PSD School Ministries
Connections
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The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Isaiah 9:2
I really love being with kids. They are so amazing because they get amazed at so many little things! "Look at this huge leaf!" "Daddy, may I bring this pinecone home? It's a seed, you know." And the riddles and jokes they laugh at are silly, like, "Did you know why Santa's helper was feeling a little depressed? He had low elf esteem!" and "Did you know a raisin is a grape with a sunburn?"
Amazing, isn't it, how amazing kids are – as well as the adults who hang on to their amazement
all through life
? Advent is a time for
amazement
! We ambassadors of Advent continue to sense the amazing grace of God's love for us, especially through Scriptures like Isaiah 9:1-7. We, too, are people who walk in darkness because of sin, and we too have "seen a great light" - Jesus Christ! This Child has been born for us. God's Son has been given to us...as a gift! It has nothing whatsoever to do with what we have done or should have done or had better get done! It's not about us; it's about HIM, Jesus Christ!
Amazing
, indeed!
Amazed means
filled with wonder
. Join together in singing the familiar Christmas carol refrain, "And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love, and wonders, wonders of His love."
Lord, you are such an amazing God, to love us so much that you sent Jesus to earth for us. Help us never to lose this amazing message of joy and forgiveness in You. Help us to see the amazing WONDER of Christmas, the Christ Child, in a new and amazing light. Help us to be like little kids again, who laugh and play and trust, because you are the Trusted One. Thanks for making us ambassadors of Advent - ambassadors of amazement! In Jesus' name. Amen.
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Please join us in praying and thanking God for the following schools this week:
Abiding Savior Lutheran School and Preschool, Lake Forest, CA
Grace Lutheran School and Preschool, Lancaster, CA
Circle of Love Lutheran Preschool, Manhattan Beach, CA
Below are photos from
Abiding Savior Lutheran School and Preschool, Lake Forest, CA
:
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Decorating Operation Christmas Child boxes
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Pastor Glenn baptizing school children
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Faculty dressed as the Pacman Game for Halloween
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Preschool children having music class in the church - practicing for their Christmas Program on December 11.
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Abiding Savior Preschool participated in Operation Christmas Child this year - pictured above is the Pre-K class.
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Abiding Savior congregation members "adopted" preschool students this year and purchased "The Story Bible" for each child. Pictured above is a 2-year-old students holding his special book.
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Below are photos from
Grace Lutheran School and Preschool,
Lancaster, CA:
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Playing in the Fall leaves - learning, too!
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Some Fall fun on Halloween!
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Below are photos from
Circle of Love Lutheran Preschool,
Manhattan Beach, CA:
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The Beginners Room in front of the altar filled with food donations!
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A "Mad Scientist" came to visit!
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The Manhattan Beach Fire Department came to teach students
about fire safety!
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Thank you again to all who attended this year’s LEC! We pray that you were
Spiritually Charged
!
LEC EVALUATION
Thank you to those who have already completed the evaluation. When you complete an evaluation, you will be entered into a drawing for a gift card! Please
click on this link
to be directed to the LEC 2019 evaluation.
SESSION HANDOUTS
Click here
for the link to the Google folder with the handouts from sessions!
CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION
SUNDAY WORSHIP OFFERING
Thank you to all who generously gave to the Grantparent Mission Project through your offering at Sunday’s worship service. A total of
$2,939.28
will go toward providing tuition assistance for five students. What a blessing!
THANKOFFERING
Thank you to all who generously gave to the Thankoffering at Monday evening's banquet. A total of
$3,315.44
will go toward children of PSD church workers pursuing church work degrees at one of our Concordias.
LEC PHOTOS
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2019 Educators of the Year
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Congratulations to the four
PSD Educators of the Year for 2019! They were honored at the LEC opening worship service.
