Beginning of School Year Update

Dear Families,

I hope you all have enjoyed a great summer. It is hard to believe that the beginning of the 2014-15 school year is just around the corner.

We have been hard at work preparing for the coming school year and are excited about welcoming our new and returning students on Tuesday, August 19th.

I wanted to take the opportunity to share some information and reminders with you::

Welcome Packets
Student welcome packets were mailed on July 23rd to all families with completed enrollment contracts. This package contains the school calendar, class introduction letters/supply lists, parent handbook, and other important forms and documents. If you did not receive the packet please contact the school office at 386-462-2886 or at 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. The welcome meeting and orientation (see below) are a great time to do this.

Construction Update
Our classroom expansion project is just about complete! Our brand new 2,584 square foot classroom space is setup and over 1,100 square feet of new decks and ramps have been constructed. We are in the process of completing some cement work and painting but anticipate everything being done before the start of school.

This expansion has been a multi-year project that would not have happened without the financial support, expertise, and goodwill of a broad range of individuals. It has been great to see so many people come together to make this possible. We can't wait to show off our new classes to you!

Click here to view our classroom expansion photo album

New Lunch Program
We are happy to announce that for the 2014-15 school year you will be able to purchase fresh, healthy, and delicious lunches daily for you and your child. Radha Dainton is now Bhaktivedanta Academy's foodservice manager and will be preparing daily lunches in the New Raman Reti temple's certified kitchen.

Lunches can be ordered online and paid via your TADS account on a weekly basis. Be on the lookout for the online order form.

New School Schedule
For the 2014-15 school year we are trying to bring the elementary and middle school class schedules more in sync by changing dismissal time to 3:00 p.m. for all classes, except Bhakti Bhavan, which will continue to dismiss at 2:00 p.m. We will also dismiss Audarya and Madhurya Bhavan students at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, which are our weekly staff meeting/professional development days.

This change will allow us to have more focused academic blocks in the morning by moving non-academic classes and special guest visits to the afternoon.

Uniforms
We are awaiting word from India on the status of our school uniform order. Some orders will be able to be fulfilled from existing inventory and we are hopeful that the new shipment will arrive before the start of school.

If the uniforms do not arrive on time, we ask that students adhere to these temporary dress standards:

Boys and Girls
Students should attend school in clean, properly sized, and weather appropriate clothing. Shirts and other clothing with writings, slogans, characters, or pictures are not permitted. Please—no blue jeans or denim.

Boys
Boys should preferably wear a kurta—if not available, a plain colored T-shirt or, collared shirt is acceptable. Pants or shorts (in hot weather) should be plain, neutral colors, such as khaki, beige, etc. No blue jeans.

Girls
Girls should wear modest dresses, punjabis, or modest skirts and blouses. Dresses and skirts should be of modest length—no spaghetti straps, tank tops, T-shirts, etc. During physical education, or other play activities, girls may change into pants, etc.

Lands' End PE Uniforms and Outerwear
We have partnered with Lands' End to provide Bhaktivedanta Academy branded PE uniforms, outerwear, backpacks, and lunch boxes. All orders will be shipped directly to you with with a no hassle return policy.

Ecological Awareness
One of the themes we will be focusing on this year are ways in which we can all be better caretakers of Mother Earth. We are implementing a recycling program and reducing the use of disposable plates, cups, and cutlery throughout the school. Recycling centers and wash stations will be setup in each classroom and near our student lunch areas.

For $5 we will provide each student in Audarya Bhavan, Madhurya Bhavan, and Krishna Sharanam with their own plate, bowl and spoon that they will be responsible for. These sets can be purchased at the school office during the first week of school.

Family Campus Beautification Day
Our campus beautification day will be on Saturday, August 16th starting at 8:00 a.m. We need lots of help to put down new mulch, repaint handrails, prune the bushes, and many other tasks. We encourage all of our families to attend. We 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.

Family Welcome Meeting and Orientation
Our family welcome meeting and orientation will be held at the school on Friday, August 15th. The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. and will run until 7:30 p.m. Attendance at this very important meeting is required for all new families and is highly recommended for the families of returning students.

We are looking forward to seeing you all very soon and continuing our efforts to work together to give our children the opportunity to grow to their highest potential — academically, socially, emotionally, and physically — all the while developing their spiritual identities in a nurturing and positive environment.

Yours in service,

Visvambhara Das
Head of School