Merry, Merry CHRISTmas!!!

Hello, dear parents!  Goodness!  What a week!  We have been busy and had loads of fun celebrating CHRISTmas in all that we did this week!  I am so thankful for all of you and your help!  

CHRISTMAS ADVENT SERVICE-We shared the message of Jesus birth so beautifully on Wednesday evening!  Thank you for supporting us and worshipping with us! The LIGHT has Come!

POLAR EXPRESS PARTY-We had some fun yesterday hot chocolating it up and watching Polar Express in our pj’s!  We also had the opportunity to view some of the newer movie, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, based on the book we read this week.  It was fun to compare both movies to the books we read.  

BOWLING/CAROLING-We had a blast bowling and caroling today, and we did a beautiful job sharing God’s message at Benton House!  I was proud of how our kids witnessed, and how well-behaved they were!

*The end of the 2nd quarter is TODAY!  Report cards will come home after Christmas Break. 

*Our home BASKETBALL games that were planned for this evening, will be rescheduled.  Hope Lutheran has had A LOT of illness, and they do not have enough players to field teams, (and have even postponed their Christmas Program to January.)  I am working on rescheduling those games.  Please pray for our fellow Brothers and Sisters at Hope Lutheran.  

*We have added another field trip to our 4^th grade fun!  On Friday, January 16th, 2026, we will be visiting Kauffmann Stadium with the 5^th graders to attend their Royals Scholastic Victory Program (RSVP).  We will be leaving school and returning around 1:30. Please send a sack lunch with your child that day.  We will need some drivers and chaperones.  Permission slips came home in backpacks last Friday.  are coming home in backpacks today.  Please sign and return the forms.  (I have also attached a hard copy.)  Thank you!  

Here is what we have been up to in the classroom:

RELIGION-This week, we reviewed the 10^th Commandment and also learned about Jesus' Birth From Luke 2.  This went right along with the book we read for Language Arts this week.  

MEMORY-1/6-Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10b

  1/9-The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

LANGUAGE ARTS-We began and finished the chapter book, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!”  It is fun for me to hear the little gasps of surprise and the laughter when these kiddos are reading!  It is fun to see them so enthralled in a book!  We read together, independently, and with partners, and quizzed over each chapter.  We also focused on the vocabulary /spelling words from this story.

MATH-This week, most of us mastered long division!  We worked on it almost daily, and I think we are getting the hang of it!  We have also been working on 10s and 11s in mad minutes and worked with graphing this week. 

Special Classes:

MUSIC- We practiced songs for the Advent/Christmas service. 

P.E.- We played outside this week when the weather was nice!  

SPANISH-Students listened to a Christmas story and guessed the Spanish words.  They made ornaments and wrote in Spanish.  

ART-We worked on cards for Benton House and we began our auction project.  

Upcoming Events:

December

22-Jan 2nd-Christmas Break

January

2-Teacher Inservice

5-School resumes

9-BB games at Timothy, beginning at 6pm

12-16 NWEA Testing

13-BB games at St. Paul's, Concordia, MO beginning at 5pm

16-BB games at Timothy, beginning at 5:30pm

19-MLK-No School

22-BB games at St. Paul's, Concordia, MO beginning at 5pm

23-BB games at Bethany, beginning at 5:30pm

24-BB games at Timothy, beginning at 9am

26-30-NLSW National Lutheran Schools Week

29-Oral Report book reports are due

30-Grandparents Day; 12:30 dismissal

29th-31st--BB 5th/6th Grade League Tournament at St. Paul

***Please join us for WORSHIP***

Christmas Eve Services:  4:00 pm (Contemporary), 6:00 pm (Traditional) & 10:00 pm (Carols with Holy Communion)

Christmas Day:  Dec. 25, 10am (with Holy Communion)

*I want wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!  I count you and your kiddos all amongst my many blessings, and you all will be in my thoughts and prayers!  See you on the 5th.  :)  Love you all!

Love,

Mrs. Brunkhorst

We showed some love to Mrs. McBee, as she is off to a new job and new adventure!  We are so BLESSED beyond measure to have had her here with us!  We love you, Kristen!

The band was AMAZING!

Working on art!

Come Lord Jesus, Come!

 Hi, all!  We have had a great week!  Thank you for your donation to our Angel Tree gifts.  We were able to buy a 10 year old girl a cool, pink remote control car, and give a 10 year old boy a gift card to Game Stop.  We wrote letters of Christ's love in Christmas cards that we attached to the gifts.  :)

Please take a look at upcoming events (SO MANY!):

*On Monday, the preschoolers will present their Christmas Program at 6:00 pm here at school.  It is entitled, "Christmas Around the World." 

