Growing Faith, Love, and Connection at Bethany

Our school value of Love is defined as demonstrating compassion and offering grace and forgiveness to others, and it is lived out through the relationships we build and the spaces we create for connection. Our Praise Picnics, Messy Church, and Courtyard Devotions are intentional expressions of this — inviting families to gather, explore faith together, and grow in love within our school community.

Praise Picnics will be held on the school oval on 18 March and 28 August from 3:30–5:30 pm and replace Messy Church on these dates. These gatherings are facilitated by the school leadership team and offer a relaxed, joyful way for families to explore faith together. Families are invited to bring afternoon tea, with a small snack also provided. Praise Picnics create space for praise, conversation, and fellowship, strengthening connection within our school community. Families are asked to attend Praise Picnics with their children.

Messy Church takes place at Bethany Lutheran Church from 5:00–6:30 pm on Tuesday 5 May, Tuesday 9 June, and Tuesday 28 July. These evenings are facilitated by our pastors and the Bethany Church congregation and provide a rich, intergenerational experience of faith through creativity, storytelling, worship, and shared meals. Messy Church reflects God’s generous love in ways that are welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to all ages. Families are asked to attend Messy Church with their children.

Devotions in the Courtyard invite families to join our teachers for a 15-minute devotion at 8:00 am on 17 March, 9 June, 25 August, and 10 November. These short, prayerful moments offer a gentle pause in the busyness of life, grounding our community in God’s presence and love as we begin the day together.

Together, these experiences support our Strategic Direction by sparking faith, strengthening connection, and creating spaces where compassion, grace, and forgiveness are practiced in everyday ways. We warmly invite all families to join us throughout the year as we continue to grow in love of God, self, and others.

Strengthening Parent Partnership at Bethany

There is something special about being part of a community where children feel known, loved and supported — and where families and school walk closely together.

In 2025, our Director of Culture, Mrs Muller and I invested significant time in the Independent Schools Queensland Parent Engagement Program, participating in workshops throughout the year focused on strengthening authentic school–family partnership and supporting parent engagement in their child’s learning. As part of this program, a video was created sharing Bethany’s experience and reflections. We invite you to view the video here.

The research is clear: when parents are engaged in their child’s learning, the impact is substantial. Parent engagement is one of the most powerful influences on student success, contributing not only to improved academic achievement, but also to confidence, motivation and overall wellbeing.

As a result of this work, families have already seen meaningful developments at Bethany, including:

• Learning Snapshots to support rich conversations about learning at home
• A reimagined Friends of Bethany (P&F) structure
• Streamlined communication
• Improvements to reporting and homework
• Three dedicated family consultation opportunities across 2025

In 2026, we will continue this commitment by participating in the Parent Engagement Plus Program. This year, the entire Leadership Team, along with our Friends of Bethany Coordinator, will attend the program to deepen our whole-school approach to partnership.

At Bethany, our Strategic Direction centres on Love, Learning, Life and Legacy — and strong partnership with families sits at the heart of all four. We deeply value walking alongside parents and are committed to making it clear, accessible and meaningful for families to engage in their child’s learning.