Summer Update

I hope that you have all enjoyed a wonderful summer break with your children. I can hardly believe that school is due to start in less then 2 weeks!

We have been hard at work preparing for the coming school year and are excited about welcoming our new and returning students on Monday, August 23rd. I just wanted to take a minute to share some information and reminders with you.

I am happy to announce that we will begin to offer Spanish language instruction at all grade levels this year. Emily Dietzel, a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Spanish will be devoting time with the students in each class. She will be working with our non-Spanish and Spanish speaking students and will be giving each an opportunity to further develop their language skills.

I also want to bring your attention to our new school website - www.bhaktivedantaacademy.org. This is a one-stop resource for the most current information about the school. We will continue to develop it by adding more information and resources - including classroom specific sections. Please bookmark it and/or subscribe to the RSS feed so you can always remain up to date with what is going on at Bhaktivedanta Academy.

During the summer we have been working on plans to beautify and better define the school grounds. We are currently looking at adding signage, walkways, fencing, and a shade structure for the main deck. I'll be sending a separate email with specific information and an appeal for help to make it possible. I am excited about the possibility of devoting some resources to develop the Bhaktivedanta Academy campus to better serve our students.

Speaking of beautification - we will be hosting a parent and student work day on Saturday, August 21st starting at 8:00 a.m. We need lots of help to put down new layers of mulch, repaint handrails, prune the bushes, and many other tasks. I encourage all of our families to attend. I have put up an online sign-up sheet. Please let us know if you will be coming so we can plan enough lunch for everyone.

You should have all received enrollment packages in the mail by now. This package contains important information and forms. If you did not receive the packet please contact us at 386-462-2886 (Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.) or office@bhaktivedantaacademy.org. We ask that all forms be completed, signed (if necessary), and brought to the school office before the first day of school.

Our annual parent orientation will be held at the school on Friday, August 20th. The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. sharp. Attendance at this very important meeting is required for all parents of new and returning students, so please plan on attending.

I look forward to seeing you all very soon!

Great Article by Brajasundari (4th Grade Student)

I wanted to share a great article written by Brajasundari, one of our up and coming 4th grade students. It is titled, School is My Second Home and has been published online.  In the article she talks about how much she appreciates the opportunity to be part of a school focused on spiritual ideals and why it is important to her. It is wonderful to see our students contribute to the greater society in this way.  I hope this is the first of many articles we will see.

Here is a link to the article: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=8680

End of School Year Reminders

Tomorrow is our end of year ceremony. It will take place in the Audarya Bhavan classroom at 8:30 a.m. We should conclude by 10:00 a.m. The younger students will be performing a special song and the Kindergarten and 3rd grade students will be receiving promotion certificates. We ask that all 3 and 4 year-olds sit with their parents. The 2009-2010 school year will officially end at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Padmaksi Sutherland, our PTO Chariperson, has organized a PTO potluck picnic that will take place immediately after the ceremony:

WHEN: Friday June 11, directly after the school ceremony
WHERE: Rum Island - Here are directions from Bhaktivedanta Academy
WHAT TO BRING: A dish to share, swimwear, towels, sunblock
COST: Free

We look forward to seeing you!

Krishna-Balaram Sponsorship Results

In just 2 weeks time our students raised a total of $451.67 in honor of Krishna-Balaram! The fact that this money was earned through their own endeavors - performing chores, selling cookies and lemonade, and organizing a rummage sale, makes it an even greater achievement.

With these funds they sponsored the following items:

• 1 Gold platted staff for Lord Balaram $225
• 1 Set of belts for Krishna and Balaram $150
• 1 Set of bracelets for Krishna and Balaram $70

The remaining $7.67 will be put toward any other unsponsored gifts. Thank you to everyone who helped support this wonderful effort.

New Madhurya Bhavan Teacher

After an extensive selection process, I am happy to announce that the new lead teacher in the Madhurya Bhavan class will be Shantipur Day.

Shantipur is a New Raman Reti School alumni who went on to earn her degree from the University of Florida and her Bhakti-Sastri certificate from Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium.  The hiring committee was impressed by her intelligence, character, spirituality, and extremely strong desire to impart the many lessons she received as a student in a Krishna conscious school to the next generation. Our impressions were echoed by the others we consulted while checking her references.  In many ways, Shantipur exemplifies the qualities we strive to develop within our own students and feel that she will be a very positive influence and role model. I am grateful that Krishna has inspired her to serve in this capacity.

Please join me in welcoming Shantipur to Bhaktivedanta Academy!