Principal’s Report 1/16/14
Dear Lumen Christi,
It appears a “Pineapple Express” is on its way to Alaska which means uncertain weather conditions. Please remember, if the Anchorage School District closes its schools, Lumen will be closed as well. If the school is closed, it also means after school activities will be cancelled. Also remember, Monday is the Martin Luther King holiday and schools will be closed.
The next big event for the school is Catholic Schools Week. This is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Schools typically observe National Catholic Schools Week with Mass, open houses, and other activities for students, families, parishioners, and community members. Through these events, the schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities, and our nation. The SEAS students are having their community service event on Monday, January 27. The juniors and seniors will be going over to help make sandwiches. There will be a service drive for an organization in need and a letter writing campaign. We will also put up a thank you bulletin board for St. Benedict’s Parish. Below are other events for Lumen:
Fri., January 24
Field trip to “Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat” at West High School
Cost: $15.00 per student; permission slips are due Friday, Jan. 17
9:20 AM until 12:20 PM
Mon., January 27
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM – Assembly
Rosary at St. Benedict Parish
Wed., January 29
Friday “B” schedule day
Lunch at Parish Hall from 12:20 PM until 1 PM
1:00 PM – buses leave Lumen
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM – SEAS Mass and Refreshments
3:30 PM – Students to return to Lumen
Fri., January, 31st
Sledding for junior high students
11:00 AM – Leave Lumen (event runs until 2:00 PM at Kincaid)
Free; permission slips required. The school will need chaperones and drivers.
An important part of our school is our athletic program. We are blessed to show how God works through our students in the spirit of athletic competition and sportsmanship. In addition to the upcoming home games, which you can find on the Lumen website, the following away games are right around the corner. The “Kenai Super Trip” is January 29 – 31. The games are as follows:
January 29: Nikolaevsk (Niko)
January 30: Ninilchik
January 31: CIA – Cook Inlet Academy, Soldotna
We also have a trip to Seldovia coming up February 7-8. Away games are a lot of fun and it’s great to see fans in the stands. Please travel to support the teams, if your schedules permit.
We will continue to remind you about the Lumen Winter Wonderland Gala. We sent out mailings this week. We highly encourage you to attend and participate in making the event a success. It is one of the primary fundraisers to offset school expenses as we provide our students a quality faith-based education. Please contact the Gala Committee at gala@lumenchristiak.org or 907-273-1530 for further information on how you can assist with the event and/or help us sell corporate tables.
One of the elements that make the Lumen Winter Wonderland Gala a success is the gift baskets. Gift baskets always sell well at our Gala and we would love each family to consider donating a basket. You don’t have to put it together and make it look beautiful. Just leave it up to the basket committee to do it for you! Themes can be almost anything from wine and cheese, to gardening, hobbies, coffee, movies, etc. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. LeAndra Childs or Mrs. Jessica Estes.
The other great fundraiser for the school is the annual campaign fund called the LUMENary drive. These are tax-deductible donations to the school. We have now raised $37,381.00 and are over half way to the $70,000.00 goal mark. Please help us reach our goal! If you work for a company that matches donations, let us know. We encourage you to reach out to grandparents and other family members to help support the Lumen Christi mission. The money we collect goes directly to the school to help with teacher salaries, academics, and building maintenance. Any amount large or small is put to good use. Checks can be dropped off at the front with Mrs. Katie Roche.
Another exciting opportunity for our students comes from the Alaska Studies class. This class is hoping to travel to Juneau from February 4-5. The intent of the trip is to visit the Alaska State Legislature and to learn more about how our state government works. The air travel is the most significant expense. Therefore, we are looking for donations of Alaska Air miles to help transport the students to the state capital. Please contact Mrs. Roche or Mrs. Mespelli with any questions or donations. Thank you again for your ever-commendable service to our school and its students!
ATLAS (Alaska Teen Leadership Summit) is now accepting applications for the week long summer residence program at University of Alaska – Fairbanks. ATLAS is designed to develop leadership skills for students in grades 9 – 12, while allowing them to earn two college credits. Students learn essential components of leadership including communication, ethics, social responsibility, and how to create a project plan. The total cost for the program is $450.00. Some scholarships are available based on demonstrated financial need. The application deadline is April 10. For more information, visit the ATLAS website at www.atlasuaf.com or contact the Program Coordinator, Andrea Miller, at 907-474-5942.
Finally, a member of the Lumen community studying at Seattle Pacific University has asked if we could help her with her senior research project. It is a survey for middle school athlete sports injuries. Please consider participating, to assist her in this project. The link for the survey is https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_b8vALTl6yUVo3bv .
Thank you all for your support of Lumen!
John Harmon
Principal, Lumen Christi High School