Join us for Blessing of the Pets on Friday, October 5thWe hope you're making plans to attend tomorrow's Blessing of the Pets at 8:10 a.m. at the lawn in front of St. Paul's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. There is no Flag Ceremony on this day. This event is in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of animals and the environment. Our families' pets will be blessed by vestry members of the church. Pets, stuffed animals, and pictures of pets are welcome! Invest in Your Child's Future by Giving to the BES Starfish Fund Annual Giving CampaignThe Starfish Fund Annual Giving Campaign for Beaches Episcopal School has officially begun! We are honored to already have 100% giving from our amazing faculty and staff, as well as our Board of Trustees. This is our largest fundraiser every year, and all gifts directly benefit our students. You will be receiving a letter from our Annual Giving Chairs, Lori and Terry Cordell, along with a pledge card in the next few days. In this letter, they share all the wonderful ways your gifts are at work. In addition to traditional pledge cards, there are two places online you can give. 1) BES Website: Gifts and pledges can be made on the "Ways to Give" page of the BES website. 2) New! Make a gift quickly from your phone using Givesmart! Go to the BES Givesmart page and then press the "Sign In and Register" button on the top right portion of the screen. Lastly, click on "Register Now" to create a Givesmart account, enter your information, and make a new donation. Please join our school community by making a gift to this year’s Starfish Fund, and help us meet and exceed our $65,000 goal! The campaign runs through December 31, 2018, and all gifts are tax deductible. Thank you for investing in your children's future, and help us celebrate our 65th anniversary this year as we strive to set bright students on a trajectory toward success and significance. If you have any questions about the campaign or ways to give, please contact Stacy Nash, Director of Development, at (904) 246-2466. Be the one…make the difference. BES Families Encouraged to Donate Items for "Make a Difference Monday" Blessing BagsOn October 8th, BES students will be putting together Blessing Bags for our Make a Difference Monday community outreach. Parents, please send in travel size toiletries like shampoo, soap, mouthwash, toothbrushes, as well as lunchbox size snack bags and treats for these Blessing Bags by Friday, October 5th. During Make a Difference Monday, our students will create a hopeful card with a prayer and put it in a Blessing Bag with those items that have been turned in. The school will then donate these bags to a local homeless shelter to give to those less fortunate. Thank you for sending in these items, and we can't wait to see our students participate in this wonderful outreach. Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day a Cherished Memory for Our Guests and StudentsWe sincerely thank our special guests for attending the Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day on Monday, October 1st. We could feel the love and pride each family member and friend had for their students' accomplishments and educational experience here at BES. If you or a grandparent is interested in downloading images from the event or purchasing prints, you can click on the photo gallery on our BES Smugmug page and select the images you want to save. Again, thank you for your contributions to our school community, and please encourage family members and friends to follow our social media pages to keep up-to-date with school happenings and future events. Student Successes: John Gentek, 5th Grade Student, Qualifies for Tennis ChampionshipJohn Gentek, 5th grade student at BES and avid tennis player, qualified as one of the top 32 boys (10 and under) in the state of Florida to compete in The Bobby Curtis State Championship, held at the USTA National Tennis Center in Orlando. He made it to the semi-finals, finishing in the top 10. He is currently ranked as 123 in the 12-and-under category for boys singles in the state. Way to go, John! Athletics UpdateOur basketball teams are developing and improving with every practice and game. Our boys played St. Mark's Episcopal Day School on Monday, and our girls will play at St. Mark’s tonight at 5:00 p.m. Last week, our girls' game against RPDS was a battle. However, Coach Graves and Coach Cinnamond are so proud of the girls for how well they played. The coaches loved that every girl wanted more playing time. They really are enjoying basketball. Thank you to our parents for their continued support. Go Rays! Tricia Novak Save the Date: Sixth Grade Spaghetti Dinner on Thursday, November 8thStart making plans to attend the Sixth Grade Spaghetti Dinner on Thursday, November 8th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall. This event is always an enjoyable time as our sixth grade students serve a delicious Italian meal and entertain our guests during a memorable evening of music, food, and friendship. To go orders available as well. We hope to see your family there to support our sixth grade students and to have a joy-filled dinner. Upcoming Events and Dates of InterestBlessing of the Pets/No Flag Ceremony Make a Difference Monday: Blessing Bags Fifth and Sixth Grade Trip to North Carolina Conference Days/Planning Days (Extended Day Open with Reservations) Fall Holiday (No School and Extended Day Closed) Vision Screening in Movement Room (by Vision is Priceless) Picture Day (Individual) October Birthday Free Dress Day Costume Parade at 8:10 a.m., Early Dismissal at 11:30 a.m., Extended Day with Reservations, Fall Pottery Begins ChurchChat: News from St. Paul's by-the-Sea Episcopal ChurchUNF Professor, Rev. Gregg Kaufman of the Kettering Foundation, will lead a three-week conversation on current, complex, societal issues to provide us with tools to help us facilitate healthy dialogue. Join him at St. Paul’s by-the-Sea on Wednesdays, October 10 and 17, at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Snacks will be provided. October’s Lunch and Learn: With cold and flu season fast approaching, we’ve arranged for a presentation on Infection Protection. Bring a lunch to the Christopher Building on Tuesday, October 2 at 11:30 a.m. as we educate ourselves on ways to prevent infections and when to receive immunizations. |