My End Of The Year Letter

June 13, 2007

The following is a copy of the end of the school year letter I sent home to our Trinity families.

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff of Trinity Lutheran Church and School,

As we close this academic year, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and impressions of the 2006 – 2007 school year. It has been an outstanding year. We had much success in Walking the Talk and grew as a school family. I believe Trinity Lutheran School is a great place to grow in faith and learn, and we have the potential to be even better. Our goal is to provide an excellent Christian education and assist families in “becoming more fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” I thank God for the many blessings we have and I pray that we continue to move forward in striving for excellence in all that we do. I pray we learn from our mistakes and we move forward with boldness and passion as we reach out to others, spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, and learn how to put our faith in action.

I cannot possibly thank everyone in this letter that has volunteered, contributed, or supported our school because there are so many people. Whether it was coordinating and selling Scrip, or monitoring the lobby during drop-off, or leading the students during our morning live broadcast, or volunteering with BRIDGE, athletic boosters, or the School Health Team, or selling lunch tickets, or serving in the library, or coaching a sport, or WHATEVER…. I thank everyone who has given of their time, talents, and treasures to support and improve our school. We could not possibly operate without the support of our parents and volunteers who give with a generous loving heart.

Trinity Lutheran Church, School, and Early Childhood Center remain united in “making fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” It is our goal to continue to grow in harmony as we seek ways to be ONE Trinity family responding to the love, grace, and mercy of our Lord and Savior. It is absolutely crucial that we remain committed in supporting all the ministries of Trinity as we serve our families, the community, and the world. Please know that Trinity Lutheran School could not exist without the sacrificial giving of the members of Trinity Lutheran Church. It costs about $4,700 to educate each child at Trinity and our tuition fees do not cover the entire cost to run our school. The cost of educating each child continues to soar, yet we know how difficult it is for many of our families to pay their bills. The church contributes to the remaining costs of the school and we are truly blessed with that support. We also rely on the prayers and moral support from our members who believe that our school is a significant ministry of the church. Pastor Wise continues to lead us in ministry and directs us in seeking out more opportunities to become more fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Pastor Hoft and Mr. Knorp have given so much of their time and skills to our school as they have shared their talents and gifts in meaningful ways. We are sincerely grateful to the entire Ministry Staff for their partnership and commitment to the school.


Once again, our annual Walkathon was a tremendous success. Through the leadership of Mrs. Ramsey and key parents, we raised over $21,000. We had a great deal of fun and it was wonderful to see so many people working together. The Walkathon is a shining example of what we can accomplish when we all work together. We plan on using this money for creating a brand new Reading Specialty Room near the first grade. It will have an up-north cottage type of design. We will also be upgrading our Computer Server and finishing several other important projects. Another day to look forward to is our 2nd Annual Trinity Lutheran School Golf Tournament in September. It will be a great time and we hope to raise enough money to supplement our school scholarship fund and purchase new spotlights and other needed equipment for Fine Arts.

I am also very excited to announce that a major building improvement will take place this summer. A year ago we formed the Emergency Response Planning Team (ERPT). The team was charged with evaluating the safety and security procedures and policies of Trinity. This group has been meeting and will continue to meet to discuss, debate, evaluate, and improve the safety and security of Trinity. A sub-committee met and studied various surveillance and entry policies and procedures at other schools and organizations. The sub-committee then made recommendations and requests for changes that necessitated a huge financial investment. Thanks once again to the commitment by Trinity Lutheran Church, funds from the Elsholz account were granted to be invested into this project. Over the summer, brand new surveillance cameras and DVR recorders will be installed in the Early Childhood Center, the School, Church, and parking lot. Several key access points will have new doors and entry procedures which will necessitate key fobs and/or access codes. Additionally, there will be new intercoms and “buzz in” procedures at the Church, School, and Early Childhood Center. An example of how the change will impact the entrance to the school will require everyone desiring entrance between drop-off and pick-up to request entrance via an intercom mounted in the foyer area at the entrance of the School and Early Childhood Center. All exterior doors will have sensors enabling us to check which doors are open and which are secure. Knowing these changes do not guarantee total security, we believe they are necessary as we strive to take as many precautions as we can in our quest in providing a safe and nurturing environment for all. Details of the changes will be shared with you before the next school year begins. Please come and talk to me if you would like more information about the project.

