November 4 - Cornucopia Auction and Social
November 6 - End of sport season celebration 2:15-3pm Sumner Recital Hall
November 9 - 9th and 10th grade parents round table discussion at GCC
November 13 - Fall Exhibition 6:15pm
December 5 - 11th and 12th grade parents round table discussion at GCC

Join other Academy families and friends tomorrow for a fun evening of socializing complete with delicious drinks, appetizers, and dessert, great music, and live and silent bidding on an impressive selection of items. Offered at auction are handmade artwork, crafts by local artisans, personal services, unique themed baskets, getaways, gift cards to favorite local shops and restaurants, and much more. Tickets are available at the door.

Check out some of the auction items on The Academy's Facebook page. See you there!

9th & 10th grade parents have the opportunity to meet with The Academy's psychological consultant and school counselor, Aethena Enzer-Mahler next week on Thursday, November 9. Aethena will cover important points about the developmental stages of students in the grade levels indicated, touch upon the topic of students experiencing anxiety, and finally address any questions or concerns that parents might have. This evening is sure to provide great food for thought, whether or not you have concerns about your child's mental health or emotional well-being. The discussion will be held in the The MacLeish Conference Room (Room C307) near the library on the 3rd floor of GCC's main building at 1 College Drive in Greenfield, MA. Please contact Nora Bates Zale with questions or concerns.

This year's Fall Exhibition will take place on November 13 at 6:15 PM and feature the work of Academy seniors, as well as 9th grade Biology projects and 8th grade Health projects.

There will be a benefit dinner at 5:15 PM hosted by The Academy's Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA). The menu will be vegetarian soup, salad and bread. The $5 cost/person can be billed to student accounts.  Desserts will be available by donation. Proceeds from the dinner will be used to help fund conference fees for any Academy student interested in attending the Annual GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) Conference. The GSA also hopes to provide speaker honoraria fees to a panel of transgender individuals who might come to educate the community on their experiences.

Be prepared to enjoy a delicious meal before viewing the students' projects at Fall Exhibition. Please join us!

How to Understand and Reduce Anxiety in Children & Adolescents
with Paul Foxman, PhD

On November 16, Thursday night, 6:30-8:30pm, at the Hilltop Montessori School in Brattleboro, Vermont Paul Foxman, Phd., will be presenting "How to Understand and Reduce Anxiety in Children & Adolescents", He is the author of  "The Worried Child" and runs the Center for Anxiety Care in Burlington VT. More details in the attached poster. 

This is a topic that is coming up more and more with families and inspired us to bring this speaker to our parents. Feel free to post or share and if you have any questions please ask. 

This presentation is appropriate for parents, professionals or any interested adult. The event is free. 

The winter after school program is around the corner. Buses will return to late departure on Monday, November 27. Students have the option of participating in our drama program, girls' basketball, recreational skiing, or competitive skiing. Students can also be picked up at 3:15 PM or stay after school in a study hall until late buses. For information about drama, please contact Kimberly Overtree. For information about the ski program, please read this letter, or contact John Schatz with questions about winter athletics.

Mr. Gay suggests that 11th and 12th grade students and families read this fascinating article about the changing landscape of college admissions. He invites your thoughts and questions.

Dean of Students Nora Bates Zale presented to the community this week on the Network of Complementary Schools, an organization "made up of a group of schools that understands the importance of providing students with a diversity of experiences. By pooling their offerings, these schools present their students with a wider range of quality programs and opportunities. Many of these programs are structured to draw upon a special strength or resource of a particular school and, therefore, focus on a single area of interest. Other programs simply present students with the opportunity to experience an academic and geographic community different from that of their home school." As The Academy's advisor for the program, Mrs. BZ travels to a different member school location each summer for the annual meeting, and wishes to personally attest to the power of this opportunity as a way to get out of one's everyday comfort zone and meet new people - whether or not you see eye-to-eye with them on any number of issues in our country today, the value of making those connections has never been more important than it is in our current society. Students and staff interested in setting up a visit at another member school this year should email Mrs. BZ as soon as possible, even if they are not yet sure where they want to go or what they want to do!

The Council is pleased to announce a successful change drive. Teams raised about $373 to support the Hispanic Federation's UNIDOS Disaster Relief & Recovery Program. The goal of UNIDOS is to meet hurricane-related needs and recovery in Puerto Rico. One hundred percent of contributions to the UNIDOS Fund goes to help the immediate and long-term recovery needs of children, families and communities in distress from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. Thank you for your generosity!

Classroom Close-Up:  Spanish

On Nov. 1, five students of Spanish (Ella D, Grayson R, Nellie B-O, Lila G, Chessie R-C)  and one of French (Amun P) joined Sra./Mme Valdez for a virtual foray to South America in a new Academy bus. The first stop was at the Ecuador Andino Store, a market with myriad products from Latin America, where the group dined on burritos and tacos, while tasting imported soft drinks. Then they were off to UMass Fine Arts Center where they listened to a talk about the Tango in Argentina and how it spread to Europe then the U.S. Ella, Lila and Chessie volunteered to learn some tango steps with current students of the dance. Finally, the group was treated to an enthralling performance of several breath-taking dances, recounting the life of Carlos Gardel, the tango maestro. It was a late night, but an informative and exhilarating one.