Overview

St. Paul Lutheran School

The Philosophy of St. Paul Lutheran School

We at St. Paul Lutheran School believe that we are all in need of God’s love and forgiveness because we fall short of God’s expectations. We believe that God has provided for our reconciliation with Him through Jesus, our Savior.

Together with parents, we strive:

  • to help children learn more about Jesus as their personal Savior,
  • to help children grow in their faith,
  • to provide a sound educational curriculum with Christ as the center,
  • to help children develop Christian values and morals, and
  • to demonstrate Christian love in all school related activities throughout the day.

The curriculum provides a solid emphasis on academic skills, balanced with Christian teaching of Biblical truths and how they apply to everyday living. Academic and enrichment programs are planned for the child’s spiritual, mental, social, emotional, and physical growth. The entire program offers many opportunities for the child to observe the miracle of God’s wonderful world.

We believe that God’s Word is the basis for all behavioral guidelines. Respect for each other as members of God’s family is stressed. In addition, students are given extensive opportunities to develop personal responsibility, innovative thinking and leadership skills.

To assure maximum achievement of this philosophy, all programs and curricula are continually monitored by the staff of St. Paul Lutheran School under the guidance of the principal. Support is provided through prayer and action by St. Paul Lutheran congregation, its Pastors, the Christian Day School Ministry Team (School Board), school parents, and the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO).

Objectives

In keeping with the Christian Philosophy of Education above, the following objectives form the foundation for instruction activity in St. Paul Lutheran School:

  • To help the child to know God and trust in His Son as the Savior from sin.
  • To bring the child to the Holy Scriptures and an understanding of them as the “word of life”.
  • To lead the child to a close relationship with God in worship and in daily life.
  • To create in the child the willingness to serve God through the Church, the Body of Christ.
  • To develop in the child the attitudes needed to work properly as God’s child.
  • To show the child that the body is a marvelous gift of God to keep in good health for service to God and the benefit of all.
  • To help the child grow mentally in the use of logic, science, the arts, and communication for the church and society.
  • To guide the child into the proper use of social skills needed to live competently and creatively.
  • To strengthen the child’s emotional control and to teach reliance on God for strength in times of trouble.
  • To encourage the child in the expression of the arts and to appreciate the beauty of nature and the arts.
  • To teach the child that all people are God’s creation and, therefore, to respect and show consideration for others.
  • To help each child grow in patriotism, integrity, honesty, and responsibility.
  • To create in the child a concern for the spiritual and material welfare of all people.
  • To assist the child to understand that God is the creator and ruler of nature, to thank and praise God for nature’s gifts, and to use and care for them properly.

SPLS1965St. Paul Lutheran School’s Story

Educational diversity and choice is a good thing for students, families and communities. At St. Paul Lutheran School (SPLS) we believe this statement wholeheartedly. Back in 1964, when the people of St. Paul Lutheran Church made the crucial decision to start a grade school program, they would not have used the same terminology. They would have discussed providing a quality education that is based on the Bible and Lutheran Christian values for the families of the congregation.

While they could not have anticipated the drastic changes in the culture, in children and parents and in the place of faith in our world, they knew that there would always be a need for a school like St. Paul Lutheran School (SPLS). When parents have so many choices in public, charter and other non-public schools; SPLS stands apart in its commitment to high educational standards, using a blend of traditional and innovative methods and the thorough integration of scriptural, confessional Christian ideas applied to life.

Since 1964, SPLS has grown dramatically in terms of program offerings, student enrollment (in numbers and diversity), professional staff, the integration of technology and in many other ways. The school has moved from its previous location on South Florida to a 35+ acre campus south of Polk Parkway on Harden Boulevard.

What has remained steadfast is the commitment of the people of St. Paul Lutheran Church to its school and the dedication of the school leadership to providing a unique educational opportunity for the students and families of Lakeland and Polk County.

St. Paul Lutheran School is one of over nine hundred Lutheran elementary schools connected through the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LC-MS), the second largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. The LC-MS is known for its strong reliance on the Bible and its historic commitment to education from early childhood through university level.

Who Runs St. Paul Lutheran School?

St. Paul Lutheran School operates as a ministry of St. Paul Lutheran Church. Therefore, it is governed by a board established by the church constitution.

The formal name of the leadership is the Christian Day School Ministry Team, but it is commonly known as the School Board. Board membership is drawn from active members of St. Paul Lutheran Church. Candidate are nominated by the existing board members and approved by the Board of Trustees. From the membership of the board, a president, vice-president and secretary are elected. The senior pastor and school principal serve on the board as ex officio members and are non-voting. One faculty member serves as a teacher representative.

The Christian Day School Ministry Team meets monthly on the third Tuesday. Guests are welcome and are asked to notify the board president of the intention to attend. Guests may speak at a board meeting with prior notification to the board president.

Communication with Christian Day School Ministry Team president and members may be channeled through the school office.

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