This time of year is so exciting and filled with expectation and anticipation. I see this spirit emerge in both student and staff alike. This is also a very busy time of the year for us. Our daily schedule is filled with classroom studies and rehearsals in both singing and acting. This year, in addition to our Christmas program, we have added two programs to our Fall schedule: Fine Arts Competitions and Young Artist’s Sale. 

FINE ARTS COMPETITIONS – NOV 23rd & 24th. Please encourage your student to participate in the many areas of competitions. For more information speak with your student’s teacher, or call the school office.

YOUNG ARTIST’S SALE – Tuesday, December 1st, 6:30 p.m. Every student enrolled at BBCA will submit their own painting. These paintings will then be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The funds from this auction will go to benefit the programs at BBCA. More information on this program is forthcoming.

CHRISTMAS PAGEANT – Thursday, December 17th, 7:00 p.m. On this evening you will enjoy two separate performances. First, the students enrolled in grades K through 6 will present a musical entitled, “One Starry Night.” This cantata is under the direction of Mr. Gary Moline, Choir Director, Berean Baptist Church, and is sure to warm your heart. Then, the students enrolled in grades 7 through 12 will present a drama entitled, “Christmas in Iraq.” This drama is set in suburban America, and chronicles the events surrounding a young man, Matt, whose father has been called up to active duty in Iraq. This drama is sure to touch you and stir up the truth of love and faith epitomized by the Christmas season. The cost to attend this program will be $5 per adult, $2.50 for children 12 and under; children under 3 are free. The funds from this program will go to benefit the programs at BBCA. Tickets must be purchased through the school office. An order form will be sent home with your student; simply complete the form and return it with you payment and the tickets will be sent home with your student. If you have any questions please contact the school office.

Please plan now to participate in all of these holiday programs. We appreciate your help and support.

The holiday’s are upon us; and with it comes one of the busiest times of our school year. During the month of November, our students will be busy: rehearsing for the upcoming Christmas programs in December; as well as getting ready for the Fine Arts Competitions in November. Following is the schedule of events for November 2009:

• November 1: Tuition Installment #4 is due and payable.
• November 9 – 13: BBCA Book Faire, 8-8:30am and 2:15-6:00pm Monday thru Friday.
• November 12: Family Fun Night, 5-7pm, games, book reading, projects, etc.
• November 20: BBCA Crusaders Basketball Game, 6pm.
• November 23 – 24: 13th Annual Fine Arts Competitions.
• November 25 – 27: Thanksgiving Holiday, no school, no extended care.

Please plan to visit our book fair. A percentage of the sales of these books goes directly back to your child’s classroom; making it possible for us to obtain much needed resource and literature books for our school library.

Please encourage your child to participate in this year’s Fine Arts competitions. This is always a very enjoyable time of the school year, and a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their individual talents with their classmates.

Thank you for your continued confidence and support. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Please note the following change to our school calendar:

Classes WILL BE conducted on Monday, November 2nd, and Tuesday, November 3rd.

The first quarter will end on Friday, October 23rd. Appointments will be made for your Parent/Teacher conference. These conferences will be conducted after school hours during the week of October 26 – 30. Once you receive your appointment please confirm or ask for rescheduling with the school office. Your child’s current progress, as well as their previous year’s achievement scores, will be discussed at this conference.

If you have any questions please contact the school office at 707-584-7275, or email at dabshire@bbaptist.org.

October came in with a big bang! On Friday, October 2nd, our Boys Crusader Basketball team won their first game in four seasons. And furthermore, this victory came on the road as they defeated the Arlington Baptist Patriots in El Cerrito, by a score of 46-35! Congratulations Crusaders!

We have several things happening in October:

• October 12 – Columbus Day holiday; no school, no extended care;
• October 13 – Crusader Basketball game at Heritage Baptist in Antioch, 4pm;
• October 19 – Spirit Week begins with Hawaiian Day - dress in Hawaiian garb;
• October 19 – Crusader Basketball Home Game, main auditorium, 6pm;
• October 20 – Spirit Week: Jersey and Ball Cap Day - wear your favorite team cap and jersey!
• October 21 – Spirit Week: Western Day - wear your favorite western gear
• October 22 – Spirit Week: Crazy Hair Day – tease it, perm it, frizz it!
• October 23 – Spirit Week: Patriotic Day – put on the red, white, and blue!
• October 23 – Crusader Basketball Home Game, main auditorium, 6pm;
• October 23 – End of 1st Quarter;
• October 26 – Crusader Basketball game at Calvary Baptist in Fairfield, 5:30 pm;

We have already begun conducting Fine Arts Workshops to help prepare and motivate students for the upcoming competitions, November 23rd and 24th. More workshops will be conducted over the next few weeks. These will include: art, cake decorating, culinary, music, photography, sculpting, and sewing. Please encourage your child to participate in as many areas as possible. If you need more information, or would be interested in helping in the fine arts programs, please speak to Mr. Abshire or Mrs. Charon.

Please remember our incentive programs designed to help increase enrollment and save you money. Refer a friend or relative to BBCA and, upon their enrollment, you can receive a $100 credit against your tuition account. I am sure that all of us could use an extra $100 in our bank accounts. If you need more information on this program please speak with Mr. Abshire.

