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Commissioned to Serve
May 7, 2021
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This week DCE Joel Marquardt, shared about how we have been commissioned to serve. You can watch our chapel service focus on the words from Isaiah 6:3 here.
Today’s Scripture lesson describes God calling Isaiah to be His prophet and spokesman to Israel. It was a dramatic scene where the prophet sees the Lord on His throne with angels worshiping Him. The angel’s words of praise are “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” We note that there are three “holies.” They worship the Holy Father, Holy Son and Holy Spirit.
Isaiah is overwhelmed by the experience. He responds, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips” (v. 5). Isaiah knew that he did not deserve to be in the presence of God. God was holy and Isaiah was sinful.
We, too, are in the presence of the Holy Father, Holy Son and Holy Spirit when we worship. We begin in His holy name. Like Isaiah, we confess our sinful and lost condition, and we join in confession. We are then assured that our sin has been taken away. Isaiah’s guilt is taken away as a burning coal touches his lips. Our guilt was taken away when the waters of Baptism touched our head. Our guilt is taken away as the word of forgiveness touches our ears. Isaiah’s vision included seeing and hearing angels praising God, “Holy, holy, holy.” Many years later, another servant of God, the apostle John (Rev. 4:8), heard the same song. We will be blessed to hear the angel choir and to join them in singing “holy, holy, holy” when Jesus returns.
As we wait for Jesus’ return, we respond to God’s holiness and the forgiveness we have received through the holy God with our songs of praise. Isaiah also responded to God’s call by saying, “Here am I! Send me.” Isaiah went to serve his holy God. We, too, are sent to serve.
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Scholarship Updates
due to Legislative Action
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For those applying for CHOICE and SGO scholarships (only for K-12 students), there will be a delay in awards and processing - for a good reason! During the latest Indiana legislative session, a bill was passed that INCREASES the Choice Scholarship awards and SGO scholarship awards to 300% income guidelines (previously capped at 150% Federal Free/Reduced Lunch income guidelines). CHOICE scholarships are now awarded at 90% of their local corporation per child state expenditure for all recipients (eliminating the 50% and 70% thresholds)! The bill is currently awaiting the governor's signature, at which time the Indiana Department of Education must revise the award amounts and coding for the software that processes CHOICE awards for the state. Unfortunately, the law does not go into effect until July 1st, which challenges us with processing updated tuition. Mrs. Meyerholtz and I will begin processing applications (or reprocessing for those we already completed) the first full week of July, and hope to get updated invoices out the following week. The great news is that 1) awards will stay the same or go up - none will decrease and, 2) more families will be eligible for SGO and CHOICE scholarships to help with tuition. In order to make sure we get as much scholarship money to as many families as possible, CHOICE scholarships must be processed first so that we know estimated awards PRIOR to being able to process and award SGO Scholarships. Families who qualified/received CHOICE and SGO last year can plan on receiving at least the same award, if not more. All families will receive an email with updated CHOICE income levels as soon as it is provided to us from the IDOE.
We also recognize that the delay in scholarships will affect those who chose the 12-pay tuition option, which begins in June. We will work with these families to adjust monthly payments to reflect accurate final amounts. For those who chose the Full Pay option, please note that the deadline to pay in full and receive the 5% discount has been extended to July 31st, 2021. Payments made after that date will NOT include the discount. Failure to make full payments in a timely fashion may result in agreements being extended to a 2-pay or 10-pay plan and a processing fee will be assessed per the 2021-2022 OSL Tuition and Fees policy.
Finally, if you have not applied for SGO or CHOICE scholarships, you are highly encouraged to do so with the new legislation and expanded income levels. All applications can be picked up in the office or found HERE. It is essential that you provide all required documentation to ensure proper processing. We are so thankful that the bill passed and that this legislation will help families already for this upcoming year. Administratively, we will work to be efficient and expedite processing, awards, and updated tuition as quickly as we are able once July 1st arrives. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Hedges.
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Scholarship applications are available NOW for 2021-2022
Please click on the picture to find applications for CHOICE, SGO, and OSLS Tuition Assistance. If you need the paperwork printed for you, please contact the office with your request and we will send a packet home with your child.
