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

Hephatha Lutheran School and Preschool, Anaheim, CA

Trinity Lutheran Preschool, Anaheim, CA

Good Shepherd Lutheran School & Trinity Lutheran Preschool, Simi Valley, CA

Below are photos from Hephatha Lutheran School and Preschool,

Anaheim, CA:

Our outdoor classroom teacher created a flower shop. This dramatic play center was the perfect spring activity!

Mrs. Mora's balloon lesson helped early childhood students visualize the ascension story, and understand its significance.

This petting zoo visits each April to supplement the farm unit of Hephatha's science curriculum.

An example of Hephatha's weekly STEAM Labs! Students unplugged some coding, while fine-tuning sharing, collaboration, problem solving, and communication skills with 3 stations, 8 minutes each, of open ended play.

This is the entire K-8th student body at the end of our annual Spring Concert! Each grade performed as a class, and each music program performed, as well.

Each class met at Chapel during NLSW with their own chain connected as a class, which was then connected together as a school with a link, provided by Mrs. Glicker. This showed students that we cannot connect one chain to another without a link, and that JESUS is our link!

Below are photos from Trinity Lutheran Preschool, Anaheim, CA:

Below are photos from Good Shepherd Lutheran School, Simi Valley, CA:

Ozobot robot used to teach coding with color to 1st grade.

Students preparing to watch the solar eclipse.

GSLS celebrates Good Friday.

Join us for our PSD All Workers Conference 2024!

When: November 24-26, 2024 

Where: Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix, AZ

Theme: All One – Ephesians 4:1-7

Stay tuned for more details!

The information on Foundations of Lutheran Teaching is now up on the home page of the School Ministries website. Applications for the Fall 2024 cohort are now open. The registration deadline is June 7. 

The PSD, along with the CNH District and Northwest District, have been working with Mission Training Center on a new program tailored for non-Lutheran teachers teaching in Lutheran schools. It is called Foundations of Lutheran Teaching and we plan to roll it out this fall. The five courses are:

• What Lutherans Believe and Why
• Jesus Throughout the Bible - An Overview of Scripture
• Teaching the Faith
• Faith Formation - Supporting the Spiritual Development of Students
• Spiritual Self-Care of the Teacher

Preparing for summer hiring? Seeking grants? Searching for valuable parenting resources to include in your newsletter? Look no further! Our team is dedicated to curating top-notch resources to support you in these endeavors. Explore our ever-growing collection on our website's Google Drive. Check it out today at Early Childhood | School Ministries (psd-schools.org)!

Lutheran Special Education Ministries (LSEM) is a ministry of the LCMS dedicated to serving students with special learning needs. They provide a variety of resources to schools. If you want to learn more about this organization and how this might be a valuable resource to your school, you can attend their next "Who We Are" webinar TODAY Wednesday, April 1,7 at 1:00 p.m. (PST). Here is a link to the flyer - "Who We Are" Webinar. Reach out to Tracie Salgado, LSEM Special Education Director, with any questions.

St. Paul's Lutheran Church & School in Orange, CA, is hosting a Parent Education Night TOMORROW, Thursday, April 18, at 7:00 p.m. on the church campus. The guest speaker will be Dr. Kara Powell, Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute and author of the "Sticky Faith" book series. Learn more about Dr. Powell.

This is open to the community! Prior to the event, you are invited to a taco dinner from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Child care will be available in the church nursery and youth MODJ.

Questions? Please contact Jackson Thiesfeldt.

Below is a story of our 2023-24 Hearts for Jesus Unified Mission Project, Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry:

Shortly after discovering a large propane tank was leaking, a catastrophic explosion happened in Sterling, VA, that destroyed a family’s home and took the life of a Sterling volunteer firefighter. The sound and force of this explosion frightened many of the people of Loudoun County, leaving many children and adults frightened and unsure of what had happened.

God often works in and through His people to love, care and comfort others. God calls us and guides us where we need to be to share his love, hope, and security.  

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Amos from Our Savior's Way, Ashburn, VA; LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Solomon from King of Glory, Williamsburg, VA; and LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Kezia from Emmanuel, Baltimore, MD, and their compassionate handlers were there that week to be with the staff and students of the Loudoun County elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. They provided a safe, comforting, and reassuring place for the youngsters and teachers to go to process the shock, fear, and loss they were experiencing.

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Solomon, Kezia, Amos and their handlers served well, bringing Jesus’s light and love to many who are suffering, scared, hurting and in need. 

PSD Hearts for Jesus page

Here is an interesting read from Edutopia about ways for kids to pause and focus on their own well-being: 6 Simple, Low-Cost Ways to Promote Student Self-Care.

This year’s Administrators Leadership Conference will be held July 17-19 at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort in Indian Wells, CA. We already have an amazing line up of presenters, including Dr. Bernard Bull, President of Concordia Nebraska, presenting on Artificial Intelligence, and Courtney Burns, Head of Counseling at Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School, Las Vegas. Be sure to reserve these dates on your calendar now!

• Prayers from Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Simi Valley, CA: Prayers of thanksgiving for our students and families. Prayers of thanks for Trinity Lutheran Church for its unwavering support of GSLS. Prayers that we continue to grow in enrollment and prepare our students to share what they learn here with family, friends and neighbors.
• Join us in praying for congregations, high schools, elementary schools, and early childhood centers searching for administrators, directors, teachers, and staff for the 2024-25 school year.

Schools we are praying for the week of April 21:

Zion Lutheran School and Early Childhood Education Center, Anaheim, CA Concordia Christian Preschool, Barstow, CA

Creation School, Vail, AZ 

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 anna.preus@psd-lcms.org by noon on Tuesdays.