December 2008 Newsletter

Newsletter - December 2008

Message From The Director by Visvambhara das As the year comes to an end, it is only fitting for me to announce that this will be the last newsletter produced by the New Raman Reti School. No, the school is not closing – we are changing our name! Due to the need to properly structure the school as a not-for-profit charitable organization, we are establishing a new corporation. When we were advised to do this, the administration and staff began to conceive of many different names for the school. One consistent theme began to emerge – the desire to prominently affirm our institutions dedication to serving Srila Prabhupada’s mission. As such, all of the final name suggestions contained his name. With three finalists in hand, I asked our students and staff to vote. The results were definitive; the winning name garnered over 90% of the votes. So, beginning January 1st, the New Raman Reti School will become the Bhaktivedanta Academy. We have a couple changes in store for the new year. First of all – uniforms. Krishna Dhama has been working very hard for the last few months to coordinate with our suppliers in India to produce a colorful devotional uniform for our students. After much debate, we have settled on a sky blue and navy blue color scheme that looks great. If we can get all our orders in on time, we hope to have all our students in their bright new uniforms by the end of January. Thank you to everyone who has turned in an order form. If you have not done so already, please get them in right away, as uniforms will be required as part of our revised dress and appearance policy. Lunch time for Bhakti Bhavan If any of you have had an opportunity to observe our Bhakti Bhavan (Pre-K/Kindergarten) class, you have probably noticed how nicely they assemble for lunch every day. Each student has a proper table setting, complete with placemat, napkin, plate, and utensils. They have all been trained to eat their prasadam lunch in an orderly and respectful manner. We want to share this same experience with the upper grade classes, so starting in January, Audarya (Grade 1-3) and Madhurya (Grade 4-6) Bhavans will begin to have their lunches in the same manner. After seeing how much everyone has appreciated the after school classes organized by Padmaksi and Radhika Rani, we are looking to coordinate some more activities. You will soon get information on a devotionally themed physical education/exercise class. We are also looking into bringing Vishvambhara back to lead another series of bhajan classes. We would like to offer so much more, but need the help of our parents and community members. If you have a special talent/skill that could be shared with our students or know of someone that does, let us know. Lastly, I want to say thank you for your support, encouragement, and trust. It is an honor to serve these young Vaishnavas. I look forward to seeing everyone back after the holiday break. Your servant, Visvambhara das Director Bhakti Bhavan - Pre-K/Kindergarten by Nataka-candrika dasi November seemed to fly by for teachers and students of Bhakti Bhavan! We started off the month focusing on the life and accomplishments of our founder-acarya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Children love hearing about his childhood pastimes and sat with rapt attention while they were being narrated. A few weeks later we spoke about the life of Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji and his role in our line of acaryas. Radhesh and Tulasi participate in a playground Rasa Dance We also just completed the first volume of the children's Krsna Book by Parvati devi dasi. After students heard the story of "The Rasa Dance", teachers were surprised and happy to witness most of the children acting out this pastime during their playtime outside. We also learned about Srimati Tulasi Devi and invited a few students from Audarya Bhavan to come in and lead us in the Tulasi prayers while one of the older students demonstrated how to do Tulasi puja. Bhakti Bhavan students greet a special guest - Mali November 12th was the last day of Kartika and since we had been collecting all month to buy hay for the cows of New Raman Reti, we invited Devaki, who is in charge of the cows, to come to our school. She brought one of the cows, Mali, with her and all of the students had an opportunity to feed and pet her. Finally, we presented to Devaki our collection of $52, just enough to buy one bale of hay. Everyone agreed this was a great way to honor one of the seven mothers. Other areas we learned about were the continent, culture and animals of South America and in practical life, we learned to polish wood and slice carrots. These are in addition to some wonderful art projects such as making models of Tulasi trees, paper stand-up cows, tissue paper corn cobs and "thankful hands" pilgrims. Bhakti Bhavan students enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving meal We spent the last few days before Thanksgiving talking about the story of Thanksgiving and why we are grateful for the