Great Article by Brajasundari (4th Grade Student)

I wanted to share a great article written by Brajasundari, one of our up and coming 4th grade students. It is titled, School is My Second Home and has been published online.  In the article she talks about how much she appreciates the opportunity to be part of a school focused on spiritual ideals and why it is important to her. It is wonderful to see our students contribute to the greater society in this way.  I hope this is the first of many articles we will see.

Here is a link to the article: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=8680

End of School Year Reminders

Tomorrow is our end of year ceremony. It will take place in the Audarya Bhavan classroom at 8:30 a.m. We should conclude by 10:00 a.m. The younger students will be performing a special song and the Kindergarten and 3rd grade students will be receiving promotion certificates. We ask that all 3 and 4 year-olds sit with their parents. The 2009-2010 school year will officially end at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Padmaksi Sutherland, our PTO Chariperson, has organized a PTO potluck picnic that will take place immediately after the ceremony:

WHEN: Friday June 11, directly after the school ceremony
WHERE: Rum Island - Here are directions from Bhaktivedanta Academy
WHAT TO BRING: A dish to share, swimwear, towels, sunblock
COST: Free

We look forward to seeing you!

Krishna-Balaram Sponsorship Results

In just 2 weeks time our students raised a total of $451.67 in honor of Krishna-Balaram! The fact that this money was earned through their own endeavors - performing chores, selling cookies and lemonade, and organizing a rummage sale, makes it an even greater achievement.

With these funds they sponsored the following items:

• 1 Gold platted staff for Lord Balaram $225
• 1 Set of belts for Krishna and Balaram $150
• 1 Set of bracelets for Krishna and Balaram $70

The remaining $7.67 will be put toward any other unsponsored gifts. Thank you to everyone who helped support this wonderful effort.

New Madhurya Bhavan Teacher

After an extensive selection process, I am happy to announce that the new lead teacher in the Madhurya Bhavan class will be Shantipur Day.

Shantipur is a New Raman Reti School alumni who went on to earn her degree from the University of Florida and her Bhakti-Sastri certificate from Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium.  The hiring committee was impressed by her intelligence, character, spirituality, and extremely strong desire to impart the many lessons she received as a student in a Krishna conscious school to the next generation. Our impressions were echoed by the others we consulted while checking her references.  In many ways, Shantipur exemplifies the qualities we strive to develop within our own students and feel that she will be a very positive influence and role model. I am grateful that Krishna has inspired her to serve in this capacity.

Please join me in welcoming Shantipur to Bhaktivedanta Academy!

Fundraising Dinner Success

Thank you to everyone who came out in support of Bhaktivedanta Academy by attending our recent fundraising dinner. I have received so many positive comments about the decorations, meal, and entertainment from those that attended. It certainly appears that we achieved our aim of providing a wonderful experience for all.

As we discussed that night, so much has been done to bring Krishna and Balaram to New Raman Reti, but it is necessary to start making investments today to ensure that there will be a corp of devotees eager and qualified to care for Them well into the future. Due to the enthusiastic response to our appeal, we raised $17,611 toward the Bhaktivedanta Academy Scholarship Fund! I am truly grateful for the outpouring of goodwill demonstrated by our guests. The financial contributions made confirm that Bhaktivedanta Academy has an important role to play in the care and growth of Krishna and Balarama's young devotees.

This outcome would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of so many people who came together for the benefit of the school. I want to especially thank some special individuals, who made significant contributions to the success of the event:

Advaita Acharya & Sarad Bihari Singh - Advaita Acharya & Sarad Bihari's endorsement of Bhaktivedanta Academy and major financial contribution set the tone for our fundraising appeal and enthused many others to follow their lead.

Adi-Gopi Kohair - Adi-Gopi made all the arrangements for the great group of entertainers who performed at the dinner and was always willing and able to jump in and take care of all the little things necessary to execute a big event.

Jahnava Hausner - With her sophistication and persuasiveness, Jahnava took on the meal planning and enlisted some of the best cooks and bakers in our community to produce an absolutely amazing feast.

Padmakshi Sutherland - Padi recruited and managed an army of servers that skillfully waited on 150 guests. I can think of no one else who could have pulled this off so gracefully.

Pattrajni Pugliese - I knew that when Pattrajni agreed to head up decorations that the Alachua Women's Club was going to look great, but she completely outdid herself by transforming it into a place of beauty.

Mahakirti Kopecky - Mahakirti's easy-going nature and technical skill ensured that all the sound, light, and video worked perfectly.

Radhika Rani Fitch - Radhika's persistence and kind nature on the phone following-up with our guests ensured that we had a packed house and her attention to detail guaranteed that nothing fell through the cracks.

Sabrina Dobbins - Sabrina personally contributed to print beautiful invitations and oversaw the guest reception.

I also want to thank Jaya Govardhana and Lalita-Sakhi for sponsoring child care; Param, Yadu, Bhagavan, and Ananga-Manjari for setting-up and breaking down. I also want to offer a special thanks to my wonderful wife, Vrindavanesvari, and our children for supporting me as I spent many hours away from them to prepare for the event.

It is truly inspiring to be part of the Bhaktivedanta Academy community of parents and supporters. If we keep working together in this way, there is no limit to what we can accomplish!

Thank you all for your continued encouragement and support.