Many thanks to parents, students, and community members who generously baked and sold about 100 pies for over $1,500 in sales, a record!. After our allotted portion is given to the Ashfield Fall Festival Committee for their scholarship fund, we have $1,300 to use toward our mission to support the staff and school in the year ahead. Go Team!

The Community Service Council is back with its change drive, this time to support the efforts of the Hispanic Foundation's UNIDOS Disaster Relief Fund. Council members chose this organization, in part because 100% of all donations will be used to help families and children recover from the disastrous impact of Hurricane Maria. To see the level of devastation and need, click here. Please help your child(ren) remember to add to their team's donation jar over the next few weeks. The drive will end on October 27. Thank you!

On Tuesday afternoon, students, faculty, and some parents were treated to a presentation by Phakchok Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and Erric Solomon, a software expert and former technology executive in Silicon Valley, now an author and innovative meditation teacher. Rinpoche and Solomon spoke about the concept of "radical happiness", specifically, encouraging audience members to consider how they regulate strong emotions. Rinpoche made sure to drive home a few key mantras that he hoped we would take away from their talk, including "Don't be like dog, be like lion!" In this instance, he asked community members to consider the different ways a dog and a lion would respond to a thrown object, like a stick. Instead of chasing and holding on to an emotion like anger (as a dog would a stick), he suggests we look at and confront it (as a lion would to the source of the stick thrown), and then let it go. The speakers also led us through a brief meditation exercise that they called "Making Space" (visualizing one's body surrounded by clear, blue sky) - encouraging us to practice this daily for a few minutes towards the goal of allowing our busy brains to clear and settle, thus honing a skill that we might call into action during moments of high stress or emotional upset. We look forward to continuing work in this realm as part of our advisory program this year. Special thanks to Anasuya Weil (GP '17, '19) for making this presentation possible for our community.

The Auction planning committee is hard at work and has received almost 200 items for your bidding pleasure. Try something new, step out on the town, dine in one of our fine local establishments, get a massage or give it as a gift, enjoy the bounty of our local farms, or adorn you home (or someone else's!) with the work of local artists and fine craftspeople. To tempt you, many of the growing list of items are shown on The Academy's Facebook page, with new items posted regularly.

Plan to join the fun on Saturday evening, November 4 (5-9 PM). Mingle with parents, faculty, staff and friends of the school, enjoy a selection of delicious and filling appetizers and desserts, sip local libations, and support The Academy's programs and financial aid just by being there!  Tickets are available in advance online by clicking here. Buy two in advance and get a third free so you can bring a friend!

Need childcare? For children ages 3+ we will have craft projects, movies, and pizza here at school, staffed by juniors and overseen by Academy staff members. Please be in touch with Steph Powers with questions about childcare or to let her know you'll need it and be bringing your child(ren).