PSD School Ministries
Connections
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“Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:12
It happened suddenly. The storm tore through the town and took several houses, including the home of the family huddled in the basement. Afterward, they stood in the yard. “It’s gone! It’s all gone!” Dad said. The children were weeping. Seven-year-old Samantha looked over the devastation as she heard her family crying. “But we still have Jesus, don’t we? Don’t we still have Jesus?" she asked.
In times of fear, all people seek a reason to hope. Our world, in the midst of a pandemic, a continued war on terrorism, a fractured nation, seems to stumble into a future made dark with foreboding and fear. But hope lives. It lives in the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It lives in the hearts of God’s people who eagerly face the future because of what God has done and continues to do through the risen Christ. Hope is the gift of grace and always accompanies faith. We stand confident by the Spirit’s power. We are confident in God’s grace and in His gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. With the family living through the storm in North Carolina, we say: “We still have Jesus!”
God of all gifts, open your gracious hand and fill us with the hope in Christ that we need to face the present and the future. Amen.
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Please join us in praying and thanking God for the following schools this week:
Promise Christian School and Preschool, Murrieta, CA
Zion Lutheran School and Preschool, Victorville, CA
Children of Our Savior Lutheran Preschool, Westchester, CA
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Below are photos from Zion Lutheran School and Preschool,
Victorville, CA (we will share the preschool photos next week):
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Below are photos from Children of Our Savior Lutheran Preschool, Westchester, CA:
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Stats @ a Glance - Due Monday! |
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Thank you to those schools that have completed their 2021 PSD Stats @ a Glance! As of this morning, 44 preschools, 25 elementary schools, and five high schools have completed their stats. Thank you!
This statistical information specific to the PSD is extremely important! Rachel frequently uses this information when talking or communicating with people about the importance of Lutheran education.
The deadline is THIS Monday, March 1. Every school is important! We will be contacting your school next week if we do not receive your stats by Monday.
The links to complete your statistical information are below. Thank you so much for your attention to this important task!
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EC Equipping Conference Update |
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Our annual PSD Early Childhood Equipping Conference for all early childhood directors and teachers is postponed due to some COVID issues. Originally scheduled for March 6, the event will now be either April 17 or 24, so PLEASE mark your calendars for the possible new dates. Jennie Williamson of Arison Records will be our featured presenter. Go to www.arisonrecords.com to see a preview of the awesome event which we will hold in April. The decision on the date will be made within this next week. The conference will be live at Christ, Costa Mesa, CA, and live-streamed to Arizona and Nevada. Stay tuned!
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Annual Accreditation Reports |
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It is time to begin working on your annual reports for accreditation. Administrators, you should have received an email regarding the reports last week. All annual reports and evidence need to be uploaded no later than April 15. Your annual fee should also be postmarked no later than April 15 to avoid a late fee penalty. If you need any assistance, please contact Kristie Flohra at [email protected] or Kim Violette at [email protected].
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National Youth Gathering News |
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Calling all Middle School and High School Teachers!
The LCMS Youth Gathering is looking for teachers to lead sessions at the 2022 Gathering! Gathering sessions cover a wide variety of topics. Whether you're a Science teacher interested in sharing about creation, or an English teacher wanting to share about poetry in the Psalms, or any other type of vocation that raises up young leaders, Youth Gathering planners encourage you to consider sharing your knowledge, interests, and passions with participants! The Gathering session speaker application is open now until this Sunday, February 28, 2021!
Previously shared:
LCMS YOUTH GATHERING - "IN ALL THINGS"
The next LCMS Youth Gathering will be July 9-13, 2022, in Houston, TX. The 2022 Gathering theme is "In All Things" centered around Colossians 1:15-20.
Ms. Laura Bredehoft, DCE at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, San Diego, has been selected as our District Coordinator. Please do not hesitate to contact Laura with any questions you have regarding the Gathering. Email her at [email protected] or call 858-272-6363 ext.122. You can also find more information about the 2022 LCMS Youth Gathering at lcmsgathering.com.
