November 2008 Newsletter

Newsletter - December 2008

Message From The Director by Visvambhara dasa Govardhan Puja Play I had no idea what would be involved when I asked our teachers to organize plays for the Govardhana Puja festival. I am still awed by the amount of determination, patience, talent, and professionalism that our staff and students demonstrated to put on 3 wonderful performances for the pleasure of the New Raman Reti devotee community. I am a bit biased, but I came away from the recent festival feeling that our children's presence was a major highlight of the festivities. I want to extend a special thank you to Kaliyapani for giving many hours of his time to direct the Madhurya Bhavan student's performance. Our Goal: $30,000 Fund-Raising Kickoff The recent festival also gave us an opportunity to kickoff our New Raman Reti School expansion fund-raising campaign. At present we are at or near capacity in all of our classes. This is especially true in the Audarya Bhavan (Grade 1-3) class. We are expecting at least 5 new students into this class next year but do not have the space to accommodate them. Our present classroom building has served us well over the last 3 years, but it is time to expand, so even more children can have the opportunity to learn under the exceptional guidance of Satyaki. The cost of this expansion is projected to be $30,000, so we are earnestly moving forward to raise these funds before summer. Over the course of this school year we will be looking at many ways to bring these funds in. Our first effort was the Govardhana Puja baked goods auction. Due to a bounty of quality cakes, pies, and cookies and the great auctioneering skills of Navina-Shyama and Radhika Rani, we raised $1200! Thank you to everyone who participated. Parent Teacher Organization At our last parent meeting we discussed the goal of establishing a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) to support the development of the New Raman Reti School community. I felt very privileged to have an opportunity to participate in the first meeting of this group last Tuesday. I came away feeling very encouraged by the commitment and spirit that the parents that attended conveyed. Raina (Tulasi's mother) will be sending out notes from the first meeting very soon. If you can afford a little time, I would really encourage all our parents to get in touch with Raina, Padmaksi, or Radhika to learn what the PTO is up to and how you can get involved. Your servant, Visvambhara das Director Bhakti Bhavan - Pre-K/Kindergarten by Nataka-candrika dasi Radhe Offers Candle This month has been packed full of a variety of spiritual activities for the students of Bhakti Bhavan. To celebrate the month of Kartika, each morning the students and staff have been singing the Damodarastakam prayers while offering a candle to Krishna in His form as a baby. To honor one of our seven mothers, the cow, students have also been bringing in money to put in a special collection jar on Lord Jagannatha's altar. At the end of Kartika we will invite Devaki (and one of New Raman Reti's cows) to the school to present whatever we have collected. Since Diwali (the Festival of Lights and Hindu New Year) came in the month of October this year, we talked about how it is celebrated around the world, especially in India. Students had the chance to color beautiful Rangoli designs to hang up in their homes. Cowherd Boys with Krishna and Balaram Govardhana Puja Play One of the main highlights of the temple's Govardhana Puja celebration were the plays presented by the NRRS. Bhakti Bhavan did a musical version of Makanataskara (the butter thief). Everyone worked hard and the community of devotees really appreciated how sweetly the actors played their roles. Finally, on the actual day of Govardhana Puja, the entire school participated in making and circumambulating our very own halava hill (put together by Radhakunda of BB and a number of students from the school). We want to thank all of the students and parents who brought preparations for the hill. There were plenty of tasty treats to go around and everyone agreed that the appearance of Giriraja atop the hill (courtesy of Braja's family) was auspicious, especially when a large black cow came to the fence to moo and watch the festivities! Other topics we have focused on are Mexico, Canada, the parts of a leaf, the human body, and Native American people and their culture. Lindsey and Raina, Tulasi's parents, who are knowledgeable in Native American people and culture, did a very interesting presentation for the class. They played several kinds of flutes and musical instruments while we practiced sitting quietly listening to the different sounds of the instruments. Thank you again, Lindsey and Raina, for adding something special to our unit study! Tulasi Doing Practical Life Work In Practical Life, we have been learning mirror polishing and apple slicing. In Art, we made leaf rubbings and watercolor paintings to hang in our windows. Students made their own individual Govardhana Hill scene and learned how to make paper-mâché butter pots which