Episcopal Insider
St. Mark's Campus
January 3, 2025
All Campuses
Important Dates
February 1, 2025 – Florida School Choice Scholarship application opens for renewal and new applicants. New applicants can apply for the 2025-2026 school year through Step Up for Students. April 30, 2025 – Renewal application deadline. Applications received after April 30, 2025 will be processed as new students.Key Information & New Steps for Scholarship Applicants
Here is some helpful information to be aware of, including a new step that families will need to complete this year:- Application checklist: For a list of documents that may be needed when a family applies, please click here.
- Priority deadline: To ensure renewing students receive priority for the Private School Scholarship and the Unique Abilities Scholarship, families must submit their application by Wednesday, April 30. After this date, all students will be processed as “new students” due to legislative changes for this year.
- New step for families: Once a student is found eligible, the family will be asked to “Accept” or “Decline” the scholarship. Once accepted, the student’s status will be updated to “Awarded.” Please monitor your email for future updates about enrollment.
- Step Up for Students is here to help: In addition to their regular hours, their team will be available to assist families this weekend from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.
Many ESJ parents are familiar with The Monique Burr Foundation’s Child Safety Matters curriculum taught at our Lower Schools. ESJ parents are encouraged to join our programming partner The Monique Burr Foundation for a webinar on Thursday, February 6, 2025, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Developing Digital Safety, Empathy, and Mindfulness with Richard Guerry.
The webinar is free and you must register to attend. Click here to register.
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_58L7OQvgTwunFpgLObrbsw
About the Webinar
From The Monique Burr Foundation for Children (MBF)
Apps like TikTok continue to grow; Deep Fakes are becoming a more common issue, AI is being deployed on a larger scale, Communication in online gaming is growing more frequent for children at younger ages, and; Wearable tech like Snapchat Specs & Meta Smart Glasses will continue to evolve, thus the need for responsibility, as well as empathy and kindness has become even more paramount.
Richard will provide attendees with information & tips to create responsible decision-making with today’s – and tomorrow’s – technology and understand how to replace blind decision-making with informed decision-making. The information provided will assist attendees in helping youth, and other adults, not just understand how to survive – but how to thrive – with continuously evolving digital tools and technologies.
About Richard Guerry
Richard Guerry is the founder of the non-profit organization the Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication (IROC2.org) and one of the nation’s most sought-after speakers on digital safety, empathy and mindfulness. He is the author of multiple cyber safety books and has been a featured speaker at numerous national & international conferences. His Programs have received the School Safety Advocacy Council’s:
- Exemplary School Safety Program Award
- Exemplary School Safety Initiative Award
- National Anti-Bullying Award
Richard has appeared as an expert on Radio Disney, CNN, FOX, CBS, MTV’s Thin Line Campaign, as well as in Parade Magazine and many local, regional, and international publications to help humans better understand how to wield the power of evolving technology with wisdom and responsibility through solution-oriented concepts critical to anyone using digital tools.
Applications for the 2025-2026 school year are open and now is the time to apply for siblings at all ESJ campuses!
Episcopal families interested in a sibling applying to the Beaches Campus (Grades Pre-K 3 – 5), St. Mark’s Campus (Age 1 – Grade 5) or Munnerlyn Campus (Grades 6 – 12) should follow the steps below and complete the process by January 31. Siblings receive priority consideration, but space is limited, so be sure to complete the application process early.
View Steps to Apply for a Sibling
Reminders
2024-2025 Important Upcoming Calendar Dates
- January 29 – Dads’ Club Gathering (6:00 p.m., Lori Schiavone Commons)
- January 31 – Deadline to Re-Enroll for 2025-2026 School Year
- February 3 – 6 – CTP 5 Testing (Grades 3-5)
- February 7 – Chapel in the Park (Weather Permitting) (Grades K-5)
- February 7 – Ortega River Run T-Shirt Day
- February 7 – Ortega River Run Packet Pick-up and Pizza Dinner
- February 8 – W.W. Gay Ortega River Run
- February 13 – Daughter Dance
- February 14 – Valentines’ Day Class Parties
- February 17 – Presidents’ Day – School and Extended Day Closed
- February 21 – Early Dismissal (noon), Eagle Afternoon Program Closed
Students who are not re-enrolled by January 31, 2025, will not be guaranteed a space in the 2025-2026 school year.
Click Here to Complete Re-enrollment
Please refer to the email sent on January 16 for specific re-enrollment instructions for your child’s campus and grade level. These emails can be found in your My ESJ Portal. To reserve your child’s space for the 2025-2026 school year, all steps must be completed via the My ESJ Enrollment Portal by January 31, 2025. Please review the key updates listed below.
