First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

-1 Timothy 2:1-4

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

Mesquite Lutheran Preschool and Childcare, Mesquite, NV

Trinity Christian School and Preschool, Norwalk, CA

Below are photos from Trinity Christian School and Preschool, Norwalk, CA:

First grade

Second grade

Kindergarten Hugs for Principal Love!

We pray you had a wonderful National Lutheran Schools Week! It was so encouraging to hear about the baptisms, celebrations, and great 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 2023 photo album. It's not too late to send photos! Send them to [email protected] and we will include them in the NLSW album.

Joyful baptism of a Lamb of God, Las Vegas, NV, student during NLSW

PSD President Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson giving the NLSW chapel at St. Paul's, Orange, CA

The February devotion is now up on our website. It is written by Lisa Ellwein, teacher at Salem Lutheran School in Orange, CA, and titled Love Them to Jesus! Thank you, Lisa, for reminding us that even amidst all we feel needs to be accomplished this school year, let’s take a deep breath and relax. Just remember, our job is simple yet life-changing: in the words of beloved PSD Lutheran educator Kathie Perkins, "Love them to Jesus!"

We had a great time of learning, growth, and fellowship at the PSD Director/Pastor/Principal Conference last week!

Last week, our admissions directors and administrators were treated to a great presentation during NLSW on data driven admissions and retention by Ryan Ermeling of Parent Pulse.

Our next Admissions Director Network Meeting will be on Tuesday, March 21, at LuTEC High School in Norwalk, CA. The topic will be related to social media and marketing. More information will be shared as the date approaches.

This year’s PSD Hearts for Jesus unified mission project is Hope and Care Outreach. We know many schools use February to focus their offerings on the Hearts for Jesus project. If you haven’t yet, please go to the Hearts for Jesus page on Hope and Care’s website. Something new that has been added are prayer cards. These cards are downloadable in PDF form and have a picture, name, age, and grade of students in the different schools Hope and Care sponsors in Liberia. We want to encourage you to download these cards and share them with your classes and encourage them to pray for these students! 

Here is the story of Thomas and the blessing that comes from a Christian education in Liberia! Your offerings will specifically help contribute to tuition for other students like Thomas, waiting to go to school! $95 will send a student to school for one year. How many students will your school support? When you send your Hearts for Jesus contributions, please send this remittance form along with your check. Thank you!

Thank you for to all who supported the ministry of World Mission through your chapel offerings to Hearts for Jesus during the 2021-22 school year! Because of your school’s support and others like you, World Mission delivered more than 60,000 Treasures last fiscal year! Please view the video above with a special Thank You message from World Mission. What a privilege it is to bring Jesus to illiterate or oral learners who have never heard of Jesus! 

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!

• We are grateful for a wonderful National Lutheran Schools Week for all of our schools!

Schools we are praying for the week of February 5:

First Lutheran Preschool and Kindergarten, El Cajon, CA

Searchlight Ministries Lutheran Preschool, Fullerton, CA

Mountain View 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 Tuesdays.