Mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 1st, as our students hold their first Art Auction.

The student’s art will be on display and available for purchase, by the highest bid, to family or friends. Digital reproductions of all art work can be ordered and purchased. In addition to the student’s work, we will have on-hand some paintings and photographs by professional artists and photographers. These works will also be available for sale to the highest bidder. In addition to the original art and digital reproductions; student’s art will be available through an online novelty store (details will be presented at the auction). There you will be able to purchase items (coffee mugs, key fobs, etc.) with the student’s art superimposed onto the item purchased. The school will receive a percentage of these purchases.

This is one of the three main fundraising efforts of our school this year. Please help us by inviting all your relatives, and friends, to be present at this event.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Last Saturday’s rally was a tremendous success. Thirty two students and adults were present and spent one hour seeking pledges. The result was that we brought in over four hundred dollars in pledges.

We will conduct another rally this Saturday. Please arrive at the school by 10 a.m. We will split up into groups, and go out seeking pledges. All groups will return by 11:30 a.m. for refreshments and to turn in any monies they have received. Please remember the importance of this fundraising event, and let’s all do our part.

On Saturday, April 18th, we will hold our first of three Human Race rallies. The purpose of these rallies is to help our students raise pledges by giving them an opportunity to go out into the community and seek them. We will provide transportation and adult supervision while the children are away from the school. Each team will consist of an adult leader and several teen helpers. Children will go into the different sections of Rohnert Park and seek pledges for our school. Then, upon return to the school, refreshments will be provided as we gather any pledges received and allow the children to share their experience with us. I am asking everyone to get involved. I will be here, and I encourage you to help me help our school. If you would like to help please contact myself or Mrs. Charon right away. I thank you in advance for your help and support.

Easter break is finally upon us, and both students and teachers are looking forward to a much needed rest. Please remember there will be no classes nor extended care on Friday, April 10th. Classes will resume on Monday, April 20th at 8:30 a.m. All of you are invited to share the Easter services with our church family. A special service will be conducted beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 12th. This service will be followed by an Easter Egg Hunt for all children aged toddler through 6th grade. The egg hunt will take place at “S” park, weather permitting. We hope to see everyone there.

Upon our return to classes on Monday, April 20th, a special guest will be with us. Mr. Gary Moline, Missions Director of Berean Baptist Church, will be present with us at 9:00 a.m. to share a slide show presentation of his recent missionary trip to Kenya, Africa. This will be a very enlightening and heart warming experience for all our students. Following the slide show, Mr. Moline will answer any and all questions the students may have concerning the mission work in Kenya. We also wish to invite all parents who may be interested to attend as well. For more information contact the school office.

Lastly, please remember the Human Race and our fundraising efforts associated with this event. We are counting on every student gathering pledges to help out. Our goal for this year is $15,000, and in order to reach this goal every family must do their part. Please speak with me concerning any questions or concerns you may have. Together we can accomplish this and more.

On Saturday, May 9, 2009, we will again participate in the Human Race event in Santa Rosa. This is our largest and most important fundraising event of the year. Therefore, I am calling upon every family and student, without exception, to help us by your full participation in this event. This will involve seeking donations from all of you family, friends, and co-workers. If each student were to raise just two hundred fifty dollars in pledges we could raise over fourteen thousand dollars for the various programs in our school.

Over the coming weeks, you will be contacted by one of our designated team leaders with information as to how you can help us make this event a big success. I ask that you all commit to the following: first, encourage your children to participate in the collection of pledges, and second, by your personal efforts to raise pledges from your acquaintances. These efforts will benefit each of you by helping us keep the cost of fees and tuition as low as possible. More information will be forthcoming over the next days and weeks. Alone I cannot accomplish this task, but together WE can experience great victory on behalf of our children.