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The Glacier Gazette

December 12th, 2024

Principals Message:​

Good evening, St. Peter’s families and friends.

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I’d like to share a recent update about Lori Fales. She has experienced a set-back and is in the hospital for now. Keep those good thoughts, prayers, and cards coming. 

 

Whenever I am standing in the parking lot or watching the students at recess, I get to do the strangest thing that a church could pay me to do - think! I look at the world around us, I read the Bible that tells us the way that God is teaching us to act, and I think about the people in front of me as I do the work of a pastor of our church and to the principal of our school. When I am done thinking, then I talk to you, sometimes I write to you, and I am praying for you, which may be the most important thing! Plus, I also get to do one of my favorite things – singing! (How much fun was it for us to sing together with the students at our Christmas program!)

 

And now I have the privilege of being a leader and helper for your students. Talk about pay to play! Whether it's being with them during indoor recess, popping into a classroom, or giving a teacher a break, it has given me genuine joy and Christian love to learn how great these kids are. When the situation feels so troublesome in our world, our nation, and our community of St. Peter’s people, I am glad that God is looking out for us. There is more that I'd like to say about all this, so I hope to write a “where we're at” reflection before the Christmas break.

 

Until then, I'd like to offer a gentle invitation to attend our Christmas week services, which are listed below. I am very serious about our praying together about everything that is going on in the world and in our lives. Worship is the place where that happens, but at Christmas we also experience joy and hope because Jesus was born to deliver us from sin, death, and evil, making our lives new. I wish you the peace of the Christ child in this holy season.

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Pax,

Pastor Lans Alexis, Interim Principal

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  • AN IMPORTANT REMINDER: SPES WILL HAVE A HALF DAY TOMORROW, FRIDAY, December 13, 2024. Dismissal will take place between 11:45 and 12 noon. The children will not need to bring a lunch. There will be no AFTER CARE.

  • ​Thank you to everyone who joined us for the intermediate Christmas program on Tuesday night! The children did a marvelous job, and the event was well-attended by parents and family members! It was so well-attended that we understand we ran out of programs. If anyone would like an electronic or paper copy, please call or email Ms. Darney (mdarney@spesmd.org) and let her know. 

  • Now that “winter weather has arrived; we’d like to remind families of our notification process for inclement weather. This is taken directly from our Parent Handbook.

Our Inclement Weather Policy

  • St. Peter’s Inclement Weather Policy is determined by the School Board and carried out by the principal. Under most circumstances, our school will follow Baltimore County Public Schools in determining weather-related schedule changes. A one-hour delay means the school day begins at 10:00 a.m. A two-hour delay means school begins at 11:00 a.m.

  • This also means that Before and After Care will open at 7:45 (1 hr. late) or 8:45 (2 hrs. late). If school closes early, there will be no After Care.

  • Our primary concern is always the safety of our students, their parents, and our staff. We have students and faculty who come many different areas. Very often, the conditions throughout our metropolitan area vary widely.

  • By coordinating with Baltimore County Schools, we try to give parents and staff as much notice as possible.

  • We will also post our school’s name as soon as possible, indicating “school closing”, “delayed opening”, or early “closing” on WBAL TV and radio.

  • On the rare occasion when BCPS academic schedule does not align with St. Peter’s calendar, a robo-call will be sent by 6:00 a.m.

  • St. Peter’s will not follow the excessive heat early dismissal days issued by some public-school systems. We are an air-conditioned facility.

  • Snow days/inclement weather days are built into the annual school calendar. The school year may need to be adjusted according to the number of emergency closings used.

​Announcements

  • New sessions of Snapology (on Mondays) and Science Guys (on Tuesdays) will begin in January 2025, but you can begin registering NOW! Remember that these groups are not for children in our Pre-K. The children really seem to love these afterschool programs!

  • If you are interested in earning some volunteer hours by helping to supervise recess, please sign up using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FAAA829AAF9C70-50591290-recess  The teachers would love it!

  • Our food collection day for December was yesterday, but you can continue to bring in items. These will be delivered by a parent volunteer and will benefit those who need them the most. Thank you all so much for your generosity. We received several “thank you” notes from Victor’s Vittles and they are displayed outside the school office.

  • We are very proud to announce that our November chapel offering totaled $247.45! Our treasurer, Mrs. Kathy Sykes will be sending a check to Lutheran Disaster Response for “Help for Hurricane Victims”. When added to our October contribution of $222.63, we have collected a total of $470.08! This is an amazing feat for our little school! We will continue to earmark our December offering for this worthy cause. Thank you to the kindness and giving spirit of our SPES families!

  • We are still accepting registrations as long as openings are available. (We are happy to take referrals. Remember that SPES offers a $1,000.00 student referral incentive.) Registration packets are available in the office. As of today’s date, all fees for registered students should have already been paid, and monthly and quarterly tuition payments have begun.

COMING IN DECEMBER:​

  • Our school Christmas program for second to fifth graders will take place on Tuesday, December 10th, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. in the church sanctuary.

