WELS
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715.421.3634
311 14th Ave S
Wisc. Rapids , WI  54495
Overview
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

WE BELIEVE:
  • that God made everyone and everything and that He wants every child born into this world to be His child;
  • that God has endowed every child with an immortal soul and it is His desire that everyone spend eternity in heaven with Him;
  • that education of the soul, which prepares the child for eternity, is far more important than education of the mind, which prepares a child for life in this world;
  • that children can best learn to live their faith when instruction from the Word of God is a part of their daily life and is woven into every day and hour of their lives;
  • that a Lutheran School, where every subject is taught from the Christian point of view, can be more successful in leading children to a vital Christian life than any other agency except the Christian home; and
  • that children are not prepared for life in this world until they know God's plan of salvation and see themselves as a part of His plan. Only then will they have the proper motive and incentive to prepare themselves for an active, useful life of service to God and to their fellow men.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Parents are blessed to make many decisions in regards to their children. One of those decisions is the education their child receives.    St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran School is a school that promotes not just high educational standards, but also promotes the passion we have for sharing Jesus and all he has done for us.
 
May it be our desire as parents, students, faculty, staff, and administration to honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the educational process and to help each student, “grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52).
 
Christian education is more than a religion class or daily devotion. The truths of God’s Word permeate through all that we teach, so that our students can let their light shine in all they do. To that end we realize that not all people are familiar with the spiritual nature of what we teach each child here at St. Paul's. Please read the following sections which will allow us to provide a clear understanding of how we will minister to your son/daughter the truths of God’s Word.
 
We believe:
 
1. The Bible is the true Word of God. It clearly teaches all we need to know in order to obtain eternal life.
 
References: II Peter 1:21, I Corinthians 2:13, II Timothy 3:16, John 10:35, Luke 11:28, John 5:39
 
2. There is only one true God. In the Bible, God reveals himself as three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is why he is called “Triune”. These three persons in one God are all God. They are equal in power, glory, and in every quality. To deny or ignore one person is to deny all of them. It is God who created, redeemed, and sanctified us.
 
References: Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:31, Exodus 20:11, Psalm 33:6, 9, Psalm 124:8, Mark 10:6, Hebrews 11:3
 
3. The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, lost the image of God when they gave into the temptation of Satan and disobeyed God’s command. This brought on them judgement of God. Since that time all people are conceived and born in sin, desire to do what is evil, and are dead spiritually. Therefore, we are unable to reconcile ourselves to God by our own efforts and deeds.
 
References: Genesis 2:17, Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:1, John 3:6, Psalm 5:4, Romans 5:12, I John 3:4, Romans 8:7-8
 
4. The message of the gospel is the good news that a loving God sent Jesus Christ to take away the sins of all people. The gospel freely offers to all sinners the righteousness that is found in Jesus. God offers and gives eternal life and salvation to all those who believe in the gospel promises.  
 
References: John 1:17, Romans 1:16, John 3:16, Colossians 2:13, Luke 2:10-11, Ezekiel 33:11
 
5. Jesus Christ is the Savior of everyone. He is the eternal Son of God, equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is also the son of the virgin Mary. He became man to redeem all people. Taking our place, he lived a perfect life, keeping the law of God for us. He also died as our innocent substitute on the cross to pay the price sufficient for everyone’s salvation. After rising from the dead, Jesus ascended into heaven. On the last day he will return to raise all the dead and judge all people who are still living.
 
References: I John 5:20, Matthew 1:23, Ephesians 1:7, Galatians 3:13, Hebrews 4:15, Romans 1:4, Acts 10:42
 
6. God judged all sinners righteous in his sight when Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. God declared everyone free from the guilt and punishment owed for our sins. The sinner receives this free gift of forgiveness, not by doing good deeds, but only through faith. A person enjoys the blessings of justification when he or she believes in Christ and his redemptive work. It is a gift of God.
 
References: Ephesians 2:8-9, II Corinthians 5:19, Romans 3:22-24, Romans 3:28, Romans 4:5, Mark 16:16
 
7. Baptism is a holy act instituted by Christ. Using water and God’s Word, it offers and gives the forgiveness of sins, spiritual life, and eternal salvation. It is meant for young and old, including children. Infants are also sinful and therefore need the spiritual rebirth given through baptism.
 
References: Matthew 28:19, John 3:5-6, Titus 3:5, Mark 10:14,
Acts 22:16, Mark 16:16
 
8. Holy Communion is a holy act instituted by Christ. Together with the bread and wine we receive Jesus’ true body and blood. In this special meal, Jesus gives the forgiveness of sins, strengthens our faith, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe. 
 
