February 2025 News & Updates
February greetings, dear friends of Saint Basil! As always, we hope this message finds you well and that your month has been full of wonderful things. Here on campus, February has been full, eventful, and rich in so many ways.
Unlike last year, this February brought us a lot of snow! It was, in fact, a month full of snow days which everyone (especially the kiddos!) got to enjoy to the fullest. They skied, they sledded, they swam, they roller-skated, they baked…it was snow day mayhem! But in the best possible way. It was such a treasure to witness our children making positive, lasting, and happy childhood memories which play such a critical role in their healing and development. We don’t take any of that for granted even for a second.
February also ushered in our inaugural session of monthly Catechism classes taught by friends from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Our children learned to chant the Our Father and also got a beautiful introduction to the Paraklesis service to the Mother of God. It was beautiful, moving, and full of joy! We all look forward to the next session in March.
This month, the District 6 Maids of Athena continued to make incredible progress on the Saint Basil Sensory Room Project. One of the coolest aspects of the project is the fact that our own Saint Basil children and families get to take part in the creation of the room, working along side the Maids in a spirit of camaraderie. Thank you to all the Maids, especially District Governor Sophia Theodorou!
Thank you also to our friends at Zoodohos Peghe GOYA for hosting our middle and high schoolers at their recent Valentine’s Day party. They had an absolute blast! And speaking of GOYA…have you registered yet for the upcoming Lenten GOYA retreat on Saturday, March 22? We are so excited for the day which will include a keynote speaker, activities and discussions led by seminarians from Hellenic College Holy Cross, musical performances by the Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir, Reforestation tree-planting project in partnership with Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting, and fellowship and worship with different GOYA groups across the region. Please register for the Lenten GOYA retreat today! (And if you are interested in being an adult volunteer for the Lenten GOYA retreat, please fill out this form).
This week before the GOYA retreat, Father Jason Dickey from Kimisis Tis Theotokou in Poughkeepsie will be on campus leading a training called Empowering Peacemakers on Saturday, March 10. He will be joined by guest speaker Frank Guglieri to explore how we can alleviate the impact of crime as peacemakers. The event is open to all, and please email Father Jason to reserve your spot in the Empowering Peacemakers training by March 7th.
In case you missed it from the last e-newsletter be sure to check out our 2024 Year-in-Review available on our website to get a glimpse of some of the highlights from last year. 2024 was amazing, and so far 2025 is pretty amazing as well!
Hope to see you very soon!
With love and gratitude,
The Saint Basil Academy Family
Scholarship Opportunity
For qualifying Seniors, there is still enough time to apply, and for younger Scouts, we hope you will apply in your senior year!
Be sure to earn the Alpha Omega religious award in addition to the highest award of your Scouting organization!
Did You Know?
Saint Basil staff at their February TCI training
Saint Basil Academy is committed to providing a trauma-informed environment acknowledging that our children’s and families’ past experiences of trauma affect their emotional and psychological well-being. That is why we have ongoing training of our staff in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), a best practices and prevention system developed by Cornell University to:
- Help children learn constructive ways to handle feelings of frustration, failure, anger, and hurt
- Teach staff and children a continuum of intervention skills to avoid internal and external crises
- Prevent potential crises
- De-escalate crises when they occur
Support our work
As a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity, Saint Basil Academy depends upon the financial support of its beloved friends and donors. Our supporters contribute in many different ways, from monetary and material donations to naming Saint Basil as a beneficiary in life insurance and estate planning. Saint Basil Academy also has several earmarked funds in place for therapeutic art classes and outdoor excursions. Sponsoring a resident, becoming a host family, and/or referring a child to Saint Basil Academy are other vital ways of providing support as well. When you give to Saint Basil Academy, you are helping a child in need in a powerful way.
© Saint Basil Academy