Important Dates for September

 

Important Highlights from the Family Handbook

Dear Families,

As we settle back into the routine of school it’s a good time to read and familiarize yourself with the Family Handbook. The Family Handbook is a comprehensive guide covering all aspects of school life at Bhaktivedanta Academy, including important policies and procedures all our families need to be aware of. This year’s Family Handbook was sent out as part of the Welcome Packet before the start of school and if you have not already done so, we request that you please read it in full. Please click below to open and read the Family Handbook.

Family Handbook 2023-24

As a supplement to your own reading of the Family Handbook, we would like to draw your attention to some key points from the Handbook, as set out below:

Drop-off & Pick-up

• School staff are available to supervise students for morning drop-off beginning at 7:50 a.m. Please do not bring children before this time. 

• Dismissal/pick-up times vary according to class:

  • 2:00 p.m. for Bhakti Bhavan

  • 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday and 3:00 p.m. on all other days for Audarya Bhavan, Madhurya Bhavan, and Krishna Sharanam.
    

• To help keep traffic flowing smoothly and to ensure everyone’s safety, please abide by the following guidelines while in the drop-off/pick-up area:

  • Do not use a cellular phone (even hands free) during drop-off and pick-up.

  • Pull fully to the right to allow pass-through traffic in the left lane.

  • Do not exit your vehicle on the driver’s side of the car. All students should exit and enter your vehicle from the passenger side only.

  • For afternoon pick-up: please pull into the drop-off/pick-up lane and stay in your vehicle. A safety patrol member will escort your child from the waiting area to your vehicle. 

  • Pay careful attention to pedestrians around your vehicle before maneuvering your car out of the drop-off/pick-up lane.

  • Do not park in front of the drop-off/pick-up lane. If you need to attend to something after using the drop-off/pick-up lane, please pull into a parking space within the lot.

  • Keep your speed to a maximum of 10 m.p.h. on the road leading to the school parking area and 5 m.p.h. within the lot.

  • Do not 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.

  • During severe weather, the drop-off / pick-up lane may be closed. If the drop-off / pick-up area is closed, please park in the lot and retrieve your child from his/her classroom.
    

** Procare Sign In & Out - Legal Requirement for Pre-K Families

• State of Florida child care licensing regulations require that all pre-school aged children are signed in and out of their class by a parent, guardian, or designated representative. 

• Please do not leave the parking lot before signing-in or out on the Procare App.
  

Late Pick-up

• A late pick-up fee will be incurred for any child remaining beyond designated aftercare hours or 10 minutes after dismissal for partial-day students at the rate of $15 per 15-minute period.
  

Attendance and Punctuality

Tardy Policy

• All students (including Pre-K students) arriving after 8:00 a.m. will be considered tardy unless: 

  • Excused with a note from a medical appointment, or 

  • Arranged in advance and in writing with their classroom lead teacher or program head.
    

• **Please notify the school office at 386-462-2886 or office@bhaktischool.org if your child is going to be late to school.
  

• Students will have 3 unexcused tardy grace days in which they can be late per month. 

• After the grace days have been used in a month, any additional unexcused tardies will result in your child not being admitted to school for the entire day.
  

Absences 

• Contact the school office at 386-462-2886 or office@bhaktischool.org to notify us of your child’s absence from school.

• A note from a physician is required to be brought to the school office upon return to school for it to be excused.

• Excessive unexcused absences will result in a request to conference with your child’s teacher to discuss the impact on a student’s learning, including meeting graduation requirements.
  

Extended Absence

• If a student is going to miss more than 2 days of school, please coordinate at least 2 weeks in advance with their classroom lead teacher via the Extended Absence Request Form. 

• Please do not purchase airfare or lodging for a trip until after receiving a response from your child’s teacher.

• Families receiving tuition assistance from Step Up for Students please be aware that an absence of more than 5 days will require temporary withdrawal from the program until a student returns to school. Tuition for days missed and unpaid by Step Up is the responsibility of the family.
  

** Absence & Tardy Reporting - Legal Requirement for Pre-K Families

• State regulations mandate that we must have contact with the parents of a Pre-K child who is absent within the first hour of the school day. 

• If your child will be absent or arrive late, please notify the school office at 386-462-2886 or office@bhaktischool.org by 9 a.m.

Lunches and Snacks

• High sugar drinks and foods, such as soda and candy may not be brought to school.

• If you are dropping off lunch for your child at school, please put it on the shelves opposite the Office front door before your child’s scheduled lunch break.  

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.


Yours in service,

Sucitra Wygmans
Staff Assistant

Uniform Update, Welcome Pack Reminder, Student Lunches & Event Calendars

Dear Families,

We are excited to welcome you all back to school on Monday, August 21. Below are some important updates:

Uniforms

Uniform orders will be sent home in your child’s backpack during the first week of school. In the meantime, if your child does not have a suitable school uniform to wear for the start of school, the following items may be worn as alternatives:

• Tops: Comfortable shirt or blouse that does not have graphics or large logos printed on it. The Bhaktivedanta Academy PE-shirt is also acceptable during this period.