The Educators of the Year, from left to right, are:
Mrs. Jaci Gloss, Christ’s Greenfield Lutheran Preschool, Gilbert, AZ
Early Childhood Educator of the Year
Mrs. Shelly Surridge, Salem Lutheran School, Orange, CA
Elementary Educator of the Year
Dr. Jake Hollatz, St. John’s Lutheran School, Orange, CA
Administrator of the Year
Mr. Daniel Cattau, Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School, Las Vegas, NV
Jr./Sr. High School Educator of the Year
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PSD 2020 All Workers Conference
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Announcing the
2020 PSD All Workers Conference,
November 22-24, back at the beautiful Marriott Desert Springs Resort. The theme is based on
2 Corinthians 5:7, “Walk by Faith.” This All Workers Conference will be held in 2020 only. If we determine that the conference is a WIN-WIN-WIN, then we will consider doing it with all church workers every three years, but it will not be every year, nor will the program be watered down in 2020! It will just be different – focusing on ministry, leadership (everyone a leader in their classroom, in the gym, on the field, from the pulpit, with the youth, etc.) and carrying out Christ’s mission! We are looking to get some pretty big name speakers, too! SO – please make sure that you are budgeting NOW to attend!
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10th Annual PSD Service Day a Success!
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Thank you to all our schools who participated in our
10th Annual PSD Service Day
! Praise God for the hearts of service of our students and educators! Praise God for the impact our Lutheran schools are making in our communities!
Pictured below are students at
Emmaus Lutheran School, Alhambra, CA
, on Service Day.
Students provided 120 lunches and 120 breakfasts for their neighboring school.
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December Devotion on Website
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The December devotion is now up on our website. It is written by
Pastor Timothy Unke, campus pastor and theology department chair at
Crean Lutheran High School, Irvine, CA.
Click here to read it! Thank you, Tim, for reminding us that "Only God could have thought of Christmas."
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We are continuing to highlight PSD schools with dedicated resource programs. This month we are sharing about
Orange Lutheran High School. We will continue to share our schools' resource programs as the year goes on!
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The
Orange Lutheran High School
Department of Special Programs and Services
(DSPS)
meets the needs of students with identified learning disabilities and other special instructional requirements, including some medical needs, by fostering academic growth through reasonable accommodations in curriculum and classroom expectations. It is a support program for both students and parents, not a resource program, and as such, does not offer therapy, tutoring, or curriculum modifications. Courses in the DSPS Program help students reach their graduation goals through accommodations in reading level, research expectations, and note-taking requirements. Upon graduation, it is the desire of the DSPS program for each student to be able to embrace how they learn, utilize the tools they need to be successful, and be able to self-advocate.
The DSPS program is divided into two levels of academic support.
Comprehensive Student Services
are for students who have an identified disability that requires additional support outside of the regular classroom setting, in an environment with a reduced teacher/student ratio.
Foundational Student Services
are for students who have an identified disability that can be supported within the regular classroom environment through limited/reasonable accommodations including extra time on tests outside of class time.
Orange Lutheran's DSPS faculty are passionate about sharing Christ, partnering with parents, and serving each student to meet their individual needs and helping them feel prepared for the future, no matter what challenges they may face. For more information, please visit
lhsoc.org/dsps
.
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2020 Children & Family Ministry Conference
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Join us for the Children & Family Ministry Conference
June 16-18, 2020,
on the campus of
Concordia University Irvine
and hear from keynote speaker
David Kinnaman
of the
Barna Group
and others on the theme of "Rally Together."
Early Registration: $110 - Deadline: March 2, 2020
Early Group Rate (4+): $90 - Deadline: March 2, 2020
Late Registration: $140 - Deadline: June 2, 2020
Housing is available at Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, John Wayne Airport as well as on the Concordia University campus.
Hotel Rates: King (1-2 per room) - $119/night; Double (2-4 per room) - $129/night
CUI Rates: Double Occupancy - $45 for 2 nights; Single Occupancy - $65 for 2 nights (No air conditioning in dorms)
For more information and to register starting November 25, 2019, click
here
.
