“He will give the rain for your seed with which you sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth; it will be fat and plentiful.” Isaiah 30:23

Loving Father, your harvest is bountiful. You give me the delight of seeing my students grow and change daily. Only you deserve glory and honor and praise.

Rain down your mercy upon me, so my legacy will be quality teaching sprinkled with kindness, compassion, and a sense of humor. Let my classroom be remembered as a joyous, safe place.

Please help my students feel your loving presence in all areas of their lives. When they feel out of place or alone, remind them that you are ever present. Grow them into loving adults who bless others in your name.

Thank you for loving us enough to nurture us through your Word.

In your name, Amen.

Written by Max Lucado

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

Christ Lutheran School and Preschool, Brea, CA

Mt. Olive Lutheran Preschool, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Gethsemane Christian Academy, Tempe, AZ

Below are photos from St. John’s Lutheran School and Early Childhood Center, Hemet, CA (from last week's prayer list):

Below are photos from Christ Lutheran School and Preschool, Brea, CA:

5th graders at Outdoor Ed

8th graders on the East Coast trip

 Track ribbon winners in chapel

Pre-K showing their favorite Dr. Seuss books on his birthday

 Mr. T teaching the preschoolers about percussion instruments

Everyone ready for St. Patrick's Day

Check out this blog post from Concordia University Wisconsin!

There’s no better Mother’s Day gift for Kit Hittinger than the opportunity to graduate alongside her daughter! This weekend, Kit – principal of Lutheran High in La Verne, CA – will earn her EdD LICI, while her daughter, Mollie, will graduate with her bachelor’s in teaching and a Lutheran Teacher Diploma before she heads off to Faith Lutheran in Las Vegas.

Click here to read the article! Congrats, Kit and Mollie!

Thank you to all the educators who submitted names of fellow PSD educators on our Facebook page last week! The winner was Pam Moore from Christ, Brea, CA. Congratulations, Pam!

We hope you all had a wonderful Teacher Appreciation Week!

Thank you to each and every school who has sent contributions for our Hearts for Jesus unified mission project so far this year! Please click here to read this month’s newsletter with an amazing story of how your contributions are making a difference in winning souls for Jesus Christ by listening to the Bible in their native language! 

If your school has not yet contributed at least $250 (5 Treasures), it is NOT TOO LATE! What can your school do in these last three weeks of May to make your contribution so that others like K and the women in her village can hear about Jesus?! Can you challenge each child in your school to bring in $5? $2? Can you have a bake sale or read-a-thon? Can you share the World Mission stories with your families to request a contribution? Can you offer the class that contributes the most a free dress pass or movie or donuts? The possibilities are endless. What will your school do this month? Thank you in advance for your contributions! To date, our schools have contributed $23,419.20 equaling 468 Treasures – we are 240 Treasures away from our goal of 708 Treasures! We can do it!

SAVE THE DATE! LEC will be held November 20-22, 2022, at the Hilton Bayfront in San Diego, CA. This year’s theme is Salt & Light, based on Matthew 5:13-16. We have already contracted three excellent speakers – national author Matt de la Pena, Donalyn Miller - the “Book Whisperer”, and Matt Miller, creator of “Ditch That Textbook.”

This year’s registration cost will be $170 per person. With hotel and travel reimbursement, we anticipate it will cost approximately $395 per teacher to attend. Please budget this expense for next year! As in past years, we will provide a guidance document for you to obtain Title Funds to assist in offsetting costs. We anticipate registration will open for LEC in late August.

Save the Date for our PSD Administrators Leadership Conference - July 20-22, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells! Pastor Travis Ferguson from Christ, La Mesa, CA, will be our worship leader and will also lead our two Bible studies. Look for the link to register in next week's Connections!

Admissions Directors

Please join us for this school year’s last Admissions Director Network meeting next Tuesday, May 17, starting at 10 a.m. at Hephatha Lutheran Church and School in Anaheim, CA. Deena Knudsen will lead a discussion on the five strategies of “Managing Change.” Please RSVP your attendance to [email protected] by Friday, May 13.

Early Childhood Network

Our next Zoom meeting is on Wednesday, May 18, from 1-2 p.m. The Zoom link will be sent out Monday, May 16.

Tri-District Rodeo & BBQ Lunch at NYG

Regular Registration Closes May 15th: psd-lcms.org/psd-youth-gathering-event

Join us for an authentic Texas Rodeo and BBQ lunch at the Historic George Ranch; Wednesday, July 13th! Transportation to George Ranch will depart from Minute Maid Park immediately following closing worship and will return groups back to their hotel, George Bush, or Hobby Airport following the event. Registration includes transportation, lunch, entertainment, and a t-shirt! If you have already registered, please keep an eye out for additional transportation information to be emailed this week. 

