PSD School Ministries
Connections
February 3, 2021
“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.”
Psalm 147:5
 
No means of measure can define God's limitless love. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings. He forgives and forgets. He creates and He cleanses. He restores and He rebuilds. He comforts and He carries. He lifts and He loves. He is the God of the second chance. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift." 1 Corinthians 9:15
Spotlight on Our Schools
Please join us in praying and thanking God for the following schools this week:

Trinity Christian School and Preschool, Norwalk, CA
Mesquite Lutheran Preschool and Childcare, Mesquite, NV
Beacon Learning Center, Phoenix, AZ
National Lutheran Schools Week Recap
We pray you had a wonderful National Lutheran Schools Week! It was so encouraging to hear about the great and creative activities that took place in our schools. Thank you to all who shared pictures of your week. To see all of the NLSW photos we've received, check out our NLSW 2021 photo album.
February Devotion on Website
The February devotion is now up on our website. It is written by Donna Lucas, principal at Abiding Savior Lutheran School in Lake Forest, CA, and titled It is a New Year...or is it Really? Click here to read it! Thank you, Donna, for reminding us to think about things that are excellent, pure, and worthy of praise, and to thank God for His blessings in our lives.
Hearts for Jesus - LeadaChild
Hearts for Jesus Pictures
We want your photos! We would LOVE to see pictures of your students in a LeadaChild chapel, coloring the pages or doing the word searches, watching the “Just Three Words” presentation, or any special gathering your teachers are doing to collect for the Teachers Helping Teachers project! Any pictures received by February 8 may be included in an article Rachel Klitzing is writing for the LeadaChild donor newsletter! Where can you access Hearts for Jesus materials? Follow the links to the LeadaChild website from the home page of our School Ministries website. Please email your pictures to [email protected] and be sure to label them with Hearts for Jesus in the subject line. Thank you in advance!

Hearts for Jesus Chapel/Guest Speaker Opportunity
Lisa Hellyer, Director of Engagement & Outreach for LeadaChild, has provided us with special options for chapel or interviews with leaders from LeadaChild to further the engagement between LeadaChild and your school! Click here for a list of the options available and contact Lisa Hellyer at [email protected] with any questions you may have. 

NEW! Lisa has just prepared a 15-minute chapel message for our schools for this month’s Hearts for Jesus chapel. We are happy to share it with any school that requests it! Please email [email protected] if you would like to share her message at your school.
Principals and Directors -
Save the Date for a New Workshop
Administrators - Mark your calendars now, and set aside an hour and a half to be a part of a Zoom Workshop with Licensed Professional Counselor, Karen Merritt, from St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Ft. Worth, TX. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, March 3, from 10:00-11:30 a.m. (PST).

Session Summary
Intentional Care During Tense Times -
During tense times we must make intentional adjustments to how we work with our staff, students, and families in order to support and attend to the overall social, emotional, spiritual, and educational health of each person. Join us as we learn about practical applications for administrators to implement, monitor, and encourage Social Emotional Learning within their staff, students, and their families. Additionally, we will talk about the importance of self-care to mitigate the stress of these difficult times.

This will be an extremely valuable session in your leadership role at your school! Please plan to attend! More information coming soon!
Next Admissions Directors Zoom Meeting
Our next Admissions Director Zoom meeting will be on Tuesday, February 16, beginning at 1:30 pm (PST). Our topic will be Facebook For Success. We all know Facebook, but do we really KNOW Facebook? Dax Hamman, partner at FIRESIDE (meetfireside.com) was behind the scenes in marketing technology as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram launched their ad platforms. Dax will reveal what’s happening behind the scenes to give you a clearer picture of how to make Facebook advertising work for your admissions process. If you are not currently included in our network of Admissions Directors and would like to be included for this specific meeting, please email [email protected] by Monday morning, February 15.
Resources from Lutheran Education Association
Especially appropriate for Life Week…Teaching about Life for Life (Stephenie Hovland in Shaping the Future).

Now online…The definitive book of statements of faith, the Book of Concord is now accessible online. Read about it in The Redesigned Book of Concord Site (Gene Veith in Cranach Blog) or go directly to it here.

How long? Survey of District Leaders Shows Online Learning is Here to Stay (Heather Schwartz and Paul Hill in The 74/Accomplished Teacher).
LCMS Esther 4:14 and Soldiers of the Cross Respite Grants
The LCMS Office of National Mission has launched a new national grant program to encourage congregations to purchase equipment to meet the challenges of “Proclaiming God’s Word” in an environment challenged by COVID-19. Details about the “Esther 4:14 – For Such a Time as This” grant can be accessed through the following link: 
 
Funding is still available for Soldiers of the Cross Respite Grants. Interested districts, congregations and schools can submit an application for a grant (up to $2,000) to their district office for processing. Currently, about 50% of LCMS districts have taken advantage of this opportunity. All church workers (part and full time, rostered and non-rostered, preschool, elementary, and high school) are eligible to apply if they have a need during this pandemic. You can apply through the PSD President's office – [email protected].
Prayer Requests
  • thanksgiving for a wonderful National Lutheran Schools Week. Thank you for all that you do! We are blessed to be able to share Christ's love with our students and their families!

Schools we are praying for the week of February 7:
Mountain View Lutheran School and Preschool, Las Vegas, NV
Little Lambs Preschool Ministry, Boulder City, NV
Redeemer Lutheran School and Preschool, Las Vegas, NV

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 Tuesday of each week.
School Ministries, Pacific Southwest District-LCMS
1540 Concordia Drive East, Irvine, CA 92612
Phone 949-854-3232 | Fax 949-854-8140

Rachel Klitzing, Executive Director of School Ministries 
Ext. 223 [email protected]