School Holiday Reminder

Please remember that there is no school on:

• Friday, February 15th - Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
• Monday, February 18th - Presidents Day

We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Tuesday, February 19th.

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

Bhakti Bhavan February Newsletter

Dear Families,

Hare Krishna! We have been so busy over the past few months and have been engaged in a lot of enriching activities and areas of learning.

What We’ve Been Learning About- We spent the month of January focusing on the continent of Europe and its countries. We also learned all about birds and even made pinecone bird feeders. The milestone of having attended 100 days of school was observed in our class by reading stories celebrating this event and making necklaces stringing 100 Cheerios. These were happily eaten almost immediately and your child most likely came home at the end of the day with a necklace of just string!

In Practical Life we have wood polishing and baby washing set up as activities in the class. The many sequenced steps it takes to accomplish these tasks requires a lot of focus and concentration as well as serving the child’s developing eye/hand coordination, what to speak of the practical skills they develop. Now you know who in your household can polish all of that wood and wash all of those babies! We’ve also recently added basic sewing skill activities to the advanced Practical Life shelves and the children have really enjoyed learning how to sew buttons and more.

This month of February we’ve switched over to learning about the vast continent of Asia, reptiles as a classification of the animal kingdom, and we will observe Valentine’s Day with a craft and also discuss the meaning of President’s Day.

Spiritual Studies- In our spiritual studies we had spent December and January hearing stories and pastimes from the Mahabharata, the epic tale from India leading up to Lord Krishna speaking the Bhagavad-Gita to his dear friend and devotee, Arjuna. The children were fascinated to hear the many adventures, trials and tribulations of the Pandavas and the lessons they learned along the way.

We have begun February with a unit on the Dasa Avatara, or the 10 main incarnations of Krishna. What could be more attention grabbing to children than hearing that the Lord himself incarnated in so many different forms- a fish, tortoise, boar, half man/half lion, etc.- to enact different pastimes of saving His devotees and establishing spiritual principles. This month we will also be observing the appearance of Lord Nityananda- the brother and associate of Lord Chaitanya (the 15th century incarnation of Lord Krishna who brought us the practice of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra). We have begun learning and practicing the song, ‘Jai Nitai,’ which we will sing at the New Raman Reti temple on the 23rd of this month. Stay tuned for details on this performance as the time nears.

Yoga, Parachute Play, and Ballet- Our music and movement program has really been enriched with the expertise of Mothers Karuna and Mandie who have a lot of combined interest and experience with all types of movement activities. Fridays are our yoga morning and the children have small group yoga class with Mother Karuna leading them in various themed yoga poses and routines. The children have expressed that they find these classes, ‘peaceful and relaxing.’ As a side note, please send your children wearing pants to school on Friday’s so they can comfortably participate.

Karuna also brings her skill as a children’s ballet teacher and we read The Nutcracker in December and experimented with the ballet movements of the different characters in the story. We also rotate in an occasional ballet class for music and movement Wednesdays. Mother Mandie brings her enthusiasm with using our really big parachute that we use outside. The combination of teamwork, large body movement, and bright colors all equals a lot of fun!

Lastly, we had a parent guest teacher come in this last week to lead us in some new music and dancing. Anapayini, also known as Srinath’s mom, is an accomplished Bharatanatyam dance performer, teacher and owns her own local dance school. The kids had a great time and we hope she’s able to come in again.

Student Reports- I know all of you have received semester student reports for your children. If you have any questions, concerns, or simply want to check-in, you are welcome to schedule a conference or phone call to discuss with me. You can set up an appointment through the school office at 386-462-2886.

Reminders- I’d like to give a quick reminder to please return your child’s Friday folder back to school every Monday. Please also send your child to school each and every day with their water bottle and school appropriate shoes. Check the parent handbook if you have any questions regarding this. These little things make a big difference in your child being prepared and equipped to function at school, give their best, and allows us to focus on our job of facilitating their learning and participation.

I look forward to the second half of our school year together. Thank you for all of your ongoing support.

Yours in the service of your children,

Vrinda

Learn more online about:

Mahabharata - http://www.krishna.com/about-bhagavad-gita-setting-scene

Dasa Avatara - http://www.krishna.com/krishnas-avatars

Lord Chaitanya - http://www.krishna.com/chaitanya-mahaprabhu

Bharatanatyam - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharata_Natyam

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

2 Valentine’s Day Art Projects for the Special People in Your Life

Tuesday, February 12th after care will include a special opportunity for children 4 years or older to make various Valentine’s Day art projects organized by Rupa Dasi. The projects include candies, stickers, rubber stamping, and the chance to learn various crafting techniques.