Save the Date: Orange County Field Day

Orange County area churches are invited to bring their High School youth groups to St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Orange on Sunday, June 12th, from 6:00-8:00pm for a field day complete with fun games and INFLATABLES!! Cost is $25 per youth ($10 per adult leader) and includes access to all inflatables/activities and dinner. If your church is attending the LCMS Youth Gathering in July, this will be a great opportunity to make connections with other youth and adult leaders. Please watch your email for registration materials arriving soon.

Save the Date: San Diego Day at the Bay

San Diego area churches are invited to bring their High School youth groups to Playa Pacifica area of Mission Bay on Sunday, June 26th, from 4:30-7:00pm for a day at the bay! Bring your youth, beach chairs, and a potluck food item to share. If your church is attending the LCMS Youth Gathering in July, this will be a great opportunity to make connections with other youth and adult leaders. Please watch your email for registration materials arriving soon.

Questions? Contact Laura Bredehoft 

[email protected] | 858-272-6363

Do you know someone interested in getting in on the ground floor of an amazing start up school?  LuTEC (Lutheran Technology, Education and Career High Schools) is a cutting edge, technology based, Lutheran high school network, providing an individualized and flexible education to all learners, focusing on relevant knowledge and skills for work or advanced studies in preparation for a career and life in service to their communities.

LuTEC is currently seeking a full time Academic Learning Guide and a full time School Assistant. To learn more, click HERE.

Save the date of July 26, 2022, for a virtual conference for teachers presented by Lutheran Special Education Ministries. This unique, one-day event brings Christian teachers together in an online format for continuing education with amazing speakers and content. The theme this year is "With One Voice" based on Romans 15: 5-6, Click here for more information!

Click here to read the most recent CAPE (Council for American Private Education) Outlook. 

MISSION IGNITION COMPETITION! Give your 2022-23 chapel offering program a jump start! Garuna Ministries is offering a $50 “Rev It Up” Grant to your school, class, or leadership group! Enter the 2022-23 race for your team’s most creative, high octane, mission fundraising project in support of the Garuna Kids in Cambodia, using the $50 grant to help with promotion or supplies. Perhaps it’s a car wash, a bake sale, or an even more creative idea generated by your students or leadership groups! See how a small idea can result in a huge win for missions and for your students’ mission engagement! All project proceeds will benefit the nearly 1,300 Cambodian K-6th graders enrolled at the 7 Garuna Christian (Lutheran) Schools who are hearing about Jesus for the first time in their lives. Interested? Contact Cheryl Ehlers by June 1 to reserve your place in the line up! ([email protected]) Mission Ignition participants will have a chance to share their stories and results after the checkered flag is raised at the conclusion of the challenge.

Call season is in full swing in the PSD!

The following are reminders that help the district office keep track of educator changes, especially called workers. We appreciate knowing the changes of all workers, but especially if workers are on the LCMS roster of commissioned ministers.

• Please advise when a call to your school is accepted so we can prepare installation authorization paperwork and the needed paperwork is processed for the worker.
• Please advise the district office of called workers who are leaving your staff. If a called worker is retiring, please advise the effective date and if special recognition is planned. Lutheran educator retirements are a special event. 
• Please use the current call document, version 4.9.3. If you need preparation or download information, please contact Ellen at [email protected] or Kim at [email protected] in School Ministries.

Register today for Junior High Camp at Tonto Rim Christian Camp in beautiful northern Arizona! This year's theme is Problem Solved. We'll be spending the camp walking with students through how Jesus solved our sin problem, how He actively walks with us daily, and how He equips us to manage and solve problems and struggles in our lives. The camp is from May 26-29 and includes memorable experiences like paintball, bubble balls, color wars, water Olympics, great food, authentic Christian community, and more. Please register your students and chaperones ASAP so we can get an accurate head count to the camp. Thank you!

• A prayer request from Christ Lutheran School and Preschool, Brea, CA: Please pray for a mom at our school, Genesis Robertson, whose cancer was in remission but now has returned. She just started treatments again. She has a son in Preschool and another in Kindergarten.
• Join us in praying for congregations, high schools, elementary schools, and early childhood centers searching for administrators, directors, teachers, and staff for the 2022-23 school year.
• We pray for peace in Eastern Europe, that the Lord may bring an end to the war and restore peace and freedom to the people of Ukraine.

Schools we are praying for the week of May 15:

Peace Lutheran Preschool, Camarillo, CA

Immanuel Lutheran School and Preschool, Riverside, CA

Mt. Calvary Kids Corner, Running Springs, CA

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 Tuesdays.