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

Below are photos from Abiding Savior Lutheran School and Preschool,

Lake Forest, CA:

Operation Christmas Child

A Field Day Team

Finn, Our School Emotional Support Dog

Pictured here is one of our students with our new feathery friends: Priscilla, Mary, Esther, and Miriam. 

We said "bye-bye" to wood chips and renovated our back playground right before the beginning of the school year with money we raised from our Trike-A-Thon! The children have been enjoying the new Noah's Ark-themed play structure and the parents love not having woodchips stuck to their child's clothing! 

Some of our youngest students excited to Wiggle and Worship. This chapel was extra special because some of our parent volunteers got to join us for the day!

Below are photos from Grace Lutheran School and Preschool, Lancaster, CA:

First graders build paper Chromebooks to learn about the parts of a computer.

Middle school students learn how to play ukuleles.

A third grader dissects owl pellets.

Preschool best friends enjoying playtime together.

Preschool celebrates fall with a harvest party bobbing for donuts!

Preschool learns about Joseph's colorful coat in religion.

Pictured above are the 2024 Jubilarians that were honored at the All Workers Conference for 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 65 years of service. Congratulations!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all who attended the All Workers Conference in Phoenix! It is our prayer that your time was well spent being reminded that we are All One in Christ!

THANKOFFERING

Thank you to all who have generously given to the Thankoffering. A total of $1,012.00 so far will go toward children of PSD church workers pursuing an undergraduate church work degree at one of our Concordia Universities. You can still contribute! Click here for the Thankoffering PayPal page.

THANK YOU TO THE AWC COMMITTEE!

A big thank you to the All Workers Conference Planning Committee! Your many hours of work were so greatly appreciated.

PICTURES AND ELECTION RESULTS COMING NEXT WEEK

We will share more AWC pictures as well as the results of the LEC Committee voting in next week's Connections.

THE CHURCH OFFICE

Did you catch The Church Office parody pilot episode at AWC? Watch it below, and feel free to share it! There will be more episodes in 2025!

LOOKING AHEAD – 2025

Plan now to attend LEC November 23-25, 2025, back at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown!

Thank you to all our schools who participated in the 15th 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!

Our School Ministries Facebook page has an album with Service Day photos that have been submitted to us thus far. Thank you for your serving hearts!

Our December devotion is now posted on our website. It is written by Pastor Tim Unke from Crean Lutheran High School and titled The Mystery, Melody, and Message of Christmas. Click here to read it. Thank you, Pastor Unke, for reminding us that "He is the true Light that gives light to everyone.”

Share Your Expertise at Our Early Childhood Equipping Conferences!

We know you and your team are doing incredible things in your ministry, and we want to celebrate and share those best practices! Consider presenting at one of our upcoming Early Childhood Equipping Conferences and encourage your staff to do the same.

Conference Details:

March 21, 2025: Shepherd of the Desert, Scottsdale, AZ

March 28, 2025: Trinity, Temecula, CA

This year, we’re introducing a multi-session format and are seeking presenters to cover a variety of engaging topics.

Submission Details:

Proposal Deadline Extended to: January 30, 2025

Notification of Acceptance: February 5, 2025

Proposal Submission Form

We look forward to reviewing your proposals and discovering the valuable insights you bring to our attendees. While we may not be able to accommodate all submissions due to potential overlap in topics, we deeply appreciate your passion and dedication to early childhood education.

Let’s work together to inspire and equip others in our shared ministry!

Join Us for One of Our Upcoming Pastor/Director Conferences!

📅 January 23, 2025

📍 District Office, Irvine, CA

📅 January 30, 2025

📍 Christ Greenfield, Gilbert, AZ

A thriving Lutheran school ministry depends on the partnership between pastors and administrators. Together, we can lead with faith, purpose, and unity, ensuring church and school align in their mission to provide a Christ-centered education.

This conference will explore best practices that empower pastors and administrators to work together effectively, focusing on:

• Creating a strong foundational structure through the pastor-administrator relationship
• Delivering the Good News of Jesus Christ through spiritual leadership
• Valuing the school through advocacy and evangelism
• Uniting the church and school through integration and communication
• Creating a Gospel-centered culture of grace and forgiveness

Be inspired. Strengthen your partnership. Lead with Christ at the center.  

Registration is coming soon. If you are a ministry with a Preschool-8th grade, please invite your principal to join us as well.

Upcoming EC dates for 2025:

January 23: Pastor/Director Conference at the PSD District Office, Irvine, CA

January 30: Pastor/Director Conference at Christ Greenfield, Gilbert, AZ

March 16-18: LEA Administrators Conference in Irvine, CA

March 21: EC Equipping at Shepherd of the Desert, Scottsdale, AZ

March 28: EC Equipping at Trinity, Temecula, CA

Save these dates in 2026:

January 22-23, 2026: Director’s Conference

March 13, 2026: EC Equipping at Christ, Huntington Beach, CA

March 20, 2026: EC Equipping at TLC, Casa Grande, AZ

Check out the latest God @ Work story featuring North Valley Christian Academy in Phoenix, AZ!

