Bethel Flame
We are officially entering the holiday season. Besides the usual busyness of the holidays, there are many things coming up to add to the festivities.
One of the marquee events that happens every year is our Flames Classic 6th Grade Basketball Tournament. This will start on Wednesday, November 13 and run through Saturday, November 16. We will be holding a Green and White day on that Wednesday to cheer on our teams participating in this. The tournament takes a lot of manpower to put on, so if you are interested in getting involved in the Bethel Sports experience, this is a great opportunity to do so. We are always looking for people to help with score keeping, admissions, and kitchen help. If this sounds appealing to you, please contact the school office.
Also, in the sports arena, one of our alumni, Miss Katie Krupa (class of 2018) is the team captain of the Harvard Women’s basketball team. Harvard will be coming to play the ISU women’s team on Sunday, November 24 at 2pm. We have a group rate of $5 per ticket - just call Haley at (309) 438-0633 at the ISU ticket office and give her the name of our group (Krupa) to get your tickets at that rate! It would be great to get a large group together to cheer on Katie and show her how proud we are of her!
Friday, November 1 marks the first time we will be officially meeting in the gym for closing since COVID. Our intention is to meet every Friday for this special time together. For those of you who may not remember, bringing the student body together for closings was an important part of our culture. It is so nice to be able to do this again. A diagram of the flow can be downloaded HERE, but here are the guidelines:
Parents, please enter the gym through the commons doors.
Parents line up against the mat on the south wall.
Students will enter the gym through the gap in the dividing wall in the northeast corner of the gym and proceed to their assigned seating on the bleachers.
After the closing song and prayer, parents, please walk around the perimeter of the gym following the arrows on the diagram, pick up your children who will be seated with their class, and exit by staying along the perimeter and leaving through the gap in the dividing wall in the northeast corner of the gym.
We ask that parents not take their children out of line to leave early, and that parents please help set a good example for their children by maintaining a respectful, quiet atmosphere.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation on this. We are excited to move forward on helping you experience this special time.
Bethel staff members are again participating in the Theresa Tracy Trot this year, and we'd love for you to join us tomorrow, Saturday, November 2. The Theresa Tracy Trot is a 4-mile run, 2-mile walk through East Peoria, which strives to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer. Last year, one of our colleagues, Bruce Tagge, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
As Mr. Tagge continues to fight, we want to honor him by raising money to support this cause. Last year, our generous donors helped us raise more than $800. It would be awesome if we could surpass that amount this year! If you would like to donate, click HERE. You can donate to an individual team member, or directly to Team Tagge.
If you have questions, want to sign up for the run/walk or would like to learn more about this organization, please visit the Theresa Tracy Trot website. Thank you so much for your support!
We are having a clean-up day for the Church on Saturday, November 9, from 8:00 AM to noon. Please make plans to join us to enjoy some fellowship while we help clean the sanctuary, clean windows, change filters and complete other projects to make the Church look its best for the upcoming holiday season. We look forward to seeing you there!
Get some early Christmas shopping done and help our 7th and 8th graders raise money for their class trips! Shop all day on Saturday, November 23, and our students will receive a portion of sales from that day. If you stop by the Peoria store between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM, you'll see our students passing our flyers to present at the register. You may also shop online using the code 12806584 with your order. Please be sure to present the flyer or use the code so Bethel gets credit for the sale.
The Snack Shack is open every school morning from 8:15 to 8:25 in the commons, with snack prices ranging from $.25 to $1.00. Seventh graders will be selling snacks each morning to raise money for overnight field trips in 7th and 8th grades. Students are welcome to purchase a snack to help us raise funds for our trips! THANK YOU!
During November, our preschoolers will learn about Thanksgiving and all the many blessings for which we give thanks. The preschool November Bible verse is, "In everything, give thanks." 1 Thessalonians 5:18
All are welcome to join us for the next preschool Chapel services on Monday, December 2 and Tuesday, December 3, at 9:15 AM in the Church sanctuary. Our preschool Christmas programs are also coming up quickly, on Monday, December 9 and Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30 PM. Please make plans to enjoy this special evening in our Church sanctuary.
For our 4- and 5-year-old preschool class students, the first semester Lunch Bunch and enrichment classes are coming to a close, with the last day on Thursday, December 5. There are still a few spots available in our second semester Lunch Bunch and afternoon enrichment options! If you have questions or are still interested in signing up your child to join us, please check the email sent on 9/30 or let Mrs. Weber know. A list of the afternoon enrichment classes and more information about these afternoon programs can be found HERE.
Mondays Joyful Noise Choir in the music room (6th grade through high school) - 3:00 to 3:30 PM
Thursdays Praise Kids Choir in the music room (2nd through 5th grades) - 3:00 to 3:30 PM
Saturday, November 2 Theresa Tracy Trot with Bethel's Team Tagge
Monday, November 4 PTL meeting in the high school room - 6:00 PM
Tuesday, November 5 Election Day - Bethel is in session
Saturday, November 9 Bethel Church clean-up day - 8:00 AM-noon
Monday, November 11 Veterans Day - no school
Wednesday, November 13 - Saturday, November 16 Bethel Flames Classic girls & boys 6th grade basketball tournament
Monday, November 18 Winter sports photos; check with your coach for specific times for your team
Wednesday, November 20 School photo retakes
Wednesday, November 20 2nd quarter mid-terms go home
Sunday, November 24 Harvard vs Illinois State University basketball game at CEFCU arena in Normal at 2:00 PM - featuring Bethel alum Katie Krupa, Harvard's basketball team captain
Monday, November 25 & Tuesday, November 26 Preschool Thanksgiving feasts
Tuesday, November 26 Thanksgiving grade school/high school class parties
Wednesday, November 27-Friday, November 29 Thanksgiving break - no school
Monday, December 2 & Tuesday, December 3 Preschool chapel services in the Church sanctuary - 9:15 AM
Thursday, December 5 Last day for 1st semester preschool Lunch Bunch and afternoon enrichment classes
Make plans to check out an upcoming Bethel game or race! All family and friends are invited to cheer on our Bethel Flames. Home basketball games for our players and cheerleaders start next week. Family athletic passes are still available for $50, and include admission for all family members living in your household for all Bethel home sporting events for the year.
Click the button below for our current sports events calendar, and check back often for updates!
Chapel offerings for the month of October will go to Operation Christmas Child. We'd love for your family to fill a box to help us bless boys and girls in 109 countries around the world! Boxes to fill and additional information about what to pack and when to return your box will come home with your student soon.
Week of November 4 - Psalm 121:8: The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Week of November 11 - (preschool verse) 1 Thessalonians 5:18: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Week of November 18 - Review week (8, 9, 10, 11)
Week of November 25 - Off
Week of December 2 - Luke 1:46-47: And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior..."
