The mission of our school is to teach children the Latvian language, Latvian traditions and the Word of God.  A typical Saturday begins with a short, child centered morning service in the chapel.  Students then attend classes such as reading and writing in Latvian, vocabulary building, history, geography and religion.  After lunch, there is folk singing and folk dancing.  Although we make every effort to follow the academic guidelines set forth by the American Latvian Association, our school accommodates this curriculum to meet the needs of all students.

Our school has many special events that students and their families look forward to.  These include celebrating “Martini” (an ancient tradition similar to Halloween), baking “piparkukas” (spice cookies) before Christmas, playing in the snow to celebrate “Meteni” (another ancient tradition), and using onion skins, spring leaves and flowers to color Easter eggs.  We also have an annual ski trip to the Catskills.

The eighth grade graduates participate in a two week guided tour of Latvia sponsored by the American Latvian Association.  They join students from other Latvian schools on the east coast.  This trip has been a profound and emotional experience for many of these students. 

New students or visitors are always welcome!  Our day begins each Saturday at 9:30 and lasts until 2:00.

                                     Latvian Culture Days
                                               
          It is a wonderful thing to know your cultural heritage.  To make this possible for children who do not speak Latvian or who are not ready to commit to coming to Latvian school every Saturday, we have Latvian culture days.   Here are the activities we have planned for this fall.

March 28th
          We will begin at 10:00 in the social hall next to St. John's Latvian Lutheran Church.  Easter traditons we be our focus and, as always, there will also be Latvian folk dancing and circle games.  Activities will be planned so that all ages have something age appropriate to engage and interest them.   A hot lunch will be served at 12:00 and the day will end at 1:00.  Please RSVP by March 21.

          Culture days always include Latvian circle games, folktales, a craft activity, folk dancing and lunch.    Parents are welcome to stay and participate.  Our only fee is $5 per person for a hot lunch. Contact Silvija at LatvianSchool@LatvianLuthChurchPhila.org if you would like to join us.