New Bhakti Bhavan Teacher's Assistant - Karuna Manna

I am happy to announce that Karuna Manna will be joining Bhaktivedanta Academy as a Teacher's Assistant in Bhakti Bhavan.  

Karuna is an initiated disciple of His Holliness Bhakti Swarup Damodara Maharaja,  certified yoga instructor, and ballet teacher who has been working with young children for many years.  While getting to know her and speaking with those who have known and worked with her, it became clear that Karuna is exactly the type of person we were looking for - a spiritually committed, caring, and kind person who loves working with young children.

Karuna will be moving to Alachua from Hillsborough, North Carolina with her husband and two children over the summer and will begin serving in the class next school year.  Thank you to Nilamadhava for postponing her maternity leave until mid-May in order to facilitate a smoother transition in the Bhakti Bhavan class.

Please join me in welcoming Karuna and her family to the New Raman Reti community and to Bhaktivedanta Academy!

Schedule Your Parent-Teacher Conference

Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled for the week of April 16th. A conference sign-up sheet is in the school office. Please schedule in-person or by phone at 386-462-2886, for an opportunity to meet with your child's teacher.  

NOTE: Due to the amount of teacher preparation required before a conference, we cannot make same-day appointments.

Si usted tiene alguna pregunta y necesita ayuda en español,  puede solicitarla llamando al 386-462-2886 (oficina).

Parents Make the Difference Newsletter - March

Parents Make the Difference Newsletter

The March edition of the Parents Make the Difference newsletters are now online.  Click the links below to view and download:

Early Childhood Edition	Elementary Edition	Elementary Edition Spanish

Parents Make the Difference! (Early Childhood & Elementary School versions) are four-page, research-based newsletters that provide practical, proven information for parents, on a variety of school success topics.

Si usted tiene alguna pregunta y necesita ayuda en español,  puede solicitarla llamando al 386-462-2886 (oficina).

Gaura Purnima 2012 Videos Online

The appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was celebrated on March 8th. As part of the festivities, the students of Bhaktivedanta Academy conducted a japa marathon/holy name gathering and sang songs and performed a play at the New Raman Reti temple.

Japa Marathon/Holy Name Gathering
The time between Lord Nityananda's and Lord Chaitanya's appearance days is our annual japa marathon. Each 1st - 6th grade student has a daily japa goal which they commit to chant during this period as an offering to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This year they chanted a total of 2,247 rounds of japa!

We also hosted a holy name gathering at the school on Gaura Purnima day. Over 20 teachers, parents, and students came together and chanted japa together for 1 hour. It was a very inspiring event which we intent to make a yearly tradition.

Student Performances
All students practiced and performed songs and dramas in honor of Lord Chaitanya on Gaura Purnima day. Thanks to all the teachers and students who participated. Special thanks to Mrgaksi dasi and Manjari Smullen for volunteering to help direct some of the productions and to Manorama dasa for managing the sound.

Below are links to videos of the 3 performances:

These activities are all a part of our comprehensive educational program, which offers students a rich academic program but also fosters positive spiritually-based activities with the goal of cultivating the priceless seed of devotion to Krishna in every child’s heart.

Si usted tiene alguna pregunta y necesita ayuda en español,  puede solicitarla llamando al 386-462-2886 (oficina).

Financial Aid FAQ

What/Who is TADS?
TADS stands for Tuition Aid and Data Services. TADS is a Minneapolis based company that provides enrollment and financial aid processing services to private schools throughout the United States.

What financial aid is available?
As in prior years, Bhaktivedanta Academy strives to make a spiritual-based education accessible to all students by participating in a combination of private and public financial assistance programs:

In-School Tuition Grants
This is a private program administered by the school which offers a limited amount of in-school financial aid to help offset the cost of tuition. Up to $15,000 in aid has been budgeted for this up coming school year.

To help objectively assess what a family is able to contribute to their child(s) education expenses, we use Tuition Aid and Data Services, as a trusted third party. They will collect and verify information submitted by applicants and provide the school with a report detailing what they have determined a family can contribute toward educational expenses.

The TADS analysis of a family's finances is a critical component of our financial aid decision, however, it is just a start. To make our final financial aid award decisions, we use the TADS figures as the baseline for our own additional review, taking into consideration our total financial aid budget, other information we may have collected, our schoolʼs policies and priorities, and the needs of our entire applicant pool.

If interested in being considered for in-school financial aid, we encourage you to review the financial aid worksheet and apply online:

Step Up For Students - Florida Tax Credit Scholarship
Florida Tax Credit Scholarships are available for our kindergarten through 6th grade students. It can pay up to $4,335* in annual tuition costs per child for families that meet income eligibility guidelines. Click here to get more information and to apply.

*Florida law sets this amount based on a percentage of the Stateʼs per-pupil funding for public school students, so it will vary from year to year. This amount is an estimate for the 2012-2013 school year.

Voluntary Pre-K (VPK)
VPK is a program for all four-year-olds born on or before September 1 who reside in the state of Florida. This program will pay up to $2,319 of annual tuition and fees. We also offer a free VPK only option on a space available basis.

School Readiness
This program is for children birth-to-kindergarten who are from low-income households. The program works on a sliding scale and helps to pay part of the annual tuition.

Please visit http://spe.schoolreadiness.org/pe/ for additional information on the VPK or School Readiness programs.

How much will the Tax Credit Scholarship pay for the next school year?
State law sets the scholarship based on a percentage of the Stateʼs per-pupil funding for public school students. The administrators of the program project the scholarship to pay approximately $4,350 but the actual amount will not confirmed until the State budget is passed in April or May.

Is in-school financial aid only for families that don’t participate in the Tax Credit Scholarship or VPK programs?
No. All families interested in being considered for in-school financial aid are encouraged to apply.

Is in-school financial aid on a first-come, first-serve basis?
No, but don’t delay submitting your application. Aid applications are due by March, 19th.  Families who meet the application deadline will receive the greatest amount of aid, with a small reserve held for new enrollments that come in after the application deadline.

What are the deadlines for financial aid?

In-School Tuition Grants - Families of returning students should submit financial aid applications by Monday, March 19th to be considered for in-school aid for the 2012-2013 school year.

Florida Tax Credit Scholarship - Renewing families are strongly encouraged to apply right away. Applications for new participants began at the beginning of March. Note: If you fail to renew by April 30th, your child’s scholarship cannot be guaranteed since they will enter the general pool and will only be considered on a first come, first served basis.

VPK - Applications for eligible children be accepted beginning on April 1st. Further information can be found at www.elcalachua.org.

Can you tell me how much financial aid I will receive directly from the school?
Not yet.  Each grant award decision is based on the report we receive from Tuition Aid and Data Services (TADS).  Families can expect to receive tuition grant decisions by April, 9th.

What do I do if I have additional questions?
Check the school website at www.bhaktivedantaacademy.org, visit the school office between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., call 386-462-2886, or send an email to office@bhaktivedantaacademy.org.

Si usted tiene alguna pregunta y necesita ayuda en español,  puede solicitarla llamando al 386-462-2886 (oficina).