News

The students, faculty and staff of Holy Comforter Episcopal School opened their hearts this holiday season. The school sponsored 33 children through the Guardian Ad Litem program in which to provide a Christmas full of gifts. Each class sponsored a child and students, with their families, brought in gender specific clothes, toys and other necessities. The Guardian Ad Litem children ranged in age from a few months old to teenage years.

 

 

 

This past week, we have kicked of the Christmas season with several events here at HCES. On Wednesday, November 29th, we held the annual Blessing of the Christmas Tree. After a special Courtyard Chapel, Father Jerry blessed this year's tree and students from each Lower School class and Middle School TARGET group took turns hanging prayer chains they had made on the tree.  

On Thursday, November 30th, the Middle School Band, Chorus and Guitar ensembles held the annual Christmas concert for families and friends. They played and sang Christmas favorites such as Away in a Manger, The First Noel, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Auld Lang Syne, and Dance from The Nutcracker. Today, the Parent Association held the annual Cookie Exchange for our Faculty and Staff. It is a yearly favorite and we are so grateful to all of the parents for making such special treats for our staff! A special thank you to Megan Fuhrmeister, this year's chair for organizing the event. 

 

Coming up this Friday is the annual 1st Grade Nativity - a Holy Comforter tradition for over 30 years!  And we look forward to seeing everyone next Fridayfor our annual Lower School Christmas Program. 

 

We are grateful we get to celebrate the magic and true meaning of the season with our students and families. Merry Christmas!

Thank you to the families that have contributed to this year's Crusader Fund! Your gift truly makes a difference and is greatly appreciated. During this season of Thanksgiving, we hope you enjoy family and friends and reflect on the many blessings of this life.

 

As you are taking advantage of all the internet deals on Cyber Monday, November 27th remember to use Amazon Smile! Give back to Holy Comforter with the purchases you make on Amazon! Holy Comforter is registered with AmazonSmile. This means AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases back to HCES. You have to be signed into AmazonSmile and select Holy Comforter Episcopal School in Tallahassee as your charity to support. Click here to visit Amazon Smile and start donating! 

On Tuesday, November 28th millions of people will come together to support and champion the causes they believe in and the communities in which they live. We hope you will join the global giving movement, #GivingTuesday, by supporting HCES' annual giving campaign, The Crusader Fund.

Are you a middle school girl? Do you love music and dancing? Now is the opportunity to build a Dance Team at HCES! All levels of dance are welcome and routines will be filled with something for everyone. An accomplished professional dance instructor will choreograph and teach routines from hip hop to jazz.

 

Dances - Perform routines at basketball games and a pep rally

Who - Any middle school girl interested

Practices - Wednesday afternoon practices and occasional Saturday Practices. First practice is Saturday, November 18th from 10:30 - 1:00 pm in the Student Center.

 

If you are interested, please email Trent Mills at tmills@hces.org or Rebecca Dennig at dennigrh@gmail.com

Attention all 3rd-5th Grade Students! 

 

Thank you and Go Crusaders! 

Grandpeople are special at HCES and students look forward to having these individuals visit campus each year. Students in grades PK3-8th grade welcome their special visitors for a day of student performances, classroom visits with refreshments, and special activities. Join us for "Crusader Movie Classics"!

Click here to register for Grandpeople's Day 2017; Tuesday, November 21st.

 

We greatly appreciate your time and participation in this incredibly important endeavor as we grow to become the best school community for our children.   

 

This past Friday we welcomed over 800 families and friends to our campus for our annual FallFestival and Book Fair. It was an evening filled with fun and fellowship making it, yet again, one of the most treasured events of the school year. 

 

As you can imagine, many months of planning and hard work go into organizing this special event. HCES Parent, Lisa Barton was our fearless, flexible leader who chaired this event flawlessly. Thank you, Lisa, for leading the charge! We are grateful for your hard work, time and energy organizing Fall Festival. In addition, our annual Fall Book Fair was in full swing last week. Book Fair chairs, Kristen Krizner and Stephanie McKee, worked tirelessly all week serving our families, teachers, and students during another fantastic Book Fair. They were also gracious in rearranging their schedules to stay open late during the Fall Festival - thank you!

 

Due to unforeseen circumstances (thank you, Hurricane Irma), we had to adjust our festivalnot once but twice just days before the event. Thus, we found ourselves switching gears and pulling out all the stops. Desperate for volunteers, we sent an "all-call" email seeking any and all the help we could get. Our parents, faculty and staff members immediately answered that call and began to sign up to volunteer. Thank you for rallying around us and helping us make this event a success for our children. We were overcome with your generosity and willingness to help. We were even blessed with a double rainbow at the start of the event.  

