In today’s digital world, screen time may feel inevitable for some parents. However, too much screen time, especially for young children, can lead to negative consequences such as poor sleep schedules, reduced focus or attention span, and a lack of physical activity. Many parents themselves often express frustration that their child gives up on sports, extracurriculars, or other activities in favor of screen time. Here are a few tips for fostering a healthy screen time balance with your children, no matter the age:

Schedule Screen Time

One of the best ways to minimize excess screen time and encourage children to engage in other productive activities is to schedule time in advance. For example, allowing your child a set amount of time for watching TV per day, or setting a timer when they are on a tablet or phone. This helps to create routines where screen time is allowed, but not excessive.

Learning-Based Screen Time

One of the benefits of technology is the number of educational and learning-based options that you can utilize. Finding productive and purposeful activities, such as interactive games, informational television channels, etc., can provide learning opportunities for your child even during screen time. This can easily be adjusted for older children as well, such as trivia games to help with studying, documentaries to learn more about current events, and virtual youth groups.

Establish No Screen Zones

Finding a healthy balance for technology usage looks different in every home, but establishing strict screen-free zones, such as at the dinner table or in bedrooms, can help minimize over-usage. Additionally, this helps encourage healthier activities such as face-to-face conversations, prayer, and outdoor play.

Set a Positive Example

Leading by example is one of the most effective ways to teach your children healthy screen use. Modeling healthy technology use and engaging in screen-free activities yourself often helps children imitate this behavior and be better equipped to limit their own screen time as adults!

Fostering and enforcing healthy screen time habits can be difficult, especially as children get older and may see differing expectations in their friends’ and classmates’ homes. However, establishing routine structures within your home that embrace screen time while encouraging limitations is possible! Ultimately, balance is key and finding a healthy balance between technology use and educational or play-based activities supports your child’s healthy growth and development.

St. John Amelith School is passionate about cultivating every student’s unique strengths and educational ambitions. For many students, this path to success isn’t linear, and they may benefit from outside support services or holistic resources to help them make the most of their time at St. John’s! Through individualized support, open communication, and a strong focus on spiritual development, this school is committed to helping students grow not just their knowledge, but also their self-confidence.

Tutoring

Many students need a little extra support in some subjects, and that’s okay! Teachers monitor academic progress and use assessments to identify each student’s areas for growth, including offering individualized tutoring services to help students expand their skills and work through educational challenges. Not only has this been shown to increase academic achievement, but it also builds self-confidence and problem-solving skills for students who may not otherwise feel as confident in the classroom!

Partnership with Parents

A student’s success in school is closely linked to their home life, and St John’s is committed to keeping open channels of communication with parents to collaborate on how best to serve their child! Whether through monthly newsletters, parent-teacher conferences, or text message updates, teachers and administrators can form true partnerships with parents to drive student success in school and at home.

Extracurricular Activities

While academic subjects might nurture your child’s education, extracurricular activities help shape them into well-rounded, active, and engaged adults! St. John’s offers several extracurricular opportunities for students, including holiday events and youth groups, to foster friendships and develop important skills such as problem-solving and conflict resolution.

Spiritual Development

Supporting students’ spiritual development is central to all activities and initiatives at St. John Amelith. Daily prayer, chapel services, and service-based learning encourage children to grow in both their faith and character, learning how to give back to their communities while cultivating a closer relationship with God. Unlike in many public schools, this also helps children view their faith as an important component of their daily lives.

Student success is measured by so much more than just grades, assessments, and test scores. At St. John Amelith, student success is driven by a desire to help students grow personally, academically, and spiritually, with access to the unique resources and support they need to thrive both in school and at home.

Making time for prayer and reflection amidst busy work schedules, juggling getting kiddos to and from school, and making it to appointments and extracurriculars can be a challenge for many families. With constant digital distractions and seemingly never-ending to-do lists, it can be especially easy for spirituality to take a backseat. However, incorporating simple daily prayer habits can make faith a consistent part of your family’s day, and help foster more faithful and well-rounded children! Here are a few small but transformational ways to introduce daily prayer into you and your children’s daily lives:

Prayer Before Meals

Mealtimes are a perfect time to take a breath, reflect, and connect with your loved ones. Saying prayers before a meal to thank God for the food, ask for support with an upcoming school event or test, or just to give gratitude for the joys of the day is a simple way to start incorporating faith into your family’s daily routine.

