Dear parents,

Welcome back to school! This has been an exceptionally fun week as all of our BES students are under one roof! It is great to have our youngest children in McCormick navigating their new space and giving high-fives to their older friends. This year BES has 32 new students! This Friday they will be recognized at Flag Ceremony. All of our parents are invited to attend in the McCormick Hall Courtyard at 8:05 a.m. We hope you can share this special time with us.

There are just a couple of details regarding logistics and safety of which you need to be aware to ensure a safe environment:

Morning Extended Day is now in the Movement Room of Hope Hall. The children should enter the black gate next to Hope Hall and then walk straight back to the glass double doors to the right of the large mosaic. There is a buzzer on the wall that should be pressed to allow entrance. PLEASE do not leave the circular driveway until you see your child enter the double doors.

Lunch for grades 1-6 is under the blue sun shade at the corner of 4th St. and 11th Ave. Lunch for PreK Plus and Kindergarten is out on the playground on the concrete behind the school. This area has not been completed yet. While we are waiting for it to be completed, the younger children will eat in their classrooms.

Carpool Guidelines: Please be patient in carpool. It takes about a week for us to know the cars and drivers which will make it go faster. If the teachers on duty do not recognize the person driving, they will ask for identification before we put your child in the car. WE WILL NOT PUT A CHILD IN A CAR IF THE DRIVER IS ON A CELL PHONE. You’ll be asked to pull over until the call is complete, and then you'll be able to return to the carpool lane. Please don’t interpret this as anything other than being safety conscious. Safety is our #1 priority, and these measures are meant to protect your children from unfocused drivers.

Thank you for your understanding and support. Remember, "Teamwork Makes Dreams Work!"

Fondly,

Martha

First Flag Ceremony (McCormick Hall courtyard)
Friday, August 18th at 8:05 a.m.

All-School FroYo Social (courtesy of Menchie's Frozen Yogurt)
Friday, August 18th from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. on Hixon Field

Parent-Faculty Nights
Tuesday, August  22nd (Adults Only - Grades 3-6) from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in classrooms

Thursday, August 24th (Adults Only - PreK3-2nd Grade) from 6:00-7:30 p.m. General Meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the church and then in the classrooms from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Childcare available with reservation. Please call the school office at 246-2466 to request this free service in advance of Parent-Faculty Nights.

First All-School Chapel
Wednesday, August 23rd at 8:10 a.m. in the church

Denim Day - students may wear jeans and either Spirit Day shirts or uniform tops OR regular uniform tops and bottoms (no donations necessary)
Friday, August 25th

Coffee and Conversation wtih Martha
Wednesday, August 30th after morning chapel

Jacksonville is expected to be able to view the solar eclipse on Monday, August 21st from 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., with the peak viewing time being at 2:47 p.m. You are welcome to pick up your child early that day if you’d like to watch it with him/her at home.

For the children in fourth through sixth grade who are still at school, we will use the Pinhole Projection method to view. This method allows viewing by projecting sunlight through a hole onto a surface. If your child has glasses that are deemed safe for viewing, you are welcome to send them in. The children are not allowed to share.

We will NOT be taking the younger children (grades PreK- 3rd) out at all. We just feel like their behavior is too unpredictable at this young age to risk looking at the sun.

If, for any reason, you do not want your older child to be outside, please send an email to your child’s teacher and we will honor your request.

Normal carpool procedures will be in place at 3:00 p.m.

For more information on viewing the solar eclipse in Jacksonville, click here!

Please take a few moments to read over the official Student-Parent Handbook for 2017-2018 and then print, sign and return the last page to the school office by Friday, August 18th. This is a requirement to show that parents have looked through and understand the various policies, expectations, and guidelines of our school as we start a new year. Thank you for your ongoing partnership, and we look forward to a wonderful year together!

BES is excited to once again offer a Denim Day one Friday every month for the 2017-2018 school year. The first Denim Day is Friday, August 25th! Students will be able to wear either jeans and Spirit Day shirts or uniform tops OR uniform tops and bottoms on these days.

There's one major change this year. Students will NOT have to bring in any charitable donations on Denim Days. Instead, BES will offer three charitable projects (one per trimester) throughout the year that our students will be able to participate in to help people in our community. Those projects will be determined in the near future, so stay tuned!

Spirit Day Every Friday: Every Friday is Spirit Day throughout the school year! On Spirit Days, students may wear their Spirit Day shirts with uniform bottoms (unless it's Denim Day, and then they can wear jeans).