 

We hope you enjoyed the family-favorite Fall Festival and Book Fair. Below, you can view images from the event.  

 

 

Click here for more information. Link: www.hces.org/lecture

The lecture is FREE and open to the public, doors open at 4:30pm. A very special thank you to our lecture sponsor Hancock Bank. 

We are looking forward to starting our Winter Sport seasons here in the next few weeks. Sign ups are wrapping up this week and are located in the STEM Hallway for students to choose which sport they would like to participate in this winter. Here are a few details for the upcoming season:

 

Start Date - October 16th

Practices - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 3:15 - 5:00

Teams Offered: Boys Varsity, Girls Varsity, Co-Ed JV 

 

Start Date - October 23rd

Practices - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 3:15 - 5:00

Teams Offered: Boys Varsity, JV Boys, Girls Varsity

 

Start Date - October 23rd

Practices - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 3:15 - 4:30

Team Offered: Varsity

 

The first 3 days of practice will be designated as team placement days for boys basketball and soccer. Cheerleading and Girls Basketball will automatically begin varsity practice.

 

Please make sure you have all of the following forms submitted to the Middle School office by the start of the season: EL2 Physical, EL3 Consent, Heart Screening Consent. These forms may be downloaded here: Parent Downloads

Would you like to make a gift to the Crusader Fund but can't make it right now? No problem! Just let us know you when would like to make your gift and we will remind you when it is due. Pledge now and pay later, it's that easy! Contact Meghan Wilson. 

Attention all 2nd Grade families our Crusader Running Company is now open and available for 2nd graders to join! We have three meetings left this fall, including one race. In CRC, students are involved in endurance running, interval training, hill work, team games, and more! Here are a few details:

 

When: 9/29, 10/12 (race day), 10/20 

Time: 3:05 - 4:30. Students report to Omega after school to be picked up by Coach Borkowski. Pick up after CRC is at the Bell Tower.

Cost: $30 for the final three session

Location: HCES Cross Country Course

To signup click here

Each child who joins gets a Crusader Running Co. t-shirt. We look forward to seeing our Lower School running team grow!

So join us on Friday, October 6th from 5 - 8pm! Family passes are $25 in advance or $30 on the day of the event. Additional guests are $5 each. Fall Festival t-shirts will be available to purchase soon, so stay tuned! You don't want to miss out! Click here to purchase your Fall Festival tickets! 

Calling all Cooks!

We are looking for individuals to either bake or purchase cakes for the Fall Festival Cake Walk! Please deliver cakes by 3:00pm on Friday, October 6th in the concession stand in the Student Center. Click here to sign up. If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Barton.

Don't forget to stop by the Book Fair!

The Book Fair will be open Monday, October 2 - Friday, October 6, during Fall Festival. 

Interim reports are now online. Please follow the steps below to access your child’s report.

On Friday, September 29th, we will host “Bring a Friend to School Day”, an opportunity for our students in grades two through five to ask a same-grade neighbor, friend, or relative to join us for a regular school day. (This is a holiday for Leon County Schools) We know this will provide an excellent opportunity for their friends to see for themselves what school at HCES is like.

Bring a Friend to School Flyer
Bring a Friend to School Consent

 

Congratulations to our teams for an excellent beginning to the 2017-18 Athletic Year. The Cross Country teams ran in the Godby Cougar Invite on Saturday, August 26. Our Boys team finished as champions and our girls were runner up!

Friday, September 1, is our first Middle School Dress Down Day. Typically these days happen the first Friday of

each month, and students are permitted to dress out of uniform provided their clothing meets the following guidelines:

• all shorts must have at least a 3 inch inseam
• spaghetti straps and off the shoulder shirts are not permitted and tank tops must have straps of at least a “3 finger” width
• Rompers and pajama bottoms are not permitted

We are excited to announce a new Lower School band opportunity!  No experience is required!  This year, band will be taught by Mason's School of Music and offered to 3rd-5th graders.  Starting the second week of September, there will be 24 classes during the fall semester on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.  The cost will be $250.00 and students must provide their own instrument.  

 

We need at least 8 students to enroll in band.  If you are interested, please contact Bertie Culbreath at bculbreath@hces.org or 850-383-1007 by Friday, September 1st.

The PA kicked off 2017-18 school year with a "Meet and Greet Sweet Treat" Ice Cream Social while families were meeting teachers and preparing for the start of school. Despite the rainy afternoon, parents, students and faculty enjoyed Kona Ice and Lofty Pursuits in the courtyard on Monday afternoon.