Bedtime Blessings

Ending the day with prayer can be a great way to build your child’s faith! This can look like reading the bible together, reflecting on how you and your children saw God at work in your lives that day, or even giving worries and stresses up in prayer. This helps children of any and all ages end their day with peaceful and thoughtful reflection.

Gratitude Prayers

People, even adults, often turn to God most in times of crisis and turmoil. While teaching your children about God’s boundless love and mercy is crucial for helping them understand how God can lead them towards truth and light, it’s important your little ones also learn to show gratitude during the happy and joyful moments in their lives! Lifting up a prayer in gratitude after acing a test, performing well at a sporting event, or simply having a good day can help instill important Christian values and normalize making faith a consistent part of your child’s life.

Bible Study

Sharing scripture together as a family is an easy and beneficial way to incorporate daily prayer into your children’s lives. Whether that’s reflecting on a bible verse together in the car on the way to school, reading passages together at night, or even singing biblical songs to your extra little one can help children connect deeper with their faith on a daily basis.

St. John Amelith Church and School is passionate about fostering your children’s faith journey while also understanding that much of a child’s learning happens inside the home! Here, we lead by example and empower parents to do the same as they seek to find new ways to incorporate spirituality into your home life and unique schedule. Nurturing daily prayer habits helps your children flourish into faithful and compassionate adults better equipped to navigate life’s challenges with both faith and confidence.

Preschool can be an exciting, but sometimes scary, transition in your family’s life. As a parent, you likely have a laundry list of factors to consider as you choose the best fit for your child’s unique needs – safety, learning styles, childcare provider qualifications, etc. For families with a strong connection to their faith, choosing a faith-based preschool can be a great option, as it provides a core alignment with Christian values that complements the learning experience. Here are a few of the key benefits of choosing a faith-based preschool as the first step on your child’s educational journey!

Early Introduction to Faith Concepts

Your child is never too young to start learning about the importance of faith, and beginning these lessons early helps build a strong spiritual foundation for your little one. Faith-based preschools, like St. John’s, intertwine Christian songs, bible stories, and lessons with curriculum to help children not only learn about their faith, but also learn through their faith.

Individualized Care

One of the other great benefits of faith-based or private preschools is that the smaller class sizes allow for more individualized and focused attention from providers. This smaller child-to-caregiver ratio helps children who may need a little extra support, those with special needs or learning disabilities, or those who simply function best in small-group settings. Since preschool may be your child’s first introduction to school or group learning, this personalized attention can be especially beneficial!

Community-Building

St. John’s preschool program, like many faith-based schools, fosters a strong sense of community and service that can help families feel more included and involved from an early age. Church events, joint festivals, Bible study groups, holiday parties, service projects, and volunteer days are all frequent occurrences within St. John’s Church and School, helping to build a stronger faith community while fostering connections with other families.

Whole-Person Learning

Faith-based preschools often set the stage for your child’s whole-person development, fostering not only academic learning but also emotional, social, and spiritual growth. As your little one transitions from preschool to kindergarten, then to first grade and beyond, problem-solving skills, friendship-building, sharing, respect, and collaboration become increasingly important. A faith-based center like St. John’s helps children develop character and lifelong skills alongside their academic curriculum, building confidence and a sense of identity.

Choosing a preschool for your child is a significant decision that deserves careful consideration. Here at St. John Amelith School, we know that it’s an honor to be entrusted with the care and support of your child as they start their educational journey, and we’re here to answer any questions to help parents feel confident about their child’s intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual development while under our care. Preschool is currently enrolling three- and four-year-olds for the upcoming year. Call 989-686-0176 or email office@amelith.org for more information.

As the school year winds down and your children begin their well-deserved break from school, it’s likely you already have a busy summer agenda with family vacations, household projects, beach trips, and more. While summertime is an excellent opportunity to slow down, refresh, and unwind from hectic school schedules, it can be difficult to engage little ones spiritually in the same ways they may be used to while attending school at St. John’s. Here are a few practical tips for keeping your child’s faith alive, even when they’re not in school!

Make faith a part of your family’s routine

Children thrive with consistent structure and routine, and adding regular engagement with your faith can be a key way to develop little one’s spiritual wellbeing! Prayer before meals or right before bed can go a long way in building a simple but stable spiritual rhythm for your family. Likewise, if you lead by example by bringing up Jesus, referencing the Bible, or making connections between your faith and the world, your child learns to follow suit!

