See our Facebook page for 7th grade photos. So Jung Kim has been our 7th grade teacher for over 5 years. She is currently on maternity leave, returning on January 3, 2022. During this time, Kimberly Saldana has stepped in as the substitute teacher.
Ms. Kim earned her B.A. in History from the University California of Irvine and finished her Multiple Subject Credential courses from Biola University. Recently, Ms. Kim shared; "I feel passionate about teaching middle school because of my own middle school experience. I had incredibly impactful teachers and youth leaders in middle school that shaped my love for Jesus and learning. I feel incredibly blessed to work with students to help them to grow in their relationship with Jesus and nurture a love for learning."
We look forward to having Ms. Kim return to the 7th grade classroom after Christmas break!
See our Facebook page for 6th grade photos including photos from a recent trip to El Camino Pines Lutheran Camp, a long standing Christ Lutheran Outdoor Ed opportunity for our 6th graders to bond as a class at the beginning of each new school year. Read on to hear from our new 6th grade teacher, Isaac Batty.
“I'm a Christian homeschooled Angelino who graduated as a Chemical Engineer from CSULB and then took my love for STEM into the classrooms as I transitioned to teaching. Since I started teaching in 2018, I've taught Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, including many other subjects during the pandemic when I focused on directly supporting local families with private home education including tutoring some Christ Lutheran students. My wife Chelsea and our baby Joel live nearby in Long Beach. And I am very excited to join the Christ Lutheran family and bring a love of our Lord and His creation through teaching middle school science!”
See our Facebook page for 5th grade photos including buddy activities, different projects and a photo of a special visitor to the class this week, Mrs. Kolden's dog, Bonhoeffer.
Mrs. Kolden is a graduate from Azusa Pacific University with a major in Education and a minor in History. She earned a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from San Diego State University. She was the 8th grade teacher at CLS for the last five years, but this year made the switch to 5th grade! She got married last year in August, and her husband is in seminary to become a pastor. Mrs. Kolden feels very blessed to have been a part of the Christ Lutheran community for almost six years now, and loves being a teacher here!
Visit our Facebook page for recent 4th grade photos and read on to learn more about our 4th grade program from Mrs. McFarland.
My name is Erika McFarland and I am the 4th grade teacher at Christ Lutheran School. I have a passion for teaching that I realized at an early age, as I would spend countless hours playing school with my siblings. I grew up in Southern California, and even attended Christ Lutheran for a while when I was young, following in the footsteps of my mom who attended Kindergarten through 8th grade! I am thankful for the three years that I have had here at Christ Lutheran working with 4th grade students.
I enjoy bringing the 4th grade curriculum to life with hands-on activities, field trips, group work, and skits. Together with my students, we explore fun concepts in science such as animals, plants, and simple machines. We also dive into the regions of California, Native American tribes, the Mission Period and the Gold Rush in California History - what's more fun than learning about your backyard!
I enjoy the wonderful opportunity to invest into the students that come through my class and encourage them to be students who love Jesus, love one another, and love learning!
Students dissected chicken eggs and observed the different parts of the egg. God's perfection in creation is evident even in a small chicken egg. We learned how the chalazae hold the yolk in place so the hen can rotate the egg without harming the chick or yolk. The membrane protects the egg from bacteria. The shell has small holes in it to allow oxygen in and gases out. Did you know the air cell gets bigger as an egg gets older? This is why an old egg will float in water. Fresh eggs sink. We also had two eggs with double yolks (twins) which was really cool! See our Facebook page for photos of this experiment and other 3rd grade activities.
Meet our 3rd Grade Teacher! Mrs. Dionne Sevy received her B.A. and her CA multiple subject teaching credential from U.C., Irvine. After teaching a few years, she continued her education and received her M.A. in Education from CSU Dominguez Hills. Mrs. Sevy has over 20 years of elementary classroom teaching experience in grades K-5 from Christ Lutheran School, Hawthorne School District, and Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, plus one year of subbing experience in K – 8 grades in Hawthorne and Hermosa Valley School Districts. She is the department chairperson for K – 4th grades, and has been a mentor teacher to several of our teachers. She has been a master teacher for many student teachers as well as the BTSA support provider to beginning teachers. She is NCLB compliant according to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District.
