Congratulations to Michael Roth for the winning newsletter title submission! Thank you to all of you who voted! I will be coordinating with Silver Fox's staff to arrange the coveted high five and photo opportunity. Principal's Corner ------------------------------------------------------------ Dr. Brad Bierle, Logic/Rhetoric Principal Did you know the Bible mentions the concepts of gratitude and thankfulness 157 times throughout the Old and New Testaments? According to the Bible, at the heart of gratitude is a response to the overwhelming grace of God toward each one of us. Interestingly, even science affirms the benefits of gratitude with many studies pointing to the connection between a grateful heart and improved mood, relationships, life satisfaction, and even lower stress levels. During the upcoming year, we are excited to explore the many qualities and benefits of gratitude as individuals and as a school community. From the theoretical to the practical, we look forward to developing and practicing this essential characteristic together. With God’s help and through instruction from His Word, we are confident that cultivating grateful hearts will benefit our spiritual health and maturity. Colossians 3:17 reminds us “Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through Him.” While we are excited to develop this characteristic for our benefit and for those around us, our focus must always remain on the Giver! As we seek to be grateful in all things, we will also look for who God is in those circumstances and give thanks to Him for his unchanging love for us. The year ahead is certain to provide countless opportunities to remember God’s grace toward us and to respond with the commitment to “Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We are grateful to be back together as a community! SUPPORT ARCHERS CROSS COUNTRY! The Archers Cross Country team has been hard at work to prepare for their upcoming season. Come cheer on the Archers at one or all of their upcoming meets in September. For more information on upcoming XC meets, check the Parent Portal (https://parents.abidingacademy.org) under Activities. For families with children in 6th grade or younger: Kids Cross Country Meets (every Wednesday in September) take place at Morningside Park (right next to Harvey Dunn Elementary) through Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation and are open to all children in 6th grade or younger! Registration begins at 4:00 PM. Archer XC will see you there on September 20th! Saturday, September 9 - Heartland Preview Tuesday, September 12 - Charger Invite Wednesday, September 20 - Kids Cross Country Meet Saturday, September 23 - XC Meet at Lyons Centennial Park Thursday, September 28 - Menno Cross Country Meet Thursday, October 5 - Luverne Cross Country Meet Saturday, October 7 - XC Meet at Lyons Centennial Park Wednesday, October 11 - Adrian Cross Country Meet You can be part of many kids' favorite part of the day: LUNCH AND RECESS! We need several more parent volunteers to help with lunch and/or recess duty throughout the week. We always have staff in the lead; however, parent volunteers allow our hard-working teachers an opportunity for a mid-day break. Can't do every week? Let's work out a job share with another parent! Sign Up To Help! (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409084AABAB2DA0FA7-parent3) IMPORTANT DATES AND UPCOMING EVENTS ------------------------------------------------------------ September 23 - Academy Apple Orchard Event, 2:00 - 5:00 PM (sponsored by an Academy parent, more details coming next week) September 27 - See You At the Pole, 7:40 AM(more details coming next week) October 10-11 - School Picture Day October 19 - Grandparent's Day! (note date change from calendar, more details coming soon!) ------------------------------------------------------------ Parent Connection is holding a Sample Sale (see some of the items below) next Thursday, September 14th before and after chapel, right inside the center doors. T-shirts will be $5.00 and all other items are $10.00 (cash or Venmo only). Sizes are limited, so shop early! Doors will open at 7:40. Proceeds will be used to caffeinate our teachers when they least expect it, but most need it! Moms and Grandmothers, we would love for you to join us each week as we pray for our school. We meet every Sunday at 4:00 (beginning this Sunday, September 10th!) in the Multi-purpose Room at Abiding Savior. This is a wonderful opportunity to be involved in the spiritual growth of our school. For more information, please reach out to Nichole Hosek at nichole.hosek@gmail.com.