May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

 

On January 1, my alarm went off at 7:50 a.m. and I awoke to a glorious Southern California winter morning and the start of a New Year! In my “jammies”, I anxiously awaited the start of another Rose Parade. At 8 a.m. sharp, the Rose Parade began with the announcement of the theme of the parade: “The Power of Hope”, celebrating “the profound influence of hope in the world.” Hope…it was my “word” of the year in 2019, and I now have selected it as my word for 2020 as well! Hope…much of the world recognizes the “power of hope”, and we, Christians,  know  the power of HOPE found only in the true bringer and revealer of hope – Jesus Christ, born to save us from our sins, born to bring  hope  to all!

 

I have found it very important to try to let go of my wishes and instead to live in  hope . When I choose to let go of my sometimes petty and superficial wishes and trust that my life is precious and meaningful in the eyes of God, something really new, something beyond my own expectations begins to happen for me. To wait with openness and trust is an enormously radical attitude toward life. It is choosing to hope that something is happening for us that is far beyond our own imaginings. It is giving up control over our future and letting God define our lives. It is living with the conviction that God molds us in love, holds us in tenderness, and moves us away from the sources of our fear.

 

O Gracious God, by the redemptive grace of Jesus, help us to give up our compulsions to control our future and to turn our lives over to You. Help us, Lord, to live in the freeing  hope  that you have for each of us and for our students! Amen.

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

Victory Christian Academy, Chula Vista, CA

Christ Lutheran School and Preschool, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Preschool & Kindergarten,

Moreno Valley, CA

Below are photos from Victory Christian Academy, Chula Vista, CA:

Below are photos from Christ Lutheran School and Preschool,

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA:

Did you catch President Mike and Kathy Gibson and Mai Vu Choy from Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School in Las Vegas, NV, on the 2020 Lutheran Hour Ministries Tournament of Roses Parade float? The float's theme, The Power of Hope, provided the opportunity to proclaim that we are Anchored in Jesus . It was beautiful!

President Gibson was at the December 22nd worship installation of Commissioned Ministers Nina Lutz and Kristin Hallett at Zion, Anaheim, CA.

National Lutheran Schools Week is just around the corner! Join nearly 2,000 LCMS preschools, elementary schools and high schools with the public opportunity to proclaim and celebrate God’s work among us in Lutheran schools January 26-February 1, 2020 !

We thank God for the opportunity to provide excellent academic preparation for the children we serve. We are most grateful for the opportunity to share Jesus’ amazing love with children and their families.

National Lutheran Schools Week gives us an opportunity to proclaim these great blessings within the communities we serve.

Our schools are amazing incubators for faithful witness of God’s love for us through Christ by teachers and students alike.

“ Joy:Fully Lutheran ” is the theme for the 2020 National Lutheran Schools Week celebration. The associated scripture verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 which says:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

Click here for all the NLSW resources from the LCMS!

The January devotion is now up on our website. It is written by  Daniel Cattau, teacher at Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School, Las Vegas, NV, and titled New Year, New You?. Click here to read it! Thank you, Daniel, for reminding us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

The 2020 PSD Early Childhood Director and Pastor Conference is only two weeks away - on Thursday, January 23 ! THANK YOU to all those that have already registered for this professional growth opportunity! If you have not yet registered, please take a few minutes and do so today.  You can access the registration site here .

 

Here are some important details for you to know prior to the conference.

The theme for the conference is Intentional Outreach to Preschool Families , based on Acts 2:42-47.

We have three host sites – Christ Lutheran in Costa Mesa, California ; Faith Lutheran Preschool in Las Vegas, Nevada ; and Shepherd of the Desert in Scottsdale, Arizona . At each host site there will be LIVE worship led by Pastor Jim Gwaltney in California, Pastor Bob Sundquist in Nevada and Pastor Alan Rosnau in Arizona. Following worship, President Mike Gibson will present our keynote address, which will be live-streamed to the AZ and NV sites. The afternoon will include video presentations of successful outreach strategies. Both the morning and afternoon presentations will include guided discussion and sharing.

CA and NV Schedule: 9am-2pm

AZ Schedule: 10am-3pm

 

Directors, please be sure to share this information with your pastors! 

Dear Administrators,

 

Please share with the person in your office who prepares Commissioned Call documents, that revision 4.9.1 is now available and should be used for all future Call documents that are issued. The password information is unchanged. If you need the Call document download information, please contact Ellen Pratt at [email protected] or Kim Violette at [email protected] in the School Ministries office. 