Mrs. Sevy was the 3rd grade Gifted and Talented teacher for several years while in Hawthorne School District, and is currently the third grade teacher here at CLS. Mrs. Sevy and her husband, Scott, both grew up in Palos Verdes and are raising their three children. Their daughter is now in college at Biola University and their two sons attend CLS in middle school. They enjoy worshipping, teaching children God’s Word, and raising awareness for the needs of foster children and orphans. Their favorite activities involve spending time with family and friends, worshipping with the whole family, and once-in-a-while having a much needed “date night” without kids!
Mrs. Sevy’s favorite verse is: Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”
In 2nd grade we do a lot of learning through art and creative activities to drive lessons home and make learning fun! One recent science lesson had students dressed up like doctors and set-up in the gym as an "operating room" while working on their paper people to place organs in the proper locations throughout the body. See photos on Facebook.
Meet our 2nd grade teacher! - Mrs. Eve Hopkins has been involved in Lutheran education for many years. She has worked for Lutheran schools for 12 years, 5 of which were spent as the director of SAC here at Christ Lutheran. She then went on to teach kindergarten for 4 years at Ascension Lutheran School in Torrance; then returned to Christ Lutheran as the 2nd grade teacher for the last 3 years.
Previous to working in schools Mrs. Hopkins was always active in the Lutheran school system through her husband who was a principal of a Lutheran school and her three daughters who all attended Lutheran schools. Her oldest, Savannah, also works as a preschool teacher here at Christ Lutheran.
When not working Mrs. Hopkins can be found hanging out with her girls at the softball field or volleyball court. She also enjoys going on road trips with Steve, her husband of 25 years.
Recently the 1st graders had the opportunity to meet their 5th grade buddies! The buddy program is a longstanding tradition whereby our 5th grade students learn mentoring skills, while 1st graders feel safe in larger school settings when walking alongside their buddy. Throughout the year buddies will do different projects and activities together including the Thanksgiving Buddy Feast, spend time together during Country Fair and sit together in all-school chapel services. Please see Facebook for buddy photos and other recent 1st grade activities. Read on to learn more about our 1st grade teacher, Kristin Bebich.
Kristin Bebich stepped into her role as the 1st grade teacher last year which means her very first classroom was on Zoom. This year, she has transitioned into a full day, in person classroom with double the students she had last year. She has done an amazing job with all the changes and continues to bring a positive attitude to our campus as she works with students and families as we re-learn what life looks like in community together after the pandemic.
Ms. Bebich received a BA from The University of Texas at Austin with a minor in Biology in 2015. After working in a Cardiologist’s office for three years she felt the Lord calling her in a different direction. She has always loved children and decided to pursue a career in education. She was a substitute for 2 years here at Christ Lutheran before accepting the full-time 1st grade teacher position. I’m very excited to start my first year as a full-time teacher to help our students succeed.
Ms. Bebich was born and raised in San Pedro, as were her parents and grandparents. She love dogs, loves to sing, and enjoys musical theatre. She has been going to performances with her mom and grandma since she was in Kindergarten. If you wanted to give her a little treat, her favorite candy is Reese’s peanut butter cups. Her favorite way to spend free time is outside at the beach, at the pool, on a hike, or at barbecues with family.
We are so thankful the Lord called Ms. Bebich to the Christ Lutheran Family!
During school hours, parents are not permitted on campus without an appointment.
Staff will be out front in the morning to welcome students onto campus. Please say goodbyes at the door.
During the normal school day, if a parent needs to drop something off, bring a student late or pick-up early, a staff member will assist at the glass doors.
Please do not send sick children to school.
Students who are out sick for 3 or more days will need a doctor's note to return to class.
Thank you for your patience and continued partnership as we work together to keep our Christ Lutheran Family safe.