HOT SPRINGS – The students at Bethesda Lutheran School in Hot Springs recently celebrated, “National Lutheran Schools’ Week” with dress-up days, service projects, food and fun.
Students were encouraged to join in the fun by coming to school with silly socks, pajamas, their school spirit t-shirts, and crazy hair on different days. Bethesda staff served hot coffee and mammoth-sized muffins to the parents in the parking lot as they dropped off their children! We wanted to thank them for all they do to support their children and our school. Later in the week, school staff and parents prepared a pancake and sausage breakfast for the students before school.
“On our pajama day, we had a ‘read-in’ where students spread their blankets and pillows around the classrooms and hallways and spent the afternoon reading to themselves and each other,” said Bethesda K-8 teacher Rachel Utecht. “Our students love to read.”
On the final day, the school had four winter-themed stations. Primary and preschool students mixed into groups and had fun making “snowman soup,” cutting snowflakes, decorating snowman cookies, hearing winter stories and playing ‘rolla- snowman’ Math games.
“The students enjoyed taking part in two service projects during the week,” Utecht said. “The first project was supporting our local food pantry with our 2nd quarter chapel offerings, which totaled $300. The K-4 students spent a morning buying groceries and taking them to the food pantry to be sorted, weighed and placed on shelves. The students were able to help in all of this and they loved serving our community.”
The classes also took part in a service project called, “The Jared Box Project.” Two shoeboxes were filled with things that an elementary school-aged boy and girl might enjoy doing if they had an extended stay in the hospital. This was chosen as a project to spread cheer to kids in need.
Finally, each family was invited to video their child expressing why they love Bethesda Lutheran School. The videos were put into a PowerPoint and showed to Bethesda Lutheran Church on Sunday during services.
“ It was a wonderful week filled with fun that inspired pride to be a Bethesda Lutheran Eagle,” added Utecht.