 
On Tuesday morning, teachers eagerly awaited the children’s arrival as they have been preparing their classrooms for the new year. Students filled the halls and enjoyed seeing their friends as they excitedly jumped back into the school routine. 

After dropping off their children, many parents enjoyed coffee and fellowship in the school courtyard at the PA's Back to School Coffee. A big “thank you” to our Parent Association President Lisa Umana, President-elect Heather Brown and Courtney Whitis for organizing such fun-filled back to school events. 
 
We are well on our way to a fantastic year as we round out day two. Thank YOU for choosing to entrust your children’s education and well-being to us at Holy Comforter. We are blessed to have you as part of our HCES family and we look forward to an inspiring, exciting year ahead!

Click here to view 1st Day of School Images.

Attention Lower and Middle School Crusaders! We are expanding our Crusader League and Campus Rec programs this year and invite you to join us. We are adding Baseball/Softball and Volleyball to our Crusader League, as well as continuing to offer Crusader Running Company and Crusader League Basketball. Campus Rec now offers four-week units throughout the first semester. 

 

Wednesdays 3:05 - 4:30. 9/6 - 10/11 

Thursdays 3:05 - 4:30.  9/7-10/12

9/8, 15, 21, 29, 10/6, 12 - Thursdays in Bold. 

Registration is open for After School Programs: 

 

 

Most classes are 12 sessions.  Many programs are already full, so register today! CLASSES START NEXT WEEK Here are the available programs and dates:

 

Monday or Wednesday / Partner Piano Lessons

Wednesday - Private Guitar Lessons

Grades: Kindergarten-5th grades

$355.00

Monday - Piano / Partnered

3:35-4:20  TIME SLOT OPEN

3:35-4:20  TIME SLOT OPEN

4:25-4:55 TIME SLOT OPEN

4:25-4:55 TIME SLOT OPEN

Wednesday - Piano

3:35-4:20  TIME SLOT OPEN

3:35-4:20  TIME SLOT OPEN

Wednesday - Guitar

3:50-4:20 TIME SLOT OPEN

4:25-4:55 TIME SLOT OPEN

5:00-5:30 TIME SLOT OPEN

Currently Registered for Omega: $135.00

Not Currently Registered for Omega: $150.00

Classes are on Mondays (3:15-4:15 pm)

Cost: Currently Registered for Omega: $200.00

Not Currently Registered for Omega: $215.00

Classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays (PK3/PK4 2:45-3:15pm; K-2nd 3:15-3:45 pm)

One of the features of the “Crusader Connect” program is a free, online Business Directory. The Business Directory offers the School community a unique collection of professional resources delivered by people to whom you can turn to and trust. Individuals and families have the opportunity to patronize businesses, which have ties to HCES. The Business Directory is open to anyone visiting the website and is not password protected. When patronizing a business, let them know you're connected to Holy Comforter Episcopal School!

Immunizations: Must be documented on the Florida Certificate of Immunization. This form is available from your physician or may be downloaded from the Florida Shots website (www.flshots.com) using your child’s Florida Shots ID number. This ID number is available from your physician’s office.

The following are the immunization requirements for the 2018-2019 school year:

• Students entering K-7th grade are now required to have 2 doses of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine or proof of the disease in addition to the other required immunizations.
• PK3 and PK4 (Hib required for 3 and 4 year olds; 4 DTP; 1 MMR; 3 OPV, Heptatitis B)
• Students entering 7th grade are required to have a Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis) booster vaccine.

Please contact School Nurse, Taska Zorn with any questions by email at nurse@hces.org.

Illness: Holy Comforter School encourages a healthful environment for all of our students and employees. Please do not send your child to school if they are sick. As part of this effort, students are no longer awarded perfect attendance certificates at the end of the school year.

• Parents should notify the school immediately if their child has a communicable disease.
• Please remember that parents are to keep sick students who are contagious (strep throat, impetigo, conjunctivitis, etc) at home until they have been on antibiotics for 24 hours and/or cleared by their physician to return to school.
• Students who have been absent from school with an illness or fever (above 100º) cannot attend school or any school function (musical, field trip, athletic event/clinic, etc.) until fever and medicine free for 24 hours.

Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medication
The following policies govern the use, possession, and distribution of prescription and over-the-counter medications. At no time are students allowed to self medicate or possess medications on school property or on school activities with the exception of medically necessary inhalers, which must be registered with the school nurse.

