For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

 

The world will tell us that Christmas is a time for presents. As Christians we know that Christmas is a time for presence -- God's greatest gift -- Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). Jesus, the very presence of God in our midst!

 

We pray that each of you are filled with the presence of God this Advent season, and through His presence you reach out to those God has called you to touch in your ministry.

Please join us in praying and thanking God for the following schools this week:

Bethany Lutheran School and Preschool, Long Beach, CA

St. John’s Preschool, El Segundo, CA

Mt. Olive Lutheran Preschool, Poway, CA

Below are photos from Bethany Lutheran School and Preschool,

Long Beach, CA:

Bethany Lutheran looks forward to welcoming international I-20 students

to our beautiful campus in Long Beach.

Our Trinity choir, grades 3-5, raised their voices in song at our 50 ^th Candlelight Christmas Concert this past weekend, joining over 300 musicians and singers in celebrating the birth of Jesus. Hallelujah!

The Schools of Bethany Lutheran congratulate Bethany Lutheran Church on its’ 75 ^th Anniversary – October 2019. The Kindergarten-8 ^th grade school will celebrate their 75 ^th anniversary in 2021-2022.

Bethany Lutheran Preschool students trying the pickles they made!

Preschool children trying foods from the multi-cultural feast at Thanksgiving.

Playground fun!

Below are photos from St. John’s Preschool, El Segundo, CA:

Tree Lighting Ceremony and Christmas Sing-a-Long 2019

Tree Lighting Ceremony and Christmas Sing-a-Long 2019

Tree Lighting Ceremony and Christmas Sing-a-Long 2019

We have compiled a complete PDF booklet of all of the devotions submitted for our School Ministries website over the past 10 years. Please use this as you see fit! You can download it and keep a copy in your faculty lounge, administrators could print it out and give to their staff, or individual teachers could save it on their computers. We are happy to share this with you!

PSD School Ministries Devotional Booklet - A collection of devotions written by educators and friends of the Pacific Southwest District

This year’s conference is on Thursday, January 23, 2020 . It will be a one-day event for all EC Directors and their PASTORS! The topic is  INTENTIONAL OUTREACH TO PRESCHOOL FAMILIES  with a keynote presentation from President Mike Gibson and an afternoon session highlighting  SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES  that several of our churches and preschools are using. 

 

Additionally, we are implementing a  NEW FORMAT  for this year’s conference to facilitate the attendance of ALL our directors and pastors! The conference will be hosted at  Christ Lutheran in Costa Mesa   for our CALIFORNIA participants.  The keynote presentation and afternoon sessions will be  LIVE-STREAMED  to Shepherd of the Desert in SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA for those serving in Arizona  and to Faith Preschool in LAS VEGAS, NEVADA for those serving in Nevada!

 

PLEASE be sure to register for the appropriate conference for your area! Special Note – the AZ conference schedule will begin one hour later than the CA and NV conferences, due to the differing time zones! 

 

The conference schedule and costs are outlined on the registration site. Click here to register and for all the details!

Vivita received Jesus as a child when she participated in Christmas activities at a year-long Children's Bible Club. A decade later, she's teaching an Adult Literacy Class! Click here to read the full, amazing story of Vivita and how Mission India made an impact on her life! Mission India is our 2019-2020 Hearts for Jesus project this year. Click here for more Hearts for Jesus information!

Below is a message for school administrators from the Director of LCMS Rosters, Statistics, and Research Services:

Greetings in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Earlier this year you received login information for the new  LCMS Information Support Network (LISN) for Schools , through which you are able to enter your annual statistics and to review and edit your school’s profile and contact information.

The latest feature is now available – Current Staff.

Please log into  LISN for Schools  using the ID and password previously provided, and click on the “Staff” section to review and update your faculty and staff records for the 2019-2020 school year. As this is a busy time of year for most congregations and schools, we are asking that you review your records by January 31, 2020.

If you have not yet submitted your 2019-2020 yearly statistics, you may also do that while logged in.

If you need your ID and password, or if you have questions about using the site, please use the online help options, contact  [email protected]  or contact the LCMS Church Information Center at 888-843-5267.

Blessings!

D. Scott Kostencki

Director of LCMS Rosters, Statistics, and Research Services

Click here to read the press release (courtesy of the Nevada School Choice Coalition) from the Institute for Justice with some breaking news regarding the lawsuit to restore the 10% annual increase of the Opportunity Scholarship in Nevada.

Click here to read the recent Private Education Legislative Roundup from Liebert Cassidy Whitmore in California.

We are excited to welcome the POLS Conference (Principals of Large Schools) to the Pacific Southwest District and specifically to Orange County January 15-17, 2020! This year, Early Childhood Directors are welcome to attend as well! If the enrollment of your school is 300 (combined preschool through eighth grade), your Preschool Directors and Principals are welcome to attend!  Please click here for more information and to register to attend. Let’s have a great PSD attendance for this national conference!

Join us for the Children & Family Ministry Conference June 16-18, 2020, on the campus of Concordia University Irvine and hear from keynote speaker David Kinnaman of the Barna Group and others on the theme of "Rally Together." 

 

Early Registration: $110 - Deadline: March 2, 2020

Early Group Rate (4+): $90 - Deadline: March 2, 2020

Late Registration: $140 - Deadline: June 2, 2020

 

Housing is available at Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, John Wayne Airport as well as on the Concordia University campus.

 

Hotel Rates: King (1-2 per room) - $119/night; Double (2-4 per room) - $129/night

CUI Rates: Double Occupancy - $45 for 2 nights; Single Occupancy - $65 for 2 nights (No air conditioning in dorms)

 

For more information and to register starting November 25, 2019, click here .

Thank you to the 26 people who already registered for the conference at LEC and got the special deal! Register today!

Have you thought about sending a teacher or two through the TEC21 Workshop Program in the 2020/2021 school year? Season 12 will be an exciting one and registration is right around the corner! There is nothing quite like the TEC21 experience to train, equip, encourage, and support teachers to effectively integrate technology to enrich the teaching and learning in their classrooms. 

Registration at 34 Innovation Centers - 4 right here in the PSD - opens January 2, 2020! Now is the time to talk to your teachers and start conversations about TEC21. Cohorts cap at 10 teachers and seats fill up quickly so start your conversations soon!

Contact Brent Dieckhoff at [email protected] with any questions you may have about the program. He will be happy to talk with you about how to receive District scholarship or title money to help pay for the registration and share how this innovative professional development program can positively impact your teachers and the students in their classrooms!

 

Register your teachers HERE !



Click here to download the TEC21 flyer.

Click here for the link to the PSD TEC21 scholarship application. The deadline is 3/1/20.

Each week, prayers of thanksgiving and prayers for teachers, administrators, support staff, pastors, students, and families of the Lutheran schools, early childhood centers, and churches of the Pacific Southwest District are listed. To include names on the list, please send information to [email protected] by noon on Wednesday of each week. This week we pray for:

Schools we are praying for the week of December 15:

Light of Christ Lutheran Preschool, Irvine, CA

St. Paul’s Lutheran Preschool, Long Beach, CA

Our Redeemer Lutheran Preschool, Winnetka, CA