These will be back before Christmas break. Show and Tell will be on Friday. Our Christmas party will be on Friday, December 19th at 2:00pm. Look for the note in backpacks today. Dads, mark your calendar for Donuts with Dads on Friday, January 9th. Our Bible words are My spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Luke 1:47 We are learning the letter "B" and number "8" this week. Have a blessed week!

KINDERGARTEN - Ms. Miller: It was so good to see so many grandparents on "Grandparents' Day". Thank you so much for the warm birthday wishes given to me on November 24th. I would also like to thank all the parents that made the Cowley Children's Theatre field trip such a great day! A special thank you goes to the parents that took extra kids with them! We will have show and tell this Friday. We will have a combined Church & School Christmas Program on Sunday Evening December 14th at 6:30 p.m. in the church. Our kindergarten class will help with the singing that evening. Our class party will be Friday December 19th at 2:30 p.m. in our room and parents are welcome. Have a blessed Christmas season!

FIRST GRADE – Mrs. Birnbaum: Memory verse for Friday - Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out. Acts 3:19. Thank you, thank you to all of the families that bought books for our classroom. The children love getting new books to read! On Friday we will have our pizza party for winning the box top competition. Your child will not need to bring their own lunch that day (unless they don't like pizza). Kristen Zimmerman will be subbing for me on Friday afternoon. I will be leaving with my daughter to go to Kansas City for a basketball tournament. Blessings on your week!

SECOND GRADE – Mrs. Powell: Happy Advent! Are you busy preparing your home for Christmas? Have you started shopping? Baking? Be sure that you include worship in your busy plans. Our class as a whole has mediocre church attendance. Make that a priority for you and your family this season. I know that you will be blessed! We enjoyed the play at Cowley County College. Thanks so much to the parents who drove and rode with us. I was proud of the children's behavior. December book report directions are coming home today. Please let me know if you have questions. These will be due December 17. Happy December Birthday to Abbie! God's Blessings, Dear Friend! Blessings. . .

THIRD GRADE - Mrs. Steichen: I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know that I am very thankful for all my students and their families. I couldn't do it without all of you and your support, so thank you! This week: Test: Reading and Spelling on Friday. Memory: Sixth Commandment and its meaning. Science: Starting a new unit on weather. Chapel: Thank you Mrs. Sibley for leading our kids in chapel. I think they all did a wonderful job and I am so amazed by all their hard work from Grandparent's Day to this. So much to memorize and they did amazing. Book Reports: Remember your book reports are due this Friday. Please let me know if you have any questions. A.R.: we are getting closer to the end of the quarter so please ask your child about their A.R. goal and how many points they still need. It is a requirement in third grade to make your goals. Have a great week!

FOURTH GRADE - Mrs. Sibley: What a wonderful blessing we could be to the Lord today in Chapel. Mrs. Steichen and I are so proud of how the kids did today to show and tell others about giving, sharing, and the real reason for the season. If choosing to order from book orders, they are due on Monday the 8th, so we may have books in our hands by the 19th. Look for information in this week’s Friday Letter about our Gift Exchange. I hope that you all had a blessed Thanksgiving, and a well rested break. Good food, friends, and a break from normal routine to give thanks and prepare for the coming of the Lord will always equal a fantastic time. Keep reading for Book It & AR. So far we have read 2,559 pages. We are continuing to make progress, and need to continue to make more. Please continue to look over daily student work for simple mistakes; let’s make sure that we don’t go to Christmas break too early!

FIFTH GRADE - Mrs. Schatte: It sounds like the 5th graders and their families had pleasant Thanksgiving time together. The exception to that is Jenna, as she and her family mourn the death of her uncle. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who knew and loved him. Thank you to all who drove and/or accompanied our class to the play on Monday. We appreciate you! Tests this week include spelling and reading on Friday. May you and your family be blessed as we prepare our hearts and minds to receive the blessed gift of the precious Christ child. Happy birthday in this delightful month of December to Trystan (13).

MIDDLE SCHOOL 12/4 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 Shidler @ FLS 12/5-7 Hope Tournament 12/11 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; Newkirk @ FLS 12/15 5:30, 6:30, 7:30; Saints @ FLS

12/18 4 & 5; St. Mary’s @ FLS (5th girls/6th boys) 12/18 6 & 7; Ponca West @ FLS (8th girls/8th boys) 1/5 5, 6, 7, 8; FLS @ Woodlands 1/8 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 6:30; @ Wesleyan Christian

Mrs. Harbeson: Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break. If you have been on my

webpage earlier, you'll notice that I've changed the look. I'm really enjoying this whole process of becoming more "tech savvy"! Besides the new look of my page, I've added lots of pictures and links to help you better navigate around my site. A big thanks goes out to Priya Patel, eighth grader, who served as MY teacher on how to do a few new things! Parents, this week I am offering 5 extra credit points in Literature for your student if you check out my website and then leave a comment for me on my home page by 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3...that's today! Please be sure to leave me your name. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to give any extra credit to comments I receive after that date and time. Check out my website at harbolanguage@blogspot.com. Just three more weeks until Christmas Break! The time will go fast, so be sure to keep up on all your assignments. Blessings!

