"And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" Matthew 6:27 (ESV) 

Anxiety is an expression of habit. Of course, it might be worth the cost if it worked. But it doesn't. Our fretting is futile. Worry has never brightened a day, solved a problem, or cured a disease.   

God leads us. Worry must not! Our God loves us with a deep and abiding love in Christ our Savior! What a difference that makes!

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

Christ Lutheran School and Preschool, Costa Mesa, CA

Ramona Lutheran School and Preschool, Ramona, CA

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

Our 3rd graders explored God's incredible creation during a visit to the

Long Beach Aquarium

The 4th Grade created their own terrarium and learned about the balance of an ecosystem and all of its symbiotic parts!

The 5th Grade was dressed for success to teach us about their favorite former president of the United States!

Below are photos from Ramona Lutheran School and Preschool, Ramona, CA:

Our 6th/7th grade class field trip

Morning Pledges & Prayers

Preschool playing

Our elementary students in the remodeled chapel

The 2023 National Lutheran Schools Week celebration is almost here!

Date: January 22 – 28, 2023

Theme: Making Disciples for Life based on Matthew 28:18-20. 

Download the resources that you need HERE! You can find posters, hymns, bulletin inserts, the Presidential Proclamation, slides, graphics, and more!

Rachel Klitzing will be sending out the NLSW letter on Thursday, so administrators and directors, be on the lookout for this!

Please share your NLSW photos with us! We'd love to share them in next week's Connections and on our Facebook page! Don't forget to use these hashtags on your social media posts for NLSW: #luthed #schoolministry #MDFL2023

Please join us TODAY, Wednesday, January 18, at 1:00 p.m. (PST)/2:00 p.m. (MST) for our first Early Childhood Director Zoom meeting for 2023! We will have a special presentation regarding admissions and enrollment by one of our terrific Admissions Directors! If you would like to attend and did not receive the Zoom link in an email from Rachel Klitzing yesterday, please email Rachel or Kim Violette ASAP!

Our January Admissions Directors Network meeting is next Tuesday, January 24. We will be meeting at Mt. Calvary Lutheran School in Diamond Bar, CA, starting at 10:00 a.m. 

Ryan Ermeling will be our special guest presenter, flying in from Arizona to be with us and to share about Parent Pulse and how this can assist Admissions Directors and Principals to carry out their jobs with greater efficiency, efficacy and influence in the market of private school admissions! Admissions Directors AND Principals are invited to attend this important meeting! If you haven’t sent in your RSVP, please email Rachel Klitzing by this Friday, January 20, so we have an accurate count for lunch.

Admissions Directors, if you have not filled out your survey, please do so as well. Thank you!

Director/Pastor/Principal Conference - Next Thursday, January 26, 2023 

Registration open until Tuesday, January 24

Thank you to those who have already registered for this special conference!

What better way to spend a day during National Lutheran Schools Week than with your school’s ministry leadership team in fellowship with other teams in the district? Join us next Thursday, January 26, from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran in Long Beach, CA, for our one-day Director/Pastor/Principal Conference. 

PSD President Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson will speak on “Church and School Life Together,” and we will share best practices. The afternoon session (12:45 - 1:45 p.m.) will be led by the ministry team at Christ Greenfield Lutheran Church and School, Gilbert, AZ - Rev. Dr. Tim Ahlman (PSD School Shepherd Award winner), Preschool Director Tiffani Spicer, and Principal Tanya Calendo. This session will be motivating and practical on how to create a strong mission culture and strong bonds with each other on your ministry team. 

CLICK HERE to register!

Please save the date for the 2023 Early Childhood Equipping Conferences:

March 4, 2023 - Christ Greenfield Lutheran School, Gilbert, AZ

March 18, 2023 - St. Paul’s Lutheran ECDC, Orange, CA

We will have exceptional presentations on Conscious Discipline. Nevada early childhood educators can choose to go to the Arizona or California conference for the event. We will have fabulous door prizes, too! 

The TLC Grant has been established by the former Trinity Lutheran Church in Reseda, CA, as an ongoing gift to School Ministries of the PSD, to be given for the enhancement of learning and the engagement of students in Lutheran schools of the District. The intent of the donors was that our schools be excellent because we serve an excellent God!

There are many ways in which you can strive for excellence and enhance student learning and engagement in our classrooms and within the school property itself. Priority will be given to those who have clearly described how the money will be used to start a new program or educational platform or enhance an existing one on your campus. This grant is a competitive grant based on the strength of the application. It is open to all schools, K-12. Since the inception of this grant in January 2016, $373,736.00 has been granted to 53 different schools in our district.

The grant application deadline is at NOON on January 31, 2023. Recipients will be announced in February with the grants awarded immediately. Grant applications are available twice annually – in January and August. In July 2023, you will receive information about the next opportunity to apply.

GRANT APPLICATION FORM

NWEA will be hosting two live webinars to share information about the MAP Growth Assessment, utilized by more than 20 Pacific Southwest District LCMS schools.

Who is this webinar for? School and educational leaders that are not yet MAP Growth users.

What will be presented? An overview of the MAP Growth assessment and how you can utilize the data to equip teachers and support student growth.

Jake Hollatz, principal at St. John’s Lutheran School in Orange, CA, will share ways their school has utilized MAP Growth over the years.

When: February 9 or March 9 from 10-11 a.m. PST. Pick the date that works best for you.

Click Here to register. Can’t attend live? Sign up and we will send you a copy of the recording!

Many thanks to the Southern CA Lutheran Laymen's League Float Coloring Contest Committee chaired by Amy Parker and participants from across the United States!  

A big congratulations goes out to these winners, especially those from the PSD (in red):  

PK-Kindergarten

1st: Riley, Zion Lutheran, Pierce, NE

2nd: Zalika, Emmaus Lutheran, Alhambra, CA

3rd: Dallas, Zion Lutheran, Anaheim, CA 

1st-2nd Grade 

1st: Jennifer, Bethany Lutheran, Long Beach, CA

2nd: Hannah, Bethlehem Lutheran Sunday School, Monterey, CA

3rd: Emma, Zion Lutheran, Pierce, NE  

3rd-5th Grade  

1st: Olivia, Bethany Lutheran, Long Beach, CA

2nd: Alison, Atonement Lutheran, Glendale, AZ

3rd: Anna, Abiding Savior Lutheran, Lake Forest, CA

6th-8th Grade   

1st: Angie, Loving Savior of the Hills, Chino Hills CA

2nd: Griffin, Bethlehem Lutheran, Carson City, NV

3rd: Kife, Sargent Jr/Sr High, Monte Vista, CO 

1st place winners, as well as their teachers, receive a $50 gift certificate to use at the Petal Pushers® online store, a 2023 Petal Pushers T-shirt, and a float magnet. The 2nd & 3rd place winners receive a 2023 Petal Pushers T-shirt & float magnet. 

Again, congratulations to the winners! 

Follow Petal Pushers® here: https://petalpushers.org/.  

• Please pray for a wonderful National Lutheran Schools Week for all of our schools! Thank you for all that you do! We are blessed to be able to share Christ's love with our students and their families!
• Prayers from Ramona Lutheran School and Preschool, Ramona, CA: Please pray for continued health for staff and families and continued growth of enrollment.

Schools we are praying for the week of January 22:

Community Lutheran Preschool, Escondido, CA

Crean Lutheran High School, Irvine, CA

Little Palms School, Mesa, 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 [email protected] by noon on Tuesdays.