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Thank you to all of the parents who brought their children to Good Shepherd for a great week of learning about Jesus at VBS. Special thanks to our volunteers who led lessons, crafts, games and music to these little lambs.

So today was my last day of school as well as my last teaching day at Good Shepherd. While I am excited for this new journey, this is a bittersweet moment for me. My sweet 5th and 6th graders, knowing their teacher SO WELL, made me two beautiful paintings. One, my favorite American flag, with all their signatures. The second is a painting of all of them, with their nicknames under each student. The sentiment behind that touched me deeply, and of course, I melted into a puddle. Thanks to all of the kids...they planned this all on their own. I am truly blessed. ❤️❤️❤️ Vicki Smith 5th/6th Grade Teacher

Luke 18:16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Well, the rain and chilly temps were not ideal for a track meet, but it looked like everyone had a good time regardless! Thanks to Lord & Savior Lutheran School, Jerusalem Lutheran School and Resurrection Lutheran Church and School for braving the weather with us.

Fundraiser – New Preschool Playground Equipment Please help support our preschool program in raising money for new playground equipment. When:Wed, May 1st, - Sun, May 5th Where: Cozzi Corner 1202 75th Street (NW corner of 75th & Lemont) Downers Grove, IL 60516 What: Will donate to the school 20% of your dine-in, carryout, or gift card purchases Bring Flyer: Cozzi Corner Flyer You may visit more than once during those dates, during lunch and dinnertime, but you must provide a flyer to receive credit for each purchase. In addition to the link above, copies of the flyer can be found on the table in the narthex or outside the main office.

We’ve finally recovered from too much fun at our third annual Good Shepherd Family Bowling event! Thanks to Tivoli Bowl for making sure everyone had a great time. Congratulations to our winners of high scores in the age categories of PreK-K Vera L; K-8 girls Ellis B; K-8 boys Riley B; Teen/Adult Ryan S.

Last week, an accreditation site team consisting of WELS and non-WELS educators visited our school and took a look at our school and self-study. The visiting team concluded that our school met the requirements for Exemplary status, the highest level of accreditation. Good Shepherd is again accredited by WELS School Accreditation (WELSSA) and the National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA).Thank you to all who were a part of the process and for everyone's prayers and support. To God be the glory!

Palm Sunday celebrated by our Good Shepherd School kids and our BLAST Sunday School kids. “The King of Glory” is coming! Join us next Sunday to hear the beautiful message of Easter and what it means for you! Service times at 8a & 10:30a

Entertainment Night: The Preschool through 8th grade will be performing at the upcoming Entertainment Night at O'Neil Middle School on Friday, May 3rd. Here are the times for rehearsal on Thursday and performance on Friday: Thursday, May 3rd: Kindergarten – 4th grade: Rehearsal from 4:15PM – 5:30PM at O’Neil Middle School 5th – 8th grade: Rehearsal from 5:15PM – 7:00PM at O’Neil Middle School Parents are asked to not view the rehearsal Aftercare will be available! Friday, May 4th: 5th-8th grade: Rehearsal from 4:00PM – 5:15PM (option to stay; must be back by 6:25) K-4th grade: Rehearsal from 5:00PM - 6:15PM (stay through the show) Preschool: Rehearsal from 6:15PM – 6:30PM Parents are asked to not view the rehearsal Doors open to the audience at 6:45PM SHOW STARTS AT 7:00PM! Aftercare will be available!

Arbor Day The school will be celebrating Arbor Day on Friday, April 26th. We will be in need of rakes, shovels, and wheelbarrows this day! Grade groups will be assigned various jobs such as spreading mulch, raking leaves, and picking up sticks and trash. If you are able to volunteer and help on this day, we would love to have you! We will begin with a devotion in church at 12:30 with the work starting shortly thereafter. More information in the coming days.

Congratulations to our Spelling Bee Winners!! 1st Place Mason 2nd Place Bella 3rd Place Lilliana

Easter Breakfast Sign-up Join us for Easter Breakfast on Sunday, April 21st. It will be served from 9:00-10:30 am in the fellowship hall. Please let us know you will attend the breakfast on the sign-up sheet on the table in the narthex. We ask that you bring a food or beverage item to the breakfast and indicate your item(s) on the sign-up sheet. We also need volunteers to help prepare for the breakfast: set up, serve, clean up. Please indicate your availability on the separate sign-up sheet found on the table in the narthex. Questions? Contact Karen Bassler

Fellowship Hall Setup for Easter Breakfast After our Maundy Thursday Church service we need help in taking down the wall in Fellowship Hall and setting up for Easter breakfast. We need to empty the Nook, which is used as a Pre-school room, take down the wall, and set up tables and chairs. Then on Monday night, April 22nd, we need to put it all back together again. We'll start at 6:30 pm. Many hands make short work. Contact Bob Reichert with questions.

Help Needed! Good Shepherd is in charge of organizing the upcoming grade school track meet at Timothy Christian School in Elmhurst on Saturday, May 11th starting at 9:30 AM. We need your help! We are looking for individuals to help with concession stand food prep, running the concession stand, timing races, and running the softball throw and shot put events. If you are interested please contact Mr. Roekle. Thank you for considering using your gifts in this way!