Attention Administrators –

The Commissioned Minister call document has been revised effective January 1, 2025. The new version is 4.9.4 and reflects changes to the Benefits Section (pages 4 and 5). Please share this information with those at your church or school who prepare call documents. This new version must be used for new graduates/first calls that are sent to the PSD for President Gibson’s signature starting in January.

Username and password information remains the same but can be requested by contacting Ellen Pratt (ellen.pratt@psd-lcms.org) or Kim Violette (kim.violette@psd-lcms.org) in School Ministries.

CAPSO Monthly E-Mailer

Click here to read the December Monthly E-Mailer.

In addition...

Read below for information from CAPSO:

You are receiving this note because your school belongs to an organization that is a member of the California Association of Private School Organizations. The California Association of Private School Organizations (CAPSO), considered the voice of private education in California, is a nonprofit legislative advocacy organization representing 80% of all parentally placed private school students in California. CAPSO actively lobbies on behalf of private school interests, advocating for the exclusion of private schools from legislative matters that could hinder their mission-based operations and promoting their inclusion in initiatives that provide direct benefits to students and staff.

As a private school leader, the following resources may interest you.

CAPSO Monthly E-Mailer: CAPSO distributes a monthly email that focuses on key state and federal issues that potentially or directly impact private schools in California. In addition to highlighting “need to know” content for private school leadership, the Email features a monthly legislative engagement opportunity for schools to connect with local legislators and reinforce the value of private education to state decision-makers. School leaders are invited to subscribe to this monthly email here. 

State/Federal Programs: CAPSO advocates for private school engagement in beneficial state and federal programs. These programs, including ESSA, IDEA, Blue Ribbon Schools, and Green Ribbon Schools, can be accessed from the CAPSO website. A landing page with all state and federal programs can be accessed here. 

ESSA: CAPSO is involved in ongoing dialogue with the California Department of Education to improve the ESSA engagement process for private schools. Future webinars and support offerings will be forthcoming during the 2024-2025 school year- more information will follow on these sessions once dates are confirmed. In addition, CAPSO has partnered with ADAC to create a comprehensive guide to understanding title programs for private schools. Resources include descriptions of the titles, checklists for consultation meetings, explanations of funding mechanisms and qualification requirements, and a process overview. A comprehensive set of resources for ESSA can be accessed here.

IDEA: CAPSO is involved in efforts to support the successful engagement of private schools in California with IDEA, including the Child Find process. CAPSO has partnered with ADAC to create a comprehensive guide to understanding IDEA for private schools. Resources include descriptions, regulations, checklists, and a process overview. A comprehensive set of resources for IDEA can be accessed here. 

Legislative Tracker: CAPSO maintains a legislative tracker that reveals the legislation that CAPSO is watching/involved with as the representative for private schools. You are encouraged to visit the tracker anytime to learn how the political landscape of California is interacting with private school matters in the state. The CAPSO Legislation Tracker can be accessed here.

TEC21 has record-breaking fall enrollment!

Registration for TEC21’s Season 17 Workshop Program (for a September start date in the 2025-2026 school year) opened Tuesday, October 1, and response, compared to this time in previous years, has exceeded expectations! Please register as soon as possible, even with just your principal name, to save spots. To delay registration is to risk the possibility of not getting a seat in your desired cohort.

Register Here

TEC21 continues to develop new cohorts, both in-person and virtual, designed to reach all LCMS districts in the U.S. The fall 2025 lineup includes a virtual cohort for Lutheran school principals! And TEC21 leadership is considering whether to pilot a grade-level or subject-specific cohort for EC through middle school.

Need one more reason to register for the first time or send teachers back through the TEC21 Workshop Program? Participants are now experiencing additional learning opportunities through new initiatives like monthly podcasts on important and complex teaching topics.

Take just two minutes now to register a teacher(s) for Season 17 of the TEC21 Workshop Program that begins next fall. If you have questions or would like TEC21 to walk you through the registration process, reach out soon to Brent Dieckhoff here to schedule a video chat or call him at 316.641.8356. You can also send him a quick email asking him to hold spots for you at brent@tec21connect.com.

• For all of our students, families, and staff during this Advent season. We pray that our hearts and minds are focused on the Christ Child during this busy time!
• For a great All Workers Conference. Thank you to all who attended! We pray that it was a great time of learning, growing, and encouragement.

Schools we are praying for the week of December 8:

St. John’s Preschool, El Segundo, CA

Bethany Lutheran School and Preschool, Long Beach, CA

Mt. Olive Lutheran Preschool/Kindergarten, Poway, CA

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 Tuesdays.