New Faces at Bhaktivedanta Academy

Dear Families,  

As you may know, we have been hiring for positions at Bhaktivedanta Academy for the last few months. We welcomed Haripriya as our upper elementary teacher’s assistant at the beginning of the school year and  wanted to give you an update on some other new faces you will see here soon.

Unfortunately, we will be saying goodbye to Markandeya in the next few weeks. He informed me at the end of last school year that he would be moving on to new adventures in Australia but agreed to stay on until we found a suitable replacement. He is not necessarily replaceable but we do feel we have hired another great person to take on the important role he leaves behind – Syama Allard. Syama is a recent graduate of the University of Florida and comes highly recommended by anyone who has had an opportunity to know and work with him. 

Syamasundari in our Krishna Sharanam class will be taking her maternity leave soon. In preparation for her absence, we have hired Krishna Lila Danka as her long-term substitute. Krishna Lila is not only a talented film maker, she is also very accomplished in other fields as well. She posses a Ph.D. in Comparative Literary Studies, is published, and has taught courses in media communications and Vaishnava literature. 

We are very happy to welcome both Syama and Krishna Lila as as part of the Bhaktivedanta Academy teaching and administrative teams. 

Yours in service,  

Visvambhara Dasa
Head of School

Roses For Radha

Support Bhaktivedanta Academy by offering a rose to Srimati Radharani on her appearance day along with a prayer for yourself or a loved one.    1 Rose for $5 2 Roses for $8 Family Bouquet (1/2 dozen) for $20    Reserve your roses by:   phone: 386-462-2886 (credit cards accepted) online: CLICK HERE TO ORDER   On Radhastami day, Sunday, September 16, pick up your roses at our table at the New Raman Reti temple starting at 5:00 p.m. You may either offer your prayer card and the roses yourself, or a student from Bhaktivedanta Academy will offer them on your behalf at 6:30 p.m.   All proceeds support the Bhaktivedanta Academy, a pre-k thru 10th grade school that focuses on the development of the whole child - spiritually, academically, physically, emotionally, and socially.

Family Handbook and Important Forms

Dear Families,

The first week of the 2018-19 school year is in the books and we are looking forward to having everyone at our beginning of year ceremony on Sunday at 5 p.m. Students should come dressed in their school uniforms for this event. 

Speaking of uniforms – they were distributed via your child’s backpacks yesterday. Please check to make sure what you received matches what you ordered and that it fits properly. DO NOT WASH UNTIL YOU ARE CERTAIN THAT THEY FIT. If they do not fit, please contact Gopi Prema in the school office and she will do her best to exchange them if we have additional uniforms in the size you need. If you ordered uniforms and did not receive them, please get in touch with the school office.

PHE uniforms will be distributed this coming Friday.

Your child’s Friday folder (blue poly folder with their name) contains many important items that we request your attention to: 

• Pink Student Information Sheets
• Off Campus Activity Permission Form
• Home-School Compact
• Student Unaccompanied Release (Krishna Sharanam)
• DCF Supplemental Documents Acknowledgement (Bhakti Bhavan)
• Physical and Health Education Information Sheet (Elementary and MYP)

Please review, complete, and return these documents by placing them in your child’s blue folder and returning it to school on Monday.

The 2018-19 Family Handbook is being distributed online. You can view it at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WSlW74ddmKPlVbODrcO0iYl46BYQlllf. If you would prefer a printed copy, please let the school office know. We would be happy to print one for you.

It is very important that you take the time to read through the handbook so you are familiar with the policies and procedures of the school. Some of the main points covered are:

• School Contacts
• Morning and Afternoon drop-off and pick-up procedures 
• Dress Code
• Discipline Policies
• Health and Safety Policies
• Financial Policies

Once you have read through the handbook please complete the online acknowledgement at https://goo.gl/forms/HCGgeHwEpP2fWUGv2

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Have a great weekend!

Yours in service, 

Visvambhara Dasa 
Head of School

Bhaktivedanta Academy Authorized by International Baccalaureate

Dear Friends,

I am very happy to announce that Bhaktivedanta Academy is now an authorized International Baccalaureate World School for the Middle Years Programme!

This means that our Krishna Sharanam Middle Years Programme, serving 7th - 10th grades, is recognized as providing a holistic educational experience that emphasis connecting what a student learns with real-world experiences that emphasis being service-minded global citizens. We are now part of a select world-wide community of schools who have made a commitment to educational excellence. I encourage you to read more about IB MYP at www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme. 

This has been a 6 year process that started with an idea and has flourished into a wonderful program serving our middle/high school students. None of this would have been possible without the leadership and determined effort of Jaya Sri Radhe. She along with the Krishna Sharanam teaching team – Syamasundari, Nandapriya Prema, Devasarita, and Jaya Radhe have put in countless hours developing the program according to IB standards. 

Our authorization by IB is a major milestone in the history of Bhaktivedanta Academy. Back in 1999 when the New Raman Reti School (our previous name) was established, we could have never imagined growing to this level. Throughout the years a dedicated team of teachers, families, and well-wishers remained committed to our understanding of Srila Prabhupada’s (our founder) vision of a a well-rounded education rooted in the practices of bhakti (devotion to God), that fully prepared students to make lasting and meaningful contributions to our world. I believe he would be quite happy to see what we have accomplished together. 

Yours in service, 
Visvambhara Dasa 

Head of School

New School Year Welcome

Dear Families,

It was great to see so many familiar and new faces as we began the school year today. We are all looking forward to a wonderful year with everyone. Below are a few notes and reminders to get things started: 

Temple Tuesday
Students in Audarya Bhavan, Madhurya Bhavan, and Krishna Sharanam start school on Tuesday at the New Raman Reti Temple at 7:20 a.m. This will begin on Tuesday, September 11. Please come directly to school by  8:00 a.m. during the month of August. 

Uniform Update
We apologize for the delay in uniforms from India. Floods in Vrindavan delayed production significantly. Our tailor has told us that everything was shipped out today. We expect to be able to hand out uniforms next week.

Beginning of Year Ceremony
Our annual beginning of year ceremony is this Sunday at 5 p.m. This is a special ceremony in which we inaugurate the start of school with kirtan and vedic ceremony to attract auspiciousness for the coming school year. Students should come well dressed in school uniforms and groomed neatly for the occasion.

Welcome Haripriya
We are very happy to introduce Haripriya Griesser, our new Teacher’s Assistant in the Madhurya Bhavan upper elementary class. Haripriya is a graduate of Govardhana Academy in Canada and recently obtained her Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education from Saint Leo University. She also possess a Bhakti Sastri and Bhaktivaibhava degree and is very talented in the arts. Haripriya is a great addition to our teaching team. 

Parking Lot Safety
To help keep traffic flowing smoothly and to ensure everyone’s safety, please abide by the following guidelines at drop-off and pick-up:

• Stay within the 5 m.p.h. maximum speed limit driving into and through the entire parking area.
• Pull fully to the right to allow pass through traffic in the left lane if utilizing the drop-off and pick-up lane.
• Do not exit your vehicle on the driver’s side of the car. All students should exit from the passenger side only.
• 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 pick-up / drop-off lane. If you need to attend to something after using the pick-up / drop-off, please pull into a parking space within the lot.
• Do not use cell phones while in the parking area.

Friends of Bhaktivedanta Academy 
Our Bhaktivedanta Academy private Facebook group can be found at www.facebook.com/groups/friendsbhaktivedantaacademy. If you are on Facebook and are not already part of the group, please join.