Maintain church & school relationships

The transition to summer vacation can sometimes be challenging for children when they miss their friends, classmates, and playmates that they may be used to seeing and spending time with daily. Making an intentional effort to maintain church and school relationships, even during off months, can help maintain a sense of normalcy for your child while also encouraging them to foster a deeper connection to their faith! Whether it’s weekly mass, scheduled playdates with other families from school, or joint family daytrips, these interpersonal connections can be a great opportunity to engage with your larger Christian family.

Continue faith-based education

Just because school is out doesn’t mean the education has to end! Much of children’s learning happens at home, and there are many simple, fun ways to teach your child about your faith during the summer months! Reading bible stories, making faith-based crafts, or volunteering together as a family are all great ways to keep your faith central to your family while also helping your child build knowledge and confidence in their spirituality.

While school may be out of session, growing you and your child’s faith doesn’t have to take a break! By prioritizing faith in your daily routines, building interpersonal connections with other members of your faith community, and making an effort to continue your child’s spiritual development in the home, you can help plant the seeds of spiritual growth in your child for years to come!

At St. John Amelith, we know the importance of meaningful faith formation at church, at school, and at home. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a Christ-centered environment, and it’s important to consider your unique needs when determining the best ways to deepen your Christian identity as a family and provide consistent faith-based learning for your little ones. Here are a few ideas of how to keep spirituality at the forefront in your home:

Prayer

Prayer is one of the simplest, yet most impactful, ways to introduce your child to your faith and keep spirituality central to your home. Praying before meals, before bed, or on the way to/from school can help your child develop a daily habit of engaging with their faith. Over time, this helps children feel more comfortable expressing their spirituality and forming a deeper relationship with God.

Celebrate Religious Milestones

While your family may already celebrate important religious holidays like Christmas and Easter, celebrating faith milestones like baptisms or first communions is also a major part of creating a consistent, faith-based environment for your child! By celebrating milestones in your child’s faith journey, your little one is likely to feel more secure in their identity and engaged with their faith formation.

Read Scripture

Bible stories are a great way to share the faith with your children, and there are several age-appropriate scripture passages to read together as a family! Bible stories can also be a great way to teach important lessons to your children about generosity, sharing, caring for others, and trusting in God’s larger plan for their lives.

Engage in Your School/Church Community

St. John Amelith Church and School are wonderful resources for building a community of support and faith for your whole family! Outside of regular services and faith-based learning during classes, St. John Amelith offers extracurriculars for all ages such as Lutheran Schools Week activities, bible studies, informational seminars for parents, and more. By engaging with your local faith community, you can help build connections that foster a greater sense of identity for both parents and little ones!

Creating a Christ-centered environment for your child isn’t about adding more to your to-do list but rather incorporating daily habits and routines that create a lasting faith foundation. Even small changes at home, like consistently praying before meals or sharing bible stories as a family, can help make spirituality an integral part of your family’s day-to-day life. Most importantly, you don’t have to go on this journey alone – St. John Amelith is committed to providing guidance, support, and resources for both parents and families seeking to deepen their faith and create a stronger support system with other believers.

Choosing the right school for your children and your family is no small decision. However, parochial or religious-based schools offer a unique option for families interested in finding a healthy balance between academic rigor, spiritual development, and opportunities for involvement. Here are a few of the key benefits of choosing a parochial education for your child:

Flexibility & Convenience

Compared to public or charter schools, parochial schools often offer more flexible options to meet families’ diverse scheduling and education requirements. For example, St. John Amelith School offers both full and half-day preschool options, allowing families to choose the schedule that aligns best with their unique lifestyle. Furthermore, many parochial schools such as St. John’s also offers comprehensive education options for students ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade, meaning that families don’t have to commute between different childcare centers, elementary schools, and middle schools if they have children in different grades. In addition, private parochial schools are often able to offer enhanced services for families due to the smaller number of students, such as before and after school care, to support working parents.

 Community Connection

One of the primary benefits of choosing a parochial education is the close-knit community they provide. Private schools generally contain smaller class sizes with more opportunities for individualized interactions between both students and teachers. Childhood development and education researchers report that smaller class sizes often lead to more personalized attention from teachers, higher standardized test scores, and enhanced interpersonal relationships within the classroom. This can especially be a benefit for families with children on the spectrum or who struggle with learning disabilities as teachers have the capacity to tailor instruction and give individualized attention when needed. Additionally, these smaller class sizes also allow teachers to communicate with parents more consistently, thus making it easier for families to stay informed about their child’s progress and/or well-being.