• Before any medication, including cough drops, shall be administered by school personnel, the parent or legal guardian for the student shall file a Medication Permission Form and give it, along with the medication, to the School Nurse. Forms are available in the school offices, clinic, and on-line.
• All medication for the student shall come in the original container and shall be labeled (including student’s name). Pharmacists will provide an extra, labeled container for prescription medication.
• Medication will be dispensed by the school nurse or other school personnel under the supervision of the school nurse if it must be given during the school day.
• Parents must notify the school nurse in writing if their student has a physician’s order to carry emergency medication with them, including inhalers for the treatment of asthma.
• Only FDA approved medications will be administered by the school.

Join the HCES Athletic Boosters and support our Crusaders this year - this includes a new signage board at the athletic fields. Open to all Lower School and Middle School parents, it's a great way to advertise your business to all Holy Comforter families. All proceeds fund items for our athletic program. Click here to become a booster. Go Crusaders!

Students not picked up by the scheduled pick-up time (PK3-5th - 3:05) (6th-8th - 3:15) will be sent to the Omega Program and will be charged the occasional use rate of $25.00 per day, per family. Pick-up area for any student in Omega 3:05-6:00 will be side pick-up (cul-de-sac) only.

We want to relay important information regarding the "The Great American Solar Eclipse" that will be taking place on Monday, August 21st. We are very excited to make this a learning opportunity for our students, however, we will also be taking the necessary precautions to keep our children safe and have made the following changes to our pick-up schedule.

• If you wish to pick up your child early on August 21st, you may do so as early as 12:00 pm and the absence will be excused.
• We will delay the release of Lower School students to 3:30 pm and Middle School students to 3:45 pm.
• Middle School student athletes and Omega students will remain indoors until the completion of the eclipse. All sports teams will practice until 5:00 pm (Volleyball, Golf and Cross Country).
• If you choose to pick up your child before the delayed pick up times, please park in a designated parking space and sign your child out in the office.

To take advantage of this unique learning opportunity, we have purchased ISO Certified Safe SolarEclipse Glasses, through The Crusader Fund, for all students in grades PK3 - 8th. All students in those grades will have the opportunity to view the eclipse and we will be live streaming this historic event in classrooms. Teachers and administrators will be closely monitoring the students and stressing the importance of keeping the glasses on at all times. We encourage you to also speak with your children about the appropriate safety precautions. For more information about the Total Solar Eclipse you can visit NASA's website at https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. If you would prefer your child not participate in viewing the eclipse with their class, please contact your child’s teacher (Lower School homeroom teacher or Middle School TARGET teacher). 

Please take a minute to review the Pick-Up Procedures and Dismissal Times as outlined below.  

To view the Pick-up Maps with Lane Assignments by Grade Level CLICK HERE. For full drop-off and pick-up instructions CLICK HERE

 

In order to participate in athletics, students are required to have the following three forms turned in to the Middle School or Front office, or can be scanned and emailed to me, prior to the first practice: EL2 Physical, EL3 Consent, and Who We Play For Heart Screening Consent*. Forms may be downloaded from the Holy Comforter website under Parent Downloads.

 

Students are allowed to participate in one sport per season. At the end of last year, we had preliminary sign ups for each season, to gauge the interest level in each sport. These sign ups will continue for Fall Sports at the beginning of the school year, and Winter and Spring sign ups begin two-three weeks prior to the start of that season. 

 

The offerings within the Athletic Program are:

 

Fall: Boys & Girls Cross Country, Co-ed Golf, Volleyball

Winter: Boys & Girls Soccer, Boys & Girls Basketball, Cheerleading

Spring: Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Co-ed Tennis, Boys & Girls Track & Field

Campus Recreation: Offered Year Round - Archery, Flag Football, Mountain Biking, Disc Golf, and more!

 

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at tmills@hces.org. I am looking forward to the upcoming school year and hope you all have a great last month of summer!

 

Thank You and Go Crusaders!

 

Sincerely,

 

Trent Mills

Director of Athletics

On Thursday, May 25, the Holy Comforter Episcopal School 8th grade class graduated in a ceremony held in the school's Student Center. The service, led by Head of School Peter Klekamp, welcomed hundreds of parents, families and friends. A traditional chapel service was followed by the presentation of awards and diplomas. Two 8th grade students, Megan Steele and Annika Strayer addressed the audience, reflecting on their years spent at HCES. Students, families and friends then took a trip down memory lane as they previewed the much-anticipated annual “8th Grade Slideshow” which takes a look back over the students’ career at HCES. After the ceremony, graduates and their families gathered in the courtyard for a celebratory reception organized by parents Elizabeth Diehl and Ali Kelly.

