Bear Facts The Weekly Newsletter of Bethany Lutheran School Long Beach, CA www.bethanylutheran.org Communication+Responsibility+Organization+Service+Sharing School Bulletin #35 May 15, 2018 Have you visited our Garden of Eatin recently? There are some beautiful veggies and flowers growing there! I love walking out to recess and seeing the kids touching and pointing and smelling and tending. A recent article by Sarah Pounders in KidsGardening said: Research has shown that spending time in natural spaces and gardens and the act of gardening itself can have a positive impact on physical and mental health. Noted benefits include decrease in stress and anxiety, alleviation of depression, along with increased feelings of calm and relaxation. Theories behind these results include: Caring for plants allows gardeners to nurture other living organisms. This experience increases feelings of compassion.. Natural landscapes dominated by plants offer our brains a break from man-made environments that can overload our senses with noise, and visual complexity. Some researchers believe we have an instinctive preference for natural landscapes. The garden setting is fascinating enough to capture a person s attention offering a feeling of escape from a stressful environment. Gardening offers rigorous physical activity resulting in beneficial physiological changes in our bodies Never underestimate the power of a garden. Blessings on your week see you at the Bethany Block Party! Dr. Fink Bethany's 1st Annual Block Party When: May 19 th, 3:00-7:00 PM Where: Bethany s Parking Lot/Field There s so much fun ahead!! Lawn Games Jumpers Giant Slide Obstacle Course Hamster Ball Dunk Tank Food Truck DJ Facepainting/Hair Chalk Water Balloons Lemonade/Popcorn Booth Basket Auction Prize Raffle Grand Prize Drawing Don t miss out on the fun! See the wristband order form attached to today s Bear Facts! Parents, we ll need your help this Saturday! Sign up here: http://signup.com/go/ontzxhi May 15-18 BOOK FAIR!! May 16-17 4 th Grade Sacramento Trip May 19-BETHANY BLOCK PARTY (formerly known as Fun Day ) 3:00-7:00 May 21-Choirs to Knott s Berry Farm May 23-5 th Grade State Fair May 28-Memorial Day-No School May 29-Primary Music Recital 6:30 PM June 1-Vicki Marsha Road Show-2:30-5:00 June 1-Sports Awards 6:30 PM June 3-8 th Grade Graduation- 4:00 PM June 7-Last Day of School- Minimum Day +Chapel Leaders+ May 16-Mrs. Lange May 23-Missionary Britt Odembe May 30-Mrs. Dahlin Chapel is at 9:00 in the church. Parents, you are always welcome to join us! Vicki Marsha Uniform Sale Here at Bethany June 1, 2:30-5:00
The FISHin Hole Opportunities to Serve Mrs. Sandlin needs some help gluing artwork into student portfolios. This is something you can do at HOME! Contact Mrs. Sandlin if you can help: lsandlin@bethanylutheran.org Cook s Night Out Join your Bethany family at BJ s restaurant tomorrow night, Wed., 5/16, to support Mission Alaska! Don t forget your flyer! May and June s chapel offerings will go to the Orphan Grain Train, a Christian volunteer network that ships donated food, clothing, medical and other needed items to people in 67 different countries including the USA. Learn more at www.ogt.org Got a lemon tree?? Bethany s Student Council needs LEMONS for Fun Day! You can drop them off in the school office. Thanks! The Book Fair is here! May 15-18 Bethany Bears LOVE to read.all funds from this fair will support our BLS library! Paint Night for Mission Alaska Join us for a fun night out to support the Bethany Lutheran Mission Alaska team! Paint Nite invites you to create art with friends, guided by a professional artist and party host. Friday, May 18 at 7:00PM Grab your friends and spend two hours painting and laughing, and flexing your creative muscles. There s no experience necessary and we ll provide all the supplies, so you don t have to worry about a thing (except having a great time!). The event begins promptly at the start time listed above. Please allow extra time to get settled. Cost is $45 and all proceeds benefit Bethany s Mission Alaska. To sign up go to this link: https://www.paintnite.com/events/b arn-door-blossoms-at-bethanylutheran-church-10063510 THANK YOU to our fabulous PTL officers and Bethany parents for an amazing Teacher Appreciation Week! We were overwhelmed with love! The Bethany Teaching Staff