were used as props in the play. Next month, we plan to continue with stories from Krishna Book, learn about the life of Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji and learn about appreciation during our unit on Thanksgiving. We will also explore the land and cultures of South America and learn about mammals. For practical life, we will learn how to peel and slice carrots. It should be a busy and exciting month ahead for Bhakti Bhavan! Audarya Bhavan - Grade 1-3 by Satyaki dasi Audarya Bhavan Ox Cart Ride In Audarya Bhavan, October was filled with guests and spiritual activities. Babhru returned from his stay in Nicoya, Costa Rica. He shared his experiences with the children about caring for the farm's cows, hearing howler monkeys, and using Costa Rican currency. We also had a visit from Mahatma who discussed the importance of chanting japa. He stressed correct pronunciation of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra; he had the children play a few games to reinforce proper attention while chanting. Dravida, who was visiting from California, came in to share his devotional poetry with the children. He showed the children how he uses "alliteration" in his poetry to make it sweeter and pleasing to the ear. Haridas' grandmother, Bev, came and read Pirate Bob to the class. It was a great choice, and the children loved the illustrations as well as the story. We ended October with our annual Harvest Day Festival, for which the children and teachers dressed up as devotional characters. Krishna Dhama arranged different activities such as cookie decorating, noodle art, bounce house, and, ox cart ride. Radhe Shyam's Volcano The older students presented "The Story of Creation of the Universe." This is one of the "Great Lessons" that Dr. Montessori wrote and it presents theories about the beginning of the Universe through the formation of the galaxies, solar systems, the sun, and the Earth. The goal of this and other great lessons is to understand that all life and all things are interconnected and interdependent, that every species and individual has a role to play in the web of existence. Haridas (Narada) and Ross (Yogi) Govardhana Puja Play October was filled with spiritual activities as well. We practiced and performed our play "Krishna's Headache" on Sunday October 26th. The children received many wonderful comments on their performance. One devotee said, "I'm inspired by your performance!" Amrita came in on Wednesdays this month to make a Govardhana Hill out of paper-mâché. The whole school celebrated Govardhana Puja by contributing decorations and preparations for the school's Govardhana Hill. What really added to the joy of the celebration was the attendance of one of the bulls that joined us during kirtan. Bhaktivinode said, "This is the funnest day ever." November promises to be just as full as October. We will discuss the Disappearance of Srila Prabhupada, and learn more verses from Bhagavad-gita Chapter 1. On November 7th, our school will lead the Damodarastakam Prayers at the temple. Also on November 7, volunteers from the recycle center will visit our school and show us how to make paper. On November 14th, Lindsey Dank will teach the children how to play a didgeridoo. He will also help us understand about the aboriginal culture of Australia. In preparation for the Math Fair in early 2009, we will present the "Story of Numbers," and collaborate on a classroom book about how we use math every day. For United States history we will present the "Story of Thanksgiving." Madhurya Bhavan - Grade 4-6 by Krishna Priya dasi The Universal Form Bhagavada-Gita Blue arms, heads and faces were still strewn across the classroom. It was the day of the harvest festival and the whole class was busy drilling, painting, dressing, recording, and assembling the lights for the three-dimensional diorama of the Universal Form depicted in the 11th chapter of the Bhagavada-Gita. It was almost 11:30 and the multi-arms and faces of the universal form had still not been assembled! After working all morning the students were hungry and the harvest festival was to begin in half an hour. Most of the students put down their paintbrushes and opted to go for lunch but a few decided to stay. As we positioned the parts together and raised our three-dimensional rendition of the Universal Form, I watched the arms, heads and faces quickly begin to slide to the floor! Chandrika grabbed a drill. Visnu shouted to Jalangi to get the string. I stepped back bewildered while these three girls used creative problem solving strategies to assemble our diorama of the Universal Form. Ten minutes later, parents, students and teachers walked into our dark classroom and watched the Universal Form flashing with Christmas lights and strobe lights echo, "Time I am creator and destroyer of this entire cosmic manifestation." Thank You Mother Akuti for helping us put this show together. Math Olympiad Team This past Thursday Ajay came to the classroom while the students shifted restlessly in their seats. Nayana, Chandrika, Aravind, Narottama, Nityananda, and Narayani were