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We thank you for your continued support of LeadaChild! We are excited to see and hear how you are supporting and encouraging this project at your schools. Have you made your chapel offering designation yet? If you are still planning your Hearts for Jesus chapel, please consider using this virtual chapel. There are other great resources on our School Ministries website for you to use to enrich and connect your students to this worthwhile project. Take a look to see how you can utilize these resources, and be sure to share your photos with us!
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Zoom Workshop for Administrators -
A Week Away!
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Administrators - Set aside an hour and a half for a Zoom Workshop with Licensed Professional Counselor, Karen Merritt, from St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Ft. Worth, TX. The workshop will be held next 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! Click here to register and for more information!
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Early Childhood Webinar Today |
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Below is information on a webinar taking place TODAY at 11:00 am PST:
Early childhood learning plays an important role in a child's development, but what once focused mostly on play and relationship building has evolved into a more academic-focused experience. What have we learned from this development? And what has the pandemic meant for early childhood learning more generally?
Join Education Week Opinion contributor and blogger Peter DeWitt as he sits down with Rae Pica, an author and educator, and Steven Barnett, a professor and the co-founder of the National Institute for Early Education Research, for a lively discussion about what new developments in early childhood education mean for school and district leaders.
Can't attend? Register so you can view the on-demand event at a later date.
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LCMS Life Ministry will host its first-ever virtual life conference March 19-20, 2021, under the theme "Making Disciples: Valuing Life." The conference has been designed for people of all ages and vocations, including sessions for school ministries as well as sessions in Spanish. Registration is open now at lcms-life.org.
- Be equipped to speak up for the sanctity of life within your community.
- Gain ideas on how to care for all human life.
- Interact with fellow Lutherans on Life Ministry topics.
- Be a part of the LCMS Life Ministry community.
Dozens of experts in Life Ministry will present throughout the conference with multiple video presentations available for immediate on-demand viewing as soon as you login. Engage in live Q&A sessions with experts in Life Ministry.
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The Marks of Love Lenten Devotions |
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No story in human history is like the narrative of Jesus' Passion. In it we see God in the flesh, coming to seek and to save the lost. In The Marks of Love from Lutheran Hour Ministries, we meet a Savior who endured life's hardships, suffered our pain, and bore the weight of our sins. Each left its mark on Him as He pressed on to the cross, giving His life for ours, appeasing God's wrath against sin, and rising victorious over sin, death, and the devil. Read, Listen, Email, or Print
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TEC21 News and Scholarship Application |
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TEC21 Workshop Program 2021/2022 cohorts will follow one of the most remarkable learning periods for Lutheran teachers in our history. We have seats left! Save your spots now just by registering today! Don’t miss giving your teachers the opportunity to unpack what we’ve learned during the 2020/2021 school year about enhanced in-person and remote learning. Our teachers connect with others outside their own schools, become competent for a new educational playing field, and equipped to be resources and coaches for their peers. Missouri District Workshop Facilitator Rob Jacklin said it best: “One of the most significant ways to impact student learning in the classroom is to impact teacher learning! Teachers who are confident and open learners themselves benefit kids in the classroom.”
TAKE NOTE: Applications are now open to request a PSD scholarship for the 2021-22 TEC21 workshops. If you will be attending or if your school will be sending a teacher to the TEC21 workshop center in your area and you wish to apply for a scholarship, please click here to complete the request form. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is April 1, 2021. If you would like to know more about TEC21, click here.
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Prayers of thanksgiving for the birth of a healthy baby girl to Jackson Thiesfeldt, principal at Christ, Brea, CA, and his wife. Baby Kirra Noelle and Mom are doing great!
Schools we are praying for the week of February 28:
Grace Lutheran Preschool, Bishop, CA
Valley Lutheran High School, Phoenix, AZ
God’s World Preschool and Childcare, Prescott Valley, 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 Tuesday of each week.
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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
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