BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL

We are hosting the Coyotes Basketball Invitational from Jan. 2-4, 2025.

Played at ALA and three other locations across the valley. Learn more at ALAcoyotes.org/cbi

CALL NEWS

Derek Rabbers has declined our call. The Board of Directors plans to call again for this science position at their next meeting on January 13.

CAPS AND GOWNS ORDERING DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 31

Avoid rush fees on caps & gowns by ordering them by December 31st. 

The link to order is here. Click on the "Graduation Packages" tab. The cap, gown, and tassel-only package is found at the bottom of the page. 

2nd SEMESTER STAFF

 ALA teachers, Benjy and Jade Wells, were blessed with the birth of a healthy baby boy on December 15. We thank God for his safe arrival! Mom and baby are home and doing well.

Lamb of God Lutheran has set up a Meal Train for the new parents. Volunteer here, if interested.

Bringing a new baby into a household is a major life change! So that they may establish new routines, we are granting them appropriate family leave time. The Lord has blessed us with two teachers, both with rich histories of service in WELS teaching ministries, to fill their classrooms beginning with our return to school on January 6.

Mr. Steve Thiesfeldt, currently living with his wife in Saginaw, Michigan, will cover the month of January for Mr. Wells in English 9 & 12. Steve and Jeneane have four children and eighteen grandchildren (including former ALA students Hans, Elena, and Elsa Brauer). 

Retired now, Steve’s ministry has taken him to the following places:

• grade schools in Tomah, Wisconsin; Stillwater, Minnesota; and Winona, Minnesota.
• high schools in Prairie du Chien and Watertown, Wisconsin.
• college at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota.

Mr. Greg Thiesfeldt, Steve’s younger brother, just moved to Phoenix from Sacramento, California. Greg and Lisa have two sons and four grandchildren (one more on the way). Greg will cover the second semester for Mrs. Wells’s social studies classes. 

Before retiring, Greg served in the following locations:

• grade schools in Lake Geneva and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; New Ulm, Minnesota; and Citrus Heights, California
• high school in Des Moines, Washington

We are eager to welcome these couples to our campus and are tremendously grateful for their willingness to complete our staff.

AVOID RUSH FEES - ORDER YOUR CAPS & GOWNS TODAY

Parents of seniors—class of 2025—the deadline to order caps and gowns is December 31st. Please do not delay ordering to avoid rush fees! 

The link to order is here. Click on the "Graduation Packages" tab. The cap, gown, and tassel-only package is found at the bottom of the page. 

NEWEST COYOTE!

Benjy and Jade Wells were blessed with the birth of a healthy baby boy on Sunday. We thank God for his safe arrival! Mom and baby are home and doing well. Mr. Wells is teaching this week while grandparents are here to help at home. 

Lamb of God Lutheran has set up a Meal Train for the new parents. Volunteer here, if interested.

EXAMS - Dec 18, 19, 20

>> Download Exam Schedule

• Students do not have to report to school until their first test of the day and may leave after their final test. However, students must sign in at the office when they arrive late and sign out at the office when they leave early. 
• Once a student leaves campus for the day, he/she may not return. Students may not leave campus between tests. If a student has a period off between tests, arrives early for a test, or waits for others to finish a test, he/she will go to study hall. Be sure to bring work to do or a book to read. Study hall locations will be announced. 
• All tests will be taken in the usual classroom for each course. Students may not leave a testing session early, even if they finish the test. 
• There will be no lunch offered on these days. Students are encouraged to bring a snack for breaks between exam periods (good brain food, such as fruit, is recommended). 
• If an exam is missed, the student must make arrangements with the instructor and take the exam by Wednesday, January 8, 2025, to receive credit. 
• There will be no semester exams in art classes, Digital Media Design, Physical Education, or Weight Training. All other classes are expected to meet during the scheduled exam period. 
• Exam periods for Freshman Music, Band, and Concert Choir/A Cappella will constitute a dress rehearsal for the Christmas Concert. 
• All students are expected to attend the school Christmas Chapel on Thursday at 9:15am

LUNCH ORDERING IS NOW OPEN

Woohoo! Ordering is now open for 1/1/2025 - 5/22/2025 at Arizona Lutheran Academy. Log in to your myhotlunchbox.com account to order your favorite meals!

To ensure your meals are delivered at the right time and place, please check to make sure your profiles are updated with all of the correct information before placing your orders.

To update your profiles, head to the "My Profiles" tab in your portal and click "Edit" next to your student’s profile. Update your student's grade and teacher and be sure to select "Save" before exiting.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us at (888) 894-8295 or info@myhotlunchbox.com.

SHARE PHOTOS?