Our students continue to shine and represent Trinity in a positive Christian manner in extra-curricular activities and in the community. Whether it is on the basketball court, participating in a school musical, volunteering their time to help others, representing our school in a law day contest, or participating in a worship service, our students show that they truly are a blessing from our Creator. We have a unique blend of diverse personalities and talents here at Trinity. People really do care about each other. We are making a difference in the community. Our students and families have also reached out with meaningful support to missions in the area and throughout the world.

Our mission statement declares that we exist “to assist families to make fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ through Christ-centered education.” We remain committed to that mission of serving our families by providing that Christ-centered education that is so critical today. Our number one priority has been and always will be the teaching of Jesus Christ. That is what makes us different from other schools. Our children hear God’s Word daily and learn about His love and blessings from quality teachers who really do care and love their students. Trinity is a place where Christian teachers help children define and implement a Christian lifestyle with Christian values. It is a place of caring and love that extends far beyond the classroom walls and school hours. It is a place of love for the Lord and respect for each other. It is a place “where everybody is somebody, and Jesus is Lord.”

We also know that everything is not perfect. All of us have not “Walked the Talk” everyday, all day long. We make mistakes, we fall short, and we sin. Indeed, we are all sinners and are all in need of God’s mercy and grace. Our Heavenly Father forgives us through the suffering and death of His Son, Jesus Christ, because of love. In response to God’s love and His forgiveness, we also are to forgive and show love. We must continue to learn how to treat each other and strive to live in a manner consistent with what our faith teaches us. We must be able to forgive, forget, and move on. We strive to do our very best at carrying out our mission and we will remain vigilante in finding even more meaningful ways to serve Him better and treat each other better.

We have decided to continue focusing on improving our school climate during the 2007 – 2008 school year. Our theme for next school year will be: “Changing the World---Starting With Me.” Our world is truly hurting and it is our duty as Christians to spread the message of Jesus Christ, and to make a difference. We should start by looking into the mirror and make changes in ourselves. We will be focusing on putting our faith into action so that we might live more accordingly as redeemed children of God. We plan to study, apply, and teach how we are to “change the world---starting with us.”

We also must say goodbye to twenty-five wonderful eighth graders. We will miss our eighth grade graduates as we know they are well prepared for high school and ready to move on. So we must say farewell and God bless to Alex, Joseph, Calvin, Jacob, Micah, Conner, Dylan, Melissa, Jessica, Rebekah, Chad, Eric, Eli, Jessica, Robert, Molly, Joshua, Tori, Natalie, Brittany, Tyler, Kyle, Ryan, Sean, and Jacob. Our eighth graders provided leadership in and outside of the classroom and will sincerely be missed. God Bless all of you and thank you for helping to make this school year such a great success.

Please know that everyone who had the honor of teaching and working with your children here at Trinity Lutheran School is very thankful of your commitment to Lutheran education. We thank you for trusting us to teach the academic lessons and more importantly assist you in making fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. We thank you for your patience and understanding. We thank you for your prayers and support. We thank you for your openness and honesty. We thank you for your care and commitment. We thank you for your hours and hours of volunteering. We even thank you for all the great tasting goodies that seem to always make it to our school and especially the Principal’s desk.

I pray that what we do will continue to have a tremendous impact on our students and families. God has blessed us with many gifts and opportunities to serve Him in this place at this time. There are many challenges ahead of us as we continue to seek out His path for our lives. Trinity is a great place to be and I know we will continue to work together to make it even better. I know all of you are looking forward to a nice summer break and I hope you find time to relax, rest, and spend quality time with family. I look forward to the 2007 – 2008 school year with great anticipation and hope for another outstanding year of Christian education.

Have a safe and wonderful summer.

In His Service,


James K. Richards
Principal