Eagle Express
October 9, 2026
Please join us on Friday, October 23, from 6:00–7:30 PM for our “Blast into Reading” Literacy Night!
We are excited to welcome Lori Degman, a local children’s author, who will give a special presentation and read one of her books, Cock-a-Doodle Oops!
After the presentation, families will have the opportunity to participate in a fun activity together in their children’s classrooms.
For more information about Lori Degman and to explore her other books, visit:
We hope you and your child can join us for an evening of reading, fun, and learning!
We are honored to invite you to our annual “Grandparents Day” at St. John School on Wednesday, October 28, to experience the wonderful blessings of our school. During the morning, our guests will experience what a typical school morning is like for our students. Grandparents are invited to enjoy coffee and pastries in the Fellowship Hall before the day begins.
We will begin the day with our Lord at 8:20am in church for our weekly chapel service. Following the chapel service, grandparents will stay in the church for a brief note from Mr. Retzlaff before heading to explore their grandchildren's classrooms. Grandparents with more than one grandchild at St. John are welcome to pop into any of those classrooms during their visit. School ends at 11:30am that day. Please inform the classroom teacher if you, as a grandparent, will be taking your grandchild(ren) home with you.
Grandparents include other “special people” in your child’s life, so feel free to invite others.
Please RSVP by October 22 so we can be ready to welcome you and our other guests using this link.
On Monday, October 12, Mrs. Gunn (Chloe’s mom) will be volunteering her time and sharing her creativity to lead engaging art and STEM projects with the students in the whole school. The students look forward to these extra fun days!
Thank you, Mrs. Gunn, for volunteering your time to teach our students!
Upcoming Online Bible Study: Walking Through Tough Times
Online Bible studies aren't for everyone, but would you like to gather around God's Word from the comfort of your own home? Mr. Retzlaff is starting a 5-week online Bible study that will meet on Thursday evenings at 8:00 PM beginning October 15.
When earthly trials or personal fatigue weigh heavily upon us, the devil frequently uses these moments to breed doubt, anxiety, and despair. To counter these spiritual attacks, we need to look away from our subjective feelings and anchor our faith firmly in the Gospel. That is what he will be covering in the 30-45-minute Bible study over Google Meet entitled Walking Through Tough Times.
October 15 - Recognizing the Enemy's Strategy
October 22 - When the Future Is Uncertain
October 29 - When You Feel Completely Alone
November 5 - When Life Feels Unfair
November 12 - When Your Faith Feels Weak
If you would like to give this a try, please email David at david.retzlaff@stjohnslib.com or fill out the form via the QR code.
If you can't make it each week, that is fine. The lessons are independent of each other, so join whenever you can.
Let your teacher know if your child is getting retakes
School pictures were already taken, but if your child was absent, or if the pictures end up not turning out quite how you had hoped, there will be a picture re-take day on Friday, October 16, NOT on the 15th as was listed on the original school calendar.
Are you hoping to volunteer for Spirit Days or chaperone for a field trip? Parents and care-givers who will be working directly with students (Field Trip chaperones, Spirit Day volunteers, ...) will need to first apply (and be approved) through our Safe Child Program. Stop by the office after drop-off or before pick-up time to get an application for working with St. John youth. You may have already gotten this application from your child's teacher. Once completed, the application can be turned in to the school office.
If you have already gone through our Safe Child Program and would like to renew your status for this year, please let Mrs. Gement know, and she will get you the renewal forms.
We will be publishing our first list of Safe Child volunteers for the 2026-2027 school year soon. If you would like to be included please reach out to Mrs. Gement ASAP to check where you are at with the application or renewal process.
We strongly encourage all our parents to have their children to school each day between 7:50am and 8:10am. Whether a student is in preschool or 8th grade, late arrivals greatly disrupt the classroom and make transitioning into the school day much more difficult. Please adjust your morning routines to make sure that all students can arrive on time each day. Overall, we have been doing pretty well with tardiness so far this year, but we are seeing an increase. Let's see if we can get things back on track again.
As you well know, there can be traffic issues and inclement weather at times - we can't do much to control that. And we do realize that some parents have made us aware of special circumstances - those are understandable. But let those be the exceptions.