things we have. On the last day of school before the break, students and staff were treated to a delicious feast of over a dozen preparations provided by the parents. Tables were set with new place mats and napkins and vases filled with colorful flowers added a special touch. After saying an enthusiastic prasadam prayer, students honored the special lunch and ate to their full satisfaction! Thank you, parents! Finally, Bhakti Bhavan students were surprised by the appearance of a special guest…singer/songwriter, Asta Sakhi, from Prabhupada Village in North Carolina. She is one of the main singers on the much-loved children's tape/CD titled Krishna's Children. In addition to leading the students in a few old favorites, Asta Sakhi taught them a new song, "Seven Mothers" which we will add to our song list for circle time. Next month, we will learn all about Europe, birds, time lines, nut cracking, the seasonal holidays of winter and more about Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's life. Audarya Bhavan - Grade 1-3 by Satyaki dasi Hare Krishna! Audarya Bhavan has been very busy this month. Lindsey demonstrates the didgeridoo The children raised $51 for one bale of hay. Our gift was presented to Devaki when she brought over one of her cows, Mali, to the school for the children to pet and feed. Also this month, Lindsey Dank, Tulasi's dad, gave a presentation on Australia. One of the highlights of the performance was when each child was given a chance to play their own didgeridoo. Recycling presentation Later in the month, Patrick and Gail from the Public Works Department visited our school to show us how to recycle at school and at home. The children enjoyed playing a relay game to help reinforce their understanding of which everyday items can be recycled. They left us with the slogan: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rethink. The children were given pencils made out of recycled denim and money, and shopping bags made out of recycled plastic. Asta Sakhi visited our classroom. She sang some of her classic songs and then taught us a new one about our seven mothers. To conclude the month, we visited the Alachua Library where librarian Renee read stories to our students and showed them how to use the library's resources for independent research. Madhurya Bhavan - Grade 4-6 by Krishna Priya dasi Vaishnava Saint Trading Cards Vaishnava Saint Trading Cards The Madhurya Bhavan students are currently working on creating a whole deck of Vaishnava saint trading cards. Each student chooses a saint from the Vaishnava calendar, they draw a picture of their chosen saint and research background information on them. When complete, I format and laminate the pictures. Many have chosen to research the Vaishnava saint they are named after. On the appearance day of that saint they will give a presentation on him or her and pass out their trading cards. By the end of the year, students will have a full deck of Vaishnava trading cards and they will know all the saints on the calendar. So do you know who Sita Thakurani is? Ask a student from the Madhurya Bhavan. Science Learning Centers Nayana eagerly pulled Narayani's arm. "Lets go to the Creative Writing Center." Narayani convinced her instead to go to the Make Your Own Magnet Center. Nayana and Narayani had already completed four of the seven learning center activities. After a few failed experiments (and a minor baking soda and vinegar explosion), I realized I needed to come up with a foolproof way of teaching science. Then...bam! An explosion in my head: Learning Centers! Learning Centers are activity stations where students choose the type of activity they would like to do. For example, during the last Science class we learned about magnetism. We had seven stations where students could do magnetic experiments, write a creative story linked to a lesson on pigeons and magnetic fields or even do creative math problems about magnets in our every day life. The key factors are independent student-driven learning and choice. Madhurya Bhavan students share their stories Book Club If you have ever visited the Madhurya Bhavan classroom on Wednesday after lunch you will see the Sugar'n Spice and Chemical X girls huddled in one corner and the Lightning Bolts huddled in another. They'll be giggling and whispering and sharing their book artifacts to their book club. Each month the students have a different genre of books to choose from. This month they are reading historical fiction. As they read the books, they write letters about them to their book club and they create artifacts that explore the characters, setting and themes. Last week Chandrika and Nayana created dioramas from boxes showing the setting and the characters and Jalangi and Aravind created open minds that showed the inner turmoil of their characters. The book club motivates students to read independently, to explore alternate genres and develop their own tastes as readers. What is an Education? by Navina-Shyama das Is education a race, wherein one should get ahead by any means? Or is it a wild adventure, wherein