Mrs. Hanson: 6th Grade is working on an in-class project. Be on the lookout for the finished project! 7th Grade is exploring the structure of earth. Ask your student about the many layers under our feet! 8th Grade has begun a new chapter and will now explore how the organelles they just learned work and

what they do for the cell. The Christmas musical is Friday, December, 12. All middle school students are required to attend the

evening performance. There will be a daytime performance that morning as well. All students are asked to wear nice church clothes that are either red or green. I am also on the lookout for 3 banjos if you know where I could find some.

Mrs. Goll: I hope your Thanksgiving break was as fun-filled as mine. I cooked for my family and then went to Iowa for a family wedding—busy, but, oh, so much fun! Now, we’re back to work and moving forward in math even with the many sports activities and musical practice. Algebra students continue to work on linear equations; if they mutter “y=mx+b” in their sleep, don’t be surprised. Pre-algebra students are working with rational numbers (not sane ones, just fractions). Seventh-graders are working with negative integers and sixth-graders are working with fractions. Students who spend a few minutes each evening chatting with their parents about the lessons of the day

are more likely to retain the information that was shared during the day. Blessings on your week as you continue to Seek Him First.

Mr. Covert: I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving break and managed to take a few breaths in. We’re moving right along here; working to get in what we need to before we break for Christmas. In 8th grade, we’re talking about the beginnings of our nation, why the Constitution was needed, and how it came about. In 7th grade, we’re continuing to work through South America, finishing up the Eastern side this week. Next week we’ll wrap up the rest of the continent, before we head across the Atlantic to start in on Europe. In 6th grade, we are just finishing up a unit on the Greeks. We’re going to start discussing the rise of Rome this week, and the lasting impact that had on the known world at that time.

I hope everyone is staying healthy and ready to knock out these last three weeks! God’s blessing as we look forward to the birth of His Son and our Savior!

First Lutheran Church & School—Growing up into Jesus, Reaching out with

Jesus, Walking together in Jesus

Annual Christmas Market Oklahoma Festival…

will mark the beginning of a series of year long events celebrating the 90th

Anniversary of First

Lutheran Church, Ponca City, Oklahoma.

We praise and thank God for the gracious blessings granted First Lutheran Church of Ponca City for 90 years

in Word and Sacrament, Christian education and service to our community. With joyful hearts we celebrate

this 90 year milestone, Growing Up into Jesus, Reaching Out with Jesus and Walking Together with Jesus,

ever more praising and thanking Him for His unending Love.

Therefore, YOU ARE INVITED TO COME JOIN US for Christmas Market Oklahoma, a German-

themed festival of arts and crafts, Christmas music, cookie walk, ethnic food and drinks. It will be held

on Saturday, December 6, 2014 from 9am to 4pm on the campus of First Lutheran Church and School,

1101 N. 4th

, Ponca City, Oklahoma.

It is handicap accessible and admission is free .

In-state and out-of-state vendors will be selling a huge variety of unique Christmas gifts, arts

and crafts.

On the big city stage will be live music performances by local church choirs, school groups and

individuals.

German food and a cookie walk of hundreds of cookies to stock for the holidays will be featured.

PICTURES WITH SANTA, A SCAVENGER HUNT and OTHER GAMES will be available for all of the

children.

The Finale is a COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CAROL SING around the city stage.

Booth fees benefit the First Lutheran School scholarship fund. Overflow parking will be available in the

Po-Hi student parking lot. A shuttle will be available.

Come enjoy the sights, sounds, and aromas of Christmas as we prepare for this JOYOUS

Season.

Co-Sponsors of the event are Golden Villa, First United Methodist Church, PAWS First, and PCFD Wives’

Auxiliary.

DON’T THROW THAT AWAY!!: First Lutheran School collects, and benefits

from, donations of used/empty ink cartridges, old cell phones, BoxTops for Education, Campbell’s soup labels, and Coke points! Do you throw away ink or toner cartridges @ work? Do the kids on your child’s team drink Powerade’s or Dasani water (with Coke points under the lid)? Possibly your youth group had a lock-in and served cans of Coke, Sprite, Minute Maid or Fanta, (with Coke points on the inside flap of the box they came in?) Those ring binders that your school office uses may have BoxTops points on the labels! Please send all of these items to school with your child or drop them off at the school office, and your school will benefit from it! We can use the proceeds/points from these companies to purchase playground balls, classroom and office supplies, and discounts on our toner/ink needs, which all helps to keep your costs down! THANKS for your help!