Eagle Express
October 23, 2026
Please join us tonight, 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.
We hope you and your child can join us for an evening of reading, fun, and learning!
We are honored to host 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 tonight so we can be ready to welcome you and our other guests using this link.
The students have school off next Thursday and Friday, October 29-30. So what do the teachers do during those days?
All of our St. John teachers will be joining other Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) teachers throughout Wisconsin and Illinois at the Wisconsin Lutheran State Teachers' Conference at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee. That means that our teachers will be gathering with 1,200 other teachers in schools similar to ours.
The teachers will attend various sectionals that are offered, and then there will be two keynote speakers. Dr. Rhoda Wolle will explore the fascinating intersection of Scripture and neuroscience, discovering practical, research-based strategies for renewing our own minds and equipping our students to develop healthy thought patterns, resilience, and Christ-centered flourishing.
The second keynote will be presented by Rev. Earle Treptow, who is the president at our pastor-training seminary in Mequon. He will be speaking about how to foster a healthy perspective of ministry as teachers face the normal stress of carrying out ministry in our schools.
Fall Read-A-Thon: October 28 - November 30
Get ready to read, track your minutes, and help our school reach its goal! Our Fall Read-A-Thon runs from October 28 through November 30, and every student can participate through our 99Pledges fundraising platform.
Our Goal: $7,000
Each student has a personalized fundraising page that can be shared with family and friends. Students can also log their reading minutes as they work toward their reading goals throughout the month.
How It Works
- Students have their own personalized page on 99Pledges
- Students share their page with family and friends to collect donations
- Log reading minutes throughout the fundraiser
- Help our school unlock fun school-wide rewards!
Invitations have been sent to parent email addresses.
Need help or didn't receive your invitation?
Mary-Ann Penaloza | 414-313-3636 | mlince14@gmail.comTracy Hucker | 847-204-4450 | thucker@sbcglobal.net
School-Wide Incentive Goals
$4,000 Goal
Sweet Treat Day + Mystery Reader Fun
$5,000 Goal
Pajama Day + Campout Reading Day
Blankets •Flashlights •Reading Stations •Snacks
$6,000 Goal
$10 Book Fair Coupon for Every Student
$7,000 Goal
Duct Tape Mr. Curtis to the Wall!
Plus a fun afternoon of board games, trivia, charades, and more!
At St. John, we seek to constantly evaluate our school from multiple perspectives, all in an effort to make this a great place for your child and your family.
Because the parent perspective is so important to us, we've partnered again with ParentPulse, a company that specializes in collecting feedback for Christian schools. Going forward, each parent in our school will receive an invitation every few months to respond to a short survey. These surveys will be staggered – parents will receive the invitations via e-mail or text at different times.
We simply ask that you take five minutes to complete a survey when you receive one. The higher the percentage of surveys completed, the more useful the information becomes for us. Many schools only send one (longer) survey each year, but we want to capture your thoughts and feelings in shorter surveys – and at multiple points over the year – so we can understand how things are evolving and how we can best adapt!
So, please be on the lookout for an e-mail or text from ParentPulse. The subject line will clearly identify St. John. Remember that not all parents will receive surveys at the same time, but if you don't get a survey request at some point in the next month or so, let Mr. Retzlaff know so that he can make sure the program is working properly.
The information you provide is collected solely for our analysis, and your personal contact information will not be used or shared by ParentPulse.
Thank you for partnering with us in Christian education!
Walking Through Tough Times
Mr. Retzlaff hosted the first online Bible study last night. If you didn't log on with us, don't worry. You can feel free to join during any of the next four lessons. Simply let Mr. Retzlaff know that you are interested, and he will be sure to send you the Google Meet link. We meet on Thursday evenings at 8:00 PM.
Lessons coming up:
- 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.
Brick Donations & Loans Needed!
We have a packed house and need more LEGO bricks to keep up with our creative campers. If you have extra bricks to lend or donate, please drop them off at the front desk. Loaned bricks will be kept separate and returned!
We have a tentative basketball schedule for practices and games. The practices are set and will be at North Star Classical Christian School from 3:30 - 5:00pm.
- Tuesday, Nov. 3rd - Practice
- Thursday, Nov. 5th - Practice
- Wednesday, Nov. 11th - Practice
- Thursday, Nov. 12th - Practice
- Wednesday, Nov. 18th - Practice
Find those uniforms and warm-up shirts from last year. Please have your child try them on and make sure they fit. If you have a uniform from a sibling that we can borrow for the basketball season, please bring it to Mrs. Rockwell. We don't have a lot of new players and would like to try not to order any new uniforms this year. Mrs. Rockwell also has a couple of extras.
Sports physicals need to be current for your child to participate in practices and games. Please ask Mrs. Gement if you have any questions about this.
Please start making ride arrangements to get your child to North Star for practices.
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 this Sunday.
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: stjohnslibschool.com
Location: 501 West Park Avenue, Libertyville, IL, USA
Phone: (847)362-4424
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stjohnslib/