Thank you to the 26 people who already registered for the conference at LEC and got the special deal! Register today!
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Have you thought about sending a teacher or two through the TEC21 Workshop Program in the 2020/2021 school year? Season 12 will be an exciting one and registration is right around the corner! There is nothing quite like the TEC21 experience to train, equip, encourage, and support teachers to effectively integrate technology to enrich the teaching and learning in their classrooms.
Registration at 34 Innovation Centers - 4 right here in the PSD - opens January 2, 2020! Now is the time to talk to your teachers and start conversations about TEC21. Cohorts cap at 10 teachers and seats fill up quickly so start your conversations soon!
Contact Brent Dieckhoff at
brent@tec21connect.com
with any questions you may have about the program. He will be happy to talk with you about how to receive District scholarship or title money to help pay for the registration and share how this innovative professional development program can positively impact your teachers and the students in their classrooms!
Register your teachers
HERE
!
Click here
for the link to the PSD TEC21 scholarship application. The deadline is 3/1/20.
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Thank you to Preschool Director
Heather Chapman
, teachers, and students at
Trinity Lutheran Preschool, Litchfield Park, AZ,
for sending artwork to display in the district office. The bright colors and various preschool projects have brought visitors and staff to stop by and take a look. Thank you for sharing your creativity!
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Teacher Created Resources at Zion, Anaheim
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Zion, Anaheim, CA, recently received a large donation of Teacher Created Resources that they would like to share with other schools. The items are available until they are gone or until Christmas Break, which begins Friday, December 20. After that, they will take any remaining items to a recycling center. Please contact Zion's office staff at
office@zionanaheim.org or
knagy@zionanaheim.org or call 714-535-3600 ext. 402 to arrange a time to come pick up your resources!
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Click here to read the most recent CAPSO Midweek E-Mailer. In this issue:
- New Laws on the Horizon
- Scores Flat-to-Lower on "The Nation's Report Card"
- And more
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Lutheran Hour Ministries Float
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Did you know that the Lutheran Hour Ministries float continues to be the only Christian float in the Tournament of Roses Parade?
This long-standing tradition is made possible by the Southern California District of the Lutheran Laymen's League, as well as the volunteers who bring the float to life.
In just a few weeks, the Petal Pushers
® will begin the process of turning a vision into reality for the 1/1/2020 Rose Parade!
In the public square t
he Lutheran Hour Ministries float, entitled
Anchored in Jesus
, will be raising high the cross of Jesus in this time-honored event.
This will mark our 70
th
year of witnessing the Gospel message in this way. You’ll note that Jesus is always kept at the fore.
Please
click here
to sign up to decorate Rose Parade floats.
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We are excited to welcome the
POLS Conference (Principals of Large Schools) to the Pacific Southwest District and specifically to Orange County January 15-17, 2020! This year, Early Childhood Directors are welcome to attend as well! If the enrollment of your school is 300 (combined preschool through eighth grade), your Preschool Directors and Principals are welcome to attend!
Please click here for more information and to register to attend. Let’s have a great PSD attendance for this national conference!
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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 Wednesday of each week. This week we pray for:
- 4-year-old Frankie H. (and family) of St. John's Preschool, El Segundo, whose mother, Gisela, passed away from a long battle with leukemia on November 20, 2019. We pray for peace and comfort in God's promise of eternal life for the family.
- Wayne Dibos. Wayne was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He has served over 35 years at First Good Shepherd, Las Vegas. Please join us in praying for Wayne's treatment for this cancer.
- thanksgiving to God for a wonderful LEC and Service Day!
- our schools during this Advent season. We pray that our hearts and minds are focused on the Christ Child during this busy time!
Schools we are praying for the week of
December 8:
Bethany Lutheran School and Preschool, Long Beach, CA
St. John’s Lutheran Child Development Center, El Segundo, CA
Mt. Olive Lutheran Preschool/Kindergarten, Poway, CA
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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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