Our 4th and 5th graders work together on an Inquiry Science unit that includes all sorts of hands-on activities. On this particular day, their eggs were dropped from the ceiling. The students had to design boxes, containers, or other ideas to keep their eggs from cracking. They had so much fun and they learned so much!
"Positively Impact Naperville" was a huge success!
On behalf of Trinity Early Childhood Center, Trinity South Naperville, and Bethany Lutheran Church and School, we wanted to shout out a huge THANK YOU for everyone's generous donations. Check out all that we were able to donate to local Naperville organizations and charities!
- 110 toothbrushes and lots of dental floss donated to local veterans and those serving overseas.
- 67 coloring books and 55 pack of crayons donated to Edward Hospital, along with 12 hand-made blankets.
- 150 packs of gum and mints donated to local police, fire fighters, and military.
- 1217 diapers donated to CareNet along with wipes and hand-made bracelets.
- 36 rolls of paper towels donated to a local animal adoption agency along with hand-made dog and cat toys.
- 59 "Survival Kits" filled with sweets donated to local Fire Fighters and Police Officers
- ·Countless books to the Little Free Library along with sweet hand-made bookmarks.
Bethany in the community: Naperville's St. Patrick's Day Parade!
We had SO MUCH FUN marching in the St. Paddy's Day parade this year! Thanks to our cheerleaders, basketball players, jazz band, and all of our parents, students, and staff who participated. We can't wait to do it again next year!
Lutheran Church Charities
The second semester Chapel offerings will be going to support Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dogs Ministry. These dogs and their handlers are deployed to provide comfort and compassion to those in crisis or in the after math of a devastating event. The dogs and their handlers listen to many stories of loss and are able to share the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ with those whom they are serving. Three of the dogs and their handlers visited Bethany on November 13, 2017. They shared with our students some of the difficult situations that happen and how the dogs provide comfort. The students loved the visit and wanted to do more to support this great ministry!
Women's Self-Defense Class
Bethany Lutheran is so proud to partner with Veronica Silva in teaching the women of Naperville a self-defense class- free of charge. This class was so empowering and Veronica shared SO much information to help keep ourselves safe. We, as a church and school, are honored to give back to the community that has given so much to us. Thanks to Bethany for donating the space and to Veronica for donating her time.
Enjoy these beautiful pictures from this past quarter. May God continue to richly bless Bethany!
Meet our Geography Bee Champion!
We just received word that our school champion, Luke Gavin, an 8th grader, has qualified to go on to state level competition this spring. This is an honor not only for Luke, but also for our school. Each year about 1000 schools try out for the National Geographic Geography Bee. Once a student wins the school championship, he is given a qualifying test. ONLY 10% of the schools will get to move on to state levels. Luke’s acceptance not only reflects on his gift in this area, but he reflects on the classes he has taken to help prepare him for this honor. Bethany has participated in this bee since the late 1980s. That’s a little over 30 years. Bethany has seen somewhat less than 50% of its students move on to state level, but it does say something about the quality of our students and their instruction. Well done Luke! State competition will be held April 6 at Illinois State University in Normal, IL. We wish Luke well.
Lutheran Schools Week
LSW is a big deal around Bethany! We have 5 days of fun-filled but also service-filled activities. We all eat dinner together at Culvers, and we also eat Pancakes with Pastor! Our Jr. High goes to pack food at Feed My Starving Children, and we have special dress up days. All in all we love learning about what it means to be a Chrisitian in this world.
We've got spirit, yes we do!
School spirit is so important at Bethany. We are creating a sense of community in everything we do. The boys basketball team plays against their parents, coaches, and teachers to get ready for their Peoria Tournament. We hold a pep rally along with our mascot, Roy Al. Lion. We sing our school fight song, and we cheer on our teams! We end with a prayer to send our boys off for the weekend.
We love the snow!
Recess is SUPER important to us at Bethany. If the wind chill is above zero, we try and get the kids outside if at all possible. We even have a sledding hill!
What a "SWEET" Dance!
Our Sweetheart Dance is a great way for families to spend quality time together and with friends. School Dad, Jorge Sevilla from DJ Buena Beats Entertainment, is our wonderful emcee for the night. This year we had a Hawaiian Luau. Check it out!
Chinese New Year
One of the highlights from 2nd grade is the Chinese New Year study unit. They end the two weeks with a Dragon Parade around the school. What a great theme study, Mrs. Janetzke!
We take time to reflect on our need for a Savior during Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday
Never Forget...
Need a family? Come to Bethany where we take care of each other.
Pottery Wheel and Glaze....
Look at these beautiful pieces created by our 6th graders!
We made our own bouncy balls in Preschool!
A truly touching testimonial written by a Bethany parent
When our family moved to Naperville from out-of-state, our assigned schools were rated 10 by Great Schools. My husband and I believed we were making a good decision by sending our child to the neighborhood elementary school.
The school calendar began, and his report cards were great. I noticed there was very little homework, though. When there was, he would just race through it: "to get it over with as fast as I can". With little exception, he didn't seem interested in what he was learning.
He was crowded at his desk and said it was hard for him to get seated. He was being bullied on the bus, and he wasn't the only one. Hearing how his day went was literally breaking my heart. Towards the end of the year it was evident, through an email survey, that celebrating / re-naming Christian traditions was being addressed by the District. Our neighborhood school wasn't what we had hoped it would be, but what could we do?
We were told about Bethany and encouraged to explore it by another family. After meeting with the Admissions Director, Linda Fox, it was clear that this was a place that truly cared about its students, its Faith, and its families. It wasn't "just a school"; it was something much bigger than that.
We were very hesitant to introduce the idea of another school to our son. He had already been through a big move and he had made some friends. Linda was extremely helpful to my husband and me as we weighed our decision. She patiently answered all of our questions with knowledge and kindness.
Bethany staff, families & students gave us such an amazingly warm welcome. They made our hesitant child (& his nervous parents) feel at home, even before his first day! We had never before seen our son so excited about starting a new school year.
Recently, we had a school absence and he told me: "I hate being sick because I just love being there so much", and upon his return: "There was a huge pile of work on my desk today. I really want to get it done." He has more homework now, and he loves to show me all the different things he is learning: "Hey, did you know this?", and "but...did you know that you can also do it this way?" If the contrast isn't enough to convince you that he loves Bethany, or how his perspective on learning has changed, this is his personal testimonial:
"It is WAY, way, WAY, way, WAY better than any other school I've been to. I actually get to learn about God, which is really fun. Annnndddd..... my classmates are kind, friendly, helpful, and they try to be fair. At recess we play all-class kickball & football. I'm better at playing those now because my classmates have been teaching me how to be better at them. Everything is better. Math, English, Science, and Social Studies. Reading is kind of fun! I love P.E., Band, Music and Chapel."