“Bits and Pieces of Info to Make Life on the Ranch Easier to Manage”

this week! Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatsoever

thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might,”
What’s Happening Around Town and that is exactly what the class did during
many different times this week!
This week we wrapped up our study of Abra- Though, we are all ready for a break, I want
ham and Sarah and their family, and we turned to encourage you not to take a break from
our attention to Zacharias and Elisabeth. This working with your child on phonics and math!
couple, like Abraham and Sarah, received news Look for ways to incorporate a little bit of both
that Elisabeth would have a son when they were into your daily life! Have your child read several
very old. They were to give their son the name pages of his or her blend book each day, and
John, later known as John the Baptist. He was help them add consonants to the blends to
born for the purpose of turning “the hearts of make words. You might also ask your child to
the fathers to the children, and the disobedient look for letters on signs while out and about or
on the cereal box while eating breakfast! Chal-
to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a peo-
lenge them to see how high they count while
ple prepared for the Lord.” We learned we are
traveling by car to the store or invite them to
not PREPARED for Christmas until we yield
make and complete a pattern using left-over
our hearts in obedience and worship to Christ
wrapping paper! The Book It! Program contin-
the Savior! Having all of our gifts selected and
ues this month, so invite your child to read for
wrapped, checking off all of the special holiday
a few minutes to you before you read to them!
festivities, and finalizing the plans of delicious
Continue to use the blend cards, and visit the
meals does not mean we are ready for Christmas.
class notes section by clicking on my name at
Instead, we should focus on the birth of Jesus
www.ankenychristianacademy.org for ideas
and His perfect life, death for our sins, and res-
from the Rarin’ to Read activity guide. Please,
urrection from the dead. THIS is Christmas!
please, make a little time to work with them
We have attempted to worship the Savior by
each day! When we return in January, we will
doing our best in our studies! The students are
do DIBELS testing again, and I expect to see
learning the one, two, and three addition fami-
good growth in the students. However, they
lies as well as all number families through eighty. need opportunities to practice at home so they
In phonics, we began reading circles and retain what they learned this semester!
focused on the double consonant rule at the In closing, I want to thank you for be a bless-
end of a word (makes the same sound) and on ing to me! May you be blessed with the joy and
reading and writing sentences. The students peace found only in knowing Christ as Savior!
are doing an outstanding job in handwriting, and Merry Christmas!
they are also learning how to sit and read during Miss Hult
reading circles! I am so proud of their efforts!
 Spotlighting Students and Volunteers A Bible Course Map for the Upcoming Week

Thank you to the Kruger family for
providing snacks this week! It was such a
blessing to me and to the students. I know
they appreciated having a new variety of
snacks to choose from other than some of
Miss Hult’s favorite munchies! I also want
to thank those who have brought in birth-
day snacks for your little one! It is always a
joy to celebrate student birthdays!
Finally, thank you to EVERYONE who
helped make our Christmas party special! I
know hours of hard work went into the
preparation of it, and I am thankful for your
willingness to serve in whatever way you
could during this busy time of year! God
bless you!
At the present time, I am unsure if I will
finish up with Christmas lessons (the shep-
herds, the wise men, etc.) or if I will move
right into our study of Isaac and Rebekah
and their son, Jacob. I hope to spend lots of
time in prayer and in the Word over break,
asking the Lord to direct my heart according
to His will. So, I will not be able to give you a
detailed description of what we will be learn-
ing about each day. As the time approaches,
I will do my best to get that information out
to you! Thank you for your patience!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16