Join us for Parent-Faculty Nights on Tuesday, August 22nd (Grades 3-6) and Thursday, August 24th (PreK3-2nd Grade). 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 each night is below.

Tuesday, August 22nd
6:30-7:30 p.m. Parents of students in Grades 3-6 in the classroom with teachers.

Thursday, August 24th
6:00 - 6:30 p.m. - General Meeting in the church for parents of students in PreK3 through 2nd grade.          

6:30-7:30 p.m. - Parents of students in PreK3 through 2nd grade in the classroom with teachers.

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 2017-2018 school year:

• Session #1 will run from August 28, 2017 through November 3, 2017. (no programs will be offered the following Monday: September 4th)

Important:
Parents will be billed by the FACTS system for BES teacher run offerings, including sports league programs. Email Mrs. Lilly, Director of After-school Activities, with any questions about offerings.

After-school Activities offered for 2017-2018 school year (Session 1):

Mondays: Flag Football, Cheer, Minecraft

Tuesdays: FACE4Kids

Wednesdays: Chess Club, Kids Yoga, Tennis

Thursdays: Battleball, Act It Out, Running Club

Piano Lessons with Mrs. Larson are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at specific times. Contact Mrs. Larson by email directly to schedule your students' time with her.

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 are encouraging our families and friends to include three specific school-related hashtags when posting pictures of student life at BES. This should make for a fun way of sharing in the joy in others' experiences at BES. 

The three hashtags are...

#WeLoveBES
Share your love of our school to friends and family

#GoRays
Encourage and show pride in our athletes and teams

#BESlife
Day-to-day updates about your students' adventures and learning at BES

As you proceed through the year, use these hashtags whenever possible. Let's share about this amazing place with our friends and family!

The new school year has arrived, and we're ready to get started with this year's Rays Athletics program!

A full list of Rays Athletics 2017-2018 offerings can be found here.

Basketball
Basketball season for our BES Rays team is here! See below for more details on how to register your students.

Basketball Season

• Boys 3rd - 4th Jr. Varsity
• 5th - 6th Varsity Team
• Girls 4th - 6th Graders

Practice starts week of August 28th

Dates and time of practices still to be determined

Games start week of September 11th

Games played: JV on Mondays, V on Tuesday, Girls on Thursday

Tournament Games are the weeks of October 30th and November 6th

Download, print, and return the Basketball Registration Form 2017 and Parent Waiver and Consent Form 2017 to get your student signed up. Email Mrs. Tricia Novak, Athletics Director, with any questions. We need more 5th and 6th grade boys and 4th to 6th grade girls to play so that we can have a team. If you have any interest, we invite you to join us.

Running Club
The first session of Running Club will be starting up soon (Thursday mornings at 7:00 a.m.), Click here for the registration form or email Mrs. Glasser or Mrs. Doughty if your student is interested in participating.

As always, check out the Athletics page on the BES website for details on current offerings for your students.

Tricia Novak
Athletic Director

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.

BES Backpack Sunday:
Everyone is invited to our annual Backpack Blessing and Teacher Commissioning during the worship service at 10:00 a.m. this coming Sunday, August 20th. Students of all ages and all teachers are welcome to join us as we celebrate the beginning of the school year!

Sandals, Shorts and Steel Drum Service:
Check out this new Sandals, Shorts, and Steel Drum Service video about an exciting opportunity to worship in a casual environment on Sunday mornings!

Every Sunday from 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m., we invite you to put on your sandals and shorts and join us for a more casual worship service! All are welcome to come and celebrate the Eucharist and enjoy the tropical sound of Steel Drum music. We hope you will join us for this short, but wonderful service!

Yoga Class:
Join us for our weekly Yoga class at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays in the church! Feel free to bring a mat if you have one, or use one of the chairs that we provide. All ages and skill levels welcome! We hope to see you there!

Ministry Fair:
Looking to get involved at St. Paul’s but don’t know where to start? Come see us at our Ministry Fair Sunday’s (August 27th, September 3rd, September 10th)! After the 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. services, all of our ministries will have information on how you can get involved, as well as an opportunity to sign up.

Luau:
On September 17th, we invite you to join us for a Luau! Put on your Hawaiian shirts and beach attire and join us as we celebrate the beginning of a new year! Enjoy the steel drum band, play some games and enjoy some delicious Barbeque. This event will be from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. after services have concluded for the day.