It's been a fantastic year and we are so thankful for our HCES families. 

Please click here and enjoy this short video as an end of the year treat!

 

We are pleased to announce the 2017-2018 Parent Association Officers, please see below. If you see them, please thank and congratulate them! 

PA President - Lisa Umana

PA President Elect - Heather Brown

Vice President of Middle School - Corinna Strayer

Vice President of Volunteers & Homeroom Parents - Courtney Whitis

Holy Comforter's 8th grade class of 2013 will soon graduate from 5 different local high schools (Leon, Lincoln, Chiles, Maclay, and JPII) and Florida Virtual School. Although information is still coming to us about scholarships and awards that they have been awarded, we are so proud of their accomplishments that we could not wait to share it with you.

 

Individual Achievements of Note:

Nick Fontela (Maclay) will graduate as the salutatorian of his class and plans to attend Southern Methodist University this fall as a Nancy Ann and Ray L. Hunt Leadership Scholars Program award winner. The Hunt Leadership Scholars Award is for full SMU tuition and fees. The award also underwrites tuition and transportation to one of SMU’s study abroad programs. Nick is also an Eagle Scout and National Merit Hispanic Scholar. Congratulations to Nick!

 

Angeline Tritschler (Maclay), an honors graduate, is headed to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Candidates for admission must both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as "cadets" or collectively as the "United States Corps of Cadets" (USCC). Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation. Best of luck to Angeline!

 

We have at least 5 graduates who plan to continue their athletic pursuits in college. Jack Driggers (Leon) will be kicking field goals for the Duke Blue Devils football team. Molly McCann (Maclay) will be running cross country for University of North Carolina –Pembrooke. Emma Travis (JPII) and Julia Travis (JPII) will also be running cross country for Meredith College and Berry College, respectively. Aaron Amidon (Chiles) will be playing soccer at his dad’s alma mater Wabash College in Indiana.

 

Best and Brightest:

Rachel Rumana (Maclay) won the Best & Brightest Award in the Career/Technical category. Inspired by her friend and fellow HCES classmate Molly McCann who had a seizure at her house, Rachel started her own nonprofit organization, Strides for Seizures. The organization raises money for educational materials for newly diagnosed epilepsy patients. Rachel will graduate with honors and plans to attend the University of Virginia. Leta Ashebo (Leon) won the Best & Brightest Award in the English and Language Arts category. Last summer, Leta traveled to her mother’s native country, Ethiopia, where she witnessed a lack of educational materials. Upon returning to Tallahassee, she organized a book drive that resulted in sending over 2,000 books back to Africa. Leta will graduate summa cum laude and plans to attend Johns Hopkins University on a full academic scholarship. Other graduates who were also nominated for Best and Brightest Awards are: Molly McCann (Maclay) finalist for Athletics, Parker Wilson (Maclay) finalist for Business, Grace Crapps (Maclay) finalist for Drama/Performing Arts, Joseph McCann (Maclay) honorable mention for Foreign Language, Savannah France (Leon) finalist for Foreign Language, Nick Fontela (Maclay) finalist for Leadership, and Hannah Bryson (Leon) finalist for Mathematics.

 

Statistics by School:

The list of college acceptances is long, but we know that the matriculation list includes, but is not limited to: Auburn University, Berry College, Duke University, Flager College, Florida State University, Furman University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Meredith College, Savannah College of Art and Design, Southern Methodist University, Spring Hill College, St. Leo University, Stetson University, Tallahassee Community College, United States Military Academy, University of Alabama, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Mississippi, University of North Carolina – Pembrooke, University of North Florida, University of Virginia and Wabash College.

 

One senior mom wrote, “Our family has placed great value in the education and relationships our son fostered during his time at Holy Comforter. He remains close with his HCES friends. He views his time at Holy Comforter as a tremendous privilege that provided an excellent environment and quality education. As this chapter closes, we look forward to an exciting future for him, and will be forever grateful for the seeds planted at Holy Comforter!”

 

Congratulations to the HCES Class of 2013! We know that their formative years at Holy Comforter set them apart from their peers and inspired them to Be the Difference during their high school career.

 

 

Current Grade Level Crusader Fund Participation Ranking:

1st place: 5th grade, 63%

2nd place: 2nd grade, 61%

3rd place: 3rd grade, 54%

4th place: Kindergarten, 53%

5th place: 6th grade, 50%

6th place: 7th grade, 47%

7th place: 1st grade, 45%

8th place: PK3, 42%

9th place: 8th grade, 41.5%

10th place: 4th grade, 41%

Recently, our Middle School Latin students took the National Latin Exam - a 40 question exam taken by over 140,000 people, worldwide. 

