What a blessing to once again be able to serve our community on Thursday, May 13th on Service Day! From yard work projects to collections for local non-profits to odd jobs around VL, our students were grateful for the opportunity to serve. |
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Beginning of the End
This time of year I find myself looking back to the school year, reflecting on all that has gone on and saying to myself, “Where did this year go?” Even this year, the most unusual in-person teaching of my decades of teaching, I find myself wondering how the days have gone by so fast? The month of May is a flurry of activities, with athletic early outs and Advanced Placement tests. All that is nearly over, which leaves senior banquet, exams and graduation left...the beginning of the end.
With ends there are always new beginnings. I always think about the seniors who have accomplished much but now are entering a new beginning. And with new beginnings come new stresses and new worries. How do we minimize these stresses? I always look to Mathew 6: 25-27 which says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Putting our faith in Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and staying in His word can make endings and new beginnings a time to reflect and think, replacing anxiety with eager anticipation of what God has in store for the future.
Barry Wittig
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May 21-23: Senior Retreat
May 25: Spring Music Concert, 6pm, Huntington Event Park (limited tickets)
May 27: Freshmen Placement Testing
May 28: Seniors Day Off
May 31: Memorial Day, NO SCHOOL
June 1: Freshmen Placement Testing
June 3: Senior Banquet, 6pm
June 7: Freshmen Placement Testing
June 8-10: Final Exams
June 9: Freshmen Placement Testing
June 13: Graduation, 2pm
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Note from the Executive Director |
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Dear Parents,
One point of clarification regarding the current mask requirements: Adults and students who are "fully vaccinated" (which is defined as two weeks past their second shot, or only shot) do not need to wear a mask while inside school. This means that most students will remain masked for the remainder of the school year while they are inside the school.
I feel badly about all the changes in the Covid-19 protocols over the past few weeks. I would certainly welcome some stability, but the MDHHS Epidemic Orders have changed rather often lately.
I will remain committed to following mandates that we must follow. Even though the mandates may change, VLHS will remain consistent in following current mandates. If the mandates change anything with our end-of-the-year events, I will notify you with a direct email instead of the newsletter.
Thank you for your patience and support!
Dr. Petzold
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Senior Parent Notes
Please have your RSVP's for the senior banquet in the office by Friday, May 21st.
On Friday, your student was given a gold RSVP card for graduation. This is for seating purposes. Please turn in to the office no later June 4th to guarantee a spot!
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Final Exams
We will be holding second semester final exams June 8 - 10. Those 3 days will be half days - a more detailed schedule will be coming out by the end of the month. We are on Cycle 3 of the exam schedule which will follow the chart below. In some cases, students will have a final paper or project instead of a final exam.
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Final exams are beneficial and important for several reasons:
- They assist students in pulling together and reviewing the most important content and skills from the course.
- They provide good experience in taking higher-stakes assessments which they will do in the future either in college or career.
- They provide necessary information to teachers on the effectiveness of instruction.
However, we do understand that this year has been very different, and students have missed more school due to illness, quarantine, and other related issues. The final exams that they take in June will be modified to reflect the most important concepts and skills to ensure that students will have what they need to be successful in the future. We will also minimize the impact that final exams have on their grades by combining them into the 4th quarter grade rather than counting exams as an independent 20% of their semester grade.
Look for more details to be communicated by the end of May that will include a schedule for exam days and lists of specific classes that are administering final exams.
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VL Summer Camps Filling Up!
Middle school students are invited to join us in June for a wide range of camp offerings in a safe and fun setting. Be sure to register by May 26th to guarantee a T-shirt! Head to www.vlhs.com/camps to view the full camp schedule and to register. Please contact Summer Camp Coordinator Amy Cooper at acooper@vlhs.com or 989-790-1676, ext. 40 with any questions.
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Parent Organization Volunteers Needed for 2021-22
The Parent Organization is a group of dedicated parents who takes on various tasks through the year to support classroom and teacher needs. If you have the urge or willingness to help in the next year, we are looking for volunteers, as most of our crew will be moving on with their graduates. We plan various fundraisers through the year including the mum sale, holiday bazaar & cookie walk in the fall and the antique show in the spring (both have lunches we prepare & serve). Please contact Heidi Behnke at the school if you have questions. More information will follow! Thank you for considering.
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Attend a German Church Service
You are cordially invited to attend a German Pentecost Service on Sunday, May 23 at 4 pm at St. John Amelith Lutheran Church, 1664 Amelith Road, Bay City, MI 48706. This service will be in German with written English translation.
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SENIOR SURVEY
All seniors have been sent the link for their senior survey through Google Classroom. This is an important step to complete, as it is the only way we collect information for the graduation insert that lists college, major, and scholarship information for each student. The survey can be accessed online at bit.ly/VLSeniors. Please fill out only one survey. Changes and additions can be made by logging back in with your school email account or contacting Mrs. Mueller.
SENIORS - FINAL TRANSCRIPTS (IMPORTANT!)
All seniors headed off to college need to request their Final Transcript to be sent to the institution where they will study next year. All final transcripts will be sent via PARCHMENT. You can use the Final Transcript Ordering Guide to walk you through the process. Be sure to mark them as “HOLD FOR GRADES”. Also, you should change the email on your account to a personal email, as you will lose access to your school email account over the summer.
PSAT and SAT SCORES
Scores from this past month’s SAT exam have been released to students on Wednesday, May 5th via their online CollegeBoard account. (ACT WorkKeys and M-STEP scores are not released until August.) Scores from the PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 will be released online starting Monday, May 17.
As a school, we are not given access to this information until mid-summer. You will need to create a CollegeBoard account to log in and see these scores. If you already have an account, be sure you have the correct username and password available. (How to create a CollegeBoard account) Keep this information in a safe place - you will use it often in the next few years. If you do not see scores, try using the CollegeBoard Matching Tool.
CLASS OF 2022 INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS
Individual meetings will begin soon with current juniors to talk about the future - career ideas, college ideas, senior year classes, etc. Meetings are being held alphabetically by student’s Academic Seminar hours, so patience is appreciated as we work through the alphabet. Encourage your student to come prepared with questions or ideas. There are also great resources for college and career searches on their Big Future site - http://bigfuture.collegeboard.org.
IMPORTANT LINKS
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Click on the image above to read the latest
Valley Vision.
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Mission Statement
Preparing students for life with Christ as our foundation!
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Julian Petzold
Valley Lutheran High School
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