We had a great weekend of Coyote teams at tournaments! 

• Girls Basketball - 1st at Payson Tournament
• Girls wrestling - 1st at Agua Fria Tournament
• Boys wrestling - 2nd at Douglas Tournament

We have a favor to ask! While you're celebrating and posting photos, will you send a few photos to Photos@ALAcoyotes.org?

Our coaches are focused on coaching and travel and keeping track of who's riding home with parents, so they don't have time to send photos. And our student photographers don't get to attend many away events. 

So, will you share? Again, that email address is: Photos@ALAcoyotes.org.

Thanks for being our reporters on the road!

BASKETBALL MONDAY

All five basketball teams are in action again on Monday night!

📍 Home
🆚 Glendale Prep
🗓 Monday, Dec 16
Coyote hype zone Theme: Jersey Night

Fr/So Boys 1:30
JV Girls 3:00
JV Boys 4:30
Varsity Girls 6:00
Varsity Boys 7:30

🖥 Moving forward, all GAMES are streamed at ALAcoyotes.org/Hudl.

BUY AN ADD FOR YOUR GRAD!

Senior parents, you have the opportunity to purchase a portion of a page in the 24-25 yearbook to celebrate your graduate. The options are ½ page for $75, ¼ page for $50, and ⅛ page for $25. Go to jostensadservice.com/student to get started, or open the PDF for more info.

The deadline is Dec 31.

 

JERSEY NIGHT

Student Council has declared a “Jersey Night” for the home basketball games on Monday, December 16th. Show your spirit and come dressed in your favorite jersey. Better yet, break out your “classic” ALA jersey from when you were a student here and represent your Coyote pride!

BUS SERVICE CHANGES TOMORROW

There will be no after-school bus service to the East Valley (Emmanuel and Pilgrim) on Friday, December 13. 

TEXT MESSAGING SERVICE — ACTION NEEDED!

ALA will soon begin utilizing the SchoolMessenger system to deliver text messages straight to your mobile phone with important information about attendance, school closing, safety alerts, and more. But you must opt-in to participate in this free service.

HOW TO JOIN THE LIST:

Send a text message of "Y" or "Yes" to our school's shortcode number, 

6 7 5 8 7 

Your mobile must be on file on PowerSchool! 

Click on this flyer to read more, or use a QR code to opt-in. 

CAPS & GOWNS - DEADLINE APPROACHING

Parents of seniors—class of 2025—the deadline to order caps and gowns is December 31st. Please do not delay ordering to avoid rush fees! 

The link to order is here. Click on the "Graduation Packages" tab. The cap, gown, and tassel-only package is found at the bottom of the page. 

JV SOCCER GAME ON FRIDAY RESCHEDULED

Due to the lack of officials, the JV Soccer game on Friday has been moved to this Thursday, December 12.

 

WINTER PHOTOS

WINTER SPORTS PHOTOS AVAILABLE

View Winter Sports photos by Jenni Petersen.

All digital pictures are available to our families for free. If you have questions about pictures, please email Dave Peter at Peter@ALAcoyotes.org.

PENNY WARS

As the Christmas season approaches, the student council aims to create a school-wide giving effort. This year, for our Christmas charity, we are hosting a penny war class vs. class competition and donating the proceeds to hurricane relief efforts in Ashville, North Carolina. Please send your children to school with coins and bills this week to help us reach our goal of $2000.    

BUS SERVICE CHANGES FOR FRIDAY 12/13

There will be no after-school bus service to the East Valley (Emmanuel and Pilgrim) on Friday, December 13. 

BUS SERVICE CHANGES FOR FRIDAY 12/13 - PLEASE READ

There will be no after-school bus service to the East Valley (Emmanuel and Pilgrim) on Friday, December 13.

JV SOCCER GAME CANCELED - 12/11

The JV Soccer game this Wednesday has been canceled due to the lack of officials. We are currently trying to reschedule this game for sometime in January.

VOLUNTEER THIS WINTER

We have a plethora of volunteer options this winter.

• Sell Tickets (we especially need someone this Wednesday, Dec 11)
• Be a TeamParent
• Help on the Parking Crew
• Join the Treat-of-the-Month Club
• Help with Grandparents Day or the Gala
• Chaperone

 
Sign up here

BUILD UP AZ CANCELED

Build Up AZ for December 7 has been canceled due to insufficient registrations.

MEET THE SENTERS FAMILY

Pillars in the Laveen community, Ryan and Sara Senters have one son here at ALA. The whole family was recently flown out to Southern California and featured on a national TV show. Watch the segment here.