especially excited. They had signed up to be on the Math Olympiad Team. The M.O.E.M is a national organization with the goal to stimulate enthusiasm and a love for Mathematics. Students compete with other students on-line in five contests throughout the school year. Each week the math team meets with their club leaders Ajay and Vidya. They challenge themselves with critical thinking math problems and they learn to work together. Govardhana Puja - A Family Affair by Nataka-Candrika dasi Family traditions have existed in cultures around the world for thousands of years. In our ISKCON "family" and in temples around the world, this time of year is special. During the auspicious Kartika season, devotees create family traditions of trying to increase their service to the Lord in a variety of ways. Since our New Raman Reti community is so large and diverse, I started wondering what kinds of traditions families here might be passing on to their children. Gopis with Mother Yasoda Govardhana Puja Play How exciting it must be for a child growing up in a devotee family! What memories will stand out in five, ten or twenty years? What will be their most memorable childhood experiences? Curious, I decided to talk to some of our second generation. The majority of them mentioned the festivals, specifically things like fasting, staying up late on Janmastami or playing the role of Lord Balarama in a play. Other memories that they talked about included singing Krishna Conscious songs and doing fingerplays they were taught in nursery school. To this day, many still recite the songs with great pleasure! NRRS Govardhana Puja Celebration Since we just celebrated the Govardhana Puja festival, I was interested to know if our New Raman Reti School families have any Govardhana Puja traditions of their own. Every family I spoke with mentioned their participation in the temple festival which included circumambulating the hill, Go-puja worship, and attending the aratis and kirtans. Several families mentioned cooking with their kids and bringing the preps to the temple to be offered to Giriraja on the hill or on the altar. This year since the students did plays, families were involved in everything from helping their children get ready to bringing baked goods to be auctioned off during intermission. A few families spoke of inviting friends and family members to their homes where they had created their own hill decorated with toy cows, sweets and their own Govardhana silas. One mother said her family members dress up like Nanda Maharaja, Yasoda, Krishna and Balarama during these festivities. Since offerings to Lord Damodara are also done on this day, many families spoke of offering candles to the temple Deities and their home Deities. One family spoke of annually reading together the Krishna Book pastime of Krishna Lifting Govardhana Hill and singing the much beloved song. A few families said they always go to Mangal arati on these special days and try to chant as many extra rounds as they can. One family, who is serving Giriraja in their home, said they bring Him to sit atop the hill on the temple altar. The wife prepares a special form of Krishna made from cow dung. They also invite friends over for a special program of kirtan and prayers to be able to increase their service to Him. Another family celebrates by baking special dark and light cookies (to represent Krishna and Balarama) to offer to their home Deities. Kamala Prepares for the Play What great fortune to be born into such families! We can only imagine what pious activities they must have performed to have this opportunity! How exciting to see the next several generations continuing the traditions that Srila Prabhupada gave us. As one of our third generation students recently told her father (a second generation devotee), "Even though we didn't meet him (Srila Prabhupada), Dadaji (first generation grandpa) met him, and he made him (Dadaji) a devotee...and Dadaji made you a devotee...and you made me a devotee...and I'm going to make my kid a devotee...so it's all because of Srila Prabhupada that we are all devotees." Now won't that be a tradition worth passing down!

Dedicated to the the service of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Important Dates Tue., Nov. 11: Holiday - Veterans Day Tue., Nov. 18: PTO Fundraising Meeting Mon., Nov. 24: Dec. Lunch Order Forms Due Thu.