Ideally, all students will arrive no later than 8:00am. This gives students a good chance to get organized, visit with classmates, use the bathroom, fill up water bottles, or ask the teacher questions. Late arrivals are disruptive, limit proper transition, and create an unfavorable educational experience for everyone. Your help in eliminating tardiness will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help!
Congratulations to our First Place Winners!
Pictured:
5th Grade - Miles Horner
4th Grade - Sebastian Penaloza
3rd Grade - Lylah Holter
2nd Grade - Jazlyn Francis
1st Grade - Mila Penaloza
Thursday Results and Congratulations to:
- Chase Zahnen 5th overall 1st for 4th-6th age group
- Lawson Weaver 6th overall, 2nd for 4th-6th age group
Our final Cross Country meet will be Tuesday, October 20, at St. Joe's (Lincoln Park) in Kenosha, WI. This meet will be for the boys in grades 5-8 only.
The runners and siblings will be allowed to leave at 3 pm on Thursday.
All runners and coaches will attend a meeting at 4:15 pm.
The boys run at 5:00 pm with awards to follow.
It is that time of year to start looking ahead to the basketball season. We will be partnering again with North Star Classical Christian School.
- Practices at North Star will begin the first week of November.
Please let Beth Rockwell know if your son/daughter is interested in playing this season at beth.rockwell@stjohnslib.com
We are going to start conditioning days in order to prepare for the basketball season. These are the days we have set so far, rain or shine. We will be done at 4:15 pm. There will be more dates to come.
- Tuesday, Oct. 13
- Wednesday, Oct. 14
Please make sure your child is dressed properly and wears shoes in which he/she can do a lot of running.
If you are not able to pick up your son/daughter by 4:20 pm, we will take him/her to ESS.
Girls in grades 4-8 and boys in grades 4-6 who are interested in participating in basketball should plan to attend these conditioning practices.
School Directory
We will have the School Directory available at the end of October, but before we can do that, the office needs any recent changes to your contact information. Before the school year started, you turned in registration paperwork. Included was a form where you checked "yes" or "no" about being listed in a school directory. If you have changed your mind about being included or not included, let Mrs. Gement know.
Please email any changes to office@stjohnslib.com by Friday, October 23.
Shop using gift cards to raise money for St. John!
If you're buying groceries, gas, clothing, dining out, or shopping online, RaiseRight lets you earn money for our school through purchases you're already making.
Whether you're filling up the gas tank, buying groceries, ordering gifts, or shopping online, RaiseRight can help turn everyday purchases into fundraising for St. John.
Get started with this link:
raiseright.com/enroll/RR-S15ZW9BG64
Contact Mary-Ann Penaloza with questions: mlince14@gmail.com or 414-313-3636
Did you know that in 2026 the U.S. is experiencing its most dire shortage of blood donations in its history? Currently, across the nation there is less than a single day's worth of needed blood, and doctors are being forced to deny help to the critically ill, especially accident victims and cancer patients. YOU can make a difference - more than you realize - with a simple donation. Your 1 pint donated can save up to 3 lives.
St. John will host a blood drive on Sunday, October 25. Please join our St. John family and tell your friends and neighbors to donate as well. The Versiti van will be in our parking lot from 8:00am-Noon. Walk-ins are welcome, but to guarantee a prompt donation, please sign up on the schedule at:
https://donateblood.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/11646117.
You may also contact Carol Lemerand to schedule a time (dancemore437@yahoo.com or 847.530.9058).
Please join us for a "Mom's of St. John's School" afternoon out.
What: A time to get together and meet other St. John's Mom's
When: Sunday, October 25th at 2:00pm
Where: The Parched Pug in Libertyville
Who: Hosted by Kara Larson and Tracy Hucker
How: Each participant is responsible for their food and beverages.
RSVP: Please RSVP by Friday, October 23rd
Questions? You can reach out to Tracy (847) 204-4450
St. John Lutheran School
Email: info@stjohnslib.com
Website: stjohnslib.com
Location: 501 West Park Avenue, Libertyville, IL, USA
Phone: (847)362-4424
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stjohnslib/