The Fourth Sunday In Lent - The repentant sinner rejoices at being found in the loving embrace of the Father’s full, free and “foolish” forgiveness.

Holy Week Worship Maundy Thursday: A Meal to Save You April 18 at 7:00 pm Good Friday: The Seven Words, a Service of Darkness April 19 at 1:30 pm and 7:00 pm Easter Sunday: Risen to Free Us! April 21 at 8:00 am and 10:30 am Maundy Thursday gets its name from the Latin word mandatum, the first word of the Latin translation of John 13:34: "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos." That phrase means: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you." Jesus explained to the apostles the significance of his command by washing their feet before he instituted the Lord's Supper. On this day we look at the special spiritual benefits God gives us in this holy meal. Worship includes the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Good Friday: The Seven Words, a Service of Darkness On this day, darkness blanketed the earth from noon until 3:00 pm, as our Savior endured the pains of hell, hanging from a cross. But Christ's suffering means our salvation. In this worship service, we use the ancient custom of "Tenebrae", Latin for "darkness." Throughout the service, as we meditate upon our Savior's passion, lights are dimmed and candles snuffed. This symbolizes the ebbing of Christ's life. The somberness of this worship serves as a foil, making the joy of Easter Sunday all that much brighter. Easter Sunday: Risen to Free Us! He is risen indeed! On Easter morning we celebrate the fact the Jesus has risen from the dead to save us. His resurrection is the proof positive that we stand before God as forgiven children, free from condemnation and hell, and that we will live forever in heaven. A congregational breakfast will be served between the services.

Greetings from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary! The seminary is holding its Seminary Scurry again this year on Saturday, May 4th. The events happening include a Kid's Dash, 5k run/walk, and a free meal after for everyone. All participants 18 years and younger can run either race for free. The cost for those older than 18 years is $20. All race participants will receive some seminary swag and this year's Seminary Scurry t-shirt. https://www.wls.wels.net/seminary-scurry-2019/ We would like to extend an invitation to all the friends and family of the seminary! But, in order to do that, we need your help. Please help spread the word in your church and school. Attached are worship folder inserts and a poster to help publicize the event. Thanks for your consideration and efforts in extending this invite from seminary! Blessings on your weekend!

Special thanks to our Good Shepherd 2018 alums who spent some time with our 7/8 grade class to share some of their experiences about moving on to high school. What a blessing that our students continue to learn from each other!

Register for Bowling & Pizza Lunch Where: Tivoli Bowl 938 Warren Ave, Downers Grove, IL 60515 When: Sunday, April 14, arrive at 12:30, bowling begins at 12:45 (2 hours of bowling and shoes included) Lunch: pizzas ordered from Aurelio's next door to Tivoli, & will be served 1:00pm Who's invited: Everyone!!! Prizes: Yes! Cost: $15 per person 2 hours bowling, shoes, pizza, prizes. If I'm not going to bowl what is the cost? $10. Registration Sign-up : Forms are now available in the narthex. Questions: Dan Schindler Group Life Coordinator

VBS - Mark your Calendars Many volunteers are needed for Vacation Bible School (June 17-21). Last year we had a record number of 85 students! Please see the sign-up table in the narthex for VBS volunteer opportunities. Thank you for your consideration. REGISTRATION COMING in APRIL - We will be opening registration for Vacation Bible School for those 3 years old - Grade 4. Invite your friends to attend with you!

Palm Sunday celebrated by our Good Shepherd School kids and our BLAST Sunday School kids. “The King of Glory” is coming! Join us next Sunday to hear the beautiful message of Easter and what it means for you! Service times at 8a & 10:30a

Spirit Week 7th/8th Grade tradition at Good Shepherd Tinikling

Tonight we celebrated the beautiful gifts of music God has blessed our students with. Thanks to our teachers and choir director for their commitment to keep music in our school and in our kids lives! Listen to our Grades 3-8 Children’s Choir singing “A Million Dreams.”

Kick it for Cancer - The kids will get to duct tape Mr Roekle because we raised over $1200 with Resurrection Lutheran School - the kids are taking a bus there YAY - God’s Blessings.

You know, that God gives us special blessings when we least expect them, but need them the most. 😊 Our 5th/6th Grade Teacher Vicki Smith was surprised today when her son Nolan came to Good Shepherd for a visit before leaving for 9 months. God’s Blessings to you Nolan and all of our service men and women. He is currently serving in the US Army. 🇺🇸 Ephesians 6 - Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”🙏🏻

Some fun at Pastor Rutschow’s Celebration with the Wisconsin Seminary Choir

Celebration for Pastor Rutschow 48 years in the Ministry and 41 years at Good Shepherd. A true Blessing to everyone he has touched. Thank you to Pauline Rutschow and Annette Rutschow for their service and support over the years. Good Shepherd will always welcome you back. God’s Blessings

Christ is risen, He is risen indeed! Our children sang us a beautiful song this morning reminding us that Easter is more than just one day.

We always love wrapping up the skating party with this dance. Such a great time watching the kids just be kids. (And the adults, too!)

Good Shepherd Spirit Week