Please remember that tuition payments are due by October 5th and are delinquent after October 20th. Help us keep our programs running smoothly by making your payments on a timely basis. If you have any questions or need any information remember that my door is always open to you.

School is well under way, and I am very pleased to see the good attitudes and the hard work of all students enrolled this year. Following is the schedule for September 2009:

• September 6 – Pioneer Clubs begin – Sunday evenings at 6pm
• September 7 – Labor Day holiday - no classes, no extended care
• September 11 – Family Film Night – “Facing The Giants” – Snack Bar opens at 6pm – Movie starts at 6:30pm – Baked goods available for purchase to benefit BBCA
• September 15 – Child Guard Day – 8:00am – See Mrs. Charon for more details
• September 21 through 23 – Fall Teen Retreat, Mt. Gilead Conference Center – Grades 6-12 only
• September 24 and 25 – No classes for Upper Learning Center students (Grades 7-12)
• September 26 – Pre-season Basketball Tournament – Location and times TBA
• September 29 – School Pictures – Casual dress (must conform with school dress code guidelines)

The second installment of your tuition is now due. Please remember that we depend upon the timely submission of these funds to operate our school. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at your convenience via email (dabshire@bbaptist.org) or stop by the school office.

The start of school is now just days away. Please make sure that you have completed your registration paperwork, and have paid your annual fees. Students may not begin classes without these items being complete. If you are paying your annual tuition in installments, the first installment was due on August 1st, and will be delinquent as of August 20th. This installment must be paid prior to students starting classes.

Please refer to the following for important dates and times:

• August 17th: Staff Orientation; all staff returns to work.
• August 21st: Parent Orientation, Main Auditorium, 7pm.  All families are encouraged to be present. Important information concerning athletics, uniforms, handbooks, etc., will be discussed at this meeting.
• August 24th: First day of school.  Classes begin at 8:30 am.  Extended Care available.

 If you have any questions please contact the school office at 707-584-7275, or by email to: psmith@bbaptist.org, or dabshire@bbaptist.org.

That’s right, happy days! This is the proclamation of every parent awaiting the start of the new school year. Summer is coming to an end, and a new school year approaches on the horizon.

Parent Orientation is scheduled for Friday evening, August 21st at 7 p.m. This is a mandatory meeting for all families enrolled in BBCA. School supply lists, uniform updates, curriculum updates, and classroom updates will be discussed during this meeting. This is information you will need to know. Please mark your calendars now and make plans to attend. Also, by this time you should have paid all of your annual fees. If you have not, please contact the school office right away to schedule a time to come in and take care of this. Returning students will not be allowed to begin classes until the registration and annual fees are paid in full.

The first installment of your annual tuition will be due August 1st. This installment must be paid before your student will be allowed to begin classes. If you need more information on this please call; or stop by; the school office to speak with Mrs. Smith or myself.

As usual, annual fees are broken into two installments: the first due on June 1 and the second due on July 1. These fees, and their timely submission, are very important as we prepare for the coming school year. Each of you should have received a packet containing a breakdown of your family’s annual fees, as well as a financial contract between you and the school. If you have not received this packet, please contact the school office immediately.

New to this year’s annual fees is a “Fundraising Commitment Fee.” Each year, we depend upon the efforts of each family to participate in the two fundraising events we hold. Many of our families do a wonderful job in assisting us; however, some do not participate at all. This is very inequitable and places a tremendous burden upon the few that work so hard. Therefore, this year we will allow each family to opt out of helping in these efforts by the payment of this fee. All families who do participate in the events will be given a credit against their final tuition installment. The option is yours.

Please watch our website for important information throughout the summer.

With under three weeks until the end of school, please remember the following:

TUITION INSTALLMENT 10: Please remember that the final installment for your annual tuition was due by May 5th. Students with an outstanding balance after May 20th will not receive credit for the fourth quarter until the balance is paid in full.

SPECIAL ELECTIONS: On Tuesday, May 19th, our facilities will host 3 precincts for the statewide special elections. Therefore, there will be no classes and no extended care on this date.

ANNUAL PICNIC: We will hold our annual picnic on Friday, May 22nd, at Howarth Park. Meal tickets must be purchased through the school office prior to the picnic. You may stop by the school office at any time to purchase the meal tickets. The cost for meal tickets is: $5 ages 13 and older; $4 ages 12 and under; Free for ages 3 and under. Only those with a meal ticket will be served a meal at the picnic. If you will provide your own lunch you do not need to purchase a meal ticket. We have reserved the park from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL / ANNUAL ACADEMIC AWARDS: Wednesday, May 27th, we will assemble in the main auditorium at 9 a.m. to present our student body with their individual academic awards. Parents are invited to attend this presentation. Following the awards presentation, students will return to their classrooms to collect their personal belongings and, at Noon, will be dismissed for the summer. Please note that there will be no afternoon extended care provided on this day.

KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION / ACADEMIC AWARDS: Please plan to attend the graduation program for this year’s K5 students. This program will be held on Thursday, May 28th, at 7 p.m. Following the graduation program, students enrolled in the K4 and K5 class will be presented with their academic achievement awards for the 2008-2009 school year.

Due to a scheduling conflict we will NOT conduct the second Human Race Rally on Saturday, April 25th; instead we will hold the rally on Monday, April 27th from 4:00 p.m. through 5:30 p.m. Please note this change and mark your calendars accordingly.