Episcopal Insider
Munnerlyn Campus
January 17, 2025
All Campuses
Grandparents’ Day 2025-2026 will be held the first week of November 2025. Specific dates and times will vary by campus. Details will be updated as the school year begins.
Complete updates by September 1 to ensure grandparents receive all communications including the Grandparents’ Day invitation mailing that will provide them with additional details for each campus.
To update grandparent information in My ESJ:
Log in to the My ESJ Parent Portal
Click on “Update My Profile” located under My Tools
Click on “Grandparent Households” to update their information
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 coryt@testing-phlexon.online.
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 rizzia@testing-phlexon.online. 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 plaskin@testing-phlexon.online 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.
Join us for a Parent Book Study end of year social gathering on Thursday morning May 1 at Southern Grounds-San Marco, 1671 Atlantic Blvd, 32207. Come by whenever you want after drop-off 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. All are welcome, including those of you who may have read without coming to the groups or may be interested in participating next year. We hope you enjoyed reading Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic-And What We Can Do About It by Jennifer Breheny Wallace and found it helpful. We’ll be visiting and talking about books for next year. Hope you can stop by!