• Pants: Standard, straight-legged, appropriately-sized chino uniform pants (navy blue)

• Shorts:
- Boys - standard uniform style shorts (navy blue).
- Girls - capri (crop) pants or knee-length bermuda uniform-style shorts (navy blue)

• Skirts: Ankle-length cotton skirts

• (Bhakti Bhavan students only) spandex stretch pants (navy blue)

All items must be in good condition and appropriately-sized for your child.

PE Uniforms

PE uniform orders will be sent home in your child's backpack no later than the second week of school. 

Welcome Pack Reminder

Class welcome packs were sent out by email at the end of July containing your child’s class welcome letter, supply list, school calendar and other important information for the school year. Links to these welcome packs may also be found at www.bhaktischool.org 

If you are having any difficulties locating the welcome pack for your child’s class, please contact the school office at 386-462-2886 or office@bhaktischool.org.

Student Lunch Option - Madhavi Basant

Madhavi Basant will be offering student lunches this school year. Although officially starting up in September, Madhavi has indicated that she is able to accommodate a limited number of lunch orders in August. For more information and to order, please contact her directly at (352) 363-4456.

Classroom Event Calendars for August and September

Please click the links below to view the classroom event calendars for August and September by class:

Bhakti Bhavan Event Calendar: August, September

Audarya Bhavan Event Calendar: August, September

Madhurya Bhavan Event Calendar: August, September

Krishna Sharanam Event Calendar: August, September

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help in any way we can.

Yours in service,

Sucitra Wygmans
Staff Assistant

Important Update: Revised School Start Date - August 21

Dear Families

After considerable deliberation, we have made the decision to delay the start of school by one week. The first day of school will now be Monday, August 21.

Campus renovations have been going on continuously since the start of summer break and we are very close to completing the new Madhurya Bhavan classroom, Audarya Bhavan bathrooms, and Krishna Sharanam renovations. Despite being close to completing the building work, as it currently stands, we won't be ready to welcome students back on campus by next Monday.

A few factors have contributed to the delay, one of which was a direct lightning strike last week which affected a number of our systems and structures. Recovering from this lightning strike created an additional layer of work, further complicating our efforts to be ready for students to return.

The various trades working on campus are pushing to complete the finishing touches to the classroom buildings in preparation for final inspections and fire marshall clearance, which we expect early next week. After this stage is complete, then we will be able to fully move into and set up the Madhurya Bhavan and Krishna Sharanam classrooms.

We sincerely apologize for the disruption this delay to the start of school has caused. We will not be extending the school year to make up for the extra week. The days will be made up by removing days off throughout the year. A link to the revised 2023-24 school calendar is below:

Revised 2023-24 School Calendar

Please note that all beginning of school events will also be pushed back by one week. This includes the events listed below with their revised dates:

• Classroom Orientations - Friday, August 18 (same class timings)

• Kindergarten Meet Up - Friday, August 18, 10:00 am

• Bhakti Bhavan ‘Meet Your Teacher’ Visits - Thursday, August 17 (affected families please look out for an email with a link to reschedule your appointment slot).

Our primary concern in making the decision to delay the start of school is to ensure that we are able to welcome students into classroom spaces that not only pass the relevant building regulations, but are set up with care and attention by the teachers to provide students with the best school experience possible.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Yours in service,

Visvambhara dasa
Head of School

Classroom Orientations & DCF Documents - Friday, August 18

Dear Families,

Classroom Orientations

Classroom Orientations for the 2023-24 school year will be held on campus on Friday, August 18. These important events will equip you with the information you need as we start the next school year. Attendance is required for families new to Bhaktivedanta Academy and highly recommended for everyone.

• Bhakti Bhavan (Pre-K / Kindergarten) - 5:30 p.m.

• Audarya Bhavan (1st - 3rd grade) - 6:30 p.m.

• Madhurya Bhavan (4th - 6th grade) - 5:30 p.m.

• Krishna Sharanam (7th - 10th grade) - 6:30 p.m.

The Bhakti Bhavan classroom meeting is intended only for adults. Please do not bring children to this meeting.

Students in grade 1 and above are welcome to attend their class meeting if they can remain in the classroom with you. Unsupervised children will not be permitted to play outside during this event.

DCF Required Documents

If you are yet to provide the school office with these documents, please do so as soon as possible, or you may bring them along to your classroom orientation.

We look forward to seeing you soon! If you have any questions please contact the school office at (386) 462-2886 or office@bhaktischool.org.

Yours in service,

Sucitra Wygmans
Bhaktivedanta Academy