Craft time will be from 2:15 - 4:15 p.m. There is a $5 material fee plus standard after care charges.

Space is limited, so please contact the school office at 386-462-2886 or office@bhaktischool.org by Monday, February 11th to let us know if your child will be participating.

Thank you!

Text Message Opt-In Instructions

Stay connected with Bhaktivedanta Academy via text messages to your mobile phone.  Follow these simple steps to opt-in:

Send the message "Alert" to 22300.

Within a few minutes you will receive a confirmation message from our communications service.

If you have any trouble opting-in, let us know in the school office and we can help you.

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

Family Community Meeting Recap

Dear Friends,

Thank you to everyone who attended our second Family Community Meeting of the school year. Here is a recap of what was discussed:

Click here to download the presentation slides.

2013-14 Enrollment

• Enrollment for the upcoming school year will begin on February 25th.
• Be on the lookout for an email from TADS around this date. It will contain a special link that will take you to the online re-enrollment form for your child.
• If you currently participate in the Tax Credit Scholarship (Step Up) you will need to renew your scholarship. Step Up for Students expects to open up their renewal application during the month of February. Keep checking your email and their website for a renewal notice.
• The requirement for either the Tax Credit Scholarship or in school aid application is a current (2012) tax return. Do your taxes now, so you are prepared to apply.
• More information on the various financial aid programs that Bhaktivedanta Academy participates in can be found on our website.
• Help spread the word about Bhaktivedanta Academy. Your testimonial is our most powerful marketing.

Federal Funding

• Bhaktivedanta Academy receives limited funding from the federal government through provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act - Title I and Title II.
• This year we received a targeted allocation of $20,604 that has gone to fund our tutoring program and professional development opportunities for our teachers.
• We must re-qualify every year for this funding. We depend on your help to do so. Like in prior years, you will receive an income survey packet in your child's Friday folder. It is extremely important that you review, complete (if qualified), and return the Free and Reduced Lunch form to the school no later then Tuesday, February 12th.

PTO Update

• Adi Gopi, our PTO president gave an update on the activities of the PTO and encouraged all our parents to get involved.
• All money raised through parent-led initiatives go into a special PTO account. The account currently has over $700.
• The funds in the account came from Box Tops for Education, Target Credit/Debit card purchases, and extra profit from this year's cookie and fudge fundraiser.
• We sold over $5,000 in cookies and fudge, with a profit of $3,500. The school budgeted $3000 in profit toward new classroom materials that were bought at the beginning of the school year. The extra $500 profit was transferred to the PTO account.
• Through the work of the PTO, this year's Harvest Festival was a big success and fun for all.
• The next PTO meeting will be announced soon.

Krishna Sharanam Upper School

• Jaya Sri Radhe gave an update on progress toward the goal of opening our Krishna Sharanam Upper School this coming August.
• A lot of work has been done but much more is left to do.
• In our first year, we will be accepting 7th grade students and expanding enrollment by 1 grade per year until we reach 10th grade.
• Aligning our Upper School with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme gives us an educational framework that is well rounded and provides the freedom to create a very unique experience that caters to the needs of adolescents.
• Many members of the temple community have been stepping forward to help.

Campus Expansion

• We have plans to replace all but the newest (Audarya Bhavan) classroom buildings over the summer to accommodate anticipated enrollment and the new Upper School.
• We are under constraints due to the stipulations in our special use permit, which allows the school to operate on the temple property. One such constraint is the number of buildings allowed on our 5 acre parcel.
• We are working with a civil engineer to gain the most classroom space possible while staying within the limits of our permit.
• The school will grow from 3,252 to 5,384 square feet of classroom space.
• Due to the constraints of our zoning and short amount of time available to swap space, we will be utilizing modular classroom buildings for this particular expansion. They provide the most cost and time efficient option for us.

Fundraising

• The total cost of the campus expansion and establishment of the middle school is $306,451.
• If we are able to finance the classroom buildings, we can proceed by raising $198,310 instead of the full amount.
• We have raised $32,000 to date.
• We intend on raising the remaining funds through a fundraising campaign website, modeled after Kickstarter, direct solicitations to prospective donors, spring event, and the contributions from our own families.
• The website and other promotional materials will be ready within the next few weeks.
• We are seeking written and video testimonials from our families as part of this effort. Please click here to provide a testimonial.

Again, thank you to everyone who came to the meeting. For those that were unable, I hope this recap gives some idea of what was discussed. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or ideas. We welcome your input.

Yours in service,

Visvambhara das
Head of School