NID School Newsletter

Filled with living hope in Christ,

Confessing, Praising, and

Advancing His Kingdom.

School Newsletter: November 14, 2024

Giving Thanks

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."

Philippians 1:3-5

As we move toward Thanksgiving and reflect on our many blessings, I feel this little poem is an accurate reflection.

You’ve Made a Difference

As Thanksgiving Day approaches,

Our blessings we recall;

The things we are most thankful for,

We recollect them all.

You are really special,

In all you say and do.

You’ve made a difference in lives;

We’re thankful now for you.

-Joanna Fuchs

Our Lord and Savior has gifted each and every one of you with talents that are entirely unique and special, just for you. As redeemed children of God, we shepherd children and their families with those special gifts. You touch so many more people each day with the love of Jesus than you even imagine.

I give thanks for the dedication and faith of all workers daily in prayer. May our work be blessed by the Father.

Thank you for all you do and Happy Thanksgiving!

Serving the Master Teacher,

Lois Stewart

Mission Facilitator for Schools

2024-2025 School Theme

Professional Development Credits

Concordia University Chicago is happy to provide your faculty and staff with professional development credit again this year as an ISBE Approved Provider. We will be utilizing the new ISBE Professional Development Tool, PD+.

Requests for Professional Development must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the Professional Development Activity. Information on our approval process can be found on our College of Education website:

Professional Development - College of Education - LibGuides at Concordia University Chicago (cuchicago.edu)

Concordia Center for Christian Education

March 25, 2025, from 4:30p.m. - 6:00 p.m. via Teams

Unpacking Oracy: Enhancing Literacy Practices through Intentional Implementation

Presenter: Dr. Annette VanAken

Listening and speaking are often seen as natural, automatic aspects of language development. However, learning to speak and engage in meaningful dialogue is a complex process. This presentation will help educators deepen their understanding of oracy, explore strategies to integrate it into their existing environments, and discuss practical approaches for incorporating oracy into everyday teaching.

April 22, 2025, from 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. via Teams

Picture Perfect: Using Picture Books Across Grade Levels to Support Literacy Instruction

Presenters: Dr. Kari Pawl and Dr. Samantha Lazich Caesar

Participants will discover the timeless value of picture books in literacy instruction across grade levels. This presentation will highlight the versatility of picture books and provide strategies for their use across various domains of literacy instruction.

Phil’s Friends

Phil’s Friends is a Recognized Service Organization in the NID. They are interested in getting scheduled to lead chapel or do packing parties of the care boxes that are sent out to cancer patients. For more information, please see the letter attached below.

Letter from Phil's Friends

Early Childhood, Elementary and High School Administrators

The new school year brings so many opportunities to serve, learn, and grow together. We are blessed with conference opportunities where we come together as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

The first Early Childhood Educator event took place on Saturday, September 21, 2024. Watch for more information on future gatherings.

ECE Flyer

The next Elementary and High School Leadership Conference date to get on your calendar is Monday, February 10, 2025. We will gather at 9:00 a.m. for coffee, tea, and fellowship. President Buss will share devotions at 9:15 a.m. Our presenters will be Rev. Matt Hoffman (St. Andrews, Park Ridge) and Rev. David Seabaugh (Immanuel, Elmhurst).

Their topics will cover family dynamics and the faith, apologetics, and assisting families in applying the faith. These might be great topics to bring your pastor or another staff member to join you in learning. You can register them here on the NID website.

The online registration link will stay active all school year. You will find that here on the NID website. All registration will be done online. If you haven’t registered yet or plan to bring a guest, please do that on the website. Topics for the upcoming gatherings will be good for you to consider inviting a guest to join you. If you are using Title funds to cover the cost, please let me know (lois.stewart@nidlcms.org).

Hearts for Jesus

What a blessing to support a ministry with our Hearts for Jesus donations!

Lutheran Education Association

Lutheran Education Association’s mission is to link, equip, and affirm educators and workers in ministry for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. LEA members receive a steady stream of resources, take part in conversations with educators around the globe, and receive discounts to events and products that help them do their best work.

Our resources are located on two distinctly different sites.

Go to leaconnects.lea.org for:

Weekly Devotions - created for your personal edification as you prepare for the school week
LEAnews and Tips of the Week - items curated for your area of ministry
Words on Wednesday - short videos meant to encourage educators
Shaping the Future - monthly magazine articles exploring educational topics
Archived Resources - thousands of webinars, magazines, monographs, and other resources which enhance ministry

Go to lea.org for:

Information about our 2025 TOGETHER Convocation for all educators - next year's triennial convocation will be in October in St. Louis, Missouri
Information about the 2025 National Administrators Conference - being held in March of 2025 in Irvine, California
Lutheran Junior Honor Association - a student honor association for middle schoolers
LEAven - our weekly blog which addresses rising educational issues
What Works for Me - our weekly podcast which provides ideas for educators from other educators to utilize in their ministries
Spiritual Nurture in the Lutheran Early Childhood Classroom video series - provides practical strategies to promote the integration of the Christian faith into classroom environments (Contact the NID office for a code to view these for free.)
Membership Matters - joining LEA or updating your membership account

To join LEA, go to the LEAhub. If you are an administrator wishing to support your faculty by providing membership for each educator in your school, go to our Faculty/Staff Enrollment Form and receive a membership discount for your teachers.

If you have any questions about LEA or our services, please contact us at lea@lea.org.

Lutheran Junior Honor Association

The Lutheran Junior Honor Association was created to give your students opportunities to serve others.

How can LJHA assist your school’s students and ministry?

It is designed to nurture the qualities which Lutheran schools value.
It assists you as you give students opportunities to grow outside of the classroom.
It allows you to join with Lutheran schools across the nation as you inspire leadership, service, discipleship, and academics.
It is for schools of all sizes.
It was designed by Lutheran educators for the uniqueness of Lutheran schools.
It is easy to implements and has easy-to-access support from the LEA staff.

Join with schools from Wisconsin to Texas, New York to Hawaii and start a chapter today!

Do you want to know more? Go to lea@lea.org or contact Denise Rice at denise.rice@lea.org

National Youth Gathering "Office Hours" Information

On Thursday, December 5, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the NYG District Coordinators will hold "office hours" via Zoom. Take the time to introduce yourself, heard updates, and learn details! Feel free to jump in at any point and stay as long or as short as you're available!

An email with details and a Zoom link was sent out on November 12, 2024 to pastors and Parish Professionals. However, if you are in need of the Zoom link, please contact Lois Stewart at lois.stewart@nidlcms.org.