one should find one's own destination by one's own means? Or perhaps it's a roulette wheel: you just pop yourself in and see where you end up. During my short tenure so far as an administrator at New Raman Reti School, I can already see that the answer to this question is (and should be) quite different here than it was during my own academic experiences. My high school years were like a no-holds-barred wrestling match. No one was really sure why we were there or what we were supposed to be doing, but we just got into the frenzy of trying to outdo each other in whatever seemed to please our different teachers. Memorize that Roosevelt's economic plan was called the New Deal? Sure. Calculate the volume of a torus plus a pyramid minus a cone? Okay. Read a modern Portuguese epic inspired by the ancient Greek Iliad? No problem. And through it all, shrouded in the most impenetrable of mists, was the vague goal of getting into a good college and securing a good job. A Vaishnava education is markedly different. School is not a place where attendance is just a legal requirement and where every teacher has their own life philosophy that they are trying to imprint on the young minds in their midst. The activities consist of more than just memorizing obscure historical facts, performing bizarre and abstract calculations, and absorbing the mental impressions of anyone that can put pen to paper. And the goal is something more tangible and weighty than a sheet of paper with a fancy seal (or just a pile of green paper, for that matter!) Indeed, the relationship, activities and goal for a Vaishnava student are all clear and sublime. The sambandha (structure of relationships) at a gurukula centers on the guru. For ISKCON, this guru is Srila Prabhupada, and he serves as the harmonizing center for all the members of the school community: parents, teachers, and students. He is the common authority for all three of these constituencies, and his teachings are the shared standard for conduct. I have a large poster of Srila Prabhupada above my office desk to remind me of this, but his influence at New Raman Reti School goes beyond mere symbolism. The teachers dress in the attire he brought to the West, each of the classrooms has altars with the same deities he installed in his temples, and when the children sing kirtana or read scripture, it is the mantras and purports he gave us that they recite. The abhideya (process of practice) at a devotee school is to follow in the footsteps of Srila Prabhupada as bhaktivedantas. As he stated in a letter in 1972: “The main point is that these children may be given the two-fold program of education in Krishna Consciousness, namely chanting and performing devotional activities on the one hand, and some knowledge of our philosophy and other subjects of knowledge on the other.” Whereas devotional activities are critical for the spiritual development of the students themselves, mastering philosophy and other subjects aims at the betterment of society. Only if the children are equipped with a complete array of academic and intellectual skills will they be able to effectively share Krishna Consciousness with others and influence them with their exemplary behavior. These ideals are put into practice at New Raman Reti School by reserving the first part of the morning for kirtana and Bhagavad Gita study, and the remainder of the day in honing the students' skills in mathematics, reading and writing English, systematic inquiry into the natural world, and fundamental historic and geographic knowledge. Particularly with regards to the latter two areas, every effort is made to show how contemporary empiric knowledge is a small subset of the greater and more comprehensive framework of Krishna Consciousness. The prayojana (goal and standard of success) at an ISKCON school is to produce Vaikuntha ladies and gentlemen. The children are trained to be of the highest character for we expect them to become the leaders of the world. As Srila Prabhupada stated in another letter in 1971: “If children are given practical guidance on the transcendental platform, above the bodily and mental conception of life, then they will develop into perfect citizens - moral, honest, hard-working, law-abiding, clean, faithful to home and country.” Adorned with such attractive traits and well-acquainted with an array of skills, graduates of a Vaishnava education will lead others along the path to self-realization, and show that there is more to being successful than mundane wealth and fame. Surely, such enlightened individuals are sorely needed in today's troubled times. I am excited by what I am seeing and doing at New Raman Reti School because of these differences in structure, activity and goal compared to what I experienced in my own education. But I am even more excited by the opportunity that lies ahead to more fully develop these principles. As part of an institution that is at the vanguard of education, I look forward to playing my part in helping our students see education as more than a race or a game or a maze, but as a path to perfection.

