Eagle Express
August 18, 2026
Well, tonight is officially a "school night." Hopefully, that is a good thing!
Tomorrow, our Extended School Services program will be available starting at 6:30am. For those who may need that, buzz in at the main front door (Door #1). Otherwise, the doors will open at 7:50am. Parents should enter or send in their children at Door #1. Mr. Retzlaff will be out there ready to greet you and help answer any last-minute questions that you may have. We also have backdrops set up in the upstairs entryway and the downstairs hallway if you wish to take 1st-Day photos of your children.
The students will gather in their classrooms and then get ready for our Opening Service in the church at 8:30am. We realize that morning schedules are complicated, but if you are able, we hope that you will stay for our Opening Service. It's a great way to remind us why our school is here and the benefits our children will have as they gather around God's Word each school day. It's also a great time to visit with some of the other parents as we all adjust ourselves to another school year. If you need a coffee refill or a quick treat, we will have something ready for you. You should be on your way by 9:00am, but if you have time and wish to stay for a bit and visit, please do so. We hope you will come and join us!
If you haven't had a chance to check out Kiddos Lunches yet, there's still time!
Ordering for the first week of lunches closes on: August 19, 2026. That is tomorrow!
Click here to view menus and place your order: www.kiddoscatering.com/SJL
Any lunch questions? Kiddos is happy to help at support@kiddoscatering.com
*Returning families and new families need to create a new account so Kiddos has your family's most up-to-date information, including grades.
Lunch service begins: August 28, 2026
Order by: Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at midnight, for the first week's lunches.
Saturday, September 12
All of our school families are warmly invited to join us for St. John's annual picnic on Saturday, September 12. We will have our worship service from 4:00-5:00pm. All the school children (preschool through 8th grade) are scheduled to sing for the service. We always look forward to having the students participate and help in this way. After the service, we will have our picnic, hopefully outside on part of our parking lot. We will have a bounce house for the kids, the annual cornhole tournament, and some great food to eat! We hope to see all of our school families there!
If you are able, here's how you can help:
What to Bring: Dessert (families with last name A-J)
Side Dish (families with last name K-Z)
Main Dish: Will be provided by the church/school
This is always one of our favorite events of the year. Everyone is welcome, and guests are encouraged, so feel free to invite others to join with you for worship, fellowship, and a free meal with BBQ pork as the main dish!
Please RSVP and sign up to help make this year's picnic a huge success! https://bit.ly/4pKDSdH
After reviewing our dress code, the School Board made some slight revisions to our Family Handbook. To refresh yourself on our expectations for student appearance, be sure to read pages 23-24. It is also a good time to review the entire handbook. Feel free to keep the link below handy for reference throughout the year. If you would ever like a hard copy, let Jodi know in the office, and she will provide that for you. Thank you for helping our school be the best it can be!
Piano lessons at our school will again be available during the school day. Lessons are for students in grades 2-8. Monica Kohrt will again be serving as the instructor. Lessons are given on the church piano, and they usually take place on Mondays. It is wonderful that our school can offer this since it gives students an extra aspect of education, and it can be done right during the school day to help avoid an extra item added to your busy schedule.
If you have a returning piano student, please be sure to contact Monica Kohrt to ensure your spot is reserved. There are about three openings still available for new students, so if you would like to have your child begin piano lessons this year, contact Monica and let her know. For more information or questions, please email Monica at monicakohrt@gmail.com .
A point of feedback we received from our surveys to parents last year was that it would be nice to offer some programs/clubs for students after school. Since the older students often have sports-related options available, the main concern was for activities for younger students. In an effort to help accomplish this, we are looking for parents to volunteer and help us out. Read over our parameters and the list of possible options. Based on interest and availability, the options can be adjusted. If you are interested in helping, copy off the attached form or let Mr. Retzlaff know. Hopefully, we can get something started soon!
Basic Parameters
Parents sign up to help as leaders. Hours helping are counted toward PPP hours
Each club meets one night a week for about 4 weeks
Have a 2-3 week break between club offerings
Use the back of one of the upper-grade classrooms
Sessions are 55 minutes (from 3:20-4:15pm)
Attempt to use Tuesday afternoons to avoid other scheduled events
Charge $20/student for each club. Students are not officially enrolled until payment is received.
Payments will be deposited into the School Gift Account and will be used to purchase needed materials
Minimum of 5 students needed for each session to take place
Suggested Timeframe
Session #1 - Cooking Class
Week of Sept. 7
Week of Sept. 14
Week of Sept. 21
Week of Sept. 28
Session #2 - Yoga for Kids
Week of Oct. 19
Week of Oct. 26
Week of Nov. 2
Week of Nov. 16
Session #3 - LEGO Building
Week of Jan. 11
Week of Jan. 18
Week of Jan 25
Week of Feb. 1
Session #4 - Animal Exploration
Week of Feb. 22
Week of Mar. 1
Week of Mar. 8
Week of Mar. 15
Session #5 - Crafting
Week of April 12
Week of April 19
Week of April 27
Week of May 3
Get ready to give your child the gift of a new language! Lil Scholars Spanish is so excited to be returning to St. John starting Monday, September 14. Classes are every Monday from 3:15 PM to 3:50 PM. We play games, sing songs, and even do art crafts. We make the entry into a foreign language fun! Each 8-week session is $109. Simply send a quick text to Paula at 847.997.6438 to get your child enrolled today! There is a registration form but it's not necessary if you send a text. Any questions? Call Paula at the listed number.
Mr. Retzlaff is organizing our annual football pool for any interested parents. It is just for fun with no money involved, but at the end of the season, there will be a trophy for our top finisher. Two years ago, Peter Kolch was our winner, and last year Mr. Retzlaff grabbed the championship trophy (which is proudly displayed in his office if you want to check it out). Who will be our winner this year?
The pool is run through the CBS Sports website. To join, you simply need to click on this link and sign up to create an account. If you have an account from last year, you should be good to go. Each week of the regular NFL season, you pick who you think will win each game, and then you rank each game with a value from 1-16. It’s pretty simple – but lots of fun. If you have ever joined a fantasy football league, this is much easier and much less time-consuming. Click on the link, sign up, and join our pool called “The Eagle’s Nest”. The first game of the season is Thursday, September 9.
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/