Bulletin
June 7, 2019
Volume 38, #40
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Upcoming Dates to Remember June 8: Graduation
June 10: Rising Senior Leadership Retreat
July 15-19: Makers' Camp with Will Miller (see details below)
August 12-16: SAT Prep Course (1/2 and full day options-see below)
NOTE: A convenient one-page version of the 2019-2020 School Calendar is available HERE. The School Calendar, linked above and always available from our homepage, includes this information and more, so please remember to check it frequently for updates.
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COMMENCEMENT, June 8
RECEPTION FOOD ASSIGNMENTSThe Academy's 37th Commencement will take place at 3:00 PM on Saturday, June 8. All students are expected to attend, and all parents are encouraged and invited to attend as well.
It's a tradition that we celebrate our seniors with a potluck reception after the commencement ceremony.
Families in the following grades should plan to contribute the following items – all finger foods please!
Please bring your offerings plated and ready to serve. They may be dropped off in the kitchen before the ceremony.
Grades 6/7 & 8: cookies, brownies or finger desserts
Grade 9: veggies and dip
Grades 10 & 11: cheese & crackers
We expect over 400 people to join us and look forward to seeing all of you and our graduates' guests there.
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NetClassroom and Report Cards We plan to publish final report cards to NetClassroom by Wednesday, June 19 and will email students and parents when they are available to access online. Paper copies are not mailed, but those who would like to receive one or if you have lost your NetClassroom login information should contact John Schatz.
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SEEKING LOST CHROMEBOOKS!
At this very end of the school year, we still have not recovered all of the school's Chromebooks. We seek parental support in checking under beds, piles of laundry, etc. just in case any were mistakenly brought home. Please, if found, send bring them back to campus ASAP!
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Makers' Camp with Will Miller:
July 15 - 19th Project-based learning is part of what makes The Academy great. Now you can get in the ‘Maker Mindset’ this summer at the Academy with camp instructor Will Miller. Campers will have a chance to choose from projects that let them tinker with lights and ‘scrappy circuits’, build and customize big, creative cardboard structures, learn 3D design and printing skills to unlock their creative potential, investigate and deconstruct household devices, then repurpose parts for fun projects, explore pneumatics, induction, simple machines, and more! Dozens of simple day projects will be made available, or campers can dive deeper into one of the week-long design-and-build projects available.
Sample projects:
- Direct 3D printing of flexible embossed designs on clothing
- Design and print Lego-compatible accessories, a solar-powered toy race car, a flying disc, or paper
airplane accessory - Build and test a wind turbine to generate electricity
- Turn a photo into a 3D-printed transparent lithophane keepsake
- Print custom game components for your own tabletop game project
The possibilities are endless! Time: 9am- 1pm, cost: $325. To register, please contact Steph Powers.
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SAT Prep Course at The Academy, August 2019
Mr. Gay and Mr. Schatz will offer an SAT preparation course to local rising 11th and 12th grade students from Monday, August 12th to Friday, August 16th. Students can opt for half days ($300) or full days ($500). The mornings will be dedicated to Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and the afternoons to Math. Please contact Steph Powers with your interest, and please help us spread the word!
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Classroom Close-Up:
12th Grade HumanitiesFor their final unit in Global Studies, the seniors asked to study death, dying, and funerary traditions in particular. While it sounds macabre, the intention of the unit was to investigate our historical and contemporary ideas and practices surrounding death. We examined the common anxieties and fears individuals have about death; how different institutions, cultures; and belief systems define death; and the history of funeral traditions in the U.S. and across the globe. Our unit and year ended with a joyous meal where we ate delicious food, toasted each other and our departed loved ones, and had conversations about our own philosophies and experiences with death. It was a poignant way to end things!
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End of Year APC News
Thanks to everyone for everything you have all done to support the APC and thus the school community this year. Enjoy the summer! If you are feeling the urge to share time with fellow Academy families, post a gathering (swimming at DAR, hiking on Sugarloaf, blueberry picking in Heath, biking the Northampton Bike Path, taking in a movie at the Northfield Drive-In...) on the Academy Parent Council Facebook page. Perhaps others are just looking for a reason to get together!
