The Panther Post

Dear Families,

As we prepare for the school year ahead, we want to share a brief amendment regarding our school Dress and Appearance Commitment. Following a thoughtful review with parents, staff, and our School Ministry Team (SMT), we have made a couple of small changes to ensure our standards are clear, practical, and supportive of all our students.

Here are the key updates to know:

• Length Expectation: Shorts, skirts, and dresses must reach to or past the full length of the student’s fingers when standing upright with relaxed shoulders. This applies to all students in all grades. This change supports consistency across classrooms, keeps the focus on learning, and aligns directly with the expectations held by Lutheran High School, where many of our students advance.

• 5th Grade Alignment: Moving forward, 5th-grade dress code expectations will align with the K–5 standards rather than Middle School.

Admittedly, this amendment took longer than expected due to the process of reaching a full consensus. Please accept our apologies for the delay, but also rest assured that any school clothes you have already purchased for the upcoming year should already meet these updated standards — there should be no need to make additional purchases.

You can review our complete, amended Dress and Appearance Commitment Policy.

Thank you for your continued partnership in creating a positive, respectful environment where every student can thrive.

Because of your extraordinary generosity and commitment to our school community, this past year has seen tremendous growth and milestone achievements. We want to share an exciting update on how your financial support is already making a direct impact on our campus, our educators, and our students.

Locker Room & Facility Updates: $250,000 Raised

At the end of 2025 and the start of 2026, our community rallied together to support our campus infrastructure. Thanks to your incredible support, we met our goal and raised $250,000 to update our locker rooms and offset some costs of prior refurbishments.

• Current Status: The funds are fully secured and ready to go as soon as construction can begin.

• Behind the Scenes: Our Building Committee has been hard at work finalizing designs, selecting quality materials, and laying out construction plans.

• Next Steps: We are currently navigating the permitting and scheduling process and will share timeline updates as soon as work on-site is cleared to start.

The Bigger Picture:

This facility work is part of a greater plan to refurbish our entire school and church campus, creating an incredible, functional space for your and your families. You can already see the level of excellence achieved in our entrance foyer, gymnasium, and middle school hallways. We are excited to push this excellence into every corner of our facility, providing your students with outstanding spaces to grow, excel, and thrive. Information on how you can partner with this transformation will be coming soon.

Spring Auction Success: Putting Your Generosity to Work

This past April, our community came together for our Spring Auction and raised just over $100,000 dedicated to supporting our staff and our tuition assistance programs. Over the summer, those dollars went right to work delivering immediate, transformative impacts across our school:

• Scholarships: $146,000 in scholarships were granted for the upcoming school year, welcoming 24 students into our community who otherwise wouldn't have been able to attend.

• ELC Staff Bonuses: We distributed bonus checks to our outstanding Early Learning Center staff to say thank you for their dedication and hard work.

• Welcoming Outstanding Leadership & Staff:

  • We recruited Dr. Jennifer Coggin to lead our Early Learning Center into its next chapter.

  • We welcomed Mrs. Selph to our teaching team as our 5th Grade teacher, providing relocation assistance to bring her talent all the way from Hawaii.

• Dedicated Academic Leadership: We transitioned Mrs. Lohmann from 5th Grade into a full-time leadership role. This shift will drive overall teaching and learning excellence while providing dedicated leadership support for our classroom teachers and team members working with children who have extra learning needs.

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support of St. John’s School. Their partnership strengthens our mission and helps us see our Graduate Promise—Grow in Faith, Excel in Education, Thrive in Community—come to life in the lives of more than 300 children each year.

When it fits your family’s needs, we hope you’ll consider supporting the sponsors who pour into our school community and into your children.

Please click on a sponsor for more information.

Editions dating back to October 25, 2024, can be found here.