Below are all of our award recipients from this year's National Latin Exam.

The middle school Opening Night class is a year long elective open to 6th - 8th grade students. This class introduces students to major components of theatre production from script to stage including casting, lighting, theatre technology, directing, marketing, set design, and a wide range of acting techniques. Not only did the students enjoy the art of acting, but they experienced a hands-on class that exposed them to many aspects of theatre.

 

Join the Lower and Middle School Student Councils and donate to the Canned Food Drive! Help us stock the Holy Comforter Episcopal Church food pantry. Bring your donations to class through the end of May. 

Items needed: 

Canned Fruits
Soups

Rice

Canned Vegetables

Peanut Butter

Pasta

Canned Meats (tuna, ham, etc.)

Cereal

Parents, please note that the end of year report cards (4th 9-weeks) for middle school AND lower school will be mailed home AFTER the school year ends. Please be sure that your account is current by the end of the school year, as all accounts that are in arrears will delay mailing of your child(ren)'s report card.

Rising 6th Grade Parents: You may be aware aware that Holy Comforter middle school students are required to bring a laptop to school each day. But, did you know you can purchase a computer for your middle schooler from HCES?  Advantages of this offer include:

 

Click here to participate today!

Holy Comforter celebrated and honored our alumni this past week!

On Wednesday morning, 8thgraders were "surprised" with a special graduation snack. The event officially welcomes the 8th graders as our newest members of the alumni association and explains the many benefits and privileges of being an alumnus of Holy Comforter. Students received their class shirt and enjoyed donuts together. It's hard to believe they will be graduating in just a few short weeks, but we are so proud of each and every one of them and can't wait to see them exceed as they begin their next adventure into high school!

You spoiled us last week at the Faculty and Staff Appreciation so we want to spoil and thank YOU! 

 

Please join us for a Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast tomorrow, Thursday, April 27th 8:15am in the Student Center Lobby. Breakfast & Decor provided by HCES Faculty & Staff. 

 

K-1st: Laken Rockwell, 2nd place

4th-5th: Davis Wagnon, 3rd place; Seth Cobb, 1st place

6th-8th: Megan Steele, 3rd place; Abby McKay, 1st place

 

Congratulations to our young authors!

Holy Comforter Episcopal School cordially invites you to attend our Outdoor Chapel Dedication on Monday, May 1 at 8:15am.

 

*The Outdoor Chapel was made possible through generous donations to the Head of School Special Project Fund presented at the 2016 Black and White Gala.

If you would like to make a gift in honor of your teacher, please click here and contribute today! Meghan Wilson, Director of the Crusader Fund, will notify your teacher of your meaningful gift. Of course, you can also mail or deliver a check or cash to the front office. 

If you would like to make a gift in honor of your teacher or child, please click here and contribute today! Meghan Wilson, Director of the Crusader Fund, will notify your teacher of your meaningful gift. Of course, you can also mail or deliver a check or cash to the front office. 

 

Remember, no gift is too small, honestly! Below are the current grade level participation rankings. 

 

HCES Athletic Department would like to invite you to our 2016-2017 Athletic Banquet on Thursday, April 20th from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM. The theme for our banquet this year is "A Celebration of Excellence" and will be located in the HCES Student Center

 

This year at Gala, beautiful black and white portraits of every child were available for purchase. The photos were taken by parent and professional photographer Jennifer Powell. 

 

 

 

Please feel free to contact Beth McCann, Lower School Counselor, if you have any questions.

6:30 pm doors open, 7:00 pm movie starts, 9:30 pm pick up.
$25 per person, refreshments provided. Click here to purchase your ticket(s). Holy Comforter students only, please.

 

Each camp will be led by an HCES Coach(es), who have experience at the school and working in our Athletic Program. Students will be divided by skill level within the camp, and given an excellent opportunity to work on skill development, fundamentals, and game play no matter their level of experience.

 

Each camp is designed to be effective for Lower School students as well as Middle School student-athletes.

 

We hope you will consider joining us this summer! As we look toward an excellent year next year, we are very excited about growing the Athletic Program this summer and building a strong culture of Crusaders!

 

Dates:

Lacrosse: June 19-23

Basketball: 26-20

Soccer: July 10-14

Volleyball: July 17-21

Baseball/Softball: July 24-28

 

Time:
8:30 am - 11:30 am

 

Cost:

$100 per student, per camp

 

Register Here!

