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Director's Note...
Dear Parents,
Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to our Evening with Dad event.
What does Halloween mean for Christians? We get a clue from the word itself. The first part, hallow, means "to set apart as holy." The last part, een, is a short form of evening or eve. Halloween, then means Holy Eve, the night before a Holy Day. If we go back to the 8th century, we will find that Gregory III set aside November 1 on the church calendar to honor all the saints. These saints were all people to whom Christ had given new life by means of His life, death, and resurrection, especially those He had already taken to heaven through death. We call this All Saints Day. It is a kind of Christian Memorial Day when we honor and remember the lives and examples of all the faithful Christians who are now with Christ in Paradise. When November 1 became All Saints Day, the night before became a hallowed eve, a night to prepare for the meaning of the coming of the Holy Day.
So, on Halloween, Christians would go out to the graveyards, which were located by churches. They would trim the grass and weeds and repair grave markers, and at the end of the day, they would gather for special worship services to give thanks to God for sending Christ. For it was by Christ's death that man's broken relationship with God was mended, and his fear of death was removed. They remembered that even as Christ did not stay dead, but had risen to life, so too would their family and friends rise to live forever with Christ in paradise.
As the good news of Christ spread to more and more people, many superstitions slipped into their activities and so witches, ghosts, and jack-o-lanterns became connected to Halloween. Like Christmas and Easter, it has many traditions and myths surrounding it that are not particularly Christian but are enjoyed by many. For Christians, we can continue to know that because of what Christ has done for us, we no longer need to be afraid of death.
Grace and Peace,
Mary Wolfinbarger
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This Week in Jesus Circle
Bible Story: Our God is in Control – God Loves Naomi and Ruth (Ruth) Discovery Points: Law: Because of sin in the world, sometimes you go through tough times and feel sad. Gospel: God works things out for your good and has given you salvation. Sanctification: Through the power of the Holy Spirit, trust our caring God to work good out of bad situations; give thanks when He does.
Bible Words: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 19:19
You can read this week's story in "The Story Bible" on pages 158-162.
Dear Family: Your child learned how God showed love for Ruth and Naomi through Boaz and made them a family. Your children also learn to love and trust God as they experience love and forgiveness from you. Brainstorm ways to show love for one another. Write ideas on slips of paper. Let your child decorate a small box with colorful paper and stickers. Fold the slips of paper, and put them inside the box. Each day this week, your child can draw out one slip of paper and do what it says.
Last week we talked about the Reformation and your child may have colored the Luther Seal. The most enduring symbol of the Lutheran Reformation is the seal that Luther himself designed to represent his theology. By the early 1520s, this seal begins to appear on the title page of Luther’s works.
 Here is how Luther himself explained its meaning:
First, there is a black cross in a heart that remains its natural color. This is to remind me that it is faith in the Crucified One that saves us. Anyone who believes from the heart will be justified (Romans 10:10). It is a black cross, which mortifies and causes pain, but it leaves the heart its natural color. It doesn’t destroy nature, that is to say, it does not kill us but keeps us alive, for the just shall live by faith in the Crucified One (Romans 1:17). The heart should stand in the middle of a white rose. This is to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace—it puts the believer into a white, joyous rose. Faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives (John 14:27). This is why the rose must be white, not red. White is the color of the spirits and angels (cf. Matthew 28:3; John 20:12). This rose should stand in a sky-blue field, symbolizing that a joyful spirit and faith is a beginning of heavenly, future joy, which begins now, but is grasped in hope, not yet fully revealed. Around the field of blue is a golden ring to symbolize that blessedness in heaven lasts forever and has no end. Heavenly blessedness is exquisite, beyond all joy and better than any possessions, just as gold is the most valuable and precious metal.
(From: Letter from Martin Luther to Lazarus Spengler, July 8, 1530 [WA Br 5:445]; tr. P. T. McCain)
Our chapel offerings will go toward the Grantparent Program. The purpose of the Grantparent Program is to provide tuition assistance to students in urban communities so that they can receive an excellent Christian and academic education. Many children living in urban communities need to hear the Good News of Jesus in a safe, nurturing environment, but they can't afford tuition to attend a Lutheran school.