*On Tuesday, the band will be having their Christmas band performance at 6:30 pm.  They are amazing, so please come and join us for a great performance!  

*Our students will be singing and leading the Advent Service THIS Wednesday, December 17^th at 6:00 pm.  Our program is called "The Light Has Come!"  Please plan to be here, as the kiddos have been working hard and are so excited to share the Good News of our newborn Savior with you!   We respectfully ask that students come dressed in their Christmas best. We are grateful for your partnership in helping our students present the joyful message of our Savior’s birth with adoration and joy! Please have students meet in classrooms at 5:30. Thank you!  

*4th Grade POLAR EXPRESS PARTY-Thursday, DECEMBER 18th!  We will be reading books by Chris VanAllsburg, ending with “The Polar Express.”  On this day, the kiddos can wear their pajamas to school, (please wear or send tennis shoes too!) and we will watch the movie in the afternoon with some hot cocoa and candy canes!  Blankets and pillows are welcome for this fun day.

ALL-SCHOOL BOWLING AND CAROLING TRIP-Friday, DECEMBER 19th!  We are SO excited for this!  The whole school will head to Lunar Bowl in the morning.  We will return to school for lunch.  After lunch, we will be going caroling at local nursing homes.  Permission slips came home on Tuesday.  Please get these in by Monday.  Drivers will be needed for both events, so please mark your calendars.  Thank you!

*Our first home basketball games are next Friday, December 19^th as well.  Please come cheer on the Rams, if you are able!

Friday, December 19th @ Timothy

5:30 pm: Timothy 5/6 G  vs. Hope 5/6 G

6:30 pm: Timothy 7/8 G vs. Hope 7/8 G

7:30 pm: Timothy 5/6 B  vs. Hope 5/6 B

8:30 pm: Timothy 7/8 B vs. Hope 7/8 B

*We have added another field trip to our 4^th grade fun!  On Friday, January 16th, 2026, we will be visiting Kauffmann Stadium with the 5^th graders to attend their Royals Scholastic Victory Program (RSVP).  We will be leaving school and returning around 1:30. Please send a sack lunch with your child that day.  We will need some drivers and chaperones.  Permission slips are coming home in backpacks today.  Please sign and return them by next Friday.    Thank you!  

Here is what we have been up to in the classroom:

RELIGION-We discussed the birth of John the Baptist and how he was a “forerunner” for Jesus. We reviewed the 7th, 8th, and 9th commandments and how they relate to our lives by reviewing the Bible stories of Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1-10), Achan (Joshua 7), Saul, David, and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18), Jesus before the High Priests (Matthew 26:  57-75), Abraham and Lot (Genesis 13) and Ahab and Jezabel.  We have been reading a lot straight from God's Word this week!  

MEMORY-12/16- What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.

 

12/19- We will have a short matching test over the commandments.

LANGUAGE ARTS-We reviewed the story of Sacagawea, Charbonneau, their son Pomp, and Lewis and Clark.   We worked with abbreviations, analogies, and finding syllables in words. 

SPELLING WORDS for Friday, December 19th-

(from “The Best Little Christmas Pageant Ever”) manger, vain, barge, villain, hymn, hustle, cross, urn, retire, pageant, ancestor, congregation, interrupt, truant, imitation, *vengeance

 MATH-We have learned how to do long division!  I am SO proud of how hard these kiddos are working!  They have the steps down and today worked with remainders and understanding what they mean and represent.  We will continue this work next week and test over Chapter 7.  Students are memorizing 10s and 11s in mad minutes.  

SOCIAL STUDIES-This week, we have read and learned all about the Midwest states. (Yay, Missouri!) We learned how the Midwest is known for farming and manufacturing, as well as jobs in the service industry.  We talked about the kinds of music that was made popular here and also the many attractions found in the Midwest.  We continued watching and taking notes over the show "Aerial America: Missouri."  

Special Classes:

MUSIC- We are practicing the songs for our upcoming Advent/Christmas service. 

P.E.- We used our basketball skills of dribbling, passing, and shooting to do several drills with partners this week. 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP- We created Christmas letters and cards for you and for the people in the nursing homes next week.  

COMPUTER LAB-Students used Google to create slideshows about themselves.  We are getting quite used to using this format.  

SPANISH-Students learned the words to "Feliz Navidad!"

ART-We have made Christmas cards and gifts for YOU!

Have a blessed weekend,

Kim

Winter Wonderland Christmas Store

Our amazing band playing for us at Chapel!

Our new pastor, Pastor Kendall Meyer!  Welcome!

It's GREAT to be back!

  

Hi, Parents!  This has been a short, but busy week.  :) I missed the kiddos and was so thankful to see them on Wednesday! 

