Bethesda Lutheran School...Bethesda Lutheran School...
Our school opened its doors in 1980 with an enrollment of eight in Kindergarten through grade 3. Each year a grade was added so that in 1982, a second teacher was called. There is a commitment to small class sizes and increased student/teacher contact time. Our school shares the greater history of Lutheran schools in the United States that goes back more than a century.
Our facility for the first eleven years was in the Education Building of Bethesda Church. Due to growth in 1981, an addition was added to the basic building. In 1984, the basement of the Education Building was remodeled and fire-proofed to make classroom space for grades 3-5. In 1992, a new and larger educational structure was built as an addition to the existing church structure so that the out-dated Education Building could be vacated. Bethesda Lutheran School has been through various changes over the years. Currently Bethesda supports grades kingdergarten through 5th with two teachers.
Our Mission Statement...
This mission of Bethesda Lutheran School is to provide excellence in spiritual and academic training so that students will be equipped as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Our Motto...
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not grow weary; and they shall walk, and not grow faint" (Isaiah 40:31)
Accreditation...
Bethesda Lutheran School received its first National Lutheran School Accreditation on September 1, 1993, and was recommended for re-accreditation in May 1999. This recommendation came after completing a full-year of rigorous self-evaluation that concluded in an on-site evaluation by a team of outside educators. Bethesda Lutheran School received its third NLSA Accreditation in September of 2006. The NLSA Accreditation will be reviewed again in 2013.
Bethesda Lutheran School is also South Dakota State Accredited. Bethesda Lutheran School received its state accreditation October 16, 1998, and has been recommended for continual accreditation until July 2007. Bethesda Lutheran School received its second state accrecidtation in July of 2007. The State of South Dakota will look at the accreditation again in the 2011-2012 school year.
What is National Lutheran School Accreditation?
National Lutheran School Accreditation is a voluntary process of self-evaluation followed by a visit of objective observers to help Lutheran schools improve the quality of their programs for the benefit of students and their families.
*The self-evaluation/self improvement process is based on a set of national standards similar to other accreditation programs, but specifically designed to help evaluate and improve not only the curriculum and administration, but also the religious dimension of the school.
*NLSA is a program supervised by the National Accreditation Commission, made up of one voting commissioner from each District of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), and supported by the LCMS Department of School Ministry.