September 3:   Labor Day - no school

September 10:  Rosh Hashanah - no school

September 12:  New Parents Dinner, 6:30 - 8 PM in the Common Room

September 14:  New Faces Dance, 7-10 PM

This morning, in a town meeting format, students completed the process of choosing team name themes for the year. Categories were Cardi B lyrics, Santa's rejected reindeers, and movie names with agricultural puns. Ultimately, the individual teams chose their names. Ask your student(s) to tell you about the process and the result. From here, we all boarded buses on our way to spend the rest of the day rafting on the river with Zoar Outdoor.

At the lunch break, students enjoyed some hot soup prepared by Mr. Gay, Ms. Overtree, Mr. Almeida and Mr. Miller.

Students must be dropped off in the mornings in front of Grinnell Hall (smaller building) for the safety of all. The parking lots next to the recital hall and behind Hobbs Hall must be kept free from temporary traffic congestion caused by drop off, in order for faculty and student drivers to be able to park safely. Thank you for your cooperation.

Buses will run on a 4:45 PM departure schedule, arriving at their stops approximately 30 minutes earlier than they do when running on the 5:15 schedule.

Sophomores and Juniors will take the PSAT during the morning of Wednesday, October 10th. Students have a "Student Guide" they can share with parents/guardians.
 
Though this is a standardized test, it is not a high stakes test. In fact, a growing number of schools are moving away from standardized tests as an admissions requirement. Still, most colleges and universities require standardized testing. For 10th grade students, the PSAT is a helpful check to see how they're progressing towards one benchmark of college readiness. 11th grade students have an idea, based on their scores, where to start looking during the college search, which will begin slowly this semester, and then quicken as the school year progresses. 

Mr. Gay will meet with 10th and 11th grade students ahead of the test, and then with 11th grade students and parents this winter. Please contact Mr. Gay with any questions.

Mr. Miller's Environmental Science class discussed the local food movement and harvested a crop of potatoes planted by last year's class. We plan to use them in the kitchen as a way to reduce our school's carbon footprint and encourage awareness of the benefits of eating locally grown food.

A bus stop at North Star in Sunderland, MA, has been added to the Amherst bus route, and stops at North Star will begin Tuesday, September 4. Note the updated schedule here. Please make sure to drop off and pick up your children in a punctual manner. We risk losing the ability to use some of our bus stops, if our community's vehicles are not using those spaces in a timely, safe, and efficient manner.

You will have noticed a Cornucopia Auction Donation Form in the red folder you received from the Academy Parents Council (APC) at Registration.

If you paint, or consult, or make amazing pies, or just want to buy a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant to share, please let us know by filling out the form!  Interested in helping the planning committee follow up on its donation requests? Give Phoebe Walker a shout.

Thanks for your help - and don't forget to mark your calendars for this special event - Saturday, November 3, 5-9 PM!

Greetings from your co-chairs Dana Stiepock and Diane Bigelow. So good to meet so many parents on Registration day!  For those parents who did not attend Registration or did not have a chance to complete the APC Volunteer Survey, please take a moment to complete that here. There are many ways that parents can help the Academy, some small, some large.  The survey gives you a chance to see and sign up for volunteer opportunities or offer skills/services that the Academy has yet to discover about you. 

Thank you so much! And please mark your calendars for our first APC meeting of the school year, October 3 at 7 PM, location TBA.