February 26, 2021

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Genesis 12:3

      So many world events seem to center on the tiny nation of Israel that it may be hard to remember how small and vulnerable it really is. Scripture focuses intensely on Israel as well, and so should we.  The Bible provides several ways we should pray faithfully for this critical country in world affairs.

      First, we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Psalm 122 gives this command along with the promise of blessing to those who do so.  We should pray for peace within the walls and prosperity for the leadership of the country.

Second, we should pray for Israel to recognize and accept their Messiah, Jesus Christ.  While many Jews have accepted Jesus as their Savior, many have continued to reject Him and await another.  The prophecies of Isaiah 53 and many other Scriptures were fulfilled when Jesus lived, died, and resurrected nearly 2,000 years ago.

Third, we should pray for Israel to be united.  Joel 3 gives the promise of unity one day.  With three world religions claiming Jerusalem as a holy city, this request may seem nearly impossible.  We can be grateful that God has promised to accomplish this when He rules and reigns from this city one day.

Fourth, we should pray for the United States to honor Israel.  In this political season, the small nation of Israel seems to get kicked around to score points for one side or the other.  The verse quoted above promises that God will honor those who honor His people.  We must never let our political leaders forget this important promise.

Five years ago, Mr. Fry and Mrs. Parker were able to travel to Israel with a group from our church.  As we walked in the footsteps of our Savior there, we were impressed with the importance of all Christians to pray faithfully for God to work in this crossroads of a nation.

Because we have used fewer than four snow days so far this winter, we will have a day off on Friday, March 12.  This is a special day with no work-at-home assignments.  We want our students to have some time off in mid-March in the long stretch until Spring Break in April.

Our school office and all extended session will be closed on March 12.  School will resume on a regular schedule on Monday, March 15.

Our annual open house is scheduled for March 11.  We do not feel it will be profitable to run the open house as in past years, however.  In place of an open house, each classroom will be presenting a short program online to showcase how much they have learned this year.  Watch for an email with more information on this.

If you know of any families that may be interested in the ministry of LCA, please have them call or email us.  We are scheduling individual tours of our building, generally during the school day, to help families see what our school can help them accomplish for their children.

We certainly hope to be able to get back to a more “normal” open house routine in March 2022!

We have set aside the week of March 15-19 as Spirit Week here at LCA.  You will be receiving an email with more information next week.  Each day of Spirit Week will have special themes for students to keep things lively and fun around the building.

Please be sure all clothes are modest and loose fitting during Spirit Week.  Remember that leggings may not be worn as outerwear at LCA.

Please be sure to follow the these for the day as closely as possible and contact your child’s teacher or the school office with any questions about how to dress for the day.

As New York State and Albany County have started relaxing some of the guidelines surrounding interscholastic athletics, LCA is hoping to put together a shortened basketball season in March under the leadership of Coach Mike Henry.

Boys in grades 6-12 are invited to come out for the team.  We hope to play several other schools and wrap up the abbreviated season by the end of March.  Please contact Mr. Fry with any questions.

If your family is planning to use public school busing services to LCA in the coming school year for children entering kindergarten (K5) through 12^th grades, you must notify your district’s transportation office no later than April 1.  This is a hard deadline and requests made after this date will likely not be honored by your district.

We have some districts’ request forms available in our school office.  Please see Mrs. Kettlewood with any questions.

In a year full of changes, we are making some additional changes to our schedule.  To try to make up for some lost days, the final day for K3-K5 students will now be on Thursday, June 17, one week later than originally scheduled.

We sincerely hope that the ministry of LCA has been a blessing to your family this year and that you will prayerfully consider returning this fall for the 2021-22 school year.  Earlier this week, we sent home a packet of information about re-enrollment.  Each student planning to return this fall must complete the re-enrollment paperwork and process.  Of course, if you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Kettlewood.

As the school year goes on, all of the children are growing!  Please remember that the jumpers and skirts for all girls need to come to the bottom of the knees.  This includes our kindergarten students.  Because they’re getting taller, some of our girls may need to make another visit to our uniform supplier.  We appreciate the support of all of our parents with our school dress code.

In late March, we will have two additional opportunities for your child to be professionally photographed.  First, on Monday, March 22, all students will have a class picture taken.  Students should wear their regular uniforms for this picture, and Lifetouch will provide a complimentary copy to each student.

Second, on Tuesday, March 23, students may have their picture taken for Spring Picture Day.  Order forms will be sent home ahead of time, and students who choose to be photographed may dress up for these pictures.  (Students who are not purchasing a picture should wear their regular school uniforms.)

Please contact our school office with any questions about our Lifetouch school picture program.

March 3 – Progress Reports Issued (Grades 7-12)

March 12 – NO SCHOOL

March 15-19 – SPIRIT WEEK

March 22 – Class Picture Day

March 23 – Spring Picture Day