Episcopal Insider
Munnerlyn Campus
January 17, 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
New This Week
Please join us for the Parents Association Meeting on Friday, January 17, at 8:15 a.m. in Harden Hall. May Ibasco, Tyler Bond, and Maria Carter from ESJ’s College Counseling office will speak. Coffee and waters provided.
Parents of 9th-grade students are invited to join the College Counselors on Tuesday, January 21 for an information session, offered at both 8:15 am and 5:30 pm. The counselors will share information and perspectives covered during Freshman Seminar visits, discuss high school course planning, and allow time for parent questions and discussion. We hope you’ll join us!
If you have any questions, please contact Traci Cory at [email protected].
Morning
Date: Tuesday, January 21
Time: 8:15-9:30 a.m.
Place: Harden Hall (Haskell Center)
Evening
Date: Tuesday, January 21
Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Place: Busey Boardroom (Haskell Center)
Attention all performance lovers and dance enthusiasts! The Episcopal School of Jacksonville Fine Arts Department proudly presents Memories., the Annual Dance Concert, on February 6 and 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the Deming Theatre.
This enchanting showcase will feature over 70 talented and devoted Lower, Middle, and Upper School dancers, captivating audiences with their awe-inspiring performances. General admission tickets are $20 and can be purchased at esj.booktix.com. ESJ students receive complimentary admission by showing their student ID at the entrance.
Why Memories.? In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Munnerlyn Center for Worship and Fine Arts, this year’s concert reflects on two decades of dance excellence and creativity. The performance will feature works by alumna Jen Efstathion Colvin ’06, showcasing a vibrant hip-hop number, and a recreation of the iconic Ramalama by returning former director of dance Missy Ponder-Reston.
Adding a spiritual resonance to this year’s theme is the Fine Arts Department’s guiding verse: “I thank my God every time I remember you.” (Philippians 1:3). Prepare to be transported as our dancers bring a diverse range of styles to life, from contemporary to hip-hop, jazz to tap, and more. Elevating the evening further, we are thrilled to welcome back guest artist Tommy Alexander.
Memories. promises to be a remarkable celebration of artistry, passion, and the joy of dance. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness the extraordinary talent of our students and the enduring legacy of the Fine Arts Department.
Click here to view a list of key dates for next school year.
*Please note one revision: December 19 will now be a Faculty Planning day with no school.
Click here to view the 9GOA 2024 full-length video.
Reminders
Students who are not re-enrolled by today, 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 today, January 31, 2025. Please review the key updates listed below.
If you have any questions concerning re-enrollment, please contact Andrea Rizzi, Director of Enrollment & Upper School Admission, at [email protected]. We look forward to welcoming your family back for the 2025-2026 school year!
Key Updates
- Payment Plans: Grade 6 – Grade 12
- 1 Pay: April
- 2 Pay: April and November
- 10 Pay: April – January
- Financial Obligation Schedule – 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
Our Spanish Exchange sister school based in Zaragoza, Spain, Colegio Inglés, will be visiting Episcopal for two weeks starting April 10 and ending April 23, 2025. We were extremely fortunate to establish a relationship with this prestigious school in 2009, and we could not be more pleased with the success of the program. After being welcomed warmly in Zaragoza in 2018 and 2024, and hosting here in Jacksonville in 2019 and 2023, we are excited to continue our Exchange. The program has grown and we now anticipate twenty five 4th year students and two of their teachers this spring. Please take a moment to view our Program Flyer and highlights from our 2023 and 2024 Exchanges to get to know what the Exchange is all about.
We are looking for approximately 25 families to host students from Colegio Inglés in your homes for the 2 week period. The average age is 15-16 years old and all of the students have excellent communication skills in multiple languages, including Spanish and English. The role of an exchange student Host Family is extremely important and can prove to be a tremendously rewarding experience. Likewise, Episcopal Student Hosts must be of sound character and mature enough to be able to handle the responsibility and trust which we will place in them.
The responsibilities of a Host Family include providing:
- An individual bed for the student (they may share a room with a child of the similar age/gender
- Three meals a day (lunch as needed on non ESJ days)
- Transportation to and from Episcopal each day
- TLC whenever needed
The goal is for our host families to regard their exchange students as members of the family, and to give them the positive and memorable experience you would want your child to receive while being hosted abroad. This would include showing them a little of the city and including them in fun, family outings/activities. This is a busy undertaking, and does require some juggling with academics, sports, and after-school-activity schedules. Rest assured, we will work with hosting families and students if there is a schedule issue. Our hosting families often pitch in with carpooling and co hosting group events. I am confident that you will find the overall experience to be extremely rewarding!
If you are interested, please complete the following (printed copies of these can be picked up in WL 5):
- Host Family Application Form & Host Fee ($300 check payable to ESJ)
Application deadline for all materials is January 15, 2025. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or requests for further details by email at [email protected] and direct your student to stop by WL 5.
Parents – Don’t forget to purchase your Eagle Sports Pass before the spring season contests begin!
One purchase includes two passes, which will get you and another person into all home regular season contests.
Episcopal College Counseling welcomes sophomores, juniors, and their parents to join us for an informative Admissions Panel on January 30, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Sikes Theatre. Esteemed admissions colleagues from Florida State University, College of Charleston, Vanderbilt University, and The University of Alabama will offer insights and perspective on the college process and answer general questions.
We hope you will join us for this very important and informative meeting. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to your student’s college counselor.
Do you have a New Year’s resolution to read more, meet new people or reconnect with old friends? Pick up the book and come to Parent Book Study! Our next meeting is on Thursday, January 30, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and we will discuss the second half of Chapter 5-Taking the Kettle off the Heat: Confronting Grind Culture, pages 125-140 from Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic-And What We Can Do About It by Jennifer Breheny Wallace.
Come right after drop off to St. John’s Cathedral, 256 Church St E, 32202 as the doors open at 8:00 a.m., and we will meet from 8:30-9:30 a.m. The other dates for the 2nd Semester are Thursday mornings: 2/13, 2/27, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, and 5/1.
Please let Beth Collins Himes P’21, P’25 know if you have questions or want to be added to the email group, [email protected] or 404-918-0949.