Cantor Kevin Zorena wins Outstanding Beginning Teacher of the Year!!!

(Yes, this is all caps because it's scream-worthy!)

CONGRATULATIONS TO KEVIN ZORENA FOR WINNING THE OUTSTANDING BEGINNING TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD!!

Mr. Kevin Zorena was recently included in a pool of seven other Concordia University Graduates who were being considered for the Outstanding Beginning Teacher of the Year Award. This award is given by the Illinois Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (IACTE) and specifically highlights teacher graduates who work in Illinois.

It was our privilege to convey to the committee all the reasons we believe that Mr. Zorena deserved this award. We shared with them all of the programs he runs: Fine Arts Festival, Band Concerts, Christmas Program, Grandparent’s Day, and the Musical, just to name a few. Not only this, but he instituted new programming at our school like preschool music, pep band, and integration with physical education class. He brings music and band into other programming such as Literacy Night, Walcamp Outdoor Education, Parade, Athletics, and Chapel. We also shared how his positive attitude, his strive for excellence, and his team-focused mentality is the cherry on the top. Of course, sending a video of him at Literacy Night dressed as a pirate probably clenched the deal. His dedication to our church and school is a blessing to us all.

We are so proud of Mr. Zorena, and we couldn’t be more grateful that he is a part of Bethany Lutheran Church and School! #bethanyproud

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Why our Middle School model makes all the difference

Here are just a few ways our Jr. High experience has so many advantages. #bethanyproud

➡️Students who share a campus with Preschool - 8th grade benefit from years of stability. Students have a sense of ownership in this place and take pride in their school.

➡️The flexible schedule allows for recess - every. single. day. Students aren't anxious because they have enough time to socialize with friends and enjoy the fresh air.

➡️Our small class sizes allow for extra time focusing on debate, peer collaboration, presentations, and many different electives as well as in-depth core studies.

➡️Our no-cut sports, drama, and band programs allow all students to gain confidence while trying something new in a judgement-free way.

➡️For young men, our male role models include our e Jr. High teachers, music director, pastors, and congregation members who serve at Bethany. At at time when life is particularly confusing, these men model the Christian way of life at every step.

➡️Even small touches like air conditioning and snack time make all the difference in the world to a student who is always hungry and whose body is in a constant change.

May God continue to bless Bethany!

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Our 2nd graders love to celebrate the Chinese New Year! They study Ancient China and their inventions, learn about modern culture & language (complete with learning a song about Jesus in Chinese and English), sample tasty cuisine, and talk about what religion looks like in another country. Their entire art curriculum is woven into their unit study, and they finish with a Dragon Parade to all the classrooms and a party! Congratulations, Mrs. Janetzke on a job well done! #bethanyproud

Culver's Night is a great opportunity for fellowship while dining with your Bethany Family!

We are on a mission from God

It’s a little different from the Blues Brothers’ Mission….. Our mission is to train, equip, and support witnesses for His Kingdom, but what does that look like? Here are just some of the ways:

TRAIN: high academic standards, Christian morals and values, respectable and productive members of society, Christian mentoring and role models

EQUIP: Immersed in the Bible, 10 commandments, catechism, apologetics, prayer, chapel

SUPPORT: prayer, physical and emotional care, opportunities to live faith, a family who loves one another

Bethany has so much to offer!

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Let us count the ways....

How do Bethany teachers show our students we love and care for them?
❤️We pray with and for your children
❤️We attend their sporting events, concerts, programs, and activities
❤️We give them responsibility and set firm boundaries
❤️We praise God together in chapel and with song
❤️We nurture their passions and encourage them to develop their God-given talent
❤️We give them opportunities to live out their faith with their classmates, friends, and in the community
❤️We treat each child as a blessing from the Lord, because that's who they are!

Enjoying every moment

Watching these sweet children play together, without a care in the world, can inspire us to take it one day (moment) at a time. The Lord implores us to do this in Matthew chapter 6:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? .... “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Jesus be with you, now and always!

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THE MISSION OF BETHANY LUTHERAN SCHOOL IS TO PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND TO INSPIRE CONFIDENT LEARNERS WHO ARE ABLE TO DISCERN BIBLICAL TRUTH, THINK CRITICALLY, AND LIVE A LIFE OF SERVICE TO GOD AND NEIGHBOR.