Parents,

We hope you have seen the "Save the Date" for our annual Parent Social to be held on Friday, February 24th at the Atlantic Beach Country Club. It is going to a wonderful event, and we are excited about our theme, "Havana Nights!"

The auction is a very important piece of this event and raises funds for our school. The classroom themed baskets are always a favorite, and this is where we need your help. We are asking all families to donate $25 to help purchase items for the baskets to be turned in by Wednesday, November 30th.

Checks and cash can be handed into the front desk at both Stormes and McCormick. Please make sure you include your name and homebase class on the envelope. There is also the option of having the school bill you through the FACTS payment system. If you choose to be billed please email Stacy Nash at Snash@BeachesEpiscopalSchool.org or at 246-2466 ext.112 and include your student's homebase class.

The success of these baskets depends on the support of our families. If you have any questions, please contact Stacy Nash. Thank you for your support, and remember that your donation is tax deductible!

Costume Parade/Early Dismissal
Friday, Oct. 28th on the church lawn at 8:10 a.m., Early dismissal at 11:30 a.m.

Fall Holiday (School Closed/No Extended Day)
Monday, Oct. 31st

Admissions Open House for Prospective Families
Tuesday, November 8th at 9:00 a.m. in Hope Hall

PreK and Kindergarten Musical
Wednesday, Nov. 9th after morning chapel in the church

Planning Day (No School) - Extended Day Available
Thursday, Nov. 10th

Conference Day (No School) - Report cards given at conferences, Extended Day available during conferences
Friday, Nov. 11th

Vision Screening
Monday, Nov. 14 at 8:15 a.m.

Sixth Grade Spaghetti Dinner (5:30-7:30 p.m.)
Tuesday, Nov. 15th in the Parish Hall

Picture Re-take Day
Wednesday, Nov. 16th

3rd through 6th Grade Band Concert
Thursday, Nov. 17th in the Parish Hall at 2 p.m.

Denim Day - Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Friday, Nov. 18th

Thanksgiving Holiday (School Closed) - No Extended Day
Monday, Nov. 21st through Friday, Nov. 25th

We are off to an amazing start for our Starfish Fund annual giving campaign!

As of October 25th, we have received $51,793 in gifts and pledges toward our goal of $65,000! Thank you to everyone who has already pledged or donated!

If you have not made your pledge or gift, it is not too late! Our campaign runs through December 31, 2016. All gifts are tax deductible and make an impact on our school and students.

Just as important as the gifts we receive is the percentage of parent participation. When our school approaches outside organizations asking for support, they often ask what percentage of the families at the school have contributed. We want to be able to say 100%! Currently, we are at 29% parent participation, and we know that with the support of all our families, we can make this goal as well.

Don’t forget that Mrs. Milton will take each homebase class that reaches 100% parent participation to an ice cream party at Sweet Frog!

Current homebase percentages are below. Third grade is in the lead with 56% participation!

• Ms. Marshall PreK3: 27%
• Mrs. Harding PreK4: 0%
• Mrs. Palmer PreK4: 16%
• Mrs. Peters-K: 33%
• Mrs. Lamm-First: 36%
• Ms. McGehee-First: 27%
• Mrs. T- Second: 25%
• Mrs. Jones- Third: 56%
• Ms. Bittengle- Fourth: 0%
• Ms. Glasser- Fourth: 30%
• Ms. Hartman- Fifth: 31%
• Mrs. Wellman- Sixth: 30%

Thank you again for your generosity and support of your students and their futures at Beaches Episcopal School. You can still return the pledge card, or if you prefer, you may also donate online.

Donate Now to the Starfish Fund!

Each year as a part of our Community Outreach, BES students assemble 20 Thanksgiving baskets for families in need in the community who would otherwise not be able to provide a Thanksgiving meal for their family.

As indicated in this Thanksgiving Basket Outreach Flyer, each class is assigned a food item that every student is asked to please donate in order to fill the baskets. The baskets will be assembled on Wednesday, November 16th after chapel by our Pre-K 4 and Kindergarten students. Please have the items to school no later than Monday, November 14th.

Click on the Thanksgiving Basket Outreach Flyer for details on what items are being requested from each BES class.

Thank you so much for your support of this very worthy cause!

BES is delighted to welcome The Reverend Louanne Loch as the new Rector of St. Paul's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. Our students were excited to meet her for the first time during Wednesday chapel this week.

She comes to us from Holy Trinity in Gainesville, FL. Within the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, she has served on the Diocesan Executive Committee and the Board of Examining Chaplains and has chaired the Convention Nominating Committee. Currently, she serves on the Diocesan Finance Committee.

We welcome Reverend Loch to our school community and wish her the best as she continues the work God has called her to do here at SPBTS and BES. We also thank Father Freeman and Nancy for the impact they had while at the church over the last year and a half!

The Fall Box Tops for Education Drive at BES ends on Friday, Oct. 28th! 

Send in your Box Tops to help your child’s class win next week and help our school earn money!

Click here for the 2016 Box Tops for Education Fall Drive Form.

This is a busy week for Rays Athletics. We have had two lunch-time pep rallies and two home games. Our cheerleaders have been an integral part of creating the school spirit for our teams! Check out this fun video of them cheering at the JV game on Monday!

Tonight, we have our last home basketball game. Our girls will play RPDS at 5 p.m. Come support your girls basketball team. Last week, the girls had a huge win over San Jose and we flew the ‘W’ in the courtyard. The girls team has made it to the playoffs and will compete against St. Mark's on November 3rd for the opportunity to go to the final game. I am so proud of the amazing effort by all our girls!

The JV Boys finished off their season on Monday against San Jose's JV boys. Our kids played hard throughout the season and showed great attitudes and character during every game. Our cheerleaders did a fantastic job cheering at the basketball game.

We will celebrate both teams at our end-of-the-year Athletic Banquet in May!

Go Rays!

Tricia Novak
Athletics Director