The 2nd grade is in the lead with a Crusader Fund grade level participation of 48%! Coming in second place is the Kindergarten with 42% and third place goes to the 6th grade with 41%! 

 

See the attached graph to view other grade level standings. Our school-wide parent participation goal is 70% and currently, we have 31% participation. So when we say, "every gift matters" we really mean it. Please, no matter the size, make your gift to the Crusader Fund.

 

Click here to contribute today, mail or drop a check off to the front office or contact Meghan Wilson.

 

The HCES riding program offers students (Boys and Girls) an opportunity to develop and grow their passion for riding in a co-educational setting. Students have the opportunity to develop their equine skills in a variety of disciplines from beginner to the most advanced. The HCES riding program at Moccasin Stables offers training and expertise in equitation, jumpers, hunters and combined training.

Please coordinate when your child is released for lunch Wednesday. Grands are asked to check-in at the front, pick up their student from class, then visit the book fair to enjoy a brown bag lunch and shop. Drinks and dessert will be provided.  If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Meghan Wilson at mwilson@hces.org. 

 

If you are unable to attend the fair in person, we invite you to visit our online Book Fair at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/hces.

Camp Crusader Summer Camp 2017 is open for online registration. We are excited to once again use CampBrain, a user friendly software for online registering. You may go online to www.hces.org/campcrusader to view this summer's offerings and register. Summer Camp runs June 5th through July 28th. 

Again, this year, you can bid on select items and purchase your raffle tickets for the Tuition Giveaway – ALL ONLINE!

Holy Comforter Episcopal School hosted the Spring Lecture Series on Tuesday, February 21st. Members of the community and a bipartisan collection of elected officials and leaders gathered to hear A Special Legislative Preview of the upcoming 2017 Legislative Session from special guest speakers, President of the Florida Senate Joe Negron, and Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Richard Corcoran as well as local representatives, Senator Bill Montford and Representative Loranne Ausley. Holy Comforter parent Paul Mitchell moderated the lecture.

 

The speakers came together to discuss several topics including their legislative agenda focusing on issues such as the environment and education. The civics lesson ended with questions from 8th grade students and the audience.

This was a unique opportunity for Holy Comforter to showcase the school and what it means to be part of the Holy Comforter community to a group of individuals that will help set the course for education over the next several years. Hearing from these legislative leaders at such a critical time in the legislative process is unique.

Holy Comforter’s Lecture Series aims to provide a community forum where individuals will gather to hear engaging and enlightening conversation. Speakers will present annual lectures on meaningful topics such as science and technology, the arts, education and civic leadership. All lectures are open to the public and free to attend.

 

The evening also featured Holy Comforter students as part of the presentation singing the national anthem, welcoming the guests and the distinguished speakers. Thank you to our generous sponsor, Hancock Bank.  

Show your love and appreciation for your teacher by making a contribution to the Crusader Fund in their honor. Click here to make a gift or contact Meghan Wilson. 

Save the date for the Holy Comforter Episcopal School Spring Lecture Series featuring the President of the Senate Joe Negron (R, Dist. 25), Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran (R - Dist. 37), Senator Bill Montford (D - Dist. 3), and Representative (and HCES parent) Loranne Ausley (D - Dist. 9) on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at 7:00 PM. The topic will be an overview of the 2017 Florida Legislative Session and promises to be a great civics lesson on state government.

Invite your Facebook friends to come to the lecture by clicking here and visiting our Facebook LectureSeries event page.

We had 33 students participating in Forum. The results are amazing, especially considering our students compete against so many high school students.

Our Level 1 Certamen (Latin Brain Bowl) teams finished in 2^nd and 4^th places and our Level 2 team finished in 2^nd place. 

Holy Comforter Episcopal School hosted the fourth annual outreach event for the Tallahassee community – STEM Saturday. This event is FREE and welcomed families with students in grades K-8 to participate in a fun day of hands-on, interactive science experiences, gaining a glimpse of our unique STEM program. The classes were taught by Holy Comforter Episcopal School teachers. On Saturday, January 28th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, elementary students and their parents participated in sessions focusing on one core science concept. The classes paralleled what Holy Comforter students are doing each day in the STEM lab. In addition, special demonstrations were available on campus during the day including a flight simulator from Coaxis International, the Sea Mobile Marine Life Educational Program and Traveling Aquarium from Gulf Specimen Marine Lab as well as other interactive demonstrations from MoLab, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and CopyFax 2000. 

