Our school family

We were invited by the United Way of Greater Austin to be a partner of its Success by Six (school-readiness initiative).  We also formed a partnership, through our association with the Arts and Fitness Programs for Young Children (AFPYC), with the Center for Child Protection (CPP).  

Educators from CPP did trainings for our staff on recognizing child abuse (and what to do) and they will do a workshop I two weeks for our parents on dealing with positive strategies for discipline and They also provided SJES with two brand-new IBM Explorer Computers for use in our Discovery (kindergarten readiness) classrooms.

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In addition, Wee Little Arts—a nationally recognized art curriculum for young children—provides art instruction to our older children every week at cost (which the school pays). 

Wee Little Arts is offered at St. David’s and Trinity Episcopal School where parents pay over $100 / month for their child to have weekly art classes;  thanks to our partnerships with AFPYC and Wee Little Arts, students at SJES are provided this wonderful art program at no additional charge to parents.

I am pleased that we received grants in 2012 from foundations that had not supported SJES for a number of years. 

Among them are the Alice K. Reynolds Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas, and the Georgia B. Lucas Fund at Austin Community Foundation, and the Rachael and Ben Vaughan Foundation. 

We also received approval to submit a proposal to the Women’s Fund (ACF) and are hopeful that our request will be funded. 

Thanks to a $60,000 grant we received in September from the Dodge Jones Foundation (Abilene), awarded for the purpose of retiring debt we incurred during a cash flow crunch in fall of 2011, we are now debt-free. 

 In closing, I want to say again what an honor it is for SJES to be a ministry of the parish. 

I truly believe our school—your school—is helping to build the Kingdom of God on earth, today, through providing young children early education of the highest caliber in an environment which engenders a love of learning in them and through which they come to know, both in daily interactions with our nurturing, caring staff and through our chapel program, that they are beloved children of God. 

I’m grateful for many ways the parish supports the school—referrals (of prospective families), allowing us to use the sanctuary and Founders Hall, the helpfulness of your parish administrators, including us in your school supply drive and in the ministries of Neighbor to Neighbor, and the great service rendered to the school by parishioners who serve on our Board of Trustees. 

I’m also very grateful for the financial support we receive, both from the parish itself and from individual parishioners, and, especially, for your continued prayers for the students and their families; the teachers; and the administrators of St. James’ Episcopal School.

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