Govardhana Puja and Harvest Festival

Dear Families,

Our annual Harvest Festival and Govardhana Puja celebration is Thursday. Big thanks to Saradiya and Anapayini for spearheading the effort to make this year's event very special and to all the parent volunteers who have committed to setup, supervise activities, provide items for the hill, and cleanup. 

We are looking forward to seeing all our students dressed up as devotional personalities and Vrindavana animals. It is sure to be a fun day for everyone. 

Here are a few notes about the day:

• There will be a costume parade at 8:15 a.m. 

• Lunch will be provided for all students and volunteers. A fabulous meal consisting of rice, paneer subji, puris, dahl, and samosas has been arranged. 

• We recommend students bring a school uniform in case they want to change out of their costumes. 

•  Everyone is invited to join us at 1:00 p.m. for a special Govardhana Hill celebration and kirtan.

•  All students will be dismissed at 2:00 p.m. Aftercare will be available until 5 p.m. 

We are still looking for some additional volunteers. Sign up to help at https://goo.gl/forms/7UEcVn9LGbrOR0ks1.

Special thanks to everyone who has donated for the student lunch so far. Let Anapayini know if you are interested in contributing or donate directly at www.paypal.me/bhaktischool. 

Important Dates for November

Thu., Nov. 1	Krishna Sharanam: Fort Clinch & St. Augustine Field Trip @ 12:30 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 2	Holiday - UF Homecoming
Mon., Nov. 5	1st Quarter Parent Teacher Conferences Begin (New Classroom Students)
Tue., Nov. 6	Temple Tuesday (Madhurya Bhavan Guru Puja and Damodarastakam Prayers)
Thu., Nov. 8	Govardhan Puja / Harvest Festival / Spirit Day (Lunch Provided to All Students)
Fri., Nov. 9	Primary & Elementary: Student Holiday / Teacher Professional Development Day Krishna Sharanam: SCHOOL IN SESSION
Mon., Nov. 12	Holiday Veterans Day
Tue., Nov. 13	Temple Tuesday (Krishna Sharanam Damodarastakam Prayers) @ 7:20 a.m.*
Fri., Nov. 16	Thanksgiving Potluck  (Lunch Provided to All Students) Krishna Sharanam: Hansel & Gretel Field Trip - Phillips Performing Arts Center @ 7 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 19 - 23	Thanksgiving Holidays - No School
Tue., Nov. 27	Temple Tuesday @ 7:20 a.m.*

*Students in Audarya Bhavan (1st - 3rd grade), Madhurya Bhavan (4th - 6th grade), and Krishna Sharanam (7th - 10th grade) meet every Tuesday at the New Raman Reti temple at 7:20 a.m. Teachers will be on duty at the temple to accept students at this time.

SAVE THE DATE

Dec. 8 - Fudge and Cookie Production Day

Dec. 21 - Jan. 4 - Winter Holidays

Open House Invitation

Bhaktivedanta Academy
Open House

Friday, October 26 6 - 8 p.m.

Please join us for our annual open house event for our enrolled families. Visit all the classrooms and see student work demonstrations, participate in a special Damodara prayer with candle offering, launch sky lanterns, and enjoy tea and cookies.

We look forward to seeing you!

Hurricane Michael Update

Dear Families,

Hurricane Michael is approaching the panhandle region of Florida and is due to make landfall Wednesday afternoon. Impacts for our area continue to be updated but the latest tracking shows a fairly minimal impact for Alachua county. Here is a link to the latest briefing packet from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Jacksonville: https://www.weather.gov/media/jax/briefings/nws-jax-briefing.pdf. 

We will continue to monitor weather reports and Alachua county emergency management briefings. In the event that Alachua County public schools opt to close Wednesday and/or Thursday, we will evaluate the reasons and determine if we should also do the same. If a closure for Bhaktivedanta Academy is determined, a text and voice message will be sent to your phones. 

Stay tuned for updates... 

Yours in service, 

Visvambhara Dasa
Head of School

Important Dates for October

Tue., Oct. 2	Temple Tuesday (Krishna Sharanam Guru Puja and Kirtan) @ 7:20 a.m.*
Tue., Oct. 9	Temple Tuesday @ 7:20 a.m.*
Tue., Oct. 16	Temple Tuesday @ 7:20 a.m.* End of 1st Quarter
Fri., Oct. 19	Student Holiday - Teacher Work Day
Tue., Oct. 23	Temple Tuesday @ 7:20 a.m.*
Thu., Oct. 25	Audarya Bhavan - Talent Show (Students Only)
Fri., Oct. 26	Family Open House Night @ 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Tue., Oct. 30	Temple Tuesday @ 7:20 a.m.*

*Students in Audarya Bhavan (1st - 3rd grade), Madhurya Bhavan (4th - 6th grade), and Krishna Sharanam (7th - 10th grade) meet every Tuesday at the New Raman Reti temple at 7:20 a.m. Teachers will be on duty at the temple to accept students at this time. 

SAVE THE DATE

November 2 - Holiday UF Homecoming

November 5 - 1st Quarter Parent Teacher Conferences Begin

November 8 - Govardhan Puja / Harvest Festival / Spirit Day

November 9 - Student Holiday / Teacher Professional Development

November 12 - Holiday Veterans Day

November 16 - Thanksgiving Potluck

November 19-23 - Thanksgiving Holidays No School