Dedicated to the the service of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Important Dates Sun, Dec. 7: Holiday Prasadam Sales Sun, Dec. 14: Holiday Prasadam Sales Mon., Dec. 15: Jan. Lunch Order Forms Due Mon., Dec. 15: Uniform Order Forms Due Mon., Dec. 22 - Fri, Jan. 2: Winter Holiday Mon., Jan. 5: Classes Resume Mahajan Corner 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 microwave oven. Navina-Shyama for a new shredder for the office. The families of Isha, Madhumati and Venumadhava, Karuna and Naya for bringing in carrots for Bhakti Bhavan's practical work. Karuna's family for a lovely plant, and some wooden puzzles and games. Krsnaya and Harini's family for a much-needed wooden stepping stool. Mantrini (Karuna's grandmother) for bringing in homemade donut holes. Nataka-candrika for arranging for and sponsoring new cloth napkins and place mats for Bhakti Bhavan's lunchtime use. Brahma: Getting Things Started Padmaksi (Naya's mother) for organizing Audarya Bhavan's field trip to the library. Kumaras: Assisting the Instruction of Your Kumaras and Kumaris Padmaksi and Sabrina (Ross's mother) for driving to the library, and Haridas's family for lending their car. Indrani (Narottama's mother), Ekadasi Vrata (Abhay and Vishnupriya's mother) and Lalita Sakhi (Haridas and Karuna's mother) for helping out with our Thanksgiving celebration. All of our parents for making such wonderful preparations for the Thanksgiving feast! Narada Muni: The Visiting Teachers Asta Sakhi for performing some of her classic devotional children's songs in Bhakti Bhavan. Devaki for bringing one of the temple cows, Mali, for the children to pet, feed and ask questions about. Lindsey (Tulasi's father) for his now famous Didgeridoo Down Under presentation to the upper bhavans. Padmaksi for reading to Bhakti Bhavan (and donating the book). Future Mahajans We need the following services for the upcoming month: Bali: The Givers of Charity In an effort to act in the mode of goodness and in line with the Montessori spirit of having children maintain their classroom environment, Audarya Bhavan would like the following items Tool box Level Small hammer Screw driver Hand drill Small nails Bhishma: The Dutiful Bhaktas We need help preparing, packaging, and selling baked goods for our holiday prasadam gift sales fund raiser. Kumaras: Assisting the Instruction of Your Kumaras and Kumaris If you have interesting objects from the continent of Europe, Bhakti Bhavan would love to borrow them for a few weeks. Narada Muni: The Visiting Teachers If you have roots in one of the countries of Europe and would like to share your cultural heritage with Bhakti Bhavan, please contact the school office or one of the teachers. Prahlada: Creating the Right Conditions to Learn We wish to remind parents to kindly refrain from going directly to the classrooms during the school day. If you are bringing your child late, picking them up early, or wish to drop off something, please check-in at the office and one of our staff will go to the classroom. The sight and presence of parents during school hours tends to disrupt the smooth flow of educational activities. Siva: Keeping Ignorance Under Control One of our soccer goals needs to be welded to fix a break. (A donation of a new pair of soccer goals is also welcome!)

17414 NW 112th Blvd, Alachua, FL 32615 ⋅ PO Box 937, Alachua FL 32616
386-462-2886 ⋅ www.bhaktivedantaacademy.org

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!)