  • The Christmas program for Pre-K through the first grade will take place on Tuesday, December 17th, 2024, during our chapel service at 9:30 a.m. This is a change from our original December calendar. Our “little people” need a little more time to get ready, but they will be worth the wait!

  • PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Our Christmas/New Year’s/Winter Break will be from Saturday, December 21st to Sunday, January 5th. SCHOOL WILL REOPEN ON MONDAY JANUARY 6TH, 2025!

  • Our OPEN ENROLLMENT for the 2025-2026 school year will soon be announced and is tentatively scheduled to begin in the middle of January 2025! Current families with children in Pre-K through the fourth grade will receive 2025-2026 registration packets. If you would like to register a younger “sibling”, please let Ms. Darney know and she will send a packet home for you.

 

Coming in January 2025: Our OPEN ENROLLMENT for the 2025-2026 school year will begin!

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REGISTRATION INFORMATION​

  • Registration for the 2024-2025 school year continues to be open.

  • A special reminder to our fifth grade parents: Please remember that when you register your child for middle school, you will need to sign a Release of Records form at the new school which will be sent to Ms. Darney in our SPES school office. Once received, she will scan and forward your child’s confidential records, as requested. These records cannot be transported otherwise. 

  • As you are getting ready for the beginning of the school year, please remember that if it is necessary to keep medicine for your child in school, whether for daily administration or in case of emergencies, you must provide us with a copy of the Medical Administration form, completed by yourself and your child’s doctor for each prescription. A copy of this form is attached to this newsletter. Please DO NOT send in any medication with a child.​

  • The BOOST Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for the 2024-2025 academic school year. It is essential that you do not delay in submitting your application. Many families across Maryland will be requesting tuition assistance. The state allocation of funds will not cover every student. Please submit your online application NOW. The website will also be open to new applicants on that date. The link is: https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/Pages/boost/index.aspx

  • The Children’s Scholarship Fund of Baltimore has notified all families by email in February that applications were being accepted for the 2024-25 academic school year. IMPORTANT, do not wait. Please check your email and follow the link. Contact the office with any questions.

  • New Student Referral: SPES offers a $1,000.00 tuition credit to any registered SPES family that also refers a new student who registers.

 

PACE NEWS: We need you!​​​

  • The annual PENNY WARS “competition/fundraiser will continue through Wednesday, December 18th! The money raised for penny wars was used the last few years for teacher Christmas bonuses. The PACE team is happy to consider other uses, if someone has an idea! It’s a great opportunity for the kids to have some fun, while going to a good cause. PACE has been sending out exciting updates! Stay tuned…

  • Here is the link for following PACE 2024-2025. Please make a point of checking it out regularly. By using this, we can notify everyone of things in real time and cut down on emails: https://www.remind.com/join/pacelove

  • If you are interested in earning some volunteer hours by helping to supervise recess, please sign up using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FAAA829AAF9C70-50591290-recess

  • The teachers and the children would love it! If it is too cold, recess will be indoors. Please review our recess information above.

  • Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to help with Hot Lunch! You are all very much appreciated, but we can always use more volunteers, every Tuesday and Thursday.

  •  https://forms.gle/Bw5cAiqtknE7L8Q1A.

  • Santa’s Workshop is in full swing and will continue tomorrow, Friday, December 13th. This is an annual activity that our children LOVE! Thank you to all of volunteers and “elves” who helped with this huge project! The out-pouring of love and support has been wonderful!

  • Our spirit wear apparel is available through XSELL Promotions via the following link: https://stpeter24-25.itemorder.com. Orders will be filled and delivered to the school and packaged by invoice. Embroidered logos can be completed on any polo shirt for $8. Ms. Darney will call you when your order arrives.

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ST. PETER’S LUTHERAN CHURCH NEWS:​​​​

  • Looking ahead, St. Peter’s will have two worship services on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, 2024. One service will be at 4:00 p.m., with a candlelight service at 10:30 p.m. All are welcome!

  • St. Peter’s Lutheran Church offers a $1,000.00 tuition incentive to every school family who attends twenty worship services in one school year, from August 1st to July 31st. Contact Karen Yelovich if you would like more information. The church offers a traditional service at 8:45 a.m., Sunday School and an Adult Bible Class at 10:00 a.m., and a contemporary service at 10:15 a.m.

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:​

  • If you are interested in resolving outstanding service hours or accumulating NEW service hours, here are several opportunities! Please contact the school office at 410-665-4521. Your help is MUCH appreciated! Thank you in advance!

  • We are in need of parent volunteers to help us with recess duty. If you are able to help, please use the link to sign up for a day. We greatly appreciate it! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FAAA829AAF9C70-50591290-recess#/

  • We are in need of Hot Lunch volunteers! If you are able to help, please use the link to sign up! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084DAAAC2CA5F49-51153332-spes#/

  • The school entrance breezeway needs to be power-washed.

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Contact Info:

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