Planning your summer vacation? Using Scrip for hotels and cruises will increase your Scrip Rebate. You can order $100, $500 or $1,000 on one card for these hotels: Best Western, Choice Hotels, Comfort Inn, Disney Hotels, Embassy Suites, Fairmont Hotels and Hilton. Cruise lines available are: Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Princess and Royal Caribbean. You can also purchase Scrip for American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Plan ahead for Scrip you might use in the summer and order Scrip/gift cards for Coldstone, Dunkin Donuts, Jamba Juice or your favorite restaurants. Buy some movie tickets now and be prepared for your next theatre outing. We have AMC, Cinemark, Edwards and United Artist Theatres available. After you sign up for ShopwithScrip.com you can log in to your account and purchase Scrip using your phone or computer. Once you register, and enroll in PrestoPay the ShopwithScrip online payment method, you will pay for your orders through electronic funds transfer and have your Scrip within minutes. Signing up is easy: go to www.shopwithscrip.com and click Register, then click Join a Scrip Program. Our Enrollment Code is: 1BL8EE69719L. When you are enrolled for online purchases you will be able to purchase Scrip that is only available online such as Airbnb, Fandango, Google Play, Hulu Plus, Lucille s B-B-Q, Sirius XM Radio, Sling TV, Sony PlayStation Plus, Stitch Fix, Stub Hub, Uber and Xbox! Shop Smart! Shop with Scrip!
A CHRIST-CENTERED RESOURCE FOR FAMILIES AND TEACHERS It s Still All About Jesus Even When It s Time To Move On! Endings they happen. Vacations and trips conclude. A sports season ends. A school year comes to a close. Cars wear out. Jobs conclude. Any man-made object, event, role in life or natural element can end. Sometimes we are ready for things to conclude other times, we would like to see something continue on. While there are times when we like things, just the way they are, the reality of living in this world is that life moves on. The calendar turns, the years go by, and life moves forward. Endings can create new beginnings such as: Going to college, which usually comes after a high school graduation; A new house, which comes after making a move; The opportunity to get a new car, which follows getting rid of a beloved, yet old and run-down, one; and The joy of starting a new job, which often comes after leaving a current position. As the people of God, we were made for living. When God created the first people, Adam and Eve, He put them in a special place a garden. A place filled with life, with food, with wonder a place that was perfect. It was a place where they enjoyed God s company. But, it didn t last long, as our ancestors messed up that perfect place by going against God s command and were banished from it. FAMILY MATTERS Vol. 22 No. 9 May 2018 PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES, THINKSTOCK/DIGITALIMAGINATION Yet, God wanted to continue that relationship with Adam and Eve. He gave them a promise a promise of a new beginning a promise that would be fulfilled when He sent His only Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the world. After living a perfect life, Jesus was put to death and buried, and it all appeared over. On the third day after Jesus died, a new beginning occurred! Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death, and defeating the power of the devil. Things in life don t always last. There seems to be a limit on how long things can endure. Yet out of death comes life! Life eternal for all believers. A life which begins at the end of life on earth ushering in the new beginning of life that will never end. 1
FAMILY LINKS: Activities for families to reinforce Bible truths in the home Gather the family together in a comfortable place for study and discussion. Use the following outline to reinforce the truth of God s teachings in your home. OPENING PRAYER: Have the person who is looking forward to something special in the next few weeks open with a word of prayer. FAMILY DISCUSSION TIME: Ask the following questions and invite family members to respond as they are willing and capable. Share your responses to the following statements: A time this past year when I was happy Something that I had to give up or give away recently A time this past year when I was sad Something that I m looking forward to in the near future FAMILY BIBLE TIME: Have someone read Psalm 121:7 8 and discuss the following questions. 