17414 NW 112th Blvd, Alachua, FL 32615 ⋅ PO Box 937, Alachua FL 32616
386-462-2886 ⋅ www.bhaktivedantaacademy.org

October 2008 Newsletter

Newsletter - October 2008

Message From The Director by Visvambhara dasa I am happy to present the first issue of the New Raman Reti School monthly newsletter for the 2008-2009 school year. Beginning of year ceremony Thank you all for your participation in our beginning of year ceremony. It was great to have Srila Prabhupada in his murti form and so many devotees present as we celebrated the beginning of what is already looking to be a wonderful school year. I want to take this opportunity to welcome the new additions to the New Raman Reti School community: Abhimanyu Suta - son of Mahakirti and Jvalamukhi Aravind - son of Anil and Vidya Hladini - daughter of Mathura and Bhakti Jalangi - daughter of Mathura Lila and Kriphanidhi Kamala Sundari - daughter of Jaya Gaurasundara and Gopi Paranadhana Madhumati and Venumadhava - children of Madhava Pandit and Deva Deva Narottama - son of Pundarika Vidyanidhi and Indrani Radhesa - son of Jaya Kirtan and Ananga Manjari Ramananda Raya - son of Sri Thakura and Krishna Preshta Ross - son of Paul and Sabrina Syamali - daughter of Radha Vallabha and Krsna Vallabha Tulasi – daughter of Raina and Lindsey As I compiled this list I was struck by how many families are not only new to the school but also to our temple community - some traveling from as far away as Vancouver just to attend. Thank you so much for placing your faith and trust in us. I, along with the rest of the administrative and educational team, are absolutely committed to providing the best Krishna-centered educational experience possible for our young students. I am convinced that the long-term growth and development of the New Raman Reti community is dependent on the continued success of our school. As I look beyond this year, we are going to have to start investing resources now to ensure that we can meet the needs of our burgeoning child population. Now is the time to start thinking about how we would like to see the New Raman Reti School develop. Your input is essential, so I am asking for your help. Over the next week or so think about what you would like to see for our children now and in the future and how New Raman Reti School can be a part of that. Please share your thoughts and ideas with me. I can be reached by phone: 386-462-2886 or email: david.aguilera@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Bhaktivedanta Academy on Facebook Your servant, Visvambhara das Director Bhakti Bhavan - Pre-K/Kindergarten by Nataka-Candrika dasi New Name: The 3-6 year old class (formerly Bambini Bhavan) now has a new name: Bhakti Bhavan, or place of devotion. We also have brand new 12” Deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Lady Subhadra which were donated by mother Iccha Sakti. They are situated on Their new altar and are served daily by the students. Thank you, mother Iccha Sakti! August/September: We focused on several themes including the spiritual festivals of Janmastami, Srila Prabhupada’s Appearance and Radhastami. We have been hearing and chanting about these wonderful pastimes and the students never seem to tire of singing the many songs about the Lord and His devotees. Ramanda Raya receives a lesson Other areas we have focused on are the Fall season, the parts of a tree, land, air, and water, the world, living and non-living things, vertebrate and invertebrates, as well as magnetic and non-magnetic objects. In Practical Life we have been learning new work such as mirror polishing while doing some of their old favorites like banana cutting. October: We will continue with our Fall unit but will focus on the annual celebrations of Kartika such as Diwali, Govardhana Puja and Go-puja. Next week, we will start rehearsing for a play which will be performed by the class on Govardhana Puja. We are looking forward to this and if anyone is interested in helping out in any way, please let the teachers know. Themes for October: North America (featuring Native American people and culture), the human body, leaves, art projects centered around cows and pumpkins, and new Practical Life work such as apple slicing. We are also planning on participating in the annual Harvest Festival coming up later this month. Audarya Bhavan - Grade 1-3 by Satyaki dasi The 6-9 year old class is called Audarya Bhavan, which means the place of generosity and magnanimity. Lord Chaitanya was the most magnanimous and generous in giving freely the Holy Names of Krishna to all fallen souls in this age of Kali, and we are practicing to follow in His footsteps. The Deities that we worship are Gaura -Nitai and Lord Nrisinghadeva. The children serve the Deities