Morning Drop-Off Procedure

Thank you to everyone for making an effort to bring your children to school on-time. It has been great to see our so many smiling faces first thing in the morning.

To ensure a safe and orderly flow of traffic we request that all parents of children in kindergarten through 6th grade utilize the marked drop-off / pick-up drive-through as weather permits. Between 7:50 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. the drop-off circle is staffed by someone who will greet and safely escort your child from the car.

The drop-off circle closes at 8:00 a.m. If you arrive after this time, park your vehicle in the parking lot and bring your child directly to the office to sign-in. A staff member will escort your child to his/her classroom.

Please adhere to the following guidelines while driving within the school parking lot or drive-through:

• Do not use a cellular phone (even hands free) during drop-off and pick-up.
• Keep your speed to a maximum of 15 m.p.h. on the road leading to the school parking area and 5 m.p.h. within the lot.
• Don’t park in a handicap parking space unless you have a handicap placard.
• Refrain from lingering in the drive-through or at the parking lot entrance or exit. If you wish to speak with someone or want to get out of your car for any reason, please park in a designated parking space.
• While walking within the parking lot, always keep your children by your side, and don't allow them to run ahead.

We appreciate your support in making the morning drop-off as smooth and safe as possible.

Thank You!

Aftercare Program Announcement

As mentioned at last Friday's orientation, we are now offering aftercare from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. for our Kindergarten through 6th grade students. We are offering this new service to provide a flexible and convenient way for our families to have quality care for their children after school hours.

You do not need to schedule care in advance. We will simply transfer all students into aftercare if not picked up by 2:10. A light snack is served to all participants remaining after 3:00. Just make sure and pick up your child by 6:00 p.m. and to sign them out with the aftercare staff person on duty.

The rate for aftercare is $4 per hour and is billed in half-hour increments. You will be invoiced at the end of each month.

Within the next few weeks we will also begin to take registrations for after school studio programs. Some studios we are considering offering are:

• Sanskrit
• Classical Indian Music
• Cooking
• Jr. Radharani Club
• Photography
• Chess Club
• Crafts - knitting, weaving, etc.

There will be an additional charge for these classes that will vary based on length of class, supply needs, etc. Keep an eye out for registration forms in the coming weeks.

P.S. We are considering expanding aftercare to our Pre-K (VPK) students but the increased staffing requirements for this age group would require a clear idea of how many participants we could expect. If you are a parent of a Pre-K (VPK) student and think you would make use of aftercare, please email the school office at office@bhaktivedantaacademy.org letting us know how often you would utilize the service and until which hour.

Thank You to Our Work Day Volunteers

We had a very successful work day on Sunday.  WIth the help of our enthusiastic volunteers we were able to spread fresh mulch in all the play areas; demolish the old swing set and benches; pressure wash the decks, eating benches, and buildings; weed and prune the landscape areas; and mostly complete our new fence. Best of all we got a chance to spend time together in a spirit of community.  Thanks to Saradiya, Lalita Sakhi, and Nataka-chandrika, we also enjoyed a wonderful lunch.  Thank you to the following volunteers who labored for many hours in the hot sun:

• Adi Gopi
• Anuradha
• Babhru
• Gopi Prema
• Govinda
• Hanuman
• Jamuna Prasad
• Jaya Govardhana
• Jvalamukhi
• Mahakirti
• Nagaraja
• Narada
• Raghunatha 
• Ramachandra
• Rashikpriya
• Saranga Thakura
• Shantipur
• Yamuna 

I want to offer a special thanks to Saranga Thakura, our community's master carpenter.  He donated a full day of his expertise, labor, tools, and materials to help us install over 450 feet of fence board.  The end result is beautiful and it certainly wouldn't have been possible without him.

We still have a few projects left to finish.  If anyone has a few hours to spare and are inclined to help out, please call the school office at 386-462-2886 or email me at visvam@bhaktivedantaacademy.org.

Parent and Student Work Day Help Request

We have been working hard over the summer to prepare the school for the upcoming school year. A lot has been accomplished but we need all the help we can get to finish up some of the bigger tasks. Thank you to the following parents for committing to help so far:

• Babhru and Satyaki Reed
• Radha Dainton
• Nitai-lila and Nimai Chandra O'Connor

If you have not done so already, please consider signing-up to help this Sunday. Lunch will be provided for everyone, but we need to know how many to expect, so please call the office at 386-462-2886 or use the online form to tell us if you are coming.

Thank You!

Beginning of School Year Update

I hope that you have all enjoyed a great summer break.  It is hard to believe that we are only 2 weeks away from the start of the 2011-2012 school year.  We are all looking forward to welcoming our new and returning students on Tuesday, August 23rd.

Campus and Technology Improvements

A lot of preparations are underway for the start of school.  Thanks to the hard work of our parent volunteers and generous donations from our supporters, we are making several campus improvements and adding new technology to our classrooms:

• A new perimeter fence is being installed which will define and protect the school property.  Once complete we will install a shade tent, soccer goals, and basketball hoop.

• A small deck and shade structure are being added to the Bhakti Bhavan playground that will shelter our youngest students from the weather and allow for more varied outdoor activities.

• An awning has been installed at the front entrance of the Audarya Bhavan classroom to allow for outdoor storage of student's personal belongings and shoes.

• Outdoor drinking fountains and wash stations are being added to the Bhakti Bhavan and Audarya/Madhurya Bhavan play areas with large cement pads to help guard against ant bites.

• New high resolution presentation screens have been installed in the Audarya Bhavan, Madhurya Bhavan, and Multi-Use room.  

• New computers are on order for Audarya and Madhurya Bhavan and we are getting ready for a limited rollout of our student iPad program.  Teachers will receive them first and once comfortable with the technology, we will begin making them available in the elementary classrooms for student use.

Overall, we are very excited about all the enhancements to the school and are hurriedly working to get everything done before the start of the school year.

Parent and Student Work Day

We still need lots of help sprucing up the school and invite you participate in our parent and student work day on Sunday, August 14th starting at 8:00 a.m.  We need lots of help to install fence boards, spread mulch, pressure wash, landscape, paint, and many other tasks. I encourage all of our families to attend.  Please let us know if you will be coming via the online sign-up sheet so we can plan enough lunch for everyone.

Aftercare, Studio, and Tutoring

We will be offering aftercare for students from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on school days.  In conjunction with the aftercare, we will also be offering various studio programs like sanskrit, music, photography, chess club, etc. at various times throughout the school year.  Additionally, with the new federal funding we are receiving via Title I, we will be offering after school tutoring for some of our students who may need extra help with language and math.  Stay tuned for details on this new and exciting program.  

New Teacher's Assistant in Bhakti Bhavan

I am happy to announce that Amanda "Mandy" Howard  will be our new teacher's assistant in Bhakti Bhavan.  Any of us who have had an opportunity to spend time with her have been very impressed by her wholesome nature and enthusiasm for Krishna consciousness and are looking forward to having her as part of the teaching staff.  

Supply Lists and Calendar

Student welcome letters and supply lists were all emailed out last week.  They are also available on the school website - www.bhaktivedantaacademy.org.  The school calendar is also available online.  Printed copies are available in the school office if you are unable to print at home.

Parent Orientation

Our annual parent orientation will be held at the school on Friday, August 19th. The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. sharp. Attendance at this very important meeting is required for parents of new students and highly recommended for parents of returning students, so please plan on attending.

Stay tuned for additional updates and information as we get closer to the first day of school.  I look forward to seeing you all very soon.