January 6, 2017

Technically, of course, the Wise Men really don’t belong in the Christmas crèche or Nativity scene. Scripture makes it clear that the Magi from the East visited and worshiped the Christ Child long after the holy family had moved into a house in Bethlehem (see the story as recorded in Matthew 2:11). Some Bible scholars say they may have arrived as much as 18 to 24 months after our Lord’s birth (Matthew 2:16). Nevertheless, most Christians still associate the Wise Men with Christmas. Some of us even carry around slogans like, “Wise Men Still Seek Jesus”.

Throughout the Scriptures, we are

urged as God’s people to be wise. Psalms 111:10 reminds us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” And it’s clear from Scripture that true wisdom involves the willingness and faith to act in line with reality, with the way God says things really are. Proverbs 3:13 tells us “blessed is the man who finds wisdom…for wisdom is more profitable than silver and yields better return than gold.”

If that’s the case, then the Magi who came to worship the Lord

Jesus truly were wise! God Himself had come to earth in the person of Christ. No matter what it took, no matter how far they had to come, no matter how much it cost, worshiping the newborn Savior was the only wise thing to do.

And, where did the Magi get that kind of wisdom? It came from

God Himself who has hidden all wisdom in Christ. St. Paul reminds us in Colossians 2:2-3, “Not only is [Christ] the key to God’s mystery, but all wisdom and knowledge are hidden away in Him.”

As modern-day wise men, we, too, are seeking wisdom.

Shouldn’t we, too, seek wisdom by seeking and worshiping Jesus Christ? After all, “Wise Men Still Seek Jesus”! My prayer is that you continue to seek Him during this new year 2017.

In Christ’s Service, James L. House, Principal

2016-17 School Year Theme – “Superheroes for Jesus” – Hebrews 12:1-3

Prayer Walk Families for

the week of Jan.6-12

Peyton Malone

Marissa Molina

Kachi

Obinwanne

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Jan. 6…Distribution of 2nd Quarter

Report Cards

Jan. 10…Boys BB vs. Kenmont (H)

– 5:00 PM

Jan. 11…School Chapel Service

– 8:20 AM

Jan. 12…Boys BB vs. St.Anthony (H)

– 4:30 PM

Jan. 13…Boys BB @ OLS-McAllen

Tournament

Jan. 16…M.L.King Day – No School

Jan. 21…Handbells ring for NLSW

– 5:30 PM

Jan. 22…Classes sing for NLSW

– 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM

Jan. 28…VISA JV BB Tournament

From the Principal’s Desk. . .

St. Paul Academy 1920 E. Washington Ave. Harlingen, Texas 78550

Office Phone 956-423-3926

Check us out on the Internet at www.stpaultexas.com or www.fastdir.com/stpaultexas

WELCOME BACK. . .Happy New Year 2017! We

hope you had an enjoyable Christmas vacation. As we

begin the 2nd semester and the 3rd quarter of the 2016-17

school year, be sure to keep abreast of all the many school

happenings by faithfully reading your Good News Weekly

Newsletter. Watch for it every Friday.

REPORT CARD DISTRIBUTION. . .Parents, look for your child’s

2nd quarter report card coming home today, Jan. 6th with your child. If

you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s 2nd quarter

progress, please set up an appointment time with your child’s teacher(s)

soon. We appreciate your willingness to partner with us in your child’s

education at St. Paul Academy!

SERVICE HOURS FORM DUE…Students, if you’d like your 2nd

quarter Christian Service hours to be credited toward your annual total and

to receive a 2nd quarter certificate, you must return your form to the school

office no later than Friday, Jan. 13th. Certificates will be distributed in

late January. Turn your form in next week!

SCHOOL HOLIDAY. . .There will be no classes

held at St. Paul Academy on Monday, Jan. 16th in

observation of Martin Luther King Day. Also, there will

be NO CHILD CARE AVAILABLE at either school or

Great Beginnings on this school holiday. Parents, plan

ahead for your child care needs on M.L. King Day.

VOTERS MEETING. . .The annual St. Paul Lutheran Congregational

Voters Meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 16th at 7:00 PM in the church.

All adult members of St. Paul Lutheran are encouraged to attend this

important annual meeting! Several major items of business will be discussed

and decided.

CHAPEL OFFERING PROJECT. . .Thank you for generously

supporting our 2nd quarter chapel project, Operation Christmas Child. We

were able to collect $268 during the last 8 weeks in support of this ministry.

During the 3rd quarter, our offerings will go to support Lutheran Hour

Ministries Madagascar Project. Our

hope is to collect $400 during the next 9

weeks in support of this important

ministry that shares God’s Word and

spiritual care with the people in this

developing nation. To help serve as a

reminder to save coins for this project,

the students have been given a “Project Madagascar Collection Box. Please

use it to help you to remember your chapel offerings every Wednesday during

the 3rd quarter for LHM Guatemala.