-Fri., Nov. 27-28: Holiday - Thanksgiving Mahajan Corner Mahajan Spotlight Ajay Gupta was born in India, but moved to the United States shortly thereafter and spent most of his childhood in Texas. He first came in contact with Krishna Consciousness when his family moved to Gainesville and started looking for a local temple to attend. Since then, they have become regulars at New Raman Reti, volunteering their time to assist with festivals, host home programs and conduct outreach activities. Three years ago, his parents took initiation from His Holiness Mahavishnu Swami, as Sarvaisvarya Krsna Dasa and Divya Sakti Dasi. Ajay enjoys working with children and they have a natural affinity for him. He spent a year at the local afterschool activity center, O2B Kids, and is currently helping tutor Madhurya Bhavan students in math in addition to coaching their Math Olympiad team. When he's not at the school or busy playing basketball, canoeing or drawing, Ajay attends the University of Florida, where he is pursuing his Masters degree in Pharmacy. Current Mahajans Thanks to the following "Mahajans" for volunteering their time, talent or treasure to the school: Bali: The Givers of Charity Anasuya's family for a globe. The families of Chandrika and Narottama for science supplies. Harini and Krsnaya's family for a bag of basmati rice. The families of Karuna, Shyam, and Tulasi for books from the book fair. Krishangi's family for an electric sweeper. Node's family for a sand timer. Ross's family for a digital camera. Bhishma: The Dutiful Bhaktas Deva Deva (Venu Madhava and Madhumati's mother), Kirtan (Harini and Krsnaya's mother), Gopi (Kamala's mother), Yadu (Anasuya's mother) and Madhava (Srivas and Ramai's father) for cooking for our Govardhana Hill. Indrani (Narottama's mother) for driving students to the "Grossology" exhibit at the UF Natural History museum. Lalita Sakhi (Haridasa and Karuna's mother), Padmaksi (Naya's mother) and Yadu for assisting with our book fair night. Radhika (Madhuri and Vrindavani's mother), Padmaksi, Deva Deva, Yadu and Maury (Lali's Grandfather) for running the different activities for our annual harvest festival. Brahma: Getting Things Started Jahnavi (Balarama's mother) and Guruseva (Srivas and Ramai's mother) for organizing (and driving for) our field trip to the "Grossology" exhibit. Krishna Dhama (Krishangi's mother) and Radha Kunda Delaney for organizing our Harvest festival, complete with games, art activities and a hay ride. Padmaksi for organizing Pritha's afterschool dance class and facilitating it by taking care of the daily classroom cleanup every Tuesday. She also started a Google Group to help parents connect with each other. Kumaras: Assisting the Instruction of Your Kumaras and Kumaris Akuti for helping us create a "Universal Form" display. Amrita for helping build Audarya Bhavan's Govardhana Hill. Ekadasi Vrata (Vishnupriya and Abhay's mother) and Mrkanda (Madhuri and Vrindavani's father) for helping with make-up for our plays. Jvalamukhi (Abhi's mother), Divyanga (Radhe's father) and Navina-Shyama for leading Damodarastakam in Bhakti Bhavan. The families of Krsnaya, Harini, Naya, Karuna, and Tulasi, in addition to Mother Nataka-candrika for bringing in materials for food-cutting work. Narada Muni: The Visiting Teachers Ajay Gupta and Vidya (Aravind's mother) for agreeing to help coach our Math Olympiad team. Babhru (Satyaki's husband) for sharing his experiences in Costa Rica. Bev (Haridasa's grandmother) for reading to the class. Dravida for sharing some of his transcendental poetry. Lindsey and Raina (Tulasi's parents) for their flute and didgeridoo Native American presentation. Mahatma (Braja's father) for a class on maintaining good japa. Future Mahajans We need the following services for the upcoming month: Bali: The Givers of Charity We need: A candle snuffer for circle time. (Audarya Bhavan) 5 lb. bag of potatoes, butter and corn on the cob for Thanksgiving cooking class. (Audarya Bhavan) All of our classrooms are collecting money this month to help buy winter hay for the cows. If you would like to contribute, please send a donation with your child. High-quality paper shredder (Office). Bhishma: The Dutiful Bhaktas If you have a child in Pritha's dance class and are available afterwards to help with the classroom cleanup afterwards, please stay behind and speak with Padmaksi. Brahma: Getting Things Started We need someone to help plan and coordinate drivers for field trips in Audarya Bhavan. The first one will be to the local library. Kapila: Parents and Children Helping Each Other Learn Audarya Bhavan parents are requested to read to their children daily, help them work on their spelling words and make sure they memorize their weekly math facts. Kumaras: Assisting the Instruction of Your Kumaras and Kumaris Parents are requested to send more pencils and erasers for their children immediately. They go through them quickly! (Audarya Bhavan). Narada Muni: The Visiting Teachers Guest readers are invited to come in the morning and read to Bhakti Bhavan. Just show up at 8:30 with your favorite book. Prahlada: Creating the Right Conditions to Learn For Bhakti Bhavan parents, please be sure to check your child's cubby daily. The students regularly get their clothes wet/dirty during the course of the day, and if we don't have at least three full sets of replacements, it becomes extremely difficult to properly care for your children. Yamaraja: The Ever-Watchful Anyone interested in helping supervise the students of Audarya and Madhurya Bhavans during lunch recess (12-12:30 PM) should contact Navina-Shyama at 386-462-2886 or navin108@gmail.com. (If you can arrange some sort of sport or other exercise, so much the better, but even just another set of eyes would be a great help!)

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