every day by offering arotik and kirtan. On Thursdays, we offer arotik to Tulasi –devi while the children circumambulate and water her. Our themes for August/September were Janamastami, Radhastami, and the Appearance days of Vamanadev and Srila Bhaktivinoda. We also started a classroom book entitled “Who Am I?” This will be finished in October. Tulasi puja Academically, we focused on the five kingdoms of life, external parts of animals, points, lines, and solids, images in stories and poetry, parts of a paragraph, land forms and the history of writing. In practical life we focused on greeting a guest and the art of conversation. Madhurya Bhavan - Grade 4-6 by Krishna Priya dasi Technology in the Classroom: In Madhurya Bhavan we created digital Photostories of the Tenth Chapter of the Gita. Each group was composed of a music master, digital story master, Narrator and picture hunter. In only two weeks time the students created a narrative with digital pictures, music and narration, which they recently shared with their fellow students in the Audarya Bhavan. Balaram worships Gopal We have also created a classroom Google group where students can dialogue about hot topics related to lessons in the class. Last week, Narayani posted the question, "What would you do if you were not invited to a birthday party by a friend." Students debated online what the most appropriate response would be and how they would respond. The Google group is a safe online space for students to converse, upload their work and even download their homework! Classroom Newsletter: This month we also started our classroom newsletter. Students will take turns being the Editor, Graphic Designer and Journalists. This month Bali and Srivas are the Graphic Designers and Aravind and Narottama are the editors. Because the newsletter is student driven, they even voted on the name - Madhurya Mountain Winds. Stay tuned; the first edition is due to be completed shortly! Counting Our Blessings by Nataka-Candrika dasi Pouting, with tears welling up in her eyes, 4 year-old Nadia rushes toward her teacher. With the words tumbling out of her mouth, she points to a classmate, 3 year-old, Hladini. “She took the sand bucket I was playing with!” Hladini, also on the brink of tears, defends her position. “She left it so I took it!” Calmly, in a loving tone, their teacher tells Hladini, “Talk to Nadia, tell her with your words.” Just then, Nadia exclaims, “We need the peace flower!” as she runs to get it. Taking turns holding the flower, each girl explains her side of the story and how she’s feeling. Back and forth the flower is passed until they come to an agreement. Each girl smiles and runs back to play, oblivious of their teacher who observes from a distance. Nataka-Candrika reads Krishna book As a newcomer to Bhakti Bhavan and the Montessori method, I never cease to be amazed at the myriad of events such as these that take place on a typical day in our classroom. Admittedly, as a former pre-school teacher, I had my reservations about teaching in a Montessori classroom. After all, I had run my own Krishna Conscious pre-school for many years so why the change? Aren’t most classrooms pretty much alike? But after learning about this system by taking training courses and visiting several Montessori classrooms, I can honestly say that our classroom is unique-unique because it offers the best of both worlds! Recently, I have been reflecting on how fortunate we are as the parents, students and teachers of Bhakti Bhavan. It is encouraging to see such loving parents, who are the first and foremost teachers in a child’s life. Daily, I witness these loving exchanges as the children are dropped off and picked up at the school. Each morning children kiss their parents good-bye and run off to play with friends in an attractive and safe environment. I think about how the parents have given so much time and care to see that their child is sent to school clean, well-fed, and rested. For instance, the contents of the healthy lunches (sent in earth friendly containers) are a testimony to the love of these parents for their children. Indeed, it is refreshing to see! During the school day, I can’t praise the teachers enough for providing a clean, beautiful atmosphere of warmth, love and care. They treat the students as they would their own children. Recognizing each child’s unique characteristics and developmental stage, the teachers guide them towards appropriate activities, always encouraging them to “be their best self!” Daily I observe the respectful manner in which all of the children are treated. I am in awe of the teachers’ ability to keep so many things running smoothly in a classroom of 23 students! These teachers deserve so much credit for their