If you have any questions concerning re-enrollment, please contact Melissa Tucker, Director of Lower School Admission & Enrollment – St. Mark’s Campus, at [email protected]. We look forward to welcoming your family back for the 2025-2026 school year!
Key Updates
- Payment Plans: Early Learning Program
- 1 Pay: July
- 2 Pay: July and November
- 10 Pay: July – April
- Payment Plans: Pre-K 3 – Grade 5
(ELP 2 to rising Pre-K 3 families: note there will be one month of tuition overlap as you transition from the ELP payment schedule to the Pre-K 3 payment schedule.)
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- 1 Pay: April
- 2 Pay: April and November
- 10 Pay: April – January
- Financial Obligation Schedule: Pre-K 3 – Grade 5 contracts that are canceled after the deposit is submitted will have the following financial obligations:
- Upon signing the re-enrollment agreement: 25% of the annual tuition
- April 1 – June 30: 50% of the annual tuition
- After June 30: 100% of the annual tuition
On Friday, February 7, 2025—just one day before the W.W. Gay Ortega River Run— all faculty, staff, and students are invited to wear their Ortega River Run shirts.
When you register for either the one-mile or five-mile race, you will receive a complimentary short-sleeve shirt.
Toddler, adult long-sleeve, and adult tank shirts are also available by following the link below:
Order deadline = January 8, 2025
The ability to register and pay for 2025 spring a la carte holiday care concludes Friday, January 31.
Holiday Care includes the following dates:
- Spring Break (March 10-14)
- Easter Monday (April 21)
Tuesday, January 14
8:15 – 9:15 a.m.
Youth Center
St. Mark’s Campus parents will continue discussing Dr. Becky Kennedy’s “Good Inside” book, Chapters 16-20. Chapters cover Rudeness and Defiance, Whining, Lying, Fears and Anxiety, Hesitation and Shyness. If you have not previously attended a meeting but are interested in these topics, you are welcome to attend!
Friday, January 17
8:25 a.m.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
(Pre-K 3 – Grade 5)
Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4 and Kindergarten
Fathers come to the classrooms between 8:10 – 8:15 a.m. to walk children to church
Grades 1-5
Fathers/special friends meet students outside the church at 8:15 a.m.
*If you have children in Pre-K or Kindergarten and Grades 1-5, please pick up your youngest child(ren) first, then wait for older children outside the church.
School and the Extended Day Program are closed on Monday, January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. School will resume on Tuesday, January 21.
Thursday, January 23
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Open House
Eagle Afternoon Program will close at 5:30 PM on January 23
All St. Mark’s families with ELP 1 through Grade 5 children are invited to our Family Open House! Join us for a fun and interactive evening where you can explore your child’s current classroom, discover exciting enrichment classes, and experience a glimpse of your student’s 2025-26 school year.
Each child will receive a passport to guide them on this evening’s journey. Once their passport is complete, they’ll be entered into a raffle to win some sought-after ESJ swag. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to celebrate your child’s progress this school year. Please remember to wear your parent name tag when attending events on campus. (If you have lost your tag, please use this form: Name Tag Orders.)
For questions, please contact Melissa Tucker at [email protected] or 904-388-2632.
The Eagle Afternoon Program will close at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 23, so families can attend the Open House Event.
Pre-K 3—Grade 5 students receive a book for their birthday that is added to the Steve Williams Library Collection. Please be on the lookout for an email from Mrs. Trumpler regarding book selection. After a special bookplate is placed in the book, it will be blessed at the Birthday Chapel. Your child will be the first person to check out the book, and we ask them to return it after reading it for a few weeks so other children can enjoy it! Please join us at their special birthday Chapel.
8:25 a.m.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
February and July Birthdays
- February 24 (Grades 1-5)
- February 26 (Pre-K and Kindergarten)
March Birthdays
- March 24 (COMBINED Grades Pre-K 3 – Grade 5)
April and May Birthdays
- April 14 (Grades 1-5)
- April 23 (Pre-K and Kindergarten)
Each month, first – fifth grade students are recognized by peers and teachers for demonstrating qualities of the Fruit of the Spirit that the Apostle Paul writes about in his letter to the church in Galatia. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23. Parents are welcome to attend these afternoon gatherings, as they are all Chapels and gatherings.
Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m.
Lori Schiavone Commons
- February 19 – Fruit of Goodness Gathering
- March 19 – Fruit of Faithfulness Gathering
- April 23 – Fruit of Gentleness Gathering
- May 14 – Fruit of Self-Control Gathering