Faith-Based

Parochial schools’ faith-based approach to learning is one of the things that truly sets them apart from other educational institutions. By integrating faith into students’ daily education, no matter the age, children are encouraged to grow spiritually while learning academically. This keeps faith a central part of children’s day-to-day life while also helping parents and families engage in faith-based activities and the larger Church community.

St. John Amelith School is committed to providing a safe, comfortable, and engaged learning environment for students, including updated facilities and technologies, a range of extracurricular activities, and a well-rounded curriculum for all students. Parochial schools such as this offer families a unique combination of flexibility, personalized academics, and faith-based daily learning, making them an excellent choice for families seeking a well-rounded educational experience for their little ones.

St. John Amelith School’s mission is to help children grow in faith, knowledge, and service, and our entire faith community plays a vital role in this call to action! The Christ-centered environment we’ve created at St. John’s is a reflection of the dedication and passion of numerous teachers, volunteers, families, and parishioners who pour their talents, wisdom, and time into nurturing the next generation of Christians. However, many are unaware of the integral part donors play in making St. John’s mission come to life.

Why Does Giving Matter?

Here at St. John Amelith, giving is more than simply a monetary transaction. When our donors make a gift, those funds are faithfully stewarded to support school capital needs, tuition assistance for low-income students, professional development for our dedicated staff, and dozens of other initiatives to enrich the lives of our students, families, and parishioners.

Matthew 6:21 tells us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and this holds true at St. John Amelith. Giving in support of this school’s mission is an investment in your local faith community and a testament to your passion for spreading the word and cultivating well-rounded students to carry on the mission. In short, your gifts help create a sustainable legacy for not only St. John’s itself, but also the hundreds of students and families that pass through these halls.

Your Gift’s Impact

As with most parochial schools, tuition costs are a small component of the expenses it takes to run a faith-filled educational environment. We’re committed to providing the highest quality of education and support to our students while also ensuring these resources remain accessible to families in our communities who may experience barriers associated with tuition costs. This is where your gifts come in! Fundraising helps bridge the gap between what our students’ families can pay and what the school needs to retain dedicated teachers, stay up-to-date on best practices within education, and upgrade technology and facilities as needed.

Because of your generous contributions, a child who may not otherwise have the opportunity to attend a Christian school is able to receive tuition assistance, our library is able to replace outdated books and classroom technology, our teachers and faculty can attend conferences and trainings to better serve their students, and our music, art, and athletics programs can grow to provide full-person enrichment to students of all ages.

Every gift, no matter the size, makes a tangible difference in the lives of students at St. John Amelith Lutheran School. With the 2025-2026 school year on the horizon, we want to invite you to share in the joy of giving, whether through a one-time gift, a monthly contribution, a legacy gift, or even through participation in our numerous fundraising events throughout the school year. Together, we can share our faith, support our faith communities, and provide meaningful faith-based education for years to come.

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Just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and fed the poor and hungry, Christians too are called to serve each other in humility. At St. John Amelith Lutheran Church and School, service is an ongoing lifestyle, and families are encouraged to participate in the joy of giving back by loving their neighbors and supporting those in need as God calls all Christians to do. Volunteering is a key way that parishioners, students, and families can put their faith into action, while also teaching children the importance of community-building and supporting their neighbors in need.

Why Does Volunteering Matter?

There is a strong biblical foundation for treating our neighbors with care and compassion as Jesus himself did. Faith is often shown not just in words, but also in actions, and volunteering is an impactful way to live out God’s calling! Whether it’s helping serve meals at a local food pantry, facilitating a clothing drive for a local homeless shelter, or simply helping an elderly neighbor shovel their driveway in the winter, these small acts of kindness go a long way in reflecting the love of Christ onto your community.

For families with children, volunteering and acts of service can be especially powerful in teaching little ones lifelong lessons in humility, compassion, and community. Prioritizing giving back helps your child learn to view the world as larger themselves and that their time, energy, and passion can be a blessing to those in need.

Opportunities to Serve

Volunteering and service comes in all shapes and sizes, and no one is too young or too old to give back! St. John Amelith School offers numerous age-appropriate opportunities for students to experience the joy of giving back, such as designing cards for elderly shut-ins around the holidays, hosting can drives for local food pantries, or participating in community clean-up days. Church parishioners and families can also serve together by volunteering at St. John events like fundraisers, annual outreach projects, or local non-profit organizations.

In this way, service is not only a way to live out your faith, but also serve alongside the faithful, empowering your local Christian community while building lasting connections with other families!