Below, we are highlighting one of our PSD schools that has a dedicated programs for special learners. We will continue to share more as the year goes on!

Bethany Lutheran School, Long Beach, CA

Bethany Lutheran School’s academic support program is called “Student Success.”

This program provides:

o Early intervention to prevent reading and math failure

o Scientifically proven, one-on-one reading/spelling and small group math instruction

o Working memory assessment & cognitive training

o Consultation & observation

o Assessment guidance

o Accommodation plan support

o Collaboration with our local school district to support students with public school IEPs

Early intervention is critical!

Bethany’s Student Success is different from resource programs you might see in public school because we don’t wait for failure before providing help and Tier III support. We closely monitor students in K-2 for mastery of foundational skills in reading and math, then step in to provide targeted instruction for weaker skills. (If targeted instruction is required in Grades 3-8, we provide that, too.) We don’t take students out of core instruction or help them with classroom assignments; we use Student Success time to address the reason they are struggling with assignments in the first place.

How do we do it?

We are blessed to have two dyslexia specialists on staff: Jill Moorman (who coordinates the Student Success Program) and Connie Kritzer. They also have another part-time specialist working with them. Our reading/spelling intervention primarily utilizes the Barton Reading and Spelling System. Our students participate in this intervention for a minimum of two hours per week in a one-on-one setting. Since we know that approximately 5% of the general population is dyslexic, having scientifically-based instruction that leads to success is critical!

We also have a math intervention teacher, Sarah O’Conner. Sarah utilizes a variety of math materials/methods to identify and address gaps in student skills. Some students meet with her regularly, but teachers may also request small group instruction for sub-groups of students who are struggling with a particular concept.

All of our Student Success teachers communicate regularly with parents and teachers, keeping them apprised of progress and suggesting ways to strengthen skills at home.

Everyone is on the Student Success team!

Classroom teachers provide Tier II support and follow through on accommodation plans for students.

How do we pay for it?

Students who receive one-on-one intervention pay a fee which is a fraction of the cost of similar services outside of Bethany. We also hold a fundraiser each year to raise money for Student Success scholarships to ensure that these added costs do not prevent a child from continued enrollment at Bethany Lutheran School.

Is there room for improvement?

In a word, yes. We are working to strengthen our Tier II support and we are always learning more about what works for students who struggle.

Why do we do it?

We believe that neuro-diversity in Lutheran schools is critical. We cannot meet every student’s learning needs, but we must keep our doors open as wide as we can so that more children can not only hear God’s Word, but also read and comprehend it for themselves.

Included in our Hearts for Jesus: Mission India project this year is the opportunity to “Experience India – Step into the Great Commission” in 3-D! Also important for our Hearts for Jesus project this year is the opportunity for your students' families to get involved and experience India in 360 degrees via a set of videos of the lives of four children in India. Each has a unique and heart-warming story to tell! PLEASE get involved! The people in India need to hear about Jesus and experience His love! They need to learn to read and write and so many other things! I urge you to please go to the links below and familiarize yourself with the awesome resources, including the virtual reality headsets, which we have prepared for you to use with your students and their families!

The start date of the project is NOW – and officially the first release of Video One will be very soon, sent directly to you once you sign up! Sign up and log in to receive all you need and more! The site is password protected because of the sensitive nature of sharing Jesus in India and persecution of Christians, which is on the rise. To promote this project, we have a promo video, a promo postcard to send home, a promo poster for your classrooms, a letter to parents, chapel offering labels for blank envelopes or coin banks, puzzles, a coloring book, and more! This mission project is for you – early childhood educators, elementary educators and high school educators!

Here are the important links you will need:

 

As a quick reminder, here are the landing pages for administrators, teachers, and pastors:

This missional project is a great way to strengthen your church/school partnership and connection as you selflessly give out of the abundance with which God has blessed us here in the Pacific Southwest District! If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected] or Ellen Pratt at [email protected]. Thank you for getting involved!

Open Enrollment for the TEC21 workshop program began January 2 and ends on March 31 for the 2020/2021 academic year. Seats for this dynamic professional development program go fast!