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From Our Handbook
Teacher Qualifications
Our teachers and assistant teachers are experienced early childhood educators. They are Christians who provide a warm and loving environment and have a sincere concern for each of our students. They have met and exceeded the State of California Licensing requirements for early childhood educators. Our teachers have a Master of Arts degree, Bachelor of Arts degree, or Associate of Arts degree. All employees are fingerprinted and undergo a thorough background check. No one on our staff has a criminal exemption.
Staff members participate in several professional development opportunities throughout the year. Furthermore, a professional growth day is programmed into the calendar. The staff has opportunities to attend the Lutheran Educator's Conference of the Pacific Southwest District and the Pacific Southwest District Early Childhood Equipping Conference. Lead teachers receive coaching as part of Quality Start Orange County.
2022-2023 Parent Handbook
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Staff in the Spotlight
Mrs. Katy Driscoll - Pre-K Assistant
Hello! My name is Katy and I am so excited to be part of the amazing team at Abiding Savior. A little bit about me: I was born and raised in Laguna Beach, so I am a beach girl through and through! After graduating from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, I quickly discovered my passion for working with children, and I worked as a preschool teacher for a little over 3 years. After taking some time to explore an opportunity in fashion, I am so incredibly happy to be back at preschool doing what I love! I recently celebrated three years of marriage to my wonderful husband, Derek, and our little family includes our super sweet dog named Naga. I love country music, dancing, all things Disney, and exploring new places! Most of all, I love having the opportunity to walk through life with children at this age as they learn and grow. I can’t wait to see what fun we will have this year!
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Extra Curricular Activities
We offer several enrichment programs for your child. There is limited space in each class and a minimum number of participants required to offer the class.
- Amazing Athletes – This is a sports and fitness class offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:30-12:15.
- Showtime Dance – This is a dance program which includes Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop and Jazz. Dance is offered Monday for Mrs. Morgan and Mrs. Rivers' classes; Monday for boy's hip hop;Thursday and Fridays for all other classes from 11:30-12:15.
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Parenting Tip from Conscious Discipline
My preschooler has started to lie. I know she’s drawing on the walls and furniture but she’s refusing to admit it. What can I do?
We have a choice, we can focus on getting our children to admit their errors and feel bad for their actions, or we can focus on helping our children learn to be responsible by experiencing the consequences of their actions.
In this case, you could go for admission of guilt and say, “Did you draw on these walls?” Asking a question you already know the answer to is a trap. More than likely, preschoolers will deny they did anything. Denial is a defense mechanism used when faced with fear of threat. Once the child denies the situation, then we really become upset, usually saying something like, “Don’t you lie to me. Lying just makes things worse.” From here the interaction can only deteriorate and the opportunity to teach a new skill is lost.
Alternately, we could set a limit and hold the child accountable for her actions by saying, “You wanted to draw some pictures. You may not draw on the walls. Drawing is something you do on paper. You can clean the walls with rag or sponge. What is your choice?” It is important to follow up with your child later when she is drawing on paper by saying, “You did it! You remembered to draw on the paper. Good for you, honey.” Then hug and kiss her all over.
Conscious Discipline Website
Conscious Discipline and the Bible
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In Our Prayers
Thank you for your continued prayers for the loved ones connected to our center. If there is a need in your family and you would like to add someone to the prayer list, please let me know. This week we pray for:
+ Our October birthdays including Ms. Wood, Miss Maria, Zane, Dylan, Brooklyn, Isaac, Robert, Rose, Jaxston, Abigail, Layla, and Brody
+ Leo, Brady, Sophia, Josiah and Natalie
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Wednesday Morning Adult Bible Study We meet in the Gathering Grounds coffee shop each Wednesday from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Please join us as we study the book of Philipians.
Go to smile.amazon.com, select Abiding Savior as your charitable organization, and amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your purchases to support Abiding Savior. Every time you log in after that, the site will remember Abiding Savior as your selected charity.
Ask your friends and family to sign up and support us!
Women's Fellowship - "Ladies Night Out"
is set for Monday, November 7, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and all women of Abiding Savior Church, School and Preschool are invited! We are having a potluck. (A-L main dish; M-Z salad) We will be working on a fall basket for our homebound friends and one for you to keep. Please bring a hand held stapler. It's a very easy craft! We would like an RSVP so that we know how many people to expect, to have enough baskets to work on. Please reply to Janice Trumbauer at 949-609-9766 or email krafter@cox.net.
Mark your calendar for Advent by Candlelight, Saturday, December 10.
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