Fall/Winter 2023
Grand Connections
A PUBLICATION FOR GRANDPARENTS AND SPECIAL FRIENDS OF SAN JOSE EPISCOPAL DAY SCHOOL
Dear Grandparents and Special Friends, We hope that you had a wonderful time visiting our campus for Grandparents and Special Friends Day this year! It meant the world to our students to have the opportunity to guide you through classrooms and to connect you with their beloved teachers and close friends. Connections are vitally important to us. We are not just a school community; we are a family, bound by a shared love for the children God has placed in our care and a deep commitment to their wellbeing, their development, and their future. In that spirit, I am thrilled to share our very first issue of “GRAND CONNECTIONS,” a newsletter created especially for you! We understand the distinctive role that you play in the lives of our students, so our goal with this newsletter is to draw you closer and help you to feel meaningfully connected to everyday life here at San Jose Episcopal Day School. In “GRAND CONNECTIONS,” you can expect to find campus news, teacher highlights, and snapshots of some of your favorite people–your grandchildren! Our goals are to keep you updated on school events and to capture and share the smiling faces of our students, faculty, and staff as they joyfully engage in teaching and learning. Whether you live near or far, we hope that “GRAND CONNECTIONS” becomes a treasured way to stay connected with our school community. We want you to feel a part of the SJEDS family, just as you are an integral part of our students’ lives. Thank you for your unwavering support and love for our school and your grandchildren. Enjoy this first issue as we look forward to sharing many more endearing stories and moments with you in the issues to come. With warmest wishes,
Sloane A. Castleman, EdD
Hispanic Heritage Month We are incredibly honored and joyously blessed to receive the gift of a mariachi band from Ms. Belkis Plata and SJEDS parent Ms. Shannon Schott (Rainka) of Plata Schott Law. The band, Mariachi Primera Costa, welcomed our students at morning drop-off and gave a wonderful performance afterward. It was a delightful way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!
¡Muchas gracias! ¡Estamos muy agradecidos!
SJEDS Snapshots
Grandparents and Special Friends Day 2023
Getting to Know Erica Mortimer What do you love most about working at SJEDS?
What do you like to do in your spare time?
The family atmosphere — from the administration to the faculty to the families.
My husband, Anthony, and I love heading down to Universal for the weekend or taking our two dogs out hiking. We just went out to Guana River State Park this past Sunday and did a 5 mile hike with Bella and Gwyllgi. I am a football fanatic. I have been a Gator fan and Buccaneers fan since I was a kid.
What inspires you? Erica Mortimer Pre-K4 Teacher
The kids! Watching students playing and learning, seeing them grow more and more each year. It fills my heart with so much joy.
SA N
SE EPISCO JO
L PA
San Jose Episcopal Day School and Parish has always been dear to my heart since I was a child. Having my granddaughter as a student there for the past three years has made me realize what a blessing and treasure it is! Grandparents Day this year filled my heart with joy and thanksgiving. It was a perfect day.
Parish and Day School
WORSHIP SCHEDULE SUNDAY 8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m.
There is still time to purchase a limited edition SJEDS GRANDPARENTS DAY T-Shirt. T-Shirts are $18, and an additional $6, if you would like it shipped. Please reach out to Brian Pargman at bpargman@sjeds.org to place your order.
HOLY EUCHARIST RITE II COFFEE FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL AGES 10:30 a.m. HOLY EUCHARIST RITE II TUESDAY 8:30 a.m.
EARLY EXPLORERS CHAPEL
WEDNESDAY 8:30 a.m. DAY SCHOOL EUCHARIST 5:30 p.m. HEALING EUCHARIST
Phone: (904) 733-0352
– Bette Loyd, SJEDS Alumna and Grandparent
Fax: (904) 733-2582
Email: info@sjeds.org
Website: sjeds.org
San Jose Episcopal Day School | Est. 1950 JACKSONVILLE, FL 32217 7423 SAN JOSE BOULEVARD Jacksonville, FL Permit No. 1655
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