Dear Parents and Friends,

The year is underway, and we are off to a great start! The children have come back to an energetic faculty and staff, well planned academic program, and caring friends!

This year we welcome 27 new families and 36 new students!

Please join us tomorrow morning for our first Flag Ceremony of the year at 8:10 a.m. in the McCormick Courtyard. This is a time for us to gather as a school to honor our country, our God, and each other. The children recite the Honor Code every Friday, which embraces our school philosophy. It states, “On my honor, I strive to uphold Beaches Episcopal School’s values of respect, integrity, and responsibility.” It is my hope that this will become so ingrained in your children that it just becomes our way of life around here.

Then, tomorrow evening, we are scheduled to have our third annual back to school Fro-Yo Social (previously known as the Ice Cream Social). This is a great opportunity for you to meet our awesome new families and get re-acquainted with old friends. This free event will take place on Hixon Field from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., and Menchie's will provide the frozen yogurt. In the event of rain, we’ll move inside to Stormes Hall.

Finally, I just want to say thank you to the staff and teachers who have done an incredible job getting ready for your children. They have worked many hours beyond what is expected to be sure the proper operational systems are in place, the classrooms are decorated, the curriculum researched, and the tone set for a wonderful year. We are blessed to have such an incredible group of professionals.

Fondly,

Martha Milton

All-School FroYo Social (courtesy of Menchie's Frozen Yogurt)
Friday, August 19th from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. on Hixon Field

First Flag Ceremony (McCormick Hall courtyard)
Friday, August 19th at 8:05 a.m.

First All-School Chapel
Wednesday, August 24th at 8:10 a.m. in the church

Denim Day (American Cancer Society) - bring $1 or more to school and students may wear jeans and uniform tops
Friday, August 26th

Parent-Faculty Night
Thursday, Sept. 1st (Adults Only) - Childcare available with reservation. Please call the school office to request this free service. More information can be found later in this e-news.

For those parents that are looking for instant access to what is going on in the classroom from their mobile device, please find below information on the RenWeb Home App for Parents.

RenWeb Home provides access to the features in ParentsWeb via a mobile app. Parents and students have instant access to school and academic information, including online lunch ordering, attendance, homework, and more.

RenWeb Home is available for iOS (iPhone or iPad) and Android devices for an annual subscription of $4.99 per household.

Click here to learn more about the RenWeb Home App for Parents: http://www.renweb.com/our-services/mobile-apps/

If you have any questions regarding the app, please feel free to contact Ashley Davis in the Admissions Office at (904) 246-2466 ext. 137.

Join us for Parent-Faculty Night on Thursday, Sept. 1st! Parents will have the opportunity to hear directly from your students' teachers in the classroom and ask questions. This evening is only for parents, but childcare will be available with a reservation. Please call the school office to request this free service.

The schedule for the night is below. Note: This is a staggered event where PreK3-1st grade parents will come at 6:00 p.m. and stay until 7:30 p.m. while 2nd-6th grade parents will arrive at 7:00 p.m. and stay until around 8:20 p.m. The General Meeting from 7:00-7:30 p.m. is for all grade level parents and will take place in the St. Paul's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church sanctuary.

PreK3-1st Grade Parents
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. - Classroom Meeting                                                                    
General Meeting (for all parents) 
7:00 - 7:30 p.m. - SPBTS Church
     
2nd Grade–6th Grade Parents 
7:35 - 8:20 p.m. - Classroom Meeting

Beaches Episcopal School has a wide variety of paid After-school Activities available for our students, and they are offered by trimester. Parents will want to register early to secure their child's spot.

Session/Trimester dates for 2016-2017 school year:

• Session #1 will run from August 29, 2016 through November 3, 2016. (no programs will be offered the following Mondays: September 5th, or 26th, or October 31st)
• Session #2 will run from November 28, 2016 through February 16, 2017. (no programs will be offered Dec.19 – Jan. 2, 2017 or January 16, 2017)
• Session #3 will run from February 27, 2017 through May 16, 2017. (no programs will be offered March 20-24, 2017 or April 17-18, 2017)

Important:
Parents should go to the After-school Activities page of our website to view fliers for each activity in Session #1. Fliers for activities taught by BES faculty or staff should be printed and returned to the school office, or you can contact Gretchen Henson, Director of After School Activities, by email.

Parents will be billed by the FACTS system for BES teacher run offerings, including sports league programs. If your child is being registered for an offering being led through an outside vendor (F.A.C.E., Fencing, Young Rembrandts, Cooking, and Tennis), please make a check out to the vendor attached to the registration form and return to the school office.

After-school Activities offered for 2016-2017 school year (Session 1):

Mondays
Battleball with Mrs. Lilly

Tuesdays
Cheer with Ms. Hardy
Quidditch with Mrs. Glass
F.A.C.E. with Kirk Farber
Piano Lessons with Mrs. Larson

Wednesdays
Tennis with Danny Witt
Cooking with Miss Stef
Fencing with Coach Alan

Thursdays
Running Club with Mrs. Doughty and Ms. Glasser (7 a.m.)
Flag Football with Mr. Skornia
Minecraft with Mrs. Devers
Young Rembrandts with Mrs. Rice
Piano Lessons with Mrs. Larson

All after-school activities are offered from 3:15-4:15 p.m. on their respective days, unless otherwise stated by the offering instructor.

Click here to be directed to the After-school Activities page of our website for fliers and more details.

We have created a new BES Alumni community page on Facebook! We feel this will engage our alumni and their families to the fullest and give them an avenue to connect with each other and share noteworthy information and accomplishments about our students. We will also provide updates about our alumni as we hear about them. Alumni may contact us directly by filling out an online form at the bottom of the Alumni page of our BES website. 

Our goal is to stay connected with each of our alumni, and this action is just one more means to that end.

Click below for the new BES Alumni community page on Facebook, and remember to like the page while you are visiting: https://www.facebook.com/besalums/

BES families are encouraged to purchase tickets to the October 4th showing of "Sister Act" at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre to benefit St. Paul's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church's BES Scholarship Fund. The proceeds from this event will go toward future financial scholarships for BES students in need.

Tickets are $55 per person, and you may contact Stacy Nash in the Development Office at (904) 246-2466 to order tickets or for more details. The deadline to purchase tickets is Sept. 13th.

Click on this flyer for more information about the event!

One of our amazing fifth grade students, Eve Holway, was inadvertently left off the Honor Roll list in the Starfish News publication this summer. We apologize for this omission and congratulate her on this tremendous accomplishment!