Please take a look at upcoming events:

*Angel Tree-As a tradition, my 4th grade class does not buy gifts for one another.  Instead, we try to purchase gifts for some children who are less fortunate this Christmas.  Today's devotion was about sharing with others and how when we are helping someone in need, we are also doing this for Jesus.  We all love this, and it is so fun picking out presents, and sharing God’s love with other people, as He has taught us to do!  This year, we have chosen two kiddos from Timothy Lutheran Ministries “Angel Trees.” The gifts have to be ready to go by December 14th, so, we went ahead and went "shopping" om Amazon yesterday and picked out presents.  ;) If your child or you are willing and able to contribute money, please send that in week.  ($0-$5 is sufficient.)  We will also be making cards for these kids, where the students will be able to share the Good News of Jesus in this way too!  Thank you for your generosity and help!

*PTL's Breakfast in Bethlehem - THIS Saturday, December 6th -9:00 - 11:00 a.m.!  Enjoy a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast, then walk through stations that bring the Christmas story to life—Discover the wonder of Jesus' birth!  

*Christmas Wonderland Student Store-This will now be next week!  We will browse and preview on Tuesday, December 9th and shop on Wednesday, December 10th.  

*Our students will be singing and leading the Advent Service on December 17^th at 6:30 pm.  Our program is called "The Light Has Come!"  Please plan to be here, as the kiddos have been working hard and are so excited to share the Good News of our newborn Savior with you!   We respectfully ask that students come dressed in their Christmas best. We are grateful for your partnership in helping our students present the joyful message of our Savior’s birth with adoration and joy! Thank you!  

*4th Grade POLAR EXPRESS PARTY-DECEMBER 18th!  We will be reading books by Chris VanAllsburg, ending with “The Polar Express.”  On this day, the kiddos can wear their pajamas to school, (please wear or send tennis shoes too!) and we will watch the movie in the afternoon with some hot cocoa and candy canes!  Blankets and pillows are welcome for this fun day.

*ALL-SCHOOL BOWLING AND CAROLING TRIP-DECEMBER 19th!  We are SO excited for this!  The whole school will head to Lunar Bowl in the morning.  We will return to school for lunch.  After lunch, we will be going caroling at local nursing homes, but these are not finalized yet.  We will get back to you!  Drivers will be needed for both events, so please mark your calendars.  Thank you!

RELIGION-We discussed the 6th commandment this week, and how this applies to the students' lives, even though they are children.  We talked about respecting each other, and what God's plan for husbands and wives looks like.  We discussed the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus and how He was promised many, many years before His birth.  Thanks be to God!  This week, we have had fun “finding our wisemen” and reading the Advent devotions that go with them.  It has been a Christmas-filled week in our classroom! 

MEMORY-12/9- THE NINTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house or get it in a way which only appears right but help and be of service to him in keeping it. 

 

12/12- THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Language Arts-We read the true story of Sacajawea, Charbonneau, their son Pomp, and Lewis and Clark.   This goes hand-in-hand with what we are studying in Missouri History!   We were amazed at their adventures, their bravery, and the geographical and scientific discoveries the Corps of Discovery made during their expedition.  We also talked a lot about abbreviations, onomatopoeias, shades of meaning, and finding the main idea and details this week. We will continue this story net week and test over the words next Friday.  We also shared fantasy book reports this week and information about January’s book report over a historical fiction novel that came home today.  I am reading “The Indian in the Cupboard” by Lynn Reid Bands to the kiddos during DEAR time, and they LOVE it!  It is quite an entertaining book!

SPELLING WORDS for Friday, December 12th: (These are the words that we learned this week.)

Story: Sacajawea

million, collect, lumber, pepper, plastic, borrow, support, thirty, perfect, attend, canyon, traffic, fortune, danger, soccer, engine, picture, survive, seldom, effort

Challenge Word: interpreter

Math-This week we worked so very hard on strategies to solve problems with multi-digit dividends and 1-digit divisors.  We learned how to divide multiplies of 10, 100, and 1,00.  We also estimated quotients and began finding equal shares.  Next week, we will tackle remainders!  ;) Please help your student to keep working on those multiples of 9's.  

Social Studies-We discussed Missouri's border states, rivers, and populated cities.  We also learned a little song that will help us remember those border states!

Special Classes:

MUSIC- We are practicing the songs for our upcoming Advent/Christmas service. 

P.E.- We used our basketball skills of dribbling, passing, and shooting to do several drills with partners this week. 

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP- We worked with idioms and went an idiom hunt! 

COMPUTER LAB- We used Google Docs to create our menus.  

SPANISH-In Spanish, kiddos are reviewing what they have learned so far this year.  They played a fun Kahoot game!  

Have a blessed weekend,

Kim 

Learning long division is FUN!