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Waiting Patiently!

by Sue Palka | September 20, 2019

"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:25

Have you ever had to patiently wait for something? Perhaps it's a child getting ready for school in the morning, or a furniture delivery that was scheduled between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Sometimes, it may be waiting to hear about a job, or trying to call your Internet provider and being placed on hold. For many of us living in the Walled Lake area, it could be waiting for construction to end and the intersection of Novi Road and Twelve Mile finally opening!
 
For the past nine months, the Palka's have been patiently waiting for the arrival of our new grandson, otherwise known as "Baby Brother" by his two-year-old big sister.
 
This time, my role has changed from the anxious cheerleader in the hospital waiting room to now taking care of Emilia while mommy and daddy go to the hospital to get this baby brother everyone keeps talking about...

Walk 3.7 Miles in their Shoes!

by Principal Sue Palka | September 16, 2019

'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.'  Matthew 25:40

Are you a walker or a runner? Ever since I purchased my first Fitbit, I have found that I really enjoy going for walks. Even more... I like seeing how many steps I can obtain during each journey. So last fall, when our travel agent was providing us with a list of potential excursions for our June 2019 trip to Alaska, I was very excited to see "hiking" listed as an option...

A Case of Mistaken Identity

by Principal Sue Palka | September 5, 2019

Have you ever been so tired that you missed a few very important details? A few weeks ago, after "Meet The Teacher", I had to stay at school until 8:30 p.m.  Realizing that it would take at least another 45 minutes for the raw chicken in our refrigerator to miraculously turn into dinner, I decided to wave the white flag and let Lu Lu's Carry Out make dinner that night.
 
As I pulled into the parking lot, I was a little surprised at how busy they were despite how late it was.  Delighted that our order was already waiting for me, I exchanged pleasantries with the owner while paying for our meals and then headed out the door on my way home.

When I got back inside the car, I immediately saw the car's spare key fob sitting inside the drink holder, which is evidence of a very bad habit my husband continues to have when he moves or drives my car...

Welcome Back! Meet Our St. Matthew Super Heroes!

by Principal Sue Palka | August 30, 2019

The Avengers claim to be earth's mightiest heroes... but as Christians, we know that Jesus is the True Defender of the Universe, and as His followers, our job is to tell others about Him! This year, we are so excited to announce that the theme for this school year is "Let the Whole World See the Greatness of Our God!", based off of the popular song by the musical group, The Newsboys. Last spring, our current 7th grade worked with me in designing the logo. Many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Ron Harper for taking the student sketches and turning them into this awesome visual reminder that our responsibility as Christians is to actively "GO and TELL" others around the whole world about our awesome God!...

With God, All Things Are Possible! ~ Mark 10:27

by Principal Sue Palka | June 10, 2019

We began this school year with the motto of "Dream Small And Watch God Work In Big Ways", based off the Scripture verse "With God, all things are possible" (Mark 10:27).

Throughout this school year, we have been in awe of the tremendous and BIG blessings that the Lord has showered upon us and the opportunities that He has presented for us to do great things in His name.

As I sat and reflected with a group of students and teachers, we came up with the following list of memorable 2018/2019 blessings:

Whose Idea Was This?

by Principal Sue Palka | May 31, 2019

"He who watches over you will neither slumber nor sleep." Psalm 121:4

Have you ever experienced a situation that sounded like a great idea in the beginning, but midway through... you start to question your judgment?
 
Visiting Alaska has always been a dream, and at the end of this June, Ken and I are extremely blessed that the Lord is opening this door and enabling us to go. However, one major part of the itinerary for this trip is numerous days of hiking.
 
Last Monday, Ken in his wisdom announced his grand idea! He felt that we really need to get our new hiking boots broken in... so what better way than to walk the 8 mile path around Kensington Park!
 
If you recall, Monday was a magnificent day! The sun was shining and the temperature was absolutely perfect for walking. However, the only uncooperative factor was the brand new boots!
 
For the first two miles, everything was great! My legs were noticing the hills but nothing that caused a problem. However, somewhere along mile four, things began to dramatically change...

It's All About the Heart!

by Principal Sue Palka | May 24, 2019

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5

As parents, there are times when it would be extremely helpful if God provided an owner's manual for each child that He entrusts into our care. On occasion, it would be so convenient and helpful to look up such things as "Why does my child cry when he/she wakes up from a nap?", "Why does she fight with her brother so much?", "How do I stop my child from rolling his/her eyes when I tell them to put his/her cell phone away?", or  "How can I make them go to sleep at night?"
 
As we are preparing for the 2019/2020 school year, one question that is frequently asked is "How do I know if my child is ready for Kindergarten?"...

God Always Sees the Big Picture!

by Principal Sue Palka | May 17, 2019

"For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28

Our school is recognized as an accredited school through the Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools (MANS), as well as the National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA).

Our most recent NLSA Site Visit took place in January of 2015.  During this process, not only were we granted accreditation status, but we were also awarded the title of an  "Exemplary Lutheran School" by the Michigan District, based on four distinctive findings that the NLSA Visiting team identified.

Reaccreditation occurs every five years, so we are currently in the process of preparing for our 2020 Visit. As nine teams are diligently working on various components of this cumulative report, our "Facilities Team" came up with an extremely creative way of using a drone to video and capture our dismissal process as a method of providing evidence that we have a safe and functional dismissal process.

On the selected day for filming, the weather was beautiful!   The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and all seemed right with the world until the dismissal bell rang. And from that point forward... everything fell apart...

Hey... Unto you is Born a Child!"

by Principal Sue Palka | May 10, 2019

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." - James 1:17

There are some things that are just very exciting to announce! This list could include: losing a tooth, obtaining a driver's license, a graduation, a first job, an engagement, etc. But one of my favorite announcements is sharing that a new baby is coming!
 
A couple of months ago, I was over at my son and daughter-in-law's house playing with my granddaughter when my daughter-in-law handed me an envelope and said, "I forgot to give you Emilia's school pictures. Look through them because they are pretty cute!"
 
As I began flipping through them, I thought... "Oh that's a sweet one of her standing... Oh that's an adorable close up... That's a cute one with some stuffed animals.... Oh that's weird...why did she put her ultrasound picture in here???... Oh that's a cute one of her sitting...WAIT A MINUTE... Ultrasound picture? "WHOSE ULTRASOUND PHOTO IS THIS?" I asked....

Come Celebrate Christmas in May as St. Matthew Lutheran School proudly Presents "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!"

by Principal Sue Palka | May 3, 2019

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." - James 1:9

A basketball in my hands is worth about $25.
A basketball in LeBron James' hands is worth about $440 million.
It depends whose hands it's in.
 
A baseball in my hands is worth about $6.
 A baseball in Mike Trout's hand is worth about...

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