attention to the details in their environment. From the beautiful place settings (using real silverware, cloth napkins, and glass plates) to the child-sized furniture and materials made of natural products, the teachers have created an aesthetically pleasing learning environment. Lunch time! As for our students-we think we are blessed to have the privilege of training these great souls. Krishna has surely sent them to teach us what is most important in life. This is evident as they naturally bow to our classroom Deities each morning and bring their small offerings of wild flowers. Recently, as I offered my obeisances to the Deities, I noticed a small necklace made from pasta around Lady Subhadra’s neck. One of the students had offered Her this small token of love. This is real bhakti...offering our service and love to Krishna. As part of their daily circle time, the children sing songs and do finger plays about Krishna. One of their favorite activities is hearing a flannel board story about Krishna’s pastimes told by teacher assistant, Radhakunda dasi. As Srila Prabhupada said, “These children are given to us by Krishna, they are Vaisnavas and we must be very careful to protect them. These are not ordinary children, they are Vaikuntha children, and we are very fortunate we can give them chance to advance further in Krishna consciousness. That is a very great responsibility, do not neglect it or be confused. Your duty is very clear.” - Srila Prabhupada letter to Arundhati, 7/30/72

Dedicated to the the service of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Important Dates Mon., Oct. 13: Parent Meeting 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Fri., Oct. 24: Holiday - UF Homecoming Mon., Oct. 27: Pupil Holiday/Teacher Workday Wed., Oct. 29: Govardhana Puja (School in session) Fri., Oct. 31: First Quarter Report Cards (Audarya and Madhurya Bhavans) Mahajan Corner Current Mahajans Thanks to the following “Mahajans” for volunteering their time, talent or treasure to the school: Bali: The Givers of Charity Krishangi's family donated a new message board for the front of the school. Vishnupriya’s family and Candrika’s family for science materials and supplies. Narottama’s family and Aravind’s family and Balaram's family for cleaning and spiritual supplies. Vishaka’s family for a futon cover. Nayana’s family for a CD. Tulasi’s family for a game and work material. Shyam’s family for a decorative plant. Narada Muni: The Visiting Teachers A special thank you to Dina Bandu Prabhu for sharing the wonderful pastimes of Lord Krishna with our students. Puspanjali Jani (Krishna Priya’s mother-in-law) and Ajay Gupta helped with math tutoring in Madhurya Bhavan. Brahma: The First Point of Contact Jahnava (Balarama’s mother) and Guruseva (Srivas and Ramai’s mother) have agreed to be the room moms for Madhurya Bhavan. Kumaras: Assisting the Instruction of Your Kumaras and Kumaris The families of Shyam, Kalyani, Vrindavani, and Hladini for materials for practical life work in Bhakti Bhavan. Future Mahajans We need the following services for the upcoming month: 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!) Brahma: The First Point of Contact We need someone to help plan and coordinate drivers for field trips in Audarya Bhavan. The first one will be to the local library. Bhishma: The Dutiful Soldier We need help running the various booths and activities for our annual Harvest Festival, to be held on the school grounds from 12 to 2 PM on October 31. Please contact Krishna Dhama at 386-462-2886 or kdrico@yahoo.com if you are interested in participating. 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. Kumaras: Assisting the Instruction of Your Kumaras and Kumaris For birthday walks, please bring in a picture for each year of your child’s life (Bhakti Bhavan). For the fall garden, please bring in a safe and seasonally-appropriate plant (Bhakti Bhavan). For this month’s food preparation work, please bring in a bag of apples (Bhakti Bhavan). There are laminated sheets that need to be cut up in various geometric shapes for math activities. These can be picked up from Mother Satyaki and done at home (Audarya Bhavan). Prahlada: Creating the Right Conditions to Learn With the change of weather, please make sure your child has appropriate clothes. Please keep your children at home if they are showing any signs of illness. Bali: The Givers of Charity We need: High-quality paper shredder (Office). Buttons for button sewing (Bhakti Bhavan). Stepping stool (Bhakti Bhavan). Candle snuffer for our circle time (Audarya Bhavan). Hourglass for our quiet time (Audarya Bhavan).

17414 NW 112th Blvd, Alachua, FL 32615 ⋅ PO Box 937, Alachua FL 32616
386-462-2886 ⋅ www.bhaktivedantaacademy.org