 

This year’s STEM Saturday registration filled quickly, most within the 1^st day of registration opening. Over 130 students from 28 area schools attended the event.

Thank you to the following sponsors for bringing STEM Saturday to fruition: Presenting Sponsor – KWB Pathology; Classroom Sponsors - Coaxis ASP, Tallahassee Neurological Clinic, The J.L. Davis Group, LLC, Prime Meridian Bank, CopyFax 2000.

For all Extended Day Classes - When picking up your child from Extended Day Classes, please drive to the back pick-up area. An Omega Counselor will be stationed at the awning to radio for your child to come meet you. If you have any questions, please contact bculbreath@hces.org.    

 

Don't wait, last year was a sold out event and we are on track to sell out again, this year. Only limited space is remaining! We invite you to our beautiful campus for a top secret Speakeasy Revelry with a live and silent auction, cocktails, dinner and dancing! This will be an evening you will not want to miss so gather your friends or let us know if you can join us Saturday, March 4, 2017 and we'll reserve your seat.

 

Contact Meghan Wilson at 383-1007 for sponsorship and ticket information or click here to purchase your sponsorship or tickets today! Note: there is a third party processing fee of 2.5% (not exceeding $7.50 per ticket) for all online sponsorship and ticket sales.

Enrollment season has begun for the 2017-2018 school year. If you have a child currently not attending HCES but you would like to enroll them for the upcoming year, please look on the website on the Parent Resource page for the light green “Apply” button. Some classes have very limited spaces, so please apply as soon as possible. A few upcoming enrollment events are listed below. 

Re-enrollment contracts will be available starting February 10th. Please contact Nena Martinez, Director of Admissions, for assistance at 383-1007 or nmartinez@hces.org. 

 

Registration for our Spring 2017 Extended Day Classes is open!  We have some great new classes this semester.  

 

To register, please use the following link:

 

 

If your child was registered for Camp Crusader and/or the fall 2016 Extended Day Classes, please use the same username and password to sign-in.  If your child was not registered, please complete the new user sign-up.  Once you are signed-in, please select "Start application" in the "Start a New Application: Extended Day Classes (Spring 2017)" section.  If you have any questions about registration, please contact Bertie Culbreath at bculbreath@hces.org

Fathers, grab your daughters and get ready to hit the dance floor! The HCES Father/Daughter Dance is a whirl-wind of activity, and a precious opportunity for the dads to enjoy an evening with their girls...if they can catch them...on the dance floor! This year the dance will be held on Friday, January 20th from 7:00-9:00pm. The dance is open to girls in PK3 - 5th grade and cost is $25 pre-registered and $30 at the door (includes a 4x6 photo taken at the event by Jennifer Powell Photography). Note: Corsages are optional and will not be sold at the dance.   

We have pep rallies and games for each girl and boy!

 

Each day of school comes with a theme

To show our pride for our Crusader team!

 

So follow the books of Dr. Seuss

And dress on up in the style you choose!

 

Monday - Fox in Socks (wear silly socks)

Tuesday - The Cat in the Hat (crazy hat day)

Wednesday - Oh, The Places You'll Go (sport your favorite college team)

Thursday - One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (Lower School wear Red shirt, Middle School wear Royal Blue shirt)

 

*All days require approved HCES uniform bottoms. HCES approved tops are required on all days except Wednesday.

Beginning next Wednesday, January 11, 2017, we'll be meeting in the Media Center Conference Room from 1:15 - 2:45.  Don't be intimidated - you can do as much or as little homework as you like; join us for the video and discussions, or dive in and go deeper. Workbooks may be purchased from Amazon or Lifeway. Questions? Contact Patty Durham at 321-246-3254 or Sara Beth Shippen at 850-766-5615. We look forward to growing with you!

 

The start of a new year means one thing - the HCES Annual Cheer Clinic! Available for all girls PK4 to 5th grade. The Cheer Clinic will take place during Spirit Week, January 9th - January 12th. Click here to register.

 

Our cheer coaches Kaylyn Stevenson and Holli Scharinger, as well as our Middle School Cheerleaders, will be leading our Lower School cheerleaders in various cheers, chants, and routines.

 

All cheerleaders will report to Omega after school, and will be dropped off by Omega counselors at 3:15. Parent must park at the Bell Tower and sign out their child with Coach Stevenson or Coach Scharinger at 4:30 dismissal.

 

The clinic will culminate with performances at the Spirit Week Pep Rally (2:00) and Basketball Game (5:00) on January 12th @ HCES.