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Last Friday, the 5th/6th grades students of OSLS were able to take part in a decade long tradition of "Outdoor Ed". Camp Lakeview in Seymour hosted the classes of Ms. May and Mrs. Miller. This time in the great outdoors is designed to form bonds of friendship and trust within the kids during the transition into middle school when sometimes those things are hard to do on your own. Students helped each other tackle a climbing wall. Target shooting with BB guns was a new experience for many. Learning to navigate a canoe or be brave enough to take on a kayak alone was certainly challenging. Ziplining was an encouraging exercise in confronting new heights and hearing the students support each other as they tackled the course. The night ended with a birthday celebration for Ms. May, spiritual sing-a-long, campfire devotions led by Danny and Frisbee, and then S'MORES. We are so blessed that the staff at OS and Camp Lakeview worked diligently to make this event that usually takes place in the fall happen for the 5th/6th grade students. The lessons and memories they gained from their time together will last throughout their time at Our Shepherd.
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Join us for a fun family movie night! PTL will be hosting a free showing of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. Bring your blankets, chairs, and snacks to enjoy time with family and friends. Concessions will be provided for sale by the Ram Athletics. The event will start at 8pm with a meeting to vote in our new PTL board members with the movie following at 8:30. This show is RAIN or SHINE! We will move into the gym in the event of inclement weather.
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During the May 14th meeting we will be voting in our new board members. The following ladies have been selected:
Jessica Johnson - Secretary - Shall keep an accurate and permanent record of all meetings. The secretary is also charged with keeping accurate attendance for PTL meetings and with validating an eligible PTL voting member. Additional responsibilities include preparing ballots necessary for the upcoming PTL meetings. The Secretary will treat all secretarial materials and notes as property of school and should hand all material into the principal at the end of each fiscal school year. In the event of the President and Vice President’s absence, the Secretary shall preside over the PTL meeting.
Heather Newbold - Treasurer - Must be an Our Shepherd Lutheran Church member. Along with Executive Board approve all expenses, turn in any approved reimbursements to business manager (Kim Meyerholtz). Lead of Scrip program. Obtain balance sheets for all meetings from the business manager. Prepare and handle balance sheets and budget.
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COMING UP:
MAY 14TH : MEETING/DRIVE IN MOVIE
Be sure to take advantage of these great ways to easily benefit Our Shepherd at no cost to you!
-Scan receipts for box tops
-Sign up for Kroger rewards
-Sign up for Amazon rewards
-Buy gift cards through Scrip to give as gifts or use to shop
Click HERE to get more information or email ptl@ourshepherd.org
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Our Shepherd Cookbook
PTL is excited to announce that we will be putting together a cookbook in honor of Our Shepherd Lutheran Church & School’s 50th year Anniversary.
The 50th anniversary cookbook is not just for adult chefs! It will hold a section just for students of Our Shepherd Lutheran School. Does your student have a favorite recipe, snack, or dessert? This can be something you cook together or they cook alone. You can submit their recipe HERE.
The deadline for recipe submission is May 23.
Username: OSL50
Password: juice231
We are excited to cook some delicious new recipes!
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If you plan on using Extended Care - PLEASE SIGN UP! You can always find the link to sign up for extended care bother here ansdat the bottom of Ram News in the Parent Resources section. This opens each morning at 7am and is available each evening from 3:30pm-6pm.
It is important to sign up or call the office prior to using extended care so that we can ensure proper staffing.
Extended Care Fee information is found HERE.
If you have any questions about extended care please contact Mrs. Russell in the office.
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This week two students from Our Shepherd were honored for the hard work, faith, and intelligence as winners in the state wide Lutherans for Life essay contest. 8th grader, John Bird, placed 1st in the state and 6th grader Bethany Mierow, placed 2nd in the state. Students were asked to address the theme "God Chose You" based on John 15:16. John tackled the subject of blindness while Bethany investigated infantcide. John and Bethany were awarded their certificates of honor and prize money by Karen Blank , representative of Lutherans for Life. We are so proud of these two fine students.
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If you haven't already done so, please sign up on Remind for text notifications. We use this service to remind our families of things like late starts, no lunches, and more importantly, changes to school schedule due to inclement weather. With winter approaching we will notify families of any changes to an eLearning Day should the weather cause a safety concern.
To sign up please follow these instructions:
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10_ May - 25_May: NWEA Assessments in K-8
14_May: PTL Meeting/ Drive In Movie Night
21_May: Late Start
28_May: Last Day - EARLY DISMISSAL@1:30 & NO EXTENDED CARE (PM)
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Scholarship Information and Applications
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Shopping for a Cause and Fundraising
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