DAYCARE TAX STATEMENTS Parents, please note—if you are in

need of a record of your 2016 daycare expenses for tax purposes, you can

obtain a copy of your expenses and payments on Fast Direct. Once you’ve

logged on to your parent account, go to “Account Balances” and scroll

down to the “Tax Year Printout” tab. Choose the year 2016 to view your

listing of balances and payments. From this view, you can print everything

you need to know to complete your income tax filing. If you need

assistance accessing your Fast Direct account, please contact the school

office.

PSIA PRACTICES BEGIN. . .

Attention, all PSIA students—it’s time to

begin preparation for the 2017 PSIA

District Meet

that will be held

in Harlingen on

March 3 & 4

(just two short

months away).

Your teacher-coach will be contacting

your soon to set up “coaching times”

with each individual participant. Watch

for their contact, and good luck in your

preparations!

Saints Hot Lunch Menu

Week of Jan. 9-13

Monday – Chicken Nuggets,

Mashed Potatoes w/gravy,

Green Beans, Sliced Bread

Tuesday – Domino’s Pizza,

Cucumbers, Ranch Dressings,

Cookie

Wednesday – Turkey Sandwich,

Lettuce/Tomatoes/ Pickles,

Baby Carrots, Ranch Dressing,

Sun Chips

Thursday – Beef Crispy Tacos,

Brown Rice, Refried Beans,

Lettuce/Tomato

Friday – Spaghetti w/meatballs,

Broccoli, Cucumbers, Ranch

Dressings, Dinner Roll

All meals are served with fruit and a carton of 1% white or chocolate milk

Ticket prices: K-8 students –$3.25 per meal and 35¢ per

extra milk (limit 2) (meals can be purchased on a daily basis by

placing funds on your Fast Direct lunch account—three I.O.U. lunch limit)

SHOP WITH SCRIP IN 2017. . .Thanks again to all those St. Paul

families who purchased Scrip Cards during the month of December. We

literally sold thousands of dollars worth of Scrip last month, turning a “tidy

profit” for our school. Why not make

a “New Year’s resolution” to become a

Scrip Shopper in 2017! Imagine how

much might be raised for the school

ministry in 2017 with your family’s added participation. Remember,

Great Lakes Scrip cards are just like cash—but so much more, because a

%age of your purchase stays right here at St. Paul as profit for our PTLS.

And, Scrip is available for over 200 local shops, restaurants, gas stations,

grocery stores, and other retail establishments.

We’re sending home the January Family Order

Form today. All orders returned to the office by

8:30 AM Tuesday morning will be delivered by Friday! And remember—

you can still purchase Scrip Now! online ANYTIME by visiting

ShopWithScrip.com. Use the school code and pay for it using PayPal.

Either way, St. Paul profits from your support!

BASKETBALL NEWS. . .The Saints Boys’ basketball team resumes

play next week following Christmas vacation with two

home games: • Tues. (1/10) vs. Kenmont @ 5:00 PM

• Thurs. (1/12) vs. St. Anthony @ 4:30 PM Plan to come cheer for our Saints teams throughout the

season!

NLSW 2017. . .National Lutheran Schools Week 2017 will be observed

the week of Jan. 22-28. We’ll kick-off our celebration at St. Paul by

singing in worship services on Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 21 & 22. More

information about which students will be singing at which services will be

coming home very soon.

But for now—mark your

calendars and plan to

participate in our annual

NLSW “Ring & Sing”

on Jan. 21-22.

STOCK THE CART. . .Thanks

for your donations of PEANUT

BUTTER for our “Stock the Cart”

collection during December. We’ll

continue collecting peanut butter in

January, too! Remember, our “Stock

the Cart” and “Backpacks of Love”

programs provide weekend meals to

local children who are less fortunate than ourselves and share the love of

Jesus with them! Remember to bring your donation of peanut butter next

month for our “Stock the Cart” collection. Thanks for participating!

BOX TOPS NEWS. . .Hey, St. Paul

families—Are you still saving Box Tops

for Education for St. Paul Academy in

2017? New January collection sheets are

coming home today and can be turned in

anytime! Additional forms are available

at the school office.

Remember, each

box top is worth

10¢ for our Saints

kids. Keep saving

those box tops for SPA, and encourage

your relatives and friends to save for SPA

in 2017, too!

CELL PHONE COLLECTION. . . Did you receive a new cell phone, tablet,

or camera as a Christmas present this

year? Want to get rid the old one?

Consider donating your old electronic

devices to St. Paul Academy. The

collection box is located in the hallway

outside the office. Dump your old device

and help earn $$$ for St. Paul Academy!

RECYCLNG NEWS. . .Keep

bringing those recyclable plastic bottles,

aluminum cans, paper, and ink

cartridges, old cell phones, and other

electronics for our

recycling efforts at St.

Paul Academy. The

recycling bins for paper,

bottles, and cans are

located inside the

courtyard fence (near the

cafetorium door). Ink

cartridges and electronics can be dropped

off at the collection box outside the

school office. Help keep our

environment clean and earn a little cash

for SPA, too! Start saving your

recyclables today and recycle weekly for

St. Paul Academy. Remember, recycling

pays!

School Code is: 1ALL427B37414

St. Paul Academy