Headquartered on the Concordia Nebraska campus, the TEC21 workshop program has gained immense traction as a powerful professional development experience designed to:

• Connect Lutheran school educators at local, regional, national and international levels

• Immerse educators in the world of technology

• Equip, connect and support teachers as they confidently and effectively utilize technology to engage today’s learners and proclaim the Gospel

• Encourage the sharing of innovative ideas in the workshop setting and promote time to explore, discover and practice delivering the benefits of technology

• Encourage and equip TEC21 teachers to become peer resources in their schools

We would love to see every school in the district take advantage of this opportunity! This is an investment with immediate return in your teachers' ministries and students’ learning. Register your teachers here ! Many schools use Title money to pay for some or all of the registration fee. Click here to download a cover letter and a non-religious description of the program to submit to your Title officer.

Click here to download the TEC21 flyer.

AND - Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) of the Pacific Southwest District is graciously offering a TEC21 Scholarship Grant for our PSD schools! LCEF is providing these funds in support of strengthening our Lutheran schools, teachers, and students because they strongly believe in the value of Lutheran education. LCEF has a significant investment in Lutheran schools, and they know the significant impact that the students coming out of our schools can make in their communities and throughout the world. LCEF is committed to being a part of that effort. Click here to apply for the grant ! The deadline to apply is March 1, 2020.

The TLC Grant application is open for the January 2020 grant. This grant is an educational grant on behalf of the Trinity Lutheran Church Educational Endowment Fund (Reseda, CA) and has been established as a gift to the Church for the continuing of excellent Lutheran education in the Pacific Southwest District.

This will be a competitive grant based on the strength of the application. It is open to all PSD schools, K-12. Since the inception of this grant in January 2016, over $202,802 has been granted to 43 different schools in our district. Please click here for more information and the link to the grant’s application. The deadline to submit your grant application is January 31. Recipients will be announced in February with the grants awarded immediately.

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, click here .

LEA is pleased to announce

Opening with Inquiry and Experiences

Presented by Stacy Lung

Director, Environmental Learning Center

            Christ Serve Ranch, Henning, MN

Available Now

Can faith and science be friends? Science is God’s language of creation, but often science is seen as adversarial to faith development. Using a wonder-based pedagogy, we will begin to consider how the treatment of the students’ experiences of wonder in the study of science can point students to the Creator. This talk will consider what it might look like to teach science (or any subject) within an ecology of wonder that points toward a Creator that is more than we can fully comprehend.

LEA podcasts include visuals. Listen or look and listen.

Always available:

 

This podcast is one of LEA’s membership benefits.

Guests may participate for a $40.00 fee by calling 708-209-3343.

Are you or someone you know in  #LuthEd  interested in moving into school administration but don't have the knowledge or skills? Are you a new administrator that would like to learn from seasoned leaders? Applications for the next cohort in the LCMS School Leadership Development (SLED) program are now open. Only District Education Executives are able to nominate, so check out the SLED information on  LuthEd.org  and connect with Rachel Klitzing to know more!  http://www.luthed.org/school-leadership-development-sled/

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

If you are a Called worker on the Roster of Synod, take some time to log into the  Church Worker Update website  and update your Commissioned Minister Information Form (CMIF) . Because the CMIF is used as your professional record of Lutheran service, each year we request that you log into your form, confirm, and update the Ministry/Teaching experience section with each organization name, city, and state where you have served. Please also review and, if needed, edit or complete the Ministry Philosophy questions. Finally, be sure to add references. Our suggested best practice is to complete all 14 questions and have at least three references – pastor, administrator, and peer/professional.  If you are open, please indicate Would Consider or Seeking as either an Active or Candidate Commissioned Minister. This is especially important and helpful since this is the professional record that will be shared with Call Committees. Please also be sure that your contact information is correct and be sure to agree to submit to a background check. Thank you in advance for completing this important task.

If you are participating in the district's group purchase of Microsoft Licenses, now is the time to place your order for 2020. Please  click here  to view the document with all the ordering information and links.  

 

If you are not currently purchasing Microsoft Licenses through the district and would like more information to see if the group purchase option will save you money, please contact Aaron Lucas for more information -  [email protected] . Thank you!

The California Department of Education is hosting a Private Schools Conference in Los Angeles on August 13-14, 2020. Click here for more information!

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 January 12:

Ramona Lutheran School and Preschool, Ramona, CA

Christ Lutheran School and Preschool, Costa Mesa, CA

Mammoth Lakes Lutheran Preschool, Mammoth Lakes, CA