References: Matthew 26:26-28, I Corinthians 10:16, I Corinthians 11:27-28, I Corinthians 10:17
 
9. God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders both reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
 
Reference: Genesis 1:26-27

10. The term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
 
References: Genesis 2:18-25, I Corinthians 6:18, I Corinthians 6:7;2-5, Hebrews 13:4
 
11. Any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God.
 
References: Matthew 15:18-20, I Corinthians 6:9-10
 
12. God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking his mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
 
References: Acts 3:19-21, Romans 10:9-10, I Corinthians 6:9-11 
 
13. All human life is sacred and created by God in his image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore, called to defend, protect, and value all human life.
 
Reference: Psalm 139
 
Final Authority for Matters of Belief and Conduct
This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, the St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church Council is St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran School’s final authority for carrying out and applying God’s directives as listed above. 
 
PURPOSE

MISSION STATEMENT
St. Paul's Lutheran School strives, by God's grace and blessing, to assist parents, our congregations, and others in developing in each student a knowledge and love of their Savior, growth in His Word, and lifetime serve to Him and His kingdom, both spiritually and academically.

VISION
If it please God, we will:
  • develop the spiritual gifts of the children and prepare them for a life of Christian service to this congregation, the church at large, and the community
  • seek to carry out Christ's great commission of sharing the Gospel with students and families in the community who do not know Jesus
  • provide a Christian environment where children can develop their God-given talents through a comprehensive and stimulating academic curriculum and co-curricular activities
  • develop and nurture a child-home-school partnership to assist the parents in their responsibility to "bring them (their children) up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4
  • establish a distinctive identity in our community as a Christian school of excellence
  • foster a deeper commitment to Christian education among member families
  • expand our education programs and make full use of our physical facility
OBJECTIVES

If our lives are to focus on Jesus, if all we do is to glorify and serve our Lord, if we want to prepare our children to live such lives, then our Lutheran school must work to accomplish the purpose of helping children love and respect the Lord.  This is done as the school strives to achieve the following objectives:
  1. To provide systematic instruction of God’s Word. 
  2. To help the students evaluate all aspects of their lives on the basis of God’s Word.
  3. To encourage and train students to become interested and intelligent Bible readers.
  4. To teach the students to communicate effectively.
  5. To teach the academics which best help to achieve our school’s purpose and objectives.
  6. To teach each subject from the Scriptural viewpoint.
  7. To provide students with a Christian school community in which God’s Word rules supreme.
  8. To give students an opportunity to live their faith in daily Christian fellowship.
  9. To provide a rich devotional life centered in God’s Word.
  10. To support Christian parenthood and home life, which are the basis of human society.
  11. To teach the students to use their time, talents, and treasures to glorify God in a life of faithful service.
  12. To teach and encourage children to be faithful witnesses for Christ.
  13. To encourage students to live as obedient citizens of their country.
  14. To strengthen the congregation and the church-at-large through the training of their future members.
  15. To encourage young Christians to enter the teaching or preaching ministry.
A CHRIST-CENTERED COURSE OF STUDY

The subjects taught in our school are similar to those taught in schools all over America today.  However, the heart of our curriculum is the Word of God, the Holy Bible.

As Christ loved us and died for us, so we also strive to reflect His love in all our education.  Since "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), we must first of all deal with children as persons whose greatest need is for a Savior.  Thus each child is taught that he/she is redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.

While we use many secular textbooks as used by public schools, we do not consider any subject simply secular.  Every subject deals with a part of God's creation and calls the child to behold the wonderful works of God.

St. Paul’s offers a complete curriculum in the core subjects: language arts (reading, language, spelling, and penmanship), mathematics, social studies, and science.  We also offer music, art, physical education, and typing.  All subjects are taught with God’s Word as the foundation.

The curriculum and texts used are determined by the Board of Christian Education and the faculty of the school.  Pupils at St. Paul’s Lutheran School receive  superior academic as well as spiritual training, and any pupil having satisfactorily completed the course of study at St. Paul’s will be prepared to continue his/her education and be readily accepted at any high school.

 
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Interscholastic Sports ~ To help with the development of physical and mental skills, our school participates in various organized sports for girls and boys.  We compete in volleyball, soccer, basketball, and track and field.

Music ~ Band lessons are available for 4th through 8th grades. A school appointed piano teacher offers piano lessons for the 1st-8th grades. Students in grades 5th-8th can play in the handbell choir.

Math Competitions ~ Grades 5-8 take part in a math meet competition sponsored by Martin Luther College Math Club.

Academic Challenge ~ Every year grade 5-8 participates in the Academic Challenge sponsored by Northland Lutheran High School.

Entertainment Programs ~ The school children (3K-8) participate in an evening entertainment program.
 
PARENT INFORMATION COURSE

It is important for you to know what your child will be taught religiously.  Your child will be taught the doctrines of Holy Scripture as confessed and practiced by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).  Parents of children who are active members of another church body will be encouraged to attend an information course for the purpose of informing them of the teachings of the (WELS) Evangelical Lutheran Church.

For an overview of the main teachings of Scripture as confessed and practiced by the Wisconsin Evangelical Luther Synod (WELS), tap here.