Bhaktivedanta Academy Has Officially Become a Candidate IB World School

I am happy to report that we have been notified by International Baccalaureate that Bhaktivedanta Academy is now officially a candidate school for the Middle Years Programme. This is the first major step in our eventual authorization (accreditation) of the Krishna Sharanam 7th-10th grade program and is a notable event in our school's history.

We still have a long way to go and many things to accomplish but we are well on our way to becoming authorized as an IB World School!

Many thanks to Jaya Sri Radhe, our IB Coordinator, for tirelessly charging forward with the Krishna Sharanam program development and getting us to this point.

For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit http://ibo.org/myp

Expansion Update

• Preparations are in full swing for our upcoming Krishna Sharanam Middle Years Program expansion.
• We are capping the first 7th grade class at 12 students and have 8 already enrolled/applied.
• We submitted our application for candidacy to International Baccalaureate and will be informed of our status around mid-May. This is our first milestone in the accreditation process.
• We are in the initial permitting stage of in the construction process. Our civil engineer has submitted site plan revisions to the county and are in the process of review/comment. We hope to have planning approval by the end of May.
• Although our ultimate goal is a site built campus, due to the constraints of zoning, time, and financial resources, we are utilizing modular classroom buildings for this particular expansion. They provide the most cost and time efficient option for us at this time.

Krishna Sharanam Middle School Introduction

Krishna Sharanam, Bhaktivedanta Academy's upcoming middle school, is accepting applications for 7th graders for the 2013-14 school year. Jaya Sri Radhe devi dasi, who heads the middle school, brings her passion for teaching and dedication to young people to create a holistic and comprehensive educational program that gives students a strong spiritual foundation, rigorous academic education, and an extensive life-skills program.

 Spiritual Education

Krishna Sharanam, which literally means under the shelter of Lord Krishna, is a program deeply rooted in a spiritual education that will not only teach students the fundamentals of our rich Vaishnava theology, but will also prepare them to interact in the world they will be entering. With a focus on rekindling our loving relationship with Krishna, students will be immersed in a joyful environment where Bhakti can take root and flourish. Over the four years in our program, through the use of an innovative visual-indexing of our scriptures called Mani-Mandalas, students will be completing the scriptural study necessary to receive a Bhakti Shastri degree. They will also participate in spiritual internships, interfaith experiences, and project-based learning to develop a deep understanding of our Vaishnava philosophy and how to apply it in their lives.

Academic Program

At the heart of Krishna Sharanam is its rigorous academic program. The middle school will follow the framework of the Middle Years Programme* as outlined by the International Baccalaureate (IB). This program focuses on how students learn, not just what they learn within the core subject areas: Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology, Foreign Language (Spanish), Fine Arts, and Physical Education. The IB’s holistic educational model emphasizes the development of life-long learners who possess intercultural awareness, tolerance for others and their ideas, and an inquiring mind. Every child, no matter their ability, can succeed in an IB classroom and will learn the skills needed to thrive in our modern world.

Exploratory Wheel

During the critical stage of adolescence, children need to develop their sense of identity. The exploratory wheel is a multifaceted life skills program that will give students exposure to a variety of subjects as they seek to determine who they are and what their unique contribution to the world will be. Students will gain understanding of how Krishna is the source of everything, including their talents as they gain experience in the areas of technology, music, fine arts, devotional arts, the outdoors, old-time crafts, foreign languages, and communication skills. By learning about their talents and how to use them in Krishna’s service, a strong connection with Him will develop. This connection will provide the inner strength they will need to make good choices in their lives.

Krishna Sharanam is a program committed to excellence in the educational process and from each person who is part of it, as stated in its class creed: "I strive for excellence in all that I do and all that I am." Jaya Sri Radhe has a long history of commitment to our community with this same drive for excellence. Her goal is to provide a first-class educational program that provides our children a shelter in which they can develop to their fullest potential: spiritually, academically, and vocationally within a nourishing and loving environment.

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*Bhaktivedanta Academy is applying to be a candidate school* for the Middle Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy — a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education — that we believe is important for our students. *Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.