Listen to the behind-the-scenes story on Ryan Senters's podcast

BASKETBALL GAMES TOMORROW 12/6

CAMP VERDE (1326 Montezuma Castle Rd, Camp Verde)

JV GIRLS 3pm | JV BOYS 4:30pm | VARSITY GIRLS 6:00pm | VARSITY BOYS 7:30pm

ADMISSIONS

Cash only

$5 adults

$3 seniors & students

STREAMING

The games will be streamed LIVE for free on the Hudl Fan App.

https://fan.hudl.com/usa/az/camp-verde/organization/40074/camp-verde-high-school

PIZZA FRIDAY ALERT!

Pizza Friday Alert! Skip packing lunch and enjoy a Costco pizza, all while supporting ALA mission trips on Friday, December 13. Make sure to sign up before noon on Thursday, December 12. Pizza is $3/single slice, $5/double slice.

BUILD UP AZ - LAST DAY TO SIGN UP!

The Build Up AZ program aims to connect high school students with Christian men and women who work (or have worked) in various trades jobs. The adults teach, train, & mentor students in carpentry, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and more through hands-on projects. Opportunities exist to encourage and build up teens in their faith as well. Thanks to the generous people who love Jesus and the Build Up program, your teen can participate at no cost!

The next session of Build Up AZ is THIS Saturday, December 7, from 8a - noon.

Sign up here. 

GIVING TUESDAY

In case you haven't heard...

It's Giving Tuesday, and we invite you to support our current and future students with a pledge or gift to our Building Tomorrow campaign today!

WHY? Because every soul matters! God has poured out abundant blessings on our ministry. We are experiencing tremendous growth, and we have an eager desire to share the gospel with even more teens from our federation churches, schools, and the community.

We're excited about the future of ALA, as you can see in our new Building Tomorrow video.

As an added bonus, gifts to Building Tomorrow TODAY (on Giving Tuesday) will be matched — up to $50K!

Join the Coyote family to give your tax-deductible gift or make a pledge today!

STREAMING SITE CHANGE

Until further notice, our home games are streaming ONLY on Hudl: https://fan.hudl.com/arizonalutheran

Please pass this on to your family & friends who may want to watch at home.

CATERED LUNCH WILL BE AVAILABLE THREE DAYS A WEEK

Starting in January, we will offer catered lunch from Panda Express on Wednesdays. Tuesday and Thursday lunches will remain unchanged. If you currently order lunches, you will be able to add Wednesday lunches to your account soon. If you have never ordered, create an account and get started here! Here are some tips for ordering:

• You can order for the whole semester in advance and pay every week!
• Ordering closes at 12pm the day before lunch is delivered. (Mon. 12pm, Tue. 12pm and Wed. 12pm)
• You can repeat your favorite lunch order week after week.

CALL UPDATE

Ethan Hutchinson has declined our call, and last night, the ALA Board of Directors issued the following calls: 

• Derek Rabbers to teach science. He currently serves Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, Wisconsin. Previously he served at St. John's Lutheran School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• Hailey Santos to teach religion/Spanish. She presently serves at Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School in New Ulm, Minnesota.
• Martin Santos to teach social studies. He is currently serving at Martin Luther College as a recruiter. Previously he served at Holy Trinity Lutheran School in Des Moines, Washington; Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran High School in Waco, Nebraska; and at California Lutheran High School in Wildomar, California.

BUILD UP AZ REMINDER

The Build Up AZ program aims to connect high school students with Christian men and women who work (or have worked) in various trades jobs. The adults teach, train, & mentor students in carpentry, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and more through hands-on projects. Opportunities exist to encourage and build up teens in their faith as well. Thanks to the generous people who love Jesus and the Build Up program, your teen can participate at no cost!

The next session of Build Up AZ is THIS Saturday, December 7, from 8a - noon.

Sign up here. 

WINTER SPORTS

Winter games start this week. Visit the ALA calendar for dates & times.

💡 Look for the "people" icon to sort by Interest Groups

 
Streaming:

All home games are set to stream at ALAcoyotes.org/YouTube

Basketball/Wrestling Admission:

ALA FAMILIES: show your athletic pass for free admission

Share the following information with your extended family:

ADULTS $5
SENIORS (60+) $3
ALUMNI $2
AGE 6 – HIGH SCHOOL $2
5 & UNDER FREE
ATHLETIC PASS (SINGLE) $20
ATHLETIC PASS (FAMILY) $65
Cash and credit accepted

Soccer Admission: no charge

HOW TO FIND 'AWAY' GAME LOCATIONS:

1. Visit https://alacoyotes.org/programs/athletics/
2. Scroll down to "Athletic Resources"
3. Then look for "Directions to Away Games"