Faculty Appreciation Luncheon
On Tuesday, June 11, the Academy Parents Council will host a luncheon for the faculty and staff to show our gratitude for their dedication to our children throughout the year. There are still a few slots left to fill, especially if you are able to help with set up and/or clean up (shifts are relatively short 10am-Noon and Noon-2pm). Sign up here, Questions? Please contact Meg Clark P21. Thank you so much!
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On-Line Book Sale
The APC will be trying an online Book Sale this summer. Once book lists are shared, there will be a Google Sheet available that allows families to post their used books for sale and allows buyers to claim them, on a first come, first serve basis. All transactions are completed between the buyer and the seller. There will be no book collection at the school, although there may be a central exchange table at registration if needed. Questions? Contact Diane Bigelow.
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ANNUAL FUND 2019With little more than a month to go until the end of our fiscal year, we're about halfway to our Annual Fund Goal of $250,000. If you haven't yet made your gift, please do so here. Parents, we're inching up, now with a 58% participation rate, and we're aiming for 100%. Your gift before June 30 will be TRIPLE matched by a group of generous donors!Every gift matters, every day. Thank you for your generosity.
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Spring Concert NewsThanks to the generosity of concert goers, the Community Service Council will be making a $75 donation to Montague Catholic Social Ministries to support their refugee assistance efforts. Your donations to support The Academy's arts program and the Inter-School Relations Council's new literary magazine, 2-West, are also appreciated.
Liam N recorded the concert and when he's finished editing, we'll share the files with students and parents. Thank you, Liam!
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ERDING-CHARLEMONT EXCHANGE 2019: A Great Opportunity! We are looking for an Academy student and family interested in hosting a 10th grade boy from Erding, Germany, during the fall of 2019. Erding students visit us every year as part of the longstanding Erding-Charlemont Exchange. The American host students are then invited to go to Germany the following summer. The host families on both sides of the Atlantic are expected to provide room and board and are expected to show the student around the region. There is a $500 family stipend available to help defray related expenses. Erding students will be here next fall from approximately October 22 to December 22.
Please take a look at the four brief bios of applicants Jacob, Matthias, and Moritz and discuss this wonderful opportunity with your family. FYI: While preference is given to rising 10th graders, Academy hosts do not have to be in 10th grade. We will only invite a total of two students from Erding, and have already selected a girl who now has a host family.
To learn more about these students or the Erding-Charlemont Exchange in general, please contact Steph Powers or Sabine Mauri.
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HOST AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT NEXT YEARWe're pleased to announce that David, currently a junior at The Academy, will be returning to us for next year! In addition, Sarah, a 15-year-old girl living in Libramont, Belgium is very excited to be joining The Academy community next year as an 11th grader. To make this work, we need to find host families for David and Sarah. Please consider this wonderful opportunity!
We all know and love David and have been enriched by his presence in our community. We're thrilled that he wants to continue his education at The Academy as a senior! Please contact Sabine Mauri or Steph Powers with questions or for more information about hosting. Living with a host family will be an amazing experience for Sarah, just as it will be for her family. Sarah is a fabulous singer who also likes skiing (she'll love that Berkshire East is so close!). She also likes kickboxing and swimming. Her parents describe her as joyful and a great student. Sarah helps at home by washing dishes, cleaning her room, vacuuming, doing laundry and cooking, so plan on eating a few Belgian dishes with her. arah has wanted to come to the US for a very long time. "I have been dreaming about it since I was a little child. I have always dreamed to attend a real baseball match," she says. More recently, she decided it was time to have this experience after seeing how much her brother loved going to school in New Zealand.
Sarah will be coming to us via the PAX program. The Academy will also be welcoming Roger of Spain into the 10th grade next year. A wonderful family has stepped up to host him! And, it's likely a third student will be coming, possibly from Germany or Italy. He or she will also need a family. Contact local coordinator and Academy parent Jackie Walsh for more information about Sarah and about PAX, at 413-625-9413 or by email.
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