1) How does God keep us from harm? Any examples from somebody s life? 2) What does it mean that God will watch over our lives? 3) What does it mean that the Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in? 4) How long will God s promise of watching over us last? (Now and forevermore) Looking Forward: Have a member of the family prepare five posters or signs with the following titles at the top of each. Have family members come up with ideas of what they think the family (and various family members) will be doing at that time indicated and write these ideas. Examples might be starting first grade, playing Little League, Confirmation, High School graduation, learning to drive, etc. In 1 year In 3 years In 5 years In 10 years In 20 years After you have filled out the posters as a family, hang them around the house in places where family members will see them often. When you take them down, please save them and take time to review them again in the future. CLOSING ECHO PRAYER: Have a member of the family read the prayer below, phrase by phrase, with the other members of the family repeating it as an echo. Gracious God. Thank You for the gift of life. Thank You for endings and new beginnings. Thank You for Jesus, who loves us and gives us a new beginning every day, as the forgiven people of God. Help us to love and to forgive others every day as well. In the Name of Jesus. Amen. Vol. 22 No. 9 May 2018 Family Matters is an LCMS School Ministry newsletter Published by The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295 314-965-9000 lcms.org Writer: Dr. Steven Christopher Designer: Erica Schwan PHOTO: LCMS COMMUNICATIONS/ERIK M. LUNSFORD TO REPRINT: Permission is granted to reprint articles from this newsletter with the credit line Reprinted with permission of LCMS School Ministry. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2018 LCMS
BETHANY S 1st ANNUAL PTL is throwing Bethany s 1st Block Party! When: Saturday, May 19th, 2018 Time: 3-7pm Where: Bethany s Parking Lot/Field Cost: $5 per person The charge helps cover the cost of the event. We will have a DJ, Raffle Prizes, Jumpers, Dunk Tank, Hamster Ball, Food Trucks, Competitive Games, a Grand Prize Drawing and more! Bring your camping chairs and we will provide the rest. Come enjoy an afternoon with your Bethany Bears Family! Wristbands and raffle tickets can be pre-ordered now...see the order form attached to the Bear Facts!
Bethany Lutheran School May 19, 2018 3:00-7:00 Wristband Order Form We re doing things a little differently. this year ALL participants must purchase a wristband, including adults. WRISTBANDS allow the wearer entrance to the Block Party, access to all games/activities and most importantly help the PTL cover the cost of the event. Here s the good news: wristbands have been reduced in price to only $5 per person! With the purchase of each wristband you will also receive five raffle tickets. (Just think, with one of those tickets you could win one month s free tuition or one of our other fabulous prizes!) Please note: Food purchases, additional raffle tickets and basket bids are NOT included in the wristband price. ADDITIONAL RAFFLE TICKETS may be purchased with this form or at the BLOCK PARTY. This year we will also have a GRAND PRIZE drawing for a $250 VISA Gift card, so you may want to order a few of those tickets, too! PRE-ORDERS placed before May 15 th will be filled and delivered to your child s teacher. Orders received May 16 th - 18 th will be available at the BLOCK PARTY Info Booth under your child s name. Return this completed form to the school office or your child s teacher. Make checks out to Bethany Lutheran PTL or authorize charges to your FACTS account. RAFFLE TICKET PRICING: 5 TICKETS/ $3 25 TICKETS/$13.75 50 TICKETS/$25 GRAND PRIZE DRAWING $250 VISA Gift Card $1.00 per ticket (Cut and send back with your child for easy ordering) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRE-SALE ORDER FORM RAFFLE Tickets Wristband Grand Prize Raffle Cost Total Needed Cost ($) See above $5 each $1 each TOTAL AMOUNT DUE Payment Type (cash/check/facts) Please Charge my FACTS account: Authorizing Signature Required Child s Name Grade Teacher